The days following Nova's move into the Lotus Palace settled into a rhythm that felt almost... normal.
Almost.
Nothing about their situation was truly normal—a former servant now living as the lover of one of the planet's most powerful cultivators, both bound by a technique that had fundamentally altered their relationship. But within the ice-blue crystal walls of the palace, they found a domestic simplicity that neither had experienced before.
They didn't dual cultivate during this period. Both needed time to recharge their respective Yin and Yang qi reserves. The five-day session had drained them to the point where another attempt would be counterproductive. Better to let their natural energy replenish completely, so when they did cultivate again, the effects would be maximized.
But abstaining from dual cultivation didn't mean abstaining from each other.
Nova woke on the fourth morning to find Luna already awake, propped on one elbow, simply watching him sleep. The early sunlight streaming through the windows painted her features in soft gold, making her look almost ethereal.
"Creepy," Nova murmured, his voice still rough with sleep. "How long have you been staring at me?"
Luna's lips curved into a small smile. "Long enough to confirm you snore."
"I do not—"
"Very softly," Luna continued, her smile widening. "Almost cute, really. Like a small animal."
Nova reached up and pulled her down on top of him, cutting off her teasing with a kiss. She melted into it immediately, her body molding against his with the ease of growing familiarity.
What started as a simple good morning kiss quickly deepened. Hands wandered. Breath quickened. Within minutes, the conversation was forgotten entirely as they lost themselves in each other.
Luna shifted her hips, straddling his waist as the kiss turned hungry, her tongue sliding against his with wet, swirling strokes. Nova's hands gripped her ass, squeezing the firm cheeks and pulling her down so her bare pussy rubbed along the growing bulge of his cock, already hardening beneath the thin sheet. She ground against him slowly at first, the slick heat of her folds parting to drag over his length, coating him in her morning arousal with soft, slippery glides—schlick, schlick.
"Want you," she whispered against his mouth, nipping his lower lip as she reached down to free his shaft from the fabric. Her fingers wrapped around the thick base, stroking upward with a firm pump that made him throb and leak pre-cum onto her palm. Nova groaned low, bucking up into her touch, the tip nudging her entrance teasingly.
Without breaking eye contact, Luna lifted her hips and sank down, her pussy enveloping him in one smooth descent. The stretch drew a sharp gasp from her, her inner walls hugging his cock tightly as she bottomed out, his balls pressing flush against her ass. She paused for a beat, savoring the fullness, then began rocking her hips in quick, rolling motions—up and down, her breasts swaying gently with each bounce, nipples brushing his chest.
Nova thrust up to meet her, hands guiding her rhythm, the bed creaking softly under them—creak, creak—as their bodies slapped together lightly, wet smacks echoing in the quiet chamber—pat, pat. Her juices seeped out around his pistoning length, dribbling down to soak his sack with warm trickles. Luna leaned forward, bracing her palms on his shoulders, riding him faster now, her clit grinding against his pubic bone with every drop, sparks of pleasure building in her core.
He sat up slightly, capturing a nipple in his mouth, sucking hard with wet pulls—slurp, slurp—that made her arch and moan, her pussy clenching in response, squeezing him rhythmically. The pace quickened, her ass cheeks flexing as she slammed down harder—thwap, thwap—his cock plunging deep, hitting that sensitive spot inside her that had her breath hitching in short cries. Sweat beaded on their skin, the air filling with the musky scent of their joining and the obscene squelches of her soaked cunt devouring him—squish, squish.
Luna's orgasm hit suddenly, her body tensing as she ground down one last time, walls fluttering wildly around his shaft, a gush of her release squirting out to splash his thighs—psst, psst. Nova followed seconds later, groaning into her neck as he pumped up, flooding her depths with hot spurts of cum—splurt, splurt—that overflowed and trickled out in creamy rivulets. She collapsed against him, both panting, his cock still twitching inside her as they shared lazy kisses in the afterglow.
This had become their pattern. Multiple times throughout each day, they'd find excuses to touch, to kiss, to make love. Not dual cultivation—just pure physical intimacy, the simple connection of two people who genuinely enjoyed each other.
Luna had never experienced anything like it. For over a thousand years, she'd viewed physical intimacy as either a weakness or a tool. But with Nova, it was just... natural. Pleasurable. Right.
Afterward, they lay tangled together, Luna's head resting on Nova's chest as his fingers traced idle patterns on her bare shoulder.
"I could get used to this," Luna murmured.
"Waking up to you calling me a snoring animal?"
She pinched his side lightly. "Waking up happy."
Nova's hand stilled for a moment, then continued its gentle path across her skin. "Me too."
They stayed like that for a while, comfortable in the silence, before eventually rising to begin the day.
The routine they'd established was simple but effective.
Mornings: Individual cultivation and technique refinement. Nova worked on consolidating his 66 early Laws while Luna focused on stabilizing her Early Mahayana realm. They cultivated in the same chamber, their energies occasionally brushing against each other in ways that felt comforting rather than intrusive.
Afternoons: Dao discussions. This was where both of them truly came alive, debating philosophical principles and cultivation theory with an intensity that would have impressed any academic sect.
Evenings: Together. Sometimes talking, sometimes intimate, sometimes simply existing in each other's presence while reading or meditating.
It was during one of their afternoon discussions, five days into this new routine, that Nova had his breakthrough.
They sat across from each other in Luna's cultivation chamber, a pot of spiritual tea steaming between them. The tea was made from leaves that had absorbed moonlight for decades—Luna's favorite, and something she'd never shared with anyone before Nova.
"The problem with most body tempering methods," Nova was saying, gesturing with his teacup, "is that they treat the body as separate from the soul. But True Self Realm explicitly unifies them. So why do we temper them separately?"
Luna sipped her tea thoughtfully. "Because tempering them together would require damaging both simultaneously. The pain would be... extreme. And the risk of permanent damage to the soul is too high for most cultivators to accept."
"But what if you had a method to heal the damage instantly?" Nova's eyes had taken on that distant quality Luna was learning to recognize—the look of someone working through a complex problem at high speed.
"Instant soul healing doesn't exist," Luna said. "Even the most powerful Mahayana cultivators need time to repair severe soul damage. It's not like physical injuries."
Nova wasn't listening anymore. His mind had already raced ahead, connections forming at a speed Luna couldn't quite follow even knowing his comprehension ability.
The Celestial Law Tempering Scripture he'd obtained from Aldric used Laws to restructure the physical body. The principle was sound—expose flesh and bone to fundamental forces of reality, let them break down, then rebuild stronger.
But souls were also real. They existed in a different dimensional framework than physical matter, but they were still subject to all laws. Death Law. Soul Law. Even Space and Time affected spiritual existence.
What if he could adapt the tempering principle to work on souls?
And more importantly—his Infinite Regeneration ability would work on soul damage, right?
Nova set down his teacup carefully. "I need to try something. It might be... unpleasant to watch."
Luna's expression sharpened immediately. "What are you thinking?"
"A modification of the Celestial Law Tempering Scripture. But for souls instead of bodies."
"Nova, soul damage is—"
"I have Infinite Regeneration," Nova interrupted gently. "As long as a single atom remains and I have energy, I regenerate. But it's not just physical regeneration. It's restoration to perfect state. That should include my soul."
Luna's eyes widened as she understood. "You want to deliberately damage your soul, then force it to regenerate stronger."
"Yes. And not just the soul—both body and soul simultaneously. Unified tempering."
"That's insane," Luna said flatly. "The pain alone would drive you mad. And if your regeneration doesn't work on souls—"
"Then you'll be here to stabilize me." Nova met her eyes. "I trust you to pull me back if something goes wrong."
Luna stared at him for a long moment, clearly torn between concern and curiosity. Finally, she sighed.
"You're going to do this regardless of what I say, aren't you?"
"Probably," Nova admitted.
"Fine. But I'm monitoring everything. At the first sign of permanent damage, I'm stopping you."
Nova smiled and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Thank you."
Then he settled into proper meditation posture and activated his Infinite Comprehension ability.
The modification took seventeen seconds.
Luna watched, fascinated despite her concern, as Nova's spiritual energy flared in complex patterns. She could feel him analyzing the Celestial Law Tempering Scripture at a fundamental level, breaking it down to its core principles, then rebuilding it with entirely new applications.
The comprehension required to do this should have taken years. Decades, even. Soul cultivation was one of the most obscure branches of the Dao, specifically because damaging souls was so dangerous that few dared experiment.
But Nova had Aldric's complete understanding of Soul Law at peak level, Infinite Comprehension to process it all, and apparently zero sense of self-preservation.
When his eyes opened, they held a depth that made Luna shiver slightly.
"It's done," Nova said quietly. "The technique is complete."
"Already?"
"The principles are actually simpler than body tempering. Souls are more... malleable than physical matter. They respond to Laws differently—more directly, without the intermediate steps of molecular bonds and atomic structure."
He pulled out a blank jade slip and pressed his consciousness into it, transferring the technique. The slip began to glow with an eerie, pulsing light that made Luna's own soul resonate uncomfortably.
Nova held it out to her. "The Eternal Cycle Tempering Scripture. Body and soul, tempered simultaneously through Law application."
Luna took the slip carefully and scanned its contents. Her eyes widened as she processed what she was reading.
The technique was brilliant. Horrifying, but brilliant.