Max glanced at them briefly, his gaze calm and indifferent, as though their words carried no weight at all. He did not react, nor did he attempt to defend himself. To him, their accusations were nothing more than noise.
At that mont, Julie's voice sounded quietly within his mind through a transmission.
"Do not mind them," she said.
Her tone remained composed, though there was a faint hint of understanding behind her words.
"There are several third rate forces here that maintain close ties with first rate powers. The factions those two belong to happen to have connections with the Sword God Palace."
She paused for a brief mont before continuing.
"After what you did to the young lady of the Sword God Palace, this kind of hostility is to be expected."
Max listened without changing his expression.
Then, a faint smile appeared on his lips as he realized the situation here.
"Max, what are you doing here?"
Jonathan's voice broke the tension, drawing the attention of everyone present.
Max glanced at him briefly before shifting his gaze toward the towering structure ahead. His eyes lingered on the Combat Tower, as if asuring sothing far beyond its visible form.
"I have already reached the highest floor of the Combat Tower in the Black Dragon Clan," he said calmly. "So I beca curious about the one here in the Violet Star Palace."
A faint change appeared in Jonathan's expression as he heard that. The curiosity in his eyes deepened, though he did not show any outward surprise.
"You want to enter it?" Jonathan asked, his tone carrying a hint of interest. Then a smile spread across his face. "If that is the case, I can take you inside."
Max turned to look at him properly this ti, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes.
"I can?"
He had not expected such an offer, especially not from soone he had just t.
"Of course you can," Julie said with a soft smile, her voice smooth and confident. There was a natural warmth in her expression as she glanced at Jonathan before looking back at Max. "Jonathan would not joke about sothing like the Combat Tower."
The ease in her tone, along with the subtle glance she gave Jonathan, did not go unnoticed.
Max observed the two of them for a brief mont, and then a knowing smile appeared on his face. It was a quiet smile, but it carried enough aning to make Jonathan's expression stiffen slightly.
A faint hint of embarrassnt flickered across Jonathan's face before he cleared his throat.
"So, are you coming or not?" he asked, trying to maintain his composure, though the earlier confidence in his voice had softened just a little.
Max's smile deepened slightly.
"I am coming," he replied.
"Good," Jonathan said quickly, as if eager to move past the mont. "Let's head inside."
He turned and began walking toward the entrance of the Combat Tower. The others who had co with him did not follow. Instead, they slowly retreated, casting one last glance at Max before leaving the area altogether.
Before long, only the three of them remained.
They arrived at the massive entrance of the tower, where ancient runes glowed faintly across its surface. The air around it felt heavier, filled with an energy that seed to test anyone who approached.
Jonathan stepped forward and extended his hand toward the runes.
His fingers moved lightly across them, activating sothing unseen.
A subtle shift passed through the structure, almost imperceptible, yet real.
"Go ahead and enter," Jonathan said without turning around. "I have temporarily disabled the detection chanisms around the tower. Even if you reach the hundredth floor, no one will be alerted."
Max raised an eyebrow slightly as he heard that.
That was not sothing an ordinary disciple could do.
For a mont, he studied Jonathan more carefully, reassessing him in silence. However, he did not sense any hostility, nor any hidden malice. Whatever Jonathan's reasons were, they did not seem harmful.
In the end, Max nodded.
"Thank you," he said simply.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and pushed open the doors of the Combat Tower.
Then he walked inside.
The mont Max stepped through the entrance of the Combat Tower, the world around him shifted.
There was no sense of ascending floor by floor, no gradual transition through the lower levels that others would normally experience. The space folded silently, and in the next instant, his surroundings changed completely.
He stood at the very top.
The hundredth floor.
A vast and ancient hall stretched before him, filled with a quiet grandeur that carried the weight of countless years. The air itself felt different, dense with a presence that could not be described with simple words. It was not oppressive, yet it demanded respect from anyone who stood within it.
And at the center of that space, a familiar figure appeared.
A faint golden glow gathered, forming into an illusion-like silhouette.
Saint Reiner.
His figure looked the sa as before, calm and dignified, his presence radiating a quiet authority that seed to transcend ti itself. His eyes fell upon Max, and for a brief mont, he simply observed him in silence.
Then, a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Good," Saint Reiner said, his voice gentle yet profound. "It seems soone has finally managed to clear the first tower."
His gaze lingered on Max, and there was a subtle trace of approval within it when he saw Max had already opened the first three divine veins of the Seven Divine Veins.
More than that, there was recognition.
Max did not hesitate.
The mont he saw Saint Reiner, he lowered his head slightly and bowed with respect. It was not out of obligation, but out of genuine acknowledgnt of the man before him.
Saint Reiner watched this and smiled faintly.
"There is no need for such formality," he said, his tone carrying a hint of warmth. "You may call brother, as I will call you mine."
Max straightened slowly, eting his gaze once more.
Before he could speak, Saint Reiner raised his hand.
A golden light gathered within his palm, condensing into a small, ancient scroll. The surface of the scroll shimred faintly, as if it contained a power that had long been waiting to be awakened.
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