Max Morgan.

For a brief moment, the entire clearing fell silent.

Several disciples visibly stiffened the instant they recognized his face. Their expressions turned serious almost immediately as memories of the previous two trials surfaced within their minds.

"That’s Max Morgan..."

"The one who ranked first in both trials?"

"The genius who killed his reflection in only five seconds?"

A faint wave of tension spread through the group.

Even the disciples who had been trying to kill each other moments earlier unconsciously stopped moving as they stared at Max with caution and vigilance.

After all, Max’s performance in the previous trials had been far too shocking.

Whether it was dominating the Weapon Master Trial or defeating his own reflection almost instantly in the second trial, he had already become one of the most talked about geniuses among all the participating third rate forces.

Above the clearing, Max floated calmly in the air while seven colored lightning crackled faintly around his body. His expression remained relaxed as his gaze slowly swept across the disciples below as though he was merely observing a group of ordinary people.

That calmness alone placed enormous pressure on everyone present.

One participant gripping a long sword swallowed nervously before speaking quietly.

"This is bad..."

Another disciple narrowed his eyes as he carefully sensed Max’s aura.

"If it’s really him..." he muttered seriously, "then none of us can fight him alone."

However, just as the atmosphere became increasingly tense, a sharp eyed young man suddenly frowned deeply.

"Wait."

His gaze sharpened.

"There’s something wrong."

Several people immediately looked toward him.

The young man continued staring at Max carefully before his expression slowly changed.

"That cultivation..."

The surrounding participants quickly sensed Max’s aura once more.

Then suddenly—

Shock appeared on multiple faces.

"He’s only at the ninth level of the Law Awakening Realm?"

"What?"

"That can’t be right!"

A ripple spread through the clearing instantly.

The nervous expressions many participants previously held slowly began changing.

A burly disciple carrying a massive battle axe suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha! So that’s what it is!"

He pointed his axe toward Max mockingly.

"I was wondering why his aura felt weaker than expected."

Another participant immediately sneered after sensing Max’s cultivation more carefully.

"So the famous Max Morgan is actually weaker than everyone here."

The woman holding twin daggers narrowed her eyes while observing Max calmly.

"In the previous trials, talent and comprehension played a huge role," she said slowly. "But this trial is different."

Her lips curved slightly.

"This is a survival battlefield."

Several disciples nodded in agreement.

After entering the Soul Sealing Painting, every participant had their cultivation suppressed to the peak of the Law Refinement Realm. Most of the disciples present originally possessed cultivation above that level, which meant they now stood equally at the peak of the Law Refinement Realm.

However, Max was different.

His actual cultivation realm was only at the ninth level of the Law Awakening Realm.

Even after entering the painting, his aura still remained noticeably below theirs.

The black saber disciple stared at Max before suddenly laughing softly.

"So the strongest genius from the previous trials is actually the weakest person here in terms of cultivation."

Another disciple crossed his arms confidently.

"Hmph. Talent is useless if your cultivation is too low."

"One or two minor realms might not matter normally," a spear wielding participant added calmly, "but the gap between the Law Awakening Realm and the peak of the Law Refinement Realm is enormous."

His eyes gleamed faintly.

"That difference is enough to crush him."

The atmosphere gradually shifted.

The fear everyone initially felt toward Max slowly transformed into confidence and greed.

A young man wielding a heavy hammer laughed loudly.

"We really got scared over nothing."

Another disciple smirked coldly.

"In this trial, we actually hold the advantage over him."

The black saber disciple nodded slowly while keeping his eyes fixed on Max.

"No matter how monstrous his talent may be, cultivation is still the foundation of strength," he said calmly. "This is not a trial where talent alone can overturn everything."

The woman holding twin daggers still remained cautious.

"Even so, don’t underestimate him carelessly," she warned quietly. "Anyone capable of taking first place in two consecutive trials cannot be simple."

"Of course," the battle axe wielder replied with a grin. "But there are more than fifteen of us here, all standing at the peak of the Law Refinement Realm."

He lifted his axe onto his shoulder confidently.

"And he’s just a ninth level Law Awakening cultivator."

Several people immediately began smiling.

The fear in their hearts had almost completely vanished by now.

In its place came greed.

A spear wielder suddenly narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Actually... this might be a huge opportunity for us."

The others looked toward him.

"If killing participants transfers killing points," he continued slowly, "then someone like Max should already have an enormous amount of points on him."

The moment those words were spoken, several disciples’ eyes lit up immediately.

A young man carrying a hammer inhaled sharply.

"He’s basically a walking treasure chest."

Another disciple laughed greedily.

"If we kill him here, our rankings might instantly soar into the top fifty."

The expressions of the surrounding participants gradually turned dangerous.

The black saber disciple slowly raised his weapon toward Max.

"Then it’s settled," he said coldly.

His gaze swept across the others.

"We stop fighting among ourselves for now."

"We work together first..."

His eyes locked onto Max above the clearing.

"And eliminate him."

One after another, the surrounding disciples nodded in agreement.

In just moments, the same participants who had been trying to kill each other moments earlier suddenly formed a temporary alliance.

Their weapons slowly turned upward.

Every single killing intent became focused on Max alone.

Meanwhile, Max quietly listened to their entire discussion from above without interrupting even once.

The seven colored lightning around his body flickered faintly as the corners of his lips slowly curved upward.

There was no anger on his face.

No frustration.

Only amusement.

"They truly believe cultivation level alone determines victory," Max thought calmly as he looked down at the confident group below.

The faint smile on his face deepened slightly.