Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Chapter 371: Challenging Everyone

The Cathedral Square was buzzing with excitement. People had started arriving since the early morning—from the low to the top rankers, nobody was willing to miss this spectacle. Moreover, since it had been announced six months in advance, everyone had made sure not to be in deep cultivation at this time.

As a result, of the Cathedral’s thousand outer disciples, over eight hundred had arrived, and that was because the rest were outside the Cathedral. Almost every C-Grade on the Cathedral was right here!

The Cathedral Square, where the duel would play out, was expansive. It was a mile from end to end, leaving plenty of space for spectators. The top rankers were gathered in a corner, some clustered around Baron Longform and some around Min Ling—it seemed the top ranks were not as united as it once seemed.

Everyone else was gathered in their friend groups, waiting for the battle to start. One notable exception to the crowd were the bros—they were dressed in colorful garments salvaged from who knows where, held drums, gongs, and trumpets, and were led by a brorilla who wore nothing but red shorts.

This brorilla was Brock…and he had reached the C-Grade!

He wasn’t a simple C-Grade, either. Soon after he broke through, he entered the Ceaseless Murder Globe and used his mere one-fruit cultivation to reach a ranking of 786. If not for Jack, this would have been the most impressive result in recent years!

As it was, Brock was overshadowed, but he didn’t mind. Jack was his big bro. The glory of one was the glory of the other.

And, in any case, for this brother duo to be the two brightest rising stars was satisfying.

The crowd had gathered early and were making all sorts of guesses. Some thought that Jack would win, while many didn’t. It wasn’t that they doubted his talent—given the suppression Jack had received in the past few months, most people just didn’t see how he could progress.

A small stall stood on a corner of the square. It was covered in red fabrics and proudly proclaimed to be the “Betting Stall.” Manning it was the smiling form of Osmu Sosmu. Normally, someone of his rank would never have the status to set up a betting stall, but selling all those life stones had increased his reputation. Now, if he claimed he could pay people back their earnings, many were willing to trust him.

Such grand events didn’t happen often at the Cathedral. Cultivators swarmed the stall, eager to bet a few Dao stones and participate in the excitement. Osmu Sosmu welcomed them all with smiles.

The entire Cathedral was wrapped in an electrified, excited air.

Suddenly, the void parted. A stately figure flew in, her fitting brown clothes striking alongside her short hair. A gray claymore was strapped to her hip. This was Mabe Asphel, Jack’s opponent. As soon as she appeared, people noticed her towering aura and sharp gaze—while she hadn’t developed a new Dao fruit, her strength had clearly risen.

And, it was no wonder. She had the support of Baron Longform and his herd of top-rankers—she naturally advanced by leaps and bounds.

If she had another month or two, she might have broken through and reached the eight-fruit boundary.

Mabe landed on one side of the Cathedral Square and sat down cross-legged, adjusting her mental state to the peak. She was taking this seriously. With all the resources that had been poured into her and the rewards dangling before her face, this was the greatest battle of her life!

As soon as she appeared, the audience caught glimpses of her sharp aura. Many people glanced at each other, then rushed to the betting stall.

Osmu Sosmu smiled even wider. As one of the bros, he was aware of the massive amount of resources Jack had enjoyed in these past six months. With his talent, his current strength should be enough to win. Therefore, the more people who bet on Mabe, the more Dao stones Osmu would make.

Soon after, there was another disturbance. People looked over, expecting to see Jack. Instead, a dozen figures floated over the crowd, the barest trickle of their auras suffocating. Leading them was an aloof youth. Behind him came a kindly grandmother and a sharp-eyed young man, followed by another nine cultivators, including a frog-faced man and a woman who was part octopus.

As these twelve people flew in, they moved directly to the raised platform, then took out chairs from their space rings and sat down to enjoy the show.

The crowd drew cold gasps. Now they knew why none of the top-rankers had dared climb on the platform before: the Envoys had come to watch.

“Incredible,” a disciple muttered. “Since when do Envoys care about the struggles of us outer disciples?”

“I guess…they’re also bored?” another replied. “This is a grand event that concerns a future B-Grade. It isn’t weird that they’d come.”

After the B-Grades arrived, though they kept to themselves and didn’t interact with the C-Grades, the atmosphere grew even more electrified. The people present truly felt like they were about to witness something important. Even Mabe Asphel, who was meditating inside the square, could feel the pressure.

A dozen Envoys were watching her. If she could make a good impression, her future would be bright…but, if she made a fool of herself, she would need to find a stone and hide under.

More time passed. There was no specific time set for the duel, meaning that Jack could arrive whenever he liked, but he’d still left everyone waiting for a solid two hours. Still, no one complained. Two hours was the blink of an eye to them.

At some point, the Head Envoy raised his head and smiled. “He’s here,” he whispered.

The void grew heavier. The Dao deepened. Everyone turned towards the same direction at the same time as if beckoned by their instincts.

A lone man flew towards the square. He was dressed in purple, with short hair rising from his scalp and calm eyes that seemed to contain the universe. As he flew, he was neither slow nor fast, yet his movements resonated with the Dao itself; numerous particles danced around his body, ignoring the Cathedral’s thousandfold gravity. Everywhere he passed, the void was tinted purple, and his presence was so dense and solid that it felt like the center of the universe, as if he was an ancient titan of unfathomable power.

As everyone witnessed these phenomena, they were surprised. Even top-rankers couldn’t create such an impression—this was achieved through Jack’s extreme body tempering.

He had even broken through and developed a new Dao fruit!

Many rushed to the betting stall, discovering that Osmu Sosmu had already closed it.

Jack unhurriedly reached the center of the square and landed there, his presence dominating the space around him. Mabe Asphel rose to her feet—though Jack’s aura was impressive, it did not necessarily reflect his strength. She maintained her confidence.

“You came,” she said. “Brave of you.”

“I couldn’t kick your ass otherwise,” Jack replied calmly.

The crowd was stunned, then erupted into uproar. In the wide universe, there were many people who possessed charming auras; their every word carried peace and reason, and their rhetoric was able to reach even the most hateful of hearts. Jack was the exact opposite. The moment he opened his mouth, everyone wanted to beat him up.

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Veins popped on Mabe’s forehead. She had been hyping herself up while enduring tremendous pressure—she never expected the first words out of Jack’s mouth to be so basefully insulting.

“Fine. If you want to die, let me be your guest!” she shouted, drawing her claymore. The tip cut through the void, leaving a gray line wherever it passed.

“One moment,” Jack said, raising a hand. “I have some things to say first.”

Then why didn’t you say them before!? Mabe thought, her brows spasming, but she remained silent.

“Thank you for coming to watch, everyone,” Jack said. “Your presence honors me. Of course, for some of you, I’m surprised to see you here—like Baron Longform. After you wasted a thousands Dao stones to make my life difficult, I didn’t think you’d want to personally experience my glory.”

Jack’s words were sharp and direct. His gaze pierced towards a part of the spectators, clashing directly with the stare of Baron Longform, the third ranked outer disciple. The gedritch—that was the name of Baron’s species—narrowed his silver eyes. His face remained indifferent and proud, like a tyrant overlooking a dancing ant. He did not reply immediately; even he was surprised by such directness.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd drew cold gasps. Jack was simply firing cannonballs from his mouth. The moment he appeared, his words were biting and venomous, giving absolutely no consideration for anyone’s face.

I must never become his enemy, was the common thought of everyone present. Against such a person, even if they won in the end, they would be so humiliated they could never recover!

“You speak like a low mortal,” Baron Longform finally replied, his Dao-infused voice echoing across the square. “Your accusations are empty. I never bothered with you.”

“Of course. I kill your cousin, but you don’t bother with me. How…domineering of you,” Jack mocked him. The crowd’s eyes widened. “Well then, I must have been mistaken. I thought someone wasted hundreds of Dao stones to stop me from meditating in the Dao Chamber. But, who knows? Perhaps all those random cultivators were at a special point in their cultivation and needed to spend seven stones a day to constantly rent the Space and Mortality Chambers for half a year. Come to think of it, I really must have been mistaken. I’m sorry for accusing you—only a completely idiotic individual would go to such lengths to achieve jack shit, and there is no way you could be so pathetic.”

The crowd held their breaths. Baron’s words were only superficial—everyone knew that he really had obstructed Jack in every step of the way, spending a massive amount of Dao stones to achieve it. Everyone also knew of Baron Longform’s disposition—he was an overbearing, domineering, tyrannical individual who would repay every tiny insult a thousandfold.

Now, Jack had called that man idiotic and pathetic in his face. The enmity between these two had escalated way past the point of no return.

Moreover, Jack’s words did hold a certain appeal. He had reminded everyone that Baron Longform had spent a massive fortune on this—if he really hadn’t managed to stop or at least slow down Jack’s rise to power, then this really was blatant incompetence.

Facing all these insults, Baron Longform didn’t reply. His face was frigid. His aura rose like tumultuous waves, crashing into the shore that was Jack’s body again and again, striking him with the full might of an extreme nine-fruit C-Grade. Such an aura couldn’t actually harm Jack, but it could make any other two-fruit C-Grade blanch take a step back.

Jack didn’t even change his expression, easily weathering the aura and further slapping Baron’s face.

The crowd didn’t feel like laughing anymore. This collision was just too brutal. It was like the staredown of two wild animals ready to tear each other apart.

“I am your opponent,” Mabe said, giving Baron a way out. “Face me if you dare, Jack Rust!”

“You are my opponent?” Jack asked, a mocking smile on his face. “That’s actually the issue I wanted to raise. I’m afraid you’re just not worthy.”

Her brows rose. “What bullshit are you spouting? You agreed on a duel with me! You cannot back away now!”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Jack replied calmly. “Since I promised, I will naturally beat you up. However, I’m afraid that such a short spectacle will make everyone think we’ve wasted their time. Therefore, I have a proposition: after our duel, let there be more. I know that many people in the audience want to fight me. As long as their ranking is below 150, and as long as they can bet fifty Dao stones against me, I will accept any and all comers!”

The crowd was stunned, then once again erupted. Even the bros were surprised by such a declaration.

Jack Rust was challenging the entire Cathedral? Anyone below the ranking of 150 could fight him, no matter how many people there were?

Heavens! What arrogance! He was only a two-fruit C-Grade!

Even the Envoys on the raised platform, who’d simply enjoyed the show so far, started whispering amongst themselves.

“Jack Rust!” Mabe Asphel yelled, her face red with anger. “I will not accept such humiliation!”

She was steaming in rage and indignation. This was supposed to be her fight, the most important battle of her life. She had trained hard and prepared herself for this. Even if she lost, she would have had the glory of facing Jack Rust before the entire Cathedral and even the Head Envoy. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ N0vᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

But now, her moment of glory was stolen away, and she was relegated to simply the opening act. Her pride had been stomped into the ground. How could she not be furious?

“The only humiliation is your weakness,” Jack replied. “If you have the power, then defeat me first. That will naturally void all other challenges.”

Mabe opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. What could she say? Indeed, if she won, then Jack would be the one completely made a fool of. It was only if she lost, and lost decisively, that all this humiliation would fall on her head.

At the end, everything came down to power. She had to win.

“What an interesting proposition!” the Head Envoy said from the platform, his voice instantly captivating everyone. “I enjoy your daring. Very well. Your challenge is accepted, but a cultivator should never bite off more than they can chew! If you can defeat everyone, you won’t even need to enter the Ceaseless Murder Globe; I’ll give you the World Anchor right here and now! However, if you lose…you can forget about it!”

Jack’s gaze remained resolute, carrying a hint of anger, but the crowd erupted in whispers. Even Baron Longform couldn’t hide his smile. The Head Envoy’s words were the same as decreasing Jack’s time limit from one year to the present six months. It was simply squeezing water out of stone.

For all everyone knew, maybe Jack was just bluffing. Maybe he wanted to take this opportunity and cement his understandings through battle. For the Head Envoy to corner him like this was just too brutal!

Everyone expected Jack to protest. However, after a few moments went by, he raised his proud head. “Fine,” he said. “However, you are increasing the difficulty without increasing the stakes. You are simply taking advantage of me. How about this: If I lose, I can forget about the World Anchor. However, if I win, not only will I get the anchor, you will even gift me a thousand Dao stones!”

The crowd couldn’t believe their ears. Did Jack just try to barter with the Head Envoy? Did his arrogance know no limits?

The Head Envoy laughed. “I guess I have been pushing you a bit too hard. Who cares about Dao stones? If you win, I will let you use the Dao Chamber for free until the hidden realm expedition!”

It was hard for the excitement to rise further. Even the bros had forgotten to bang on their drums and trumpets. As soon as the Head Envoy’s voice fell, several people rushed through the crowd to reach the betting stall, where it stood to reason they could place their Dao stones to face Jack.

“Fifty Dao stones,” said the first person to arrive—a man ranked 167th. All others cursed that they weren’t first, but all they could do was rush faster.

To a high ranker, fifty Dao stones were neither too much nor too little. Most had saved up this much over their many years. Moreover, Baron Longform had secretly contacted all his supporters ranked below 150, offering to cover their entrance fee and gift them with two hundred Dao stones if they could defeat Jack.

The rush was unprecedented. Over a dozen high-rankers rushed to the betting stall, fighting to register before everyone else. Nobody thought that Jack could win this massive battle, and the later one fought, the higher the chances that someone before them would defeat Jack and reap the rewards.

The betting stall finally shattered from the weight of all the Dao stones on it. Including the fifty stones from every high-ranker now and all the bets from before, there were over a thousand Dao stones on its surface, forming a little mountain. How could wood handle that weight under the thousandfold gravity?

After some time, the high-rankers were done. Twenty-five of them had registered. There were more, but their power wasn’t too great, and they didn’t see any meaning to participating. There was no way Jack would stand after consecutively fighting twenty-six high-rankers. If he could achieve this, then his strength would already be approaching the domain of nine-fruit C-Grades!

Everything was said and done. If Jack could win, he would receive the World Anchor, over a thousand Dao stones, and everyone’s recognition. He would become a legend.

However, if he lost to just the first match, then this would be the greatest joke in the Cathedral’s history.

Mabe Asphel was still waiting, her face the color of ash. She really had been relegated to an opening act. Her moment of glory was completely and utterly ruined. She had never felt angrier in her life.

“Are you done!?” she asked Jack.

“I guess so,” Jack replied. His aura boiled over, upsetting the space around him. His eyes sharpened. Suddenly, Mabe felt the world’s weight crash around her as if she was facing some ancient beast.

But it was too late. She could only do her best and hope to win, or at least not lose too badly.

“Then, take my blade!” she shouted, charging Jack.

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