Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 329: Not Stirring Trouble, but Trouble Stirring Itself!

In a distant part of the Cathedral, a plainly-dressed woman sipped on a cup of tea. Across from her sat the Heavenly Spoon Sovereign, the Head Envoy of the Black Hole Church, one of the most feared and mysterious people in the universe.

Of course, this woman didnt lack status herself.

Are you certain? she asked, calmly sipping on her tea as if discussing the weather. By directly raising that disciple to 950, you arent helping him, only giving him trouble. Everyone hates cheaters.

The Heavenly Spoon Sovereign did not respond. He wore an amused smile, using a silver teaspoon to slowly stir his tea.

Come on, she said with mockery. Surely you can tell me some of your plans, oh Head Envoy?

Finally, the sovereign laughed. Fine, fine, he replied. The 950 ranking will give him access to the Heavy Pagoda. That should help him a lot with breaking through.

But he doesnt need it. With his talent and foundation, he will reach the C-Grade regardless. A few more months are nothing. One hour at the pagoda is nowhere near worth the enemies hell make.

Ah, but there is another reason.

Which is?

Suddenly, the sovereigns mouth curved into a wide, cheshire grin. His aura flickered with bottomless hunger for a moment, like a starving tiger which broke out of its cage. Despite that, the woman was unaffected, not showing the tiniest hint of fear.

That child is extraordinary, the sovereign said. His qualifications are outstanding, and he has a Life Artifact. His potential is limitless. There is even a slim chance of him reaching the A-Grade in the futurebut a slim chance is not enough. An extra Envoy changes nothing, while an extra Elder changes everything. Therefore, I will hammer him until he breaks. I will not let him slow down. He will either be torn apart by the wolves or learn to rule them.

The womans eyes widened. You want him to make enemies, she realized. What are you thinking? Hes only a child. If the high-rankers capitalize on his weakness to bully him endlessly, what can he do? His Dao will crack. You are ruining him.

You have not seen what I have, the sovereign replied. Back in the Milky Way galaxy, he had watched all of Jacks battle recordings. The achievements he witnessed, the guts... No matter how great the Churchs talents, which of them had such a background? Jack Rust was on a completely different trajectory than everyone else, and the Heavenly Spoon Sovereign was a man who enjoyed grand spectacles. I dont know if he can handle the pressure, he admitted. But I want to find out. And, who knows? He just might create another miracle. Worst case, we have some fun watching.

***

Jack, Brock, and the Sage had just arrived at Jacks cabin. Number 425coincidentally, the same number of residence he had at the Integration Tournament.

It was a simple house. There was only a bathroom and a main room, which contained a bed, a small bookshelf, and a meditation mat. Thats it. The Church was minimalist, apparently.

There was also a single window with heavy curtains, but those were mostly ornamental. If another cultivator wanted to peek, their perception could easily pierce the walls.

Hey, check it out, Jack said, approaching the bookshelf. He took out the only book in its shelves. The Black Hole Churchs Rulebook. This will come in handy.

Brock was testing the bed and grimacing. Not only was there a single bed, instead of two of them, but it was also stone-hard. Jack guessed it was the best they could do on a planet with a thousand times the gravity.

Cultivators after the D-Grade didnt really need to sleep, but it could help sometimes. They also didnt need to eat, which was why the cabin didnt contain food or a kitchen.

You should check out the meditation mat, the Sage said.

As Jack took a look, he discovered that the mat was indeed special. It seemed to be an advanced version of the one he had during the Integration Tournament. Just by touching it with his fingers, a soothing feeling spread over his body, and his entire being was aligned, reaching an optimal state for cultivation.

Nice mat, he said.

Right? The Sage smiled. You should also read the rulebook soon. If you make any major blunders, you cannot claim ignorance of the rules. For now, however, lets go for a walk. I have someone you want to meet.

You have someone that I want to meet?

Oh, absolutely. You just dont know it yet.

However, just as they were about to exit the cabin, a commanding feminine voice rang out from outside.

Jack Rust! Come out!

They froze. Jack raised a brow. Who is it? he asked back.

Come out and you will see!

Jack frowned. That was not a polite tone. However, he actually recognized this voice. It was the beautiful woman hed met on the way in, the one who was part of a couple.

Did they change their mind and want to fight? he wondered. Reaching the door with two steps, he pushed it open.

As hed suspected, the one shouting was the woman hed met before. However, the man of that couple wasnt present. Three other cultivators were here, all of whom Jack saw for the first time.

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One was an insect person, like a standing praying mantis. Another was made entirely of glass, like a sentient window panel with limbs, and the third was a small green humanoid flying on thin wings. Jack couldn't use the System to inspect them, as they were outside System space, but he could tell from their auras that they were all C-Gradesthough not too strong.

Oddly, even though the woman was at the front and speaking, her cultivation was the weakest of the four.

Can I help you? Jack asked.

Help us? the woman replied, already gearing up to fight. Of course you can. You can help us understand whats happening. When I met you before, I thought you were an annoying but upstanding cultivator. Now, I see you really are nothing but trash.

Jacks brows fell. He hadnt even said anything rude yet, and this woman was already attacking him. Calm down, Jack, calm down. No stirring trouble. This is probably just a misunderstanding.

However, something in her words did not add up.

What are you talking about? he asked.

Hmph. Tell me, Jack Rust, how does it feel to depend on others for unfair benefits? How does it feel to cheat your way up?

Excuse me?

You are still pretending? Very well, let me spell it out for you: Just who is your daddy for your ranking to start at 950?

Jacks face hardened, both because of her crass verbal assault and his incomprehension. 950? He glanced at the ranking obelisk visible in the distance. When his eyes adjusted, they widened. 950!

My name really is at the 950 ranking! What?

Seeing his puzzled expression, she laughed coldly. Why do you insist on lying? Nobody here is an idiot. You cannot trick us. You thought the Heavy Pagoda would be a big help in your breakthrough, so you pulled some strings to steal another disciples position. Good, very good. I can only wonder who your backer is, for you to dare be so open about your cheating.

Cultivators cared a lot about face. Even though the Envoy had told them that Jacks ranking change was a direct order of the Head Envoy, this woman didnt dare call him out by name. She even pretended not to know. Otherwise, if she really offended the Head Envoy, it wouldnt matter who was in the right; he could just use his authority to punish her or even expel her from the Church!

But there was a limit to corruption. If the Head Envoy acted out of turn to raise Jacks ranking, and then even used his own superior power to bully those questioning Jack, that would be too much. Other higher-ups would have to step in.

That was why this woman dared to insult Jack in his face but didnt dare to mention the Head Envoys name.

Jack was still reeling. He was puzzled and confused, but at the same time, he was getting angry. He didnt intend to look for trouble. However, if trouble looked for him, he wasnt a coward to look away!

First of all, mind your ugly tongue. Second, I really dont know what happened with my ranking. I thought I was at 997 until just now. It must have been an honest mistake.

Dont try that with me, Jack Rust. I checked with the Envoy; she told me clearly that this is no mistake, it was a direct order from someone above. However, such blatant favoritism is rare. If you were a strong cultivator, I would understand, but youre just a lowly D-Grade. You clearly dont deserve that rank. Even just being an outer disciple and benefiting from the same resources we do is spitting in our faces.

Jack was startled. There was no mistake? An order had come down from above? Who could have done that, and why? The only person Jack knew was the Head Envoy, Sovereign Heavenly Spoon, but he hadnt seemed like a person who would act like this.

Moreover, it sucked! It had to be that sovereign, there was no one else, but Jack hadnt asked for it! He didnt even know what the Heavy Pagoda was! All he wanted was to cultivate in peace, but now the sovereign had forced enemies to his front door.

Fuck your mother! Why couldnt you ask first, Sovereign!?

However, it was too late. Jack would try to meet the sovereign later and ask him about it, or maybe the Sage could help. For now, the dice had been cast, and all Jack could do was stand his ground.

After all, even if he insisted that this had nothing to do with him, nobody would believe him.

Are you doubting the higher-ups? he asked, adopting a strict look. If what you say is true, they gave me this ranking. Do you think you know better than them?

Suddenly, the womans face mellowed into a malicious grin. This is where she hoped the conversation would end up. Oh, I wouldnt dare question the Envoys, she said smoothly. The only thing I question is your integrity. If the Envoys say you deserve that ranking, I can only believe them, but I have to admit my curiosity. How could a peak D-Grade possess such strength? Your talent must be extraordinary, your cultivation extremely gifted. A little person like me can only marvel at your potential.

Her words sounded genuine, but they were actually laced with sarcasm. She was mocking him. On cue, the three people behind her started laughing, emphasizing her words. Even the window pane jittered, laughing through a Dao-projected voice.

Jacks face was ugly. He had been put into this situation, and now he had to deal with it. Just get to the point.

The woman smiled sweetly. I am very curious about your powers. Could you grace me with a little duel, senior? My ranking is at 970. If you can defeat me, that will put to rest all accusations against you, and also satisfy my curiosity. What do you say?

On the outside, Jack was calm like a brick wall. On the inside, however, he wanted to curse.

If he refused the duel, everyone would accuse him of cheating. However, if he accepted and lost, that would be even worse! He would be completely humiliated, and they would still think he was cheating! As for winning, that would be very difficult. Six months ago, he had given it his all to just barely defeat the planetary overseer. The weakest people present, like this woman, had to be around that level as well, if not higher. Even if he used the Life Drop, the result would be uncertain.

However, what choice did he have? He had just been challenged to a duel. He couldnt chicken out!

Fine, he said. Lets duel.

Excellent! The woman pretended to be honored. But, since were dueling, lets make things more interesting by making a small bet. Since you just arrived, you must have received a Dao stone, yes? Lets bet that.

In her heart, the woman was smiling devilishly. She didnt just want to teach Jack a lesson, she also wanted to steal his Dao stone to further her own cultivation.

Jack didnt know the value of such an object, but if a C-Grade placed it as stakes, it had to be pretty high. Then again, he couldnt refuse without admitting that his strength was inferior.

Fine! he said, his voice lowering. One Dao stone. Lets bet that.

Excellent! Then, if senior would do me the honor, how about we move to the fields and duel right now?

The villages and buildings of the Cathedral only took up a small piece of its landmass. Everything else was empty and summarily called the fields. Under the increased gravity and thicker Dao, it could easily contain a battle between C-Grades.

Jack wanted to sigh. However, since he was already on the dancefloor, he had to dance. A little humiliation and a Dao stone, whatever its value was, were prices he could handle. Besides, his defeat wasnt certain. This woman was one of the weakest disciples on the entire Cathedral, and his strength had also increased a little since fighting the overseer. Maybe he could take her.

As he had that thought, Jacks chest began to burn with fervor. He was about to join the fray. He was jumping into a deep pool filled with the greatest talents of the universe.

Just how did he stack up against them?

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