It used Laws as both weapon and tool—channeling them through the cultivator's own body and soul to inflict controlled, catastrophic damage. The flesh would be torn apart at the molecular level. The soul would be shredded, cracked, fragmented.
Then, in the microsecond before permanent destruction occurred, the cultivator's natural regeneration (or in Nova's case, his Infinite Regeneration ability) would trigger. The healing would use qi as fuel to restore both body and soul to perfect state.
The cycle would repeat. Damage. Heal. Damage. Heal. Over and over, with each iteration making both body and soul incrementally stronger as they adapted to survive the damage.
The passive effect was even more remarkable: the stronger the cultivator's Law comprehension became, the more powerful the tempering damage, which meant automatic strengthening as the cultivator advanced.
"This is..." Luna struggled for words. "This is something that shouldn't exist. The pain tolerance alone—"
"Will be managed," Nova said calmly. "My Infinite Will makes me immune to mental attacks and keeps my mind clear under any circumstances. Pain is just information. I can process it without breaking."
"Nova—"
"I need to test it, Luna. If this works, it solves one of the fundamental problems with my advancement. My body is already Law-tempered. My soul needs to catch up. And if I can temper them together, in perfect synchronization..."
He didn't need to finish. Luna understood.
True Self Realm unified body and soul. If Nova could achieve that unification before even reaching Foundation Building, the strength of his foundation would be beyond anything in recorded history.
"At least start with a single Law," Luna said finally. "Not all 66 at once."
Nova nodded. "Fire Law. It's the most thoroughly consolidated."
He settled back into meditation, his breathing evening out as he prepared himself.
Luna moved closer, close enough to intervene if necessary, and activated her spiritual sense to monitor his condition in real-time.
Nova activated the Eternal Cycle Tempering Scripture.
The first cycle began gently—almost deceptively so.
Nova channeled Fire Law through his body, not as an external attack but as an internal transformation. His cells began to resonate with the principle of rapid oxidation, of energy release, of transformation through burning.
Luna watched through her spiritual sense as his flesh started to break down. Not obviously, not visibly from the outside, but at the microscopic level. Proteins denaturized. Cellular walls ruptured. Mitochondria burst as the energy they contained was forcibly released all at once.
Simultaneously, his soul—that normally intangible essence of consciousness and existence—began to burn.
This wasn't metaphorical. Luna could actually see it with her spiritual sense. Nova's soul, visible as a luminous form roughly matching his physical body, was being consumed by metaphysical flames. Pieces of it were fragmenting, cracking, falling away like ash.
The damage accumulated for precisely 0.3 seconds.
Then Nova's Infinite Regeneration triggered.
The effect was instantaneous and total. Every damaged cell in his body reconstructed itself perfectly, drawing on his massive qi reserves for the raw energy needed. His soul, simultaneously, reformed from the fragments—pulling itself back together with a snap that Luna could feel even from outside his body.
But the healed body and soul weren't quite the same as before. They were denser. More resilient. Adapted to survive what had just destroyed them.
The cycle repeated.
Fire Law channeled inward. Damage accumulated. Regeneration triggered. Heal.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Nova's face remained perfectly calm through the first dozen cycles. His Infinite Will was working exactly as intended, allowing him to process the catastrophic pain as mere data without emotional response.
But data or not, the pain was real.
Being burned from the inside out—physically and spiritually—thousands of times per minute was an experience beyond anything he'd ever imagined. It wasn't like being stabbed or crushed. It was like ceasing to exist and being forced back into existence over and over, each iteration carrying the memory of annihilation.
After the fiftieth cycle, a single bead of sweat appeared on Nova's forehead.
After the hundredth, his breathing became slightly labored.
After the two hundredth, his hands began to tremble.
Luna watched with growing concern and admiration. Any normal cultivator would have screamed themselves unconscious within the first five cycles. Even powerful experts would have their minds shattered by this level of sustained trauma.
But Nova endured.
His Infinite Will kept his consciousness clear and functional. His Infinite Regeneration kept repairing the damage before it could become permanent. His Perfect Foundation ensured that each cycle of destruction and renewal actually made him stronger rather than simply maintaining equilibrium.
Three hundred cycles. Four hundred. Five hundred.
Nova's qi reserves were being consumed at an alarming rate. Each regeneration cycle required energy, and he was going through hundreds of them per minute.
At the seven hundredth cycle, Nova finally opened his eyes.
"Enough," he said, his voice slightly strained. "Ending sequence."
The Fire Law channeling ceased. His body and soul completed one final regeneration cycle, then stabilized.
For a long moment, Nova simply sat there, breathing carefully, as his consciousness fully returned from the mechanical process of endure-regenerate-repeat.
Then he looked up at Luna and smiled.
"It works."
Luna let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "You're either the bravest cultivator I've ever met or the most reckless."
"Can't it be both?"
Despite herself, Luna laughed. She moved forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. "You terrified me. Your soul was fragmenting hundreds of times. If your regeneration had failed even once—"
"But it didn't." Nova held her close. "And now I know it won't. The technique is viable."
Luna pulled back to look at him seriously. "How bad was the pain?"
"Worse than anything I've experienced," Nova admitted. "Including death. But my Infinite Will let me process it without breaking. It's... manageable. Barely."
"And the results?"
Nova closed his eyes and examined his own condition with his spiritual sense. His face lit up with genuine excitement.
"Incredible. Seven hundred cycles with just Fire Law, and both my body and soul are noticeably stronger. More dense. More resilient. And this is passive now—as long as I continue mastering Laws and advancing my comprehension, the tempering effect will continue automatically at a low level."
He looked at Luna with something like wonder. "This technique will let me maintain perfect body-soul synchronization as I advance. By the time I reach True Self Realm, the unification will be so natural it'll be effortless."
Luna shook her head, but she was smiling. "You're going to revolutionize cultivation theory if word of this ever gets out."
"Then we make sure word doesn't get out," Nova said simply. "This is ours. Mine and yours and eventually Seraphine's if she wants it."
"She'll want it," Luna said with certainty. "Once she hears what it can do, she'll definitely want it."
They sat together in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Nova recovering his qi and emotional equilibrium, Luna simply staying close in case he needed support.
Finally, Nova spoke again. "You know what's interesting?"
"Hmm?"
"All 66 of my Laws give me basic control over the four fundamental forces of reality. Gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force. Every cultivator who touches Law comprehension gains this—it's part of what makes Laws so powerful."
Luna nodded. "That's standard cultivation knowledge. Early Law gives limited control, mid Law gives substantial control, peak Law gives near-total mastery over those forces within your area of influence."
"Which means," Nova continued, his eyes taking on that distant, calculating look again, "I should be able to manipulate matter and energy at a fundamental level. Not just through cultivation techniques, but through direct application of physical principles."
"Theoretically, yes. But most cultivators never develop the scientific knowledge to apply their Law control effectively. They use it instinctively through techniques rather than consciously manipulating fundamental forces."
Nova's smile widened. "But I'm not most cultivators."
Luna recognized that expression. It was the same one he'd worn right before creating the Eternal Cycle Tempering Scripture.
"What are you thinking now?"
"Just that we've been wearing these baggy cultivation robes for far too long," Nova said, standing and stretching. His body moved with even more fluid grace than before, the Law tempering already showing results. "I think it's time for some quality of life improvements."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"
"You'll see," Nova said mysteriously. "Tomorrow. After I've rested and my qi has fully recovered. I want to try something that'll make you very happy."
"I'm happy now," Luna said, but she was curious despite herself.
Nova leaned down and kissed her, soft and lingering. "Trust me. You're going to love this."
That night, they made love again—slowly, tenderly, savoring each touch and sensation. Not dual cultivation, just pure connection between two people who were falling deeper into love with each passing day.
Afterward, as they lay tangled together in the darkness, Luna traced the lines of Nova's chest with her fingertips.
"Nova?"
"Mm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They fell asleep like that, wrapped in each other, content in a way that transcended cultivation or power.
Tomorrow would bring new experiments and discoveries.
But tonight, they just existed together.
And that was enough.
Technical Notes:
Eternal Cycle Tempering Scripture:
Tempering Method: Laws channeled internally to damage body/soul Healing
Mechanism: Infinite Regeneration triggers before permanent damage
Energy Cost: High qi consumption per cycle
Pain Level: Catastrophic (requires Infinite Will to endure)
Passive Effect: Continuous low-level tempering as Law mastery increases
Result: Perfect body-soul synchronization, prepares for True Self Realm
Nova's Current Status:
Cultivation: 90th Stage Qi Refining
Laws Mastered: 69 Early Laws
Body: Law-Tempered (15 cycles) + Eternal Cycle (700 Fire Law cycles)
Soul: Eternal Cycle Tempered (700 Fire Law cycles)
Fundamental Force Control: Basic mastery over gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear, strong nuclear forces
Combat Experience: ~500 simulated days
Power Implications:
Body-soul synchronization exceeds normal True Self Realm cultivators
Can consciously manipulate fundamental forces (unlike most Law-users)
Foundation approaching theoretical perfection Prepared for True Qi Condensation advancement