An elder stepped forward toward Lady Virelia, unable to contain his admiration.
"Virelia, your vision is truly extraordinary," he said with a respectful nod. "To have accepted such a disciple into the Black Dragon Palace… this is a great rit."
Another elder followed imdiately.
"We all thought only Zain would reach the eleventh layer this ti. No one expected a second genius to appear. And yet the one you guided has matched that feat."
A third elder clasped his hands behind his back and smiled faintly.
"First the Sword of the Sword Sovereign, then defeating the Dark Phoenix Clan and Heavenly Kirin Clan geniuses, and now this. It seems wherever Max goes, history bends."
"He is not rely talented," another added. "He possesses a terrifying will. The eleventh layer is not sothing one reaches by accident."
Lady Virelia stood calmly amidst the praise. A soft smile rested on her lips, but her eyes remained fixed on the projection. She did not boast. She did not speak grandly. She simply inclined her head slightly in acknowledgnt.
anwhile, the Seven Family heads stood together, their reactions far more layered.
Victor Veron was the first to speak, his voice low yet filled with awe. "I truly did not believe anyone but Zain could reach this far in this trial."
Henry Lumin exhaled slowly. "I did not either. After Zain entered the eleventh layer, I thought the matter was settled. I never imagined another disciple would follow him."
Lilith Carol folded her arms lightly as she looked up at the projection. "Two disciples in one generation entering the eleventh layer at the Rebirth Realm. This is unprecedented in our recent history."
Matthew Gris' expression carried quiet satisfaction. "This confirms what we have been witnessing all along. Max is no ordinary genius. He belongs among the top of this generation."
He turned slightly toward Lady Virelia. "You have brought great fortune to the Black Dragon Palace and to our Black Dragon Clan."
He understood that Virelia had chosen Max to be her disciple from his performance in one of the many branches of the Black Dragon Palace in the mortal realm. To be able to find Max among thousands of other geniuses in the mortal realm, her ability to scout geniuses was trendous. Henry Lumin glanced at Isabella briefly before returning his gaze to the screen.
"This trial was ant to highlight the Saintess in training and Zain. Instead, it has revealed a third pillar."
Victor Veron nodded.
"It appears this generation will not be dominated by one na alone."
Only Garry Heron remained silent.
His jaw was set tightly as he watched Max standing within the eleventh layer. The pride he had felt when Zain entered that domain had been pure and unchallenged. Now it was shared.
He had once believed that Zain would stand alone at that height.
Now he could no longer claim that.
Around them, the elders continued murmuring in disbelief and admiration.
"No one believed anyone but Zain would reach this far."
"And yet here we are."
The projection above burned brighter as Max's figure stabilized within the eleventh layer.
Two nas now stood within a realm that few in history had touched.
And the balance of the Seven Families had subtly shifted once again.
For generations, the Gris Family had stood at the very peak among the Seven Major Families. Their foundation was the strongest, their resources the most abundant, and their influence the most far reaching.
With Zain entering the eleventh layer, the Heron Family had briefly tasted the glory of standing shoulder to shoulder with the top. Yet now, with Max rising to the sa height and bearing the banner of the Black Dragon Palace under the wider authority of the Gris lineage, that dominance seed poised to endure for decades to co, perhaps even centuries.
The implications were not lost on anyone present.
While elders continued offering their congratulations to Lady Virelia and murmurs of disbelief lingered in the air, the projection above shifted once more.
Max moved.
For a brief second, no one reacted. It took a mont for the realization to spread.
"He is walking again."
The words ca out almost breathlessly.
On the screen, Max stood within the eleventh layer where Zain had eventually fallen. The flas there were vastly different from those below. They were no longer rely chaotic. They were oppressive in a way that felt absolute, their density so extre that even the projection flickered under their intensity.
Yet Max did not stand still.
He took a step forward.
A stunned silence fell before it shattered into uproar.
"Is he out of his mind?"
"This is madness. Complete madness."
"He just entered the eleventh layer. Most would stabilize their footing. And he is advancing already."
The disciples closest to the do leaned forward, so unconsciously gripping the edges of the stone railing.
"He is not satisfied with reaching the eleventh layer," an elder whispered in disbelief. "He wants to go deeper."
"Oh heavens… could he attempt the twelfth layer?"
The question hung in the air like a forbidden thought.
The twelfth layer.
It was spoken of as legend. No cultivator in the Rebirth Realm had ever entered it in the recorded history of the Black Dragon Palace. Even the most brilliant Saintess of the past had been halted before its threshold.
"Could he reach the legendary twelfth layer?" a disciple asked, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and excitent. "The realm that no one at the Rebirth Realm has ever touched?"
"With Max, anything seems possible," another responded without hesitation. "Everywhere he goes, he overturns what we think is impossible."
"This man is genuinely miraculous. Every step he takes is rewriting history."
The atmosphere grew electric.
The elders, who monts ago had been composed and dignified, now found it difficult to hide their tension. Even the Seven Family heads watched with sharpened focus. The eleventh layer was not like the tenth. It was an entirely different domain of pressure and law.
On the projection, Max advanced slowly.
The flas of the eleventh layer surged around him like a living inferno seeking to devour his existence. Each movent appeared heavier than the last. Yet he did not stop.
Isabella stared upward, her earlier humiliation forgotten, replaced by sothing else entirely.
Awe.
Zain's expression grew solemn as he watched the man who had followed him into the eleventh layer now attempt to go further than he himself had managed.
Garry Heron's face darkened, his silence heavier than before.
Matthew Gris' eyes glead faintly.
The disciples began to murmur louder, unable to contain their excitent.
"He is actually attempting it."
"He is challenging the boundary."
The thought that soone at the 1st level of Rebirth Realm might approach the twelfth layer sent shockwaves through every heart present.
Above them all, within the raging sea of the eleventh layer, Max continued walking forward.
And the entire Black Dragon Palace held its breath.
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