Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 270: The Tree and the Life Drop

Cultivators formed Dao Trees as they entered the D-Grade. However, at first, their Dao Trees didnt resemble trees at all. Jacks inner world used to contain four Dao Roots wrapped around the Dao Seed, connected to it through a network of thin lines. All together, they formed the image of a fist, where each finger was a different colorfive of them, each corresponding to one of Jacks Daos.

As he leveled up, however, things began to change.

Jack hovered in his inner world, observing the changes. His Dao Tree, once nothing but a multi-colored fist, now had an actual sapling growing out of it. It was a young tree, frail but full of potential. The Fistboth Seed and Rootswas its entire root system, and the tree itself grew out of the back of the fist shape, where the wrist was supposed to be. The tree grew upward, while the fist pointed downward.

Jack muttered a breathless wow. This was his Dao. His inner world.

How beautiful he said in admiration. With a shake of his head, he summoned Copy Jack out here, wanting company to enjoy the sight. What do you think, Copy Jack? Do you like it?

The copy formed his lips into an O and nodded excitedly. Jack liked this guy. He was simple and joyful, and never seemed to grow tired of being trapped in here. What better companion to have as a Dao Soul?

Come with me, Copy Jack. Lets take a look at this tree.

The two of them flew through the void of the soul world. Jack could always transform this place into the field where he often trained with Copy Jack, but chose not tothis felt more familiar.

Every inner world was different. Jacks looked like an endless void surrounded by sparkling, star-like dots. It was an imitation of space, basically, with his Dao Tree hovering in the very center of existence, supporting this entire world.

In contrast to actual space, Jack could faintly smell a pure, earthly scent, like packed dirt. He could hear the distant stars echoing with the sound of fist hitting metal, and occasionally, a meteor would cross the canvas, going from nowhere into nowhere with the threat of violence.

As he approached the Dao Tree, the smell only got more intense. More of them joined in. Jack reached the tree to find out that each finger carried its own signature sensations. The purple thumb, the Fist, thrummed with violence and dignityan unstoppable rush. The silver index finger was made of tightly-bound steel wire, representing his Indomitable Will. The middle finger was dark blue and carried an uplifting, dominating aura, making Jack feel like the king of the worldit was his Dao Root of Power. From the other side, the pinky was black and scrawny, almost shriveled. It was the Dao of Weakness.

As for the ring finger, that was the most complex of them all. It wasnt just the Dao Root of Life; it represented the Life Drop, a drop of blood from Enas, the King of Gods, the First of the Old Ones. It currently functioned as a Dao Root for Jack, but that was just a speck of its true power. Even now, Jack could not gaze into the drop freely. Behind its thin veil hid a large reservoir of life, an ocean of unplumbed depths stretching so far inward that Jack couldnt help but admire the mastery over space that made it possible.

He couldnt reach the depths of that ocean. He could absorb part of its power to reveal his four-armed form, but he couldnt really control the Life Drop. There could be monsters hiding in there. Treasure, mysteries, and wonders. To have a mysterious object so intimately close to your soul was unnerving, but also exciting.

Jack couldnt help himself. He felt little fear and a lot of intrigue. One day, when he plumbed those depths and conquered the Life Drop to make it truly his, just how much power would he earn?

And if the King of Gods wanted to harm him, well He wouldnt need to go to such trouble.

Jack focused on this ring finger. It exuded an aura of life so pure that it felt like his nostrils had been unplugged for the first time since he was born, and he could finally breathe freely. Each inhalation sent his body in ecstasy, awoke the animal inside him and made him feel like home.

But there was also danger in life; an endless race of survival, countless creatures laying down their lives only for their descendants to carry on their legacy. There was pain and sorrow, failure and death; yet, within the depths of this war for survival hid light, for that survival was the very purpose of life, and to pursue ones purpose was the true source of happiness.

The Fist fit right in there as well. It meshed perfectly with the ideals of Life, two paths well-suited for each other.

This was the only Dao Root that Jack hadnt comprehended by himselfit had been granted to him when he passed the Ancient Trial in Trial Planetbut in hindsight, it synergized perfectly with his own path. So perfectly, in fact, that he couldnt help suspecting that the suitability of his Dao was a hidden requirement of the Ancient Trial.

Giving this green ring finger a final glance, Jack looked upward, at the tree that had recently bloomed from inside his Fist.

It was healthy and lively. A small tree for now, only reaching up to his waist, but a tree nonetheless. It had even begun to form bark; as it grew, some of its cells died and were pushed outward, where they compressed into the hard material that would protect the tree from harsh weather, pests, or other threats.

Of course, none of those were present in Jacks inner world, but he appreciated the trees decency to follow the biological pattern. It let him flex his knowledge to Copy Jack, who silently and smilingly endured a ten-minute lecture.

And that, my timid student, Jack finished, is how trees grow.

Copy Jack made sounds of excited understanding. He then pointed at where the tree connected to the Fist below itthe beginning of its root system. Jack frowned and took a better look. There was a green glow there, but nothing else.

Yes? he asked. Those are the roots. What are you trying to say?

Copy Jack pointed again. Seeing that Jack did not understand, he then pointed at the ring finger which signified the Dao Root of Life, then at the trees base again.

Are you saying that the roots are life? Jack tried, but Copy Jack only shook his head. He pointed at the ring finger again, then made a questioning gesture with his hand.

What are you Jack was about to ask again when he figured it out. Oh! he exclaimed. Wait a moment. Youre right. Where is the Life Drop!?

The ring finger was a vibrant green, full of life. Jack had habitually connected that with the Life Drop, but on second thought, he couldnt actually see the Life Drop inside the finger. Where did it go?

He looked around, inspecting the starlit void which surrounded his Dao Tree, but there was no divine green drop floating there. He then observed his Dao Tree again. With a figurative light bulb popping up over his head, he focused on the base of the tree, where Copy Jack had been pointing before.

Indeed; the green glow hed written off as magic was not so simple. As he took a closer look, he realized that this green glow was nothing but the top of the Life Drop, which was embedded in the back of the Fist, right under the base of the tree.

Yet, he was certain that when he broke through to the D-Grade and formed his Dao Tree, the Life Drop had been inside the ring finger.

Odd, he muttered. What is going on here, Copy Jack? Is the Life Drop affecting my Dao Tree, somehow?

Of course it did. Jack felt like an idiot. He had literally just said that the Dao Root of Life was only a tiny portion of the Life Drops power. Why would it obediently stay inside a single finger of his Dao Fist when it could adopt a more active role?

Which instantly birthed a thousand questions in Jacks mind. Did the Life Drop possess sentience? If it could freely move around his inner world, what else could it do? Could it harm him? Could it withdraw its power and make his Dao Tree collapse? Could it turn his Dao in a direction of its choosing, pulling it away from the Fist and towards Life?

Jack still felt that if a God wanted him harm, they wouldnt need to be discreet about it, but the Life Drops activities were upsetting.

Do you think I should be worried, Copy Jack? he asked his friend, who remained fixated on the Life Drop. Jack shrugged. Youre right. Since theres nothing I can do about it anyway, Ill just hope for the best. Its only brought me benefits so far; I have no reason to distrust it.

Copy Jack still did not reply, his eyes glued on the Life Drop like he was trying to see through its mysteries.

That didnt stop Jack from performing his own inspections. He observed the Dao Tree carefully, from top to bottom, looking for signs of anything odd. I dont know why Im worried, he muttered mid-inspection. Its not like anything bad should happen. There is infinite life under my Dao Tree. If anything, this is great.

He still kept going, out of caution. His eyes ran over the entire tree and found nothing odd. Right as he was about to let go, however, he glanced over the growing bark again. Wait a moment, he said, squinting. Are those shapes?

Generally speaking, bark formed all over the tree at once, but there could be short periods of time where some parts of the bark were more well-formed than others. Jacks tree seemed to be in exactly such a period, with some parts of his tree forming the beginning of bark while others remained a hard green. That by itself wasnt suspicious.

When he took a more careful look at the arrangement of bark, however

Jack took a step back. He traced the lines of bark with his eyes. If he looked at those patterns carefully, and if he imagined them extending to meet each other, they werent random at all.

In fact, the more he observed them, the more certain he grew that they were

A door.

Now, that was suspicious. Not bad, necessarily, but suspicious.

Copy Jack, Jack said carefully, I think we may have a problem. Hey, Copy Jack; are you listening to me?

For the past few minutes, Copy Jack had been kneeling by the base of the tree, inspecting it thoroughly. He hadnt even acknowledged Jacks words. It had been so long that Jack began to think something was wrong.

Is everything okay? he asked, approaching Copy Jack carefully.

Touch, Copy Jack replied.

Jack was so shocked it took him a moment to regain his bearings. You can talk!? he asked. And what do you mean by touch?

Touch, Copy Jack said again. His gaze remained glued on the Life Drop under the base of the tree, and he raised one finger as if to jam it in there.

Wait. Dont touch that, Copy Jack, Jack said, growing worried.

Touch.

Dont touch.

TOUCH!

Before Jack could stop him, Copy Jack pierced his finger into the Life Drop. An explosion of life occurred instantly. Jacks inner world was colored green. Copy Jack was tossed back like a ragdoll, spinning through space before eventually coming to a stop, holding his heart.

The Life Drop closed again, but the deed was done.

Jack felt himself hyperventilating. He was too full of life. He sensed his body in the real world suddenly grow in height and sprout two extra arms, entering his strongest form.

Fuck, he swore, doing his best to contain the energy. Failing, he then opted to expend it as quickly as possible, letting an aura of life radiate from his body. The life energy in his body slowly dwindled, but he was undoubtedly shining like a beacon in the spiritual perception of every immortal within a dozen miles.

FUCK! he swore again. There was a reason he never used the four-armed form. The voice in the Ancient Trial had warned him that, if he was ever spotted using it, all major powers of the galaxy would come after him with tremendous zeal. He absolutely couldnt afford thatand in Hell, a planet which housed at least one late C-Grade, he didnt want to risk it.

Are you okay, Copy Jack? he asked hurriedly, appearing by the side of his clone in an instant.

Copy Jack was still grabbing his heart with a pained gaze, but he met Jacks gaze and nodded. He seemed more apologetic than hurteven his simple mind realized hed fucked up big time.

Never touch that again. Ever. You understand me? Jack chided him, in a hurry to return to the real world.

Copy Jack nodded earnestly, and Jack tsked.

Dont think this is over. For now, keep your fucking hands to yourself. Dont be a child.

Copy Jack nodded again, and Jack had no choice but to trust him because he really couldnt afford to stay here any longer. He returned to the real world, where he was blinded by green light. Fuck, he repeated a third time. It was so bright that even he, with his highly-enhanced body, was blinded.

It was even worse than he thought. He hadnt realized there would be physical light. There must have been some shockwave released from his body as well, because his Dao Battery and other things were scattered randomly across the cave, and the boulder hed used to block the entrance had rolled away.

Thanks to that, a bright green beacon streamed out of the cave, piercing the cloudy sky and being visible from who knows how far away. But Jack couldnt make it disappear, because he had to expel all the extra energy and get the fuck out of there.

Within seconds, the life energy ran out. The beacon disappeared and his body returned to normal. By then, hed put on his robes and waved his sleeve, gathering all items inside his pockets. He dashed out of the cave at full speed and instantly felt despair.

The green beacon was gone, but it had done its job. Dots had appeared in the sky, surrounding him from three directions. They were cultivatorsa bunch of them.

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