Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 1454 Pushing Forward at the 11th Layer!

One elder moved ahead to face Lady Virelia, his praise bursting forth without restraint.

"Virelia, your foresight is genuinely remarkable," he declared, offering a courteous bow. "Taking on such a disciple for the Black Dragon Palace... that counts as a major achievement."

Right behind him, a second elder came up.

"Everyone figured only Zain would make it to the eleventh layer this round. Nobody saw a second prodigy emerging. But the one under your guidance has equaled that success."

A third elder locked his hands at his back and gave a subtle grin.

"First came the Sword of the Sword Sovereign, then victories over the Dark Phoenix Clan and Heavenly Kirin Clan talents, and now this. It looks like history twists wherever Max appears."

"He's more than just gifted," someone else chimed in. "He holds a fearsome determination. Reaching the eleventh layer isn't a fluke."

Lady Virelia remained poised amid the compliments. A gentle smile played on her mouth, though her gaze stayed locked on the projection. She avoided bragging. She skipped lofty words. She merely dipped her head a bit in recognition.

In the meantime, the heads of the Seven Families gathered close, their responses much more complex.

Victor Veron spoke up first, his tone hushed but brimming with wonder. "I really didn't think anyone besides Zain could push this deep in the trial."

Henry Lumin let out a gradual breath. "Neither did I. Once Zain stepped into the eleventh layer, I assumed it was over. I never dreamed another disciple would trail after him."

Lilith Carol crossed her arms softly while gazing at the projection. "Two disciples from one generation stepping into the eleventh layer at the Rebirth Realm. That's never happened in our recent past."

Matthew Grimes showed a subdued sense of fulfillment on his face. "This proves what we've seen building. Max isn't your average prodigy. He ranks at the pinnacle of this era."

He shifted a little toward Lady Virelia. "You've delivered immense luck to the Black Dragon Palace and our Black Dragon Clan."

He knew Virelia had picked Max as her disciple based on his showing in one of the countless branches of the Black Dragon Palace down in the mortal world. Spotting Max among hordes of other talents in the mortal realm highlighted her exceptional knack for spotting prodigies. Henry Lumin shot a quick look at Isabella before fixing his eyes back on the screen.

"The trial was designed to spotlight the Saintess in training and Zain. But it's uncovered a third key figure."

Victor Veron gave a nod.

"Seems like this generation won't bow to just one name."

Just Garry Heron stayed quiet.

His jaw clenched hard as he observed Max positioned in the eleventh layer. The joy he'd known when Zain claimed that space had felt total and unrivaled. Now it was divided.

He'd once been sure Zain would reign supreme there alone.

That certainty was gone now.

Nearby, the elders kept whispering in shock and respect.

"No one thought anyone but Zain would get this far."

"But look at us now."

The projection overhead flared more intensely as Max's form steadied in the eleventh layer.

Two names now occupied a domain touched by scarce few across history.

And the equilibrium among the Seven Families had quietly tilted yet again.

For ages, the Grimes Family had towered at the summit of the Seven Major Families. Their base was the firmest, their assets the richest, and their sway the broadest.

Zain's entry into the eleventh layer had let the Heron Family briefly savor equality with the elite. But with Max climbing to match that level and carrying the Black Dragon Palace's flag under the broader Grimes heritage, that supremacy looked set to last for decades, maybe even ages.

No one there missed the deeper meaning.

As elders kept voicing their felicitations to Lady Virelia and echoes of astonishment hung around, the projection up top changed again.

Max started moving.

For an instant, nobody stirred. It took time for the truth to sink in.

"He's walking once more."

The phrase escaped almost as a gasp.

In the display, Max positioned himself in the eleventh layer, the spot where Zain had finally dropped. The fires there differed hugely from the ones underneath. They weren't just wild anymore. They pressed down with total finality, their thickness so overwhelming that the projection wavered in their force.

Still, Max didn't pause.

He advanced one step.

A shocked hush dropped, then exploded into chaos.

"Has he lost his senses?"

"This is insanity. Total insanity."

"He barely entered the eleventh layer. Most would steady themselves. Yet he's pushing on right away."

The disciples nearest the dome bent closer, a few instinctively clutching the stone barriers.

"He's not content with just hitting the eleventh layer," an elder murmured in astonishment. "He aims to delve further."

"By the heavens... is he going for the twelfth layer?"

The idea lingered like a taboo notion.

The twelfth layer.

It existed in tales. No Rebirth Realm cultivator had crossed into it in the Black Dragon Palace's documented annals. Even the brightest past Saintess had stopped short of its edge.

"Could he claim the fabled twelfth layer?" a disciple wondered, his tone quivering with dread and thrill mixed. "The domain untouched by any at the Rebirth Realm?"

"With Max, it feels within reach," another shot back instantly. "Wherever he treads, he shatters the impossible."

"This guy is truly a wonder. Each stride he makes carves new legends."

The air crackled with energy.

The elders, poised and stately just before, now struggled to mask their strain. Even the Seven Family heads observed with keen intensity. The eleventh layer wasn't akin to the tenth. It formed a whole new sphere of strain and principle.

Across the projection, Max pressed onward deliberately.

The eleventh layer's blaze roared around him like a voracious blaze hungry to erase him. Every motion seemed weightier than the prior. But he persisted.

Isabella gazed skyward, her prior shame wiped away, supplanted by pure wonder.

Awe.

Zain's face turned grave as he eyed the figure who'd tracked him to the eleventh layer now striving to surpass his own limit.

Garry Heron's features shadowed further, his quiet weighing more than earlier.

Matthew Grimes' gaze sparkled softly.

The disciples' chatter swelled, their thrill spilling over.

"He's really trying for it."

"He's testing the edge."

The notion of a 1st level Rebirth Realm cultivator nearing the twelfth layer rippled through every soul there.

High above, amid the furious torrent of the eleventh layer, Max kept striding ahead.

And the whole Black Dragon Palace caught its breath.