Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2858: Genius

[Emery Ambrose – Level 5 Martial Path – Failed]

The words burned across the massive virtual screen suspended above the 13 Cosmic Bridges Hall.

A murmur rippled outward, then split into two entirely different reactions.

On one side, the Astiel faction erupted into open satisfaction. Some laughed, others folded their arms with smug expressions, and a few did not even bother to hide their relief.

”He failed.”

”Genius? My ass,” one Astiel grand magus sneered. ”He was lucky his bloodline reacted to the eclipse. That’s all.”

”Yes! I’d love to see his face right now,” another added bitterly. ”Too bad he didn’t respawn here. He should’ve died in that arena.”

”Hmph. The court gave him seven days. What a joke.”

A senior Astiel elder folded his arms, voice cold. ”There’s nothing to worry about. Many experts remain stuck at their level for decades. If he can’t clear it today, he won’t clear it in seven years—much less seven days.”

Their confidence returned quickly, bolstered by statistics and precedent.

Hearing the Astiels’ mocking remarks, the group gathered on the opposite side of the hall reacted with visible irritation, especially the half-blood grand magus among them.

Emery’s rise had sparked hope—hope that a new half-blood genius could break the ceiling that had long constrained them. His failure at level five of the Martial Path felt like a personal blow, and the disappointment was written clearly across their faces.

Eeshoo exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on the towering projection screen that still displayed Emery’s defeat. Jinkan stood beside him, arms folded tightly.

”We knew level five wouldn’t be simple,” Jinkan said under her breath. ”Only a handful of two-cosmos grand magus have ever cleared it. Most of them were heavily nurtured prodigies... or veterans who have remained in the two-cosmos realm for centuries.”

Eeshoo nodded reluctantly. He fell silent for a moment, then spoke with quiet resolve. ”We need to help him however we can during these seven days.”

The decision had barely left his lips when a ripple of silver light shimmered near the administrator’s platform.

Emery reappeared.

The hall stirred immediately.

On the Astiel side, a grand magus barked out a laugh. ”He wants to try again? How foolish!”

”Emery, wait—” Eeshoo called out instinctively, intending to caution him, but his words met only empty air. Emery had already stepped forward, activating the challenge once more without acknowledging anyone.

Murmurs spread through the hall as people speculated about his decision. Some shook their heads at what they believed was recklessness. Others watched with guarded curiosity.

Then the projection screen flickered.

A minor change in text appeared.

[Emery Ambrose – Level 1 Spirit Path – Success]

The hall fell into brief confusion.

”He chose the Spirit Path?”

”Does he even specialize in spirit combat?”

The surprise had not yet settled when another announcement appeared.

[Emery Ambrose – Level 2 Spirit Path – Success]

The murmuring intensified.

”That was fast.”

”Too fast.”

Moments later—

[Emery Ambrose – Level 3 Spirit Path – Success]

Now even the skeptics grew quiet. The speed was undeniable.

On the Astiel side, expressions stiffened.

The screen flashed again.

[Emery Ambrose – Level 4 Spirit Path – Success]

A heavy silence descended upon the hall.

Barely ten minutes had passed since he reentered the challenge.

Now he already challenging level five. If he cleared it, even without passing Martial Path level five, he would still fulfill the Nephilim Trial of Distinction requirements. A two-cosmos grand magus who completed level five on either path was officially acknowledged as a genius.

”That’s impossible...” one Astiel whispered.

”He cannot be stronger in soul than in combat.”

Across the hall, the half-blood grand magus straightened, hope rekindling in their eyes.

The screen remained unchanged.

Minutes ticked by.

Inside the Spirit Path arena, the battlefield was similar in structure—a massive bridge connecting two gates—but the rules were entirely different.

Neither combatant could move their physical body.

Emery and his metallic counterpart stood perfectly still.

The battle was purely spiritual.

Invisible waves of soul pressure collided midair, compressing space between them. Spirit weapons—blades of condensed will—formed and clashed in brilliant arcs of light.

Unlike the Martial Path, this was not about speed or reflex.

It was about foundation.

And here—

Emery’s six-tier pagoda stood like a mountain.

When the first wave of soul force crashed toward him, his pagoda flared with prismatic brilliance. The attack shattered harmlessly.

Level one.

Then level two.

Then three.

Each clone possessed refined control, precise spirit weapon manipulation, and layered mental constructs designed to overwhelm lesser minds.

But Emery’s soul had endured tribulations, divine interference, and fragmentation.

Raw power.

Solid structure.

He crushed through the first four levels with almost frightening dominance.

The fifth level, however, was different.

The pressure doubled the moment it began.

Emery felt the strain.

The new clone did not simply rely on brute soul force. Its spirit weapons moved with complex rhythms, feints layered within feints. At the same time, a steady wave of oppressive mental force bore down on Emery’s pagoda, probing for weaknesses in its layers.

For the first time, cracks flickered along the outer prismatic surface.

Emery tightened his focus.

His Emperor Focus divided his consciousness further, but he quickly realized the true difficulty was not strength—it was control. His soul power was immense, yet he lack mastery in spirit weapon technique.

He was being outplayed.

Minutes stretched.

Soul blades collided in flashes of invisible impact. Waves of spiritual pressure clashed like silent thunder.

He shifted strategy.

Instead of overwhelming the opponent, he studied the pattern. Each spirit weapon strike followed a rhythm—advance, test, compress, pierce.

Once Emery identified that sequence, he adjusted his response timing.

Rather than reacting late, he preempted the compression phase.

The first counterstrike staggered the clone slightly.

Encouraged, he pressed on.

Slowly, methodically, he began reclaiming ground.

Outside the arena, tension built.

Minutes turned to an hour, and the waiting grand magus grew restless.

Even the Astiels stopped mocking.

Then—

The screen flashed.

[Emery Ambrose – Level 5 Spirit Path – Success]

For a moment, no one reacted.

Then the realization hit.

Level four in the Martial Path.

Level five in the Spirit Path.

The two results appeared side by side on the towering projection above the hall, and a ripple passed through the gathered grand magus.

In the standards of the Cosmic Bridges, that combination was enough to brand someone a true genius among two-cosmos cultivators. More importantly, it fulfilled the formal requirement for the Nephilim Trial of Distinction.

Emery had qualified.

When his figure materialized outside the arena, the atmosphere shifted immediately. Eeshoo was the first to step forward, relief written openly across his face, while Jinkan followed with a restrained but unmistakable smile.

”You did it,”

Several other grand magus, some curious, some openly impressed, approached as well. A new genius had just been recognized. A few offered polite congratulations; others simply studied him with new eyes.

On the opposite side, the Astiel group had fallen silent. Their earlier celebration over his Martial Path failure now felt premature.

Through the dispersing crowd, Delbrand walked toward him. His expression was calm, but there was a flicker of interest in his gaze.

”I thought you intended to attempt the Martial Path again,” the senior magus said. ”Why the sudden change?”

Emery hesitated.

The real reason was far less profound than everyone expected.

He had fully intended to return to level five Martial Path immediately. The duel against his own perfected clone had stirred something in him—a gap in his foundation that he wanted to confront head-on. He had been eager, almost impatient.

But,

When he logged in, the system notification appeared.

[Your virtual avatar has been destroyed.]

[Reconstruction cost: 100,000,000 spirit stones.]

[Proceed?]

He had stared at the number in silence.

One hundred million.

For a virtual body.

”....”

He simply did not feel like wasting that amount.

So he chose the more certain route.