Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Dale, Jane, and Aden were among this cluster. Their auras burned steadily as they forced themselves through the latter stretch of the fifth pillar.

Though their pace had slowed compared to earlier layers, they remained ahead of most other disciples. This was clearly the foremost group among the Thirty Six Halls, the leading geniuses who had managed to endure this far.

Max understood immediately.

At this moment, this was the deepest any outer disciple had reached within the trial.

Of course, two exceptions existed.

’Isabella and Zain should have already entered the sixth layer, or perhaps even the seventh,’ Max thought calmly.

He did not see them nearby, and the floating projections suggested their positions were far ahead.

Turning his focus inward once more, Max continued walking.

Four thousand two hundred miles.

Four thousand three hundred miles.

Four thousand four hundred miles.

The pressure continued escalating in a steady and oppressive rhythm. The flames here did not simply burn. They pressed down like mountains of fire.

Each step forward required careful circulation of Divine Essence. The flame laws were no longer scattered strands. They were concentrated currents, weaving together concepts of annihilation, domination, and relentless combustion.

Max quickly realized that the increase was not linear.

The law density and overall pressure of the fifth pillar were at least ten times stronger than the fourth layer at comparable distances. The heat entered his pores with greater aggression, attempting to invade his meridians.

Yet it was not enough to halt him.

He slowed occasionally, closing his eyes briefly to isolate and analyze the conceptual structure embedded within each surge. He refined his understanding of destructive flame, differentiating between explosive annihilation and sustained incineration. He sensed the deeper structure behind the heat, as if tracing the outline of a path not yet fully visible.

After each brief pause, he resumed.

Behind him, Dale’s eyes widened as he watched Max’s figure steadily advance.

”He is Max, right? How is he crossing the fifth layer so easily?” Dale muttered in disbelief.

Jane exhaled slowly, her earlier underestimation dissolving completely. ”We have underestimated him,” she admitted. ”Anyone acknowledged by the Sword Sovereign cannot possibly be ordinary.”

Aden stood silently, his gaze locked on Max’s retreating back.

”He is strong,” Aden said quietly, though there was no bitterness in his voice. Only recognition and resolve.

He tightened his circulation and forced himself forward.

Seeing Aden push ahead with renewed determination, Dale and Jane exchanged a glance before following. Neither wished to be left too far behind among their own hall.

Yet the difference in pace was undeniable.

While they struggled to maintain stability against the crushing pressure of the fifth pillar, Max continued advancing with increasing clarity and control. His pauses were shorter now, his steps more confident.

Before the trio could even reach the midpoint of the fifth layer, Max had already crossed the threshold and entered the 6th layer.

The sixth pillar erupted around him in a darker blaze, the flames shifting to a deeper shade tinged with violent intensity.

At that moment, outside the Path to Eternal Flames, the vast dome was filled with tension.

Elders from the Thirty Six Halls sat in elevated rows, their expressions ranging from calm detachment to growing astonishment. The geniuses of the Seven Families stood nearby, their eyes fixed on the floating screens. Even the Seven Family Heads themselves, figures who rarely showed visible emotion, watched intently as the trial unfolded.

Suddenly, one of the observing elders leaned forward.

”Look!” he exclaimed, unable to keep the surprise from his voice. ”Max has crossed all the other disciples. Only Isabella and Zain remain ahead of him.”

A ripple of murmurs spread across the hall.

On the central screen, Max’s figure could be seen stepping into the sixth pillar, flames roaring around him with crushing intensity.

An elder from the Twelfth Hall frowned deeply. ”That boy... is he not only at the first level of the Rebirth Realm?”

”Yes,” another elder confirmed, his brows tightly drawn. ”His cultivation was verified during registration. First level of Rebirth Realm. Nothing more.”

”That is impossible,” a stern voice cut in. It belonged to an elder of the Fifteenth Hall. ”The sixth pillar’s pressure is designed to suppress even late stage Rebirth Realm disciples. How can someone at the first level endure it so calmly?”

One of the Seven Family geniuses spoke in a low tone, ”He does not appear strained at all.”

An elder from the Twenty Third Hall scoffed softly. ”Perhaps he is relying on some artifact or hidden trick.”

At that, Elder Virelila’s eyes turned cold.

”You may question his cultivation,” she said evenly, ”but do not insult the integrity of the Path to Eternal Flames. No artifact can suppress the ancestral will embedded within those flames.”

An elder from the Eighth Hall nodded in agreement. ”The formation would have reacted if he were using external assistance.”

A middle aged man seated among the Seven Family Heads spoke thoughtfully. ”Is this not the same disciple who was acknowledged by the Sword Sovereign’s blade?”

”Yes,” another Family Head replied. ”He is the one.”

”That alone explains much,” the first man continued. ”The Sword Sovereign’s sword does not choose mediocrity.”

Only Mathew Grimes watched all of this with a smile. Just the fact that Max was under his Grimes Family was enough to put a smile on his face all the time.

An elder from the Twenty Third Hall shook his head. ”Even so, being acknowledged by a sword does not equate to this level of endurance.”

Another elder responded calmly, ”He is also the direct disciple of Virelila. You all know her standards. She does not accept ordinary talent.”

At that, a soft chuckle came from one of the senior elders seated near the center.

”You argue as though he were a common disciple,” the senior elder said slowly. ”He may stand at the first level of the Rebirth Realm, but foundation is not measured solely by cultivation stage.”

A younger genius from one of the Seven Families spoke with visible excitement. ”His pace is steady. He is not forcing his way through. It looks like he is comprehending something as he moves.”

”That is what concerns me,” an elder muttered quietly. ”If he is truly comprehending flame laws while advancing, then his foundation far exceeds his realm.”

Seraphina Vale of the Twenty Third Hall narrowed her eyes at the screen. ”He still trails behind Isabella and Zain.”

Her face was dark at the moment. She also had never anticipated Max to be show this level of performance. But even then she was in relief knowing Isabella was in a different league than Max and was currently at the 8th layer.

”We will see how he fare against them,” another elder corrected her. ”As the sixth pillar is where true differentiation begins.”

A murmur of agreement followed.

One of the Seven Family Heads leaned back slightly, his gaze never leaving the projection of Max advancing through the sixth layer.

”A disciple at the first level of the Rebirth Realm should not be here. The pressure should have crushed someone like him at the 3rd or maybe at the earlier layers,” he said quietly. ”Yet he stands there.”

He was the head of the Veron Family.

Elder Virelila allowed herself the faintest smile. ”He has defied many common sense and this is no exception,” she replied calmly.

The floating screens flickered as Max’s figure continued moving forward within the blazing depths of the sixth pillar.