Soon, the other family heads approached one after another.
Victor Veron stepped forward first, his expression warm with genuine admiration.
"Zain, your performance today has been remarkable," Victor said. "To step into the eleventh layer at the Rebirth Realm is sothing few in history have accomplished. You have earned our respect."
Henry Lumin nodded as he added his congratulations.
"You have demonstrated extraordinary willpower and strength. The eleventh layer is a realm many cannot even approach. Your future is bright."
Lilith Carol offered a faint smile as she spoke.
"Such composure even after enduring the eleventh layer's flas shows true character. Continue cultivating with this determination. You may yet surpass even greater limits."
Matthew Gris observed Zain thoughtfully before giving a slight nod.
"The Path to Eternal Flas tests more than just strength. It tests conviction. You have proven yourself worthy of standing among the elite of this generation."
Each word carried weight. Their congratulations were not empty courtesy. Zain's accomplishnt had genuinely impressed them.
Around them, elders and disciples alike looked upon Zain with admiration. To have reached the eleventh layer was to have crossed into a realm of legend. It was a feat that would be recorded in the annals of the Black Dragon Clan.
Garry Heron listened to the praises with visible satisfaction. His descendant had upheld the honor of their lineage.
Above them, the projection screens still flickered.
Only one figure remained within the Path to Eternal Flas.
Max, seated silently within the eighth layer.
Within the depths of Max's inner world, the five leaves upon the fla branch of the Chaos Tree trembled faintly as they absorbed the continuous stream of golden energy flowing in from the surroundings.
The radiance surrounding them had grown denser than before, their surfaces shimring with a molten glow that seed almost alive. Yet despite the steady nourishnt, sothing felt incomplete.
The golden strands of energy kept rging into the leaves, refining and compressing within their structure. However, no matter how much energy was drawn in from the eighth layer, the transformation appeared stalled at a critical threshold. The leaves pulsed, but they did not evolve. They glowed, but they did not change in essence.
Max sensed this limitation clearly.
"It seems the energies in the lower layers of the Path to Eternal Flas are not strong enough to fully nourish the Chaos Tree," he thought calmly as he observed the stagnation. "If this process is to continue, I need to head deeper."
The conclusion ford naturally in his mind.
He slowly opened his eyes, the blazing flas of the eighth layer reflecting in his calm gaze. After making up his decision, he rose to his feet and stretched his limbs lightly, allowing the tension accumulated from hours of ditation to disperse. There was no hesitation in his movents.
With steady steps, Max advanced toward the boundary separating the eighth and ninth layers.
The mont he crossed that invisible threshold, a violent surge of pressure descended upon him.
Bang.
It felt as though he had stepped into an entirely different world.
The weight of the ninth layer was not rely an incrental increase. It was a dramatic escalation. The air grew thick and oppressive, pressing against his body with suffocating force. The flas around him were darker and more turbulent, their movents erratic yet governed by intricate patterns of chaotic law.
"The pressure here is many tis stronger than that of the eighth layer," Max muttered softly as he closed his eyes to sense more clearly. "The chaotic fla laws are also far denser. They gather in formations, almost like barriers."
Indeed, the fire within the ninth layer did not swirl randomly. The chaotic fla laws intertwined ahead of him, forming condensed clusters that blocked forward movent. They felt alive, as though actively resisting intrusion. Each strand of law carried a fierce authority, and together they created a suffocating blockade.
Max remained standing still for a mont, allowing the oppressive force to settle against him. His muscles tensed instinctively under the weight, yet his expression remained composed.
He quickly understood that things had beco significantly more difficult.
The ninth layer was no longer a place where one could simply endure and advance steadily. If he wished to continue deeper into this layer, he had only two options.
He could force his way forward, relying on brute strength to shatter the chaotic fla formations that obstructed him.
Or he could comprehend the chaotic fla laws woven throughout this layer, unravel their structure, and align himself with them to pass through without conflict.
Max's eyes slowly opened, a faint gleam appearing within them as he faced the raging inferno ahead.
He advanced deeper into the ninth layer until he reached roughly eight thousand one hundred miles. There, he ca to a stop and allowed himself to fully experience the chaotic fla laws pressing upon him.
The sensation was overwhelming. It felt as though he had sunk to the bottom of a vast ocean, with endless waves crashing down from every direction. The pressure did not rely push against his body. It seeped into his bones, pressed against his ridians, and weighed upon his very soul.
The chaotic fla laws swirled around him in dense formations, intertwining and colliding like violent currents beneath a stormy sea. Each strand carried fierce authority. Together, they created an environnt that would have crushed an ordinary cultivator instantly.
This was how much pressure the ninth layer exerted.
Yet Max stood calmly amidst it.
He closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to expand outward, tracing the structure of the chaotic fla laws. Unlike the lower layers, the fire here was unstable and wild, yet beneath that apparent chaos lay an intricate order.
The laws intertwined in patterns that were difficult to perceive at first glance, but once focused upon, they revealed a deeper rhythm.
As he imrsed himself in comprehension, he also sensed the quality of energy saturating this region.
The golden strands that entered his body were far denser than those in the eighth layer. They did not trickle inward. They surged in powerful streams. The mont they entered his body, they were drawn toward the Chaos Tree and devoured without hesitation.
Within his inner world, the fla branch trembled with renewed vigor.
Just as Max was concentrating fully on unraveling the chaotic fla laws, a sudden loud boom echoed inside his body.
The sound was not external.
It originated from within.
In the sa instant, a powerful wave of energy erupted outward from him. The chaotic fla laws pressing against his figure were forcibly pushed back, as though struck by an invisible shockwave. The dense formations around him were montarily scattered, creating a brief pocket of calm in the raging inferno.
Max's eyes snapped open in shock.
"What the hell?"
His mind reacted instantly. He sent his consciousness inward to examine the source of the disturbance.
The sight that greeted him caused his heart to skip a beat.
Beside one of the five glowing fla leaves on the Chaos Tree of the flaming branch, a small bud had appeared.
It was delicate yet radiant, its surface shimring with faint golden light. Unlike the mature leaves, this bud pulsed with a different kind of energy. It was neither fully ford nor fragile. It felt like the beginning of sothing imnse.
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