[Generating the 161,701st trial: The Supreme Law of Knowledge]
As the world transformed into one woven from books, Maximus's interest was piqued.
"The Supreme Law of Knowledge?"
Given the path he had chosen, Maximus held a genuine curiosity for the Supreme Law of Knowledge.
If not for the True Path promising him a brighter future, he might have chosen this Supreme Law above all else.
"We finally meet," the Supreme Law of Knowledge greeted him.
"It's an honor." Maximus bowed.
"Come, sit. Shall we play a game?"
"Is this the trial?" Maximus asked, eyeing the board game between them.
"You could think of it that way, but I mainly wanted to discuss some topic with you." The entity of Knowledge smiled.
"Then I'd like to display my ignorance..."
His task was clear: he had to surpass the Supreme Law of Knowledge in skill.
Sitting down, Maximus analyzed the board, wondering about its nature.
"Plane chess?"
Whether it was Etherium Chess, Planetary Chess, Dimensional Chess, or this Plane Chess, all these games shared a common purpose: defeating the opponent's pieces with intricate strategy.
Among these games, the Plane Chess was the pinnacle, offering boundless possibilities—so many that even Maximus's river of knowledge couldn't predict the outcome, no matter the time given.
"How is it? Ready to play?"
"Hmm. But before that, is this world also accelerated?"
To play such a game with endless variations, even a few thousand years might not be enough.
"Yes. Like the trial from the old Void, this trial is accelerated—an epoch every second."
"I see..."
Each of the top hundred Supreme Laws should have similar mechanisms.
This mechanism meant only one thing: the trial could last indefinitely and with immense difficulty.
Remembering the trial of the Supreme Law of Void, which he had completed with a cheat, he couldn't help but frown.
Defeating the embodiment of Knowledge wouldn't be easy.
Moreover, this time, he couldn't rely on cheats. His only advantage might be his strands of causality, allowing him to deduce moves at a faster rate.
He was like a sage—knowing everything yet ignorant of all.
The effects of omniscience became a mere ability, not a power that dictated his every thought.
Raising his hand, Maximus moved the final piece on the board.
"I lost..." The Supreme Law of Knowledge smiled as if delighted to have found an opponent that stirred its ancient heart.
"It was just a stroke of luck. Could we play another game?"
"Hmm? Don't you want to proceed to the next trial?"
"Yes, but one more game wouldn't hurt, right?" Maximus asked, smiling.
As he played with such a worthy opponent, Maximus felt a deep sense of liberation.
The burdens, emotions, and problems he carried seemed to disappear, yet somehow, everything became clearer; Maximus could see solutions he had never noticed before.
"Then, another game..."
A few more epochs passed, and the two completed thousands more games.
Fortunately, each epoch that passed was but a mere second in reality.
Satisfied, Maximus stood up, ready for the next trial.
"I'd love to play a few more times, but unfortunately, I still have duties to attend to," Maximus said reluctantly.
"Go on. We can play again sometime."
"Thank you..."
...
[Generating the 161,702nd: The Supreme Law of Purity]
Gazing at the pure, empty white world, Maximus remained calm.
"This is the realm of purity. To pass the trial, you need only to remain without thought, an empty mind, without intention, a selfless state of purity," the entity of Purity explained.
"Hmm," Maximus smiled and took a seat.
Emptying his thoughts, mind, spirit, soul, and will, his physical form was visible, touchable, and perceptible in the empty world, yet it seemed his very existence had vanished.
Seeing Maximus quickly enter a state of selflessness, the Supreme Law of Purity was taken aback.
Such a step was not easily achieved without epochs of meditation.
It recalled that even the Overlords who faced this trial took millions of epochs to reach this state.
Yet, watching Maximus enter it on his first attempt, the Supreme Law of Purity couldn't help but be amazed.
"You have passed the trial... Such a selfless and pure mind will surely bring you wonders in the trials to come..."