1 An Introduction

The Awakening.

Few saw it coming. But for the movements of a few hidden sects, remnants of an older time, it came as a shock to every man, woman, and child on Earth.

The year was 2020, and things were finally looking up. A rudimentary form of true nuclear fusion had been discovered, simultaneously solving the energy crisis and destroying all demand for fossil fuel burning, thus bringing humanity close to stopping climate change as well. Drastic advances in medical tech had doubled the human lifespan, and eradicated all forms of cancer, along with 99% of viruses, harmful bacteria, and hereditary diseases.

But none of that could have prepared anyone for the Awakening.

The Great Dao had returned to a forsaken world, one that had dismissed the fantasies of ascendance for the cold realities of technology.

Hidden sects had foreseen it, but their warnings were dispersed to a select few, and the public had not a clue as to what was going on. The first thing to show itself was Qi - it returned in floods, infusing itself into everything imaginable, creating magical beasts and mystical herbs, and valuable materials that lurked deep within the hidden recesses of the Earth - but it also unlocked the human potential.

Through this, a rediscovering of the Martial Path swept all of humanity, forming new techniques and cultivation methods as the nuances of the Great Dao once again became clear to a technologically advanced mankind. Technology had not been pushed to the wayside, however, not by a long shot - the new focus of scientists and engineers was the combination of the Martial Path with technology, making advances that would have previously been impossible. This strange mix of the mundane and the magical had become the new reality.

But all that would come later - for this story comes just a year after the Awakening, in the spring of 2021. And our protagonist is about to embark upon a journey that will be a bit different from the rest of the world's.

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

"Strong Men Wanted, Fierce Martial Arts, Skilled Fighters Needed, blah, blah, blah…"

A teen boy flipped through the pages of an electronic newspaper, sliding on the screen of a tablet as it shifted from one page to the next. The local advertisements section of newspapers had become dominated by new sects ever since the Awakening, and all of them looked for the same kind of people: strong men who would have an easier time experimenting with humanity's new found abilities. Unthinkable tragedies had already occurred in one short year, horrific deaths of people who were not careful enough when attempting to cultivate on the newly discovered Martial Path.

Our protagonist, despite his apparent desire to join a sect, fit not a single one of these requirements. A slim boy just barely 18, standing at about 5 foot 5 (165 centimeters), with no hint of visible muscle, he was almost the exact opposite of what these sects were looking for. Sighing, he clicked off his tablet, standing up and looking around. The street bustled with activity, the core market of the town spreading for a quarter mile in any direction. He casually strolled down the street in the direction of his home, largely uninterested in the various market stalls around him.

His head snapped to the voice, a whisper that no one else appeared to hear.

James' eye was drawn to a purple book sitting at the edge of a market stand, dusty and ragged with age.

He shrugged.

~Follow the strange voice in my head? Why not?~

James walked over and grabbed the book, waving it around to grab the stall owner's attention.

"Hey, mister, how much is this?"

The middle aged man inside the stall glanced over, setting down a tablet and walking over.

"Eh, it's pretty ragged, and it's just a blank diary or something anyway. I'll give it to you for five bucks, bottom dollar."

"Fair enough."

Satisfied with the price, James dug a five dollar bill out of his pocket, unfolding it and handing it to the man.

"Pleasure doing business."

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

James pulled open the door of his house and stepped inside, dead silence greeting him. Both his mother and his father were still at work, and his younger sister was spending the day at a friend's house, so for the moment he was on his own. He had a seat on his bed, looking down at the book he had bought on the street. As James slowly turned the cover, the front page was revealed. A series of names were listed in a column on the page, each one crossed out by the pen of the next. Only the bottom name was not crossed out: Paige Williams.

He fumbled around looking for a pen, finally just heading to the kitchen and grabbing one off of the fridge. With the ballpoint pen he drew a line through 'Paige Williams', neatly printing 'James Grace' below. As he completed the last "e", his name began to glow with an eerie, pale light, and a blinding flash filled his vision. When it faded, the book in his hand was no longer the same as before.

[Moon Goddess Sutra]

The title of the book swirled across its cover in shining golden font.

~I'm kind of surprised this is in English, the name sounds Chinese. Maybe it's a translation?~

James was pretty confused, but he turned the page and began reading.

| Chapter 0: Foreword and Basic Cultivation Explained |

Dear Reader,

This book has been written under the assumption that you are entirely new to cultivating along the Martial Path, as the Moon Goddess Sutra is only suitable for those who have never cultivated using another manual. The security measures of this book are designed to prevent any such occurrences, but if you have previously cultivated and somehow find yourself reading this, it is in your best interests to stop here. Continuing will cause irrevocable damage to your cultivation base, and may eventually cause death.

With that out of the way, welcome to the Moon Goddess Sutra. This cultivation technique seeks to embody the moon goddess through both internal and external elements of cultivation. The main well-known feature of this technique, which you have likely heard of already, is the formation of the Moon Core, an alternate Core Formation that is capable of containing vast quantities of Yin energy.

To those who may not be familiar with any of this (though your luck is astounding if you have stumbled upon this book with no prior knowledge), I have outlined all of these concepts in the following paragraph.

Yin energy is the essence of all that could be classified as feminine, soft, dark, or related to death, of which the moon is a powerful source. Yang energy is the exact opposite, an energy that is masculine, hard, light, and related to life, with the Sun's pure Yang gracing the Earth during the day.

Beyond all of these energies is Qi, an energy that pervades all things. By harnessing this energy, cultivators follow the martial path, while the energies of Yin and Yang merely play second fiddle to Qi.

The following are the stages of Cultivation that the Moon Goddess Sutra covers:

- 1st Layer, Inner Purification

- 2nd Layer, Full Purification

- 3rd Layer, Qi Condensation

- 4th Layer, Core Formation

- 5th Layer, Human Lord

- 6th Layer, Human King

- 7th Layer, Spirit Lord

- 8th Layer, Spirit King

- 9th Layer, Ascended

There are layers that exist beyond these nine, but upon achieving the status of High Ascended the Moon Goddess Sutra loses its value, as only techniques of your own creation will be of any use from then on. With that being said, let us start from the beginning. Chapter 1: Inner Purification immediately follows this. Good luck, and happy cultivating.

~Wow, a full guide to cultivating… Even the 'sects' don't have this!~

With some trepidation, James turned to chapter one, and eagerly began reading.

Next chapter