SOME HOURS AGO.
Luna sat in her private chambers, eyes closed in meditation. But her mind refused to settle.
Her cultivation base churned with barely controlled energy. The breakthrough to True Self Realm had been sudden, powerful, but unstable. Like a dam breaking—the water rushed forward with tremendous force, but it needed time to find its proper channels.
"One to Two years," Luna murmured. "At minimum."
That's how long it would take to properly solidify her realm through normal cultivation. One to two years of careful, patient refinement before she could safely push for another breakthrough.
Unless she used dual cultivation. That would stabilize things much faster. The balanced exchange of Yin and Yang energy would settle the volatile qi naturally, turning instability into solid foundation.
But that meant working with Nova again.
Unlike other cultivators who needed to comprehend their respective peak laws when they broke through this stage, Luna didnt need to, as she had a very good comprehension ability and she was able to master peak laws when she was at Peak Golden Core Realm. So she could fight above her realm. And that was why she was one of the most feared young cultivators throughout the whole continent. Those old monsters who reincarnated are not geniuses , they basically had the answers to the exam questions, Cheaters was what they were.
Luna opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.
What a mess she'd made of things.
When she'd found the Primordial Yin-Yang Fusion Scripture in that ancient ruin, she'd known it required a partner. But she'd been arrogant. Confident. She'd believed her talent and comprehension could modify the technique, make it work through pure Yin cultivation alone.
That worked for a while but ultimately she'd been wrong.
And that night with Nova had proved it. The surge of power, the breakthrough from Spirit Transformation to True Self Realm that she'd been chasing for years—it had all come from proper Yin-Yang balance. From dual cultivation.
The problem was Nova himself.
A servant. Ancient. Dying. With cultivation so poor he'd been stuck at first stage Qi Refining for centuries. The technique had bound her to him permanently. If she wanted to continue advancing, she needed him.
Luna's jaw tightened.
She didn't hate him, exactly. He'd served faithfully for three hundred years without complaint. But accepting him as a cultivation partner, someone she'd need to be intimate with regularly...
That had been difficult to swallow.
At least, it had been until this morning.
The qi vortex she'd sensed earlier still puzzled her. A servant with half a spiritual vein shouldn't be able to create even a ripple in the ambient energy. Yet Nova had drawn in so much spiritual energy it had created a noticeable disturbance.
And when she'd tried to investigate with her spiritual sense, something had blocked her. Not violently, but firmly. Like a door closing politely but absolutely in her face.
That shouldn't be possible at his level.
Something had changed.
Luna stood up and had almost gone to investigate personally, then stopped herself right at her door. Going to a servant's quarters would look strange. Better to summon him here and demand answers.
So she went back to her bed and sent the spiritual transmission. A simple command.
Now she waited.
A few minutes later.
Footsteps approached. Lighter than she remembered. More confident.
"Enter," Luna said, her voice calm and controlled.
The door opened.
Luna's expression didn't change, but internally, she froze.
The man who entered was not the Nova she remembered from hours ago.
He was young—perhaps twenty-five years old. Tall, with broad shoulders and a lean, powerful build. His face was striking, beautiful in a way that seemed almost unnatural. Long black hair fell past his shoulders, catching the light. His movements were fluid, graceful, controlled.
He wore the same simple servant's robes, but they looked different on him. Less like the clothes of a menial worker and more like the casual dress of someone who didn't care about appearances.
And the spiritual pressure...
Even without actively probing, Luna could feel it. A weight in the air around him, subtle but undeniable. Power barely contained beneath the surface.
The young man stopped a respectful distance away and bowed. Not the deep, servile bow of a frightened servant, but a measured gesture of respect.
Back to Nova POV
As his head lowered, Nova's thoughts turned inward for a moment.
Foundation Building cultivators... he assessed calmly. They've tempered their bodies, unified qi and flesh. But I have Heaven tier techniques. Multiple Primordial tier attacks. Even one Heaven tier technique would be overkill against them. I'd crush them.
Golden Core would be the same. Their qi is more stable, more controlled, but my techniques operate on a completely different level. My perfect foundation, the absurd qi density, the Early Law comprehension—any Golden Core cultivator would fall.
The same went for Golden Formation Building Cultivators.
Spirit Transformation though... that's where it gets interesting. They've merged their spirit/soul with their dantian, can manipulate qi with pure thought. Early to mid Spirit Transformation, I could probably handle. But late Spirit Transformation?
He considered carefully.
They'd have Law comprehension starting to form. My Early Laws might give me an edge, but their experience and cultivation base would be overwhelming. It would be a real fight.
But her?
His eyes flickered toward Luna without lifting his head.
True Self Realm. Body and soul completely unified. She wields three peak-level Laws according to rumors—Ice, Water, and Lunar. A single thought and she could freeze space itself, drown me in dimensional water, or erase me with lunar essence. The gap between Spirit Transformation and True Self Realm is a chasm. Between Qi Refining and True Self Realm? It's not even a fight—it's execution.
Though... there was his Infinite Regeneration. As long as a single atom remained and he had energy, he'd come back. Instantly.
Not that he'd test it. Being an unkillable cockroach wasn't a winning strategy against someone who could probably trap his soul or seal him in eternal ice.
All theoretical anyway, Nova mused. I'd need to actually fight someone to know for sure.
"You summoned me, Sect Leader."
The voice was smooth, clear, nothing like the hoarse rasp she remembered.
Luna kept her face perfectly neutral. Centuries of leadership had taught her to control her reactions, to never show weakness or surprise.
But inside, her mind raced.
This is Nova? How? What happened to him?
The Black Tide Sect followed the standard cultivation path of the Noxara Continent, though most cultivators never made it past the early realms:
Qi Refining Realm - The foundation. Absorbing qi through spiritual meridians, storing and refining it in the dantian. Most cultivators spent decades here, and many never advanced beyond it.
The Lost Realm -?????
Foundation Building Realm - Qi circulated through the body to temper flesh, bones, blood, and organs. The first true unification of qi and body. Cultivators began comprehending Intents, projecting their will through techniques.
Golden Core Realm - All refined qi compressed into a stable Golden Core within the dantian. Qi became fluid and endlessly circulating. Intents matured, becoming sharper and more formidable.
Golden Formation Building Realm - A foundation is built again, as a cultivator's body is it's vessel. Golden Qi or liquid Qi is circulated again throughout the body to temper cells, flesh, bones, blood, brain, and organs. The body is further strengthened and reshaped to withstand a higher amount of power, achieving the second and deeper true unification of qi and body. Cultivators begin comprehending Laws, touching upon the fundamental rules that govern existence.
Spirit Transformation Realm - The cultivator merged their spirit into the dantian. Qi responded directly to thought and will. Law comprehension began here, touching the fundamental rules governing existence.
True Self Realm - Body and soul fully unified. Every part of the body fell under absolute control. Injury to the body harmed the soul and vice versa. Laws deepened significantly.
Mahayana Realm - The final mortal realm. Body, qi, soul, and a chosen Law perfectly synchronized into one unified existence. The cultivator no longer merely used power—they embodied their Law.
Luna herself was at True Self Realm, one of the strongest cultivators on the continent. Only a handful had reached Mahayana, and they were treated as living legends.
But the man standing before her... Nova should still be at Qi Refining. The lowest realm. The weakest stage.
Yet that spiritual pressure...
"Step forward," Luna commanded.
He did, moving with that same fluid grace until he stood perhaps two meters away.
Luna extended her spiritual sense, intending to scan him thoroughly.
The moment her consciousness touched him, it stopped. Not repelled exactly, but simply unable to penetrate. Like trying to see through a solid wall. His body, his cultivation, his very existence seemed wrapped in something that her spiritual sense couldn't breach.
Luna's eyes narrowed fractionally, the only sign of her surprise.
She could feel his spiritual pressure more clearly at this distance. Strong. Far too strong for someone who should be at low-stage Qi Refining. But she couldn't sense his actual cultivation level, couldn't examine his meridians or dantian, couldn't determine anything specific about his internal state.
All she got was that overwhelming sense of compressed power.
Is this a physique? A special constitution that blocks spiritual sense?
Or something else entirely.