Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 2068 Value of Bronze Marks!

"It is," Anna said. "That's why I called it deadly. The Ten Shadows Trial is dangerous on its own, but the real danger isn't limited to what happens inside it. Before the trial opens, people fight over information, and after it ends, people go after anyone who got good rewards. Some participants even wait outside the trial area to ambush newcomers who come out exhausted. Someone who gets a Cosmic Fragment but isn't strong enough to protect it might die faster than someone who got nothing at all."

Max, Damian, and Revona grew solemn as they listened.

Anna leaned back and looked at each of them. "There's something important you need to understand. In the outer layer, a genius who has comprehended a Cosmic Path and a genius who hasn't are not treated as the same kind of person."

Her voice became heavier.

"There's a huge gap between a Divine Lord Realm genius and a Divine Lord Realm genius who has comprehended a Cosmic Path. You can't close that gap easily through ordinary effort, a few secret techniques, or temporary boosts in power. A Cosmic Path changes the way a person fights. It gives their attacks meaning and direction, and it gives them suppression and authority as well. Even if two cultivators are in the same realm, the one with a Cosmic Path can often crush the one without it."

Damian nodded slowly. "That explains why I felt so much pressure from you and Daniel even though neither of you was actually releasing it. It must have been the passive pressure of your true Cosmic Paths."

"Exactly," Anna said. "A true Cosmic Path is on a completely different level, and it can't be compared with a pseudo cosmic path. In the inner layer, almost everyone you meet will have comprehended their own Cosmic Path, and some of the strongest have already gone far beyond that. If you step onto that kind of battlefield without any path comprehension, your cultivation realm alone won't save you."

"Is that why people who haven't comprehended their Cosmic Path are still considered newcomers?" Revona asked.

Anna nodded. "Yes. In the outer layer, your cultivation realm matters, but your path matters more when people judge whether you're ready to move forward. Until you comprehend your own Cosmic Path, the older participants will keep treating you as a newcomer. You might be strong, and you might beat weaker people. You might even survive several trials. But the moment you meet someone who has truly stepped onto their path, you'll feel the difference right away."

Her eyes moved to Max. "This is also one of the reasons I told you not to condense your Bronze Marks into a Gold Mark too early."

Max looked at her. "Is it because of trial access?"

"That's right," Anna said with a nod. "A lot of Bronze Mark trials are designed for newcomers. They can still be very difficult, but at least they're meant for people who haven't fully established themselves in the outer layer yet. Trials like the Ten Shadows Trial can be entered with Bronze Marks, and they give people like you a chance to get things like Cosmic Fragments before you're forced to compete with the real monsters of the outer layer."

She raised one finger to stress her point. "But if you condense a Gold Mark too soon, some Bronze Mark trials won't recognize you as a Bronze-level participant anymore. You could lose the right to enter certain newcomer trials, especially the ones that limit entry by mark grade. Once that happens, you'll be pushed toward Gold Mark trials."

Damian's expression became serious. "And Gold Mark trials are full of people with much stronger path comprehension."

"Exactly," Anna said. "Gold Mark trials aren't meant for fresh newcomers. The people there have usually survived in the outer layer for years. Many of them have fought countless battles, built up experience, trained in Cosmic Path chambers, collected fragments, and laid the foundations of their own paths. Some of them haven't made it into the inner layer, but that's not because they're weak. It's because Ascension Seals are extremely rare. When a newcomer enters that level of competition too early, things usually end badly."

Revona frowned slightly. "So condensing a Gold Mark isn't only about wealth or status. It also changes how much danger you're expected to face."

"Yes," Anna said. "That's the part many arrogant newcomers don't understand. They believe that having a Gold Mark means they've risen above Bronze Mark holders, and in a way, that's true. Their status goes up, and some opportunities open to them. However, as soon as they reach the Gold Mark level, the Godslayer's Pilgrimage starts treating them differently. The city, the trials, the information halls, and even other participants will all judge them by a harsher standard."

"That's right," Anna said with a nod. "A lot of Bronze Mark trials are designed for newcomers. They can still be very difficult, but at least they're meant for people who haven't fully established themselves in the outer layer yet. Trials like the Ten Shadows Trial can be entered with Bronze Marks, and they give people like you a chance to get things like Cosmic Fragments before you're forced to compete with the real monsters of the outer layer."

She looked straight at Max. "If you condense now, you might gain some attention and authority, but you'll lose access to certain beginner opportunities, and you'll draw stronger challengers too. What's worse, you still won't have enough Gold Marks to actually enjoy the higher-level privileges. In other words, you'll be too high for the lower level and too poor for the higher one."

The corner of Max's mouth lifted slightly. "That sounds stupid."

Anna stared at him. "It's truly is stupid."

Revona gave a faint smile, and Damian coughed softly to hide his amusement.

Anna ignored them and went on. "For now, the Ten Shadows Trial is a good fit for all three of you. Revona and Damian both have strong pseudo cosmic paths, but they still need more resources and chances to sharpen them. Max is a special case, but even he needs to learn how trials work here before he rushes into more serious danger."

Max looked thoughtful. "How does the Ten Shadows Trial actually work?"

Anna shook her head. "It's better if you experience it yourself. Moreover, you will get some information about it in the information hall."

Max's interest grew even stronger.

Anna noticed and frowned. "Don't look excited."

"I'm not," Max said.

"You are," Anna shot back immediately. "You look exactly like someone who heard the word 'dangerous' and decided it meant 'useful.'"

Damian smiled lightly. "That does sound like him."

"A little," Revona agreed with a nod.

Max looked at them calmly. "You two are getting a bit too familiar with me."