[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 y 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 disy 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.
"ne chess?"
Whether it was Etherium Chess,ary Chess, Dimensional Chess, or this ne Chess, all these games shared amon purpose: defeating the opponent''s pieces with intricate strategy.
Among these games, the ne Chess was the pinnacle, offering boundless possibilities—so many that even Maximus''s river of knowledge couldn''t predict the oue, no matter the time given.
"How is it? Ready to y?"
"Hmm. But before that, is this world also elerated?"
To y 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 elerated—an epoch every second."
"I see…"
Each of the top hundred Supreme Laws should have simr mechanisms.
This mechanism meant only one thing: the trial couldst indefinitely and with immense difficulty.
Remembering the trial of the Supreme Law of Void, which he hadpleted 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.
"Then let''s begin…"
As the game proceeded, due to his inexperience, Maximus took several days for every move.
The Supreme Law of Knowledge was unhurried as well, chatting about various fascinating topics that kept Maximus entertained.
From secrets, he''d never heard of too deep implications of events to perspectives on various matters.
Unknowingly, Maximus became so absorbed that he didn''t realize thousands of years had passed.
If the Supreme Law of Knowledge hadn''t notified him of his loss, he would still have been in a daze.
"Shall we y again?" the Supreme Law of Knowledge asked with a smile.
"Can I decline?"
"Of course. I''m not like those other pedantic Supreme Laws. As my protégé, following the path of knowledge, I don''t mind if you''d like to go to the next trial."
"I was only joking. How could I pass up such an opportunity?"
Though he could indeed leave the trial, doing so would rob him of the chance to master a Supreme Law to its ultimate level.
Though it would be much harder, and Maximus didn''t know if he could endure for so long, he was unwilling to let go of such a chance.
"Then, let''s y another game."
Unknowingly, another thousand years slipped by.
"Again!"
"Again!"
"Again!"
"Again!"
Over time, the thousands of years it took to finish each game dwindled to hundreds of thousands and then to millions of years.
With more proficiency and understanding of the game, Maximus went from being utterly defeated to barely holding his ground.
After thousands of epochs, Maximus even lost his sense of time.
There were only two things in front of him: the board and its pieces.
Like controlling a ne, each of his moves could alter the course of history and shape the oue of every possibility.
Absorbed in the game, Maximus didn''t realize he had entered a state of permanent omniscience.
In the past, he would have felt ufortable using such a power.
But after countless epochs immersed in the game, it became second nature to him.
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 y 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 yed 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 twopleted 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 y a few more times, but unfortunately, I still have duties to attend to," Maximus said reluctantly.
"Go on. We can y 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 exined.
"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 toe…"