Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 2067 Ten Shadows Trial!

After talking with Anna a while longer about the basic rules, restrictions, and hidden dangers of Bloodstone City, Max, Damian, and Revona finally decided to rent rooms in the Primordial mansion.

To be more accurate, Max hadn't wanted to rent one at first.

As far as he was concerned, staying in a room was a waste of both time and marks. He had only just entered the Godslayer's Pilgrimage, and after learning about the outer layer, the inner layer, Ascension Seals, trials, and marks, his thoughts had already turned to the opportunities waiting outside Bloodstone City.

Rather than spending Bronze Marks on a place to sleep, he wanted to leave the city so he could find trials, hunt stronger opponents, search for resources, and collect more marks as fast as possible.

Anna, however, flatly refused to let him run around so carelessly.

In her view, a room in the Primordial mansion wasn't just about comfort, because it served as a safe point. It gave them a stable place to recover after fights and a protected space to cultivate. It was also somewhere messages could reach them, and it was a base they could fall back on if things went wrong outside the city.

The outer layer wasn't an ordinary training ground where newcomers could wander around freely and rely on courage alone. It was a battlefield disguised as a land of opportunity, and anyone without a fixed shelter would sooner or later learn how dangerous exhaustion, injuries, and a lack of information could be.

In the end, Max rented a room along with Damian and Revona.

The rooms weren't luxurious, but they were quiet and protected by formations. Each one had a simple bed and a stone platform for meditation. There was also a small energy-gathering array and a defensive barrier that could block ordinary attempts at probing.

For newcomers who had only just arrived in Bloodstone City, a room like this was more than useful enough. Max didn't care much about comfort, but even he had to admit that having a stable place inside the city would make some things easier.

The following day, the three of them met with Anna again.

They gathered in the same quiet side hall of the Primordial mansion, where a faint golden formation blocked out most of the noise from outside. Anna sat across from Max, Damian, and Revona, and her expression was more serious than it had been before.

After yesterday's commotion at the Battle Space, the names of the three newcomers had already started spreading through Bloodstone City, and this was especially true of Max's name.\

Because of that, Anna knew there was no longer any point in treating them like ordinary newcomers.

"You already understand the basics of how marks are used," Anna said as she looked at the three of them. "So today, I'm going to tell you about the trial that most newcomers pay attention to first."

Max's eyes shifted slightly. Damian leaned forward a little, and Revona became more focused as well.

"The most famous newcomer trial in the outer layer is called the Ten Shadows Trial," Anna went on. "From what we know, it was most likely made specifically for people who have just entered the Godslayer's Pilgrimage. Nearly everyone who has managed to survive here for a while has entered it at least once. Some go in for resources, and some go in to test themselves. Others enter because they want to understand how cruel the Godslayer's Pilgrimage can be before they face even worse trials."

"The Ten Shadows Trial," Max repeated thoughtfully.

Anna nodded. "The name sounds simple, but don't underestimate it. It's only considered a newcomer trial because people with Bronze Marks can enter it and because the opponents inside are set up according to certain limits. That doesn't make it safe. In fact, of all the trials Bronze Mark holders are allowed to attempt, the Ten Shadows Trial is one of the deadliest."

Revona frowned a little. "Then why is it so popular?"

"Because the rewards are too tempting," Anna said. "You can get rare treasures, inheritance arts, combat techniques, bloodline resources, weapons, pills, or cultivation materials. Even the most basic rewards for clearing it are enough to make plenty of newcomers risk their lives. If someone performs well, the trial might give them something far better than anything they could normally buy with Bronze Marks."

Damian's eyes sharpened. "And what's the best reward?"

Anna's expression turned solemn. "Cosmic Fragments."

As soon as she said the words, Max felt a strange sense of familiarity, because the term immediately made him think of Cosmic Paths.

"Cosmic Fragments," he said slowly. "Do they have something to do with comprehending Cosmic Paths?"

Anna looked at him and nodded. "Yes. That's where most of their value comes from."

Her voice grew even more serious as she explained. "Cosmic Fragments are pieces of higher-level path essence. They can be left behind by ancient experts, broken laws, shattered domains, failed inheritances, dead worlds, or trial cores that formed inside the Godslayer's Pilgrimage. Each fragment holds different traces. Some are connected to the sword, while others relate to flame, water, space, or countless other paths. A cultivator can't just absorb one and instantly form a Cosmic Path, but if the fragment matches the direction they're heading in, it can greatly speed up their comprehension."

Max listened without saying anything.

"For people who already have a pseudo cosmic path," Anna continued, "Cosmic Fragments can help sharpen and stabilize it, and they can push it closer to becoming a true Cosmic Path. For people who haven't formed one yet, the right fragment can help them understand which direction they should take. It also shows them what the aura of a real path feels like, and that's extremely valuable for newcomers."

Revona's expression turned thoughtful. "So that's why everyone wants them."

"Exactly," Anna replied. "There are plenty of trials scattered across the outer layer, but only a handful of them ever give out Cosmic Fragments. As far as we know, there are only about five trials in the outer layer where Bronze Mark holders have a chance of getting one. That's why Cosmic Fragments are considered some of the most precious rewards in the entire outer layer."

She paused for a moment. "And of those trials, the Ten Shadows Trial is the easiest one for newcomers to get into."

Damian frowned. "If it's that easy to get into, the competition must be fierce."