Lord of the Truth

Thirty years later— three full centuries had passed since the day of coronation.

"Whooo~" Robin released a long, steady exhale. Then, slowly, as if waking from a timeless dream, he opened his eyes. A soft, serene smile traced his lips.

"Level 31 at last… How many times have I rebuilt this cursed foundation? the third of fourth...? No matter."

At that very moment, his smile stretched wide—ear to ear—as if mocking the very heavens for the delay. He raised his hand with calm assurance and began sketching something into the empty air, as though the void itself were his canvas.

The drawing process took nearly ten painstaking minutes. By the end, Robin was soaked in sweat, his breath shallow and ragged—yet in return, a reward shimmered before him: a glowing, suspended pattern sculpted entirely from his internal energy.

The pattern resembled twin mirrored wings, symmetrical down to the smallest detail—so fine, so intricate, they looked like they were stolen from the wings of a celestial butterfly.

Robin's eyes widened slightly. The design before him was unmistakably familiar.

"It's the very first pattern the Cosmic Elder carved inside my energy gathering center... A first-stage rune of the Master Law of Balance... hehehe..."

A foolish grin overtook his face as he began rotating the pattern around his body gently, like a child spinning a treasure only they understand.

Almost thirty years ago, the Cosmic Elder had constructed six magnificent patterns of balance inside Robin's energy gathering center, attempting to stabilize his eleventh foundation.

All six eventually faded like dreams at dawn.

But that did not mean Robin had forgotten them.

He had already achieved great accomplishments in the Master Law of Balance after reading the works of the Second Heaven's Chosen, and after reading and comparing dark matter and dark energy and devoting months of his time to studying them. It could be said that he was just a few steps away from taking his first step on the path.

Who could have imagined… that the sacred runes of Balance would come to him and etch themselves willingly into his body?!

Finally, after three whole decades of brutal meditation and relentless effort, Robin had wrestled his way through the pressure and restrictions of the Mid-Belt.

Only now had his energy reached a state of cohesion stable enough to allow him to recreate one of those original divine runes purely from memory.

His eyes sparkled, flooded with manic joy.

"It's just a matter of time now... If I can absorb these glyphs properly and merge them with my comprehension of the Balance Law, then I will reach the First Stage… and once I have that, the rest of the journey will become much smoother… hehehe... HAHAHA!!"

Knock knock

"Hm?" Robin turned his head toward the chamber door, brows knitting together.

"Who's there?"

"It's the first day of the week. I brought your lunch," came a gruff voice—one Robin instantly recognized.

"Urrgh..." Robin groaned, smacking his own forehead in mock despair.

He cast one final glance at the glowing rune still floating before him, then waved a hand, dispelling it into fading particles.

With a reluctant sigh, he stepped quickly toward the door and pulled it open.

"How many times do I have to—"

He stopped.

There was another door appeared right in front of his own.

Robin gulped, then he stepped half a pace backward and looked up.

"Shaddad... How many times do I have to tell you? You don't need to bring me food every single week. Focus on your own work!"

Ever since Robin had begun his reclusive cultivation, Shaddad had made a habit of showing up nearly every day.

Always with the same excuse: bringing food.

And every time, they would exchange a few words before Robin would eventually usher him out.

"How can I work while my big brother's in there starving?" Shaddad replied with a grin, holding up a small travel pouch.

"My mind would be too distracted. I brought enough food to last you a full month."

"I know. You always bring enough for a month.

And then, without fail, you show up a week later with more anyway."

Robin accepted the pouch with a weary sigh, then looked up at him again.

"So, what is it you really want today?"

"This."

Without missing a beat, Shaddad pulled out a half-completed formation board.

"It's part of the array I've been building lately, but there's a node I just can't get to function properly.

It's been a pain to align, so I was hoping you might—"

Whoosh

Before he could finish, Robin summoned a feather quill, dashed out a quick design onto the air, and stored it back into his ring.

"Anything else?"

For Robin, linking together the various patterns of laws had become nothing more than a game—a game for children, really.

During his long isolation following his coronation, he had spent decades buried in thought, consumed by a single obsession: the riddle of the Fifth Cultivation Path.

Each and every day, he tirelessly explored dozens of theoretical solutions, testing out combinations that defied logic, attempting even the most absurd, forbidden integrations.

He bent, twisted, and forced laws into harmony, hoping—desperately—that some miraculous breakthrough would emerge.

Within just a few short months, he had already cycled through almost every known and unknown method of law fusion points.

He came to intimately understand the strengths, weaknesses, compatibilities, and dangers of each one.

So now, regardless of what Shaddad ever brought him—

be it talismans, formations, incomplete runes, divine puzzles—

nothing below the fifth stage ever posed a serious challenge to him anymore.

If it was missing just one final piece?

If it required some elusive logic to unlock its function?

It would never take Robin more than a minute—at most—to find the solution.

"…?!"

Shaddad suddenly flipped the formation board around, eyes wide, desperate to see what Robin had just done.

drip drop

A few soft teardrops slid down from the corners of his eyes and struck the board.

"That's… that's beautiful…" he whispered, like a child staring at a forgotten dream brought back to life.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while."

Robin's voice was lazy and dismissive as he reached to shut the door, his half-lidded eyes already longing for the silence of solitude again.

At least now, he'd get a few days of peace without anyone knocking.

Still… even Robin himself wouldn't dare admit the truth—

That deep within, in some old, quiet corner of his soul, he enjoyed these brief interruptions.

Something ancient and unspoken in him craved these moments.

Otherwise… why would he ever bother helping Shaddad with anything?

"Hold on—who said you could close the door?!"

Shaddad shoved the door back with frustration boiling in his voice.

"You must let me express my gratitude properly, right now!"

"Express it by leaving!!"

Robin pushed back with more force.

But his physical strength was nothing compared to Shaddad's titan-like frame.

"No! Please, just let me do something!"

Shaddad wedged his enormous head through the doorway.

"At least let me treat you to a drink! Today's the opening day of the Grand Academy Festival—it only happens once every hundred years! Come on, get out of this cave and let me show you the world again!"

"...Festival?"

Robin's hands stopped moving.

"Tell me more."

Shaddad's lips curled into a warm, triumphant smile.

Finally, he'd been given a chance.

"It's a full week of events—held only once every century. During that week, all the instructors return, no matter how far they've gone, and they get to watch their students compete against others.

The top three teams of students receive generous rewards—treasures, artifacts, even special training sessions.

And the top three teachers? They're honored with gifts from the Academy elders themselves."

"Beyond that... it's a massive festival. Food stalls from every region, drinks you've never tasted before, entertainment from across the realm. It's joy, chaos, and celebration all rolled into one.

Come with me—watch a match or two. Or at the very least, have a drink on my tab. What do you say?"

"..."

Robin's golden eyes narrowed slightly, then lifted toward Shaddad's gleaming face.

He stared at him in silence for a few long seconds.

It was clear. That oversized fool wasn't going to leave him alone today until he agreed.

And honestly… maybe a small celebration to mark his advancement into the Sage Realm wouldn't hurt too much.

"Ugh… fine. Let's go."

Robin stepped out of the room at last, closing the door gently behind him.

With a light shove, he brushed Shaddad aside and descended the spiral stairs, calmly pulling his white-and-gold robe over his shoulders as he walked.

"Haha! You won't regret this, I swear!"

Shaddad clapped his hands together excitedly and followed right behind him, nearly skipping down the steps.

"But listen closely," Robin muttered over his shoulder.

"I'm not speaking to anyone directly. I don't want to be introduced to anyone. No socializing, no drawn-out—"

He was just about to start listing his detailed rules for how this day would go, when suddenly...

"What the hell...? Who are those people?!"

The amphitheater located directly beneath his private chamber...

was not empty.