Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 1470 Combat Legion Tower

'Nice.'

Max held the thought inside, showing a steady face while the reveal of his prizes hung in the air over the square. Rising to true disciple rank and unlocking the Black Dragon Clan's ancestral hall was clearly a huge advancement.

For many cultivators, that kind of chance would fulfill their goals for many years. The clan's top inheritances were gems that endless disciples yearned to claim, and now those paths lay open to him freely.

Yet his drive went beyond the Black Dragon Clan's methods now.

Since discovering that his bloodline could grow by absorbing or merging a superior heritage, his aims had changed. The Imperial Bloodline wasn't just a noble vein in the clan. It represented a peak power in their family tree.

Should he secure it and devise a method to process or blend it, his bloodline's growth could reach a whole new level. Against that prospect, the ancestral arts felt less vital.

That idea honed his stare.

Without thinking, Max shifted his gaze toward Isabella.

A small smile formed on his mouth.

To the disciples nearby, it seemed like a poised and assured grin fitting for one who had just earned great honor.

But to Isabella, it struck differently. She noticed the faint squint in his eyes, the minor raise of his jaw, and the calm assurance coming from him. To her, it wasn't just a grin. It was the face of someone lording over her.

It was a gaze that claimed dominance silently.

Her hands clenched at her sides.

She loathed that look.

She loathed how naturally he displayed it.

She loathed having no way to challenge it.

Based on the promise shown in the trials, she had been outdone. The Twenty First Layer of the Path to Eternal Flames had shattered even her self-assurance. She had long seen herself as one of the brightest in her age group, particularly as the Black Dragon Clan's budding Saintess.

Her Imperial Bloodline was set to fully ignite in just a few years, and when it did, she would top the young talents. That destiny had seemed unbreakable to her.

But now, as she stood watching Max claim extraordinary prizes before the ultimate trial started, that sureness wavered.

And as if that wasn't sufficient, the recall of their wager weighed hard on her ego.

Ten years.

A complete decade serving as his servant.

The shame flared in her heart like a hushed fire. She, adored from youth as the coming Saintess, handled with care and awe by elders and peers, was now tied by her own promise. The wager had been declared in public. Backing out would soil her reputation and her heritage's pride.

Her position didn't protect her from the fallout.

She sensed the stray looks from disciples close by. Though no one mocked her outright, awareness of her defeat hung around. It marked her self-respect in a way she had never faced before.

She raised her head a bit, shaping her face into calm, but within, bitterness swirled.

She despised this mess.

She despised how destiny had twisted.

She despised that the one towering over her right now was the exact figure who gripped her coming disgrace.

Above all, she despised admitting his power.

Max met her eyes a bit more before glancing aside as if nothing big had happened. For him, this was just another move along his journey. For her, it was a cut into her ego.

In the square around them, whispers of praise and jealousy continued, but between Max and Isabella, a silent strain had grown thicker.

"The second trial has ended."

Grand Elder Waller's rich and firm voice rang through the square as his form emerged over the crowd, lowering gradually with a presence of command that swiftly quieted the ongoing talks.

The disciples chatting about Max's success and the prizes shared earlier stood up straight on reflex, their focus moving to the elder now guiding the upcoming stage of the major trial.

Grand Elder Waller's eyes scanned the group, pausing shortly on the youth before he addressed them once more.

"You should all know that the theme for the last trial is battle."

His voice held no edge or softness, but it bore a force that bore down on all who heard.

"Hundred Battles Trial. As the name 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 quiet strain rippled through the disciples at those terms. The idea of one hundred back-to-back fights was enough to draw sharp breaths from many. Handling one fierce clash was manageable. Lasting through scores without break was a different challenge. A test built on wearing down would probe not just brute force but also staying power, mind toughness, and strategic sense.

Grand Elder Waller gradually directed his gaze afar, to a massive building set away from the two domes that held the prior trials.

"That tower," he went on, pointing a hand at it, "is an relic our forebears took from a foe group long ago. While ties between our clans have swung from conflict to alliance over time, the relic has stayed in our hands."

His tone dipped a touch, holding a note of respect.

"This tower is known as the Combat Legion Tower. There are only three such towers in the entire Divine Realm, and all three are linked by old systems that even we don't fully grasp."

As he elaborated, the disciples naturally turned to eye the building resting silently next to the domes.