Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Soul Tempering Preparation 2

[Opening Soul Treasure Boxes (Primordial Grade) x5…]

The boxes dissolved into light, revealing their contents:

Soul Convergence Pills x25 (Primordial Grade) – Accelerates soul density increase Spiritual Root Enhancement Elixir x10 (Primordial Grade) – Deepens soul-body connection Soul Flame Catalyst x5 (Primordial Grade) – Burns away soul impurities Consciousness Expansion Formation x3 (Primordial Grade) – Enlarges spiritual sea Memory Palace Construction Jade x2 (Primordial Grade) – Creates mental cultivation space

All Primordial grade. Extremely valuable for soul cultivation.

[Opening Mixed Reward Boxes (Primordial Grade) x3…]

These contained various items, not just soul treasures:

Box 1:

Void Steel Ingots x100 (Primordial Grade material) Starfire Technique Manual (Primordial Grade) Time Dilation Formation Disc (Primordial Grade) 50 billion high-grade spirit stones

Box 2:

Phoenix Feather x3 (Primordial Grade material) Spatial Expansion Ring (Primordial Grade – 100,000x larger than normal) Law Comprehension Incense x50 (Primordial Grade) Breakthrough Assistance Pills x20 (Primordial Grade)

Box 3:

Dragon Scale Armor Fragments x50 (Primordial Grade material) Universal Qi Gathering Formation (Primordial Grade) Physique Enhancement Liquid x10 bottles (Primordial Grade) 100 billion high-grade spirit stones

Holy shit, these mixed boxes are loaded. 150 billion spirit stones alone, plus all these Primordial materials and treasures.

The real prizes were the Reality Fragments—both the 3 new ones and the 3 he’d claimed previously but never used.

Reality Fragment x6 (Total) – Can be used to comprehend Rules directly

Chaos Droplet x1 – Single drop of Chaos essence from beyond the universe, can nurture body/qi/soul

Runar examined the Reality Fragments carefully. They appeared as crystalline shards that seemed to contain entire concepts within their structure. Each one pulsed with Rule-level energy that made even his enhanced perception ache slightly.

According to the item description, each Reality Fragment could grant direct insight into Rule comprehension. Using one would be like having a master teacher explain fundamental principles directly to his consciousness.

These will be incredibly useful. My Rule comprehension is only at 1% across all 3,333 Rules. With 6 fragments, I can push that significantly higher. Maybe 3-4% if I’m efficient about it.

The Chaos Droplet floated in a special containment formation within his inventory, a single drop of liquid that appeared to be every color and no color simultaneously. Chaos essence from beyond the universe itself—reality in its most primordial, unformed state.

The description said it could nurture body, qi, or soul depending on how it was used. Normally, cultivators would split its benefits across all three to maintain balance.

But Runar’s situation wasn’t normal.

My body and qi are already far beyond my soul. If I use the Chaos Droplet exclusively for soul cultivation, it should push my soul from Peak Early Supernova to Middle Supernova realm as a foundation.

I might actually reach Middle Black Hole realm soul strength in a reasonable timeframe.

But he needed a proper technique first. Something designed specifically for his situation.

Runar accessed his inventory’s technique section. Over the sixteen years in the Pocket Universe, he’d collected or created hundreds of soul cultivation methods. He pulled them all up now, reading through them systematically.

Nine Revolutions Soul Tempering Method – Classic technique, reliable but slow.

Immortal Soul Scripture – Good for soul resilience, not fast enough.

Soul Shattering Rebirth Art – Interesting concept, breaks and reforms the soul repeatedly.

Heaven’s Anvil Soul Forging – Uses external pressure to compress and strengthen soul.

Dozens more. Each with different approaches, different strengths and weaknesses.

None of them quite fit. They’re all designed for normal cultivation progression. I need something that leverages Rule comprehension specifically.

Runar began designing a new technique in his mind, synthesizing concepts from all the methods he’d studied.

The core principle came from the Soul Shattering Rebirth Art—breaking and reforming the soul to trigger growth. But he’d modify it extensively.

Step One: Create a soul blade from fused Rule-light. Same golden-silver starlight I used to build my body, but shaped into a cutting edge.

Step Two: Use the blade to slice my soul. Not randomly, but precisely. Controlled cuts that fragment the soul structure without destroying it completely.

Step Three: Heal the cuts using fused Rule-light. The healing process will integrate the Rules deeper into the soul structure, strengthening it beyond its previous state.

Step Four: Repeat the cutting and healing process. Each cycle fragments and reforms the soul, with each reformation being stronger than before.

Step Five: When the soul reaches critical density from repeated cycles, detonate a soul bomb made from fused Rule-light at the soul’s core. The explosion will shatter the soul completely.

Step Six: The shattered pieces will recombine automatically, undergoing metamorphosis into a qualitatively superior soul structure.

The technique was brutal. Intentionally damaging his own soul thousands of times, then exploding it at the end to force transformation.

But it would work. And more importantly, it would work fast.

The higher his Rule comprehension, the more effective each cycle would be. The fused Rule-light blade would cut more precisely, heal more thoroughly, and the final soul bomb would trigger more profound transformation.

If I use the Reality Fragments to push my Rule comprehension to 2-3%, then run this technique while consuming soul treasures…

I could potentially reach Middle Black Hole realm soul strength in a few decades of subjective time instead of centuries.

Runar began formalizing the technique, writing it into his mental library with the same care he’d used for all his cultivation methods.

[New Technique Created: Rule Severance Soul Tempering]

Grade: Primordial (self-created, untested)

Requirements:

Rule comprehension (minimum 1%, higher is better) Ability to create fused Rule-light Strong soul foundation (Supernova realm minimum) Pain tolerance (extreme)

Process:

Form soul blade from fused 3,333 Rules Slice soul with controlled precision Heal cuts using fused Rule-light Repeat cycles until soul reaches critical density Detonate Rule-light soul bomb at core Allow shattered soul to recombine and undergo metamorphosis

Warning: Each cycle causes severe soul pain. Final detonation may cause temporary loss of consciousness. Do not interrupt process mid-cycle.

The technique was ready. Now he needed to prepare the resources and environment.

Runar withdrew one of the Reality Fragments from his inventory. The crystalline shard floated before him, pulsing with knowledge that bypassed normal learning and went straight to comprehension.

First, I’ll use all six Reality Fragments to deepen my Rule comprehension. That will make the soul tempering far more effective.

Then I’ll consume the Chaos Droplet, directing all its nurturing power toward my soul to push it to Middle Supernova realm as a foundation.

Then I’ll enter the Comprehension Space and run the Rule Severance Soul Tempering technique continuously, consuming all the soul treasures as I go.

Decades of subjective time. Thousands of cycles of cutting and healing. And finally, the soul bomb metamorphosis.

He looked at his clone body through the soul connection. Peacefully asleep with Celestia, completely unaware of the brutal cultivation process the original was about to endure.

This is going to hurt like hell. But it’s necessary.

Runar steadied himself, gathered his will, and prepared to begin.

The soul tempering preparation was complete. Now came the actual work.

First decision: where to do this.

He had two options. Stay in the Infinite Qi Realm with its 1:10,000 time dilation, or enter the Comprehension Space with its 1:1,000 time dilation.

Mathematically, the Infinite Qi Realm seemed better—ten times the time dilation meant ten times more subjective training time per external second.

But there was more to consider than just time dilation.

The Comprehension Space had a special property he’d discovered during his sixteen years of training with Celestia. The space didn’t just dilate time—it also created an environment specifically designed for cultivation and comprehension work. Being inside it relaxed the soul, made mental processes smoother, allowed for more uniform enhancement during cultivation.

For normal cultivation, the difference was minor. But for soul tempering specifically—a process that involved deliberately damaging and healing his spiritual foundation thousands of times—that uniform enhancement and soul relaxation would be crucial. It would help prevent uneven development, reduce the risk of deviation, and make each tempering cycle more effective.

The Comprehension Space is the right choice. Even with less time dilation, the quality improvement makes up for it.

Runar activated the system interface and selected the Comprehension Space option.

[Comprehension Space – Time Dilation: 1:1,000]

[Special Properties: Enhanced comprehension speed, soul relaxation, uniform cultivation enhancement]

[Would you like to enter? Duration will be measured in subjective time.]

[Warning: Extended stay may cause temporal disorientation upon exit.]

He selected yes.

Reality shifted. The white void faded, replaced by an endless gray plane stretching in all directions. No features, no landmarks, nothing to distract from pure focus.

Status:

System Points: 77,583,000 remaining (spent 57,500,000 on soul treasures)

Soul Treasures Total: 127 Divine-grade (self-refined) + 100 Divine (system) + 43 Supreme (self-refined) + 50 Supreme (system) + 75+ Primordial-grade items

Special Resources: Reality Fragment x6, Chaos Droplet x2

New Technique Created: Rule Severance Soul Tempering (Primordial Grade)

Current Soul: Middle Supernova Realm

Target Soul Progression: Middle Supernova → Peak Supernova (Divine/Supreme/Primordial) → Neutron Star (Chaos Droplet #1) → Peak Neutron Star (Chaos Droplet #2 ) → Early Black Hole (more treasures) → Peak Black Hole (soul bomb metamorphosis)

Next Chapter: Using Reality Fragments, beginning soul tempering, advancing through realms

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep