Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Max’s interest deepened, and Anna caught it immediately.

”Don’t start picturing yourself clearing all ten.”

”I didn’t say anything.”

”You don’t have to.”

Max smiled faintly.

Anna shook her head before going on. ”The eighth shadow is already something most participants will never reach. The ninth is something even top-ranked geniuses struggle with. As for the tenth, you should treat it as being well beyond your expectations for now.”

Max looked at the records again. His expression stayed calm, but something in his eyes had clearly changed, and Anna definitely noticed.

She sighed. ”Don’t think about it too much.”

This time Max answered honestly. ”I won’t.”

Anna briefly closed her eyes. ”Good.”

Max sighed and started looking through the other details, though his mind kept drifting back to the Ten Shadows Trial.

Fewer than one percent. Every person who had defeated all ten shadows eventually became one of the strongest geniuses of the inner layer or the core layer. To Max, that didn’t sound like an achievement. It sounded like a standard worth testing himself against.

More importantly, the greatest rewards of the trial were concentrated near the final stages, and Cosmic Fragments were among them.

His thoughts went straight back to his Emotion Severing Path. If clearing the later shadows gave him a chance to push that pseudo cosmic path toward a true Cosmic Path, then the Ten Shadows Trial had already become something he couldn’t ignore.

Anna watched his face and realized at once that her explanation had accomplished the exact opposite of what she’d intended. Instead of making Max cautious, she had only made him more interested.

She rubbed her forehead helplessly. ”I should have just told you eight shadows was impressive and left it there.”

Max smiled. ”That would have been less informative.”

”That was the point,” Anna replied.

+++

After working through every section of the information they had bought on the Ten Shadows Trial, Max, Damian, and Revona decided there was no reason to wait any longer.

They already knew the trial’s location, the entry requirements, the cost, and the dangers around the region. They had also learned enough about the ten shadows to understand that this wasn’t something to take lightly. Most importantly, each of them had a personal reason for wanting to go.

Damian wanted to sharpen his Sword Sovereign Heaven Pseudo Cosmic Path, Revona wanted to push the limits of her Void Origin Eyes and Void Origin Realm, and Max had grown more and more interested in getting Cosmic Fragments for his Emotion Severing Path.

Once their discussion ended, Anna didn’t try to stop them.

She had already realized that talking the three of them into staying safely inside Bloodstone City would be a waste of breath. They had entered the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage precisely because they wanted opportunities like this, and holding them back too much would only cost them time. After the strength they had shown in the Battle Space, Anna also knew they were far from ordinary newcomers.

Instead, she spent the rest of the evening warning them about what to expect once they left the protection of the city.

”The city gates are where you need to start being careful,” Anna said seriously. ”Inside Bloodstone City, people can watch you, provoke you, and dig up information about you, but they can’t simply kill you. The moment you step outside, those restrictions vanish.”

She looked at Damian and Revona first. ”Don’t assume someone is harmless just because they come from the Primordial Universe. People kill each other over marks, treasures, trial information, and opportunities all the time. If someone approaches you outside the city without a good reason, keep your distance until you know what they want.”

Then her gaze moved to Max. ”And you need to be even more careful.”

Max raised a brow. ”Because of yesterday?”

”Obviously because of yesterday,” Anna replied. ”Before that fight, most people saw you as some strange Law Manifestation Realm newcomer. After what you did to Greyjin, everyone knows you’re hiding strength far beyond your cultivation. You showed enough potential to make people curious, jealous, and wary all at the same time.”

She paused before adding, ”That combination is dangerous.”

Max understood what she meant.

A weak person attracted predators because they looked easy to kill, and a powerful person attracted challengers because beating them brought reputation. Someone like Max created a different kind of interest altogether.

His cultivation was absurdly low compared with the strength he had demonstrated, and that alone was enough to make stronger participants wonder what inheritance, bloodline, body cultivation art, or treasure let him fight so far above his realm.

”Some people may want to recruit you,” Anna continued. ”Some will want information about you. Others will decide it’s better to kill you now than let you grow stronger later. And there may be people who simply want whatever they believe you’re hiding.”

Max smiled faintly. ”That sounds troublesome.”

Anna stared at him. ”You still don’t sound worried.”

”I’m listening.”

”That isn’t the same thing.”

Damian chuckled softly from the side, and Revona smiled.

Anna ignored them both and moved on to the routes leading toward the Ten Shadows Trial. According to the map they had purchased, there were several ways to reach the current trial site from Bloodstone City.

The most direct route was also the most heavily used, since it crossed relatively open terrain and passed several established resting points. That popularity was exactly the problem, because anyone watching the city gates could easily follow participants heading toward the trial.

There was another route that curved through regions people rarely traveled. It would take a little longer and the terrain was more complicated, but it was also far less predictable, and few groups used it unless they had a specific reason to avoid the main road.

Anna pointed at that route on the floating map. ”Max, you should take this one.”

Max looked at her. ”Alone?”

”Yes.”

Damian frowned slightly. ”Wouldn’t it be safer if the three of us stayed together?”

”Normally, yes,” Anna replied. ”But Max isn’t in a normal situation anymore.”

She turned to him again. ”If all three of you leave together, anyone targeting Max will automatically drag the two of you into his trouble. Some groups might not care about Damian or Revona at all, but if they attack Max while you’re standing beside him, you won’t have any choice except to fight.”

Revona caught on immediately. ”So you want us to split up before we leave the city.”

Anna nodded. ”At least for this trip. Damian and Revona can take the ordinary route to the Ten Shadows Trial, and Max can take the quieter path. That way, anyone tailing the two of you won’t stumble onto him, and anyone specifically hunting Max won’t drag you into the same ambush.”

Max studied the map for a moment and found no problem with the suggestion.

In truth, traveling alone suited him better. With Damian and Revona nearby, there were still abilities he would hesitate to reveal, whereas on his own he could use whatever was necessary if someone attacked him.