Earth's Greatest Magus

Emery was finally transferred from the damp underground cell into a heavily secured residence designated for high-risk detainees awaiting special

proceedings.

It was, at least, dry.

Comfortable.

He was given a private chamber with minimal restraints. The suppression seals remained active, but they were calibrated rather than oppressive. The Magus Alliance clearly intended to preserve him intact for what was coming next.

The Trial of Distinction.

Emery had invoked it, yet he knew nothing about what it entailed. VIA, whose database lagged two millennia behind current Alliance infrastructure, could offer no insight. All internal communications within the secured residence were sealed from external information streams.

Which meant uncertainty.

While waiting, Emery devoted every hour to recovery.

He meditated continuously, refining circulation pathways and stabilizing residual fluctuations.

If the trial required combat-and he suspected it would-raw capability might determine survival.

The following day, the quiet was interrupted.

Two Magus Alliance officers entered first, uniforms bearing the insignia of the central administration. Behind them walked a familiar figure.

Grand Magus Delbrand.

“Senior Delbrand,” Emery said, rising. “Why are you here?”

“I am here to guide you for the trial,”

The last Emery had know, Delbrand had taken the position of one of the three Magus Academy headmasters. His presence here was baffling.

The officers placed a metallic case on the central table and opened it with precise movements. Inside lay a translucent crystal core and a slender silver bracelet etched with microscopic runic circuitry.

One officer activated the crystal; the other seized Emery’s wrist without ceremony.

The bracelet pressed against his skin and liquefied into light.

Runes flared.

It did not clasp around his wrist-it embedded itself beneath the skin, flattening into a luminous tattoo that pulsed once before dimming.

Emery’s eyes narrowed. “What is this?”

The officers ignored him, focusing on synchronizing the crystal interface. Delbrand stepped forward.

“This artifact is granted to selected grand magus level individuals of the Magus Alliance. You should have received it sooner, but… you have been occupied since your breakthrough.”

He paused before continuing.

“They are registering you now. This will grant you access to the Virtual Palace.”

“Virtual Palace?” Emery repeated.

Delbrand smiled faintly and extended his own wrist, revealing an identical silver sigil embedded in his skin.

“Lets Log in,” he said.

The bracelet activated.

Reality dissolved.

Emery’s chamber collapsed into darkness-then expanded into a boundless stellar expanse. Stars wheeled in impossible geometries. Nebulae shimmered in hyper-real clarity. Cosmic currents flowed like luminous rivers across an endless void.

A message entered his consciousness directly:

[Welcome to the Virtual Palace]

[Identification confirmed: New User – Emery Ambrose]

[Visitor Classification – 18770]

Light enveloped him.

He felt acceleration without movement, as though traveling faster than thought itself. Then the void parted.

Before him rose a structure so vast it defied scale.

A floating palace-city suspended within a simulated universe, layered platforms spiraling outward in concentric arcs. Towers pierced artificial constellations. Bridges of crystalline energy connected districts hovering in open space. Entire landmasses drifted above and below one another, glowing with structured gravitational lattices.

It resembled a technological cosmos fused with arcane mastery-a metropolis sculpted from starlight and code.

“…This is virtual?”

Emery’s voice carried genuine disbelief as he stood within the vast expanse of the so-called palace. Everything around him shimmered with a faint crystalline clarity, as if reality itself had been rendered with impossible precision. The sky above was not a sky but a cosmic dome-stars drifting in slow, deliberate patterns, nebulae pulsing like living lungs.

He felt strange.

The environment reminded him of the magus simulation games he had participated in during his academy days, yet this was on an entirely different level. Nothing flickered. Nothing blurred. Every surface possessed weight and texture. When he flexed his fingers, the movement responded with perfect feedback. When he inhaled, he could feel air enter his lungs.

More startling was the fact that his divine sense functioned flawlessly.

He extended it cautiously, and it spread outward in a precise, controlled radius. He could feel the flow of cosmic energy circulating through the city like invisible rivers. His physique felt intact. His spiritual core rotated steadily within him, radiating the same density and pressure as in the real world.

Everything was identical.

Except for one thing.

He could not access his domain.

The connection remained sealed, as if an invisible boundary prevented him

from unfolding that inner world.

Emery’s brows furrowed as he directed his divine sense downward through the

floating city.

What he found made him pause.

Hundreds-no, thousands-of grand magus presences were scattered throughout the metropolis. Each aura was distinct: some sharp and cutting like

swords, others vast and deep like oceans. Many were concealed, yet even in suppression their density spoke volumes. These were not illusions. Each

consciousness carried the unmistakable weight of a true cultivator.

He exhaled slowly.

To see so many grand magus gathered in one place was almost absurd.

Then he noticed a familiar presence.

Delbrand stood near one of the colossal gates, hands clasped behind his back,

watching him with quiet patience.

Emery descended from midair, questions crowding his mind.

Before he could voice them, Delbrand spoke calmly, “Follow me. I will explain.”

The two rose again and flew across the city.

From above, the Virtual Palace unfolded in breathtaking scale. Towering spires pierced the cosmic sky. Vast plazas shimmered with runic arrays. Floating platforms drifted between structures like satellites. In the distance, colossal statues of unknown beings stood guard, their forms radiating ancient authority. “This is indeed a virtual realm,” Delbrand began, his tone measured. “But do not

mistake it for a simple illusion.”

He gestured toward the horizon.

“It was constructed through the joint effort of multiple supreme beings. The foundation was built upon the remains of a fallen a Machine Race Supreme

domain.”

Emery’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“It took centuries to stabilize,” Delbrand continued. “And it was officially opened

only one hundred years ago. At present, more than fifty thousand grand magus

are registered here-either as full members or temporary visitors like yourself.

Fifty thousand.

Emery had once heard that the Magus Alliance encompassed over two hundred thousand known grand magus across its territories. Even so, seeing such a concentration-even virtually-was overwhelming.

He watched as two distant figures clashed in what appeared to be a controlled

combat arena, their spells detonating without disturbing the surrounding

structures.

Delbrand continued his explanation as they crossed another stretch of

luminous skyway

“Access to the Virtual Palace is restricted for a reason,” he said calmly. “Every individual connected here must be anchored across spatial layers. The Virtual Palace links multiple realms simultaneously, synchronizing consciousness and spiritual signatures in real time. The energy consumption is staggering” Below them, an enormous array rotated slowly, its rings layered with ancient

runes and mechanical components fused together-clearly a relic of Machine Race engineering.

“In the early years, only a few thousand were permitted entry,” Delbrand added.

“But demand grew rapidly. Grand magus from distant sectors wanted access

and the Alliance gradually expanded eligibility”

He paused briefly. “The cost to access is ten million spirit stones per person, per day.”

“Ten million…?” Emery repeated.

The figure sounded excessive at first, yet as he processed it, the logic became

clear. This place catered exclusively to grand magus-level beings. Ten million spirit stones was negligible compared to the opportunities it generated.

The ability to directly contact grand magus scattered across entire star sectors,

to negotiate contracts, challenge rivals, or purchase rare resources without traveling for years-such advantages were immeasurable.

It was not merely a luxury.

It was infrastructure.

As they flew deeper into the city, Emery’s attention drifted to the structures

ahead. Several floating estates hovered in isolated zones, each bearing the crest of a major clan. Ownership here was clearly a declaration of status. Then Delbrand angled toward a massive structure at the edge of a sector.

Thirteen luminous arches stood in a semicircle before its entrance, each one suspended above a dark abyss that seemed to swallow light itself. Above them floated a single inscription formed of shifting cosmic glyphs.

“We are here,” Delbrand said.

They descended.

The moment Emery stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted. The hall was vast, built from dark crystalline material that absorbed stray

energy. Dozens of grand magus occupied the space, scattered in clusters. Some

sat in meditation, others stood silently, their eyes fixed on the glowing arches beyond the chamber.

These were not casual visitors.

He sensed ambition in the room, tension lingered in the air, as if they were preparing for a battle.

Several gazes turned toward Emery as he entered. Some curious. Some measuring. A few faintly hostile.

Delbrand led him toward a figure standing near the central platform.

A humanoid construct composed of polished alloy and luminous conduits, its

eyes glowing with cold blue intelligence.

The administrator.

The machine turned its gaze upon Emery.

“Visitor 18770… Welcome… are you here to challenge the Thirteen Cosmic

Bridges?”

Emery immediately understood.

This was the core of the Trial of Distinction.

The Cosmic Bridge would determine whether he stood among ordinary grand

magus-

Or among the exceptional.