Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1272 1272: Zaraʼs gift

”Iʼve already received enough gifts to last me well into the next century,” Zara said with a gentle, heartfelt smile, nodding toward the stack of intricate tablets cradled in her arms.

She knew her father wasnʼt the type to give things without purpose. Every tablet he handed her surely held the seeds of a grand vision — solutions to problems she hadnʼt even encountered yet. And while she deeply appreciated the thought and brilliance behind each one, she also knew they would open the door to countless new challenges. Every idea he introduced would branch into more departments, more responsibilities, more breakthroughs… and more sleepless nights.

She was still in the process of trying to understand and utilize the universal laws left behind by the Second Heaven chosen — and now, her father was adding entirely new dimensions to the cityʼs burdens. For the past few minutes, all she could think about was the sheer number of people she would have to recruit and train in the coming era.

”No, no. Those are for the city — for its scholars and visionaries to wrestle with, and for the Empire to reap the fruits of,” Robin said with a warm chuckle, waving a hand as if brushing away the very idea. ”But you, my dear, you get something different — something truly your own. Otherwise, how could I live with myself? How could I look in the mirror knowing Iʼve gifted all your siblings and left you out?”

His voice was teasing, but the affection beneath it was real. With a smile that hinted at pride and sentiment, Robin pulled out a single, gleaming tablet — more ornate than the others — and extended it toward her with both hands.

”Here. Take it.”

”Thank you, Father,” Zara replied, her voice filled with nobility, grace, and a flicker of anticipation. She accepted the tablet with both hands, her spiritual sense flowing into it in an instant. She expected perhaps a new mental cultivation technique, or maybe even a soul-based method crafted just for her.

But what she found inside made her breath hitch. Her pupils dilated. Her heart skipped a beat.

She looked up at her father, eyes wide, glowing like twin moons.

”This…?! Are you serious?!”

”The Major Law of Shaping,” Robin said with a satisfied nod, a proud grin spreading across his face as if heʼd been waiting for this moment for years.

”The Law of Shaping? What even is that, Father? I donʼt recall you ever mentioning it before… and why would you give it to me, of all people, as a gift?” Zara asked, her brows furrowing in bewilderment.

Robin lifted a single finger and tapped lightly on the side of his grand throne.

Shoooom…

With a soft mechanical hum, the front section of the throne shifted, slid, and opened. From within emerged something utterly unexpected — a miniature metallic figure, golden and radiant, barely the size of a fingertip… and crafted to look exactly like Zara.

Zaraʼs breath caught in her throat.

”This…?!”

Her brows drew together in sheer astonishment. She knew the throneʼs material — a hyper-dense alloy that had taken them years to forge and mold. To see such a delicately detailed creation come from that…

Robin turned to face her squarely, locking eyes with the daughter he admired so deeply.

”Itʼs simple, Zara. Shaping is the exact opposite of destruction. It is a fundamental law, on par with Life itself. With the major Law of Shaping, you can take any non-living material — no matter how hard, soft, brittle, or dense — and reshape it at will. It doesnʼt matter what it was before. It becomes a tool in your hands, a medium for your thoughts. You think it — and it becomes.”

Zara stood slowly, the tablet clutched between both hands like a sacred relic. Her feet began to move on their own as her mind raced.

”This… this is beyond incredible! I donʼt know how practical it would be in the heat of battle, but in every other domain? Itʼs revolutionary! With this law, we could build entire megacities in weeks instead of decades! We could assemble complex warships instantly — just by understanding their design! We could produce experimental models of pills, constructs, and alloys without a single failed prototype!”

”Oh heavens… my brain is exploding with ideas! This law… it opens so many doors! What the Empire is about to achieve… itʼs going to surpass anything weʼve dreamed of. The level weʼre about to reach canʼt even be measured anymore!”

With giddy joy, she leapt forward and kissed her father on the cheek.

”Thank you, Father! Iʼll immediately start gathering potential candidates to study this law, lay their foundations in it, and develop the techniques we need. Youʼve helped me so much… This truly is the best gift you could have given me!”

”Now hold on, hold on,” Robin said, laughing as he caught her by the wrist before she could rush toward the exit. ”Yes, the law is yours — to use, develop, and teach however you wish. You can assign as many young cultivators to cultivate it as you like… but I didnʼt give it to you for them.”

He looked her in the eyes once again, his expression calm and clear.

”I gave it to you… for you.”

”…Me?” Zara asked, her voice laced with disbelief, confusion, and a trace of rising tension. Her brow furrowed, and she took a slight step back, clearly shaken. ”How could that be? I already wield the Law of Life… You didnʼt give me a merged law, just a different one! ”

Robin didnʼt answer right away. Instead, he offered her a calm, almost knowing smile, then gently motioned toward the chair directly across from him with a measured wave of his hand.

”Sit down first,” he said with a composed voice, calm as still water. Then, he tilted his head slightly and gestured with his eyes toward the golden statue — a perfect miniature replica of Zara herself.

”And watch carefully. Youʼll want to see this.”

With the air of someone performing a demonstration both ancient and intimate, Robin raised his hand over the little figure and made a subtle, deliberate motion.

A soft green energy — delicate, almost tender in its warmth — began to descend onto the statue. It shimmered like mist under sunlight, barely visible, yet profoundly alive.

Ba-dum.

Zaraʼs pupils contracted. Her breath caught in her throat.

”That sound—?!” she gasped, eyes wide with utter disbelief.

There was no room for doubt. What she had just felt wasnʼt an illusion. That was a heartbeat — faint, but unmistakable. She could hear it. Not only that, but as her senses reached out instinctively, she perceived a faint trace of movement — peristalsis — as though something was stirring within the tiny metallic body.

”This statue,” Robin began, his voice almost reverent, ”was crafted with exact anatomical and biological specifications. Down to the smallest, most minute details — cell structure, organ alignment, even the simulated nervous system.”

He paused, letting that sink in before continuing.

”Its veins carry a liquid metal — synthesized to behave like blood — flowing continuously. It is a vessel. One that mirrors humanity in structure, if not in soul.”

Zaraʼs gaze stayed locked on the statue, her mind racing. But Robin wasnʼt done.

”If you choose,” he continued, ”you can use the Law of Shaping in a similar way — not just on constructs, but on real corpses. Reconfigure their tissue. Reforge muscle and bone. Reanimate and reconstruct them into fully viable, living human forms.”

Then he gave a small, mischievous smile, one that hinted at both brilliance and danger.

”Naturally, what results will be devoid of consciousness. Empty shells — animated bodies, but brain-dead and purposeless. Thatʼs where the soul becomes essential.”

Whoooom~

A new force— translucent and ethereal — poured from Robinʼs palm and descended slowly onto the golden figure.

And in the next breath, the statue moved.

It giggled. It laughed. Then it tilted its tiny head and looked straight into Zaraʼs eyes — and there, in that gaze, was awareness. Curiosity. Even a hint of mischief.

”…And just like that,” Robin said with a grin, ”you can have a miniature, living, breathing version of yourself — anytime you please.”

Zara was speechless.

Her eyes shifted slowly from the animated statue to her father, and back again. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came. Her mind spun with implications she hadnʼt even begun to grasp.

”…Father,” she finally whispered, her voice thick with awe, ”what you just showed me… I can already see infinite possibilities. This could reshape entire fields of creation, medicine, even war. But… whatʼs the purpose? Why me? I already command the Law of Life.”

Robin raised a finger and softly interrupted her.

”For now,” he said with gravity, his tone now heavy with meaning.

Then, more seriously than before, he looked her in the eyes and spoke again.

”Zara. Many years ago, I came to a revelation — one I never shared with anyone until now. I became convinced of the existence of a Master Law. It is called the Law of Creation.”

He pointed at the ancient tablet in her hands — the one she had just been given.

”This Law of Creation is the ultimate convergence — a fusion of the Laws of Life, Death, Shaping, and Destruction. The pathway toward it is elegant, even theoretically simple. But the practice… is brutal. Death and Destruction arenʼt concepts — they are forces. Chaotic, corrosive, cruel. Iʼve walked that road. I know what it demands: intellect sharper than steel, and patience deeper than time itself.”

He turned his gaze to her once more and added with quiet conviction:

”And if there is anyone I know who has both — the brilliance and the endurance — itʼs you, Zara.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Her throat tightened. Her limbs felt heavier than before.

”…What exactly are you asking of me, Father?” she asked, almost in a whisper. Her voice trembled slightly, though she tried to steady it.

Robinʼs eyes softened, though his face remained solemn.

”This will be your side mission, Zara,” he said, slowly and clearly. ”Not just for a year. Not even for a decade. This journey will span your entire life. Because the burden is great — far greater than anything youʼve faced.”

He stepped forward and placed his hand gently, yet firmly, on her shoulder — the weight of a fatherʼs hope resting in that touch.

”Begin by using the Foundation Modification Technique. Fuse the Law of Life and the Law of Shaping into a singular force within your core. Only by merging them yourself will you be able to comprehend their structure. Only then will you be ready for the next phase.”

His tone turned stern. His posture stiffened. Then, from behind him, he drew forth two additional tablets — ancient, powerful, and ominous. They vibrated with a heaviness that seemed to bend the very air around them.

”Only after the fusion is complete — only then — may you open these.”

He placed them before her.

Zara reached out with trembling fingers, her breath shallow. She hadnʼt even touched the tablets, but already, a creeping cold slithered into her bones.

”…These are…?”

Robin nodded slowly, grimly.

”The Major Law of Death. And the Major Law of Destruction.”

His next words came out like a command:

”Do not attempt to understand them yet. Do not connect with them. Complete the first fusion first. Let that fusion of Life and Shaping serve as your armor — your shield — before you face what lies beyond.”

Gulp.

Zara slowly sat down again, as though gravity had tripled. The weight of her new responsibility pressed upon her chest, her thoughts, even her soul. She felt herself standing at the threshold of a journey no one had dared to attempt — one paved with uncertainty, sacrifice...

And almost certain failure.