Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 354: Hidden Realm

I admit defeat

As soon as Marcuss words rang out, the crowd erupted into chaotic cheers. The entire Cathedral shook from their voices.

What a battle! Osmu Sosmu shouted, waving his fist in the air. Go Jack!

Go Jack! others echoed. Compared to this, Jacks previous duel against Don Cranxiao was nothing!

Jack let go of Marcuss sword, ever mindful of a surprise attack. But it wasnt coming. Marcus sighed deeply, sheathing his sword and walking away.

You owe me fifty stones, Jack reminded him.

I dont have them. Heres eighteenyou can pick up my monthly wage for the next seven months.

Marcus swiped his hand in the void, summoning a small bag out of nowhere. He tossed it over. Jack grabbed it, but his eyes remained on Marcuss hand. How did you do that? he asked.

Do what?

Pull the bag out of space.

Marcuss eyes were colored with surprise, which soon turned to self-pity. He shook his head. Its a space ring, he explained. The Treasure Hall will give you one; just ask.

Jack nodded. Alright. Thanks.

Marcus didnt reply. He ignored the crowd and walked away. His sword had been grabbedthis was a massive insult to any swordsman. He needed to meditate on what happened as soon as possible and try to clear his thoughts. If something went wrong and he lost faith in his blade, he might never be able to progress again.

But, that was the price of competition: you could lose.

Jack watched Marcus William walk away, followed by a silent Ley Vice. He wasnt a senseless killerCranxiao had gotten what he deserved, but Marcus wasnt as bad. At least, not to the degree where Jack would murder him after surrendering.

Marcuss evil deeds came from a twisted exaggeration of might makes right. And, well, Jack had insulted him pretty heavily in the pastsending Cranxiao after him wasnt completely unjustified.

With that, Jack put Marcus and Ley Vice away from his thoughts to turn around. The crowd of bros surged forward, almost rolling over him in congratulations. Their voices blurred togetherJack was overwhelmed in a positive way.

Thank you, everyone, he replied, raising his hands. The four-armed form had receded by now, leaving him exhausted but in good health. Even his robes remained pristine, with only a few cuts at the hems. Hed met most of Marcuss attacks with his fists.

That was awesome! Osmu Sosmu exclaimed. You caught the sword of someone ranked in the two hundreds! How strong are you now? Could you rank in the top one hundred!?

To these low-rankers, the top one hundred was a legendary realm. Everyone there was a master amongst masters. Even reaching nine fruits didnt guarantee youd be able to enter.

The only reason Osmu spoke so freely was that Jack already defied common sense, so defying it even further meant nothing.

Jack laughed. Catching his sword was the result of many things. Im not that much strongerif Marcus can rank at 281, I should be around 250 or so.

The crowd looked at each other. A one-fruit C-Grade ranking at 250 Were they dreaming?

In the past, some of them couldnt help but envy Jacks Life Artifact, which was a significant factor of his current strength. At this point, however, they had to admit that even with all the luck in the world, they could never match Jacks achievements. Many people had Life Artifacts in the past, but this was simply unprecedented.

You really are worthy of being our big bro, Osmu Sosmu concluded, shaking his head.

Seeing everyones dispirited gazes, Jack smiled at them. Dont give up. As long as I am here, there will never be a second Don Cranxiao. We can band together as a fist and make sure we all have the opportunity to rise. Isnt that right, Brock?

Brock raised his head. Yes.

The crowd cheered again. By now, these fallen geniuses were thoroughly convinced; they had forgotten their previous arrogance and genuinely acted as Jacks little bros.

What now, big bro? Osmu asked.

I will visit my home planet. I wont stay long, but there are some things I need to do. As for all of you Brock, will you join me?

Brock shook his head.

Are you sure? I know you want to cultivate, but seeing your family and friends is important as well.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

I know. But I too weak. If I return, I return with my power. I must deserve it.

Brock was currently registered as Jacks spiritual companion, not a disciple. He didnt need to reach the top eight hundred ranking to use the teleporter. However, that was the easy way. His bros were all suffering the Cathedrals constraints. If he didnt share their shackles, how could he call himself their second big bro?

I become disciple too, Brock declared calmly. When I reach good rank, I leave. Not before.

Alright. I believe in you. Any help you need, I will provide.

Brock nodded. Between bros, there was no need to be modest. Gathering up the Dao stones he needed to break through would just be a waste of time and youthful potential. It was better to borrow from Jack and return them later.

Of course, while everyone here was a bro, not everyone could get this treatment. There just werent enough Dao stones to go around. Brock was special.

Hearing Jacks assurance, Dormans eyes blazed with fervor. However, he said nothing. He was already receiving kindnessasking for more would just be ungrateful.

As for Jacks thoughts on that matter, he kept them tightly hidden. He cleared his throat. Now, you will excuse me, everyone. I have a family to return to.

There were still many benefits to reap in the Cathedral. He had to visit the Dao Chamber and test out the so-called Fallen Genius Mirror. He also needed to see how high he could go in the Heavy Pagoda, as well as attempt the Ceaseless Murder Globe again to discover his current ranking and any new benefits he would unlock.

However, he wasnt in a hurry. He had the sense that, when he got started, he wouldn't want to stop. It was better to take a trip to Earth now so he didnt have to interrupt himself later.

Plus, he missed his kids.

The bros dispersed. Dorman stayed in Jacks cabin to cultivate, while Jack and Brock walked to the nearest teleporter. It was the same one theyd arrived at; a ring of twelve white columns spearing up from the black stone ground, while a slim-looking Envoy sat cross-legged to the side.

The first time Jack saw this man, he had been overwhelmed. He still was. Hed met a few Envoys so far, but this ascetic-looking man was leagues above the rest. His aura was like a sun condensed into a human body.

Perhaps guarding the teleporter was not as simple as Jack imagined.

As soon as he approached, the Envoy opened his eyes. A bright light flashed through them. Destination?

Milky Way galaxy, Earth, Jack replied, stepping into the teleporter. The Envoy nodded. There was no visible control panel, but Jack sensed the space around him squirm as the teleporter slowly hummed to life.

See you soon, Brock, he said. I believe in you.

Have fun. When you return, I will be peak strong.

Jack smiled. Good.

Space ruptured. Jack was sucked inside, instantly flung towards the distant Milky Way galaxy at a billion times the speed of light.

Brock nodded at the ascetic. Thanks, senior bro, he said, then walked away. It was time to make some waves.

***

The universe was gigantic beyond belief. The System only covered a tiny corner, but this corner remained large enough to accommodate the trillions of cultivators while also hiding all sorts of secrets.

In a distant galaxy at the edges of System space, a small starship shuttled through. It was red and covered in rust; it had existed for a very long time already. Inside it were three elderly cultivatorsone man and two women.

However, they werent too strong. The man was at the middle D-Grade, and the women were even weaker, at the early D-Grade. They were approaching the end of their lives and had few descendantstherefore, they had decided to leave System space and spend their remaining days as gods on an un-Integrated planet.

To that end, they had sold everything they owned and bought a space-warping starship.

The three of them were cruising through the fringes of the somewhat newly-integrated Heaven Egg galaxy, where the System wasnt expected to arrive for another ten thousand years. However, as they were morosely crossing the dark void, their eyes snapped open, and the starship came to a sudden halt.

One of the women opened her mouth. Is that

A rainbow-colored light shone in the distance. It wasnt too far awayas their starship teleported once more, they reached it.

A large, oval shape was revealed before them. It was two-dimensional, like a portal floating in space, and its surface was covered by swimming rainbow lights, preventing anyone from peeking through. Even Dao perception disappeared as it fell into the portal.

The three old people exited the starship, hovering before the oval with disbelief in their eyes. From here, they could feel the intense waves of Dao energy spreading out of the portal and into the universe.

Heavens, the man whispered. A hidden realm Suddenly, his eyes flashed with joy. We hit the jackpot!

The women also revealed bright smiles. This was really a massive wealth that fell into their laps.

The universe contained many secrets. Hidden realms were one of them. These people werent clear on how such a place formed or what it contained, but they knew that the major factions offered tremendous bounties for such discoveries. With that kind of wealth, they wouldnt need to leave System spacethey could play gods at any low-level planet of their choosing!

What if we entered the realm? a woman said, her eyes flashing. Perhaps we could find a chance to reach the C-Grade!

Dont be blinded by greed, the man replied with a snort. Given our age, progressing is almost impossible. Even if there was a great enough opportunity inside the realm, riches are always accompanied by dangerwith our strength, we could never claim it.

Then, what should we do?

Inform the factions, of course! The bounties they offer are extremely generous!

The women looked at each other and nodded. But, which faction should we go to? one of them asked.

The man smiled widely. All of them!

This man happened to have some connectionshe wouldnt only sell this information to the A-Grade faction of his galaxy, which would relay it to the Hand of God, but he would also sell it to the Black Hole Church.

What was better than one bounty? Two bounties!

As for what the large factions would do about the hidden realmhe naturally didnt care. Those high-level struggles were far beyond his understanding.

What are you waiting for? Lets go! he shouted, suddenly seeming five millennia younger. The universe smiled at us today. If we are late and someone else reports this place first, that will really be a shame!