Earth's Greatest Magus

After the announcement of the final round, the female grand magus gracefully stepped aside, making way for the master of the house, Duke Damian Alabaster, to assume center stage. The duke, an elderly man with long, flowing white hair, exuded an aura that might seem harmless to normal observers. Even to the magus, there seemed to be no spirit energy emitted from the man. Despite this absence of visible energy, his gaze held an uncanny power, and the words he spoke carried a weight that could easily disrupt the core of any magus.

"Come forward," he said, and all six participants approached.

The Duke produced six bronze spheres, each adorned with intricate rune patterns on its unique 16 sides. A smile played on his lips as he said, "I made this puzzle sphere myself, If you can solve 10 of its 16 problems, you deserve to be called a spirit master."

This proclamation, delivered by one of the strongest spirit magus in the entire magus universe, sent waves of excitement through the hearts of all six participants.

"Three hours is the time limit. You can start now."

The six swiftly took their seats in the lotus position and began to manipulate the spheres. As they channeled their spirit energy into the spheres, a chaotic transformation began. The intricate patterns on the spheres' surfaces came to life, shifting and moving like a constantly changing maze, challenging the participants to unravel its secrets.

When Emery did the same, he forcefully entered the spirit realm, suspended within an ever-moving massive bronze construct that bore a striking resemblance to the physical sphere in his hands.

Before him lay multiple pathways, each opening and closing in a rhythmic and bewildering pattern. It took him a moment to grasp the nature of the challenge—it was a puzzle maze, and his task was to navigate it and find the correct pathway to reach the objectives.

Emery quickly realized that the key to success lay in his unique spirit reading ability. He noted that there were four pathways with four rotating patterns that changed every minute, resulting in a total of sixteen possibilities. With the finesse of his spirit reading, he methodically scanned each pathway. Eliminated potential choices, narrowing down the options.

"This way!" Emery declared resolutely, his instincts guiding him as he navigated through the maze-like realm, deftly dodging its ever-shifting corridors with confidence. His journey led him to a room adorned with radiant green orbs, pulsating with power—a clear indication that he had successfully completed the first stage of the puzzle.

[Stage one completed]

Emery's initial success in solving the first stage of the puzzle sphere was evident as a vibrant green glow emanated from the sphere hovering in front of him. The spectators watched closely, acknowledging his achievement.

As Emery continued to advance through the stages of the puzzle sphere, a growing sense of concern gnawed at the edges of his confidence. The first stage had proven to be relatively straightforward, but he could only imagine the increasing complexity that awaited him.

True to his expectations, the sphere's configuration shifted once again, presenting him with a fresh challenge. This time, there were eight pathways, each marked by eight intricate changing patterns, resulting in a staggering 64 possibilities. Emery delved into the puzzle with a sense of urgency, aware that time was of the essence. It took him five minutes of meticulous examination and deduction to uncover the path to the next stage, and as he did, the second green orb on his sphere began to glow, marking his success.

The pattern repeated itself with stage three, where the complexity escalated further. With 256 possibilities to navigate, Emery applied his spirit reading prowess and problem-solving skills, spending seven minutes to conquer this stage. Stage four posed an even greater challenge, with 1,024 possible combinations among its 32 pathways, each with its own set of 32 intricate patterns. It took Emery a grueling ten minutes to find the correct solution.

By this point, more than 20 minutes had elapsed, and Emery had managed to solve only four out of the sixteen problems.

Emery realized the true nature of these tests. The first had gauged his spirit power, the second his defense, and the third his spirit capacity. It was a test of his mental acuity, requiring him to read, memorize, and decipher intricate information within a given timeframe. Emery recognized the challenge for what it was—a measure of his mental capacity.

With unwavering resolve, he muttered to himself, "I can do this!" The determination in his voice was evident as he steeled himself for the intricate puzzles that lay ahead, ready to prove his mettle in the ultimate test of his abilities.

Emery pressed on with newfound determination, determined to tackle the fifth stage of the puzzle sphere, which presented a staggering 4,096 possibilities. It proved to be a grueling challenge, consuming 20 minutes of his time before he finally discerned the correct pathways and swiftly proceeded.

[Stage five completed]

As Emery pressed forward into the sixth stage, he was met with a perplexing challenge. There were now 128 pathways to explore, each marked by an intricate set of 128 patterns that rotated every three minutes. 

Time seemed to slip away quickly, and despite his best efforts, 30 minutes had passed without him being able to memorize even half of the stage's possibilities. Anxiety began to gnaw at him as the realization dawned that an hour had already elapsed. Unfortunately, his anxiety only served to complicate matters, making it increasingly difficult for him to maintain his concentration. In the end, it took him almost an hour to discover the correct pathway, and with a sense of relief and accomplishment, he completed stage six, earning another green glow on his bronze sphere.

With more than half of the allocated time consumed and only six stages solved out of the sixteen, Emery couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of despair. The looming specter of failure weighed heavily on him, causing a few precious minutes to slip through his fingers as he grappled with his self-doubt. However, he managed to regain his composure, recognizing that he couldn't afford to lose focus. With a much calmer concentration, Emery tackled stage seven just before the three-hour limit was reached.

[Stage seven completed]

Emery had performed to the best of his ability, but the seven stages were all he could break, he was ready to accept defeat when he saw the results of the others. None of the six participants had managed to reach the required 10 stages, leaving Emery feeling a mixture of surprise and uncertainty about the outcome of the final round.