"You did good."
Lady Virelia's voice carried warmth as she stepped forward, her elegant figure appearing before Max with a proud smile that she did not bother to conceal. Her eyes, which usually held a calm and distant authority, now reflected unmistakable satisfaction.
Max inclined his head respectfully. "Thanks for the praise, Master."
His tone was steady, yet there was genuine gratitude in his voice. Although he had achieved the breakthrough through his own efforts and the power of the Chaos Tree, he understood that without Lady Virelia's guidance and protection, he would never have been standing here so confidently in the first place.
As their brief exchange ended, Max suddenly beca aware of sothing unusual.
The space outside the do of the second trial had grown strangely quiet. Conversations that had been buzzing monts ago seed to fade into a heavy silence. He lifted his gaze slightly and froze for a fraction of a second when he realized that every single person present was looking directly at him.
Not just a few disciples. Not rely the elders from his own faction.
Everyone.
The disciples stood in clusters, their expressions no longer filled with casual curiosity. Their eyes were shining with excitent that bordered on reverence. So of them looked as though they had just witnessed sothing legendary unfold before their very eyes.
A few younger disciples even straightened their backs instinctively when his gaze brushed past them, as if they were standing in the presence of soone far above their own level.
The elders were no different in their own restrained manner. Their expressions carried open approval. Several of them nodded toward him with bright smiles that were rarely seen on faces accustod to authority and composure. There was no trace of indifference in their eyes. Instead, there was recognition.
'What happened?' Max wondered silently what exactly he had done to draw such overwhelming attention.
In his mind, he had simply completed the second trial and gained two levels due to an opportunity presented by the Twenty First Layer. To him, it was a matter of seizing the mont and utilizing the Chaos Tree's unique advantage. He had not considered it a spectacle worthy of such admiration.
What Max did not realize was the true significance of his feat.
Within the Path to Eternal Flas, outer disciples were historically limited by terrifying pressure. The highest layer an outer disciple had ever reached was the Eleventh Layer, and even that achievent had been recorded as an exceptional case in the sect's history. Most disciples were forced to retreat much earlier, unable to withstand the increasingly oppressive flas and spiritual density.
Max had not only surpassed that limit.
He had doubled it.
He had stepped into the Twenty First Layer.
If he had been aware of this fact in its entirety, he would have understood why the disciples looked at him with shining eyes and why the elders nodded with such unrestrained satisfaction. To them, he was no longer rely a promising outer disciple. He had shattered a ceiling that had stood unchallenged for generations.
Lady Virelia observed his slight confusion and allowed her smile to deepen subtly. She did not explain the reason behind the gazes surrounding him. In her eyes, realization would co naturally with ti.
For now, Max simply stood there beneath the collective attention of the entire assembly, unaware that his na had just carved itself into the history of the Path to Eternal Flas.
However, just as Max was still trying to understand the weight of the gazes directed at him, a new disturbance rippled through the plaza, and the atmosphere grew even more solemn than before.
A powerful yet restrained aura descended from above, carrying the authority of soone who stood at the peak of the clan's hierarchy. The crowd instinctively parted as a tall figure walked forward with asured steps, his robes bearing the unmistakable insignia of the Gris Family.
"Max Morgan."
The voice was calm, yet it resonated clearly across the entire plaza without the need for force.
Max imdiately straightened and bowed respectfully. Before him stood Mathew Gris, the head of the Gris Family. Even among the elders, his presence commanded unquestionable authority.
Mathew's gaze rested steadily on Max, and there was no attempt to hide the approval in his eyes. "Your performance in the second trial was the highest achieved by any disciple of the outer halls."
A subtle wave of murmurs spread through the crowd at those words.
Mathew continued without pause. "Because of this, you are to be rewarded with two honors."
The silence deepened.
"First, you are granted the seat of a true disciple. Once this grand trial concludes, you will officially beco a true disciple of our Black Dragon Clan."
The words fell like thunder.
For a brief mont, no one reacted as though their minds needed ti to process what had just been announced. Then, the silence fractured.
The disciples stared at Max with expressions that shifted rapidly from shock to disbelief and then to unconcealed jealousy. To beco a true disciple was the dream that countless outer hall disciples chased for years.
So spent decades attempting to climb through ranks, competing fiercely in trials and missions just to earn recognition. The seat of a true disciple was not rely a title. It represented access to superior resources, direct guidance from high level elders, and a status that placed one far above ordinary disciples.
And now, in the middle of the grand trial, before the final stage had even begun, that status had been granted to Max.
There had been only three seats for the true disciple this ti around and one had been given to Max just like that.
Mathew's voice remained composed as he delivered the second reward. "Second, you are permitted to enter the ancestral chamber of the Black Dragon Clan and choose any inheritance techniques you wish to cultivate."
This statent ignited an even stronger reaction.
Several disciples could not suppress the tightening of their jaws. The ancestral chamber was a sacred place that contained the core techniques and inheritances accumulated by the Black Dragon Clan over generations. Only those of significant rit or of direct bloodline standing were granted entry. Even so core hall disciples had never stepped foot inside.
A young disciple whispered under his breath, "The ancestral chamber… he can choose any inheritance he wants."
Another disciple clenched his fists tightly but forced himself to nod. "It is deserved. No one has ever reached the Twenty First Layer before."
An elder standing among the observers spoke in a low voice to the one beside him. "Granting him the status of true disciple before the final trial ends shows how highly the family heads value him."
The other elder responded thoughtfully. "It is not favoritism. It is urgency. A talent that can break records at such a level cannot be treated with ordinary standards."
Indeed, while jealousy lingered in many eyes, there was also reluctant acceptance. The records Max had shattered within the Path to Eternal Flas were undeniable. The miracles he had created since the beginning of the grand trial were not isolated incidents. They ford a pattern of excellence that demanded recognition.
The family heads were not blind.
They understood that talents like this did not appear often. When they did, hesitation could an losing the opportunity to bind such a genius firmly to the clan's core.
Max stood quietly as the announcent echoed in his ears. Even he had not anticipated such imdiate rewards. Becoming a true disciple after the grand trial was one thing. Being publicly declared before the final stage had even taken place was another entirely.
He bowed respectfully toward Mathew Gris. "I will not disappoint the clan."
His voice carried calm determination rather than arrogance.
Around him, the disciples continued to look on with mixed emotions, yet none dared to challenge the decision. Deep down, they understood that only soone who had gone beyond the limits of the outer halls, soone who had stepped into territory no outer disciple had ever reached, could justify such unprecedented recognition.
At that mont, the ssage was clear to everyone present.
Max Morgan was no longer rely a rising star among outer disciples.
He had been officially marked as a future pillar of the Black Dragon Clan.
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