Without hesitation, Zhou Yunqiong immediately summoned Uncle Zuo.
"Eldest Miss, what are your orders?"
Uncle Zuo appeared, looking as respectful as ever.
If one observed the aura radiating from him closely, one would discover that he, too, was in the Shackle Realm.
What was more, he was exceptionally powerful—having severed at least ten shackles.
"Have you seen the news about the Three Immortal Islands?"
At this moment, Zhou Yunqiong had regained her usual composure and spoke in a soft voice.
"I have. Lu Yuan suppressed the three islands single-handedly; not even those in the Golden Body Realm were a match for him. He is extraordinarily strong." Uncle Zuo nodded. When he first saw the report, even he had been deeply shocked.
Before the global transformation, he had met Lu Yuan once. Back then, Lu Yuan had been utterly ordinary.
Yet ever since, through all kinds of reports, the man had risen like a comet, becoming more astonishing by the day.
Now, he could even directly crush powerhouses from the Three Immortal Islands.
How could anyone not be shaken?
"Lu Yuan is bound to grow into a formidable figure in the future. The Zhou family cannot afford to let someone like him slip away."
Zhou Yunqiong pondered briefly before continuing, "That is why we must win him over and convince him to put aside past grievances."
She knew they had to act now and could delay no longer.
Although the Zhou family had already made contact with the Celestial Clan and even the Ji clan, a powerhouse who could rise to prominence within this world could not be overlooked. Furthermore, she had a series of subsequent plans; if Lu Yuan cooperated, things would proceed much more smoothly. Winning him over was an absolute necessity.
"Miss, I'm afraid that might prove rather difficult," Uncle Zuo remarked, frowning slightly.
In his impression, Lu Yuan possessed a very dominant, unyielding personality.
Whoever provoked him was met with swift, merciless retaliation.
Such a man already held grievances against Brother Yi and the Zhou family. Getting him to let bygones be bygones would be exceedingly hard.
"Then we must employ special measures," Zhou Yunqiong replied. "Select several divine artifacts from the family vault and present them as a token of my sincerity to clear up any misunderstanding."
In her view, Lu Yuan had liked her once upon a time. With that lingering sentiment, supplemented by substantial benefits, even if it could not erase all his dissatisfaction, it should at least dispel the resentment in his heart.
Once the ground was prepared, she could meet him in person for a proper conversation. Winning him over should not be too difficult then.
"Understood. Shall I make a trip to the Mount Tai Trial Academy?"
Uncle Zuo nodded, not hesitating in the slightest.
"Not just you. Bring Yi along as well," Zhou Yunqiong added. "Since our goal is to resolve misunderstandings, we must show utmost sincerity. Have Yi apologize to Lu Yuan directly."
In her mind, Lu Yuan's worth had already surpassed that of the Winged Celestial, which was why she made this decision.
She also believed that the various incidents outside the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum back then were related to Yi.
Therefore, having the main culprit bow his head and yield should adequately demonstrate her greatest sincerity, shouldn't it?
"The Celestial Clan will descend before long. Might doing this incur their displeasure?" Uncle Zuo hesitated slightly.
"No matter. I have already been in touch with a proud talent of the Celestial Clan, so there won't be any issues." Zhou Yunqiong shook her head. The so-called Winged Celestial was merely a pawn in her plans. Now that she had connected with even more and stronger figures, she no longer cared much about him. Besides, she had the backing of the Ji clan.
The Ji clan in the distant star realms placed immense value on her bloodline and had already given word to the Celestial Clan.
Hence, Zhou Yunqiong had nothing to worry about in that regard.
The purity of her bloodline was her greatest reliance.
"Understood."
Uncle Zuo nodded at once, but soon thought of something and could not help asking, "What if, in the end, Lu Yuan's attitude remains unchanged?"
"What if he refuses?"
Zhou Yunqiong paused, but did not say another word, merely looking at him.
"I understand."
Uncle Zuo bowed and left the room directly.
As for Zhou Yunqiong, her eyes remained fixed on the news before her as she sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
***
Mount Tai Cultivation Academy.
Inside an antique-styled building.
Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and two other elderly members of the Supreme Council of Seven had all arrived.
Opposite them sat a helpless-looking Lu Yuan, listening quietly without interjecting.
"King Lu, arrangements for the people from the Three Immortal Islands have all been made. Those at the Shackle Realm and above will be dispatched to the various Zhendan Academies to serve as instructors or teaching assistants. Furthermore, they contributed numerous breathing methods and visualization methods, all of which form complete systems. We will also begin tailoring instruction to individual aptitudes."
The speaker was known as Elder Wu, the man in charge of overseeing Zhendan Academy and the education of Awakened as a whole.
As he spoke, boundless excitement shone in his eyes.
He knew that with the inclusion of those cultivators, combined with the resources at their disposal, they would surely foster even more talents within a short time.
Elder Wu truly had not expected the Three Immortal Islands' heritage to run so deep; having them merge into the official administration was a timely godsend.
And all of this was thanks to King Lu before him.
Of course, mindful of previous lessons, he had already decided to allocate more resources toward an elite few in order to forge true powerhouses.
"Indeed. What's more, the sect masters of the Three Immortal Islands have stated that whenever their strength is needed in the future, we need only say the word. Should mutated beast kings cause trouble down the line, we will have far more ways to handle them," Elder Yun chimed in, smiling.
One had to remember that those sect masters were powerhouses in the Golden Body Realm. With such formidable allies, the official strength had increased dramatically.
Given enough time, they would inevitably grow stronger and stronger, ready to face whatever crises lay ahead.
"Actually, you can handle these matters as you see fit. There is no need to consult me," Lu Yuan finally responded, his tone still tinged with helplessness.
There was nothing he could do about it; nowadays, whenever a major matter arose, the leadership would notify him.
They would even ask for his opinion, making it feel as if he were the supreme ruler.
Lu Yuan had no interest in such things—after all, it was a hassle.
No matter how much authority one held in one's hands, personal strength remained the most crucial thing.
"Yes, we understand," Elder Ji and the others readily agreed, though what they truly thought in their hearts was another matter.
In their eyes, the current stability of the situation was entirely owed to Lu Yuan.
Thus, when it came to major affairs, they felt obligated to keep him informed.
Naturally, the elders also knew that they had to resolve most issues on their own.
This was especially true now that the official faction was growing stronger. In terms of top-tier powerhouses alone, their standing in today's world was virtually second to none.
Consequently, they had to strive for self-reliance.
Afterward, Elder Ji and the others did not linger on the matter and left to attend to their respective duties.
They knew this was the optimal window to amass strength. Who knew when extraterrestrial beings might suddenly descend? That would be the true trial.
Seeing them depart, Lu Yuan shook his head ruefully.
Now, all loose ends had been tied up.
The next crisis would come with the world's second revival, requiring vigilance against extraterrestrial beings.
Those entities would not be as easily handled as the people of this world.
The experts of the great clans from various star realms were each terrifyingly formidable.
Their combat prowess was immense, and their divine abilities were endless.
Therefore, he had to take another step forward and could no longer linger in the Shackle Realm.
Conveniently, to sever the ultimate total of one hundred and eight shackles, only eight remained—the extreme pinnacle of the Shackle Realm.
Once achieved, Lu Yuan was confident he could advance directly to the Golden Body Realm in a single burst. In that realm, one could fly through the air, and one's physique would undergo a complete metamorphosis, granting a tremendous boost to combat strength.
After that, with another period of accumulation, he could progress to the fifth stage of evolution: the Sovereign King Realm.
The Sovereign King Realm—true kings in every sense. Once one reached that level, one could break through the atmosphere and survive briefly in outer space.
In a very real sense, one would transcend the boundaries of mortal humans!
Lu Yuan knew he had to hurry; after all, he had already spent quite a lot of time in the Shackle Realm.
Soon, he began.
It was merely eight genetic shackles; he required no external aids, as his prior foundation was more than sufficient.
Of course, being the final step, it would take some time, but that was no issue—time was something Lu Yuan did not lack at the moment.
While Lu Yuan prepared to assault the pinnacle of the Shackle Realm, the official administration—bolstered by the Three Immortal Islands—finally established a relatively standardized path for Awakened evolution.
Zhendan Academies across the five super cities were aggressively recruiting students.
At the same time, training efforts for prodigies like the Ice Fairy, Zhu Qingyu, and Young Celestial Master Chunyang were ramped up, with the hope that they would reach the Shackle Realm as soon as possible and then press forward to the next stage.
To this end, Elder Ji and the others drew up a series of plans to forge a truly formidable organization of Awakened.
It would be akin to the Council of Seven's Wangyue Pavilion.
The difference was that it would be composed of top prodigies.
Furthermore, anyone wishing to join would have to pass rigorous trials.
In the future, it would become the core powerhouse of the official administration—and indeed, of all Huaxia.
Additionally, this organization would have a supreme leader.
As for the candidate, they already had someone in mind.
And so, they went directly to Lu Yuan, asking him to take the post.
Of course, he would not need to handle administrative duties; holding the title in name was enough, while practical matters would be left to others.
After some thought, Lu Yuan did not object. He knew the authorities were looking for a figurehead—an inspirational icon to spur on students and prodigies—and at present, he was indeed the most suitable choice.
However, when it came to naming the organization, everyone ran into a wall, unsure of what to call it.
They brainstormed numerous ideas, but in the end, all of them were rejected.
Once more, they sought Lu Yuan's opinion.
Lu Yuan felt a bit helpless about this as well.
Yet for some reason, the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token resting in his mind suddenly crossed his thoughts, and he spoke a name: "Heavenly Court!"
When Elder Ji and the others heard it, they agreed without much hesitation. They felt it was exceptionally fitting; after all, the name was steeped in mythology and deeply resonated with Huaxia's heritage. Henceforth, anyone who passed the trials could enter the Heavenly Court.
And the Lord of the Heavenly Court would be Lu Yuan.
This organization stood entirely above the official apparatus, serving as the true core.
For now, however, Lu Yuan was its only member.
Prodigies like the Ice Fairy and Young Celestial Master Chunyang, though possessing talent or special bloodlines, did not yet meet the stringent criteria and would have to advance step by step.
Soon, news regarding the establishment of the Heavenly Court began spreading through the various Zhendan Academies.
When the students learned that Lu Yuan would lead it, everyone grew ecstatic.
All of them longed to enter this organization, dreaming of following by King Lu's side in the future.
Such was the power of an idol; it gave countless people a goal to strive toward. Elder Ji and the others had indeed conceived a splendid idea.
Naturally, Lu Yuan paid no attention to the commotion and remained at the Mount Tai Trial Academy.
Over the next few days, he severed another five genetic shackles.
Only three remained before he reached the pinnacle.
However, just as Lu Yuan was preparing to press onward, word arrived that Zhou Yunqiong had sent emissaries.
Chapter 120