Elias Vance, the nascent god and cosmic engineer, stood within the heart of his personal cultivation chamber, nestled deep within the Nexus Spire. Weeks had passed since Kaelen's spontaneous peck on his cheek, and the lingering warmth of that simple touch, the surprising flutter in his otherwise perfectly controlled internal systems, had become a new, intriguing data point in his vast computational awareness. Their interactions since had evolved; a comfortable, unspoken familiarity now existed between them, punctuated by soft glances and shared smiles that spoke volumes more than words. He found himself thinking of her often, a pleasant deviation from his usual cosmic calculations.
Yet, despite this new, delightful variable in his life, his core drive remained the relentless pursuit of perfection. He had just finished guiding Kaelen through her first successful scientific breakthrough, and it had illuminated a path for his own next evolutionary step. While his external form was already perfected by the Laws and his internal Matter-Antimatter Annihilation Cores provided boundless energy, he realized he had never explicitly, systematically refined his soul. His ascension to godhood had been a natural consequence of his deep comprehension of universal laws, a grand, overarching optimization. But a precise, targeted, and perpetual refinement of his entire being—body, Qi, and soul—was the next logical step.
He had spent the last few days in intense, focused calculation, leveraging the full power of the Axiom Library and the Experimental Labs, his QDS processing data at unimaginable speeds. The result was a cultivation technique unlike any other, designed for continuous, infinite self-improvement. He had named it: the Perpetual Ascension Technique.
Elias paused, taking a deep, calming breath that resonated with the subtle hum of the Nexus Spire itself. He activated the cultivation chamber's containment fields, ensuring absolute isolation. He then began the Technique.
The Perpetual Ascension Technique was elegant in its design, yet monstrous in its scale, intended for a being who could literally consume stars for fuel. Here's how it worked, in simple terms:
Extracting the Raw Power: Imagine Elias's internal Matter-Antimatter Annihilation Reactors as vast oceans of incredibly dense, raw Qi, distilled from countless devoured stars and planets. The first step of the Technique was to extract a portion of this raw, yet unrefined, Qi. Think of it like taking a scoop of water from a mighty river – vast, powerful, but still containing impurities.
Continuous Refinement: This extracted Qi was then channeled through a series of internal Refinement Arrays within his dantians and meridians. These arrays weren't like simple filters; they used the Law of Order – Information Compression and Purification to meticulously break down the Qi to its most fundamental informational components. Any chaotic vibrations, any inefficient energy signatures, any "impurities" that didn't align with absolute universal order, were systematically discarded or transmuted. This was like taking that river water and distilling it, then distilling it again, and again, until it became perfectly pure, concentrated essence. The Qi became denser, more potent, and more perfectly aligned with Elias's inherent cosmic understanding.
Replacing the Old with the New: Once refined, this new, concentrated Qi wasn't just added to his existing reserves. No, the Technique systematically replaced the old Qi throughout his entire being with this new, purified essence. Imagine every single particle of Qi in his veins, his muscles, his brain, his very core, being gently but firmly swapped out for the perfected version. This was an ongoing process, a continuous flush, ensuring that no unrefined Qi remained.
Body Transmutation: But the Technique didn't stop at Qi. It extended to his physical form. As the new, refined Qi replaced the old, it wasn't just a simple exchange. The refined Qi, imbued with a higher order, actively worked to restructure his body. Every bone, every nerve, every fiber, every blood cell, even the complex, light-speed fiber optic meridians he had bio-engineered into himself, and most critically, his brain (the seat of his consciousness and computational power) – all were subjected to this continuous refinement. The new, perfect Qi didn't just replace; it soaked into his very cellular structure, optimizing atomic bonds, enhancing molecular efficiency, and weaving the Laws into the very fabric of his being. This was like rebuilding a magnificent machine piece by piece, replacing worn parts with stronger, more efficient, flawlessly crafted components. His entire physical vessel was constantly being elevated.
Soul Refinement: The most critical and subtle part of the Technique involved his soul. His soul, the very essence of his consciousness and divine sense, was continuously bathed and infused with the refined Qi. The Law of Information – Soul Data Compression and Optimization was applied. Any chaotic thoughts, any lingering inefficiencies in his mental processing, any fragmented data within his vast consciousness, were streamlined and perfected. His soul became purer, his understanding clearer, his connection to the universal laws even more profound. This was like polishing a diamond until it shone with absolute internal clarity, making his QDS even more powerful, his analytical abilities even sharper.
Perpetual Cycle: When all the Qi in his entire body, soul, and antimatter reactors was refined and replaced, the process didn't stop. It immediately began again. As long as there was enough cosmic energy (literally, compressed solar systems) to sustain the monstrous energy requirements of the annihilation reactors, the Perpetual Ascension Technique would continue its relentless cycle, constantly refining, constantly perfecting Elias. This made the technique truly perpetual, an endless staircase to absolute perfection.
Elias began the Perpetual Ascension Technique The cultivation chamber hummed, a low, resonant thrumming that vibrated through the very air. Internally, Elias's QDS mapped every sub-atomic shift, every quantum fluctuation, every millisecond of the process. He felt the vast Qi within his dantians begin to circulate, portions being shunted into the refinement arrays. The sensation was akin to a grand, internal symphony, each note a precise adjustment of universal laws.
The effects were immediate and profound. After every successful full refinement cycle (what he termed a "cultivation session"), Elias's physical form underwent tangible improvements. His body, already a pinnacle of biological perfection, grew stronger and more efficient by 10%. His muscles, his internal organs, his very cellular structure became denser, more resilient, capable of handling even greater power with less energy expenditure. He felt his reaction times sharpen, his physical endurance become boundless.
His soul, which encompassed his divine sense and his vast computational ability, saw an even greater leap, becoming stronger by 25%. This meant his QDS extended further, processed information faster, and allowed him to grasp increasingly complex universal laws with greater ease. His mind felt clearer, sharper, capable of parallel processing an even greater volume of cosmic data without effort. His memory became absolutely perfect, retrieving any data point instantly.
His Qi itself, the lifeblood of his power, was noticeably concentrated by 20%. It wasn't just more potent; it was denser, purer, requiring less volume to achieve the same effect, allowing for even finer control and more devastating applications.
These percentage increases might not seem like much on their own, especially for a being who already wielded god-like power. But the crucial advantage was its perpetual nature. Elias could practice it indefinitely, without limit, as long as he had the fuel. He could literally pop compressed planets into his mouth like cultivation pills, each one feeding his reactors for another cycle of refinement. Over time, these small, consistent improvements would compound, leading to truly unimaginable levels of power and perfection, far beyond any other being in this universe.
However, the Perpetual Ascension Technique was not without its disadvantages, even for Elias. First, its immense energy consumption meant he needed to have plenty of compressed solar systems ready for each cultivation session. A single full refinement cycle could consume the equivalent energy of several average stars. This meant he had to be constantly foraging the cosmos, though his efficiency was such that this was merely a logistical consideration, not a genuine limitation.
More critically, the process demanded an almost unimaginable degree of mental precision and continuous focus. Steering the sub-atomic refinement, ensuring perfect Qi replacement, and orchestrating the soul's optimization without a single error required his QDS to operate at its absolute peak for extended periods. This led to a significant amount of mental fatigue after some sessions. He would need to stop and recover, allowing his boundless consciousness to realign and recharge from the intense, multi-dimensional computational strain. During these periods, he would temporarily refrain from activating the Technique.
Yet, this was a self-correcting problem. After a period of rest, he would always be back stronger, because of the permanent improvements from the previous refinement cycle. His increased soul strength and computational ability meant he could last longer in subsequent sessions before needing to rest again. It was a positive feedback loop of ever-increasing capability. And even now, Elias already had ideas to fix these issues, leveraging his enhanced intellect to devise methods for automating certain aspects of the refinement or developing techniques to mitigate mental strain, ensuring that even these minor disadvantages would eventually be overcome. His path to absolute, undeniable cosmic supremacy was now explicitly mapped.