That day, Morgana continued her tour with the guests, guiding them step by step through the vast grounds of the academy-to-be, showing them the special territories dedicated to beast hunting-areas filled with creatures imported from a wide range of planets, each chosen carefully to simulate numerous environments that would push students to adapt, survive, and grow. She even demonstrated an array specifically crafted to monitor the students from afar, tracking their vital signs and movements inside those zones, ensuring immediate protection the moment any danger exceeded acceptable limits. She revealed a sprawling desert shimmering with countless fragments of soul emerald, the glow of the scattered gems covering the dunes like starlight spilled onto the sand. The sight was so enchanting that even the seasoned rulers present felt an uncontrollable urge to leap down themselves and start digging for treasures with their bare hands. Next, she introduced them to the first-version Body Reinforcement Array-the ancient prototype Jabba had created centuries ago. Morgana explained how this design had been improved and stabilized to the point that it could now elevate students to the strength range of a Combat Emperor purely through physical reinforcement, all for only fifty thousand Pearls per student, an amount that suddenly felt absurdly cheap given what they had just witnessed. She then guided them into a colossal arena overflowing with soul force. Anyone who extended their spiritual senses would instantly feel the presence of thousands upon thousands of primitive souls drifting freely through the air, swirling like playful sparks waiting patiently for someone capable enough to absorb them. The ambient energy alone was so thick that even breathing felt like cultivating. And at the end of a tour that seemed endless, a tour packed with marvel after marvel, the academy's security force stepped forward for their introduction-a disciplined squad dressed entirely in glowing white, each member wearing a radiant sun emblem on their chest. Whispers spread among the visitors that this elite group were all users of the Light Path, warriors trained specifically to suppress conflict with overwhelming brilliance. With the Light Swords standing behind her in formation, Morgana finally made her grand declaration: "Five years from now, we will welcome you to the official opening of the Sacred Covenant Academy. From here, we will not only teach and empower your children, but we will also fulfill our duty as a righteous academy-acting for the good of the entire sector, without exception!" The sheer greed, desire, and hunger sparked in the hearts of the attendees by everything they had seen did not distract them from the intimidating presence of Marshal Aro standing quietly among them. One by one, they offered their congratulations to Morgana, hiding their calculations behind polite smiles, and then withdrew. At first, every one of them tried to devise a plan to steal the planet, then to recruit Morgana into their own factions, and finally-even to destroy the entire project before it could rise. Yet somehow, in ways no one could comprehend, all those schemes were dismantled and rendered impossible. No one, not even the schemers themselves, understood how their own plans had been exposed or neutralized. Realizing resistance was pointless, their focus shifted entirely: If we cannot take it, then we must benefit from it-at least by sending our children! News of the tour spread like wildfire, faster than anyone anticipated. The Shadow Swords ensured this outcome, amplifying each story, each rumor, each awe-striking detail until the sector itself buzzed with anticipation. All of Morgana's former students rejoiced. They followed the reports obsessively, sending servants and scouts to inspect the planet personally. But by then, the world had been scaled off again-no outsiders allowed. Construction during that time pushed forward at an astonishing pace, yet that was far from the only development unfolding behind the scenes. Over the next five years, Morgana began sending invitations to numerous renowned professors from stellar and sub-stellar academies across the sector, using the detailed dossiers provided by the Shadow Swords. She approached each candidate individually, appealing to their ambitions, desires, and research obsessions with masterful precision. Dozens of senior professors-figures as influential as Shaddad or Barok, along with several Nexus State researchers and specialists-received personal offers from Morgana. These offers came with promises of doubled salaries, full funding for their research, and exclusive support from an entity referred to as Sky Opening City. The city was introduced to them as a gigantic research-dedicated powerhouse -an institution where every researcher would receive their own handpicked team to assist with experiments: preparing materials, crafting devices, sourcing rare components, even securing volunteers for live testing. And all of it, incredibly, completely free of charge. In truth, even without the salary increases, this single feature alone was enough to sway more than half the professors-scholars who had long struggled to find time to gather resources or conduct experiments personally. She also annexed three medium-sized academies and eight smaller ones from the surrounding region, absorbing everything within them through peaceful means and appointing their administrators as part of her own staff. She granted them high-ranking connections, protection, and official links to the Grave Empire, and their students were promised priority entry into the new academy! Curriculums were imported from Burton Academy, which had been heavily invested in to produce generals, and several instructors were brought from there as well. Among the academic materials was a portion taken from the first volume of the Soul Atlas! Even though the curriculum included only ten percent of the contents of the first volume, that ten percent still represented the foundational knowledge of a Seven Star Royal Soul Master, far surpassing what most stellar academies would offer! All these news-despite the academy's planet supposedly being sealed and everything meant to be top secret-somehow echoed across every ear. Professors who did not receive invitations were annoyed, and academies that were not asked to join proactively tried to approach Morgana themselves. Meanwhile, the great families delayed sending their children to the well-known academies, wanting to see how far this new one would rise! .And today, finally, after years of strange leaks, years of forcing the entire sector to acknowledge the academy-whether willingly or not-the grand In that moment, fireworks burst upward toward the planet's atmosphere, and a voice travelled through the soul-waves, reaching every ship: "We welcome all guests. Please proceed carefully to the docking ports!"
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