Dragging Valoros along, Malgron took him across the Astral Continent.
Remembering about the Curse Continent, the weakest and most barren among all continents, Valoros also couldn't help but be curious.
In less than an epoch, it had risen to become the largest, strongest, and most prosperous in all of the Etherium Realm.
Floating above the sky, it stood as one of the Administrative Continents, reigning supreme over the world.
Digesting and internalizing the memories of his clone, Valoros felt a deep connection to the Astral Continent.
Watching the dimension he pieced through and was born in, an imperceptible sense of belonging budded in his heart, sparking an unexpected wave of reminiscence.
"It changed so much."
Because of the uniqueness of the Source of Knowledge and the grandness of the Shadowcrest Castle, he just now noticed how immense the Etherium Realm had changed.
With Malgron dragging him along, they visited the other Administrative Continents, the Chaos Continent, the Starry Dimensional Continents, and the Star Islands.
Malgron and Valoros observed the massive changes that had swept through the dimension into which they were born.
Malgron, one of the masters of the strongest sect in the Dimensional Alliance, and Valoros, one of the most notorious convicts wanted by the Space-Time Bureau, had witnessed nearly all the Aeon Plane had to offer.
Yet going around the Etherium Realm, they felt freshness, like the home they would never get sick of, their shelter when there were storms, and their beacon when they were lost.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Malgron murmured with a smile.
Just the external grandeur of the Etherium Realm was breathtaking enough.
However, gazing deeper—at its ley lines, the structure of its laws, and the teeming will of its people, even Valoros was lost for words.
Taking his incomplete studies to new extremes, setting them to perfection, and doing what he couldn't do, the Pioneer of Knowledge really well deserved his title.
If possible, he would want to stay longer, study the intricate designs and structures of the Etherium Realm, delve into the advanced mechanics of will, and perhaps share insights of knowledge with Maximus.
Unfortunately, he still had work to do, exploring the Etherium Realm, had already wasted dozens of years.
"Don't leave just yet; we still have to visit the Tower of Knowledge,"
"It's not too late to experience it after I finish my work,"
"Just a little longer?"
"Having seen and explored the Etherium Realm is enough. It's time to work," Valoros insisted.
He wasn't accustomed to wasting time, especially now when every moment counted.
"Alright, alright. I'll help you!" Malgron finally relented.
Contacting Maximus, Valoros asked if he could begin his work.
At this moment, Maximus and his wives were still on vacation.
Instead of meeting, Maximus directly sent the plan he had deduced to Valoros.
"This Maximus is as leisurely as ever," Malgron muttered, a hint of envy in his voice.
Rolling his eyes, Valoros opened the plan and headed to the void near the core of the Source of Knowledge.
Distracting Malgron, Valoros quietly swapped his real body with his clone.
His clones carried only his essence and power—not his path.
As a convict wanted by an Overlord organization, Valoros, like others of the Devourer faction, carried his path within his core of origin.
Upon reaching the Ocean level, a path of law could easily be carried in one's origin.
The risk, however, was immense: if one died, their enemy could seize their path of law, cutting off their chance of resurrection.
This alone was enough to dissuade most from carrying their path of law.
Nearly all the powerhouses of the Dimensional Alliance stored their paths in the cores of their territories, protected by countless arrays.
This ensured that even if they died or were killed by an Overlord, they could still be resurrected.
Signing a contract with Maximus, Valoros no longer had to worry about his safety and boldly summoned his real body, which contained his path of law.
Protected by the tier-12 dimensional array, even if Malgron were to lose his mind, Valoros would remain safe and sound.
Summoning the Ocean of Truth, Valoros, and Malgron began their work.
Merging a higher path of law into a lower path of law was not a simple task.
However, looking at the perfect blueprint sent by Maximus, Valoros had nothing to worry about.
Following Valoros's instructions, the two began to work tirelessly.
Working in a void space designated by Maximus, although Valoros and Malgron could clearly feel the anomaly within the source of knowledge, they couldn't peer through its secrets.
Even as they merged the two paths, Valoros could only vaguely detect the mixed power concealed within the Source of Knowledge.
Valoros thought that with the addition of confidentiality in their contract, he could come in contact with the core secrets of the Source of Knowledge.
Yet, looking at the dense array blocking his path, he could only back down.
Following the blueprint, the dense array didn't affect the integration of the Ocean of Truth and the River of Knowledge.
Helpless, Valoros could only work honestly.
With Malgron's assistance, the process took over 70,000 years.
Adding the last runic chain, the Ocean of Truth began its integration with the River of Knowledge.
Sensing the shift within the Source of Knowledge, Maximus, who had been working on merging the seeds of paths with his wives, hurriedly teleported to their side.
"It's done," Valoros replied with a hint of nervousness.
Malgron had already left.
To prevent Malgron from seeing the essence of his path, Valoros had no choice but to make him leave.
A path is a cultivator's most guarded secret, the core of their strength.
Allowing another to tamper with it was simply unthinkable.
Meanwhile, as the Ocean of Truth slowly merged with the Source of Knowledge, Maximus couldn't contain his excitement.
Bit by bit, he could feel the River of Knowledge advancing.
The bottleneck it had faced began to crack, inch by inch.
Hundreds of years passed, and under the watchful eyes of Maximus and Valoros, the River of Knowledge reached its tipping point and began to evolve.