Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 364: Returning to Mortality

Jack was into the fire. He needed to get stronger quickly, but what he needed even more was a plan.

Back in his cabin, he sat on his bed and laid everything down.

I have a year to reach the top hundred ranks. Since my current strength is at the upper range of six-fruit cultivators, I will need to develop at least two more Dao fruits. Alongside my body tempering, it should be enough to match the weakest nine-fruit C-Grades.

But I should work on my Dao as well. It will be vital throughout the C-Grade. Let alone enhancing my battle prowess, I need it to develop new fruits.

That makes three approaches: body tempering, cultivation, and Dao meditation.

Meditation will be most effective through the Dao Chamber. I have enough Dao stones to book it for a few days every month. Cultivation will be most effective in the Heavy Pagoda, where I can spend two days a month. The pagoda can also consolidate my body tempering, which can be done right here on my bed. At the same time, body tempering doesnt take too much mental energy, so I can maybe meditate a bit while doing it and consolidate my gains.

Thats the plan. At the start of every month, I will spend all my Dao stones in the Dao Chamber. Every time I feel Ive gotten enough insights, I will return here and practice body tempering while consolidating those insights, then return to the Dao Chamber. I will alternate between these two until I run out of Dao stones. Then, I will split the rest of my time between cultivation and body tempering. The final two days of the month will be spent at the Heavy Pagoda, at the highest level I can reach.

Good.

Jack opened his eyes. His two fists, which hadnt seen action in days, felt itchy. As for that large woman He smirked. Shes just a clown.

Of course, his plan was easier said than done. He was the eye of the storm now; people would undoubtedly find all sorts of ways to mess with him, but hed take them as they came. At least, his family was safethe only way to find Earth was through the Black Hole Church, and Jack firmly believed the Envoys wouldnt go that far. As for Brock, Dorman, and the bros on the Cathedral, Jacks ability to protect them was limited. They would have to endure.

***

Sovereign Heavenly Spoon paced through a path of the Cathedral, accompanied by a kindly old woman.

I didnt think youd go that far, she said. Pitting everyone against a one-fruit disciple Dont you think youre being too harsh?

If he cant even handle this much, he doesnt deserve the World Anchor, the sovereign replied, his gaze exploring the distant stars as if they were a joke. If he fails, I will apologize to the Elder, and thats that.

Thats that, he says. She chuckled. If you werent his disciple, Elder Heavenstar would cut off both your legs and feed them to space monsters.

He can try.

Jonas!

The Head Envoy laughed. Relax, Marissa. Even if Jack fails, the World Anchor will still go to Min Ling. It wont be a loss.

But you said shed be excluded from the talent trial.

I lied. There wont be a talent trial. Ill just give it to her.

She raised a white brow. Thats a dangerous game youre playing. The outer disciples will be incensed.

And what are they going to do about it? Theyre weak, and we already dont lack traitors. He waved a hand dismissively. If needed, Ill give them some other resources to play with. Its no big deal.

I beg to differ.

He shrugged. Nothing matters before absolute power.

Marissa gave him a long glance, then sighed. Do you think he will make it? she asked. Will Jack Rust reach the top hundred in time?

I believe he has decent chances. Even if he doesnt make the top hundred, as long as he doesnt die, he will be able to enter the hidden realm. Then, everything will be up to destiny.

Yes Silence dragged on. An hour later, Marissa said, So, chess?

Chess. Lets go.

***

Jack stepped before the Dao Chamber. His gaze was hardpeople had been glaring at him along the way, and while none had spoken out, it had not been pleasant. His mood was soura far cry from optimal for comprehending the Dao.

He took a deep breath, then another. He opened the door and entered the Dao Chamber.

A familiar scene stretched before his eyes. A low, wide space supported by columns, with colored doors littering the walls. A few people sat cross-legged between the columns, waiting for their turn, while an octopus-like Envoy stood behind a desk in the center of the room.

As Jack entered, the meditating peoples eyes snapped open. Several sharp stares fell on him. He trudged forth regardless.

Welcome back, the octopus Envoy said. Will you try some of our chambers this time?

Yes, Jack replied. Three days at the Mortality Chamber, please.

After picking up his monthly wage, along with the wage of Marcus William that he was owed, Jack currently possessed sixteen Dao stones. One day at the Mortality Chamber cost four stones. The reason he only rented the place for three days was to keep some stones in hand.

The Mortality Chamber is currently occupied, the Envoy replied. I can put you down as the next in line, but you will need to wait for a few more hours. Is that okay?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Sure.

Excellent. That will be twelve Dao stones, please.

Jack swiped his hand over his space ring, withdrawing twelve Dao stones and handing them to the Envoy. She nodded. If you need anything while waiting, please let me know.

Will do. Thank you, Envoy.

No problem.

He looked for an empty spot far away from everyone else and sat down. A few hours was nothing to a C-Grade cultivatorhe would just meditate a bit.

Unfortunately, not everyone shared his thoughts.

Hey, friend, another cultivator called out without standing. He was a weird chimera with the body of a human, the wings of a bat, and the head of a lion. His voice was deeply bass and struggling to sound friendly. Which chamber are you waiting for? If its the same as mine, I wouldnt mind giving you my spot. I know youre in a pinch.

Jack pursed his lips, not responding. The other cultivator waited a few moments, then frowned darkly and closed his eyes.

Jack wasnt an idiot. In this situation, nobody would give him freebies and place themselves against all other disciples for no reason. This cultivator just wanted to know Jacks room of preference so he could sell the information. After all, the prices of the Dao Chamber were determined by demand and supply. If a top ranker like Baron Longform learned that Jack liked the Mortality Chamber, it wouldnt be difficult to artificially drive up the price and make his life difficult.

Unfortunately, Jack could do nothing about this. His conversation with the octopus Envoy had occurred through telepathy, so it couldnt be overheard, but anyone could see him entering the Mortality Chamber when it was time. Withholding this information from the chimera cultivator did not bring any benefitshe only did so to fuck with the other guy.

Nobody else chatted him up. Jack spent the next few hours in meditation, thinking over his current Dao and adjusting himself to the peak mental state. Eventually, a human cultivator exited the Mortality Chamber, her face a mix of grief and thoughtfulness.

Its your turn, the octopus Envoy reminded Jack, but he was already on his feet. With a few resolute steps, he reached the open door of the Mortality Chamber and closed it behind him.

Lets see What exactly are these Dao Chambers? For their price, they better be good.

He was confused at first. The Mortality Chamber was an empty rectangular room, similar in size to his bedroom back on Earth. There were no windows or other doors. The only thing special about this room was that the walls seemed to undulate just below his perception, emitting an aura of endless years and vicissitudes.

The environment began to change. A light fog filled the room, impenetrable by Dao perception. When it receded, the walls were gone, and Jack was floating over a village of mortals.

He was like a ghost. His body was incorporeal, and most of his power was gone. As he looked around, he saw fields stretching out, dotted with rivers, thickets, and watermills. This place looked like the simplest village imaginable.

In the distance, however, Jack could see the terrain change. Different environments were in different directions. To the north, he could see a sprawling metropolis. The south held a primitive warrior tribe surrounded by monsters, and the west a single farm. As for the east, it was just an endless jungle.

The Dao of Mortality

Jacks eyes were already tender. All thoughts of cultivation left his mind, and he slowly descended to the village right below him.

It was the simplest medieval place. Nobody here was a cultivator. There were just a hundred families living ordinary lives. Some people were hunters, others were farmers, and a few were artisans. There were rich people, poor people, healthy people, sick people, powerful and weak people, children and their grandparents.

As Jack descended, nobody noticed his ghostly form. They went on with their lives. Jack, curious, found a random little girl and followed her. The girl returned home, carrying a basket of flowers, then proudly gave them to her mother. Look! she said. I got you flowers, like daddy!

The mother gave a strained smile. Thank you, sweetie. Place them on the table please. This woman was bent over a table, looking over sheets of paper. Jack peeked over her shoulder. These were debt receipts. He also spotted a few letters of condolencesher husband had recently died to an illness.

Jack felt his heart grow heavy. This woman was buried in debt, supporting a household and a daughter by herself. If she didnt find someone to help her, the future would be grim.

He watched as the woman tiredly stood. She helped her daughter bathe in a barrel, then prepared a poor dinner from the few random vegetables shed managed to gatherthe soup was so thin it was almost water. The mother and daughter then sat at the table and tried to enjoy their meal while making lively conversation. The little girl, barely eight years old, couldnt see through her mothers emotionsbut to Jack, it was clear she was trying to seem strong.

The girl ate most of the soup. The mother said she was not hungry. Later, the mother tucked her daughter into their shared bed and returned to the kitchen, where she silently cried herself to sleep.

Jacks heart was bleeding. A part of his mind told him these were only illusions, not real people, but so what? Even if these two werent real, there were innumerable houses in the universe where the same situation was playing out.

To many people, life was full of pain. As Jack wondered why, his first response was because they lacked strengthif this family had managed to become rich in the past, they wouldnt be in this situation now.

But that was far too callous, far too dry. How could he face the ugly side of life and have these thoughts? That had been Jacks Dao speaking, but he felt ashamed of himself. In turn, he couldnt help but wonderif he suddenly took the place of this woman, could he follow his Dao to turn things around?

The Fist was about battle and glory, about freely charging forward. In this kind of situation, wasnt it useless?

No. It cannot be useless. Its just that my understanding is poor, my perspective is limited. My Dao of the Fist was developed according to my experiences, but they never looked like this.

There were many kinds of hardships in life. Being chased down by enemies was one of them; being poor and helpless, driven against the wall, was another.

Jack didnt know how this woman would solve her problems, or how she could make things even a little bit better. He was as clueless as she was. All he could do was feel for her, sink deep into her situation, and share her despair.

The Mortality Chamber existed in time dilation. One month here was a day in the outside world. Jack spent a few days following this family, experiencing their rising despair. Eventually, he was suffering with them. The mother could earn very little money. Their debts kept growing, and sooner or later, they would burst.

Throughout the process, Jack could feel his fists soften. That wasnt a bad thing. He was just temporarily moving away from battle and into mortality, into the mundane. Deep inside his soul, at the heart of his Dao Tree, a soft transition was taking place. His Dao was shifting and evolving, transforming from a simple weapon into something deeper, wiser.

Eventually, people came to collect their debts. The mothers strong facade broke; she cried and begged for more time, while the daughter watched with wide, disbelieving eyes. Their house was taken, their possessions sifted through. The mother was sent to prison for some time, while the daughter was taken in by a rich old couple who felt pity at her situation. At least, they seemed kind.

Jack felt infinite sadness. He wanted to strike out and obliterate the people who separated this girl from her loving mother, but he was just a ghost. Any punch he threw just dissipated. This wasnt his battle; it was their reality.

Finally, Jack closed his eyes and took a deep, trembling breath. A seed was planted inside himbut, as to what it was, he wasnt clear yet. He would need to meditate on it later.

After the mother and daughter were separated, the world kept rolling. Everyone else went on with their lives. Jack chose not to observe the girl any longer and selected another part of the village. Everyone here was a mortal carrying their own fears, struggles, and dreams. A thousand facets of life were represented in this tiny village, more wisdom than a human mind could contain.

The weeks passed like water. With every day, Jack sank deeper into mortality, feeling his Dao undergo a transformation that made it more aware, more corporeal, more realized.

The Fist perfectly encompassed his life, but he was just one person. The world was vastit contained much more than what he could experience. Compared to the endless lives in the universe, his Dao was tiny, a small part of humanity that was now slowly, step by step, growing outside him.

Jacks Dao was subtly ascending, approaching the true Dao of Life ever more.