Stray Cat Strut - Chapter Seventy-Nine - More Than the Machine

Martial Arts Year 1. Cracks have appeared between Heaven and Earth, and terrifying foreign monsters have begun to invade the earth.

Martial Arts Year 100. Martial arts have begun to flourish, and human martial artists are clashing against the invading foreign monsters.

Martial Arts Year 200. Humanity is declining, foreign monsters are continuously seizing habitual zones.

Martial Arts Year 300. Lu Sheng crossed over. Moreover, he had access to memories from 10,000 years in the future.

“The Body Refining Technique from 10,000 years in the future. After more than 10,000 revisions, it’s a thousand times more effective than the one used now!”

“Martial Art Breathing Method from 10,000 years in the future…”

“Medicinal Pill Recipes from 10,000 years in the future…”

“The Sacred Martial Scriptures from 10,000 years in the future…”

Martial Arts Year 10,000. Humanity has gone extinct.

“The Path of Martial Arts had been honed to its pinnacle, yet there was no one left to inherit it.”

“I, Luo Sheng, am Humanity’s final Ember!”

Eons have passed since the prophesied godslayer met his demise. Yet, in a world reborn, whispers stir of his return, of a new man born from the remnants of an ancient prophecy.Kallen, destined to master the delicate balance between chaos and order, light and darkness, emerges to defy the very fabric of fate.Existence is a tapestry, one whole, connected, and indivisible. It is woven by the fabric of fate, spun with the strings of karma, and stitched with the threads of causality.Yet, within this unity lies individuality, and this individuality is the essence of existence. The manifestation of essence is Will.But what is a sparked Will against one akin to a raging inferno? What is a child before a mammoth? The conviction of a mortal before the boundless Will of cosmic beings?The answer is defiance!.A defiant Will, is what Kallen needs to liberate himself from the suppression every mortal endures from apex lifeforms. To live his life free, unhinged and on his own terms.But it takes a bit of crazy to be brave, and Insanity to be defiant.This is the story of a mortal breaking limits to achieve Apexification, to walk with his head held high and free in every corner of the universe.It is the irony of a slave who holds the reins, even as their chains bite deep. It is the cry of a heart bound in servitude, yet refusing to surrender its essence.

The sinful act of Humanity brings forth a great calamity towards themselves, or so they thought.

Supernatural Emergence happened,

Supernatural Creatures start to come out of nowhere and forcefully claim half of the Earth and massacre any humans that crossed their paths. The Supernatural Creatures are way too powerful, dozens of countries fall under their diabolic claws. Humanity was pushed against the corner.

But things started to turn around when Humanity begins to Awaken magical power blessed by the gods. They are the pillar of humanity, and they're called Awakened.

Rex Silverstar is a normal human boy that has a traumatic experience on the day the Supernatural emerges, a Werewolf takes everything he had. He lost his family and his home, he's left all alone in the cruel world. But what drives him to live every day is his deep hatred towards the Supernaturals.

Rex decided to join the military in hopes to help exterminate the Supernatural from his early teens, he found out that it's impossible to kill the Werewolf that killed his parent without being an Awakened.

On a fateful night, In a near-death experience, When his soul was about to be taken by Death. He is given a chance by the full moon where his life will be turned around.

Given the chance to get stronger by a system and has the potential to match the Supernatural, Rex was ecstatic before he saw his stats window on the system.

“I'M NOT A WEREWOLF!!”

“Daily Quest failed, Decrease 20% Sanity Stat”

“Blood Moon will start in ten minutes”

“Sanity stat is too low to control the Blood Moon blessing!”

“Forceful Transformation will begin shortly”

“WHAT?! I'm a human! What transformation?!”

“You're Overwhelmed with Bloodlust!”

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension