Taking the lotus carefully, Max placed it within his dimensional space, ensuring its energy was fully contained and stable. The pale blue petals glowed faintly even inside the dimensional barrier, releasing a gentle light that felt like calm ripples across his soul.

It was said that the Lotus of Clear Serenity could purify any curse, no matter how deep or complex, and erase all corruption from the soul and body. That was exactly what Lenavira needed. She had been suffering under the weight of a terrible curse for too long, and now Max finally had the means to help her.

He looked once more at the now-ruined Mirror Lake, which had become nothing more than a crater of fractured glass and mist, before turning away without hesitation. His expression was calm, unreadable, but inside there was a quiet sense of determination. 'This lotus will help her,' he thought. 'I owe her that much.'

He spread his aura, creating a small ripple in space that distorted the surrounding area, and then vanished in a flicker of blue and gold light. His figure reappeared far away, near the edge of the inner region, where the air was quieter and undisturbed by the presence of other geniuses.

His plan was simple—find a secluded area, seal it off completely, and create a safe environment where Lenavira could use the lotus to cleanse herself from the curse that bound her.

But he had barely left when the silence he had broken began to fill with noise. One after another, figures appeared in the ruins of the Mirror Lake. They were all geniuses from various worlds and forces—each bearing marks of exhaustion and curiosity. The explosion of light and energy from Max's destruction of the trial had drawn them like moths to a flame.

The first of them, a young man clad in golden robes, landed on a shattered ledge and looked around at the devastation with wide eyes. "What in the world happened here?" he muttered, scanning the crater where the Mirror Lake once stood. "The entire trial area… it's gone."

Another genius arrived beside him, her eyes sharp and alert. "Gone? It's more than gone. It's destroyed. It was as though someone used something very powerful to smash this area to collapse completely."

Soon, more arrived. Their voices began to rise, overlapping in disbelief.

"Damn! Who the hell was that person? He destroyed an entire trial area here!" one of them exclaimed, his tone mixed with awe and fear.

"I know," another replied. "I attempted this trial myself before. I couldn't even make it past the third test, and I was forced to leave. The Mirror Lake was one of the strongest trial regions in the entire inner domain. How could anyone destroy it completely?"

"Not even geniuses at the Divine Rank could have that kind of strength," a third said, shaking his head. "This shouldn't be possible. The trial zones are built by the domain's laws. They can reset and heal themselves, but this…" He gestured to the wide crater filled with mist. "This is permanent destruction. Whoever did this didn't just win the trial. They shattered its existence."

A quiet murmur spread among the crowd as one of them finally voiced the name that was on everyone's mind.

"Could it be him?" a tall youth asked in a hushed tone. "The two–golden-crowned genius?"

The others immediately turned toward him. "You mean that guy who killed another golden-crowned genius?"

"Yes," the youth said firmly. "It's said he fought another golden crowned genius and took his crown for himself. Some even claim he forced one of the golden-crowned geniuses to flee. He's not someone ordinary. If anyone here could destroy an entire trial area, it would be him."

"I've heard of him too," another added. "He's the same one who obtained the highest rank reward in the Space Trial Region, isn't he? Nero himself participated in that trial, but it was said he didn't stand a chance against him."

"That's right."

The air was heavy with silence for a moment as they all gazed at the fractured ground before them. The Mirror Lake of Souls, one of the grandest trials of the Heavenly Lord Secret Domain, had been reduced to nothing but dust and distorted space.

To destroy something like this wasn't just an act of strength—it was a declaration that the laws of the domain themselves could be bent and broken.

A faint breeze swept through, carrying shards of reflected light that glimmered for a moment before vanishing completely.

One of the geniuses spoke softly, almost in reverence. "If it really was him… then he might truly be the strongest one of us here."

The others remained silent, the weight of that realization settling over them.

Far away, unaware of the awe and fear he had left behind, Max continued walking through the forested edge of the inner region. The sky above him shimmered faintly, still reacting to the distortion his golden energy had caused. He felt no pride in what he had done, no satisfaction from the whispers that would soon spread about him.

All that mattered was Lenavira—and the promise he had made to himself.

Arriving at the outer edges of the core region, Max took a slow look around. The landscape here was much quieter than the rest of the inner regions he had traversed.

The air was dense with energy, yet calm, and the trees here were towering giants with thick trunks that looked as if they had been standing for thousands of years. Their canopies intertwined high above, casting long shadows that covered the ground like a dim veil.

After walking for a while, Max's gaze landed on a particularly large tree. At its base was a hollow opening wide enough for him to fit comfortably inside. The edges of the hole were smooth, shaped by time and nature, and the inside was dry and surprisingly spacious. It felt secluded and undisturbed, the kind of place where no one would easily find him.

"This place will do," Max murmured to himself. He stepped closer, bent down slightly, and entered the hollow. The scent of aged wood and damp soil filled the small chamber, but the quiet that lingered there made it perfect for what he needed.

Once inside, Max sat cross-legged and closed his eyes for a moment to focus. With a calm thought, he extended his soul force and wove it together with the Concept of Space, forming a complex veil around the area.

The energy rippled faintly before stabilizing, creating a layered barrier that distorted any form of detection from the outside world. No spiritual sense, no divine sense, not even the most sensitive perception could locate him here.

When he was certain everything was secure, he exhaled softly. "Now then…" he whispered, and his consciousness shifted. His spirit detached from his physical form as he entered his Dimension of Spirit.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.