Ascension of the immortal Asura

John felt a wave of excitement and determination rush through him, filling him with focused purpose. He rushed back over to his seat and sat down, eager to get started.

"Now that I know my path forward, I….how does one even make a battle art?" John said hastily, then stammered as he realized the error in his thoughts. A scoffed at his own stupidity and shook his head lightly.

"While my direction is correct, I do not know nearly enough about battle art creation," John sighed, calming himself while getting a clearer picture and plan on how to proceed. "I've only ever followed other battle arts, which clearly detail how to go about activating the battle arts. The battle arts started out relatively simple, but have become incredibly intricate and complicated, to the point that just understanding them is a task in and of itself. As for creating such complicated arts…just how much effort would that take? Is this really the correct way forward?" he wondered, doubt entering his mind.

After a brief internal debate, John shook his head, a resolute look returning to his face.

"No, I'm sure this is the correct path forward," he said confidently. "Every battle art was created by someone, so if they can do it, so can I. I'm sure the main factor for creating battle arts is one's comprehension level, and when it comes to comprehension talent, I'm confident I don't lose out to anyone.

My self-created battle arts will most likely start out clumsy and weak, but as I progress, so will they. I'm confident I'll eventually be able to create battle arts that grow at the same rate that I do, and because they were created for me, will be able to grow in power and profundity alongside me. No longer will I waste my time learning battle arts to fill a gap in my combat prowess, only to discard it a year later. Going forward, my focus will be on creating and growing my own battle arts, with some exceptions here and there."

While John was confident this direction was the correct one, he wasn't so stupid as to think he could abandon the wisdom and powers of others entirely. When it came to heaven-defying arts like the Immortal Asura Body, Dragon-God Shift, Primordial Extermination Lightning Cultivation Technique, and Celestial Lightning Script, those were things worth focusing on as well, as they would not become useless to him anytime soon, if ever at all.

John thought about the Divine Reaping Scythe, which naturally appeared in his mind as he thought about those other heaven-defying arts he had in his possession. He was sure the Divine Reaping Scythe was also a heaven-defying art, one that was capable of standing next to, or at least near, the other arts he had.

"It's just a pity I don't have the next steps to that art," John sighed, pushing the thought aside. He sorted his chaotic thoughts for a short while, then nodded at his newly created cultivation plan.

"Going forward, the only arts that will enter my eyes, mind, and soul are my own, self-created battle arts, as well as true heaven-defying arts. I will not waste my time with anything less," John said with firm resolve, then flinched lightly as he realized he was missing one important art to that list.

"I can't forget about the Shadow of Death Assassination Art either. While it may not be as heaven defying as the other arts in my possession, I made an oath to bring it to the peak of the martial universe," John reminded himself of that oath.

Plan created and mind resolved, John leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the table before him, chin rested on hands. His mind was resolute, but his face was scrunched up in uncertainty.

"Now that I know my path forward….how do I actually go about creating battle and movement arts?" John asked himself.

A deep frown appeared on his face as he thought it over.

"Do I ask the Prime Shadow if he can help? I'm sure this guild has books on how to go about making arts," he mused, frown still lingering. "But even if they do have information on this subject, will the information they have be enough for me? My path is to climb to the peak of the martial universe, and thus I will need to create arts as heaven-defying as the ones already in my possession. In order to do that, I will need to create the most stable foundation for my arts, and a stable foundation can only be achieved by perfectly placing each piece without error."

John fell silent for a while, then sighed and stood up.

"Oh well. Even if the guild doesn't have the best information regarding battle art creation, anything is better than what I have right now, which is absolutely nothing," he said, taking out his communication disk to send a request to the Prime Shadow.

As he prepared to send the message, he suddenly felt his mind and soul slip out of his control, as if it was being sucked away to a different place. Panic surged through him as he realized he could not resist the pull at all, as if he was being pulled by the heaven's itself.

That panic faded away a moment later as he found himself standing in a familiar place, surrounded by a familiar aura. He looked forward with shocked confusion, staring at the holy aura within his palace realm; the holy aura which housed the soul of his mysterious father.

"What….did you pull me here?" John asked after recovering his wits. It was the very first time he had ever been forcefully dragged into his palace realm.

"So, you finally discovered for yourself the true path a cultivator must take," his father's voice filled the palace, seemingly coming from every direction at once.

The voice was calm yet firm, and was filled with an almost irresistible, God-like aura that made John instinctively want to bow. He resisted the urge, standing firmly on his own two feet, as the shock he felt of hearing his father's voice triumphed over the urge he felt to bow.

"It took you far longer to reach this realization of the true path than I expected," his father continued, "but then again, the world you grew up on is primitive, as are the thoughts and ideals of its cultivators. Their ignorance and naivety have stained your mind."

"I…" John stammered, not sure of how to answer. He was still stunned by the fact that his mysterious father had not only pulled him into the palace realm, but was speaking to him. In this minute alone, his father had said more words to him than the previous few years combined. It was too sudden.

However, thanks to the will and resolve he had steeled though trials and tribulations over the years, he quickly calmed his mind, pushing his shock aside. However, his mind still swirled with chaotic thoughts, of his father, of his mother, of everything.

"Why…why did you bring me here?" John asked, firm, yet confused.

Instead of an answer, an object appeared before John, floating in the air before him. It was a thick book, one wider than his head. It was bound by leather from some unknown beast, although the aura from the leather made it clear that it was from an incredibly powerful beast, one far beyond his scope of knowledge. The pages of the book glowed a soft green color, the same color as most jade pieces, although also more profound in quality and aura.

John reached out and took the book. He turned it in his hand to read the cover, eyes widening as he did so.

"Divine Art Creation Scripture," he said, reading the book title out loud.

"This is?" he couldn't help but ask aloud for confirmation.

"This book contains the pinnacle of information regarding what you seek right now," his father answered. "Human anatomy, cultivation theory, dantian theory, art creation theory, essence runes, meridian theory, and more. Everything you need to begin creating your own pinnacle arts is within."

"I…." John stammered with disbelief. It was far more than he could ever have hoped to obtain, and was no doubt going to be as heaven-defying as the other inheritances he had received thus far. While this book wouldn't directly increase his combat prowess like his Immortal Asura Body, it would no doubt be one of his most important foundations going forward. The only limiting factor would be how much he could understand, comprehend, and put to use.

"Thank you," John eventually said, holding tightly onto the large book. He looked back at the holy gate, which glowed with an ethereal brilliance. Now that his father had spoken to him like this, he wanted to take the chance to ask the questions that had been burning on his mind for so long.

"I know you have many questions," his father said before he could speak, to which John silently nodded his head. "I will not give you those answers. Not yet."

John sighed with disappointment, although he had not been expecting another answer.

"When you have created a battle art worthy of my attention, we will speak again. Only then will you have reached the level worthy of receiving answers. Until then, we will not speak again."

John suddenly found himself back in the library, standing where he had been. He looked down at the book held in his hands, its profound aura enveloping him. Everything had happened so fast that he hardly had time to process any of it, and he stood there silently for quite some time, trying to grasp everything.

After some time, he exhaled deeply, his bewildered expression replaced by one of firm resolve. His father's words of challenge still resounded loudly in his mind, igniting his fighting spirit. This was just another battle for him, and when it came to battles, he did not lose.

"Fine, if that's how it is, then I'll just make a battle art so amazing that even you will be begging me to teach you," John smirked, sat down, and opened the book to the first page. It was time to get to work.