729 Movement
There was a method to Dyon's madness, of course. The moment the maze started to move, Dyon immediately made the observation that further layers moved faster than the layer he stood on. However, this was not all he observed.
Although it was subtle, Dyon also noticed a slight deceleration in the pace the layer he stood on was moving. In fact, the change was so subtle that even Dyon's grand teacher couldn't help but praise him for noticing it so quickly.
When Dyon noticed this, he decided to take a gamble.
After Dyon realized that layers closer to the edge moved faster relative to other layers, the obvious observation was that since his layer was slowly down, that meant it was moving toward the center. And yet, Dyon decided to not move at all!
This would seem like the worst thing to do in this situation. What if the maze was trying to undo all of the work you had done? Shouldn't you immediately try and fight against it as soon as possible?
However, Dyon thought beyond that. Considering the maze was circular, judging by the curve of its walls, doesn't that mean that there was a likelihood that after it finished slowing down, it would then pick back up in speed? And when it reached its peak speed, wouldn't that mean that Dyon was closer to the edge than he had ever been before?
Dyon knew that this was a gamble. There was always the chance that once the layer he was in reached 0 km/h, that it would just stop, leaving Dyon stranded in the middle. But, Dyon's perception and guts told him different.
So, Dyon sat in meditation, paying attention to every minute change in the maze, and once he realized layers behind him were speed up, he knew made the right choice.
Although Dyon didn't know it now, he had traded in weeks of waiting time for 20 years.
The truth was that the time limit of 10 years for the perfect prize should have been impossible to grasp unless you saw through the maze perfectly. Since the size of the maze was decided on the age of the one who entered, it was always adjusted such that it would take 25 years to complete. But, not only had Dyon completed the 5-year segment in a mere year and a half, he had completed the 20-year segment in three months!
Dyon's speed burst to another level. There was no joy in his eyes when he saw the exit. He never expected to fail, and he never once felt any form of despair, as such, why would he feel happy?
The only thought in Dyon's mind was the second trial. This time, it would be a test of his intellect and his strength.
**
In an unknown inner world, the beautiful painting of a divine scenery was elegantly painted.
Thousands of flowers spanned across a field of lush green grass, each dripping with rich fragrances and the smallest droplets of water that reflected the high hanging sun.
The river nearby was so clear that one could see to the bottom. Getting lost watching the koi fish swim about was a normal occurrence for anyone who stumbled upon this Holy Land. However, one might not know how rare such an event would be. The ruler of this land wasn't one to take kindly to any encroachment on his territory.
Following along the river and immaculate flowers, one would eventually reach a water fall that fell with weight far surpassing was a normal saint could withstand, and yet when it made contact with the river below, not only was there not splash, it was completely quiet… The only sound for hundreds of miles was the gently flowing river and the swaying of the grass by the wind.
Within the water fall, sat a young man, bearing the overbearing weight of the waterfall on his shoulders as though it was a trickle of rain. One might assume that this young man must at least be a celestial to do this so easily, but the truth of the matter was that he had only just stepped into the ranks of sainthood, having opened 8 meridians in the process!
Suddenly, the eyes of the young man snapped open, his gaze tearing through the falling water and into the distance.
A deadly killing intent suppressed the beauty of the atmosphere, causing the once clear sky to roll into a storm, rumbling with dark, massive cumulonimbus clouds.
The eyes of this young man weren't to be trifled with. They looked like two burning sapphires, laced with whites and blues that were only interrupted by the darkness provided by the slits of his pupils.
It was truly difficult to tell whether this young man was a beast or human. But, what was clear was that he was a worthy enemy, one that was currently pissed off that others had invaded his private territory.
In the distance, easily tens of miles away, a singular man trembled, immediately dropping to his knees and slamming his head into the ground.
Anyone seeing this scene would be confused beyond belief. The man was miles away, and yet didn't dare to take another step forward simply because the eyes of a young man hundreds of years younger than him had opened his eyes.
The skies continued to darken, rolling in agitation as a peel of lightning tore through the skies, followed closely by a rumbling thunder so profound that the earth itself trembled.
"Speak." The young man's voice rumbled along with the thunder. He didn't like being interrupted, but for this person to dare come here, even at the risk of his own life, he understood that something of unprecedented importance had occurred.
"I apologize for intruding, esteemed young master Falkor, but there is something that requires your attention."
The young man remained silent. He knew he didn't need to repeat himself. There were very few things he would allow anyone to interrupt him for. As such, the kneeling man should also understand that if this information wasn't at least as important as those things, he was dead.
"There's been movement on the rankings."
A formless pressure flashed down from the skies, slamming into the back of the kneeling man.
His spine threatened to snap on impact. It was impossible to maintain his kneeling position as his body was laid flush against the ground.
The earth cracked, sinking the man further into it. It seemed like the young man was intent of crushing this subordinate to paste.
Why would he care about normal ranking changes? Was he really being interrupted for such a thing? If his faction wasn't being attacked by those he deemed as worthy opponents, he didn't care!
"Young master, please!" The man struggled, projecting his voice outward. "It's not a normal ranking, it's movement on the rankings of the God trials!"
When the young man heard this, he paused. Maybe he had acted too rashly, this was indeed worthy news.
Movement on the rankings only meant one thing: that someone new had just completed at least 3 or 4 God trials.
Never would the young man think such a thing would be possible after completing only a single trial. After all, what kind of concept was it for someone to change the rankings after only completing 20% of the trials themselves? That would mean their performance on one trial was so overwhelming that they already ranked higher than those who completed the trials in their entirety!