Even Max’s eyes narrowed when he sensed them.

He had known the Black Dragon Clan would send its strongest talents, but seeing the group gathered together in one place still made the reality clearer.

These were not ordinary geniuses.

They were individuals who had grown within one of the Divine Realm’s weakest third rate force. Max could only imagine what sort of geniuses the 1st rate forces would have in the Cosmic Ascension Conference.

As Max looked at them, he recalled his earlier conversation with Lucia during their journey to Orion.

At that time, she had spoken of how nearly every genius in the Divine Realm sought to reach the peak of the Law Manifestation Realm before the Cosmic Ascension Conference.

Now, standing here and seeing this scene, Max could not help but admit that her words had not been wrong.

Almost all true talents in the Divine Realm clearly aimed for that same benchmark.

And the Black Dragon Clan was no exception.

The disciples gathered before him were proof of it.

Many had likely spent years preparing for this period. They had tempered themselves, accumulated resources, and suppressed breakthroughs at key moments in order to arrive at the Smelting Trial in their strongest possible condition.

Max’s own cultivation at the ninth level of the Law Awakening Realm stood noticeably lower than nearly everyone present.

Yet he did not feel pressured. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Instead, his interest only deepened.

The stronger the competition, the greater the value of surpassing it.

Some disciples soon noticed his arrival.

A few eyes immediately changed when they recognized him. Others began whispering quietly among themselves. Several looked openly curious, while some gazes carried challenge or doubt.

After all, Max’s reputation had spread recently, but reputation and cultivation were two different matters.

Many had heard stories.

Now they were seeing the man himself.

Max ignored their reactions and simply walked forward with calm steps before taking a place among the gathered disciples.

His aura remained restrained, giving little away.

Yet beneath that calm exterior, his eyes were bright.

The Smelting Trial had not even begun, and already he could feel the pressure of true competition gathering around him.

"Max!"

Soon after he joined the gathered disciples, Lucia and Isabella made their way toward him through the crowd.

Both women stood out immediately.

Lucia carried her usual composed confidence, while Isabella’s presence seemed sharper and brighter than before, as though something fundamental within her had changed.

Max’s eyes first landed on Lucia.

With only a brief sense of her aura, he could tell that her strength had advanced again. She had already reached the sixth level of the Law Manifestation Realm. Her cultivation was steady, refined, and clearly consolidated after the progress made during the past week.

Then his attention shifted toward Isabella.

The moment he sensed her properly, Max’s expression changed.

"Huh?"

He stared at her for a moment.

"Isabella... your cultivation..."

There was genuine shock in his voice.

Her aura was no longer that of someone at the Law Awakening Realm.

She had already reached the fifth level of the Law Manifestation Realm.

Max remembered clearly that the last time he had checked, Isabella had only been at the second level of the Law Awakening Realm. Yet in the span of a single week, she had crossed the entirety of the Law Refinement Realm and broken through multiple smaller realms beyond that.

Such progress was outrageous even by genius standards.

Isabella folded her arms and lifted her chin proudly.

"Hehe, surprised?"

Max looked at her silently for another second.

"That is one way to put it."

Her smile widened.

"When I was training last week, my Imperial Bloodline fully awakened."

The pride in her voice was impossible to miss.

"The moment it awakened, my cultivation began breaking through repeatedly. The elders examined me afterward and said my strength should continue rising steadily until I eventually reach the peak of the Law Manifestation Realm."

Max blinked once.

Even for him, hearing that was absurd.

A bloodline awakening that could continue pushing cultivation forward over time was the kind of blessing countless people would dream about.

"Hehe, good for you," Max said with a smile that looked sincere enough on the surface.

Unfortunately for him, the faint trace of jealousy hidden in his eyes was far less convincing.

Lucia nearly laughed on the spot.

Isabella noticed it immediately and became even more pleased.

"Hehe, thank you, Max."

Her voice then sounded directly in his mind through divine transmission.

"Without the fruit you gave me, my Imperial Bloodline would not have awakened so soon."

Max’s expression shifted slightly.

She continued privately.

"That fruit was miraculous. It not only transformed my foundation and gave me a divine body, but it also stimulated the dormant Imperial Bloodline within me."

Her tone carried real gratitude now.

"Without it, I would likely have needed several more years before my bloodline fully awakened."

Max listened carefully.

The fruit she referred to was the Chaos Fruit he had once given her.

At the time, he had known it was precious and powerful, but even he had not expected it to trigger the awakening of a hidden bloodline.

"I see," Max replied inwardly.

He glanced at Isabella again, this time with deeper understanding.

So that was the reason behind her explosive growth.

The Chaos Fruit had refined her body, strengthened her foundation, and accelerated the awakening of her Imperial Bloodline all at once.

No wonder her cultivation had risen like a flood breaking through a dam.

Lucia looked between the two of them suspiciously.

"You two are being strangely quiet."

Max immediately smiled.

"We were just appreciating how talented Isabella has become."

Isabella nodded seriously.

"That is true."

Lucia narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced.

Still, she said nothing further.

Around them, several gathered disciples had also begun noticing Isabella’s transformed aura and discussing it in low voices. Others looked toward Max with renewed curiosity, wondering what kind of people were suddenly rising around him.

Max exhaled softly.

In only one week, both Lucia and Isabella had improved greatly.