roadtomastery

Chapter 415: Returning to the Milky Way

Bobby Dickinson was a human of Earth-179, member of the Wide Swirls faction. After centuries of cultivation, he had finally reached the D-Grade, which qualified him to stay around the intergalactic teleporter and be a guard!

Honor aside, this was a boring job. The teleporter was very rarely used, if ever, and at those times he was actually escorted away for higher-ranking guards to take over. Of course, every arrival of intergalactic personnel was communicated well ahead of time.

...

Chapter 414: Storming the Gates

The bromobile shuttled through space, teleporting over and over as they neared their destination.

Jack had discarded his robes and reverted to wearing only pants, as he used to do in the Milky Way galaxy. Right now, he was lounging on the deck, his perfect muscles revealed by his lack of shirt. “Tell me more about this faction,” he said.

“They’re called Falling Star,” Salin explained. “They mostly use physical power or illusions to fight, and they’re also pieces of s...

Chapter 413: Reunion

Jack took a deep gulp, downing the blue ale he’d been served. The locals called it Verneditch—similar to beer, except far stronger. Slamming his tankard on the table, Jack exclaimed, “So, what the hell are you guys doing here?”

“Hehe. Wouldn’t you like to know?” Gan Salin responded with a big smile. “As a matter of fact, the princess of this place and I got into an entanglement. You know, the physical sort. I mean sex.”

“There is no princess,” Nauja cut in, r...

Chapter 412: Familiar Faces

IMPORTANT: Hey guys, this is the start of Book 5. If you just finished Book 3 on Kindle, please wait until June 12 to get Book 4 on Kindle as well. You won't find it anywhere else. I had to take down all other copies 2 weeks before the release.. Thanks for your patience!

Missed me? Well here I am, right on time, with more Road to Mastery for you to enjoy! I have planned so many exciting things for Book 5 -- I can't wait to show you guys,

I hope you had a gr...

Chapter 384: Entering the Hidden Realm

Happy new week, everyone. Enjoy!

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The hidden realm was an endless jungle.

Jack and the others—eighty-four cultivators in total—floated roughly five miles over the ground. Their vision stretched for hundreds of miles, thousands. Yet, all they saw was green, endlessly lush jungles interspersed with lakes and other water bodies. The sheer number of trees was incalculable.

And that wasn’t all. No matter how far Jack looked, there was no curvature. This was not a p...

Chapter 383: Boatman’s Inheritance

Elder Boatman took Jack and teleported a thousand miles away in an instant, easily escaping everyone’s perception.

As soon as they came to a stop, the Elder’s hand left Jack’s shoulder, and he took a step back. “Greetings, Master,” Jack said respectfully.

“I am not your master yet,” Boatman said in his hoarse, aged voice. Below his hood, red eyes shone dark. His elderly voice carried some energy now. “You were forced to accept before. Now, you can speak your truth....

Chapter 382: Elder Boatman

Heavenstar almost swallowed his tongue in surprise. Boatman was just too domineering! Not only did he make zero concessions, he directly threatened Ocean! This was lunacy!

“Consider this well, Boatman!” he sent into the other Elder’s mind but got no response.

Ocean’s face was warped in anger and humiliation. “How nice! Like master, like disciple! I want to see just how long you’ll support your claims for!”

“For as long as I want,” Boatman replied, ...

Chapter 381: Insulting an Elder

“Jack Rust, go.”

It was the bare minimum amount of words Boatman could say, as if his saliva was precious. His voice was hoarse and elderly, showing that he’d lived through the endless river of time, and even hearing it made one feel older.

As these words rang out, Jack grinned He was part of the Church. The humiliation just now had been aimed at him as well, and it had taken everything he had to suppress himself and wait for his turn.

Hearing that he could fight, how ...

Chapter 380: Needless Cruelty

The two cultivators stopped one mile away from the banquet. They bowed at each other, then engaged in a brutal melee. One was a wizard and the other a swordsman—flames filled the void, apocalyptic blizzards crashed. A single blade swam through them like a sparrow, enduring the elements for a chance to strike. The battle was showy and intense, though it remained fought by six-fruits—in the expedition teams, this was the lowest level.

Eventually, the Hand of God wizard prevailed, free...

Chapter 379: Battle Banquet

I forgot to add this at an earlier chapter: Brock can participate in the expedition not because he's stronger than most six-fruits, but because he is very talented, therefore he was offered a spot. This is common practice in such expeditions.

Many thanks to the commenter who pointed this out, and enjoy!

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As soon as Jack flew out of the starship, a familiar blue screen unfurled in his vision.

You have returned to the New World. Welcome!

“Uh�...

Chapter 378: Pride and Honor

Happy new week, everyone!

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The hidden realm expedition shuttled through space. There were forty-four people in a giant starship, each with their own room.

The ship was powered by the Envoys, reaching unimaginable speeds. They were tearing through space like the waves of the sea. However, the ship remained slower than teleportation, and the Heaven Egg galaxy was far away—it would take them two weeks to arrive.

During that time, the Elders didn’t step out of their...

Chapter 377: A-Grade

The Cathedral was in an uproar.

Today, the hidden realm expedition was leaving. The participants had gathered in the Cathedral Square, while many other cultivators had come to watch.

For such an event, even an Elder might be mobilized—and, to these people, Elders were legends!

The Cathedral received a new generation of C-Grades every thousand years or so. However, A-Grade cultivators—the Elders—could live up to a million years. They could see a thousand batches of disc...

Chapter 376: Eric and Ebele

As Jack stepped out of the teleporter and onto green grass, he threw his head back and took a deep breath. After the Cathedral’s dark, bleak, airless void, the forests of Earth were paradise.

It had already been a year since Jack’s last visit. It felt shorter, for some reason—perhaps the constant training messed with his passage of time. Still, it made one think. Once upon a time, a year was the time from the Integration to when he defeated the planetary overseer. Now, it was just...

Chapter 375: Another Six Months

The Time Chamber—the Dao Chamber of Time—was the most enigmatic place Jack had ever seen. He stood on a small grassland surrounded by countless flowers. These flowers were identical, but each grew at different speeds. Some were blooming and dying, only for their spores to bloom soon after. Some remained completely still, not even responding to the breeze as if frozen in time. Others followed even more confusing paths; they would bloom at first, then wilt, then reverse their aging, then bl...

Chapter 374: Absorbing the World Anchor

The square had gone silent. The Cathedral had gone silent. That entire patch of space had gone silent.

Jack Rust had challenged everyone ranked below 150 and won…and then he’d even defeated the 117th ranked Shi Mo!

Many people could have done the same, but Jack was only a two-fruit C-Grade! Just six or seven months ago, he had struggled against Marcus William, who was ranked 281st. In the Cathedral, progress was counted with decades as the unit—such quick advancement was sim...

Chapter 373: Gladiator Titan

The fourth opponent was a dexterous swordsman. The fifth, a mage of the elements, and the sixth a wizard who used space as a weapon. All of them were easily dispatched by Jack, building up his momentum.

But that didn’t discourage the rest of his opponents. Everyone had their own strengths, and everyone wanted to compare against him—these battles weren’t to the death, anyway.

The seventh opponent was an eight-fruit mace-wielder ranked in the hundred-sixties. Jack’s physical...

Chapter 372: The Titan Laughs

Happy new week, everyone. Enjoy!

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Mabe Asphel charged Jack, determined to reclaim her honor. Her coppery skin was set on fire. Thin lines of blood emerged from her pores, wrapping around the claymore like silken death.

Her aura climbed to new heights, dying the world a crimson red. Every low-ranker watching felt their heart skip a beat.

“Die!” Mabe shouted, bringing her weapon down.

Jack simply stepped back. The claymore met the ground, creating a hundred-...

Chapter 371: Challenging Everyone

The Cathedral Square was buzzing with excitement. People had started arriving since the early morning—from the low to the top rankers, nobody was willing to miss this spectacle. Moreover, since it had been announced six months in advance, everyone had made sure not to be in deep cultivation at this time.

As a result, of the Cathedral’s thousand outer disciples, over eight hundred had arrived, and that was because the rest were outside the Cathedral. Almost every C-Grade on the Cathe...

Chapter 370: Six Months

The Space Chamber was unlike anything Jack had ever experienced. As soon as he was sucked into its illusion, he found himself floating inside a small solar system. Or, maybe, it was him that was large.

His body was the size of the sun. Seven planets orbited that sun at random distances, along with a slew of other celestial bodies—meteors, comets, gasses, moons. Jack gaped. The sun was blinding, filling this space with light, and the colorful comet tails speared through the cosmos in r...

Chapter 369: Nouveau Riche

Every start of the month, the outer disciples of the Cathedral could go to the registration office and pick up their monthly stipulation of Dao stones. Usually, the cultivators streamed in, then casually walked out and headed to the various training grounds where they could spend them.

This time, however, the scenery was different. Some cultivators had waited here since the night before, slowly forming a line before the door. More arrived every hour. As soon as the new day came, the reg...

Chapter 368: Min Ling’s Resolve

“One Dao stone apiece. What? You think that’s too little?”

The three cultivators shot odd glances towards Jack, who did his best to contain his excitement. “Kind of,” he replied. “I mean, such a life-saving treasure would certainly be worth more than a week’s wage?”

“Hey, we can’t all be like you and earn nine stones a month. Us middle-rankers have to settle for three or five. Plus, the life stones have just appeared; rumor has it the prices will grow soon, so ...

Chapter 367: Reaping the Benefits

The bro squad had ten remaining members. The leader of those, besides Brock, was a handsome man named Osmu Sosmu and ranked 793rd in the Ranking Obelisk.

However, besides his loyalty and budding leadership qualities, Osmu possessed another trait: he came from a large merchant family.

As soon as the life stones were mentioned, his eyes flashed. “Selling?” he said, thumping his chest. “Leave it to me. In the wide universe, there is nothing that I, Osmu Sosmu, cannot sell!” 2024-02-06 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 366: Operation Life Stones

“Absolutely not, kid.”

“Come on, Venerable Saint Thousand Shell. One Life Stone a week is nothing. Even if I made ten per day for a year, the Supreme Blood’s energy would only decrease by a millionth.”

“I said NO!”

In the vast, green-tinged space of the Life Drop, the large turtle huffed and puffed. It snorted, the shockwave once again striking Jack’s body. However, he had now tempered himself for some time, so he wasn’t destroyed, just heavily injured.

Chapter 365: Fist of Emotions

Three months flowed between Jack’s fingers. He was immersed in the world of mortals, sharing their pains and sorrows, their joys and celebrations. He focused on the little things; a boy’s rowdiness as he reached maturity, a girl’s bashfulness, a father’s silent pride, a mother’s love.

The Mortality Chamber didn’t contain a real world. It was a large-scale illusion meant to assist cultivators in their pursuit of the Dao. As a result, the density of feelings in this village wa...

Chapter 364: Returning to Mortality

Book 3 did great!! You guys are the best. I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks <3 Happy February!

Also, the Patreon editor decided to get weird again. It is messing around with whitespaces. I'm trying my best, but if you see anything off, like all lines being stuck together, let me know. 

Enjoy the chapter!

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Jack was into the fire. He needed to get stronger quickly, but what he needed even more was a plan. 2024-02-02 17:36:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 363: Jack Rust against the World

The gathering was eventually disbanded. The Head Envoy had planted a bomb in everyone’s heart and painted a target on Jack’s back, then calmly strode away. The two other Envoys had followed him, while the Sage had promised to find Jack later before taking off.

As that happened, the gathered cultivators did not disperse. Far too many things had happened; a hidden realm was discovered, Min Ling received a Thunder Dao World, and most importantly, Jack Rust had the chance to earn a Worl...

Chapter 362: Public Enemy Number One

“Huh?”

Every C-Grade below the platform paused. They glanced around, looking for Jack. They had heard about him, of course, but he was far too young, far too weak. He was only a one-fruit C-Grade. This hidden realm should have nothing to do with him.

As for Jack himself, he was the most stunned of all. He thought he was a spectator. Why was his name called out all of a sudden!?

“Jack Rust?” the Head Envoy repeated. “I can see you. Why are you not coming up?”

Chapter 361: Expedition

I finally got my Master's! Receiving my diploma tomorrow, and then I can frame it very nicely, put it on my wall, and forget about it forever. Studying was fun, but I'm glad that part of my life is officially over.

You still get tomorrow's chapter, of course. I have a backlog.

Also, guys: Road to Mastery 3 is live!

Check it out! That's Brock in there, fighting alongside his big bro!

The thir...

Chapter 360: Summoned

The Envoy did not reply, gazing at the Ranking Obelisk instead. Everyone followed suit, including Jack—he had no idea where his current strength would rank.

When a cultivator’s ranking changed, all names between their new and previous ranking would blur momentarily as they moved a step down. Usually, it was only a small part of the obelisk—maybe ten places, or fifty, or up to a hundred if one just had an important breakthrough.

Now, almost half the obelisk lit up. Between Ja...

Chapter 359: Plowing Through

Most people stayed in the mirror for hours. Some took entire days. The reason for that was their unfamiliarity with sudden death, as well as their lack of willpower that prevented them from seeing the truth.

Almost everyone on the Cathedral had risen through corpses, but not everyone realized it. When someone found success, it was easy to attribute it entirely to oneself, not taking into account their invisible advantages or all the things that could have gone wrong. It was difficult to...