Lord of the Truth

(...At the very least, go and test your new abilities after breaking through to the Martial Emperor Realm!)

The truth was... Robin had already broken through to the 41st level of cultivation decades ago. But unlike the grandiose and hard expected breakthrough, his was… peaceful.

It happened quietly. On a warm and cheerful morning, under a sky as blue as the ocean, with birds singing harmoniously in the trees and a gentle breeze carrying the scent of blooming spirit flowers.

There was no struggle, no scream of defiance. Just a deep breath… and then, clarity.

Afterward, Robin had strolled down into a nearby village, his expression calm and slightly amused. He smiled at the confused shopkeepers and bought a cake. He just wanted to enjoy a slice with a few of his favorite soul creatures… in silence.

This breakthrough was the culmination of lifetimes of intellectual pursuit.

He had deciphered the third stage of the Law of Spacetime. He had inscribed foundational truths about causality, and about the intricate architecture of creation itself.

He had faced — and survived — the raw annihilating force of the Law of Ashification's fifth and sixth stages.

So truly… what power in the world could possibly prevent his ascension when it comes to embrace the truth of existence?

In fact, what followed was even more remarkable.

The subsequent Martial Emperor levels came not with resistance, but with grace — with welcome.

Robin didn't have to meditate for weeks or prepare extravagant rituals.

The very moment he began constructing the foundation for each new level, the Runes of Truth would emerge naturally — forming elegant, glowing patterns in the air around him, like golden vines growing on invisible soil. They spiraled and settled with purpose, etching divine knowledge directly into the fabric of his cultivation.

Within just a few days — a time frame laughably short for any cultivator — he had reached the 44th level with effortless composure.

"Hahaha!" Robin suddenly slapped his thigh with the force of a small quake and let out a boisterous laugh that echoed down the mountain.

With a gleam in his eyes, he pointed toward the silver-skinned human — or rather, the obedient soul creature in humanoid form — who had been carefully tending to the grill nearby.

"Heh heh... Hey you! Bring me a piece from the chest, and make sure it's not overcooked!"

The creature, quick and disciplined, rushed forward with both hands extended, carrying a dish made of scorched metal — still hot from the flames.

Robin snatched the meal, tore into the roasted meat with a satisfied grunt, and chewed hungrily.

"Mmm... you know what, Neri? That's actually not a bad idea... the whole testing thing," he said, voice muffled with food. "Who should I try it on, though?"

(Anyone!) Neri snapped back, her voice sharp and irritated.

(Your children have been causing mayhem across star regions for decades now. Surely you can find someone to test your power on?)

Robin tilted his head slightly and swallowed the bite.

"You already saw what I can do with that new Golden Truth Ability, didn't you?" he said, a smirk creeping beneath his beard.

"Tell me — Who under a World Cataclysm could even pose a threat now that I've stepped into the Martial Emperor? Who's left? Pythor was practically a beast king, half-mutated, wielding a planetary gift, and using a minor Law of Destruction... and yet, I'd crush him now. I wouldn't even need to rely on spacetime."

Heeelp!

Ahhh!!

"Hm?" Robin's ears twitched. He stopped chewing and turned his gaze toward the distance.

WOOOM

A glowing Silver Soul Gate flared into existence beside him, swirling with arcane energy, and from its depths, a massive Terra Beast emerged, its clawed feet grinding into the ground as it sniffed the air.

Robin lazily pointed in the direction of the panicked cries echoing across the hills.

"That one's yours. Don't screw it up."

"GRRR!!"

With a snarl and a lunge, the Terra Beast dashed forward like a silver storm, tearing through the landscape without a moment's hesitation.

Robin leaned back, eyes relaxed.

"Hey Neri," he said with a grin, voice light, "why don't you tell me a bit more about those golden abilities, hmm? Just a little?"

(...)

Silence.

"Oh, come on," Robin chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, a sheepish look on his face. "I know that person is terrifying. I felt it for myself, remember? It even threatened to kill me if I spoke of it again."

He looked up, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"But we all know about it, right? It's not like it's a secret anymore. We all know. So how about we just share a little… just between us?"

(...)

When faced yet again with silence — not an awkward one, but rather that dense, contemplative kind of silence — Robin let out a long, quiet sigh. His breath carried the weight of unspoken curiosity, frustration, and the ache of seeking truths too immense for words.

Without saying anything else, he bent forward, lowering his hand toward the earth to continue inscribing the rune sequence he'd been working on — a sequence built not just from symbols, but from purpose, philosophy, and a glimpse into the divine mechanics of existence.

But just as his fingers hovered an inch above the stone surface, Neri's voice echoed through the space between thought and spirit:

(...I won't tell you anything — not directly. You already know too much. But I will remind you of one thing… something he said to you, word for word, during that meeting: "It's just a color, and a slight nudge in your ability to grasp the law.")

Snap.

He froze there for a long moment, staring at his hand, remembering the feeling of standing before that incomprehensible being — the "All-Seeing god." Every word spoken during that encounter had been like a comet passing too close to a fragile world, shaking his understanding of reality to its core.

"Yes…" Robin whispered. "He did say something like that…"

But back then, he hadn't been listening — not truly. How could he, when the world around him had felt like it was tearing open every heartbeat?

"'Just a color'…"

Robin repeated the phrase aloud, letting it echo into the vastness of the mountain air. "That can be interpreted in many ways. But if I think about it from a practical lens… maybe it simply marks those who've been chosen. Perhaps these golden traces act as a beacon, a resonance with others who came before. Candidates like me. Maybe one day I could trace their paths through time using their golden color."

He tapped the ground with his knuckle, once, twice — a rhythmic pulse that helped him think.

"But a nudge… a push forward in my attunement to the law…"

His mind began piecing together the timeline. The gifts. The changes.

— When he ascended to the Saint Realm, the golden eye had appeared. He got no new ability then, What he received instead… was clarity.

A lens through which the chaotic weave of laws could be seen in crystal detail.

Back then when he was still learning and just writing laws, It was a great help!

— Upon stepping into the Sagehood domain, everything shifted. The ability he gained had been the Golden Cloak, a radiant garment that unraveled hostile law structures the moment they approached him. It was more than protection.

And curiously, it had aligned perfectly with the spear techniques he had developed years earlier with Jabba — techniques designed to dismantle enemy patterns mid-attack.

— And finally, at the moment of breakthrough into the Martial Emperor Realm...

Robin slowly raised his hand, almost in reverence.

A shimmer of golden light bled across his skin — not over it, but from within — forming brilliant living patterns of golden energy that danced and twisted with purpose.

With just a passing thought, the markings shifted, transforming instantly into an entirely different construct. Then another. Then another still.

It appeared to be the tattoo-based combat style Robin had been refining in his recent years before the breakthrough.

Three abilities, born of the same source, but manifesting in ways tailored uniquely to Robin's own evolution and fighting style.

Each one was a revelation.

Each one, alone, could have taken centuries, even millennia, to master, to uncover.

And yet… they had come to him as easily as breathing.

They were just... Unlocked.

"…That being," Robin whispered again, his voice now thick with both awe and a growing sense of unease, "Who… what… is he truly?"

(Please, stop getting lost in these mysteries,) Neri's voice cut through like a blade of clarity.

(Focus. Stay present. You have something concrete to do — how long do you plan to linger here, wasting time? Or have you forgotten the timeline of your current mission?)

"...Just trust me a little, alright?"

Robin stood suddenly, the weariness vanishing from his frame, replaced by a fire in his eyes that hadn't been there a moment ago.

He knelt again, and began to inscribe.

But this time, he moved faster than before — astonishingly so. His fingers danced across the stone like wind tracing calligraphy in sand.

He moved quickly from point to point, from beneath the spit-roasted peacock to further down the slope, letting the glyphs spill down the mountainside like a waterfall of brown ink.

And after barely an hour, a monumental formation had emerged beneath him — vast, complex, humming faintly with a dormant kind of power.

Robin turned to Neri with a faint smile, his expression glowing with pride and anticipation.

He gestured grandly toward the completed structure.

"What do you see?"

(I see… an enormous waste of time.)

Neri responded flatly, her tone colored with exasperated patience.

Her glowing eyes narrowed ever so slightly, unimpressed.

"Hehehe…"

Robin chuckled, undeterred. He placed both hands on his hips, lifting his chin with confidence, his aura radiating the satisfaction of an artist unveiling his masterpiece.

"Well, I see… the fifth cultivation path."