After reaching the ninth level of the Law Awakening Realm, Max carefully examined his condition and quickly came to a clear conclusion.

For the moment, he had reached the limit of what he could improve through direct cultivation.

He had already opened the third Divine Vein of the Seven Divine Veins, the Vein of Strength. Every remaining resource given by Lady Virelia had also been fully consumed to support his breakthrough into the ninth level of the Law Awakening Realm.

His internal growth had not stopped forever, but it had paused until he obtained new opportunities.

"My body is still strong enough to open the fourth Divine Vein," Max muttered to himself. "The Vein of Speed should be within reach."

He clenched and relaxed his hand slowly, sensing the terrifying vitality in his flesh.

"But I do not have enough resources."

Opening a Divine Vein required more than toughness. It demanded vast treasures, body-refining materials, and enough energy to force open another ancient gate hidden within the physique.

Max was not discouraged.

Instead, his eyes sharpened with anticipation.

"The Smelting Trial should provide what I need."

He believed that an event jointly organized by powerful forces would contain inheritances, treasures, and rare resources beyond what ordinary cultivators could imagine. If fortune favored him there, opening the fourth Divine Vein and reaching the tenth level of Law Awakening Realm before the Cosmic Ascension Conference was entirely possible.

That thought alone was enough motivation.

"Then I should use the remaining time to sharpen what I already have."

With that, Max rose from where he sat in the endless white world of the Dimension of Time.

"Let us see whether the inheritance chambers have anything new for me."

He stepped forward and entered the Dimension of Flames for a new inheritance technique.

After leaving the Dimension of Flames, Max did not remain idle for even a moment. He continued moving through one dimension after another, entering the Dimension of Sword, the Dimension of Ice, the Dimension of Light, the Dimension of Lightning, the Dimension of Space, and several other worlds connected to his growing dimensional inheritance.

Each world possessed its own inheritance chamber, and within each chamber were techniques preserved from powerful beings of the past.

Once his choices were complete, Max returned to the Dimension of Time. The endless white world welcomed him with its usual silence, a place where one hour outside equaled one full year within. The moment he arrived, he began training without hesitation.

Days passed first, then months, and eventually years. Outside, only seven short days moved by. Inside, decades of relentless cultivation unfolded.

Max trained sword techniques until every slash, thrust, and counterattack became second nature. He practiced movement arts until he could transition from lightning speed to light acceleration and then into spatial displacement without even needing conscious thought.

He refined close combat methods until every punch and kick carried monstrous force through the awakened Vein of Strength.

He repeated elemental techniques countless times. He fused methods together, tore apart flaws, and reshaped inheritances into forms more suitable for himself. Fire techniques gained sharper killing intent.

Lightning arts became more efficient. Spatial methods became harder to predict. Whenever one cycle of training ended, another began immediately. There was no laziness, no wasted time, and no room for complacency.

By the time the seven days in the outside world had passed, decades had flowed for Max within the Dimension of Time. His cultivation realm remained at the ninth level of the Law Awakening Realm, yet his true strength had increased dramatically.

His aura became deeper and more restrained, his instincts sharper, and his movements smoother. He now carried the calm pressure of someone who had tempered himself through long years of isolation and battle practice.

At last, Max slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a steady breath. He could clearly feel the connection between the outer world and the Dimension of Time shifting.

"Seven days have passed," he muttered softly.

With that, he left the Dimension of Time and returned to his house.

The familiar training chamber greeted him once more. Max quickly washed away the dust of long training, took a proper bath, and changed into clean robes.

Afterward, he sat down and ate a meal in peace. Even something as ordinary as food felt refreshing after spending decades focused only on cultivation and combat.

Just then, a powerful voice echoed throughout the entirety of the Black Dragon Palace. It rolled through halls, courtyards, mountains, and training grounds like thunder striking the heavens.

"All True Disciples, report at the Central Region of the Black Dragon Palace."

Max looked up calmly as the announcement repeated across the clan territory. He set down the last of his meal, stood from his seat, and adjusted his robes.

"It is time," he said quietly.

He then stepped out of his house and headed toward the Central Region of the Black Dragon Palace.

When Max arrived at the Central Region of the Black Dragon Palace, the place was already bustling with activity.

The Central Region was one of the grandest areas within the clan territory, built upon a vast elevated platform surrounded by towering halls, training arenas, and black stone pillars carved with dragon patterns. Ancient banners fluttered in the wind, and layered formations shimmered faintly beneath the ground, revealing the importance of the place.

At the center of the platform, a group of true disciples had already gathered.

Max’s gaze swept over them once and immediately sharpened.

There were a little over thirty of them in total.

Some stood calmly with arms folded. Others conversed in low voices with familiar allies. A few sat cross-legged in meditation despite the gathering, as though using every moment to cultivate. Their expressions varied, but one thing was common among them all.

They were strong.

Very strong.

The aura coming from this group far surpassed that of ordinary disciples. These were the elite geniuses of the Black Dragon Clan, the younger generation chosen to represent the clan in major events.

Max silently observed them more carefully.

Most of them possessed cultivation beyond the fifth level of the Law Manifestation Realm. Several had already reached the seventh and eighth levels, their presence stable and imposing. A smaller number stood out even more, carrying dense pressure that caused those nearby to unconsciously keep some distance.

Those few had already reached the ninth and tenth levels of the Law Manifestation Realm.