'Nice.'
Max kept the thought to himself, his expression outwardly calm as the announcent of his rewards settled over the plaza. Becoming a true disciple and gaining access to the ancestral chamber of the Black Dragon Clan was undeniably a major step forward.
For most cultivators, such an opportunity would have been enough to satisfy their ambitions for years. The strongest inheritances of the clan were treasures that countless disciples dread of obtaining, and now those doors would open to him without obstruction.
However, his ambition no longer stopped at the Black Dragon Clan's techniques.
Ever since he had learned that his own bloodline possessed the potential to evolve by devouring or integrating a higher tier lineage, his focus had shifted. The Imperial Bloodline was not rely a prestigious bloodline within the clan. It was a source of power that stood at the apex of their lineage hierarchy.
If he could obtain it and find a way to refine or assimilate it, the evolution of his own bloodline might advance to an entirely new stage. Compared to that possibility, even the ancestral techniques seed secondary.
The thought sharpened his gaze.
Almost instinctively, Max turned his head and looked toward Isabella.
A faint curve appeared on his lips.
To the surrounding disciples, it looked like a composed and confident smile that naturally belonged to soone who had just received imnse recognition.
To Isabella, however, it felt entirely different. She saw the subtle narrowing of his eyes, the slight lift of his chin, and the quiet confidence radiating from him. To her, it was not a simple smile. It was the expression of soone standing above her.
It was a look that declared superiority without words.
Her fingers tightened at her sides.
She hated that expression.
She hated how effortlessly he wore it.
She hated that she had no grounds to refute it.
In terms of potential displayed during the trials, she had been surpassed. The Twenty First Layer of the Path to Eternal Flas had crushed even her confidence. She had always believed herself to be among the most gifted of her generation, especially as the Saintess in training of the Black Dragon Clan.
Her Imperial Bloodline was destined to fully awaken within a few years, and once it did, she would stand at the very pinnacle of the younger generation. That future had always been certain in her mind.
Yet now, standing there and watching Max receive unprecedented rewards before the final trial had even begun, that certainty felt shaken.
As if that were not enough, the mory of their bet pressed heavily against her pride.
Ten years.
Ten full years as his maid.
The humiliation burned within her chest like a silent fla. She, who had been revered since childhood as the future Saintess, who had been treated with respect and caution by elders and disciples alike, was now bound by her own words. The bet had been made publicly. There was no room for retreat without tarnishing her honor and the dignity of her lineage.
Her status did not shield her from the consequences.
She could feel the occasional glance directed at her by nearby disciples. Although none dared to mock her openly, the knowledge of her loss lingered in the air. It was a stain on her pride that she had never experienced before in her life.
She lifted her chin slightly, forcing her expression into one of composure, yet inside, resentnt churned.
She hated this situation.
She hated the way fate had turned.
She hated that the person standing above her at this mont was the very one who held the key to her future humiliation.
Most of all, she hated the fact that she could not deny his strength.
Max held her gaze for a mont longer before looking away as though nothing significant had occurred. To him, this was rely another step forward on his path. To her, it was a wound carved into her pride.
Around them, the plaza remained filled with murmurs of admiration and envy, but between Max and Isabella, an unspoken tension had quietly deepened.
"The second trial has ended."
The deep and steady voice of Grand Elder Waller echoed across the plaza as his figure appeared above the gathering, descending slowly with an aura of authority that imdiately silenced the lingering discussions.
The disciples who had been whispering about Max's achievent and the rewards announced monts ago straightened instinctively, their attention shifting toward the elder who now presided over the next phase of the grand trial.
Grand Elder Waller's gaze swept across the crowd, lingering briefly on the younger generation before he spoke again.
"You should all know that the the for the last trial is battle."
His tone was neither harsh nor lenient, yet it carried a weight that pressed down on every listener.
"Hundred Battles Trial. As the na suggests, you will face one hundred consecutive battles. However, how far you advance within those hundred battles will depend entirely on your own strength, endurance, and will."
A subtle tension spread among the disciples at those words. The phrase one hundred consecutive battles alone was enough to make many of them inhale sharply. Fighting a single intense battle was one thing. Enduring dozens without pause was another entirely. A trial designed around attrition would test not only raw power but also stamina, ntal resilience, and tactical judgnt.
Grand Elder Waller slowly turned his head toward the distance, where a towering structure stood apart from the two dos that had housed the earlier trials.
"That tower," he continued, raising a hand toward it, "is an artifact obtained by our ancestors from a rival force many years ago. Though the relationship between our clans has shifted between rivalry and cooperation throughout history, the artifact itself has remained within our possession."
His voice lowered slightly, carrying a sense of reverence.
"This tower is known as the Combat Legion Tower. There are only three such towers in the entire Divine Realm, and all three are connected through ancient chanisms that even we do not fully comprehend."
As his explanation unfolded, the disciples instinctively turned to look at the structure standing quietly beside the dos.
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