Chapter 1643: A shift in the soul of the empire

Planet Jura — Imperial Capital

Whoosh!

Emily dropped a thick, overstuffed file onto her desk after spending the last hour buried in its pages. The faint echo of paper and metal reverberated through the quiet office. "Heh~," she sighed wearily, rubbing the space between her eyes with slow, circular motions until the tension began to fade from her temples. For nearly fifteen minutes she simply sat there, eyes half-closed, letting her thoughts drift like dust in sunlight.

When she finally felt ready to continue, she straightened her posture, exhaled deeply, and moved the finished file aside. Then, without hesitation, she pulled a new one toward her—its edges frayed and its weight promising yet another mountain of work—and opened it from the very first page.

...More than a century ago, when His Excellency had returned from the Middle Belt, the Empire already possessed around seventy powerful soul masters—individuals whose names alone could command respect. Those seventy were spread among the three imperial domains, acting as overseers of almost everything that sustained civilization: industry, inscription training programs, and scientific research. Every aspect of progress bore their imprint... except for one—warfare.

Perhaps that very restraint was what had displeased His Majesty back then?

Regardless, many among those seventy were eventually reassigned to the Imperial Headquarters to aid Emily in the enormous task of administration. They might not have shared her intuitive sense for order and governance, but with their naturally potent souls and power levels measured in thousands of units, they possessed formidable mental and analytical capabilities—enough to shoulder some of her burden. And indeed, they did.

Their duties were focused: handling minor requests directly, summarizing larger projects, auditing their histories, and then forwarding the refined reports to Emily’s desk.

Did this reduce her workload? Hardly. With the Empire’s explosive territorial expansion and the sheer number of legions requiring logistical support, their help felt like a gentle breeze in a blazing inferno—a brief relief amid endless flames. Still, it was only thanks to their presence that Emily hadn’t completely collapsed under the overwhelming pressure when the True Beginning Empire grew to encompass hundreds of planets back then.

But everything changed after His Majesty returned.

From the day he came back holding those two fabled volumes—the

Atlases of Soul

— the foundation of the Empire entered a new age of transformation, one so sudden and vast it could only be called an awakening.

The first book, written with profound clarity, explained every stage of soul development—from the moment of awakening to the ascension into the Silver Grade. His Majesty ordered copies distributed to every academy across imperial space, enforcing a sacred oath through the advanced tablets for anyone who wished to read it.

At first, the students hesitated. But curiosity is a fire difficult to smother. One by one, students of the Soul Path gave in to that irresistible pull, and as they immersed themselves in the teachings, something extraordinary occurred: within mere years, many of them achieved the title of Soul Master.

Their transformation spread like wildfire. Each new success story inspired another, until thousands abandoned their old ambitions of becoming wealthy rune masters. They no longer cared for gold or prestige—they longed for power, for transcendence, for the

second book

. The promise of unimagined strength burned in their hearts like a new dawn.

And Emily did not stand in their way. After instituting an even stricter oath, she granted the Silver Soul Masters access to the second volume—allowing them to study it in solitude for years if they wished.

This time, their path was not plagued by the curses of the Second Academy Head. No longer were they forced to battle one another for knowledge. Instead, they spent their years in peaceful study, deep meditation, and meticulous experimentation.

And when at last they completed that sacred text—the one they knew would forever redefine their lives—they emerged transformed. Yet Emily had one more surprise waiting for them. She introduced a revolutionary technique among their ranks: The Minor Soul Filling technique, better known as Soul Hunting.

It was an invention of His Excellency himself—a method that enabled a soul master’s soul creatures to train autonomously, venturing beyond their domains to hunt and capture nearby

initial souls

. Once ensnared, those souls could be pierced and their essence immediately absorbed to nourish and expand the master’s own soul domain.

Of course, they discovered that the technique contained numerous seals, restrictions, and layers of protective bindings—each one designed to prevent their soul domains from collapsing, overloading, or even detonating under the immense pressure. Despite all those barriers, the results were nothing short of miraculous.

If traditional meditation and conventional absorption techniques had once granted them only the faintest of connections—allowing them to attract weak, initial souls from insects, trees, and other lowly life forms—and if acquiring even a single

strong

initial soul once every decade had been considered a rare triumph, then the Soul Hunting Technique had rewritten those laws entirely.

Now, with this technique, the impossible became routine. Even an average practitioner could obtain one powerful initial soul per session, sometimes more, depending on the place they are searching and the strength of their own soul creatures. What had once taken ten years could now be achieved in the span of an afternoon. The growth of a Soul Master was no longer a slow ascent— it became a blazing climb toward transcendence.

With

The Atlas of Soul

as their foundation, the new generation of trainees gained an understanding of soul essence unlike anything the Empire had seen before.

They could now sense the birth, rhythm, and decay of souls around them. Their insights differed in depth, of course, but all of them—without exception—could reach the Silver Tier eventually.

Whether in a decade, a century, or even two, their advancement was no longer a matter of chance, but of time.

And with the Soul Hunting Technique eliminating the age-old limitation of slow absorption, progress surged at a pace that defied every previous era’s logic.

To further empower this new wave, senior Soul Masters began presenting each disciple, upon their oath of initiation, with a personal soul creature—often a fox, wolf, or hound—capable of independent hunting. They were the seed of hunters, designed to venture outward and ensnare unbound initial souls so their masters could absorb their force directly.

These advancements—combined knowledge, refined discipline, and revolutionary practice—turned the Soul Path into the most sought-after calling across hundreds of worlds. On many planets, it was no longer just an option; it was

the

path, the very foundation upon which one could rise to power, prestige, and immortality.

Over a century passed since His Majesty’s fateful return, and in that time, the True Beginning Empire evolved into a bastion of Silver Soul Masters, a living monument to soul evolution.

Of course, their strengths varied. Most still wielded less than ten thousand units of soul force. But some, their strength exceeding one hundred thousand units. Such beings were no longer mere Soul Masters; they were forces of nature, capable of reshaping entire battlefields with a thought.

This surge of power rippled through the Empire like a living tide, transforming every system, every foundation, every institution—especially the Headquarters, the Empire’s brain and heart, where every law, plan, and dream took shape.

...Emily’s duties, once crushing and endless, were now refined. She no longer had to micromanage the distant conflicts or respond to the chaotic flow of minor crises across the Empire. Her focus narrowed to the great issues—the monumental projects carefully condensed into reports and bound files.

For the first time in decades, she could afford to pause, to breathe, to

exist

. There were even rare moments when she could train... or reclaim something almost forgotten: sleep.

"Hmm..." Emily leaned her cheek against her right fist, halfway through reading another thick report. Her thoughtful gaze turned soft and distant.

His Majesty... who is that man, truly?

Was he really just the son of some minor noble house from Jura? Or was he something far beyond human comprehension? Everything he touched transformed—projects, people, even entire systems—turning effortlessly into power, like gold spun from the void.

In a single generation, with nothing more than a few designs and doctrines, he created soul-based armies—forces that rivaled or surpassed the mightiest soul legions of the Middle Belt.

While other factions relied on grim, unethical specter farms to harvest and imprison souls, the Empire possessed the brilliance of Soul Hunting, a technique pure, elegant, and infinitely sustainable.

The only true obstacle now was structure. The Soul Masters remained dispersed—each one following their own vision, their own pride. Many drifted toward the Cradle Empire and the Grave Empire, seeking to broaden their horizons and to tame stronger soul creatures during wartime. But there, they were treated as ordinary soldiers—nameless, unrecognized, unappreciated. They did not know how to organize themselves, and none of the Three Empires seemed to understand their potential.

Emily’s lips curled into a faint, tired smile as a spark of ambition glimmered behind her eyes.

Maybe... once I finish my daily duties... I could try to unite them. Bring order to the chaos. Turn the Soul Masters into something greater—something enduring. A Syndicate, perhaps... or even a Council of Souls...

Knock knock!

"Headquarters lady Emily, have you finished reviewing the requests?"

Her daydream shattered like glass. "Ah—sorry!" she replied quickly, straightening her back and pulling the next file toward her. "I’ll get right back to it now!"