Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2872: Evaluation

The instant Emery’s eyes met those of the Stellar Beast Emperor, he felt his breathing grow heavier, as though the air within the vast stone hall had subtly thickened.

Why now?

Why would the Star Devouring Beast stir at this precise moment?

The Beast Emperor did not speak. He simply observed, his gaze vast and immeasurable.

One by one, the Supremes who had escorted Emery took their seats along the sides of the hall. Alduin settled calmly, composed as ever. Blood Sea leaned back with measured indifference. Fenghuang folded her hands gracefully upon her lap. Dawnstone lowered his massive crystalline frame onto a reinforced platform, the stone beneath him bearing the weight without cracking.

The dragon hybrid Supreme stepped forward.

In his hand appeared a crystalline prism filled with shifting lines of light. Without preamble, he began to speak.

”You are Emery Ambrose of the Earth faction. Born in a lower-realm world. Selected into the Magus Academy and graduated in year 25,053 BH. Privileged class, honors distinction, third overall ranking.”

Emery remained silent.

The recitation continued.

”Recipient of the Medal of Distinguished Valor during your first mission. Recognized for rescuing captured Academy students. Significant contributor to the Silvermane Alpha Wolf incident.”

The hybrid Supreme did not rush. He detailed Emery’s appointment as Academy instructor, emphasizing his leadership of the half-blood class. He recounted his role in the Serpent bloodline crisis, the Karat internal conflict, the Tartarus expedition, and finally his clashes with the Astiel faction.

Every achievement.

Every deviation from the ordinary.

The reading lasted nearly half an hour. No one interrupted. The silence of the hall magnified the weight of each accomplishment.

When the crystal dimmed, the dragon hybrid closed his hand around it.

”For someone not yet a century old, you have been exceptionally active,” he concluded. ”You have reached the Second Cosmos Realm. You have influenced multiple bloodlines and political fronts. Have you been informed why you were summoned?”

Emery inclined his head respectfully. ”No, Elder.”

The hybrid glanced toward Alduin.

The Zodiac King spoke evenly.

”You are called here because you have been recommended for selection as one of the Beast Union’s top geniuses”

He continued without embellishment. Every a decade or so, the Beast Union—an alliance formed between half-blood and hybrid bloodlines—selected a small number of exceptional individuals for special nurturing and protection. Those chosen would receive resources, guidance, and political backing far beyond what ordinary grand magus could access. .

The purpose was clear: to ensure that half-bloods and hybrids remained competitive with the dominant human factions and, in time, to cultivate future Supreme figures.

Emery grasped the underlying reality almost immediately. The tension between human cultivators and beast-lineage bloodlines had never truly disappeared.

The Magus Alliance was formally unified, yet power distribution told a different story. The four Supreme Gods who stood at the top of the Alliance hierarchy were all human. Among the twenty-four Supreme Emperors, only two were half-blood and two were hybrid. Even worse, the total number of beast-lineage Supremes compared to humans stood at roughly one to ten.

Such imbalance could not correct itself naturally.

The Beast Union existed precisely to counter that trajectory.

Without structured cultivation and protection of exceptional bloodline talents, the gap would only widen further. Over time, influence would shift irreversibly.

Alduin concluded, ”Now that sufficient representatives of half-blood and hybrid Supremes are present, we may begin the evaluation.”

Evaluation.

The word echoed in Emery’s mind.

Although he knew little about Beast Union politics and its internal selection mechanisms, he was not stupid. Alduin must have been the one who put his name forward. That alone meant the Zodiac King believed the opportunity would benefit him.

The advantages were obvious. Recognition, protection, access to legacies, perhaps even direct mentorship under a Supreme. The long-term value of such backing could not be overstated.

And yet—

He could not ignore the unease creeping into his thoughts.

He had not been informed beforehand.

No preparation.

Now he stood before multiple Supremes, and a ”test” was about to begin.

Blood Sea was the first to break the silence.

”He has already completed the fifth level of the Cosmic Bridge,” the pale Supreme said evenly. ”Considering his age and his record of contributions, is another test truly necessary? We need not waste time. Let the young man pass.”

His tone was not dismissive, but pragmatic.

Fenghuang, the Blazing Phoenix, offered no objection. Her silence carried weight; she neither opposed nor insisted.

Dawnstone shifted his massive crystalline frame slightly and added his own support. ”What he has accomplished at the Academy would already earn my vote”

For a brief moment, it seemed the matter might conclude there.

The dragon hybrid, however, stepped forward, irritation flickering across his scaled features.

”No,” he said firmly. ”A test is necessary.”

The hall quieted once more.

Then the Stellar Beast Emperor spoke.

One word.

”Blood.”

It was not loud. It was not emphasized. Yet it ended the debate instantly.

Alduin began to lift his hand, intending to conduct the test himself, but the dragon hybrid stopped him.

”I will perform it.”

With a subtle flick of his finger, a droplet of blood separated from his fingertip and rose into the air. It hovered steadily between them, glowing faintly with draconic essence.

Even in its suspended state, the power contained within that single drop was immense. Emery could feel the intense vitality radiating from it, condensed and pure.

It was not jus a drop of blood, its the supreme blood essence.

The instructions were simple.

Emery was to release a drop of his own blood essence and allow it to confront the Supreme’s. If his blood could endure one hundred seconds without disintegration, he would pass the test.

For half-blood cultivators, blood potency was the most fundamental measure. Techniques could deceive. Realms could fluctuate. But bloodline strength could not be falsified. This was the most direct evaluation possible.

Emery felt no reason to refuse. If anything, curiosity stirred within him.

He extended his finger calmly.

A dark droplet formed, swirling faintly with his life essence before lifting into the air to meet the dragon hybrid’s blood.

The moment the two droplets touched, turbulence erupted.

Emery’s blood flickered violently, rippling under the immense pressure of draconic supremacy.

Ten seconds passed.

Twenty.

The surrounding air hummed softly as the two essences collided.

At forty seconds, the turbulence intensified. Emery’s droplet trembled, its surface distorting as though compressed by invisible force.

Fifty seconds.

Despite the violent reaction, his blood remained intact.

Blood Sea’s eyes narrowed faintly. ”Against pure draconic blood... one minute would already secure my vote.”

Seventy seconds.

Eighty.

Alduin watched calmly, his expression unchanged.

One hundred seconds passed.

No one intervened.

One hundred twenty seconds.

One hundred fifty.

By the time three minutes approached, the expressions within the hall subtly shifted. Even Dawnstone leaned forward slightly, interest replacing casual approval.

Two hundred seconds passed.

Then the Stellar Beast Emperor moved.

With a gentle flick of his finger, the dragon hybrid’s droplet shattered into mist.

In its place, a darker drop appeared.

The Emperor’s blood.

The difference was immediate. The aura it emitted was deeper, denser, carrying a gravitational quality that seemed to tug at the air itself.

The moment it made contact with Emery’s blood, the reaction escalated violently.

Not ten seconds passed before fractures formed across Emery’s droplet. Under the weight of the Emperor’s essence, it could not hold.

It shattered.

Silence followed.

The Emperor regarded the dissipating fragments calmly.

Then, unexpectedly, a faint smile appeared on his face.

”He passes.”

The decision was final.

Then came an unusual request

”Leave us. I would like some privacy with him.”