Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 1366 Black Dragon Palace!

"He won so easily," Lord Arckin remarked with a deep sigh, pulling his eyes away from the arena while the result of Max's clash with Adam remained vivid in his thoughts. The gap between the fighters had appeared starkly obvious from his position.

Adam had driven himself to the brink, deploying all his skills and full might, but Max handled the confrontation like a simple training bout. No haste marked his actions, no tension showed on his face—just steady command that highlighted the vast divide between them unmistakably.

Ron, positioned silently at his back, released a quiet sigh too. Over the years, he had observed Adam's progress, from the top of Divine Rank to his present level, and he knew full well the dedication Adam had invested in his training. For that reason, Ron could picture the heavy letdown settling in Adam's chest after this loss, not merely from the defeat itself, but from grasping how immense the road forward really stretched.

Following the duel at the Warrior Academy, Max went back to his quarters in the estate and stayed inside for the rest of the time. The day slipped by quietly as he concentrated on steadying his mana, aligning it precisely with the thick Divine Essence filling the atmosphere. He avoided hasty progress in his cultivation, opting to polish his base instead, letting his strength root itself organically without pushing for a sudden advance.

On the following morning, Ron arrived to call him to the mansion's main chamber. Upon entering, Max spotted a recognizable form waiting there, and a wide grin lit up his features instantly.

"Instructor Virelia!" Max called out, offering a polite bow with real delight in his voice.

"Hehe, it's nice to see you as well," Lady Virelia answered, smiling warmly and giving him an approving nod. "You've grown a touch more grown-up since our previous encounter."

"Hehe," Max chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his head a bit sheepishly.

"It was quite the journey to reach here," Lady Virelia went on, her face showing amusement. "Seems like a certain someone stirred up a huge fuss by besting the Grim Gladiator in the Divine Colosseum, pulling in the notice of every one of the Black Dragon Palace's seven great families."

Max managed only a sheepish grin in response to her comment. Briefly, he pondered if life would have stayed simpler had he just stuck to mining and training after securing his mana, rather than venturing into the Divine Colosseum and sparking all that turmoil.

"Well then, prepared to enter the Black Dragon Palace?" Lady Virelia inquired, her look steady but tinged with subtle eagerness.

Max agreed promptly with a nod. "I've waited long enough."

"Excellent," Lady Virelia replied with a brief incline of her head, shifting to face Lord Arckin. "Arckin, transport us over."

Lord Arckin acted at once, lifting his arm and inputting a series of instructions on his holographic device. Suddenly, a vivid azure glow surrounded Max and Lady Virelia, coiling about them like a vibrant stream before their shapes disappeared completely from the estate.

To Max, the ensuing feeling proved odd and intense. It was like his form traversed myriad folds of packed energy, akin to undergoing a scan while being disassembled simultaneously, all without discomfort.

A keen prickling surged along his blood vessels, his skeleton, and even his spirit, as if reality bent and expanded encircling him. The experience endured just moments, yet those instants hung timelessly. Then, without warning, stability returned, and his sight cleared.

The sight that met him rendered him utterly wordless.

This marked the Black Dragon Palace.

In Max's view, the term palace fell far short of capturing the spectacle ahead. The entire realm appeared shadowed and polished, as if crafted by hammer and forge instead of nature. Boundless ebon peaks thrust skyward into a heaven veiled by somber clouds that shimmered softly in rich scarlet and purple tones.

Enormous serpentine beasts hewn from dark rock twisted around immense columns aspiring to the firmament, their gazes ablaze with perpetual ebony fires that danced like conscious entities. The atmosphere bore a weighty, timeless force—not crushing, but regal—as though the ground itself bowed solely to power and command.

Instead of liquid streams, torrents of dark inferno coursed across the land, producing no warmth but exuding a fearsome aura of ruin. These blazes flowed deliberately, not wildly, snaking through the scenery like arteries pulsing with the domain's vital force.

Overhead, gigantic draconic shadows glided amid the vapors, some evidently living creatures, others shaped purely from gathered dark fires and divine energy. With each flap of their wings, the void quivered subtly, stirring waves through the heavens.

Right at the heart of this expansive territory loomed the Black Dragon Palace proper. Rather than one building, it formed a sprawling network of linked strongholds, airborne ledges, and vast chambers held aloft by sheer divine force.

The fortress barriers consisted of deepest midnight alloy, inscribed with dragon-like symbols that throbbed gently, emitting pulses of force that set Max's senses roaring in reverence. Towering reptilian skulls topped the gateways, jaws parted halfway as though set to consume deities, with silent dark fires smoldering in their depths.

Max's pulse raced as he absorbed the grandeur. Each inhalation brought hints of draconic power and timeless rule. Beside this domain, the Divine Colosseum seemed rough and basic. This stood as no simple home for a mighty group. It was a realm designed to revere might, conquest, and the enduring heritage of dragon lords supreme over everything.

"So this is the Black Dragon Palace," Max mused inwardly, his gaze mirroring the infinite dark fires stretching out.

In that instant, clarity struck him. The very second he crossed into this world, his existence had fully stepped into the arena of deities and dragons, with no path of retreat.