Lord of the Truth

After 120 years since entering the Middle Belt — deep within Robin's vast soul domain

"Hehehe, my dear Master!"

Evergreen beamed with radiant delight, her tiny hands clapping once, loud and crisp enough to echo through the space around them.

"Congratulations on your completion of the fifth-stage merged Deathfire law, you have worked hard for it!"

Robin stepped across the threshold of the soul domain with slow, deliberate strides.

"Heh~ The Law of Death… it always drains something from me every time I touch upon it," he muttered, his voice deep, thoughtful, edged with fatigue.

"Even the Law of Destruction, which should be just as violent, didn't strain me the way Death does."

Evergreen tilted her head, understanding flashing in her eyes.

"Well of course! Death opposes life in its very essence. Destruction? Destruction simply breaks the lifeless. One is the final destination to living souls, while the other? Just a sledgehammer to stone."

She fluttered after him with hurried steps, her short legs working double time to keep up.

"Would you like me to transmit these latest law techniques to the True Beginning Empire? I'm sure your children would weep with joy!"

Robin glanced over his shoulder and gave a tired smile.

"No need. It'd just give them false hope."

He turned his gaze forward again, toward a crystalline mirror pulsing with dimensional light.

"All the law techniques I've finished so far are meaningless until I forge a method to condense a Cataclysm Core."

Evergreen frowned and quickened her pace.

"Wait, you still haven't found a way to craft a Cataclysm Core? But Owner, you've studied Pitso countless times! You even purchased several breakthrough formulas!"

"I have a clear understanding of the overall method," Robin admitted with a shrug.

"But knowing the path and walking it… are two entirely different things."

He waved a hand, casually dispelling a training formation in the distance.

"Nery! That's enough training for the soul creatures today!"

"Yes, Master!" Nery's voice echoed crisply across the realm as she bowed and dismissed her summons.

Evergreen, however, wasn't satisfied.

"Why won't the method work for you? The necessary Stabilizers may be rare, but you have enough wealth and connections to get your hands on them!"

Robin exhaled slowly and gestured with one hand as he began to explain.

"It's not about availability. The term Stabilizer refers to an external object, introduced through a precise technique, into the heart of one's energy gathering center. I've already acquired the full method for insertion. Once inside, the next step is brutal—complete demolition of every cultivated foundation. The broken pieces collapse inward, surrounding the stabilizer and forming a new nucleus—a core of terrifying gravity and condensation."

His expression darkened slightly.

"This core becomes a vortex, a gravitational heart that draws in natural energy from the environment at a rate hundreds of times faster than before. Its density, its capacity, its pressure—everything multiplies. And during this hellish transformation, the physical body is wracked with collapse and rebirth."

He paused, then added,

"If the cultivator survives that storm… they awaken as a true World Cataclysm."

He lifted one shoulder slightly, smirking.

"As for the stabilizers? They don't need to be a specific relic or artifact. The most commonly used are highly refined Elemental Energy Pearls, crafted to hold only a single element in perfect purity. Used properly, they'll grant you Cataclysm status. The price? Your potential. Those cultivators won't likely ever reach the Nexus Realm… but they'll still count as World Cataclysm."

Robin turned, lifting a single finger as he continued listing from memory:

"There are rarer options too… materials with deep resonance and harmony to the cultivator's essence. Things like the Obsidian Core of a Dying Star, or a Midnight Shard born in the abyss, or the Diaphragm Scale of a Beast King that once ruled a world. There's also the Heart Ember of a planet—rip that out, and the entire world dies."

He gave a dark chuckle.

"And of course… at the top of them all—the Polished Star Hearts."

"If you already possess the techniques, can afford the stabilizers, and have the destruction-and-core formation method... then what exactly is stopping you from spreading this method throughout the True Beginning Empire?"

Evergreen tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp with genuine curiosity and a hint of concern.

Robin let out a soft chuckle and shook his head slowly, as if the question were far too loaded to be answered plainly.

"Hehe… where should I even start?" he muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement before his tone turned heavier.

"The simplest obstacle is this: humans who follow the Third Path simply can't use this method. The failure rate is staggering—over ninety-five percent. Out of every hundred who attempt it, only five might survive the process... and those five? They'll be stuck at the bottom rung of World Cataclysm Realm for the rest of their lives—permanently weak, hopelessly stunted."

He let out a frustrated sigh, his hand rising to knock against his own forehead with a soft thump.

"Before I can even think of sharing the method, I need to overhaul the entire Fifth Path—bring that failure rate down to a maximum of ten percent. Tsk... I haven't even finished developing the damn thing properly, and here I am already trying to modify it."

Evergreen wasn't so easily deterred. Her voice sharpened with a hint of insistence.

"But... couldn't you at least pass it on to your Third Army? Surely they'd benefit."

Robin's face lit up with a broad, knowing grin, one that carried more strategy than joy.

"True. I could. And I plan to. But not just yet..."

He turned his gaze upward for a moment, deep in calculation.

"The moment even one of them breaks through using this method, their home planet will be automatically promoted to the Middle Belt. They'll have to wait... until we're nearing the final threshold of the mission."

Then he paused and stared at Evergreen, a touch of amusement in his eyes. He waved dismissively toward her.

"Now then, don't you have anything better to do? Go treat a few wounded soul beasts or whatever it is you busy yourself with."

Evergreen narrowed her eyes.

"You're a terrible owner!" she huffed indignantly, and with a swift kick to the back of his heel, she darted off.

"You little—!!" Robin winced in pain and pointed after her. "Pythor! Tie her to the damn tree!"

Grumbling, he turned away from the scene and stepped purposefully toward the massive mirror standing in the center of his domain. As he raised his hand and placed it gently upon the surface, a soft, resonant hum vibrated through the air.

*Hummmm...*

<"Greetings, Mr. Human.">

The spirit interface appeared as usual, her backdrop a serene wash of white.

<"Are you looking to purchase more techniques today, or perhaps submit a request from the Chamber of Truth?">

Robin shook his head.

"Neither."

With a flick of his hand, he tossed a glowing spirit orb toward her.

"Just give me a status update. How are my products doing?"

As he spoke, another wave of his hand summoned his account panel, and with it, the current energy pearl balance.

The instant he saw the number, a satisfied grin spread across his face.

"Looks like everything's running smoothly."

<"Of course, Mr. Human.">

The fairy caught the orb but continued speaking first out of courtesy.

<"Although your Nullification Domain Arrays, Field Medical Arrays, Emotional Stabilization Talismans, and Memory Enhancement Talismans continue to sell in bulk, your top-grossing product remains the legendary Terraforming Array for the Uninhabitable. Its sales have not wavered.">

She continued, her voice brisk yet respectful:

<"We listed the design blueprint for that array at eight million energy pearls in the marketplace. However, we also launched encrypted, pre-constructed versions through our affiliated factories. Each is sold at seventy thousand pearls—and they're flying off the shelves. Demand remains consistently high.">

Robin nodded slowly, understanding the brilliance—and the cunning—behind the move.

Why would any faction bother buying the design for eight million when they could purchase over a hundred ready-made arrays for the same price?

Not everyone had the budget for high-tier designs—not even a single million pearls in most cases. But thousands upon thousands of groups across the Middle Belt could easily afford a 70,000-pearl investment for a ready-to-deploy solution. And once the array proved effective on one planet… they'd buy another for the next, and another after that.

Classic Soul Society tactics.

Create dependency.

Milk the product forever.

And Robin?

He had no objections.

<"So then, Mr. Human…">

The spirit asked with a light smile as she turned her attention back to the orb.

<"What have you brought us today?">

She opened the orb, her expression shifting from polite professionalism to utter seriousness.

<"This is...?">

Robin stood tall and calm, a subtle smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"Five martial arts techniques," he declared. "All of them, Third Stage."