Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

The Life Drop was still releasing energy. It contained a highly-compressed green ocean which was now flowing out. This was much more energy than Jack had ever utilized before, but it also had more room to spread than just his body. His inner world was flooded. The only problem was that, to release this life energy, he had to use his body as the medium. If not, it wouldn’t be perfectly attuned to him, and it would negatively affect his inner world.

Jack’s body was extremely tempered. However, even he couldn’t take this easily. It felt like molten iron flowing through his veins. The pain was excruciating, but his will was even stronger. He gritted his teeth, enduring the strain to push more and more energy into his inner world. Even as his body deteriorated, not able to handle this much longer, he kept going.

9700 miles! 9800 miles!

The energy of the Life Drop was much greater than any cultivator or treasure could produce, and it was all readily usable. Jack forgot about everything else to push more and more of it out. The little bit of energy he’d used to create his tenth fruit already seemed tiny compared to the current flood, like a teaspoon to an ocean.

The Life Drop’s reserves were rapidly dwindling. Over half its remaining energy had been used up, but Jack kept pushing.

9900 miles!

By now, the resistance of the universe had reached a terrifying level. Spatial storms raged around his inner world, suppressing it. The stars in the distance faded as tremendous amounts of energy were siphoned into stopping him. The universe itself rejected this development, refused to let him expand any further. Jack could even sense a faint threat brewing, but he ignored it.

His ten concepts—his ten fruits—roared as one. Fist, Space, Life, Death, Battle, Spanking, Brotherhood, Time, Protection, Freedom. These were his concepts. They were not borrowed from the universe but belonged to him alone. If he wanted to use them to create a world, why should the universe be able to stop him?

A terrifying force pressured him from all sides, but he roared into his own sky. “FUCK OFF!”

The concept of Freedom flared. The life energy shaped itself into a massive fist, smashing into the walls of his inner world and forcing them to expand. The universe’s restrictive force reeled, unable to stop him, before clamping on even tighter.

9980 miles!

Jack hovered in the middle of his inner world like a wrathful god of creation. His cloak flapped, his hair rose. He alone stood up to a universe. He had no more treasures to use, no more tricks, but he kept pushing outwards. Veins bulged over his forehead. His entire body was charred from the inside due to the massive amounts of life energy coursing through it. Only his pants’ life force amplification kept him standing, but he refused to yield. “You have no right!” he shouted. “I don’t care if you are the universe, or the Heavenly Dao, or the Gods… You don’t get a say here! You don’t control me! This is my world—if I want it to expand, it will expand!”

He smashed the energy into the walls, forcing them to expand ever more, but the universe was no longer playing around. A tremendous amount of energy had amassed, even scaring the spectators. Every mile forward, every inch, was like a tug of war between Jack and the rest of the universe.

He still refused to stop.

9990 miles. 9995. With another roar, he went all-out, forcefully pushing his inner world to exactly 9999 miles wide.

Elder Boatman gasped. 9999 miles—was this the true limit? Had they all been frogs in a well?

Just how had Jack achieved this!?

Reaching this point was a tremendous achievement. It felt perfect, but Jack knew it wasn’t. 9999 was the maximum limit the universe was willing to allow—he could feel that clearly. Going any further was simply forbidden.

However, that only served to enrage him more. He may have run out of energy, but if he stopped now, he would have capitulated. He would have lost. That was unacceptable. He alone controlled his fate—if someone tried to suppress him, even if it was the universe itself, he would fight back!

Jack roared. His blood vessels cracked like twigs. Blood rained all around. His limbs broke, and all of his blood boiled. Every single bit of energy left in the Life Drop exploded outward at once, erupting as a huge explosion. Jack’s entire inner world shuddered as if about to collapse. Yet, even with that, the universe’s complete suppression barely budged.

But it did budge. No matter how barely, no matter how little, the suppressive force that the universe had mustered with all its power had momentarily faltered. An angry, disembodied roar echoed across the world. Jack pushed outward just a tiny bit before collapsing.

Ten thousand miles. Accurate to the inch. Finally, he could sense that it was no longer the universe stopping him from expanding further, but his inner world itself. It had reached its real limit. It was satisfied.

In other words…he had fought back against the universe, ignored its taboos, and won.

Jack had won.

He couldn’t smile, because he’d lost control of his facial muscles. The expansion of his inner world came to a total stop, but he was happy. He’d defied the universe. He’d taken a step into a territory he wasn’t allowed to.

He was free.

A trickle of life energy entered his body, repairing him slowly. It was the little leftover energy from the previous explosion. At the same time, the inner world contracted inside Jack’s body, integrating itself as his soul. He felt his power growing rapidly. The level he’d reached was completely incomparable to before. A single finger would be enough to easily annihilate his previous self.

This was a process which happened by itself. Jack knew he had a few minutes of laying in his inner world before it was fully integrated into his body. He could have rested. However, excitement overtook him. Blue screens flashed at the corner of his vision. He took a look.

Congratulations! C-Grade → B-Grade

Congratulations! You have successfully forged your inner world, embarking on the path of godhood.

All stats +200

Free stat points per Level Up: 20 → 40

Level Up! You have reached Level 400.

Congratulations! The Bare Fist Brotherhood faction has reached the B-Grade. New functions unlocked in the faction screen.

Congratulations! For escaping the confines of the Heavenly Dao, you are awarded the Title: Challenger.

Challenger: Most people conform. You fight and struggle to carve your own path. You will either defy the heavens…or fall and be forgotten. Efficacy of all stats +10%.

Class Upgrade available. Please choose your new Class:

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Jack took a moment to digest this. He’d finally reached the B-Grade. His gamble had paid off in spades—he’d even achieved an inner world ten thousand miles across. Unprecedented, as far as he knew—though the fact that Archon Green Dragon knew about the tenth fruit raised some questions.

In any case, now was a time to celebrate.

Jack relaxed, feeling the increased stats enter his body as his inner world stabilized inside his soul. He tried to keep away the double ecstasy and focus on something else: his new title.

Challenger. That is one ominous description… But the ten percent efficacy is huge. That’s almost a thousand extra points in Physical. Just how strong have I become?

I wonder what activated that title. Was it me creating a tenth fruit? Or overcoming the restraints of the universe to reach ten thousand miles? Both were things the Heavenly Dao tried to stop.

Does that mean…I angered it twice?

Jack had a suspicion of what this meant, but he didn’t go down that route yet. No matter what happened next, he needed power—and his new Class was the best way to get it.

Fist of the System (King)

You have received divine providence. Devote your life to the service of the ultimate being who favored you, becoming their fist in the cultivation world.

The Immortal System offers additional benefits for the wielders of this Class, including increased attribute points and Dao Visions.

“For the Immortals!”

The first choice was one he’d already seen when he broke into the C-Grade. The System wanted to recruit him—he rejected it without a second thought.

Fist of Freedom (King)

You roam the universe, spreading laughter and liberation wherever you go. Your fist is one of justice—hard and right.

“Only when the people are free will I be as well.”

Now, this… This was a Class worth considering. He did enjoy fighting for the weak. The universe was filled with oppressors, whom he was determined to eradicate.

In fact, Jack had also been offered a similar Class when he entered the C-Grade, but he hadn’t chosen it then. War hadn’t been his priority, so he felt it might have taken him off his route. This time, however, liberation felt just right.

This Class called to him. He almost accepted it instantly before managing to wait until he saw the rest.

Fist of Death (King)

No one understands Death like you do, no one embraces it. Grief is your mantle, murder is your path, bones the ground on which you walk—Death is both the end and a beginning, a flower blooming from the grave.

“Death and Life… It all becomes one. Join the cycle.”

That was a bit creepy. It did sound powerful, as well as epic. Jack could see where it came from—he’d familiarized himself a lot with death during the C-Grade, from receiving the inheritance of Elder Boatman to losing his son and almost killing an entire planet. This Class was one he should be offered.

But not one he should accept.

Death was just part of his path. Life, Space, Time… Those were all crucial to his development. As much as this Class offered a quick path to power, he had already chosen a different one, and he would follow it to the end.

There was only one Class remaining. Jack was certain it would be enticing, but he was already convinced he’d choose the Fist of Freedom. As soon as he opened the screen of the last Class, however, he was surprised. It wasn’t blue, but orange—screaming importance. There were even little frilly ends wrapped around it.

Paragon of Cultivation (Legendary)

Legendary? His eyes widened. He didn’t know there was a rank above King—then again, that was to be expected. He’d done all that stuff and only been offered one Legendary Class. Their rarity had to be staggering.

He kept on reading.

Paragon of Cultivation (Legendary)

Cultivation is a journey collectively pursued by the cultivation world. By achieving an unprecedented feat, you have pushed the boundaries of cultivation forward, earning the right to be called a paragon.

Choosing this Class means you will become a cultivator the System spares no expenses to assist. You will receive increased stat gains on every level up and the most high-end Dao Visions available, while maintaining complete freedom to innovate.

“One step per generation. That is how the cultivation world was built.”

Jack had to admit it. This Class sounded awesome. It tempted him.

Yes, the Fist of Freedom was in line with his goals, but it wasn’t like this Class had any restraints. It directly mentioned complete freedom. He could use the extra power granted by Paragon of Cultivation to more effectively fight oppressors and liberate those who suffered.

Plus, it was a higher tier Class. One based on being unprecedented. Since it wouldn’t impact him negatively in any way, how could he possibly say no? Even if that complete freedom thing was a lie, he sensed that his inner world gave him the capital to suppress the System core inside his body if he wanted to. The System couldn’t harm him, at least not outside System space.

This Class was extremely good.

Make me a Paragon of Cultivation, he thought, then felt intense power course through his body. Many of his wounds were healed. His spent energy was refilled. He felt so unimaginably powerful.

Congratulations! You are now a Paragon of Cultivation (Legendary).

Free stat points per Level Up: 40 → 50

Congratulations! New Skill unlocked: Immortal Commune I.

Immortal Commune I: This skill has no tiers. It allows you to seek a council with the designated Immortals through the System’s long-range communication network. Restraint is advised as this skill consumes many System resources.

Jack whistled. The System wasn’t lying when it said he’d receive its full assistance. Being able to directly communicate with the rulers of the cultivation world would be an unimaginable boon to any other cultivator. To Jack, of course, it was rubbish. The Immortals were his enemies—why would he speak with them?

There was also another notification from his new Class.

Congratulations! You have received an Archon-level Dao Vision of Inner World Perfection. You may experience it at your convenience.

Archon-level!?

Dao Visions had helped Jack a lot in the past, but as his level rose, the rarity of the visions which could assist him naturally rose as well. Archons were ideal. If this Class could provide him with several such visions… How powerful would he become?

Breaking into the B-Grade with a ten thousand-mile inner world had already given him a tremendous boost in power. With such assistance from the System and undoubtedly from the Church as well, he would soar in no time!

He just had to be careful of the System thing backfiring, but he was confident he had it under control. Nothing bad would happen to him, at least until he re-entered System space.

Done with all his notifications, Jack finally took a look at his status screen. It was glorious.

Name: Jack Rust

Species: Human, Earth-387

Faction: Bare Fist Brotherhood (B)

Grade: B

Class: Paragon of Cultivation (Legendary)

Level: 400

Strength: 8480 (+)

Dexterity: 8480 (+)

Constitution: 8480 (+)

Mental: 1200

Will: 1200

Free sub-points: 1

Dao Skills: Meteor Punch IV, Iron Fist Style III, Brutalizing Aura III, Neutron Star Body III, Supernova III, Space Mastery III, Fist of Mortality III, Death Mastery III, Titan Taunt III, Immortal Commune I

Inner World size: 10,000 miles

Matter Condensation: -

Titles: Planetary Frontrunner (10), Planetary Torchbearer (1), Ninth Ring Conqueror, Planetary Leader (1), Grade Defier, Planet Destroyer, Challenger

He shook his head. How far he’d gotten…

By now, the last steps of his breakthrough were ending. His inner world had gotten fully integrated to his body, and the remaining energy, alongside the rush of stats, had completely healed him as well. Besides the Life Drop running completely dry, he was at full power. He itched to test it out.

Which could be a double-edged knife. Jack had defied the Heavenly Dao a little too much today. He suspected that the universe wouldn’t just take this lying down.

He opened his eyes and stared at the stunned crowd ten thousand miles away from him. They looked at him like he was a ghost. He smiled. “Hey,” he managed to say. “Pretty good, huh?”

“Jack!” Elder Boatman roared in joy, flinging back his hood. He’d never done this in public before, but his current excitement was too much. “Good fucking job!!”

Jack smiled. “Thanks!”

More people rushed to congratulate him. Before they could approach, however, they were repelled by an invisible force. “Hmm?” Heavenstar muttered. “The breakthrough should be over. Why is the suppression still present?”

It was like Jack was isolated in a large bubble enforced by the universe itself. Penetrating it required tremendous power. Boatman’s face fell—he had no idea what was going on, but it couldn’t be good.

At the same time that everyone realized this, so did Jack. He looked up, his previous suspicions confirmed. A large black cloud had formed over his head—one saturated with world-ending black lightning. The rage of the universe rained over him like acid droplets. The sheer volume of power aimed at him was staggering.

He smiled.

Jack had successfully defied the Dao. The universe wasn’t happy about that. It wanted to kill him right here, right now. Heavenly tribulation descended.

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