Published at 11th of May 2026 6:20 am

Chapter 2144 Weight of the fifth

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"Oh?" The Cosmic Elder revealed a strange, unreadable smile, one that carried a hint of amusement mixed with curiosity. "The most famous Truth Chosen at the moment intends to gather money? Now that is truly interesting. What are you planning to release this time? A fifth-grade martial art? Or perhaps a refined version of that Breath of Ages you once showcased?"

"Hmm? That?" Robin waved his hand dismissively several times, as if brushing away something trivial. "That is child's play." His tone held clear indifference. "I already sold that in a massive auction before as you know, and luck happened to favor me at the time, letting me sell it for 12 billion... but now?" He let out a faint breath. "I am literally losing more than that number every single day."" Then he shook his head slowly. "If I am going to announce something new, it has to carry the potential to bring in a trillion, maybe even two, just to keep up with the needs of Shadow Swords and the Cosmic Academies."

Then he lifted his gaze and stared straight at the Cosmic Elder with visible annoyance. "The Cosmic Academies that I am currently developing, restructuring from the ground up, including a complete overhaul of their Peacekeeping Armies and even their educational systems."

In truth, the spending on the academies in general, and on the Peacekeeping Armies in particular, was far from something light or simple.

Nearly 30% of his total wealth was constantly being funneled into the Cosmic Academies, an unending stream of resources directed toward making them appear overwhelmingly strong from the outside as quickly as possible, while at the same time he was carefully rebuilding and refining their foundations from within at a much slower and controlled pace.

The Cosmic Elder had publicly promised countless advantages and rapid development under Robin's banner, and those promises alone had drawn nearly 400 academies to join his side. If Robin failed to fulfill even a portion of those expectations, he would not only lose them all in an instant, but worse, he would lose face on a universal scale.

"Your academies, your Peacekeeping Armies, and those methods of education that are raising entire generations who will grow up grateful and loyal to you." The Cosmic Elder raised his thumb slightly, his tone calm yet firm. "Continue spending on them without hesitation or stinginess, and know that my heart supports you in this."

Robin's brows tightened faintly, then he lowered his head just a little and dropped his voice to a near mutter. "...Miserly old man."

The Cosmic Elder understood him instantly, without missing a single nuance, yet his response came out even more shameless than expected.

"Did you say something?!" The Cosmic Elder suddenly raised his voice with clear irritation, his brows snapping toward Robin.

Paf Robin casually threw down a card onto the table. "I said play!"

"Hmph." The Cosmic Elder let out a cold snort as he placed down a card bearing 9 flowers. "As for your income problem... it will indeed affect the Cosmic Academies sooner or later." He paused briefly, then sighed. "I will allow you to sell one of those crystals."

"..." Robin did not respond immediately. His gaze lowered toward the table as he continued playing, his thoughts clearly moving elsewhere.

Selling the core of an adult space beast in an auction would undoubtedly bring him an immense fortune, perhaps starting at 500 billion pearls as an opening bid alone.

Regardless of whether anyone could truly find a way to utilize such a core or not, many Behemoths would still desire to obtain it, whether for prestige, display, or to keep it as a final, devastating trump card.

"It would cause a massive commotion for no real reason." Robin eventually shook his head again, rejecting the idea. "...A while ago, I promised Timari that I would contribute to the universe's new direction, the rise of lone cultivators." His voice slowed slightly. "Perhaps the time has come to act on that."

"Hmm?" The Cosmic Elder showed a hint of surprise.

"They say that you and I have already pushed people toward trying to rise in strength on their own, without relying on empires or greater forces controlling them." Robin let out a soft laugh. "I do not even know whether that is a good thing or not... but it already happened." Then his gaze sharpened slightly. "And I will contribute to it soon, in one way or another." He lifted his eyes. "That does not bother you, does it?"

"I see no harm in it." The Cosmic Elder calmly placed another card. "As long as the red lines remain intact, you will not find me doing anything other than sitting here and playing cards."

"Heh~" Robin chuckled lightly. "Have you truly grown tired of fighting space beasts already, to the point that you will now devote yourself entirely to playing cards?"

Then Robin casually pointed at the last card the Cosmic Elder had played. "Besides... that card is a repeat, you played it before."

"...." Without a word, the Cosmic Elder replaced the card, his expression unchanged. "I will move today"

"Good!" Robin suddenly raised a card and slammed it down with force, the sound echoing faintly. "Then take THIS from me and go do your work!"

Paf The card landed firmly on the table, revealing a majestic image of a Monarch standing upon the edge of a dangerous cliff, his figure tall and unyielding as he raised his sword toward the blazing sun above.

"..." The Cosmic Elder leaned slightly forward, examining it with narrowed eyes.

"Is this... the Standing King card?"

"Oh? How did you know?" Robin looked genuinely stunned, his expression shifting in a rare moment of unguarded surprise as he stared at the Cosmic

Elder.

Bang The Cosmic Elder did not hesitate for even a fraction of a second. He grabbed Robin's hair firmly and slammed it against the table once more, the impact echoing faintly across the room. "How exactly do you expect me to admit defeat to this kind of ridiculous nonsense?!"

"Damn you, old man!!" Robin groaned, his cheek pressed flat against the cold

surface of the table, his voice strained yet still carrying its usual sharp edge. "As long as you did not catch me in the act of making the card, then you have no right to blame me for winning. Blame your own senses!"

"At the very least, cheat in a reasonable way!!" The Cosmic Elder's voice rose even further, irritation now fully apparent. "Put in some effort and make proper cards instead of this garbage!!"

"That was not part of the agreement, you are trying to-" Robin was just about to fire back again, but his words abruptly halted. His senses caught something

approaching rapidly.

Without hesitation, he used spacetime to slip his hair free from the Cosmic Elder's grasp, the strands vanishing from between his fingers in an instant, before Robin smoothly straightened his posture and returned to his seat with complete composure, as if nothing had happened. Then he glanced at the Cosmic Elder and signaled subtly with his eyes while speaking in a low voice, "Wait until the guests leave... then you can continue beating me."

<>"Tsk..."

Paf

At that exact moment, a familiar figure descended beside Robin, landing directly onto his knees and hands in a deep bow, his entire body lowered until even his forehead touched the ground in utmost reverence.

Then he spoke loudly, "This Pitsu greets Your Majesty."

"Oooh," Robin's expression instantly shifted into a wide, amused smile, as if the

previous scuffle had never happened. "Pitsu, what brings you here?" Then he casually turned his head toward the Cosmic Elder. "He used to be my personal assistant for quite a long time."

"My lord, your exalted shard emerged and instructed me to come immediately

after I regained some of my health, and so I came without delay." Pitsu spoke quickly, his voice filled with urgency despite his respectful posture. "Please

reclaim it."

"Hmm?" Robin paused for a brief moment, a hint of curiosity appearing in his eyes. Then he extended his hand forward and gently pulled a small white soul sphere out from the boy's forehead, extracting it with precision. He began examining its contents, his gaze sharpening slightly. "...Interesting"

After a moment, he turned back toward the Cosmic Elder. "A few days ago, something happened in the neighboring sector 100, and my shard came out. From there, the shard sent me a direct message that cost 7,000 units. After that, Pitsu was treated, regained his footing, used a major space portal, and came all the way here carrying the remaining 23,000 units... and even with all that time, he still manage to arrive before the message."

"Using soul shards for communication is one of the greatest wastes of time." The Cosmic Elder waved his hand dismissively, clearly unimpressed. "But it works quickly when it comes to you." Robin tilted his head slightly, his tone carrying a subtle challenge.

"Then pour enough power into your shards and reinforce them with Master

Laws so they can bypass natural laws and move freely," The Cosmic Elder replied with a faint chuckle. "I would very much like to see how many you would be capable of creating in that case, hehe!" Then he slowly rose to his feet, his expression calming once more. "You can continue your game with your boy. I will head to the corridor before my resolve weakens again."

He took a few steps forward, then suddenly paused, as if recalling something important. Slowly, he turned his head back once more.

"By the way... I noticed something strange in our conversation." "What is it?" Robin had already begun gathering the scattered cards into his

ring, stacking them neatly as if preparing to end the session for now. Most likely, they would resume after a few days.

The Cosmic Elder remained silent for a brief moment, clearly organizing his

thoughts before speaking again. "You mentioned... that you present all your problems before four Master Laws: spacetime, balance, causality, and creation. And that because of them, very few problems could ever truly stand beyond your reach."

"That is correct." Robin nodded firmly without hesitation.

"Then why not five?" The Cosmic Elder's gaze sharpened slightly. "Do you not

possess the Law of Truth? Even you, the one people call the Next Great Truth

Chosen of this generation... do you also mock that law and consider it useless, just like I do?"

"....?" Robin's brows furrowed deeply, a trace of confusion and unease flickering across his expression.

"Hmm," The Cosmic Elder turned forward once more and resumed walking toward the corridor, his tone turning casual again. "It seems the Master Law of

Truth is nothing more than a pair of glowing eyes after all."

".......?!"

Robin did not respond.

He simply lowered his gaze, staring silently at his own arm. There... four extremely tiny golden inscriptions shimmered faintly beneath his

skin, the Runes of Truth he had painstakingly uncovered and completed over

the span of countless centuries.

They were real.

They were complete.

And yet...

Then, slowly, he raised his head, his eyes shifting toward the interior, toward Seraphim... the quill that hovered uncertainly above the board of the sixth path.

"............?!"

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