Looking at the potential seekers pledging to follow his path, Maximus widened in a smile.
However, considering the benefits he offered, he wasn''t too surprised.
He not only promised them wealth, status, and power, but he was also willing to fulfill their deepest wishes.
Some of them wanted freedom—from very, from binding contracts with their families and sect.
Some wished to keep their dimensional origin safe and at peace.
Some simply wanted their rtives relieved of sickness and pain.
Some harbored a desire for vengeance, to kill their most hated enemy.
Whatever the wish, Maximus was prepared to make it a reality.
Then, there were those unique ones who were touched by his financial promises.
Maximus dered that as long as their intentions were reasonable, they could receive unlimited funds from him.
Whether in trillions or quadrillions, as long as they could justify it, Maximus would give it freely.
Some were tempted by the status. By following such a promising Primordial Candidate, their futures would be secured.
And then there was As. Initially, he was on the verge of backing out.
After all, his path had already beenid out before him.
He had no desire beyond getting stronger.
However, in the note handed to him, Maximus rmended that the most perfect path for him was the Path of Knowledge of Will.
The Path of Pain would only torture him endlessly.
Instead of suffering merely to grow stronger, he should focus on mastering his will to ovee all challenges.
Although As didn''t fully believe it, he was fearful of the future set before him.
He trained through pain, but he didn''t want his entire life to be consumed by it.
Thinking of the future that Maximus had allowed him to glimpse, As made his decision.
As for Valentine and Nora, the two had little hesitation.
They were set to marry into the Shadowcrest family, so following the same path was only natural.
And if the marriage should fail, it wasn''t toote to alter their path by then.
Examining the expressions of these potential knowledge seekers, Maximus began to reassure them, promising to fulfill their deepest desires as soon as possible.
He settled them on one of the private floors of the Tower of Knowledge, an area filled with boundless origin energy, as he began mobilizing his connections.
The Immortal Pce Sect, the Ashura Sect, the Elfalhn Family, the Sterling Family, even the Fritz Family.
Wanting to reassure his seekers of knowledge and help them focus on their training, Maximus worked swiftly to resolve their problems.
Reaching out to his allies with his requests, they mobilized their influence to fulfill his promises.
A single word from him was enough.
With Malgron and Iris, the two sectsplied without hesitation.
The Elfalhn Family was also willing to oblige this small favor.
As for the Sterling and Fritz families, Maximus assured them of something valuable in the future.
Once he amassed enough power and ether devices, they would be the first invited to feast on boundless Origin Energy.
With such a vast supply of energy, reaching the Absolute Realm would be effortless.
---
Meanwhile, as Maximus mobilized his connections, Valentine and Nora arrived in the Etherium Realm.
"So, this is the Etherium Realm? It''s beautiful~."
Even Valentine, who was somewhat picky, found nothing toin about.
Though the realm was smaller andcked a dense concentration of energy, it had the makings of a great dimension.
Strangely, just being there calmed them, bringing a peacefulness to their hearts.
"Come on, they should already be waiting for us."
Dragging Valentine along, Nora led the way to the Shadowcrest Castle as per their future father-inw''s instructions.
Arriving at the castle, they found two men looking at them curiously.
"Are you the ones my father mentioned? Wee to the Etherium Realm," Luke greeted them warmly.
"Yes, thank you for waiting," Nora replied with a slight bow, briefly meeting Luke''s gaze.
"Tsk, what a bother." Sam clicked his tongue.
Just one look at these girls, and it was obvious to him what they wanted.
How many people have tried the same approach?
As a sea king in his early hundreds, Sam was no stranger to womentching onto him, drawn by his power, wealth, or status.
Seeing through their intentions, Sam''s interest vanished instantly.
"Hmph! Just a brat!" Valentine muttered angrily, noticing Sam''s dismissive attitude.
"What did you say?"
"I said you''re a brat who hasn''t even grown a hair yet! Look at you, squinting like a monkey—are you really from the Shadowcrest family?"
With Luke so gentle and Sam so arrogant, Valentine felt Sam was probably just some wayward brat they''d adopted from somewhere.
"You woman—!"
Fuming, Sam clenched his fist, about to attack Valentine, but Luke held him back, trying to calm him.
"Brother, these are guests. Don''t show such an uncouth attitude." Luke frowned, noticing something off about Sam.
Usually, Sam was quite gentlemanly, especially with women, but now he looked like a wild beast ready to erupt over the smallest thing.
"Apologize!"
"Heh, why would I apologize to a woman?" Sam muttered, trying to calm his anger.
He didn''t understand why, but Valentine irritated him deeply.
"Sam—"
"No need to apologize; it''s my sister''s fault for being too presumptuous," Nora interrupted, trying to smooth things over.
"Valentine—" Nora gave her sister a pointed look, signaling her to apologize.
"Hmph! A woman apologizing to a man? If not, then I''d be happy to apologize!" Valentine sneered.
She couldn''t stand this man''s arrogance.
Who was he to look at her like she was some toy at his disposal?
While she was willing to make sacrifices, she would not tolerate being humiliated.
"You—!"
"What? What can you do to me? Come, bite me if you can!" With Luke and Nora standing between them, Valentine grew confident.
So, what if he was angry? With two "door gods" standing before her, this brat couldn''t get near her.
Watching their childish interaction, Luke and Nora exchanged a weary nce, both sighing at the scene before them.