Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 360: Summoned

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

When a cultivators 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 obeliskmaybe ten places, or fifty, or up to a hundred if one just had an important breakthrough.

Now, almost half the obelisk lit up. Between Jacks last ranking of 675 and his current one were more than four hundred namesfour hundred geniuses, each with their own ambitions and dreams. All those names were dragged down a place, making room somewhere in the early two hundreds.

The spectators eyes bulged. Even Osmu Sosmu had only dared guess a number around 260if it was anywhere lower, Jack shouldnt have struggled so much against Marcus.

But the truth was, Jacks power kit was much better suited for the Ceaseless Murder Globe than Marcuss.

Gradually, the obelisk dimmed. Before everyones eyes, the new ranking was clear.

Rank 216 Jack Rust!

Uproar! People looked at Jack like he was a monster. They struggled to believe this. Just two weeks ago, hed barely defeated the cultivator ranked 281st. Those two ranks had an enormous difference between them. Had he lied that he was visiting his family and instead went to reap some unknown benefit that catapulted his strength forward?

Moreover, the rankings above 250 were almost solely occupied by high C-Grades! Even the Cathedrals six-fruit geniuses couldnt reach that highhow had Jack achieved it with just one Dao Fruit?

Was he a miracle maker?

Most of the bros present were at two fruits, and their ranking was only in the nine or eight hundreds. They had thought this a decent result, but now, they realized they werent even comparable to Jack. He was a whole different beast.

These people had all grown up with the halo of a genius around them. Now, it was abruptly and thoroughly shattered. Compared to Jack, they were nothing more than prancing clowns. It was impossible not to feel envy or bitternessbut the good bro is one who understands and hugs these emotions until they go away. They shook their heads, chuckled harshly, then moved on.

Trying to compare to Jack was like staring at the sun: pointless and idiotic. They completely accepted that he was an outlier and returned to competing with each other instead, taking him as a distant hero, a legend in the making.

In a way, Jack was the opposite of the Fallen Genius Mirror.

Congratulations, the Envoy said, looking at Jack with new eyes. Achieving rank 216 with your cultivation is extraordinary. Even in the Cathedral, the gathering grounds of genius, you are one of a kind. Your future accomplishments are inestimable.

Thank you, Envoy, Jack replied calmly.

You already know my name. Just call me Borkuren. Since were going to be fellow Envoys in the future, there is no need for formalities. The Envoy laughed pleasantly as he said that. His words were mostly meant to befriend Jack, but Jack didnt mind. Borkuren gave him the feeling of a kind individual, not to mention that hed bent the rules to help Brock become an outer disciple.

Alright, Borkuren. Thanks for letting me use the Globe.

No problem. Now, lets jump to your benefits; youve climbed from 675 to 216. Your monthly wage has increased from three to nine Dao stones, and your Heavy Pagoda time allotment is now two days per month. In addition, if you ever find yourself in need of a specific item, like weapons or armor, you can request it from the Treasure Hall. You have a limit of one item at a time.

Jacks grin split his face. Ill make good use of it.

I expected nothing less, Borkuren replied. His red face and frog eyes looked a bit ridiculous, but his smile was bright.

Meanwhile, everyone else could only sigh at their own incompetence. Envoys enjoyed far higher status than outer discipleslet alone calling them by their first name, even speaking to one out of turn was considered disrespectful. However, all those customs melted like snow before absolute power. What could they say? Jack was absolutely worthy of special treatment.

Thank you for your support, everyone, but I should head back now, Jack said, turning to the crowd.

What? Osmu exclaimed. No wine celebration?

Jack looked on helplessly. I recently had some new insights into my Dao that I need to consider. Moreover, I only recently broke through to the C-Grade and my cultivation isnt stable yetthe sooner I go through with it, the better it will be.

The bros present were speechless. His cultivation wasnt stable yet? Was he implying that, if he meditated for a couple days, his ranking could rise even further?

Please, make it stop! was their shared thought, but nobody meant it. Watching the rise of a star was magnificent. They were drawn to it, eagerly anticipating to see how far Jack could go.

Perhaps, one day, he would even reach the number one ranking!

Fine, Osmu replied, speaking for all the bros. But well have a wine celebration eventually, right? We cant not celebrate all those achievements of yours.

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Jack laughed. I promise. Well have our celebration.

Invite me too, Borkuren said from the side. If Im free at the time, I will join.

Of course! The more, the merrier!

Hearing this, the crowd had fires lit in their bellies. An opportunity to socialize with Jack Rust, an Envoy, and who knows who else This party was one they absolutely had to attend!

***

From the moment he joined the Cathedral, Jacks abrupt rise through the Ranking Obelisk had granted him all sorts of privileges. It had felt a bit chaotic at first. However, by now, he had explored most of them.

He was acquainted with the Ceaseless Murder Globe and the Heavy Pagodaone was used for battle experience and the other for high-speed cultivation. He had gotten a space ring from Treasure Hall and experienced the Fallen Genius Mirror of the Dao Chamber. The only resource he hadnt tried yet were the Dao rooms of the Dao Chamber, but he temporarily put them aside. Ones cultivation was always shaky after a breakthroughfirst he would stabilize it, then he would revisit the Dao Chamber.

All those were resources that the average C-Grade couldnt even dream about. Back in the Milky Way galaxy, people like the Warden or the planetary overseer could only sit cross-legged and tough it out, painstakingly advancing one step at a time. If they wanted battle experience, they had to go out and find suitable opponents. If they wanted high-speed cultivation, they had to find or create a place overflowing with their Dao of choice. If they wanted to advance their Dao, they could only sit in meditation and ponder in their heads.

Compared to them, Jack could progress a hundred times faster. These were the benefits of joining a major faction.

Right now, Jack sat cross-legged inside the third floor of the Heavy Pagoda.

His new Dao Fruit was the focal point of his being. The power of the Dao surged from the environment into his soul world, into his Dao Roots, up his Dao Tree, and finally into the fruit, slowly but surely growing it to maturity. At the same time, any excess energy was released through the flowers of his tree, into the atmosphere of his soul world where it was reabsorbed by the roots and added to the cycle, ensuring that the Dao Fruit always received the maximum amount of energy.

The current Dao tree formed a complete system.

The growing of the Dao Fruit was essential to cultivating in the C-Grade. Only when it was fully grown could a cultivator create the next fruit. Normally, even growing one fruit could take decades, but Jack had many outstanding factors.

His perfect foundation could absorb the ambient Dao at great speed, where it streamed up his vibrant Dao Tree. Thanks to his maturity and solid understanding of his Dao, the fruit hed created had a thick and healthy stem, absorbing energy at a prodigious rate. At the same time, the large number of flowers hed managed to grow during his Dao Blooming recycled the Dao at a quick rate, accelerating the flow of energy and helping the Dao Fruit absorb it faster.

Additionally, his tempered body could withstand tremendous pressure, allowing him to cultivate at the Heavy Pagodas third floor, where the energy density was eight thousand times higher than on Earth. The Dao here was viscous and thick like mercurywith great density came great efficiency, and he could flood his Dao Fruit at a speed that most one-fruit C-Grades would consider ungodly.

From the F to the C-Grade, every step so far had been taken to perfection, further accelerating Jacks progress.

He could spend two days at the Heavy Pagoda every month. After his recent breakthrough, he could endure the third level with reasonable comfort; he wasnt quite ready to challenge the fourth level yet, but he soon would be.

Jack opened his eyes. Purple lightning filled the world, spearing through all. A faint smile played on his lips.

Alright, he told himself. Im used to the process. After one day at the third floor, my cultivation is stably at the first fruit I should go back and temper my body some more. Afterwards, Ill try to spend the remaining day of my monthly allotment at the fourth floor, if possiblecultivation will be much faster there.

The fourth floor was usually reserved for particularly strong high C-Grades. While he didnt hope to match the power of their Dao, he did have a much stronger body than them. Hopefully, he could use that to withstand the pressure and accelerate his cultivation even further.

As he stood to leave, however, a voice echoed across the Heavy Pagoda, penetrating its defensive layers to sink into his mind.

All outer disciples of the Black Hole Church, report to the Cathedral Square immediately!

Jacks mind shook from the intensity of the message. Whoever had sent it was extremely strong. He didnt know what was going on, but he rushed to exit the pagoda.

The message wasnt just meant for him. Rows of cultivators exited alongside him, many at the seven, eight, or nine-fruit boundaries. These were high-rankers he hadnt interacted with yet, but their rank granted them several days at the Pagoda each month, so it was understandable that a lot of them were present.

When all of them were forced out of their cultivation, it was a sight to behold.

Whats going on, Envoy? a nine-fruit C-Grade asked the Envoy responsible for managing the pagoda.

Why are you asking me? she replied sternly. The orders were clearrush to the Cathedral Square at once!

Nobody rebuked her. As one, the high-rankers swarmed the air, while the low rankers could only walk. Jack flew as well.

The Cathedral Square was a massive empty space in the middle of the Cathedral, close to the Envoys quarters. As Jack arrived, he saw cultivators streaming in from every direction. Hundreds of them piled into the square, with more arriving every moment. Jack was one of the first bros there. As more and more bros arrived, they gathered around him, forming a tightly-knit group. Even Brock rushed over, and so did Dorman, who was not an outer disciple but wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Only the Sage was missing.

In another part of the square, Jack spotted Baron Longform. The third ranked cultivator glanced over him then paid no attention as if Jack didnt exist.

As the cultivators gathered, more and more of them broke into heated discussions. A mass summon like this was rare. Had something happened? Were they going to war?

Suddenly, all discussions were sharply interrupted. Four figures appeared on a raised platform before the crowd.

One of them was a young-looking man with an aloof aura. Yet, as he rose to the platform, the weight of his cultivation pressed down on everyone present. He was like a god. This was the Heavenly Spoon Sovereign, the Head Envoy of the Black Hole Church. Besides the Elders, he was the greatest authority here. Everyone drew cold breaths as they saw him.

The next two people were also Envoys, but their auras were deeper than most Envoys Jack had met so far. One was an old woman with kind eyes, and the second a dark-haired man who seemed to be in his thirties, with a sharp, fleeting, and oppressive aura .

The fourth person was much less impressive than the rest, almost being unnoticeable.

The Sage? Dorman exclaimed. What is he doing there?

Jack had the same question. He wasnt surprised to find that the Sage had also broken through to the one-fruit boundary, but what was he doing on the platform with the Envoys?

Thank you for coming, everyone, the Head Envoy said as if they had a choice. His face was covered with a carefree grin. We have great news!