BOOM!!
Chaos Lu detonated within Theon's very core, a searing, untamed inferno that tore through bone and scorched meridians to ash. Agony unlike any he had known consumed him, his essence unraveling into a storm of raw chaos. A strangled cry clawed its way from his throat, every nerve alight, his mind a fractured shard teetering on the edge of oblivion.
"Whoops sorry. Too much for a first timer huh? Here here." Aricaz snapped his fingers and
instantly Theon's broken bones realigned, the searing pain evaporating as his body healed in an unnatural wave of relief. The fatigue that had clung to him moments ago vanished, leaving his body refreshed, almost disorientingly so.
A smaller mote of Chaos Lu floated toward Theon, shedding bits of its wild energy until it was small enough for Theon to handle.
"This time, I will control it all the way."
The mote slipped into Theon's brain stem, a strange, warm hum expanding through his meridians. Infinitely small sparks, like the delicate embers of a wildfire, began infiltrating his body, hovering, then delving deep.
BOOM!
Theon's entire body vibrated as the Chaos Lu started devouring the pre-established Lu within him, its hunger insatiable. Each second felt like an eternity as the energy gnawed away, turning his meridians into battlegrounds.Theon stood as still as he could but the pain began accumulating, eating away at him.
His body began wafting out Lu in excess, the "impurities" within the 2nd plane standard Lu within Theon meridians that were not up to the standard of the 9th plane. Within his body the pre-existing 2nd planar Lu was being eaten away by the Chaos Lu. The Chaos Lu sparked against the 2nd planar Lu like a whetstone, grinding it and cutting it until it reached a satisfactory standard that could contest the Chaos Lu without being eaten away.
BOOM!
Theon's cultivation began to fall.
From the peak of the 1st plane to the 9th level.
From the 9th to the 8th.
Hours passed in agonizing silence, broken only by the internal explosions reverberating through Theon's body as his cultivation collapsed.
From the 8th to the 7th.
And finally, from the 7th to the 6th.
Each drop felt like a stab to his core, but with each decline, the Lu that remained was sharper, purer, and more attuned to the chaotic energy swirling within him.
His eyebrows twitched again. "And this was the easy part, wasn't it?" he muttered under his breath.
Aricaz chuckled softly. "Oh, you'll get used to it, boy. Chaos has a way of pushing you past your limits—every single time."
"I'd recommend purifying all of your pre-existing Lu and upgrading them to the 9th planar standard before continuing to cultivate."
Theon's eyebrow twitched slightly as Aricaz's casual tone contrasted with the reality of what was being asked.
What he had just done… it was only from the 9th to the 6th level.
"You'll need to repeat this process twice more to truly forge a 9th-planar foundation. But." Aricaz added, his tone darkening, "the pain will exponentially increase each time. The more ingrained the Lu, the harder it is to refine. So, for your sanity, it might take more than two attempts."
Aricaz's voice softened slightly, a rare hint of something almost like reassurance. "The good news? Once your base is reformed, when you're only refining external Lu to the 9th standard, the agony will be incomparable to what you're feeling now. There will still be some discomfort due to the chaotic nature of the Lu, but no more tearing yourself apart to rebuild."
At this point Theon was losing the last remnants of his consciousness as the pain overwhelmed his every sense.
"That's all for now." Aricaz's voice echoed as it began to fade. "Oh, and that technique you picked—the [True Neutral Balance Discipline]—it's quite good. I permit you to use it."
Theon could only hum in acknowledgement before his consciousness faded to black.
The next morning, Theon jolted awake, his heart pounding. The memories of the previous night rushed back, the pain still haunting his body like an unwelcome guest. He shuddered at the mere recollection, his mind replaying the chaos and agony.
Instinctively, Theon swept his meridians, searching for his Lu. His meridians were noticeably emptier now; three whole levels of Lu had been refined down to less than a level's worth. But something within him felt undeniably different.
He was stronger. And by quite a large margin at that.
Though that wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was that Theon had so much room to actually grow. He felt like a vessel that had been hollowed out, waiting to be filled with something far more potent. Theon knew that if he could refill this empty space with 9th planar Lu, he would be unimaginably strong.
However, despite his desire to continue using the [Chaos Asura Purification Mantra], his body protested. He could feel it deep within—his frame was too fragile to endure another round. He needed time to stabilize, to adapt to the new Lu coursing through him.
More importantly, Aricaz wasn't responding. The brand on his left bicep remained, and he could sense Aricaz's presence within his soul sea, but it was as if the consciousness had gone dormant. And without Aricaz, there was no way for him to use the [Chaos Asura Purification Mantra].
But in the meantime, he had other ways to grow stronger.
Alchemy, formations, lightning manipulation, weapons mastery, there were so many paths available to him.
'I will most probably be sent into a rift soon. And though I can most probably contest Uncle Ren and the others in Squad Alpha in terms of battle prowess, I should still get as strong as I can. So that means no alchemy and formations, leaving lightning mastery and weapons.'
To anyone who was in the cultivation world, the thought itself would have seemed preposterous. Someone who had cultivated for a month or two at best, not even rigorously at that, could beat someone who had been cultivating for the better part of their lives ? Sadly, though, this was just the truth of existence.
And this was still Theon underestimating both himself and the potency of 9th planar Lu. The difference in 9th planar Lu compared to the second planar that Spectra held, was the difference between night and day. So exaggerated that a person born to the standard 9th plane who had never cultivated could easily defeat someone of the 2nd plane who was born to a second plane world.
'Between lightning and weapons…'
Theon stood in silence, weighing the merits of lightning mastery against weapons training when his communicator buzzed.
[Come see me when you're free. – Ren]
No urgency, no barked orders. Just an open door, as always.
But the timing was quite good. His fingers tightened around the device. Had Ren sensed the Chaos Lu and Aricaz's presence?
Theon quickly gathered himself and made his way to Ren's office. At the familiar oak door, he raised his hand—
Knock. Knock.
—and didn't have time to lower it before Ren's voice called through: "Come in, Theon."
The scent of ironbark tea and old paper enveloped him as he entered. Ren sat framed by sunlight, steam curling from his cup as his brush moved in precise strokes across a report. Without looking up, he gestured to the chair opposite him with the hand holding his brush, the motion leaving a faint ink trail in the air.
"Perfect timing," Ren said, setting down his brush with a quiet clack. "I was just reviewing your next assignment." He gestured to the chair across from him. "How are you holding up?"
The question was genuine. Ren had always been perceptive, but never prying.
"Fine," Theon said, though his body still ached from last night's ordeal.
Ren studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Good. Because I'm sending you into a rift tomorrow." He slid a mission dossier across the desk. "1-star, 3-stripe. Water-Lu dominant. Should play to your strengths."
Theon flipped it open. Standard briefing—low risk, minimal hostiles.
"I'll be joining you," Ren added, leaning back in his chair. "Not because I don't trust you to handle it, but because I could use the field time." His chuckle was light, self-deprecating. "Too much paperwork lately."
Ren continued, "Go to the equipment warehouse tonight. They'll give you your new gear."
"Thank you, sir." Theon replied.
Ren waved a hand. "Just come back in one piece." He paused, then added, almost casually, "And if you run into anything unexpected, don't hesitate to fall back. No heroics."
The dismissal was clear, but as Theon reached the door, Ren's voice followed him, warm as the afternoon light:
"Don't make me regret giving you the good tea from my private stash."
It wasn't a warning. It was just Ren—looking out for him, like always.