The journey toward this moment had been long and arduous.
Emery had walked a path paved with knowledge and enlightenment, starting with the Dao technique—the legacy of Fuxi the Sage—which had taught him the essence of balance. Then came the eight transmutation techniques he obtained from the Magus Academy, an intricate system of converting light into the eight fundamental elements. He had further honed his understanding through the Prism of Light, a celestial legan that enhanced his elemental control. And finally, he grasped the Heaven and Earth Reversal technique, a knowledge so profound it reshaped his perception of the universe itself.
A moment of clarity struck him like lightning.
“I understand now… I have been mistaken!” Emery gasped, his mind ablaze with realization.
Nature was not merely Earth, plants, and water. It was the eight elements themselves—woven into the very fabric of existence. Half of them drew power from the heavens; the other half rooted in the earth. They were different yet interconnected, opposites yet one. To master nature was to embrace the totality of creation and destruction.
This epiphany was the key that led to the completion of the 98th rune and, at the same time, the conclusion of his soul trial.
[Level 98 completed]
The sudden return to his physical body was jarring. A sharp intake of breath, then a violent jolt as his entire being was flooded with a torrent of uncontained energy. His spirit core trembled as if resonating with the enlightenment he had just attained, unleashing a chain reaction he had not anticipated.
“What’s going on….”
A flood of spirit energy surged through him, tearing past his previous limits. The containment of his core could no longer hold. Cracks spiderwebbed across it, shattering the fragile barrier that had kept him within the Full Moon Magus realm.
A breakthrough.
But this was not just any advancement. He had already reached the peak of the Magus realm, meaning there was only one path forward.
The Grand Magus realm.
And with it—the tribulation.
A deafening roar echoed across the sky as darkness spread above him. Clouds churned, thickening with each passing second, flickering with the telltale sign of celestial wrath—lightning. The very air vibrated with power, heavy and oppressive, pressing down upon him like the weight of a thousand mountains.
From the sidelines, a dozen alchemists from the Skyroot Clan bore witness to the unfolding spectacle.
“He is breaking through… to the Cosmic Realm!” one whispered in disbelief.
“Yes… That’s a Grand Tribulation!” another gasped.
But Emery had no time to acknowledge them. His body was already straining under the immense pressure. Without hesitation, he activated his Twilight Transformation. Silvery fur sprouted across his skin, his body expanding with newfound strength. He swallowed a high-grade recovery pill, hoping to stabilize his rapidly deteriorating condition.
It was not enough.
His core pulsed violently, desperate to absorb the divine lightning. His veins burned with raw energy, his body struggling to contain the sheer force of the impending storm.
The heavens roared their judgment.
A bolt of lightning, thick as a tree trunk, tore through the sky, descending upon him with blinding intensity.
With no hesitation, Emery launched himself skyward to meet it head-on.
BOOM!!
The impact was cataclysmic. Searing pain tore through his body as the celestial force coursed through his veins, scorching him from the inside out. But he did not falter. His formidable physique and innate regenerative abilities endured.
Another bolt.
Then another.
And another.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!!
Each strike was more powerful than the last, a relentless assault of divine fury.
Emery gritted his teeth, meeting them with his fists, defying the wrath of the heavens with sheer willpower. His muscles contorted, his skin charred, the acrid scent of burnt flesh filling the air. Yet even as his regeneration fought to mend him, the true challenge lay within.
His core was evolving.
The energy within churned violently, expanding, breaking, reforging itself anew. He could feel it growing beyond its previous limits, straining under the immense power surging through him.
“I need to recover,” he thought, his mind racing.
Emery knew grand tribulations were never simple. He had witnessed them before, seeing Magus perish in their attempts.
He refused to be one of them.
His breath came slow and steady, the storm’s wild winds howling around him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, steadying the chaos within. His core had not yet fully settled from the previous bolts, still fluctuating, still reforging itself anew.
But none of it mattered. His mind was clear. His will was set.
Above him, the tribulation clouds churned with an ominous, living presence. The deep grays and blacks of the storm were now tainted with streaks of violet, an unnatural color that pulsed like veins of cosmic energy. It was not ordinary lightning—it was tribulation fire, a force of destruction reserved only for those who dared to tread the highest paths.
A deep rumble echoed through the skies. The clouds began to spiral, focusing all their energy into a single point.
CRACK!
A jagged bolt of violet lightning tore through the sky, lancing downward at a speed beyond thought.
BOOOOM!!!
The world exploded in light and sound.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the garden below, flattening grass and shaking the very foundations of the land. The gathered alchemists shielded their eyes as a blinding white flash consumed the sky.
And when it faded—
Emery still stood.
He hung in the air, arms outstretched, his body wreathed in crackling violet arcs. His Twilight Form had absorbed the brunt of the attack, but his arms were scorched, his skin blistered. The raw power of the heavens had seeped into his very bones, his blood boiling from the inside out. But he did not waver. His golden eyes burned with unyielding defiance.
From below, the alchemists watched in stunned silence.
“He… he’s still standing…” one of them breathed.
“He is the competition’s winner, after all… He will make it through!” another added.
Yet, their expressions began to change.
The sky crackled with power. The swirling energy condensed into something far more terrifying than mere lightning.
A shape began to form within the clouds.
.”This… this is uncommon…” A senior alchemist’s eyes widened in horror
A massive, ethereal figure emerged. It loomed over Emery, its form vast and formless, its presence suffocating. It was no longer just lightning.
The heavens themselves had taken form.
“This… this is the Heavenly Tribulation!”
Gasps filled the air. Even among thousands of Grand Magus breakthroughs, only a handful had ever ignited the wrath of the heavens in such a manner.
Emery’s breakthrough had offended the very cosmos.
His heart pounded. He knew this was it. The final test.