Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 113: E-Grade Cultivation

Jack felt space solidify around him. Another successful warp had just ended. With a deep breath of relief, he looked inside himself.

It had already been a week since he boarded the Trampling Ram. In that time, they had met no other starships, planets, or any sort of civilization. They were alone in an endless void, light years away from anything else that could speak, with only each other as company.

Jack did not dislike it. He had used this time to finally relax and inspect everything new about him. There was plenty.

He had transformed a Dao Root into a Dao Seed. He had broken through to the E-Grade. He had gotten a new Dao Vision. He had finally achieved his fighting style Dao Skill. His body had been enhanced tremendously, and he had overall ascended to an entirely new level.

The Dao Seed was the most intimate change. Before, his Dao Rootsthe Fist and Indomitable Willhad been two dots of power hovering inside his soul. He pictured them as small collections of mist floating through an otherwise empty jar.

Now, one of them had spread to encompass the entire jar. In evolving, the Dao of the Fist had seeped into every nook and cranny of Jacks soul, becoming a perfect whole with him. This greatly increased his aptitude with that particular Dao, and it also enhanced the power of the Dao Seed itself.

However, Jack remained himself. He and the Fist were one, but the Fist had no mind of its own, only power. Power that Jack could harness.

Or, at least, it usually didnt have a mind. Jack felt like hed struck a bargain with a devil. The power stayed inside him, perfectly dormant, but it started becoming upset the farther he strayed from its path. If he suddenly started acting as a weakling, not keeping the promise he had made to the Fist during the breakthrough, his Dao would weaken.

On the other hand, while he remained loyal to the Dao of the Fist, its power felt easy and malleable, and further breakthroughs were just outside his reach.

The Dao Root of Indomitable Will still hovered inside his soul. Now that he had fused with the Dao Root of the Fist, he could sense that the Indomitable Will was used ineffectively. He was just calling upon it when needed, but the connection between them could be far more intimate, far more efficient.

Jack was certain that he could truly connect with the Dao Root of Indomitable Will, but only if he found the perfect way in which it fit with the Fist. Once that perfect fusion was achieved, the Dao Root of Indomitable Will would become a part of the Dao Seed of the Fist, and his power would rise yet again.

That was the way through the E-Grade. One had to forge as many Dao Roots as they desired, then connect them all to their Dao Seed. Only when the seed and roots were fully connected could the Dao Tree sprout.

Of course, the more Dao Roots one had, the stronger they would be. But power came with a price. Even if you reached the peak of the E-GradeLevel 124you couldnt advance to the D-Grade unless you connected all Dao Roots to your Dao Seed. And connecting them was difficult. Therefore, one had to choose the perfect number of Dao Roots.

One root was the minimum, of course.

Moreover, every Dao Root carried a tremendous risk. Not all Dao Roots could connect with all Dao Seeds. In fact, most couldnt. A cultivator had to be extremely careful in what Dao Roots they chose to cultivate, as very few could achieve a perfect fusion with the Dao Seed, and a single unfusable one would doom them to forever remain at the E-Grade.

For that reason, most D-Grades only had one Dao Rootand their Dao Seed, of course. Those with two were considered elites even amongst immortals. Those with three were hailed as prodigies. And in the galaxys million-year history, there had only been a handful of people who advanced to the D-Grade with four Dao Roots.

Nobody had ever achieved five.

The compatibility between a Dao Seed and the various Dao Roots was the most important reason why factions and masters were crucial. Every persons Dao was unique, but if you walked a well-documented path, you would have a measure of knowledge in what Dao Roots were and werent suitable for you.

For example, Rufus Emberheart cultivated the same Dao of Supremacy that his entire family did. Their Dao Roots were recorded in secret archives. By perusing them, he could see what Dao Roots worked for other holders of the same Daothey would have a good chance of working for him, too.

Jack didnt have that luxury. The Exploding Sun must have had records on previous holders of the Dao of the Fist, since that bald man from his first Dao Vision was Master Shols ancestor, but he had no way to contact them. Apparently, neither did they.

Therefore, Jack was alone in uncharted waters, and he had to carve a perfect route on the first try. One mistake would be enough to completely sever his future. He had to be very careful.

Which was bad news, because he was also in a terrible hurry. He only had one year to fight the C-Grade Planetary Overseer.

Of course, he could also find some other way to rescue his people, but there was no guarantee it would work. As nice as Captain Dordok seemed, Jack doubted he would risk himself, his ship, and his entire crew to oppose the Animal Kingdom just for Jacks sake.

Not to mention that Dordok visiting Earth would break the Star Pact, which would give the Planetary Overseer an excuse to act herself.

Therefore, Jacks best bet was to become as strong as possible while keeping an eye out for other opportunities. And, since he already had the Dao Root of Indomitable Will, he figured that he might as well start with that.

The second thing he really itched to do was explore his new Dao Vision, but he figured that could wait a bit. It would teach him things, and he wanted to stabilize before expanding.

However, he had been working on connecting his Dao Root for the past week, to little effect. This time was no different. He had let his thoughts wander instead of concentrating.

If cultivating was easy, everyone would do it.

Jack opened his eyes, sighing. Perhaps it is time he thought, touching the back of his left thigh. His secret pocket was there, where he kept the Dao Soul, among other things. He took it out and stared at it.

It was a purple, plate-shaped gem that could easily fit in Jacks hand. It seemed normal at first glance. At the second, it was anything but. Two thick lines swam inside it like eels, one black and the other white, cutting circles around each other. It reminded him of the yin-yang sign.

And it was damn frustrating.

The Dao Soul was one of Jacks rewards for winning the Integration Tournament. He was sure that it was precious. However, he still hadnt found a way to use it. The head judges description had been vague, and the System description wasnt helping either.

Dao Soul

The crystallized essence of the Dao. Dao Souls are formed in places where the presence of the Dao is so thick that it congeals. Over millions of years, it forms a rudimentary conscience that is extremely sensitive to the Dao.

They are very precious.

He sighed. That was nice, but it didnt tell him how to use it. For the millionth time, he recalled the head judges description:

The Dao Soul is a mystical item said to split ones soul into two. It can help a cultivator practice their Dao against themselves, rising their cultivation speed tremendously. Ingesting it takes time.

That was all she had said. Ingesting it takes time.

But how much? Jack asked himself, exasperated. And how am I supposed to know!?

He had half a mind to smash it, hoping that would work, but what if it didnt? He didnt want to waste such a valuable resource. Plus, if smashing it was the answer, the head judge wouldnt say it needed time.

Then again, nothing changes the more I wait. Maybe I should smash the gem and be done with it.

He toyed with the idea. He wouldnt actually do it, but thinking about it was fun.

With a sigh, he slid the Dao Soul back into his pocket and closed his eyes to cultivate again. A blaring siren howling over his head made him jump so fast that his head met the ceiling.

Son of a he exclaimed. What the hell!?

Jared. Can you hear me? Come to the main room immediately, captain Dordoks voice reached his ears.

Grumbling, Jack stood up. He was alone in the cargo hold; a large, mostly empty room that served as his. He had fashioned a hammock at the back with some rope Bomn had given him.

All thoughts of cultivation put aside, Jack opened his door to reach the exit room, then another to enter the main corridor. He climbed the stairs and opened a third door that led to the main room. He hurried through them allhe was a part of the crew now, and when the captain called, he should not tarry.

Captain Dordok was waiting for him alone in the middle of the main room, surrounded by stars in all directions. The scenery still awed Jack, but he snapped out of it. So did Brock, who had followed Jack.

Theres another monster approaching us, the captain said with a smile, and this time, its a weak one. A baby, lets say; perfect for our weakest member.

Which is me.

Which is you.

Space monsters were pretty common, apparently. It was already the third they met in a week.

They were amalgamations of the Dao formed spontaneously in space. They came in various colors, and their forms werent always steady. Most were barely conscious blobs of power. The best they could do was summon tentacle-like appendages and try to consume anything that came near them radiating the power of the Dao.

According to captain Dordok, these monsters grew in stability and intelligence the stronger they goteither by time or by consuming Dao sources. D-Grade space monsters had a stable physical form. C-Grade ones were allegedly able to communicate.

Of course, higher Grade monsters were exceedingly rare in System space. All the ones theyd met were E-Grade, and naturally, they could never threaten the Trampling Ram. Captain Dordok alone could dispatch them easily.

But he didnt.

Every time, he would gauge the monsters strength and send out the most appropriate crewmember to face it. Claimed it was good practice.

Of the previous three monsters, Vashter had taken two. The third was pretty strong, forcing Bomn the minotaur to face it. It hadnt even been a battle. Bomn roared as he rose his greataxe, its edge shining with a piercing red light, and then he slashed it down. The monster had been seared into two equal halves.

Now, the fourth monster showed up, and it was finally Jacks turn.

Its coming fast from below. We have half a minute. Wear this and go through the exit, captain Dordok said, tossing Jack a large helmet. It resembled a fish bowl. It wasnt airtight, but it had been enchanted to protect its wearer from space for a short period of time. According to the captain, it was standard equipment for all starships, space-warping or not.

Wizards could do amazing things.

Jack put it on, sensing the thin film that spread to cover his whole body. Brock cheered. Captain Dordok laughed. Vlossana burst through the door, eager to watch the fight and flashing him a bright smile.

Jack opened the leftmost door at the end of the main room and came face-to-face with a window looking into space. There was no glass; all that protected the ship was a thin film stretched over the opening, similar to the one produced by Jacks helmet.

He took a deep breath and jumped out. It was his first time in bare space.

Before he could admire the sensation, a Dao-powered shriek crossed space to fill his ears, and three tentacles swept at him from below.