Other than the extremely long upgrade sequence, the title was extremely welcome. The stat boost remained the same, but he had gained yet another boost to his Dao comprehension. At this point, he was so juiced up in terms of his Dao, he could probably reach the next stage within a few years. That was utterly unbelievable to say, but it was true. After that, there was only one more thing to check.

Sam Atlas

Human: F Rank

Mortal Tier

F Rank

Class: Greater Dao Visionary

Level 115

(124 stat points unspent)

Strength

840

1.63x

Constitution

686

1.58x

Resilience

749

1.58x

Dexterity

755

1.63x

Intelligence

928

1.58x

Wisdom

967

1.58x

* Health 15435/15435

* Mana 20880/20880

* Stamina 18900/18900

* Road to Zenith

Stage 2

* Dao

Dao Echo of Inspiration

Dao Seed of the Avenger(First Step)

* Skills

1x Uncommon, 1x Rare, 2x Epic, 6x Legendary, 6x Mythical, 2x Ancient, 1x Unique

* Titles

1x Legendary, 1x Mythical, 2x Ancient, 1x Transcendent

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* Temporary Titles

1x Epic, 1x Legendary, 1x Mythical

* Dao Heritage

Dao Incarnation of Existence(First Step)

* Party

None

* Skill Branches

Muscle Density Enhancement(Level 1)

Basic Weapon Knowledge: Blunt(Level 1)

* Weapon Style

Flowing Water Style

* Weapon Mastery: Brotherhood Stage 6

* Elemental Affinities

Earth: 5% Mastery

* Quests

The Sacred Bond: Impossible

Engines of the End Time: S

Rise of the Titans: S

* Professions

Dao Smith: Novice Stage 1

Smith: Novice Stage 1

Sam looked over his stat sheet with great pleasure. He had come far since he had entered this strange and dangerous world. He was indisputably the strongest person on this planet. Many of his stats were nearing 1000 points, a level of improvement that made his early advances pale in comparison. The ladder of progression in this world really was one of exponential growth.

Sam noticed the awestruck citizens watching him, and he frowned. Why were they watching him so intently? Then he looked down at his arms and saw that he was glowing with the light of his new Dao. It was a strange mixture of red and blue, looking like a mixture of an ocean and of blood. To his mind, it represented both his desire for revenge, and his motivation to enact it. Rather than being a Dao predicated on dark emotions and violence, it was one of Justice. With a quick flaring of his intent, he banished the light back into his skin. He gave the onlookers one last glance and then leaped out of the enclosure. It was time to see just what his new Dao could actually do.

Some time later, Sam found himself outside of the city, where his attacks were unable to do any harm. His body glowed with light as he let his Dao energy out once more, and he summoned a concentrated ball of power to his right hand. He sent it through the same pathways as his early projectile skill, and he gazed at it for a moment before throwing it. As he did so, he felt the attack locking onto a small hill in the distance, curving as it flew. It impacted with the force of a bomb, blasting the hill into oblivion. A skill notification greeted him.

You have gained a new skill!

Vengeance’s Reach: Mythical

Create an orb of Dao energy that embodies the concept of the Avenger. This orb will follow its target until it either hits it, or runs out of energy. Just as revenge can only ever end when one party dies, so does this skill.

It was a very good skill, and one with a lot of potential. Sam could envision throwing a dozen of these during a battle, and not having to focus on aiming. However, he could feel the store of insights from his breakthrough fading. The next skill would not be so easy to create. Instead, Sam tried to understand the nature of his new Dao. It was one that placed a high regard on revenge, but also the capacity to actually achieve it. It was a Dao of cold efficiency, tempered with the fiery rage of revenge.

Sam made his way back into the city, having run out of steam with his rapid fire series of improvements. It was time for him to set his mind to something else. It had been months since he had last practiced with his Dao Smith profession. It had been too long.

Sam strode through the streets of the city, all too conscious of the looks that he was getting. Everyone in the city had felt that explosion of power from his Dao Seed formation earlier, and nobody doubted that it had been from him. Even he could feel that he had a new presence within the world, as if he was a weight upon reality. It was similar to the way that he had felt while standing by Gordanus. He was no longer an ephemeral existence. He was now an integral part of reality.

By the time that he reached George’s smithy, he had managed to fully rein in his aura. Still, there was a cloak of majesty that draped around him, unaffected by this. It was unavoidable. Sam entered the smithy a few moments later, and saw George banging away at a sword. The man had reached F Rank, and was now a highly proficient smith. The sword glowed with power akin to the weapons that Sam had seen during his time on the training planet.

“Hey, George,” Sam said as he entered.

The smith looked up, and seemed to do a double take.

“Hey yourself, faction leader. Something seems different about you. You still look the same as before, but your presence is completely different.”

“Yeah, I formed a Dao Seed. Apparently that entails a more physical manifestation of my power,” Sam replied.

“Impressive. Anyway, I assume you have come here to continue your work? I know that you have been busy, but it would be a shame to waste your talent.”

“Yes. I wanted something to do while we wait for the next Titan to come calling. I might as well develop my craft, as my source of insights has dried up over time. I will need to fight again to gain more power.”

George nodded and finished up with his current commission, setting the weapon to the side. He tossed a smithing hammer over to Sam, and gathered a few loose ingots of metal. Sam walked over to the anvil, and watched as George heated the ingots to a cherry glow in the forge. George pulled them out when they were done, and set one on the anvil.

“Let’s see what you remember,” he said, pointing to the ingot. “I want you to make another flat plate, just like last time.”