"I'll comprehend the River of Knowledge first..." Maximus decided.
If he chose to upgrade his physique to Rank 12 first, it would take him over 2.3 thousand years.
Coupled with mastering the River of Knowledge, which would take another 7-8 thousand years, it would take him about 10 thousand years to achieve his strongest state before advancing to the Tier 11 realm.
On the other hand, if he comprehended the River of Knowledge first, it would take him 7-8 thousand years, plus another 2 years to upgrade his physique to Rank 12.
Saving 2-3 thousand years, Maximus obviously chose the latter.
"The only problem is the consumption for the enhanced comprehension..." Maximus thought with a frown.
Fortunately, insights about a solution quickly appeared in his mind.
"Origin Fragments?"
Taking out an Origin Fragment, he tossed it into the illusionary flowing River of Knowledge around him.
With 50% mastery, Maximus easily controlled the illusionary mirage of knowledge to absorb the Origin Fragments.
Suddenly, the enhanced comprehension, which had been draining his energy, found a new energy source.
"This is possible?"
Thinking further, he wondered if he could also add strands of causality into it.
Would it make his innate skill even stronger?
With his automatic insight giving him the answer, Maximus quickly abandoned the idea.
Although it could indeed enhance his innate ability, boosting his comprehension ten or even a hundredfold, it wasn't cost-effective.
It was better to use these strands of causality directly for comprehension.
Choosing his path and solving his energy problem, Maximus continued his comprehension.
---
500 years later...
"60% mastery! This innate skill is insane!"
Initially, it would have taken him over a thousand years to reach 60% mastery.
However, with the innate skill enhancing his comprehension threefold, it took him only a third of the time.
"The innate skill also became stronger!"
From three times comprehension, it was now fivefold!
Although it would cost more Origin Fragments to maintain this state, it was negligible for his current wealth.
He still had over a quadrillion Origin Coins in his storage space, more than enough for hundreds of thousands of years.
"Continue!"
Feeling his rapid progress, he couldn't help but continue absorbing knowledge.
In the following years, Maximus didn't just delve into the inner workings of his system; but also explored various professions.
From mechanics, alchemy, formation master, treasure forging, divine calculations, the biology of various creatures, plants, ores, unique materials, special treasures, etc.
With the books he carried, Maximus reached at least the peak of Tier 10 in each field.
However, Tier 11 knowledge was still inaccessible to him in full.
He could only comprehend the scattered knowledge that the Dimensional Origin Library had copied.
Soon, a thousand years later, swimming in the River of Knowledge, Maximus reached 70% mastery.
"Another innate skill?" Maximus muttered, feeling the insights sent to him by the River of Knowledge.
An infusion of knowledge then appeared in his mind.
Thanks to his connection with the River of Knowledge, he experienced no harm.
The knowledge in his mind felt like it was stored in the cloud, accessible at any time.
Satisfied with such an innate skill, he also acquired knowledge from other professions he liked, spending over a hundred trillion Origin Fragments.
As for searching for Tier 11 ultimate and dimensional treasures or detailed information about the Tier 11 Ocean Master powerhouses, he decided to set it aside.
Such searches would cost hundreds of quadrillions—if he had that much, he might as well just buy the treasures outright.
He could also inquire about these Ocean Masters through Iris if he wanted.
Although the information would only be general, it was enough.
Turning to his other innate skill, a hint of excitement appeared on his face.
"Tenfold Enhanced Comprehension!"
From fivefold to tenfold, his comprehension had doubled again.
This Enhanced Comprehension was truly a lifesaver—without it, his strands of causality would not have sufficed to master the River of Knowledge.
Enhanced Comprehension didn't use up more strands of causality to project more knowledge into his mind.
Its sole function was to allow him to comprehend knowledge to transcendent mastery more quickly.
The rate at which he consumed strands of causality still held steady at 15-16 billion every hundred years.
Summing up all the changes after reaching 70% mastery, he resumed his seclusion.
His and his wives' scheduled rest was still a few decades away, and he didn't want to disrupt their focus just for his minor breakthrough.
Soon, the years continued to pass.
Reaching 70% mastery of knowledge marked a major milestone for Maximus.
Despite his tenfold Enhanced Comprehension, progressing further grew increasingly challenging.
A hundred years passed, and he didn't even advance a single percent.
It was only after another sixty years that he advanced to 71% mastery.
As the progress slowed, Maximus remained calm rather than impatient.
Every hundred years, Maximus and his wives would gather together without fail, sharing insights and having fun.
He also took time to guide them, helping them nurture their streams of law with greater solidity.
Soon, another thousand years passed, as his wives reached 70% mastery of their streams of law, nearly catching up to his 77% mastery.
At this point, Maximus truly felt the difference between mastering a river and a stream.
Even with his foundation of trillions in magnitude, the system, and the use of causality of power, they were managing to catch up to him.
As for their innate abilities, they were the same as his: Enhanced Comprehension and Omniscient Search.
The only difference was that their Enhanced Comprehension and Omniscient Search only worked when they comprehended knowledge related to their streams of law.
However, because their range was more specific, their cost wasn't multiplied a thousandfold like his; it was only ten times the original cost on average.
Then there was Lilith—her specialization in omniscient knowledge allowed her to search for anything just as he did, albeit with a higher penalty of a hundredfold.
Pleased with his wives' progress, Maximus continued to grind.
Another four hundred years later, he reached 80% mastery.
This time, he didn't receive any new innate skill; only his Enhanced Comprehension increased to fifteen times, with the Omniscient Search penalty reduced to 750 times.
"Continue...." Sighing at his progress, Maximus continued his endless pursuit of knowledge.