S.E.C.T. (The Society for Exploration of Cultivation Techniques) [Cultivation, Progression, Secret Societies]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

On Hiatus as of Jan 2025

Hudson Appleseed is a young corporate drone, living with his cat and taking karate classes on the weekends to boost his confidence and give an outlet to his pent-up rage… and the next thing he knows, he’s lost his job, stumbled onto a powerful cultivation technique, and forced to join a super-secret, worlds-spanning organization that calls themselves S.E.C.T. – the Society for Exploring Cultivation Techniques.

He’s been walked on his whole life, trampled, and taken advantage of by others, and was unfortunately smart enough to realize it. But maybe, just maybe, there’s a path for him to get out from under the heel of the man. To release his anger, rather than bottle it up and control it. To grasp power, and not be grasped by it.

Let’s see if he takes it…

….

S.E.C.T. starts in a real-world setting, but with cultivation elements, secret societies behind the scenes, and maybe other worlds popping in. I like stories with a slower burn, so would expect the same here.

After writing 20 chapters or so, some of the comments & reviews suggested the story is more like a superhero coming-of-age type of story, and there is some truth to that. MC is a regular joe, struggling to adapt to new powers and the cutthroat philosophy of the cultivation world.

I’m also a long-time reader, first-time writer. Appreciate any and all feedback!

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: earlgrayer

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 274
Views: 131,434

Reviews

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Community Reviews(7)

ronin101111Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Plucky Hudson… I hope you make it, son.
Let’s see where the story goes! I Appreciate the humor layered in. The overall pacing is fine for me. The opening gambit with the bad boss and colleagues is all too relatable… maybe not as relevant for the rest of the story. Looking forward to following this one
KhaleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is definitely one I haven't seen before. Hudson accidentally becomes a cultivator by practising a breathing technique in a bid to calm his anger.
He is angry because of corporate sabotage by both his team and his boss. I liked this part. I thought it was quite well done.
What makes this so unique is that its an urban fantasy. The SECT is on earth and actually run things from the shadows.
The style is good. Prose is well written and easy to read. There are some info dumps, but they're handled well, and we're generally given information at a very reasonable pace.
The story so far has been a page turner. I've binged the story and didn't feel bored. The unique premise coupled with the solid delivery kept me glued.
Author has a good grasp of English and errors where minimal with just a few typos. Definitely nothing that detracted from the story at all.
Characters are good. The MC has clear motivations, and his actions are quite realistic. The other characters are good too and it's good to see them get fleshed out as the story progresses.
All in all, it's a good story with a unique premise and I definitely think you should give it a try. Especially if you like xianxia stories.
Wo7fRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Great! A completely different approach to the typical cultivation novel, where the MC is completely unaware of the dangers and rewards of the world of cultivation only to discover that this was his destiny all along.
the writing is that of a seasoned novelist compelling the reader to keep reading this exciting story, very few parts of the story actually require any rework which only relates to flow and readability.
definitely worth reading, cannot wait to see what is in store for our MC.
ArcanaVitaeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The SECT organization is very interesting, it's a multi planet group focused on cultivation and is still very Sect like culturally. Seeing Hudson's journey of adapting to cultivation and living in SECT has been very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing how Hudson's cultivation develops and how he'll interact with SECT.
lordnikelasRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Just read through to the latest chapter. This is a pretty decent story; nothing groundbreaking but solid. Hudson is OP without fully realizing it, though he's got a decent brain on him. The progression is consistent without too many intervening stat screens, and the cultivation is more "let's train together" than "Behold my Burning Blazing Falling Star Technique!"
If you like Stormweaver or Street Cultivation and want a new story of a similar type, or if you just want to see what happens if you stick a bunch of nobles and commoners in Cultivation Jail and told to outgrow each other, this could be a good start.
Hungrybibliophile83Royal Road
★★★ 3.0
This story has a interesting premise. I like the world building and how cultivation is handled here. I like the pacing.
Now for the negatives. I don't like the mc. I like that he is not a robot or a psychopath who takes to all the madness like duck to water. I also like that he is all " lets work together and grow stronger " But the way his character thinks reads horribly. And Frankly it is boring.
But I also see a lot of potential for character development in the mc and if thats what the author is planning, fantastic. If not i'd say this book's not for me.
I'd recommend this read for lovers of modern cultivation dungeon rift kinda stories
ReadingroyaltyRoyal Road
★★ 1.5
It started out promising, and I liked it, however it went downhill pretty fast.
What happens when you take a XianXia and a sci-fi and mash then together haphazardly? This novel. The main character was good, until he went to the sect, then he was a different guy, and not in a good way. I don't want to drop any spoilers, but let's just say it went downhill after that. Poor planning, bad world, contrived plot. Hard pass.