Lord of the Truth

"...Please, accept me as your disciple." Morgana bowed slightly, lowering her head with a mixture of humility and determination, her voice carrying a faint tremble.

"Hm?" Robin turned toward her, genuinely puzzled, raising an eyebrow. "What is this supposed to be, the cosmic holiday for recruiting disciples? The acceptance ceremony for the second one isn't even properly over yet!"

"It's over! I've already learned my mistake, just let it end peacefully, I beg you!!" Shaddad screamed from behind, his voice distorted with agony. Thud! "Gyaaa—!"

"Please accept me as your disciple." Morgana repeated firmly, her posture unwavering despite everything. "I want to become stronger—for your sake, yes, but also for my own survival. I never want to stand helpless in that kind of situation again."

Morgana closed her eyes tightly. The terrifying image of dozens of World Cataclysms and Nexus State experts slowly pressing their planetary weapons against her abdomen—inch by inch—flashed vividly in her mind. The memory made her entire frame tremble as if reliving the terror.

Age difference? Irrelevant. His Majesty never cared about such trivial details when he saved her from the jaws of death twice. Once on the Specter Valley Planet, with enemies breathing hot air down her neck, ready to tear her apart… and once more when he rescued her dead, hollow soul domain—an incurable fate for any ordinary cultivator.

"..." Robin stared down at the top of Morgana's lowered head, remaining silent for several heartbeats. Eventually, he released a deep sigh. "Stand. You don't need me as a master."

"What? But—" Morgana shot up, nearly shouting her objection. She wanted to argue that he was stronger, older, more experienced, and that it was natural to rely on such a person as a master.

But Robin lifted his hand, demanding silence, then placed the other neatly behind his back. "If I have passion or talent anywhere, it's in exploring universal laws and crafting law techniques. That's the reason I accepted those two clowns behind me—I truly have something of substance to offer them. But with you, it's different. I have no real passion, no affection, no special aptitude for soul force. It simply strengthens me, so I cultivate it out of necessity."

"...You, however," he continued, "are on an entirely different level. Your talent for soul arts is exceptionally rare. You shocked me the very moment I saw you. Even now, I cannot fathom how you managed to cast soul spells with such an eroded and decaying soul domain. How did you compress a soul star? How did you manage to keep that star producing purple matter continuously?!"

"And furthermore, your soul domain capacity—nearly two million. That means you were somehow expanding it constantly, preparing and reinforcing the structure for a second star. But the infection gnawing at your domain blocked you. That specter refused to allow the compression of another star so you wouldn't gain sovereignty over it."

Robin nodded to himself. "You are a prodigy, Morgana. Your talent in soul matters is extraordinary, and your foundational structure is excellent. While treating you, I discovered that nearly twenty percent of your soul domain's framework is composed of soul essence—something absurdly rare. That alone guarantees you a staggering future. Now that you're finally cured of the disease that chained you for years, it's only a matter of time before your strength skyrockets—far beyond your imagination."

A small smile curved on his lips. "And who knows? Perhaps your future research into soul force will benefit the entire empire someday… and maybe even benefit me, personally."

"..." Morgana's large eyes widened further, shining with a mixture of disbelief and excitement, as if she were glimpsing a radiant destiny stretching out before her. "Is that why you refuse me as a disciple? Because… I'll surpass you in soul force one day?"

"What? Stop your delusions right there—you'll never surpass me in soul force." Robin waved both hands dismissively. "Do you think I'll retire to frying chickpeas outside the academy while you progress past me?! How ridiculous."

Thwack! Shaddad took a punch right to the eye—hard enough that a faint crack seemed to echo through the air—and he screamed in agony, "Master, stop this bastard!! Stop him!!! I'm going to lose my eye!!"

"As long as you're confident you'll always remain stronger than me, then why not accept me as your disciple?" Morgana took a small, graceful step closer to Robin, so close that the warmth of her breath brushed against his skin and their noses nearly touched. She gently lowered her gaze, her large irises shimmering like twin galaxies, and stared deeply into Robin's eyes before whispering with a voice that carried both eagerness and mischief, "...I'll be obedient. Completely obedient."

"..." Jabba's jaw slowly dropped open in disbelief. Not only was this scene intense, it was dangerously exciting!! It felt like he was watching a live drama unfold right in front of him, and he could barely handle it.

"It seems you still don't understand what I've been telling you." Robin replied seriously, his tone steady and without hesitation. "I have no passion for soul force." He turned away with casual confidence, walking toward the professor's desk in slow, controlled steps—each one echoing through the hall—before sitting down. "However… I'm willing to share the methods I personally used to become stronger."

He calmly reached into his storage ring and pulled out three metallic slabs. With a faint metallic shing, he slid two of them across the desk toward Morgana. "Take these." Then he kept the final slab in his hand, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

"Hm?" Morgana received the two slabs carefully, her fingers trembling slightly, and examined them. "Soul Atlas, Volume One and Volume Two?" She opened the first volume with curiosity, finding detailed information regarding white soul power—fundamental theories, basic building blocks of cultivation, and insightful perspectives that most Soul Masters only learn after years of struggle. Yet mixed within were subtle hints of knowledge she had never encountered in any official textbook before. "This… this is unreal…?"

"..." After about a minute of silent processing, Robin opened his eyes again. His expression was calmer now, as if he had finished imprinting something inside the slab. He pushed the third one toward her. "And this one too. Don't underestimate it."

"Is… is this the third volume?" Morgana accepted it gently like it was a priceless treasure. As she examined it, she noticed the title deeply engraved across its surface, glowing faintly:

<Efficiency Division Technique for Compressing Royal Stars.>

"A technique… for compressing Royal Stars?" Morgana's voice cracked. "Something like this actually exists?!" Her breathing quickened, and she immediately immersed her consciousness into the slab to absorb the overwhelming torrent of information within.

What she found inside was nothing short of revolutionary. This method allowed a Soul Master to compress 100,000 units first—instead of attempting the suicidal feat of compressing the full million at once. Meanwhile, the remaining 900,000 units would serve as active stabilizers, preventing chaotic backlash while reinforcing the process.

After achieving perfect compression of the first 100,000 units, the Soul Master would begin compressing the second cluster—again supported by the remaining 800,000 units—carefully stabilizing the first while forging the second… and so forth, step by arduous step, until eventually reaching the tenth and final cluster.

At that final stage, the nine previously stabilized cores would work together in harmony, maintaining perfect balance, while the Soul Master painstakingly compressed the last batch. Once all ten cores were completed, a final merging phase would begin—layers folding into layers—forming a single, unified core that would then collapse, giving birth to the Royal Black Hole.

The method, however, demanded more time, countless preparations, and meticulous discipline. It included dozens of checkpoints, emergency stabilizers, breathing cycles, soul circulation revisions, and mental focus locks, but…

"…Anyone who executes all of this perfectly is practically guaranteed to obtain a Royal Star on their very first attempt!" Morgana's eyes widened to their absolute limits, her pulse racing. This—the single greatest obstacle in star compression, the nightmare of every Soul Master—had just been dramatically reduced!!

"Your Majesty, did… did you design this technique yourself?!" Morgana raised her voice in disbelief, unable to hide her admiration.

"No." Robin replied, shaking his head calmly. "That was Arkalon. He's been working on it in his spare time recently—this version is the latest revision." At the mention of his friend's name, Robin's brows furrowed, and an irritated yet amused smile tugged at his lips. "That bastard… he could definitely simplify it even further if he wanted to, without a doubt. But instead, he deliberately lets his brain rest so he can focus on perfecting that new soul force absorption technique. Priorities, apparently."