Defiance of the Fall

Zac's grand prize for finishing the Flamebearer seal was [Void Emperor Apotheosis], the unified method meant to incorporate his whole path. It was the best outcome of the multiple directions Zac had considered taking his increasingly unwieldy cultivation. He hadn't even been convinced the idea was possible until Ultom showed him the way.

Calling [Void Emperor Apotheosis] a single technique was incorrect. It would be more accurate to call it a modular combination of his cultivation methods using the Void as a bridge. The most obvious benefit was the ability to practice multiple techniques simultaneously. The feature was a huge timesaver, and that was only the beginning.

Practicing multiple methods simultaneously created a synergistic effect. Soul, Body, and Heart formed a positive cycle of mutual encouragement that let Zac push himself further than when practicing one method at a time. This was a form of hidden benefit all top-tier methods had back in the day, something Zac only came to know of after meeting Instructor Rava.

The third and most ingenious feature was one Zac hadn't actually planned for. [Void Emperor Apotheosis] let Zac activate the pull of the Void during practice. It increased the amount of progress Zac could eke out from every session, narrowing the gap between him and natural talents like Vilari. The caveat was that the Void needed something to absorb, so it made his cultivation sessions more expensive.

The method's only major downside was that it required huge amounts of customization. [Void Emperor Apotheosis]'s current iteration was only made possible by modifying his Draugr bloodline techniques, the [Nine Reincarnations Manual], and the [Void Vajra Sublimation]. Some sections were redrawn from scratch with Ultom's help. Most additions came from external sources like [Stellar Dominion], the body tempering manual based on the Stellar Wanderers.

[Void Emperor Apotheosis] could already be used, though there hadn't been much time to explore its potential. Nevertheless, the final piece of the Flamebearer seal was only enough to set up a barely functional framework. Zac's Draugr side relied on general Draugr bloodline methods rather than the true methods tailored to his specific Bloodline. If Eoz's heritage still existed, it would be in the hands of the Abyssal Shores.

There was also a huge amount of general derivation to go. Zac still hadn't figured out the fifth layer of the [Void Vajra Sublimation], which now had to be further altered to incorporate the new features. Thankfully, his Life-attuned body tempering method already drew inspiration from the Void, so harmonizing it with [Void Emperor Apotheosis] wasn't that large a leap.

The [Nine Reincarnation Manual] would prove more challenging. It had no connection to the Void, and Zac didn't even own the technique's later layers. He'd also diverged from the intended path when creating two Soul Cores. Zac wasn't confident in solving that puzzle at his current level, no matter how much time he was given. It'd require a significant chunk of Ultom's light or for Zac to first reach greater heights.

Challenges aside, Zac had a general idea of how to solve issues of body and soul. That left the Heart, the third pillar of cultivation. Zac could use his Void State to bolster his Soul and Body, but practicing [Void Emperor Apotheosis] wouldn't strengthen his Heart. For that, Zac needed to incorporate a Heart Nurturing Sutra. The manual he'd picked out required specific conditions to be practiced, and Zac hoped they'd be realized today.