Valerio went through each and every technique, reading the first level for all of them; unfortunately, the later levels were unavailable to him. As soon as he tried to peer into a level he was not at, it came up blank as if it didn't exist at all, likely a protection measure for the practitioners and his clan. Though it might also stop practitioners from harming themselves with knowledge they shouldn't have.
Out of all the techniques, Valerio could only really start cultivating [Reality] and attempt to use [Severance]. While [Reality] was a cultivation technique, [Severance] felt more like a hybrid between a technique and a frame of mind. It had an odd feeling, the technique seemed to require thinking about Lu in ways he simply hadn't before, it also required an immense proficiency in arrays and formations… it didn't sit right with him that it was labelled a technique. Unfortunately, his thoughts didn't mean anything, he slotted his distaste to the back of his mind and continued exploring the techniques.
Without wanting to further his energy realm so soon after his mishap with [Untainted Void], Valerio crossed his legs and entered a meditative state, delving into his knowledge on [Severance]. After having read through the first layer, he could describe its method as ingenious. The first level of [Severance] relied on creating a multitude of arrays or formations, creating the circumstances under which a certain property of a Lu would be displayed. It then used an isolation array or formation to lock that volume of Lu into that characteristic. Valerio had been trying to delve past the secrets of the first plane of arrays and formation for many years, and it was today that he saw the peak he had dreamed of finding, the peak of the First Plane.
What surprised him even more was the fact that [Severance] had a multitude of different arrays and formations for different Lu's and scenarios, alongside the option to pick between formations and arrays on all paths.
A huge smile covered his face as he saw the peak of first planar arrays and formations, finally, he had a method of learning methods beyond himself.
Valerio lost himself to the runes of the array version of [Isolate], a smaller component of [Severance] meant to serve as a beginning step. The sun and the moon switched places, yet the runes being drawn from Valerio's Spiritual Lu always remained constant. His fingers danced around the air, creating awe-inspiring prisms and structures, only for them to be swatted away and rebuilt slightly differently. A familiar annoyance searched through Valerio's meat dryers for many days on end, silently retreating everytime with lifeless small hops.
It was only 120 hours later that Valerio's momentum came to an end, an entire 5 days having passed since his rise to the second plane and rapid fall to the first.
Valerio was absolutely amazed, not in the breakthrough he had made in the last 5 days, but instead at the state of mind he had entered. It wasn't as if Valerio had never reached a flow state where he only focused on a singular task in his life. He entered such a state very consistently while studying and practising, whether it be formation and arrays, crafting or his martials arts practise as a child. However it seemed that cultivating only made the feeling more exaggerated.
It was euphoric.
He could still feel it, that absolute concentration where nothing else mattered, where it was just his thoughts and body. The world had seemed to slow down around him as if bowing to his majesty, as his fingers intertwined and flew across the air, forming runes of various intricacies. It was beautiful. He could easily see himself getting addicted, was this what it felt to fight? To be forced to focus on a single goal, survival? How much more euphoric would the feeling of "flow" be if he had no choice but to stay in it?
Valerio had, of course, fought before, alas, he could only be considered a fraudulent fighter. Having fought many times yet never truly risked his life, his spars in Luminara had always had his safety ensured and the beasts he had fought over the last few weeks had been mortal beasts. They couldn't contest the raw strength of a cultivator at all.
Valerio called forth some of his Void Lu, his hand glowing in a dark blue sheen.
"[Isolate]" a soft whisper echoed as Spiritual Lu left Valerio's soul sea and started intertwining around his hand. A gorgeous pattern started forming, runes shaped as Spiritual Lu took root in the air and started reorganising itself like an extremely complicated jigsaw puzzle being solved in a sped up time-lapse. As the lines of Spiritual Lu came to a slow halt, the final pieces took their places, the lu transforming into a dark gold colour as soon as the formation was completed. The final result was an impossibly complicated cuboid array around Valerio's hand, its runes glowed a beautiful dark gold and shimmered in bright white colours.
The small bit of Void Lu enveloping Valerio's hand started moving erratically, small spikes of Void Lu erratically protruding from his hand, yet instead of worry, Valerio's face only filled with more and more anticipation. Soon enough, the Void Lu returned to a dormant state, at least on the surface. To Valerio, it was a different story. He could feel it so clearly, the property of his Lu. Just as he had cast the array, Valerio had focused on the devouring aspect of the void, hoping to test if the array worked.
Valerio waved his hand in the air and firmly nodded to himself as if congratulating himself on his own work, he was content that the array wasn't so fragile. And so Valerio placed his palm on the ground, the array floating above the back of his hand. As soon as his hand touched the ground, he felt the solid ground push back his arm, each force had to have an equal and opposite reaction after all. Soon however, his hand started moving downwards, burrowing into the earth. Small strands of Neutral Lu diffused from the small crater his hand was forming.
The Void Lu was solely focused on devouring, eradicating the earth below his hand and purifying it into Neutral Lu.
'What interesting… technique?'
Valerio reminded himself of the profound impact that choosing a path with one's Lu could have. To see an array or formation emulate the very essence of these paths was nothing short of revolutionary. Yet, he noticed his control over the isolated Void Lu within the array paled compared to his normal Void Lu. Still, the implications were staggering—how much easier would it be to analyze and comprehend the intricate behaviors of various Lus? How swiftly could he test his hypotheses and advance his understanding?
A glance at the array confirmed its limitations. It required constant energy to maintain, and the once solid, graceful cuboid was now almost entirely transparent. Valerio dismissed the array, allowing it to fade away, and turned back to his earlier thoughts.
His parents had often stressed the importance of understanding one's path and comprehending its intricacies. The memory of one of those lessons surfaced in his mind, vivid and bittersweet. Valerio's eyes softened as the scene played out in his head, so real it felt as if he were there again. He longed to see her face, even if just for a fleeting moment, the ache in his chest a poignant reminder of the uncertainties of their wellbeing.
'Though dad would never allow anything to happen to mom… right?'