Tomorrow⊠Huh?
Jack had spent eight years cultivating. Heâd reached the E-Grade in a month, the D-Grade in three, then the C-Grade in a year and a half. Since then, the other six and a half years had spent inside the C-Grade. It had been a tremendous amount of timeâbut it didnât feel that long. Things had been slower.
Three years in the Green Dragon Realm, one in the Black Hole World, one and a half at the Black Hole Church, and finally one spent running around the Milky Way⊠Over all that time, heâd gotten used to being a C-Grade. The Dao Tree in his soul world felt intimate, while its every fruit was a sight heâd seen a thousand times.
Breaking into the B-Grade tomorrowâor, at least, attempting itâfelt like a dream.
TomorrowâŠ
Jack didnât know how he reached his room that night. All he knew was that, when he awoke, he was on a hard military bed in a high-tech room in a massive starship in a galaxy far far away. A tinted window showcased the starry cosmos outside, while the room itself was illuminated by fluorescent wires running through the ceiling. Besides the bed itself, a bathroom occupied part of the space, outfitted with a shower and a toilet.
Jack shook his head to clear it, then pulled away the covers. He quickly got dressedâan action which involved a mere putting on his pants and boots. It felt weird to dress like a barbarian in a starship, but who were they to judge? This was his war attire!
Today is the day Iâm breaking through.
It still felt like a dream. He walked out of his room regardless, finding Brock leaned against a wall. âMorning, bro,â said the brorilla. âSlept well?â
âI think so.â
âGood. So I did.â
âHad any dreams?â
âMe, you, and Grandpa Dead eating bananarms.â
Jack laughed. âThatâs a dream alright.â
Brock smiled. âAre you ready?â
âI was born ready.â
âGood. Letâs go.â
They followed the corridor, only to run into a beautiful D-Grade woman at the next corner. Her blond hair was long and thrown back, while her blue eyes exuded a feeling of professionalism. Light blue robes covered her shapely body, and her features were sharp in a resolved way. âGood morning,â she said. âMy name is Literia, an assistant of Death Boat. I will be guiding you today. Pleased to make your acquaintance.â
âUh⊠Likewise,â Jack responded. âWhoâs Death Boat?â freŃweÉnovel.com
âThatâs the name of this starship, Sir. Coined by the great Elder Boatman himself.â
Jack remembered seeing the ship from afarâit had looked like a dark, ominous boat. He could picture Charon ferrying souls on it.
âWhere are you guiding us?â he asked.
âAround,â she replied, then smiled. âI have been instructed to take you to your assigned breakthrough location, if thatâs fine with you.â
âOh.â Jack blinked. He wasnât just breaking through todayâhe was doing it, like, now. âSure.â
âGreat!â She smiled again, lighting up the walls. âFollow me, please.â
Literia sailed down the corridor on her long legs, only halfway covered by her robes. Jack only had to glance at her once to suspect theyâd sent their most beautiful assistant on purpose.
âWho exactly ordered you to guide us?â he asked as they followed.
âEnvoy Min Ling,â Literia replied with reverence. âSheâs an honorary manager of Death Boat. I presume youâre acquainted?â
âHmm.â Jack narrowed his eyes. âA bit.â
He did not press the issue further. Brock chuckled silently. They followed Literia down a set of winding corridors, finally emerging on a wider one whose right side was covered entirely in glass. Behind it, Jack had a terrific view of one level of the Death Boat. He was stunned. There were tens of thousands of housesâjust this level was like a small city.
âDeath Boat hosts more than just Crusade combatants,â Literia explained, not hurrying along. âElder Boatmanâs entire faction lives in this starship. When we escaped System space, we also brought along many survivors of Hand attacks to keep them safe. As a result, weâre currently a little overpopulatedâŠbut that shouldnât affect you.â
âI didnât know Elder Boatman had his own faction,â Jack replied.
âMost Elders do. Donât imagine anything too grandâthey just like to keep their friends, family, and disciples safe. Over an A-Gradeâs long life, that small community can expand to millions or billions of people. Itâs normal.â
âI see,â Jack said. âThen, all those people below are cultivators?â
âNot at all!â She laughed, a pleasant, chirping sound. âMost are mortal civilians. There are schools, shops, cafes, restaurants⊠Some layers even have forests and lakes. Itâs a whole world in hereâall courtesy of Elder Boatman.â
Jack nodded along. He was beginning to see a pattern. Archons Green Dragon and Black Hole had created a hidden realm in which they kept their people. Elder Boatman either couldnât or didnât want to do that, but he used a giant starship instead. So did most other Elders, according to Literia. It appeared there was no place in the universe where high-ranking people felt safe leaving their people.
Jack would have assumed the Black Hole Church headquarters to be such a place. Now, he knew better. While he didnât understand quite everything, he didnât need toâhe would just copy those who knew what they were doing. His family and friends would remain on Earth, which heâd make sure to keep out of reach for the rest of the universe.
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That was the only way to be safe.
âAre there other A-Grades onboard?â Jack asked.
Literia smiledâneedlessly? âThere is Elder Heavenstar,â she replied. âHis own abode was destroyed in the process of escaping System space. Elder Boatman graciously accepted him and the survivors into his starship.â
Jack nodded. He had a decent impression of Heavenstarâhe was the master of Sovereign Heavenly Spoon and Min Ling, a scholarly Elder known to assist the younger generation. At the banquet before they entered the Green Dragon Realm, Heavenstar had stood by Boatman when he almost fought Purity. He seemed, at the very least, to be a man of integrity.
That also explained why Min Ling was an honorary manager of Death Boat, and also why Sovereign Heavenly Spoon would spare a month to ensure Jackâs safety.
They continued through the corridors, circling the city and finally losing it from sight. Literia was not at all in a hurryâthroughout their walk, she maintained a cheerful conversation with Jack and Brock, often asking about their experiences or offering hers. She was a well-spoken woman.
Of course, if they really were in a hurry, they could just teleport wherever they wanted.
Shortly afterward, the left wall of their corridor was made of glass, revealing an expanse of dust and rocks. âThis is the Bone Belt,â Literia explained. âOur hiding place. It extends for millions of miles, and thanks to the dense clouds of dust, itâs difficult for the enemy to scout us out with their perception. They have to manually search through the entire belt, where our Envoys lie in ambush to make their job even harder.â
âHmm.â Jack hummed. âSince weâre hiding, I assume weâre losing the war?â
Literia turned defensive. âI wouldnât say that,â she replied, sounding a little hurt. âThis is just the current state of things. The Hand of God is presently much stronger than us, but it wonât be like that forever. We arenât the only parties of this war. When the Old Gods join, things will be much more balanced.â
âThe Old Gods are joining the war?â
âOf course! Weâre fighting on their sideâhow could they not help us?â
Jack had his doubts. From what he knew, the only Old God to care about cultivators was currently trapped in a black hole somewhere in the universe. Even if the other eleven knew there was a Second Crusade brewing against them, and also that there were cultivators fighting on their behalf, why would they rush over here and join? They were Old Gods. They could just retreat to the far end of the universe and remain there for billions or trillions of years. The cultivation world couldnât reach that far.
Of course, Jack also recognized there were many things he wasnât privy to, so he chose not to speak.
âWhen you say weâre currently weaker,â he asked, âhow much weaker do you mean?â
Literia hesitated. âIâm not aware of everything,â she finally replied, âbut I would say our forces are half of theirs. Itâs not a difference we cannot overcome with good planning, bravery, and a little bit of luck.â
Jack nodded. Brock placed a hand on Literiaâs shoulder, startling her. âDonât worry, Pretty Bro,â he said with a calm smile. âWe are here now. Itâs going to be okay.â
She struggled to form words for a moment. Finally, her lips broke into a bright smileâone that seemed more genuine than before. âThank you,â she replied. Brock removed his hand, and she kept walking.
Jack shot his bro a questioning gazeâBrock shrugged.
Finally, they reached the end of the corridor: a decompression chamber connecting to the universe outside. It was obviously meant to shield E-Grades and below from the vacuum, but to Jack, Brock, and Literia, that was completely unnecessary. Jack teleported the three of them outside. Literia blinked in surprise.
âThis is faster,â he explained, to which she nodded.
âI guess youâre right,â she said. âThen, follow me!â
She turned into a ray of cyan light that flew into the distance. Of course, to Jack and Brock, she was beyond slow. They would have offered to lead the way, but thankfully, they could see that their destination was near.
A large asteroid hung in the distance, so large it resembled a planet. Crowds of cultivators hovered around it, and looking back, Jack could also see a large window of the Death Boat overlooking this spot, crowded with the faces of thousands of people.
âIs this the breakthrough location?â he asked.
âYes,â Literia replied, sounding a little embarrassed. âWe know privacy is usually best, but in this case, we need a show to increase morale. We hope you can understand.â
âItâs fine either way,â Jack said. âBut wonât morale drop if I fail my breakthrough?â
She looked at him like heâd made a joke. âIf even your breakthrough fails, sir, then the rest of us might as well abandon cultivation and become farmers.â
âThat âsirâ feels weird. Just call me Jack.â
She beamed. âOkay⊠Jack.â She said the name slowly, as if enjoying it. Jack couldnât tell if she was a fangirl or an expert hostess. Her voice turned warmer. âIn any case, Jack, there is no need to worry. Iâm sure youâll do just fine. Both of you. We arenât just waiting to see if you succeed, but to how many miles you can grow your inner world!â
âThanks. Thatâsâ Wait. Both of us?â
âYes?â she replied. âThe two of you are breaking through, correct?â
Jack looked at Brock, who winked. âWeâre bros,â he said. âWe walk together.â
âI guess we do.â Jack laughed. âThere is one else I would rather share my breakthrough, bro.â
âI know.â
âThis is as far as I can go,â Literia said as they approached the asteroid. âI wish you luck, JackâŠand Brock.â Sheâd used the brorillaâs name as wellâhe smiled and winked at her.
âThanks, Pretty Bro. Weâre bringing it home.â
Literia didnât recognize the phrase, while Jack wondered where Brock had picked it up. Earth, probably. Gan Salin?
The girl flew to the side, joining the crowd which was staring at them by now. Jack saw many familiar facesâSovereign Heavenly Spoon, the Sage, Min Ling⊠Even Elder Heavenstar was present, sitting on a starry throne at the very front of the crowd, his scholarly aura putting everyone at ease. He smiled politely at Jack and Brock.
âShow us the power of your generation,â he told them telepathically, to which both smiled.
âThank you, Elder.â
They flew towards the nearby asteroid. Elder Boatman hovered alone right over it. An aura of death surrounded him, not menacingly, but like it was the most natural thing in the world.
âI have taken very few disciples in my life,â he said as they approached. Though it felt like a whisper, his voice somehow spread across space, even reaching the Death Boat. âI believe in the two of you. Your potential is great. Do not disappoint me.â
Short and to the point. Classic Elder Boatman. Yet, though he sounded strict, Jack could hear the love behind those words. Elder Boatman was maintaining absolute vigilance, ensuring that nobody would arrive to disturb them, and he also used his Dao to keep the asteroid below them completely still. This last job could have been delegated to a B-Grade, but he chose to do it personally. That showed he cared.
âThank you, Master,â both said as one. âWe will make you proud.â
Boatman nodded. âThen, you may begin when you are ready.â
He flew away, coming to float beside Elder Heavenstar. The two of them were the only ones sittingâone had a throne seemingly made of stars, while the other of dark bone. Everyone else was standing.
Nobody was within a hundred miles of the asteroidâs surface. Jack and Brock exchanged a glance. They clasped hands. âGood luck, bro,â said Brock.
âYou too,â Jack replied with barely contained excitement. âLetâs become strong.â
Brock flew away, circling the asteroid to land at the exact opposite side. The breakthrough to the B-Grade was a very delicate processâeven soul companions like them couldnât be too close to each other.
Jack stood alone, on an asteroid in space, overlooked by A-Grades, in a galaxy far from home. The pressure was one he was used toâand it was made easier by the fact that his bro was undergoing the same thing on the other side of the asteroid.
He sat down and closed his eyes. It was time to reach the B-Grade.