Earth's Greatest Magus

[Welcome to the Virtual Palace]

[Identification confirmed: Emery Ambrose – Member 18770]

A pillar of light descended from the sky and engulfed him completely.

For an instant, there was no ground beneath his feet, no air in his lungs-only the sensation of being unraveled and reconstructed through layers of encoded cosmic law.

Just like before, Emery found himself suspended high above a floating metropolis.

The Virtual Palace stretched endlessly beneath him. Massive platforms hovered among drifting clouds, connected by radiant bridges of condensed energy. Streams of luminous data flowed between structures like rivers of starlight.

He had entered this realm before.

But this time, he did so as a full member.

Before he could take a step, a notification pulsed within his consciousness.

[You have 42 unread messages]

Emery grimaced slightly.

“Forty-two?”

With a thought, a translucent interface unfolded before him. Names and timestamps scrolled down in orderly rows. Half were unfamiliar. The other half were names of-half-blood grand magus, academy instructors, and even apothecaries master.

Then one entry stood out, highlighted in gold.

[Priority Message – Sender: Zodiac Supreme]

His expression sharpened immediately.

He opened it.

[This is Alduin. Congratulations on your advancement. Contact me when you receive this message.]

Supreme Magus Alduin.

King of Zodiac City.

Emery paused, allowing the implication to settle. Priority messages were not ordinary correspondence. They were reserved for Supreme-level figures.

Why would Alduin contact him directly?

He composed a brief message, sent it, then returned to the message list.

Most of the remaining notes were formal congratulations or introductions, a few mentioned his performance in the 13 Cosmic Bridge trials.

Two sender drew his attention.

First was a familiar name.

[Sender: Master Grom]

[Young apprentice… Now that you’ve become famous, you have no time for this old master anymore, have you? When you’re online, remember to drop by our Apothecarist Alliance here in the Virtual Palace. I’ll be waiting.]

Emery allowed himself a faint smile. He kept the message in mind, then read the second one, which drew his interest.

[Sender: Ghost Headmaster]

[Congratulations on your wedding. I will be occupied for a few months. Alduin will find you]

This was unmistakably a message from Delbrand-the one once known as the Ghost of Lymhurst and now serving as an Academy headmaster.

“An Alias…” Emery murmured.

Thinking it might be a good idea to stay away from distractions, Emery decided to follow the suggestion. He accessed his profile settings and altered his public identifier.

[Username updated: Twilight Wolf]

It felt appropriate-personal, yet not entirely anonymous. Those who knew him well enough would recognize it was him.

As he closed the interface, another notification surfaced.

[Collect your reward for passing the 13 Cosmic Bridge]

Now that was something tangible.

He turned his attention toward the main city below just as three familiar figures appeared in streaks of light nearby.

Klca. Morgana. Rosia.

All three paused momentarily upon arrival, taking in the vast floating architecture surrounding them.

“So this is the Virtual Palace,” Klea uttered softly, her gaze sweeping across the

sky bridges.

Rosia maintained a composed expression, though her eyes betrayed curiosity. Morgana, however, seemed the most unsettled. Having never participated in academy games, she found the concept of virtual difficult to comprehend. They descended together through the open sky and entered the main gate. The city was enormous-comparable in scale to Golden City-but far quieter. Every presence carried the weight of grand magus cultivation. There were no lesser ranks here. Only seasoned cultivators and virtual assistances. After spending nearly an hour taking in the vast skyline of the Virtual Palace- its floating towers, radiant bridges, and drifting platforms- the four of them made their way toward the 13 Cosmic Bridge Hall.

Compared to Emery’s last visit, the hall was far more crowded. More than two hundred grand magus gathered within the plaza-some seated cross-legged in quiet meditation, others discussing strategy, while several stood alone, their expressions tense as they prepared for their next attempt.

A number of gazes turned toward them as they entered.

Some were openly arrogant, measuring Emery and the three women with

thinly veiled disdain. Others carried curiosity.

Emery ignored them and headed directly toward the mechanical administrator

stationed near the central archway.

“I’m here to inquire about my reward,” he said calmly.

The construct’s crystalline eyes glowed as it scanned his identity.

“Congratulations. As a full member, you are eligible for accumulated rewards.”

A sequence of notifications unfolded before him.

[For completion of Level 1-4 in Martial Path:]

[100, 200, 400, 1000]

[Total: 1700 Palace Points]

[For completion of Level 1-5 in Soul Path:]

[100, 200, 400, 1000, 2000]

[Total: 3700 Palace Points]

[Total Palace Points: 5400]

For a moment, Emery simply stared.

As he wondered what Palace Points represented, clarification flowed directly

into his consciousness. They functioned as internal currency within the Virtual Palace-exchangeable for items or specialized services. Each single point was equivalent in value to one million spirit stones.

That’s,

Five point four billion spirit stones in equivalent value.

The number was staggering.

Emery exhaled slowly, unable to suppress a faint smile. He was beginning to

appreciate this realm more than expected.

He explained the system to the others and Klea said

“Since we’re already here, we might as well test ourselves.”

Rosia agreed. “Let’s do it.”

Emery entered, attempting both the Martial and Spirit Paths once more. Though he gained deeper insight from the simulated duels, particularly in the integration of his laws under pressure, he was still unable to break past his

previous ceiling.

Rosia followed. Despite centuries of battle experience and extensive refinement of the Law of Lightning, she was forced to settle at Level Two in the Martial Path. Klea stepped in next and performed better. She cleared Level Three in the Martial Path but fell at Level Four against a two-cosmos clones whose control and law fusion overwhelmed her. In the Spirit Path, however, she surprised many by successfully completing Level Two with only a first-level pagoda. Her spiritual control was remarkably precise, and her enchantment techniques

proved particularly refined.

Then came Morgana.

Ps

She entered the Martial Path trial with little expression.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

The hall grew gradually quieter as observers began checking the central

projection board.

A notification after notification appeared.

Untill the unexpected

[You have completed Level 5 Martial Path]

A wave of whispers rippled through the hall.

When Morgana reappeared, her form flickered briefly as the Virtual Palace

restored her condition. She looked utterly exhausted for a split second before

the system stabilized her.

Dozens of grand magus gazed openly.

“Another genius has emerged!!”

“Who is she?

Even Emery discovered himself momentarily speechless.

“That’s incredible,” he said, stepping closer. “How did you do it?”

Morgana tilted her head slightly.

“I suppose it’s because of what I gained during my last training,” she replied

casually.

“What did you gain?” Emery asked.

She opened her status interface for him to view. At the bottom of her law list,

two new entries shimmered faintly.

[Law of True Flame – 3%]

[Law of Origin – 2%] Emery felt his thoughts stall.

Even Morgana had already taken her steps into the Law of Origin-yet he had

not.

“Damn… I really need to train harder.”