Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Chapter 1437  Isabella's Speed!

Max regarded her calmly, though he sensed the shift in her intent.

"If you can surpass me in this trial," she continued, her gaze unwavering, "then I shall become your maid for ten years. If you fail and I surpass you, then you will become my servant for ten years. How about it?"

For a brief moment, silence fell between them.

Carl's eyes widened in disbelief. Laura inhaled sharply, her composure slipping for the first time since entering the path. They had known Isabella Lumin as the Saintess in training, a figure revered and distant. To hear her propose such extreme terms was beyond their expectations.

Even Max was momentarily stunned.

He had not anticipated this escalation. A wager of resources between halls was one matter. A personal bet involving servitude between disciples, especially one involving the Saintess in training, was something entirely different.

Yet the shock within him quickly dissolved.

In its place, a faint and subtle smile curved along his lips.

He had been contemplating how to approach the mystery of her Imperial Bloodline without resorting to violence or coercion. The hunger within his own bloodline had not vanished, only settled into patient silence. He needed proximity, opportunity, and time to understand the resonance between them.

And now, she had offered ten years of closeness with her own lips.

If she lost.

A maid for ten years.

The irony amused him.

"This bet carries rather severe conditions," Max said slowly, as though considering it carefully. Then he smiled more openly. "But I accept."

Carl and Laura both stared at him in disbelief.

"What I am lacking right now," Max added lightly, "is indeed a maid. If I can have such a beautiful lady serving me for ten years, I would consider myself fortunate. Under such circumstances, I see no reason to refuse."

His words were playful on the surface, yet there was something sharp hidden beneath them.

Carl felt his mind spin. Laura looked at Max as though seeing a different person. To them, Max had always seemed indifferent to such matters, singularly focused on cultivation and advancement.

11:07

Accepting a bet that hinged on pride and personal dominance seemed unlike him.

Carl felt his mind spin. Laura looked at Max as though seeing a different person. To them, Max had always seemed indifferent to such matters, singularly focused on cultivation and advancement.

Accepting a bet that hinged on pride and personal dominance seemed unlike him.

Isabella, however, did not interpret it as levity.

A bright laugh escaped her lips.

"Good," she said confidently. "Then let us race."

Without another word, she turned.

Boom.

The flames beneath her feet erupted outward as she accelerated. Her body became a streak of shimmering light as she surged past the boundary of the first pillar and entered the second.

One thousand one hundred miles.

One thousand two hundred miles.

One thousand four hundred miles.

One thousand six hundred miles.

Her figure advanced with astonishing speed through the second layer. The flames there burned deeper and more violently than the first, yet they did not hinder her significantly. The dormant authority of the Imperial Bloodline flickered faintly within her veins, suppressing portions of the surrounding pressure.

One thousand seven hundred miles.

One thousand eight hundred miles.

One thousand nine hundred miles.

With a final burst of speed, she crossed into the third pillar.

The floating screens above captured her progress, drawing murmurs from observers across the dome.

She did not slow immediately upon entering the third layer. The flames there carried heavier destructive intent, laced with deeper conceptual pressure. Yet she pushed forward regardless, her aura stabilizing the surge.

Only after reaching the midpoint of the third pillar did her pace finally decrease.

Two thousand five hundred miles.

At that distance, the flames around her condensed into thicker streams, and flame beasts began manifesting in greater numbers. Her advance became measured rather than explosive.

Even so, her performance was extraordinary.

At that moment, Zain Heron had already stepped into the fourth pillar, continuing his relentless ascent.

Behind them, the gap widened.

And Max stood still at the boundary of the second pillar, watching calmly as the Saintess in training raced forward with burning determination.

"Max, you should hurry up," Carl said anxiously, his eyes flickering between Max and the floating screens above. Isabella's figure was already a distant streak within the third pillar, and with each passing moment the gap appeared to widen. "At her pace, she will leave you behind completely."

Laura nodded from the side, her expression tense. She did not understand why Max had agreed to such a wager, especially one that involved something as extreme as ten years of servitude.

However, whatever doubts she had, she kept them to herself. Max was one of their own. He belonged to the Thirty Third Hall, and more importantly, he was a direct disciple of Elder Virelila. That alone was enough for her to stand behind him without hesitation.

Both of them could feel the pressure intensifying at the boundary of the second pillar, yet their attention remained fixed on Max's stillness.

He, on the other hand, appeared completely at ease.

"There is no need to hurry," Max said with a faint smile, his gaze still directed toward the distant projection of Isabella's advance. "This is not truly a race."

Carl frowned. "What do you mean it is not a race? She has already reached the third layer and is pushing forward."

Max finally shifted his attention toward them.

"There is no time limit in this trial," he explained calmly. "The Path to Eternal Flames does not reward speed alone. It rewards depth. Whether she reaches her limit quickly or slowly does not matter. What matters is how far that limit ultimately is."

His voice remained steady, free of urgency.

"If she exhausts her strength within the third or fourth pillar after rushing recklessly, and I reach deeper by maintaining control, then I win. This wager is not about who steps faster. It is about who stands farther in the end."

Carl's anxious expression softened slightly as he processed those words.

Laura exhaled quietly. "So you are planning to conserve your strength and advance steadily."

Max nodded faintly.

"The deeper layers will only become harsher," he continued. "If the first pillar already contains flame concepts ranging up to the fifth level, then the fifth pillar and beyond will not be simple endurance tests. They will challenge comprehension and foundation. Rushing without understanding the structure of the flames would be foolish."

He glanced upward once more.

Isabella's rapid ascent was impressive, but Max didn't care.

"I only need to surpass her," Max concluded quietly. "Whether she runs ahead now or not does not change that."

Carl and Laura exchanged a glance and sighed.