Chapter 526: Meeting with Lord Harthorne
Max’s gaze lingered on the small Chaos Tree pulsing quietly in his inner world, its four glowing leaves resting gently at the end of the four branches that had sprouted from the embryonic seed. Each leaf shimmered with the essence of a concept—Sword, Space, Flame, and Lightning—each one distinct, vibrant, and ancient.
His expression was thoughtful, reflective, as he observed the gentle stillness that had settled over the tree. ’It seems the growth has stopped,’ he mused inwardly, recognizing the subtle stillness within the energy flow.
The expansion, the transformation—it had all come to a temporary halt. The Chaos Plant, or Chaos Tree, had reached its first phase of growth. But it left him with questions.
Was this temporary? Would it grow again? And more importantly, would it always require chaos energy to evolve? Or had it only drawn from the primal energy of the totem stone because this was its first awakening?
Max exhaled slowly, smiling faintly as he dismissed the thought. ’I guess I’ll find out eventually.’
Some truths, he knew, could not be forced—they would unfold with time and experience. He gave one last inward glance to the now-settled tree before returning his awareness to the world around him and rising to his feet.
His allotted two hours were nearly over, and it was time to finalize his choice.
Turning, he exited the quiet, mist-veiled Primal Hall and walked with steady steps back into the main corridor. The atmosphere shifted instantly—where the Primal Hall had been timeless and silent, the outer hall buzzed with the anticipation and conversation of other geniuses who had already made their choices.
As Max emerged, the eyes of several others turned toward him, curious, cautious, and intrigued, but none dared speak.
The red-robed old man standing near the entrance caught sight of Max and nodded in acknowledgement.
"Don’t tell me what you’ve chosen," he said simply, his voice filled with quiet approval. "Let me take you to Lord Harthorne. He will take care of you."