The storm was still ongoing. If anything, it had gotten even stronger.
“Come back here!” the turtler deacon roared, shooting sideways through the sky like a confused comet. His presence was a bright beacon at the edges of Jack’s Dao perception.
Jack didn’t reply. His full attention was devoted to running faster, to bending the air before him through the Dao of the Fist and achieving just that little bit of extra speed. His entire body felt devoid of energy, his Dao Tree wa...
2023-09-29 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Thunder boomed in the distant clouds. Lightning crackled, illuminating the profiles of the eight cultivators after Jack. Six of them gazed at him warily; the elef healer stood at the very back, while the leading leonine’s body was wrapped in lightning, his fur standing and his muscles ready to explode with power.
The leonine dashed.
The air shivered in his wake. The winds parted. Sonic booms carved the forest underneath as the leonine instantly appeared before Jack, who raised h...
2023-09-28 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Jack raised his gaze to the cloudy sky. Thick droplets of rain started falling before the enemy cultivators even arrived—first one and then many, they rained over Jack, drenching his hair and robes.
He ignored them, taking in a greedy breath of air to fill his lungs. Water was the least of his problems right now.
The cultivators were here.
Eleven forms rose over Jack, looking down at him from a greater height. The rain didn’t bother them; their long hair and fur were mat...
2023-09-27 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Hey all,
A couple edit changes for you. The first is small. As some great readers pointed out last chapter, Jack has ninety million credits, not ten. He got those when he defeated the centaur prison guard and the treant bounty hunter in Derion, just before reaching the Exploding Sun.
The second change is pretty big. As pointed out by an impressively attentive reader, Shol had mentioned the name of his master during the Integration Tournament---and it was Huali, not Sophina. Theref...
2023-09-26 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Shorter chapter today, but there will be some long ones starting tomorrow. Enjoy!
---
Artus Emberheart opened his eyes when someone knocked on his door. Of course, he’d sensed them coming; his Dao perception stretched for a hundred miles around.
“Come in,” he commanded, and the door opened soundlessly.
“Warden,” the leonine who entered saluted him humbly. “I have a report on the missing teams.”
“Speak.”
“More of them disappeared. We’ve...
2023-09-25 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Jack faced down the three remaining inner disciples.
A turtler predictably focusing on defense. A bearfolk who looked like an all-around physical fighter. Finally, a sharken specializing in speed.
The Animal Kingdom traditionally focused on Physical cultivators. By taking care of the mage early on, Jack had assured that all remaining enemies were the Physical kind, which meant they needed to get up-close and personal. That way, not only did they fight him where he excelled, but he...
2023-09-23 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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By the way, if you want to buy some of the D&D one-shots my team is making at a premium price, check out our new bundles!
Sheep, Goblin, Dragon
Temple, Underworld, Dinosaurs
---
Jack hid in the foliage. He’d smudged dirt on his face and ...
2023-09-22 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Jack and Shol sat on two branches of a high tree like birds who’d grown tired of having wings. Their mood was somber.
“Hell is a large planet,” Shol explained. “Several times larger than your Earth. It is only used as a prison and an elite training ground, which results in it being very sparsely inhabited. Ninety-nine percent of the surface is untamed wilderness.”
“So we have room to play,” Jack replied, nodding. “Any idea how to find Dordok?”
“That’s t...
2023-09-21 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Juliet drove her hoe into the ground, plowing it easily. It felt fake. Even five months after the Integration, she still struggled to adjust to her new powers, as did most people.
“Done already, Juliet?” another woman called out.
“Almost! Just one more line!” Juliet shouted back, her voice easily reaching the next field over. She took a moment to catch her breath before continuing. The cold winds of February broke helplessly against her bare arms, not even stinging. The fr...
2023-09-20 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Hell looked pretty nice, actually.
As Jack and his trusty crate were spat out of teleportation, his Dao perception caught glimpses of tall, lush trees, and chirping birds, and grass all over. To be fair, I don’t know what I was expecting. Flaming cauldrons?
Almost immediately, however, his attention homed in on the people around him. A steady workforce of cultivators was moving crates from the teleporter to a starship parked just to the side. Jack’s crate, too, was pi...
2023-09-19 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Hey, I have great news! Not story related, but personal. I finally presented my thesis, which means I've got my Master's in Data Science! I've had it ready for a year, actually, but finding the examination committee was a major pain in the butt.
That means I have nothing to disturb me from writing an awesome arc. I'm really excited for this, so enjoy!
---
The Eternal Gate was as dead as Derion, the poison planet, except in a different way.
As soon as Jack arrived, he n...
2023-09-18 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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The sky flickered with red and purple gasses in the far distance, as if the clouds had retreated deep into space. Under that sky, Sophina’s estate was serene. Creeks pulsed with water, plinking as it fell from stone to stone, while small animals darted left and right, coexisting with the many servants and cultivators wandering the premises.
Jack took a deep breath. This would be the last time he saw this place in a long while—if ever. He hadn’t even managed to fill his cellar…bu...
2023-09-16 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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The bromobile landed on an empty patch of ground near the town gates. The door slid open in a puff of steam; a man walked out, then raised his hand, and the entire starship shrank and flew into his sleeve.
“The Outer Planet,” Jack said to himself, inspecting the walls and gates that any immortal could just fly over. He cracked a smile. “Almost nostalgic.”
He had met with his master and watched a supernova erupt. He had visited the library and equipped himself for the peril...
2023-09-15 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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The return trip was quick. Within a minute of recovering, Jack found himself in the mountaintop mansion, where a large meal was already prepared for him. There were sparkling steaks, rich salads, pies and fruit and cheese of all kinds.
Jack gaped. “This is all for me!?” he asked.
“Of course it is,” Sophina replied. “You used up a lot of energy just now. These are all products of D-Grade beasts. A single of these steaks would be enough to sustain an army of F-Grades for a...
2023-09-14 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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We're back!! Chapters will come Monday to Saturday as normal, and enjoy!
---
As Jack was discussing with Shol, Master’s Sophina voice rang in his head, suddenly calling him over.
“Wait,” he told Shol, “Master just summoned me.”
“She did?” The monk’s eyes widened. “That’s unusual. Get to it, then. It wouldn’t do to leave our master waiting.”
“Alright. Should we meet here in, say, six hours?”
“Yes. See you then.”
“See y...
2023-09-13 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys!
My break was supposed to last until today, but I got sick after DragonCon and couldn't really work until yesterday. As a result, I couldn't plan/create a backlog as I had planned to, so with your permission, I will delay posting for another two days. This is a small amount of time, but the leeway it gives me is crucial to maintaining the story quality as high as I can.
However, since I'm already here, let me give you a little tease: The image you see in this post is the ...
2023-09-11 11:31:23 +0000 UTC
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“Your gamble was devious,” Shol said as he and Jack entered the cabin. His mood was impossible to read; he could have been furious, relieved, or both.
“I didn’t see much choice,” Jack replied calmly.
“So you took things upon yourself and bet the master’s success on your strength.”
“I have confidence in winning.”
“Of course you have. Especially with all the support you will now undoubtedly get.”
Jack gave him a straight look; not challengin...
2023-08-12 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Everyone else must have understood the same thing, but Sophina simply frowned and replied, “Your disciple is a hundred levels over Jack. It would be like a human slapping a mosquito.”
“It’s not about victory. It’s about seeing how far Jack can push my disciple before losing. Plus…considering what happened to my other disciple, Dan Bolon, this Jack of yours seems to enjoy battling.”
Sophina frowned. Obviously, she wasn’t considering whether to accept or decline this...
2023-08-11 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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“The pleasure is all mine, Sophina,” Monsoon replied, standing in the skies above her estate. “I just heard you’ve gotten a new batch of million-leaf tea. I couldn’t stop myself from coming to get a taste!”
“Of course, a pot of million-leaf tea is nothing before such a distinguished guest,” she replied diplomatically, not inviting him to her manor. “However, I am not used to Elder Monsoon visiting me for such a trivial matter. Is there something else, too?”
Mon...
2023-08-10 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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When Jack awoke, he was lying face-first on his cellar floor. The air around him thrummed with the Dao of the Fist, while the Dao Magnet stood silently beside him.
He stood slowly, grabbing his head. “Ugh.” He groaned. “Not my best morning.”
A splitting headache was tormenting him. It felt like Brock had taken a sledgehammer and went to town on the inside of Jack’s skull. Moreover, there was a persistent, piercing pain above his right eye, where it always hurt if he thou...
2023-08-09 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Gan Salin ducked under an arrow, letting it whistle over his head until it smashed into a tree far behind. He coiled himself and sprang forward, his momentum carrying him over a fallen branch and into a roll, dodging a second arrow. The third found him in the shin, ricocheting off his ogre-leather armor and pushing him back.
“Ouch!” he exclaimed. “Take this! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”
He split into three clones and attacked.
He didn’t really split into three. He just ...
2023-08-08 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Jack sank into his soul world.
The scenery here had changed since he reached the D-Grade. This used to be a field under a blue sky, stretching as far as the eye could see and with a light breeze constantly caressing the grass. Jack found it soothing.
Now, the field, grass, and breeze remained, but there was no sky. He could see straight into space, a black dome interspersed with a thousand tiny stars. Their light was ample, however, and their illumination gentle. Instead of making...
2023-08-07 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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The Dao of Space was slippery and abstract. It was obtuse, mystical, and complex. Far more difficult to comprehend than the simpler Daos of the Fist, of Indomitable Will, of Power, or of Weakness.
Those were concepts based on emotions. They had equivalents in everyday life, making them easy to relate to.
But how could one understand space?
Jack dove into the concept with zeal. He relived the Dao Vision time and time again, until the vampire woman’s face became familiar and...
2023-08-05 17:37:00 +0000 UTC
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Jack floated in space. He was an incorporeal ghost, a figment of imagination that may or may not be real.
Endless darkness surrounded him on all sides. Stars shimmered in the distance, so far away that even an immortal’s lifetime wouldn’t be enough to approach them. The silence was almost deafening.
In this endless void, one figure stood alone. It was a woman with eyes the color of sunset and dark robes that floated soulessly in the absence of air. Her skin was pale, her featu...
2023-08-04 17:36:02 +0000 UTC
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I forgot the level-up notifications last chapter. Jack got two levels to reach Level 146, and he invested all twenty free points evenly into the Physical substats.
Enjoy the chapter!
---
As Jack flew over the estate, news of his victory over Dan Bolon had already begun to spread. Servants pointed up at him with reverence, like he was a famous footballer, while many immortals nodded deeply at him as he passed.
“Would you look at that,” Jack said to himself midair, ...
2023-08-03 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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A cloud of dust covered the crater, and that was a good thing, because Jack’s body was mostly broken. Dan Bolon’s attack had been stronger than he expected. His ribcage was bent, multiple organs had been punctured, and he was unable to breathe. The world was swimming before his eyes, and even maintaining his consciousness was a tough task.
Then again, that wasn’t too bad. Strong immortals had the power to demolish entire mountains. Jack had only survived the impact because of the ...
2023-08-02 17:37:00 +0000 UTC
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The restaurant went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. Jack met the man’s hard eyes and replied, “So what if I am?”
The other man may have been infuriated, but at the end of the day, he remained an immortal. He wasn’t an idiot.
They were thirty-seven levels apart. In his eyes, that was an insurmountable difference. Therefore, Jack must have had some trick up his sleeve.
But what could it be? Jack had just insulted him so hard that now they had to fight....
2023-08-01 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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Hey all, I come with news!
First of all, I will be at DragonCon! It's a massive fantasy conference in Atlanta, Georgia, between the 31st of August and 4th of September. There will be many other litrpg authors as well, and I will be doing book signings at Aethon's booth.
If any of you are there, come say hi!
The other news is that Road to Mastery 2 will come to Kindle earlier than expected. The release date of November 28 has been moved up by an entire three months, to August...
2023-08-01 09:50:37 +0000 UTC
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A peaceful little chapter to start the week.
---
Stripe City looked just as its name indicated. A thin stripe of architecture shoved in between two mountains, extending for at least five miles in length and maybe one in width. It was nowhere near the size of the bustling metropolises of Outer Planet, but it remained a respectably sized city.
“Wow,” Jack said, gazing at it from afar. “Transportation must be hell there.”
“It’s alright. There are great lanes f...
2023-07-31 17:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Remember Auburn? The guy that Jack sparred with before? He's not a guy anymore. She's a girl. Always has been, and if you remember something different, you probably got it wrong.
This is not for love interest purposes, but for gender balance and to enhance some interactions I have planned. Auburn being a girl just works better.
I understand this will be a bit jarring at first, but you'll get used to it in a flash. Thank you for your understanding, and enjoy the chapter!
---<...
2023-07-29 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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