Just as Matthew was about to voice his agreent with Clan Head Raven's proposal, Max suddenly spoke up in a calm and unhurried tone, his voice cutting through the tension in the hall with surprising clarity. "I have another condition," he said, as though he were rely adding a small detail to an already settled matter.
The mont his words fell, every person present turned to look at him, expressions ranging from surprise to irritation, as the focus of the discussion shifted entirely onto the young man standing there without a trace of nervousness.
"What else do you want, kid?" Clan Head Jeremy asked with a deep frown, his patience clearly wearing thin as he stared at Max with undisguised displeasure.
"You are asking for far too much for a re mortal," Clan Head Raven added coldly, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked down on him. To her, the very idea that a mortal would dare to set conditions before great clans of the Divine Realm was sothing bordering on insolence.
Max simply shrugged his shoulders, his expression relaxed as though he were unaffected by their hostility. "What can I say?" he replied casually. "I was forced into this battle in the first place."
Matthew turned his gaze toward Max, his tone remaining steady and composed despite the rising tension. "What is your condition, Max?" he asked.
From his experience, he could already tell that Max was far from simple minded, and whatever he was about to demand would likely place the Dark Phoenix Clan and the Heavenly Kirin Clan in an uncomfortable position.
Max smiled faintly before speaking, his words asured and deliberate. "First, I want a treasure that can help break into the Rebirth Realm, and another treasure that can support my cultivation within the Rebirth Realm, allowing to advance multiple tis until I can ultimately reach the peak of that realm."
After a brief pause, he continued with an almost offhand tone. "Second, I want the inheritance techniques of your two clans. Now that I have said it out loud, I suppose there are only two conditions. That was my mistake."
The atmosphere instantly turned heavy. Clan Head Raven's face twisted with fury, and she shouted the mont Max finished speaking. "How dare a mortal demand the inheritance techniques of our clans?" she roared. "You are nothing more than a mortal who was lucky enough to gain a chance to ascend to the Divine Realm, so behave like one. Do not think that being selected as a disciple of the Black Dragon Clan makes you anything special."
"She is right," Clan Head Jeremy said grimly, his voice carrying a sharp edge as he looked at Max. "There might have been a slight possibility of fulfilling your first condition, but the second one is completely out of the question. For a mortal, you place far too much value on yourself. That demand will never be t."
Max raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting to one of disbelief as he looked at the two clan heads. "Are you serious?" he asked calmly. "Your two clans challenged with the condition that if I lose, I must seal away the sword forever, yet in return you are unwilling to et even my conditions."
His voice grew colder as he continued, his gaze unwavering. "Do you take for a fool or an idiot? You should understand by now that nothing in this world cos without a price, and this situation is no different. If you want to accept your challenge, then you must fulfill my conditions. Otherwise, forget about it entirely. I would rather walk away than risk my sword for nothing."
Max had always lived by the principle of equivalent exchange. If soone sought to take his life, he would respond in kind without hesitation. When others placed stakes on a battle, he would do the sa, because he refused to be the one who stood to lose everything while gaining nothing in return, no matter the circumstances.
"I agree with Max," Matthew said with a smile that carried both warmth and quiet pressure. "For this challenge, you are asking him to give up a sword that could turn him into a true genius of the Divine Realm, yet in return you are unwilling to even consider accepting his conditions. As Max has already said, there is nothing free in this world, so I advise the two of you to think this through carefully before making a decision you may regret."
After hearing Max's words and then Matthew's clear support, Clan Head Jeremy and Clan Head Raven both fell into silence, their gazes eting for a brief mont before turning distant. It was obvious to everyone present that they had begun communicating in secret through voice transmission, exchanging thoughts too sensitive to be spoken aloud in front of the others.
For the two clans, the matter of the Dragonheart Sword falling into the hands of a disciple of the Black Dragon Clan was no small issue. At present, there was a fragile balance among the three forces, with all of them standing at roughly the sa level of strength, maintaining a cautious harmony.
However, if Max were allowed to keep the Sword Sovereign's blade and remain within the Black Dragon Clan for even a thousand years, they feared that balance would inevitably collapse. It would not take long for the Black Dragon Clan to rise above the others and assu the position of leader among the Dark Trinity Clans.
If such a shift were to occur, it would only be a matter of ti before the Black Dragon Clan began to dominate their two clans entirely, rging them into a single overwhelming force. That unified power would possess the potential to challenge even the Divine Four Clans and might ultimately rise to beco the strongest force within the entire Verdant Sky Realm.
It was precisely because of this looming possibility that they were determined to see the sword sealed away forever, no matter the cost.
And now that Max was threatening to not accept their challenge because of his conditions really put them into a serious situation.
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