Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 1457 Garry Heron's Belief!

However, Max's rise didn't earn admiration from every corner.

With the projection revealing his unyielding progress past ten thousand six hundred miles, the observation deck buzzed with a mix of wonder and strain. His advancement motivated some observers, while it stirred unease in others.

Garry Heron's face had darkened further.

"His path should halt near ten thousand eight hundred or ten thousand nine hundred miles," Garry stated icily, eyes locked on the projection.

A few nearby elders glanced his way. His words rang with assurance, not mere guesswork.

Matthew Grimes directed his focus to Garry, a subtle grin forming on his lips.

"Hmm. What leads you to that conclusion?" Matthew inquired steadily. "Based on the signs, Max seems most likely to attain the twelfth layer."

"Most likely?" Garry emitted a brief, scornful chuckle. "Matthew, do you mean that?"

His tone dripped with blatant mockery.

"You know full well that the best recorded odds for entering the twelfth layer in Black Dragon Clan history came from that era's Saintess. She had fully activated her Imperial Bloodline. Her heritage was perfected. Still, she couldn't breach the twelfth layer."

He pivoted a bit, narrowing his gaze.

"Why assume a person with just a progenitor grade bloodline will outdo the feats of a Saintess at the height of her bloodline? That twelfth layer stays beyond reach for Rebirth Realm cultivators."

His statement held gravity. The Saintess in question wasn't just gifted; she ranked among the clan's greatest luminaries.

Garry gave a slight sneer.

"Max amounts to a regular disciple who lucked into the Sword of the Sword Sovereign. Beyond that, what sets him apart? His bloodline isn't supreme. His base isn't peerless."

He clasped his hands behind him, his tone sharpening.

"It wouldn't shock me if he used some shady or disgraceful tactic to delve this far into the Path to Eternal Flames. When he tries for the twelfth layer, that ploy will crumble. That's when the truth emerges."

The bitterness he'd held back earlier now surfaced completely.

Since Max broke Zain's record, Garry's ego had suffered. The Heron Family had enjoyed sole prestige for a time. Now, that edge vanished.

Matthew Grimes didn't respond right away. He studied Garry's face with composure before answering.

"You're free to hold that opinion," Matthew replied steadily. "Yet the Path to Eternal Flames doesn't favor deceit. It probes understanding, resolve, and stamina. Any tactics you doubt would have been denied by the flames already."

Victor Veron chimed in reflectively.

"Like him or not, his strides stand clear. He's gone beyond ten thousand six hundred miles. That alone proves his aptitude and promise."

Henry Lumin paused briefly before voicing his thoughts.

"Judging him against that past Saintess might come too soon," he noted cautiously. "But writing him off completely would be foolish too."

"Hmph."

Garry Heron dropped the debate. He simply shifted his stare back to the projection, his features stiff and inscrutable. On the surface, he seemed composed, but the resolve in his eyes showed unwavering faith.

He was certain Max wouldn't access the twelfth layer.

No intricate logic fueled that conviction, no intricate analysis of factors or secret computations. It stemmed from something profound, tied to his grasp of bloodlines and rank. To him, one's heritage set the limit of ascent.

A progenitor grade bloodline, however polished, paled against a Saintess's fully roused Imperial Bloodline.

That era's Saintess had towered as the Black Dragon Clan's talent apex. Her Imperial Bloodline awakened entirely, her mastery impeccable.

She wielded immense power, but even she couldn't pass into the twelfth layer in the Rebirth Realm.

To Garry, that sufficed as evidence.

If a figure with such elite heritage couldn't enter the twelfth layer, other concealed conditions must exist past raw power and insight. The twelfth layer wasn't just an elevated phase. It formed a barrier shielded by rules maybe only the fated could breach.

He linked his hands behind and breathed out deliberately.

Max's ongoing display impressed, he had to admit. Exceeding ten thousand five hundred miles in the eleventh layer marked a remarkable feat. But to Garry, it didn't elevate Max to the legendary Saintess's level.

Bloodline counted.

Foundation counted.

And deep down, Garry felt the twelfth layer required more than Max brought.

The projection's flames blazed wildly as Max pressed onward in the eleventh layer. Surrounding him, elders and patriarchs observed quietly, minds split between hope and doubt.

Garry's stare held firm.

Regardless of Max's depth in the eleventh layer, he trusted the twelfth's threshold would stay intact.

In his view, that wasn't hubris.

It was fact.

Right then, Max hit ten thousand seven hundred miles.

The figure blazed on the projection like a mark etched in time.

Garry Heron's eyebrows flickered subtly upon witnessing it. His prior assurance stayed visible, though his jaw clenched harder.

He'd forecasted Max's slowdown before this point. Yet the young cultivator maintained his consistent pace from prior stages.

In the eleventh layer, the flames raged unimaginably fierce. They didn't just scorch. They bore down like an imperial edict, warping space. The terrain under Max's steps quivered lightly, as if resisting his advance.

The flame laws here transcended simple disorder. They sharpened, condensed, nearly alive in their opposition.

Still, Max pressed on.

Ten thousand seven hundred and fifty miles.

Ten thousand eight hundred miles.