Chapter 113: E-Grade Cultivation

Chapter 113: E-Grade Cultivation

Jack felt space solidify around him. Another successful warp had just ended. With a deep breath of relief, he looked inside himself.

It had already been a week since he boarded the Trampling Ram. In that time, they had met no other starships, planets, or any sort of civilization. They were alone in an endless void, light years away from anything else that could speak, with only each other as company.

Jack did not dislike it. He had used this time to finally relax and inspect everything new about him. There was plenty.

He had transformed a Dao Root into a Dao Seed. He had broken through to the E-Grade. He had gotten a new Dao Vision. He had finally achieved his fighting style Dao Skill. His body had been enhanced tremendously, and he had overall ascended to an entirely new level.

The Dao Seed was the most intimate change. Before, his Dao Rootsthe Fist and Indomitable Willhad been two dots of power hovering inside his soul. He pictured them as small collections of mist floating through an otherwise empty jar.

Now, one of them had spread to encompass the entire jar. In evolving, the Dao of the Fist had seeped into every nook and cranny of Jacks soul, becoming a perfect whole with him. This greatly increased his aptitude with that particular Dao, and it also enhanced the power of the Dao Seed itself.

However, Jack remained himself. He and the Fist were one, but the Fist had no mind of its own, only power. Power that Jack could harness.

Or, at least, it usually didnt have a mind. Jack felt like hed struck a bargain with a devil. The power stayed inside him, perfectly dormant, but it started becoming upset the farther he strayed from its path. If he suddenly started acting as a weakling, not keeping the promise he had made to the Fist during the breakthrough, his Dao would weaken.

On the other hand, while he remained loyal to the Dao of the Fist, its power felt easy and malleable, and further breakthroughs were just outside his reach.

The Dao Root of Indomitable Will still hovered inside his soul. Now that he had fused with the Dao Root of the Fist, he could sense that the Indomitable Will was used ineffectively. He was just calling upon it when needed, but the connection between them could be far more intimate, far more efficient.

Jack was certain that he could truly connect with the Dao Root of Indomitable Will, but only if he found the perfect way in which it fit with the Fist. Once that perfect fusion was achieved, the Dao Root of Indomitable Will would become a part of the Dao Seed of the Fist, and his power would rise yet again.

That was the way through the E-Grade. One had to forge as many Dao Roots as they desired, then connect them all to their Dao Seed. Only when the seed and roots were fully connected could the Dao Tree sprout.

Of course, the more Dao Roots one had, the stronger they would be. But power came with a price. Even if you reached the peak of the E-GradeLevel 124you couldnt advance to the D-Grade unless you connected all Dao Roots to your Dao Seed. And connecting them was difficult. Therefore, one had to choose the perfect number of Dao Roots.

One root was the minimum, of course.

Moreover, every Dao Root carried a tremendous risk. Not all Dao Roots could connect with all Dao Seeds. In fact, most couldnt. A cultivator had to be extremely careful in what Dao Roots they chose to cultivate, as very few could achieve a perfect fusion with the Dao Seed, and a single unfusable one would doom them to forever remain at the E-Grade.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

For that reason, most D-Grades only had one Dao Rootand their Dao Seed, of course. Those with two were considered elites even amongst immortals. Those with three were hailed as prodigies. And in the galaxys million-year history, there had only been a handful of people who advanced to the D-Grade with four Dao Roots.

Nobody had ever achieved five.

The compatibility between a Dao Seed and the various Dao Roots was the most important reason why factions and masters were crucial. Every persons Dao was unique, but if you walked a well-documented path, you would have a measure of knowledge in what Dao Roots were and werent suitable for you.

For example, Rufus Emberheart cultivated the same Dao of Supremacy that his entire family did. Their Dao Roots were recorded in secret archives. By perusing them, he could see what Dao Roots worked for other holders of the same Daothey would have a good chance of working for him, too.

Jack didnt have that luxury. The Exploding Sun must have had records on previous holders of the Dao of the Fist, since that bald man from his first Dao Vision was Master Shols ancestor, but he had no way to contact them. Apparently, neither did they.

Therefore, Jack was alone in uncharted waters, and he had to carve a perfect route on the first try. One mistake would be enough to completely sever his future. He had to be very careful.

Son of a he exclaimed. What the hell!?

Jared. Can you hear me? Come to the main room immediately, captain Dordoks voice reached his ears.

Grumbling, Jack stood up. He was alone in the cargo hold; a large, mostly empty room that served as his. He had fashioned a hammock at the back with some rope Bomn had given him.

All thoughts of cultivation put aside, Jack opened his door to reach the exit room, then another to enter the main corridor. He climbed the stairs and opened a third door that led to the main room. He hurried through them allhe was a part of the crew now, and when the captain called, he should not tarry.

Captain Dordok was waiting for him alone in the middle of the main room, surrounded by stars in all directions. The scenery still awed Jack, but he snapped out of it. So did Brock, who had followed Jack.

Theres another monster approaching us, the captain said with a smile, and this time, its a weak one. A baby, lets say; perfect for our weakest member.

Which is me.

Which is you.

Space monsters were pretty common, apparently. It was already the third they met in a week.

They were amalgamations of the Dao formed spontaneously in space. They came in various colors, and their forms werent always steady. Most were barely conscious blobs of power. The best they could do was summon tentacle-like appendages and try to consume anything that came near them radiating the power of the Dao.

According to captain Dordok, these monsters grew in stability and intelligence the stronger they goteither by time or by consuming Dao sources. D-Grade space monsters had a stable physical form. C-Grade ones were allegedly able to communicate.

Of course, higher Grade monsters were exceedingly rare in System space. All the ones theyd met were E-Grade, and naturally, they could never threaten the Trampling Ram. Captain Dordok alone could dispatch them easily.

But he didnt.

Every time, he would gauge the monsters strength and send out the most appropriate crewmember to face it. Claimed it was good practice.

Of the previous three monsters, Vashter had taken two. The third was pretty strong, forcing Bomn the minotaur to face it. It hadnt even been a battle. Bomn roared as he rose his greataxe, its edge shining with a piercing red light, and then he slashed it down. The monster had been seared into two equal halves.

Now, the fourth monster showed up, and it was finally Jacks turn.

Its coming fast from below. We have half a minute. Wear this and go through the exit, captain Dordok said, tossing Jack a large helmet. It resembled a fish bowl. It wasnt airtight, but it had been enchanted to protect its wearer from space for a short period of time. According to the captain, it was standard equipment for all starships, space-warping or not.

Wizards could do amazing things.

Jack put it on, sensing the thin film that spread to cover his whole body. Brock cheered. Captain Dordok laughed. Vlossana burst through the door, eager to watch the fight and flashing him a bright smile.

Jack opened the leftmost door at the end of the main room and came face-to-face with a window looking into space. There was no glass; all that protected the ship was a thin film stretched over the opening, similar to the one produced by Jacks helmet.

He took a deep breath and jumped out. It was his first time in bare space.

Before he could admire the sensation, a Dao-powered shriek crossed space to fill his ears, and three tentacles swept at him from below.