A thousand years later...
Gazing over the Etherium Realm below, Maximus felt satisfied.
After deducing the way he could reinforce his home dimension, he immediately set to work.
The first step was rearranging the foundational structure of laws, energy ley lines, and the spatial foundation of the Etherium Realm.
Due to the modifications Valoros had made, the workload was heavier than Maximus expected.
Though Valoros's changes initially benefited the Etherium Realm, they begun to hinder its advancement, stalling its progress at a critical rate.
If Maximus hadn't restructured and optimized the Etherium Realm, advancing to the Tier 12 dimension might have been nearly impossible.
Upon addressing the Etherium Realm's structural issues, Maximus carved out the Rune of Maxim and embedded a devouring dimensional array.
The Rune of Maxim allowed the dimension to link directly to his physique, granting access to an endless supply of origin energy.
Coupled with the devouring dimensional array, which hastened its absorption of different types of energy, it was only a matter of time before the Etherium Realm advance.
Now, the only remaining challenge was the Ether Forge, the energy gate needed to channel this boundless energy into the Etherium Realm more rapidly.
Unfortunately, even after all this time, he only created fewer than ten thousand Ether Forges.
Maximus had far more important matters than personally working on these devices.
Luckily, he had over fifty thousand Seekers of Knowledge at his command.
After a thousand years, they had successfully manufactured over six million Ether Refiners.
These Ether Refiners condensed over sixty million causality points every day—or twenty-two billion each year—finally providing Maximus with a surplus of strands of causality.
The River of Knowledge could only absorb thirty million strands per day, leaving him with an extra thirty million to either spend or save.
However, generating such a vast amount of causality came at a high cost.
Each day, the production of Ether Refiners required sixty trillion origin coins—roughly twenty-two quadrillion per year.
Such exorbitant spending was more than even the Dimensional Origin Library could sustain.
Gone were the days when the elite and prodigies were in a frenzy to create a custom-made manual.
Back then, earning quintillions of origin coins was possible.
Now, after a thousand years, merely earning a quadrillion was a near-impossible task.
Maximus would already be content to earn 300 trillion if the Dimensional Origin Library experienced a prosperous year.
With an additional annual expenditure of twenty-two quadrillion, even his hundreds of quintillions of origin coins would only last so long before he faced bankruptcy.
"It's time to change the work task of those old scholars," he muttered.
Earning millions of strands of causality from each device, those old scholars were no longer stubborn.
They had even begun refining their skills to produce Ether devices faster.
After all, this work would not last forever; they knew Maximus might exhaust his resources or eventually reach a point of contentment.
For those scholars who had earned over a billion strands of causality, their fame now extended even among the masters of the River of Law.
With such vast amounts of energy at their disposal, it was only a matter of time before they turned their stream of law into a true River of Law.
Empowered by wealth and influence, even the most stubborn scholar submitted to the allure of financial reward.
Naturally, the one responsible for this upheaval attracted widespread attention.
After spending over six trillion strands of causality in the past thousand years, Maximus—and the Path of Knowledge itself—had become a spotlight brighter than ever.
If his status as a Primordial Candidate once inspired admiration, his ability to spend trillions of strands of causality with such extravagance now drove others to envy.
This phenomenon sparked a frenzy, with powerhouses from all the Aeon Plane shifting their path to the Path of Knowledge.
Many believed that if they could reach mastery over the Stream of Knowledge, they, too, could amass billions in strands of causality.
Naturally, the Ether Refiners also attracted attention.
Why would a Primordial Candidate invest trillions of strands of causality in such a device? What was its true purpose?
With these questions circulating, the top forces of the Dimensional Alliance began investigating, attempting to decrypt the purpose of the Ether Refiners.
Unfortunately, even after hundreds of years of rigorous study, they uncovered nothing substantial.
It appeared that the Ether Forge was merely a device connecting to the River of Knowledge.
Such a function naturally puzzled many, even prompting his close allies to raise questions.
To these inquiries, Maximus offered no explanation—he wasn't yet ready to reveal his capabilities.
He remained wary of the Overlords.
Until he understood their core intentions regarding him, he needed to proceed with utmost caution.
Suddenly, a deep rumble resonated through the Etherium Realm.
Sensing a powerful fluctuation from Shadowcrest Castle, Maximus realized his wives, children, grandchildren, and in-laws finally consolidated their foundations.
Teleporting to the site, he saw them emerging from seclusion, smiles of achievement lighting their faces.
Seeing them stronger than ever, possessing a solidity unheard of among Tier 10 individuals, Maximus felt that all his efforts had been worthwhile.
With such a foundation, advancing to Tier 12 was highly possible; it would just require more dedication and resources.
Observing four individuals who watched them with envy, Maximus couldn't help but shake his head.
"Why don't you all enter seclusion yourselves? There's no need to delay your progress any further."
"No, I'm waiting for my brother/sister," Sam and Valentine said in perfect unison.
Seeing his wife repeating his words, Sam's eyes nearly blazed with frustration.
Sometimes, he wondered why he married this girl—was he out of his mind? Had she slipped him a love potion?
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!" Valentine snapped, "You're the one who tricked me into marrying you! Otherwise, this pretty girl wouldn't have even looked at you!"
"How could that be? You were the one begging me to marry you! Out of the goodness of my heart, I took pity on such an ugly girl, and now you blame me?"
As their bickering escalated, Maximus sighed yet again.
These two were simply incorrigible.
One day, they were the sweetest couple; the next, they were the fiercest of rivals.
Turning his gaze to Luke and Nora, he couldn't help but sigh once more.