Earth's Greatest Magus

A day after Ishtar and the Astiel fleet departed, Neo Terra welcomed another visitor.

This time, it was a friend.

He walked through the same halls that had hosted a tense confrontation just a day prior. When he entered the chamber, his presence immediately shifted the mood, bringing with it a sense of familiarity.

He offered Klea a warm smile before turning toward Emery, his expression carrying a playful hint of reproach.

“Mister and missus Savage Magus… you really should have invited me to the wedding… this is not cool…”

Klea gently placed her hand on Emery’s shoulder, her tone light yet unapologetic.

“We were caught in the moment…”

The man chuckled.

“Took you long enough… I am envious indeed… Congratulations…”

This man was Julian.

When the Astiel message had arrived earlier, Emery had still been deep in cultivation, and knowing the matter involved Earth, Klea had reached out to Julian. Now, the three of them stood together once more, not merely as leaders of growing factions, but as allies bound by shared history.

Julian leaned casually against the table, his expression shifting from humor to focus as he considered the situation laid before him.

“It’s one-on-one right… so my opinion doesn’t matter.”

He turned to Emery, his gaze sharpening slightly.

“Can you defeat this Sky Lord person?”

“No.. not right now…”

Emery answered without hesitation, his tone calm and grounded in reality rather than pride.

Julian nodded slowly, as though he had expected nothing less, before letting out a quiet breath.

“I guess it’s good that they gave twenty years… why is this guy so confident… doesn’t he know how talented and fortunate our Emery is? Following your progress… You would probably reach three cosmos by then…”

There was admiration in his voice, but it quickly gave way to concern as another possibility surfaced in his mind.

“Is this Sky lord… has managed to break into the supreme realm?”

Klea shook her head before Emery could answer, her expression steady as she expressed the latest intelligence. The Sky Lord had only recently reached the third layer of the Three Cosmos realm a few decades ago, and while that alone placed him among the elite, it was still far from the threshold of the Supreme realm. Even the most gifted cultivators required centuries to make that leap.

Given that, the likelihood of such a breakthrough-

Was extremely low.

Julian folded his arms, his posture relaxed yet thoughtful as he weighed the situation.

“Well…. If unsure.. Just reject it… it won’t cost us anything…”

For a brief moment, silence settled over the room, the simplicity of his suggestion contrasting with the complexity of the situation they faced.

Then Emery spoke.

Emery’s main suspicion lay in the timing. The challenge seemed to have little to do with revenge for what had happened on the Astiel planet, and far more to do with Earth itself. To him, it was clear that the this Sky Lord had his own agenda -something carefully planned, tied to a mysterious, unfinished matter involving their home planet and the coming calamity.

“This fight will happen eventually…”

He turned toward both of them, his gaze steady and resolute.

“I will accept the duel.”

There was no hesitation in his voice, no trace of doubt, only a quiet certainty that made his decision clear.

Julian and Klea exchanged a glance, understanding the reasoning behind his choice without needing further explanation. Some conflicts could not be avoided, only delayed, and facing them under prepared conditions was far better than being forced into them unready.

Both of them nodded.

With the decision made, the tension gradually eased, and the conversation shifted into something far more relaxed. The remainder of the day passed in a way that felt almost distant from the burdens they carried, as they remarked freely, reminiscing about the past while also exploring possibilities for the future.

As expected, Julian’s insights proved invaluable. When it came to building and managing a faction, offering practical solutions to several of the challenges Emery faced with Dawnstar.

During their discussion, he also disclosed that Nova Roma was nearing a major milestone, with its advancement into a second-grade faction now within reach. “I’ve been waiting for that Cosmic Palace access… when I finally get them, let’s meet more often.”

There was a quiet excitement in his voice, reflecting both ambition and anticipation.

Eventually, as the day came to an end, Julian departed as casually as he had arrived, leaving behind a renewed sense of clarity and direction.

When Julian finally took his leave, the atmosphere within Neo Terra settled into a quieter rhythm, and Emery found himself spending more time alongside Klea. The two of them moved through the expanding territory together, observing its steady growth not as distant rulers, but as active builders shaping its future with their own hands.

They explored the newly developed regions, walking through areas where construction had only recently been completed, as well as those still in progress. Promising talents were carefully selected and promoted, forming the early foundations of what would one day become the core strength of Neo

Terra.

Beyond their borders, they visited neighboring territories, engaging in calm negotiations to establish potential alliances while also observing those who might, in time, become rivals.

Amidst all this, Emery did not neglect the smaller, more personal moments.

He accompanied Klea to the monthly auction, intending to find something worthy of her, though the search proved more difficult than expected. With his current limitations on Cosmic Palace points, every decision required careful consideration, leaving little room for impulse.

In the end, he chose practicality.

He acquired materials instead-[Cosmic Soils] and [Pure light grass]-items noted in Land Cultivation 101 as exceptional fertilizers. Though unremarkable at first glance, they held immense long-term value, promising to significantly enhance the growth of his Elysian Tree and strengthen the ecosystem within

his domain

Days later, after carefully gathering what he needed, Emery finally obtained a sufficient number of high-grade beast cores.

With preparations complete, he returned once more to his cultivation chamber.

This time, his approach was far more structured.

He assigned his light avatars to oversee the application of the newly acquired materials, ensuring that the land cultivation process continued without interruption, while his dark avatars remained close to him, assisting in the far more demanding task ahead.

His focus now lay on the third form of the Stellar Beast legacy.

[Stellar Beast Refinement]

From the moment he began, Emery realized that this technique was deeply intertwined with his understanding of the Law of Devouring. It was not merely a physical refinement process, but one that required precise control over how energy was consumed, transformed, and integrated into his body. Following the method, he began refining the beast cores.

Each core was broken down into pure energy, stripped of impurities before

being absorbed into his body. The energy flowed through him in controlled waves, gradually reshaping his physical form from within. His bones became. denser, his muscles more resilient, and even his internal organs were strengthened under the continuous refinement.

It was a slow, deliberate process.

But the results were undeniable.

Time passed.

Weeks turned into months.

Then, the breakthrough finally came.