roadtomastery

Chapter 557: A Monster for Another

Here we fucking go!!!!

This is it, guys. The grand finale. Five chapters coming back to back, all the way to the epilogue. See you at the end, and enjoy!!!

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The green light pulsed. It turned into a beam and drove itself into the chest of a human standing nearby, too small for anyone to notice so far. He wore dirty clothes and had yellowed teeth, his hair disheveled. As the light entered him, his aura grew, quickly expanding from the early A-Grade all the way to the Archon...

Chapter 556: The Spirit of Cultivators

The war had slammed on its brakes. Two Greater Gods and Axelor stared down the Heaven Immortal’s enhanced form—a bunch of titans about to clash. Compared to their overwhelming auras, even A-Grades felt inconsequential, and Archons couldn’t help a deep sense of inferiority.

Jack shook his head as he spectated from a distance. Even if he went all-out, he couldn't even come close to these beings. He couldn’t even beat one of the extreme Archon lesser gods from before. Axelor was a ...

Chapter 555: Praise the Immortals

Sup bros! I was doing a lot of editing today, and I added two new scenes/descriptions you might want to know. The first is when Jack wants to join the Archon war council before the final war. In the original version, they just let him in, but I crafted a nice little scene where Archon One Fist tests him instead -- which proves to be a terrible idea.

The second thing I added was a brief description of the Old Gods when they're reintroduced right before Jack's duel with Hero.

These ...

Chapter 554: High-Level Chaos

Happy new week bros! Welcome to the finale.

Cheers to a great week!

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Rory looked askance at the two armies and ten Gods who’d just popped into existence. He glanced back at the black hole, where the twelve runic pillars had been destroyed. The Sage appeared beside him.

“Elder Sage,” Rory said in a shaky voice, “what do we do?”

The Sage carried a calm smile. “This is unfortunate,” he said, “but I have a feeling everything will work out. How abou...

Grand Finale and Then What?

Happy new week bros!

As I've mentioned, we've approached the grand finale, so this is the final week of Road to Mastery. I'll post a chapter as normal today, tomorrow, and on Wednesday, then a batch of 5 or so chapters on Thursday (I'd previously said Friday, but it's Thursday) to wrap things up. If this seems too short, don't worry! Most of these chapters are longer than usual, and everything will have time to reach a satisfying resolution. No rushing.

For the 3$ and 5$ tiers, I'...

Chapter 553: What it Means to Be a Hero

Happy new month bros!

Ok so listen. There won't be a chapter tomorrow, BUT there will be a bunch of chapters next week as we reach the end of the book and the end of the series. Next week, the posting schedule will continue as normal until Friday, when I release all remaining chapters at once. I'm really happy with what I've written, and I think you will be as well.

Enjoy the chapter, and your weekend, and see you next week for the grand finale!

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The black hole’s ...

Chapter 552: Jack vs. Hero

Rory Pickleman was a late B-Grade Envoy of the Black Hole Church. His strength wasn’t anything special, but he cultivated the Dao of Simple Honesty, making him perfect for carrying out top-secret missions. That was why he, alone, had been chosen to accompany the Sage into the old Ancient galaxy where Enas was imprisoned. A huge honor, as well as a huge responsibility.

I have to admit it’s going pretty well so far, Rory thought, sitting on the tea table they had prepared bef...

Chapter 551: Going to War

The Sage hovered in pitch-black darkness. He’d been here for several months, preparing the ritual to free Enas—his sole equipment being twelve columns, each twelve-sided and inscribed with runic symbols. Despite their simplicity, their every rune had been carved by past Archons, containing enough total power to contest the laws around a real black hole.

They didn’t need to destroy it, anyway.

Having placed the columns and connected them with green Dao tethers, the Sage stood...

Chapter 550: Wine Night

Jack, Vivi, and Ebele were having a picnic on a lush hill. This wasn’t Jack main body, of course, but they shared a soul. He knew that the main body had just reentered the universe.

“How’s school going, Ebele?” he asked.

“It’s perfect!” she replied, stuffing herself with brioche bread. Crumbs rained on the blanket below. “My friends are all doing as great as I am, so we can be in the same classes. Norton got into coredust, however—I can see how it gives him energ...

Chapter 549: Final War Council

The gathered people each reacted differently to his and Brock’s calmness. The Arch Priestess raised a brow. A bald man in a tight yellow uniform gave an intrigued half-smile—he seemed oddly familiar—while a completely naked, stunningly beautiful woman nodded in appreciation. Little clouds covered her private areas. In a corner, Great Silver gave them a deep nod—the monster Overlord had teleported in instead of parading to avoid spooking the crowds.

“Welcome,” the Arch Priest...

Chapter 548: Return With a Bang

Bobo leaned over his starship’s door to peek at the portal to the Space Monster World. It had been a while since lightning stopped falling. The portal was slowly repairing itself—its defenses had held—but the surrounding space was much worse off. All ambient Dao had been sucked dry for endless light years around it. The heavenly tribulation must have been cataclysmic.

Thankfully, that wasn’t anything Bobo needed to worry about. He was just a little B-Grade scout of the Church, s...

Chapter 547: Safe Time to Fail

A woman stalked through the grass. She looked to be in her early twenties, with dark skin, darker hair, and eyes the color of amber. Her lithe body was covered in green leather armor, painted with yellow splashes to fit into the terrain, while her hands held a flexible spear.

Ebele’s ears twitched. She fell to the ground, crawling the last few feet. A thick tree stood in front of her. She grabbed the bark and peeked from its side, her eyes catching the glint of metal. Vertical bars sa...

Chapter 546: Nothing Creepy About a Stone Daddy

They walked into the third room, more out of curiosity than anything. To their surprise, it was almost empty. The only feature was a pedestal in the middle, around which was drawn an intricate magic circle. A single pebble stood on the pedestal. The moment they entered, the pebble cracked open to reveal a mouth, and its booming voice washed over them.

“Welcome, monsters! Experience my three trials of Will to—”

“Franky?” the Stone’s voice echoed in Jack’s min...

Chapter 545: Exiting Seclusion

Fourteen years ago, soon after Jack entered the Space Monster World…

Sovereign Heavenly Spoon lay sprawled over a soft chair. His mouth was a hard line. Calculations flashed through his eyes. All across the windows surrounding him, endless stars twinkled, the heralds of tiny days in endless night. Their colors could awe any mortal mind. Yet, the Sovereign was lost in thought, the starry view all too familiar. The darkness in his mind was greater than that outside the starship...

Chapter 544: A-Grade

As his inner world and his flesh body tried to coexist, Jack felt himself strained. For a moment, he thought he’d die. Understanding arrived then.

He had an idea. In an instant, amidst the warring realities of his body and inner world, he knew what to do. And, to achieve it, he needed tremendous amounts of energy.

The inner world and his body were fiercely attacking each other—both of which were tempered to the extreme. Their cataclysmic clashes were suppressed by Jack’s Dao...

Chapter 543: Universe of the Body

Happy new week, bros. Let's fucking go!!

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Jack surveyed his inner world. The matter previously created had forged a solar system, with his fist as the sun and various planets circling it. In the accelerated time of his inner world, Jack had already seen these planets go through a series of geological changes to settle on a somewhat more stable state.

Of course, these changes weren’t the exact same as what Earth had gone through. His Dao and the universe’s were subtly ...

Chapter 542: Peak B-Grade

It's my birthday today! As a present to myself, I will give you guys a couple of excellent chapters on Monday and Tuesday (and spend the weekend with my friends at a cottage.)

I wish you a great weekend, and enjoy!

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The world creation Dao Vision remained hard to untangle. Jack was stumped. He was convinced that the level of his Dao understanding rivaled that of most Archons by now. Yet, even after seeing the Vision a thousand times, even after comprehending the individual...

Chapter 541: Improving Skills

Jack walked into the Dao chamber of the Hall of Trials’ seventh floor. He could scarcely believe it. He’d come all the way here, to a foreign world filled with monsters, and earned the right to their top inheritances. The kind that no one in history had ever seen before.

His steps through the room were slow, reverent even. Over a hundred crystal spheres lined the shelves on the wall. Each contained insights to one or several Daos—it was a tremendous wealth of knowledge.

Of c...

Chapter 540: Spoils of Battle

The seventh floor of the Hall of Trials was silent, as if paying homage to the victory just struck.

Jack and Brock were panting, yet smiling. They’d just worked together to beat an Overlord. A suppressed Overlord, sure, but an Overlord regardless. They had, for a moment, stepped into the highest stage of the universe.

Jack’s grin touched his ears. “Can you believe how far we’ve come, Brock?” he asked.

“There is still a lot to go, bro. But… We did good. Congratu...

Chapter 539: Fighting Overlord

Jack and Brock faced Overlord Fiend King in a pyramid floating in the middle of the sky. It would have been shocking if it wasn’t as dangerous.

Fiend King laughed. “You and what army?” he asked. “I don’t know how you got here, but this is where your journey ends. Go back. Don’t throw your lives away.”

“We got here the right way. By earning the qualifications,” Jack said.

Fiend King’s laughter was cut short. “You were classified as Eternal?”

“T...

Chapter 538: Overlords in Action

After passing through the broken doors, Jack and Brock entered the final floor of the Hall of Trials. It was the reward they’d justly earned, now usurped by others.

A scene of pillage welcomed them. The room behind the gate must have once been grand and majestic. Murals used to cover the walls, painted with colors of the Dao itself and punctuated with gems. Golden statues stood at the back, depicting the eleven Old Gods besides Enas, while a massive empty throne rose against a sidewal...

Chapter 537: Ascending to the Seventh Floor

Happy Monday bros! Enjoy!

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The energy over the pyramid had reached a crescendo. Great Silver and Fiend King chanted into the sky, the darkness above them roiling in huge waves, powerful Daos surging. The hiding enchantment had long been broken. If any disciples had remained outside the pyramid, they would easily be able to see what was happening at this point—and they’d probably run far away.

In fact, the energy undulations were so massive that the entire Dark Canal w...

Chapter 536: Speaking with God

Bonus release, woohoo!

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Jack and Axelor rested on a piece of stone floating through the endless, colorful void. The Hall of Trials could teleport them back anytime, but Axelor had temporarily suppressed its functions. The dark man gazed at Jack, who lay sprawled on his back, a triumphant grin spread across his face.

“You know it’s uncouth to lay down in the presence of a God,” he said.

“I just kicked your ass—I can lay however I want. Besides, you’re not...

Chapter 535: Fighting Entropy

Remember, bonus release tomorrow!

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Jack didn’t panic. His punches couldn’t reach the enemy, but that was fine—throughout his many years of fighting, he’d developed some versatility. He had more ways to harm opponents than ramming his knuckles up their nose.

Think, he told himself.

The opponent wasn’t omnipotent. If he could just spread out his aura of entropy to cover the entire room, Jack would age and die. The only reason he hadn’t done it yet...

Chapter 534: Test of Combat

On the first floor of the Hall of Trials, the watching monsters were still debating what Eternal could mean. Most participants had already finished and been spat out by the stele, with only Strawpin, Fiend Prince, and Starhair remaining. The presence of more monsters only intensified the debate.

“Look, they’re done with the second test!” someone cried out. Everyone turned to look at the stele—two names dominated the very top of the second column, both burning with golden letters...

Chapter 533: Test of Will

Another great release completed! We once again reached the top 100 Kindle rankings, all because of you guys. I appreciate it. To celebrate, there will be a bonus Sunday release this week. Yay!

Enjoy the chapter bros!

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Jack struggled to find his breath. Across from him, the automaton waited. “Are you ready to proceed?” it asked.

“Wait!” Jack said. “You called my test result Eternal. What does that mean?”

“It is the highest possible classification....

Chapter 532: Test of Dao

I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite chapters ever. It felt so epic to write. Enjoy!

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Jack materialized in a different hall. This one was also made of stone, but was noticeably far smaller. Barely a hundred feet separated the floor from the ceiling, while another hundred spanned between the right to left and front to back walls. The entire room was a box a hundred feet to each side, giving no indication of its position inside the pyramid.

Jack’s perception...

Triple Book Release!?

Gather round bros because Big Bro Valerios has a story for you. Once upon a time, I released an ebook and two audiobooks today, so please give them some love ❤️ This is the critical hype-building moment! I'll even try to add in a bonus release in the weekend as thanks.

Also, check out that Picasso-level masterpiece of a cover!

Ebook 5: https://www.amazon.com/...

Chapter 531: Hall of Trials

The fourth audiobook just got released!! Check it out, and support please!

Just make sure you save some support for the fifth ebook coming to Kindle AND Audible tomorrow. Talk about rapid releases. We're about to party!

https://www.audible.com/pd/Road-to-Mastery-4-Audiobook/B0DFMMTZJJ

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Great Silver and Fiend King hovered on two sides of the pyramid. Powerful enc...

Chapter 530: Reaching the Hall

Happy new week bros! The fourth audiobook releases tomorrow and the fifth ebook the day after, so it's gonna be busy.

Enjoy!

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The disciple group exited the dirt island area very different from when they entered. Brock’s strength had surged upward. All six Elders were gone, their cores long absorbed. In their place, Jack and Brock now led the group, with everyone else flying behind them.

Starhair, of course, also enjoyed everyone’s respect. His strength was enoug...