Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Runic Clone

Runar floated motionless in the white void of the Infinite Qi Realm, being very, very careful not to move more than absolutely necessary.

The last thing he needed was to accidentally destroy more formations by twitching wrong. His body was a loaded weapon right now, and his soul was the safety that couldn’t quite engage properly. Every movement risked catastrophic discharge.

Alright. Clone creation. I designed this technique months ago, so the theory is solid. Just need to execute it carefully.

He pulled up the Runic Clone technique from his mental library, reviewing the specifications he’d created back when he was still just planning his cultivation path. It felt like years ago now, even though chronologically it had only been weeks.

The technique was elegant in its design— but he upgraded it – Create a construct from a carefully separated soul fragment, give it form using Rune-aspected energy, program it with the necessary autonomy to operate independently. The clone would be connected to his main consciousness but able to make its own decisions within certain parameters.

The tricky part was the soul fragment separation.

Normally, deliberately tearing off a piece of your own soul was a terrible idea that led to permanent damage, cultivation deviation, or outright death. Souls weren’t meant to be divided—they were supposed to be whole, unified, singular.

But Runar had already experienced having his soul shattered into a trillion pieces during the breakthrough. He knew intimately what that felt like, how the pieces could be separated and then brought back together. More importantly, he understood the fundamental principles that governed soul cohesion and separation.

I just need to carefully excise a small fragment—maybe 5% of my total soul strength. Enough to give the clone proper consciousness and autonomy, but not enough to weaken me significantly.

He focused inward, perceiving his soul with senses enhanced by Rule comprehension.

His soul appeared as a brilliant sphere of condensed consciousness, glowing with Peak Early Supernova-level power. It was strong by normal standards, even if woefully insufficient for controlling his current body. Threads of awareness wove through it in complex patterns—those were the 100 parallel thought streams from his Heaven-Defying Comprehension Mantra, all working simultaneously even now.

Runar reached out with his will and gently began separating a fragment.

This required precision he didn’t quite have with his current body control issues, so he worked entirely on the mental and spiritual level. No physical movements, just pure consciousness manipulation. The fragment came away slowly, carefully, like peeling a layer from an onion without damaging what remained beneath.

There.

A small sphere of soul essence floated in his mental perception, separated from the main mass. It contained about 5% of his total soul power—enough for the clone to have genuine consciousness, think independently, make decisions. The main soul had automatically sealed the gap where the fragment had been removed, preventing any leakage or damage.

First step complete. Now for the hard part—giving it form.

Runar gathered Rune-aspected energy from his Universal Seed dantian, being extremely careful about how much he drew and how fast it moved. No flooding torrents this time. Slow, controlled, precise amounts. Like using a pipette instead of opening a firehose.

The energy responded to his will sluggishly—his insufficient soul strength made fine control difficult—but it did respond. Golden-silver light materialized in the space before him, the same fused Rule-light he’d used to construct his current body.

Wait. No. That’s too much power.

He immediately pulled back, dispersing most of the Rule-light back into his dantian before it could fully manifest.

The clone needs to be at my pre-breakthrough level. Satellite Orbit Stage 3,333, body and energy balanced with soul strength. If I build it from fused Rule-light, it’ll have the same control problems I do.

I need to use my old cultivation base as the template. Before the Universal Genesis transformation.

Fortunately, the system kept detailed records of his entire cultivation progression. Runar accessed those records now, pulling up the exact specifications from when he’d completed Satellite Orbit Stage 3,333 but before smashing everything into a singularity.

Energy density: Compressed qi at subatomic precision, but not Rule-fused.

Body strength: Primordial Universal Refinement physique.

Soul power: Early Supernova

Combat capability: Could fight normal Late Supernova realm opponents.

Perfect. That’s what the clone needs to replicate.

He began constructing the clone’s form using those specifications as a blueprint.

The body materialized slowly, carefully shaped from spiritual energy rather than fused Rule-light. It looked exactly like him—same face, same build, same silver hair and starlight eyes. But this body was made from compressed qi, not fundamental Rules. Strong by conventional standards, but nowhere near his current cosmic-level durability.

Meridians formed within the clone’s body, matching the pattern he’d had before. Twelve major channels, eight extraordinary meridians, thousands of minor pathways. These were spatial tunnels like before, but simpler—no FTL transfer capability, no quantum entanglement, just very efficient energy movement.

The black hole dantian appeared in the clone’s core, but this one contained the old configuration: 3,333 orbital spheres arranged in gravitational harmony, each sphere containing massive compressed energy but not Rule-infused. The singularity at the center spun with familiar intensity.

Organs, bones, cells—all formed according to his old specifications. Each cell contained galaxy-cluster levels of power rather than multiple-galaxy levels. Still absurd by normal standards, but controllable because body, energy, and soul were all matched.

When the physical form was complete, Runar took the soul fragment he’d separated earlier and gently placed it into the clone’s head.

The fragment merged with the clone’s brain structure, bringing consciousness to what had been just an empty vessel.

The clone’s eyes opened.

From the clone’s perspective, awareness came suddenly.

One moment: nothing. No thoughts, no perception, no existence.

Next moment: everything.

He was floating in white void, looking at his other body—the original, glowing with golden-silver starlight that marked the Rule-fused form he’d built during breakthrough.

The soul connection was immediate and complete. Not a fragment separated from the whole, but the same soul existing in two places simultaneously. He could feel both bodies at once—the cosmic-powered original floating carefully still, and this clone body that moved with perfect control.

It was like having two sets of eyes, two bodies to control, but one unified consciousness directing both. Strange, but not uncomfortable. Just… different.

“How do you feel?” his other body asked, the original’s voice careful and controlled.

He considered the question, testing both bodies simultaneously. The original remained motionless in the Infinite Qi Realm. The clone body flexed and moved naturally.

“Clone body feels fine,” he said through the clone’s mouth while thinking through both minds at once. “Memories are all here since we share the same soul. Control is perfect on this body.”

“Good.” He nodded through the original body, feeling relieved through their shared consciousness. “Any issues with body control? Movement feel natural?”

He tested the clone’s limbs, rotating in the void, flexing fingers and toes. Everything responded perfectly—body, energy, and soul all balanced and working in harmony. He gathered qi into the clone’s palm easily, forming a small sphere of compressed energy with casual precision.

Meanwhile, the original body remained carefully still, not risking any movements that might cause more destruction.

“Control is perfect on this body,” he reported through the clone. “Properly balanced. I can actually use the power without accidentally destroying things.”

The contrast between bodies was stark. The original glowed like a contained star, radiating power that could level galaxies but couldn’t be properly controlled. The clone looked normal by comparison—powerful, yes, but manageable. Human-scale rather than cosmic-scale.

“Good. Remember—this clone body has my combat power from Satellite Orbit Stage 3,333 completion,” he said through the original, speaking to himself across both bodies. “Can fight normal Peak Supernova opponents on equal terms, maybe a genius Early Supernova if you’re creative with the Rules. But don’t get cocky. There are beings out there who can crush this body.”

“Understood,” he replied through the clone. “Stay cautious, don’t reveal full capabilities unnecessarily, search for soul treasures as priority.”

“Exactly. And…” he hesitated through the original’s mouth, feeling concern flow through their unified consciousness. “Take care of Celestia. Explain the situation to her. She’ll understand, but make sure she knows I’m okay, just… temporarily stuck in this uncontrollable body.”

He felt his own concern and guilt about not being able to see her with the original body right now.

“I’ll take care of her,” he promised through the clone. “She knows about the Runic Clone technique anyway. Won’t be a complete surprise.”

“Right.” He managed a small smile through the original’s face. “Okay. Mission parameters, one more time so we’re clear.”

He recited them through the clone’s mouth while both bodies remained aware: “Exit Infinite Qi Realm with clone body and return to Suite 4701 on the Absolute Infinity. Retrieve Celestia from Pocket Universe and explain the soul imbalance situation. Attend the combat assessment tomorrow as planned. Search ship and academy facilities for soul treasures—Spirit Cleansing Elixirs, Soul Crystals, Soul Tempering Pills, anything that enhances soul strength. Transfer any treasures found back through the soul connection. Maintain cover as normal me at the academy. Don’t reveal that the original body is still cultivating.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep