Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 1434 Difficulty of the Second Trial!

Trailing after the leaders came the second wave of disciples.

These followers didn't charge ahead with the same ferocity, but their power was anything but feeble. By the five hundred mile point, the intense flame force weighed down far more heavily. The golden trail in this area ceased its gentle glow. Instead, it throbbed with intense warmth that bore down like an actual burden.

Max moved forward with even strides in the midst of this second wave, while Carl and Laura stayed close by his flanks. A light sheen of perspiration dotted Laura's brow, but her footing held strong. Carl's breaths came out deeper now, though he clenched his jaw and pressed on.

Max kept a composed look on his face, yet internally, he meticulously managed his Divine Essence. The unlocked divine vein inside him drew in some of the blazing power, processing it quietly before spreading it across his frame. In contrast to most around him, he avoided any flashy release of energy. He preserved his power, favoring steadiness instead of showmanship.

The fires in this zone delved further, challenging the toughness of lineages and bodies. From time to time, tiny flame creatures formed out of the nearby blaze, pouncing at those whose guards weakened. Several from the second wave were already clashing with these apparitions, their moves sparking momentarily before scattering the creatures into embers.

Max took down one of those flame beasts with a precise blow, breaking it apart without losing his stride.

The second wave kept moving onward, but their speed lagged clearly behind the frontrunners. The separation from the first group showed plainly on the hovering displays overhead, as elders and watchers observed in silent attention.

Even further back lay the third wave.

This last bunch included the lagging disciples from the Thirty Six Halls. A good number of them were facing real trouble in the opening hundreds of miles. The flame force at this stage felt less harsh than in the inner zones, but even this starting level overwhelmed those with fragile bases.

A few had dropped to careful paces, stopping often to catch their breath. Some triggered incomplete dragon shifts just to withstand the ongoing blaze. Others tripped up as flame beasts appeared, forcing them to summon frantic surges of power for protection.

The divide among the three waves widened bit by bit.

Up ahead, the leading wave started entering the second pillar, where the fires turned to a fiercer red and the atmosphere wavered with thick draconic intent.

In the middle, Max and his nearby companions pressed on toward the edge of the first pillar, their advance consistent but growing more draining.

Toward the end, the frailest disciples fought just to stay on their feet.

The Path to Eternal Flames was just starting to show its true challenge, but it had already drawn sharp lines between the challengers.

And all this marked only the initial one of thirty six pillars.

"The Path to Eternal Flames..." Max pondered to himself while he kept crossing the golden expanse. "This test feels truly odd."

The fires across this place lacked sameness. They held layers of purpose. With each step he took, he distinctly felt various ideas blended into the searing force. Certain fires erupted wildly, bearing the idea of furious blazes meant to crush with raw power.

Some brought a cutting sharpness, focused and intense, as if crafted to pierce defenses accurately instead of brute strength. There were also threads of gentler fire power that streamed smoothly, resembling glowing coals keeping a endless blaze alive minus any wild disorder.

This diversity stirred him thoughtfully. It wasn't just a basic element trial. The space brimmed with bits of flame ideas.

He squinted his eyes a touch while evaluating the scene.

This stood as merely the first pillar, the starting level out of thirty six. But even in this early part, he could detect fire ideas from basic forms to advanced ones nearing the fifth degree of insight. This suggested the maker of this route had deliberately woven a full range of insight into the fires.

With the opening level holding such depth, what challenges lay at the fifth pillar, the bare minimum for outer disciple approval? And further on, what about the tenth, the twentieth, or the final thirty sixth pillar?

That idea alone held gravity.

Still, right then, Max stayed unburdened. The force bore on him without pause, but it failed to throw off his breath or shake his Divine Essence. The unlocked divine vein in him kept working flawlessly, taking in and reallocating bits of the burning power.

He looked over at his companions.

Carl and Laura moved ahead reliably too, but different from Max, they had both let out their fire ideas externally. Carl's presence flared with keen fierceness, drawing on his grasp of ruinous fires to push back the encroaching force.

Laura's fires streamed with greater ease, her insight tilting toward even and enduring blaze, letting her hold out without direct confrontation.

Next to them, Max showed no outward fire idea whatsoever. He depended purely on Divine Essence flow and his body's firmness. To onlookers, it might look like he was saving his reserves. Actually, he was studying and adjusting.

"Should we pick up our speed?" Max inquired evenly as they approached the final section of the first pillar.

Carl breathed out gradually before giving a nod. "Let's go."

Laura's face held gravity, but resolve shone through. "We cannot lag too much behind the frontrunners."

With their accord, the three shifted their tempo. Their footfalls quickened, yet stayed measured. They avoided wild dashes. Rather, they boosted their output, cutting pauses between steps and streamlining the energy rush inside themselves.

The golden trail hazed a bit under their soles as they covered hundreds of miles quickly. Flame beasts popped up now and then, but they handled them fast without losing their lineup.

Soon enough, the warp in the front air grew sharper. The first pillar's limit appeared, signaled by a faint color change. The golden light intensified, merging into a richer red shade that throbbed with denser purpose.

Upon hitting the divide, the force spiked sharply.

"The force here hits way harder," Carl noted, calming his breaths while warmth squeezed his torso.

Laura drew in a full breath, adjusting her fire streams to steady her form. Perspiration shone on her temples, but she kept her stance straight.