"Anyway, here are a few resources," Lady Virelia said as she took out a storage ring and placed it on the table before sliding it toward Max.

"It should be enough to raise your cultivation several times if used properly."

Max picked up the ring and sent a trace of his senses inside.

Even with only a brief glance, he could tell the contents were generous. Divine crystals, spirit medicines, condensed energy stones, and several rare materials were neatly arranged within. Any ordinary disciple would consider such wealth a fortune.

Lady Virelia continued calmly.

"I do not fully understand how your Seven Divine Veins function, but I also placed body-refining treasures inside. Some of them should help you attempt the opening of the third vein."

Max’s eyes brightened slightly.

"Oh."

He looked genuinely pleased.

"I really needed this."

He clenched the storage ring lightly.

"Recently my body has become far stronger than before. I can feel it clearly. If I have enough resources, opening another one or even two of the Seven Divine Veins should not be impossible."

Lady Virelia raised a brow.

"You say such outrageous things too casually."

Max laughed.

"I only speak according to what I feel."

She shook her head, though there was clear satisfaction in her expression. Max’s monstrous progress had long surpassed normal standards, and by now she had stopped trying to compare him with ordinary geniuses.

Then her tone became serious once more.

"With that said, use the remaining seven days entirely for training."

She tapped the table lightly.

"Do not waste time wandering around, provoking people, or chasing random opportunities."

Max coughed softly.

"I was not planning to."

Lady Virelia gave him a long look that made it clear she did not fully believe him.

"If you need assistance, techniques, resources, or access to restricted training grounds, come to me at any time during these seven days."

Her voice softened slightly.

"You are carrying much of the clan’s hopes into this Smelting Trial. I will support you where I can."

Max’s expression turned more sincere.

"I understand."

He gave a firm nod.

Lady Virelia leaned back into her seat.

"Good. Then leave and begin immediately."

Max stood up at once.

He bowed respectfully toward her.

"Thank you, Master."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Go."

Without saying anything further, Max turned and left the office.

The corridor outside was quiet, the palace halls still carrying their solemn atmosphere. As he walked through them, the storage ring in his hand felt heavier than its physical weight.

Not because of the treasures inside.

But because of the expectations placed upon him.

Soon, he exited the central palace grounds and headed toward his own residence within the Black Dragon Clan territory.

The path ahead was clear.

Seven days.

Seven days to grow stronger, open new veins, stabilize his gains from Orion, and prepare for the Smelting Trial at Violet Star Palace.

As he looked toward the distant silhouette of his house, a faint smile rose on his lips.

"That should be enough time."

Arriving back at his house, Max wasted no time. He went straight into the training chamber, sealed the room, activated the protective formations, and then entered the Dimension of Time.

The endless white world unfolded around him in silence.

Max sat cross-legged in the middle of that vast emptiness and took out all the body cultivation resources Lady Virelia had given him. One by one, he placed them before himself. There were blood-red crystals filled with violent vitality, bottles of thick golden marrow liquid, dark stones that released heavy physical pressure, and several strange herbs whose roots pulsed like living veins.

All of them were treasures meant to strengthen the body.

For ordinary cultivators, using even one of these resources recklessly could damage the meridians, tear muscles apart, or overload the bones. But Max was different now. After devouring the corpse of the ancient black dragon, his physique had changed completely.

His body contained 5000 Draconic Essences, each one like a miniature furnace of raw draconic power. His 5000 Dragon Scales had also strengthened his flesh, bones, blood, and organs to an astonishing level.

Because of that, his body was no longer fragile in front of violent energy.

It was like a divine weapon waiting to be further tempered.

Max closed his eyes and activated the method of the Seven Divine Veins.

The first two Divine Veins within his body responded immediately. They pulsed with deep power, guiding the flow of energy through him. After a few breaths, Max focused his senses on the hidden location of the third Divine Vein.

The Vein of Strength.

Unlike ordinary veins or meridians, the Divine Veins were not simple channels of energy. They were ancient gates hidden within the body, each representing a different form of physical power. The Vein of Strength was buried deep within his flesh and bones, connected to every muscle fiber, every tendon, and every part of his physical foundation. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

To open it, Max did not need delicate comprehension.

He needed overwhelming bodily force.

He needed to awaken the raw power sleeping inside his body and force it to recognize him as its master.

Max picked up the first blood-red crystal and crushed it in his palm.

A thick wave of vitality surged out and entered his body like molten blood. At the same time, he drank the golden marrow liquid and swallowed several body-refining herbs. The combined power of these resources exploded inside him almost instantly.

Boom!

His body trembled.

For a normal cultivator, that violent eruption would have been dangerous. It would have torn through the body like a storm. But the moment the energy spread, the 5000 Draconic Essences inside Max awakened together.

They absorbed, refined, and controlled the incoming force.

The chaotic vitality was dragged into his bones. The marrow liquid seeped into his spine and limbs. The medicinal power of the herbs entered his muscles and tendons. Instead of harming him, all of it became fuel.

Max’s skin began glowing faintly.

Underneath his flesh, black dragon patterns appeared one after another, moving like living marks across his body. His blood flowed faster, each beat of his heart echoing like a war drum inside the silent white world.

He guided all the power toward the third Divine Vein.

At first, the Vein of Strength remained still.

It was like a sealed mountain gate, heavy and ancient, refusing to open no matter how much energy struck it.