[Welco to the Virtual Palace]
[Identification confird: Ery Ambrose - mber 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, Ery found himself suspended high above a floating tropolis.
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 ti, he did so as a full mber.
Before he could take a step, a notification pulsed within his consciousness.
[You have 42 unread ssages]
Ery grimaced slightly.
"Forty-two?"
With a thought, a translucent interface unfolded before him. Nas and tistamps scrolled down in orderly rows. Half were unfamiliar. The other half were nas of-half-blood grand magus, academy instructors, and even apothecaries master.
Then one entry stood out, highlighted in gold.
[Priority ssage - Sender: Zodiac Supre]
His expression sharpened imdiately.
He opened it.
[This is Alduin. Congratulations on your advancent. Contact when you receive this ssage.]
Supre Magus Alduin.
King of Zodiac City.
Ery paused, allowing the implication to settle. Priority ssages were not ordinary correspondence. They were reserved for Supre-level figures.
Why would Alduin contact him directly?
He composed a brief ssage, sent it, then returned to the ssage list.
Most of the remaining notes were formal congratulations or introductions, a few ntioned his performance in the 13 Cosmic Bridge trials.
Two sender drew his attention.
First was a familiar na.
[Sender: Master Grom]
[Young apprentice... Now that you've beco famous, you have no ti for this old master anymore, have you? When you're online, rember to drop by our Apothecarist Alliance here in the Virtual Palace. I'll be waiting.]
Ery allowed himself a faint smile. He kept the ssage 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 ssage from Delbrand-the one once known as the Ghost of Lymhurst and now serving as an Academy headmaster.
"An Alias..." Ery murmured.
Thinking it might be a good idea to stay away from distractions, Ery decided to follow the suggestion. He accessed his profile settings and altered his public identifier.
[Userna 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 sothing 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 montarily 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, seed the most unsettled. Having never participated in academy gas, 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 Ery's last visit, the hall was far more crowded. More than two hundred grand magus gathered within the plaza-so seated cross-legged in quiet ditation, 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.
So were openly arrogant, asuring Ery and the three won with
thinly veiled disdain. Others carried curiosity.
Ery ignored them and headed directly toward the chanical 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 mber, 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 mont, Ery 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.
Ery 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."
Ery 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 refinent of the Law of Lightning, she was forced to settle at Level Two in the Martial Path. Klea stepped in next and perford better. She cleared Level Three in the Martial Path but fell at Level Four against a two-cosmos clones whose control and law fusion overwheld 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 enchantnt techniques
proved particularly refined.
Then ca 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 erged!!"
"Who is she?
Even Ery discovered himself montarily 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?" Ery asked.
She opened her status interface for him to view. At the bottom of her law list,
two new entries shimred faintly.
[Law of True Fla - 3%]
[Law of Origin - 2%] Ery 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."
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