A few days later, after talking with his children, Maximus walked out of the room, intending to sort out their harvest in the Silent Void Expanse.
He wanted to count how much the materials and treasure they harvested were worth.
This would be his fund to master the River of Knowledge.
Suddenly, just as Maximus was about to enter a short period of seclusion, Liam approached him.
"Hmm? Is something wrong?" Maximus asked, puzzled.
There shouldn't be any issues in the Etherium Realm.
Noticing the serious look on Liam's face, Maximus couldn't help but feel concerned.
"It's about Malgron..."
"Malgron? Did you find him? Where is he?"
This friend of his, the undefeated powerhouse of the Etherium Realm, had vanished out of the blue a few thousand years ago.
After being in a coma for thousands of years and suddenly disappearing, even Maximus was at a loss.
"No, he hasn't returned to the Etherium Realm, but he sent a message."
"Oh? What did it say?"
"He said, 'If you need help, come to the Ashura Sect.'"
"I see..."
He'd long suspected Malgron's identity was connected to the Ashura Sect, but the specifics remained unclear.
"Still, what kind of identity would give him such confidence?"
"According to the stamp, he should be one of the supreme masters of the Ashura Sect..." Liam muttered with uncertainty.
"A supreme master?! Malgron was one of the supreme masters of the Ashura Sect?!"
This time, Maximus was truly shocked.
A supreme master was a being at the top of the sect, wielding the power of the Ocean of Law, the peak strength below the overlords.
The fact that Malgron was one of them left Maximus in disbelief.
Moreover, the Ashura Sect was the strongest sect in the Dimensional Alliance; to be a leader within it suggested Malgron's status was truly monumental.
After the shock subsided, Maximus fell into deep thought as all the mysteries about Malgron's identity began to align.
His great power, combat ability, and achievements—those seemingly impossible feats now made sense.
Malgron was the only one whose power nearly matched Maximus' in the same realm.
Being a supreme master of the Ashura Sect didn't seem out of the blue now.
There was also Valoros, Malgron's close friend and the clone of the Lord of Truth.
Did Valoros know of Malgron's true identity?
With his abilities, he likely knew Malgron was a resurrected progenitor of the Ashura Sect.
Shaking off the thoughts, Maximus wondered just how powerful Malgron was now.
"How is he? How strong has he become?"
"He should be in the Tier 11 Realm, a master of the River of Law," Liam estimated, remembering the aura that lingered in the letter.
Liam knew the distinct difference between a master of the River of Law and a master of the Ocean of Law.
Malgron should still be in the process of recovering his strength.
"That's good; I'm not too far behind." Maximus smiled, albeit helplessly.
Knowing his friend might be stronger than him inspired Maximus to train more seriously.
After discussing a few other matters, Maximus hurried into seclusion.
"No, Sister Iris, I wanted to exchange it all for strands of causality."
"What, exchange it all for strands of causality? Are you kidding me?!" Iris looked at him in shock.
With their usual exchange rate, 1.5 quadrillion coins would be worth around 1.5 trillion strands of causality.
Such a massive amount would drain the Immortal Palace Sect of all causal power for the coming decades.
Unless she worked herself to the bone, the sect would be in chaos.
"Is it impossible?" Maximus frowned, expecting her answer.
"It's impossible! Your sister would die from overwork if I exchanged such a large number of strands of causality at one time. The sect might even punish me for it." Iris hurriedly explained.
Iris was only one of the supreme masters of the Immortal Palace Sect.
Although one of the strongest, the sect had over ten supreme masters, so Iris couldn't monopolize all strands of causality.
"I see..." Maximus nodded in understanding and thought of other solutions.
Maybe he could exchange it with other sects or families, like the Sterling family, the Elfalhn race, or even the Ashura Sect.
With his connections, though it would cost more, it would be more manageable.
He didn't want to overwork Iris just to save money.
"Then I'll exchange this with you for origin coins, Sister Iris, and see if I can exchange strands of causality elsewhere."
Maximus decided, taking out the rest of the valuable materials in his storage space.
Strengthening himself was the number one priority; everything else would come after he became the master of the River of Knowledge.
Seeing the materials before her, Iris frowned, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
The thought of Maximus going to another sect for resources made her heart a little restless.
"What do you need so many strands of causality for?" Iris asked, ignoring the resources in front of her.
"It's to master the River of Knowledge," Maximus replied directly.
"I see..."
Although it was nearly impossible for a Tier 10 individual to become a master of the River of Law, Iris believed Maximus could achieve anything.
Even if he was treading a forbidden path or attempting something that even the Overlords hadn't achieved, she had no doubts about him.
"Here are the strands of causality. No need to look elsewhere," Iris said, handing him a vial containing 1.5 trillion strands of causality.
"This—Sister Iris, there's no need for this. I can exchange it with other sects. I don't want you to work so hard or get in trouble," Maximus said hurriedly, trying to return the vial of strands of causality.
"Just take it. I don't want you getting scammed by other sects. And take these additional resources; I'm sure you'll need them."
"But—"
"Just do as I said, don't make me angry."
"I—"
Looking into her eyes, Maximus felt conflicted.
Her gaze seemed to be full of stubbornness and affection, but because of the difference in their strength, Maximus couldn't tell exactly what it was.
Was it for a friend? A brother? A pet? A lover? Was he just imagining it?
Regardless of the reason, Maximus seemed to have fallen under a spell.
Placing a hand on Iris's face, Maximus went in for a kiss.
Iris's eyes widened as she felt her lips meet his.
As turmoil of emotions rose within her, Iris unconsciously put her hands behind his neck instead of pushing him away.
Seeing she didn't resist, Maximus grew bolder and held her tighter, kissing her more passionately.
"What a naughty little brother~," Iris thought, feeling happy inside.