"Too peaceful," he whispered into the quiet room, his pinkish-red eyes glinting faintly under the soft glow of the lamplight. He clenched his hand slowly into a fist, the edges of his thoughts sharp as steel. A month ago, he’d braced himself for a maelstrom. Instead, he’d been given silence. And that silence, Max felt, was sohow far more dangerous than open war.
Beep!
Just then, the quiet in Max’s room was shattered by a crisp digital chi as his holowatch beeped insistently. He glanced down, eyes narrowing slightly, and saw Princess Lyra’s na glowing on the screen, a brief ssage flashing beneath it.
"She’s summoning ..." Max muttered under his breath, the corner of his mouth twitching with mild apprehension. His mind imdiately leapt to the possibilities. ’Is this finally about the Void Soul Tower and Thunder Monarch Hall?’
He tapped his fingers on the armrest, considering whether to ignore the summons for a while longer, but curiosity and caution won out.
Lyra had summoned him not just to so public council hall or eting chamber, but directly to her private office. "Office? More like her room," Max scoffed under his breath as he approached the elaborately carved wooden door, whose lacquered surface shimred faintly under crystal lamps fixed into the surrounding walls. He raised his hand and knocked firmly.
"Co," ca Lyra’s voice from within, clipped and formal.
Max stepped inside and imdiately felt his eyebrows arch upward. The so-called "office" was indeed her room—but calling it rely a room felt laughable. It sprawled out like a royal pavilion, with towering bookcases cramd with ancient scrolls and tos, lush silk curtains of deep erald and silver drifting gently in the breeze from floating cooling stones, and enormous windows that looked out across the sparkling rooftops of the Great Ruler Empire’s inner city.
A plush carpet stretched beneath his boots, the surface embroidered with faintly glowing runes. Max glanced around, half-wondering if the place had an official title like Princess’s Palace tucked away sowhere in the Empire’s records.
In the center of the chamber, seated behind an ornate desk inlaid with precious stones, Princess Lyra fixed him with a gaze so solemn it felt as though the air had thickened between them.
She studied him silently for a mont, eyes narrowing as if trying to pierce through his very soul, and Max’s brow furrowed as he stood waiting, arms folded.
’Is this truly about the Void Soul Tower?’ he wondered, his mind racing through possibilities as he saw her solemn face.
"What did you call for?" he finally asked, breaking the heavy silence.
But instead of answering, Princess Lyra continued to stare, her brilliant eyes shimring as they swept up and down his fra. After a full minute, she let out a soft gasp and exclaid, "Your strength... You’ve reached the 8th level of Master Rank."
Max tilted his head slightly and gave a nonchalant shrug. "I had so adventures," he said casually, as though he’d rely stumbled upon a hidden stash of experience points on his morning stroll.
Lyra blinked several tis, her lips parting as though searching for words, but only silence ca out for a mont. She pressed a hand to her forehead, shaking her head slowly. She’d seen countless prodigies in her life, but none who advanced realms at a pace like his—it defied every experience she had so far in the Middle Domain.
"It’s good that your strength has increased this fast," she finally managed, letting out a breath and forcing a faint smile to her lips. "You’ll need it."
Max narrowed his eyes, leaning forward a fraction. "For what?" he asked.
Lyra straightened in her seat, her deanor shifting back into the authoritative air of a leader. "There is a secret domain that’s been discovered in Misty City," she said, her voice dropping to a tone of confidential gravity. "At first, it was rely a small cave belonging to an expert from ten thousand years ago. But over the centuries, due to strange spatial distortions and accumulation of powerful energies, it has transford into a secret domain."
She continued, her fingers drumming lightly on the desk. "For the past month, the masters of the Seven Overlord Forces have been working tirelessly to stabilize its fluctuating spatial walls. And in precisely one week, it will be completely stabilized and open for exploration."
"You want to enter there?" Max asked, his voice low and thoughtful, even as a glimr of resolve already simred in his eyes.
As he stood facing Princess Lyra in that vast, palace-like room, pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place in his mind; he realized why neither the Thunder Monarch Hall nor the Void Soul Tower had co knocking on the gates of the Great Ruler Empire this past month.
They were likely just as embroiled in preparations to stabilize the secret domain, diverting their resources and attention toward the monuntal task rather than launching vendettas.
"Hm." Princess Lyra inclined her head in a slow nod, her dark hair shimring beneath the lamplight. "We believe the spatial fabric of the secret domain cannot endure the presence of anyone at the Ruler Rank or higher. It simply can’t hold that level of power without collapsing. So only Legend Rank experts and those below will be permitted entry. In fact, most of the participants who’ll step inside will be geniuses who’ve already reached the Legend Rank."
She paused, eyes searching his face, her expression as serious as carved stone. "So I want to ask you directly: are you willing to enter, Max? There will undoubtedly be countless opportunities for you to advance your strength in the secret domain... but there will also be dangers."
Max’s gaze dropped for a fleeting second, the glint in his pinkish-red eyes deepening with a swirl of complex thoughts. Part of him mused wryly that if Lyra knew the whole truth—that he’d killed June, a Heaven Grade genius at the 5th level of Legend Rank—she might not be so eager to propose his participation.
If she knew he could already contend with and even eliminate powerhouses of such stature, she might realize he was destined to stand among the very monsters she spoke of.
And yet, despite the dark weight of secrets he carried, Max understood what this opportunity represented. He was already certain that his na would be listed among the Great Ruler Empire’s chosen geniuses entering the domain.
Lyra’s voice broke into his reverie, sharp and edged with caution. "Think carefully, Max. Inside that secret domain, you’ll be dealing exclusively with Legend Rank geniuses. When treasures are scattered everywhere, greed will spark conflict, and alliances can shatter in an instant. You might lose your life in there."
Max tilted his head, white hair falling slightly into his eyes as he gave a small, dismissive shake of his head. "There’s no need to warn , Princess. I know exactly what kind of place a secret domain is. I understand I’ll have to face Legend Rank experts... but that doesn’t an I’m going to back down."
"So you’ve decided to enter?" Lyra pressed, her eyes narrowing as though seeking any hint of uncertainty.
Max t her gaze squarely, the corners of his mouth curling into the faintest of smiles, both calm and chilling. "I will enter."
Lyra allowed herself a brief, genuine smile of approval, though the worry didn’t quite vanish from her eyes. "Good. Then prepare yourself thoroughly. We depart in one week. I’ll notify you the mont everything is finalized."
Max inclined his head, offering her a respectful nod, and without another word, turned and left.
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