Defiance of the Fall

The peak of Middle Hegemony with Life, Death, and Conflict upgraded to Earthly Daos before Ultom. That was the ambitious target Zac set for himself and what he'd been desperately rushing towards, always feeling like he was falling behind. The past couple of months had completely changed that.

The Empyrean Chalice's training internalized and stabilized the huge amount of experience he'd accumulated through years of bitter fighting on the frontlines. The Atavism built upon his reinforced foundations, leading to a harvest of insights he'd been gathering since first coming in contact with the Remnants during the Eastern Trigram Hunt. The following series of breakthroughs allowed him to reach his goal with months to spare.

While somewhat expected since passing Rava's test, it left Zac at a loss. Sure, there were still things to improve, from his Technique to Soul and Constitutions. Honestly, Zac could have filled his day five times over with things that needed his attention. And yet, he was finished. Done. He felt tapped out like he'd spent all his money in a delirious shopping spree.

Except, instead of hard-earned money, it was his accumulation and momentum that had been exhausted. Just forcing his Daos of Life and Death to the next stage had squeezed out every little bit of his insights. The path forward was a haze so dense that Zac couldn't tell which direction to take his first step.

He'd advanced too far too quickly. Rava had repeatedly warned him her training regimen was only a patch and that he'd soon need to slow down. Zac wasn't foolish enough to disregard her teachings, and crossing two minor stages of Hegemony in as many years was indisputably too fast. Still, he'd always held onto the notion that he was the exception to the rule, like with so many other things.

So long as he had the resources and opportunities, why shouldn't he be able to keep going? There shouldn't be any lack of either now that they'd reached the inner parts of the graveyard, provided they didn't get embroiled in a conflict with the Black Heart Cult. He wasn't reliant on the Heavens for progress, only his two hands and his determination.

Now, Zac wasn't so sure. It might just be the exhaustion from surviving a heated battle just after facing death in the storm curtain, but Zac really felt like he'd reached a mental bottleneck as much as a cultivation one.

He even hoped that the Centurion Project was the key to triggering the trial early. He was raring to go, knowing the current situation held nothing for him. The thought of staying months inside the Imperial Graveyard waiting for the timer to reach zero was almost too much to bear. Zac wasn't convinced some troves would be enough to rekindle his momentum.

The only cure was time. Time to digest, rest, and regain a sense of normalcy after years of never stopping or slowing down. The same was true for his followers. And yet, rest would elude them until they'd dealt with the trial and its aftermath.