Wuzhou Group, Longevity Genetics, Tianshen Technology, and Beidou Biology.
The major factions worked in tandem with the government to formulate a series of regulations restricting the Awakened. Anyone who violated them would face joint sanctions.
At the same time, the government announced that in response to the New Era, preparations had begun within the country to construct five super cities.
The eastern region was centered around Shanghai, the southern region around Shencheng, and the western region around the Snow Region. The northern region was centered around Shuntian City, and the central region around the thousand-year-old ancient capital of Chang'an.
These five super cities would be completely open to the public. Anyone could enter. The purpose was to protect the lives and safety of more civilians amid the coming chaos.
During this period, after conducting extensive research, the major factions and the government also divided the evolutionary path of the Awakened into distinct tiers and stages, which would be used to judge an individual's strength and threat level.
Lu Yuan browsed through the information and found that it matched what he already knew to the letter, especially regarding the classification of the Awakened.
However, he remained skeptical about their ability to protect the broader populace.
It would simply be too difficult.
Once the path of evolution began, the authorities lost their grip on total control. Some crises were beyond solving. The changes were simply too vast and had unfolded too abruptly. In an era like this, the only thing one could truly rely on was one's own power.
After looking through the official news, Lu Yuan opened several forums to see what was happening on the ground.
Almost every thread revolved around the Awakened, and the topics were generating immense traction. A few individuals who had successfully awakened even posted threads sharing their personal experiences, such as venturing deep into the mountains to search for mysterious ancient trees and fruits, or keeping an eye out for certain ancient artifacts.
In short, the claims were bizarre and varied, mixing truth with falsehood, with people saying all kinds of things.
Lu Yuan could only shake his head.
How could stepping onto the path of evolution and gaining extraordinary power possibly be that simple?
For ordinary people, it was a rare and perilous opportunity. In his previous life, he had endured untold hardships just to grasp it.
Just as he was about to close the app, a few trending threads caught his eye.
Users were voting on the most powerful Awakened currently known to the public.
A total of five individuals were elected by a wide margin, and netizens had bestowed them with overbearing titles: Winged Celestial, Northern Emperor, Asura, Ice Fairy, and Southern Sovereign.
Collectively, they were hailed as the Five Great Sovereigns.
Beneath the post, accompanying videos and pictures showcased each Awakened's combat prowess and abilities.
Lu Yuan smiled and tapped to watch.
First was Winged Celestial.
He was a slender young man whose silver hair fell all the way to his waist. Bearing wings of wind and lightning, he hovered in midair, electric arcs coiling around his body, exuding an otherworldly aura. In the footage, Winged Celestial was locked in battle with a mutated beast several dozen meters tall. With a flap of his wings, the force of wind and thunder surged forth, splintering whole swaths of trees into kindling. Cloaked entirely in electric glare, he looked just like a thunder god stepping out of legend. The monstrous beast he fought was slain in mere minutes, drenching the earth in blood.
Next was Northern Emperor, who reportedly hailed from the north. Standing two meters tall with bronze skin and cropped black hair, he was bare-chested and shone with a bizarre radiance. He was wrestling a massive elephant as tall as a multistory building, which brandished a pair of enormous tusks. Every punch he threw shook the ground beneath him.
Then came Asura, clad in black martial attire with only his eyes showing. Gripping a blood-red saber, he plunged into a horde of mutated beasts, surrounded by slaughter and bloodlust.
There was also Ice Fairy, a woman in a white dress who brought ice and snow wherever she stepped. Finally, there was Southern Sovereign, living up to the title with an air of noble majesty. His figure was obscured within radiant light, and his methods were strange and formidable—any mutated beast that drew near simply exploded.
Each of the Five Great Sovereigns enjoyed immense popularity and possessed remarkable strength. Netizens endlessly debated which of them was the strongest, though the majority favored Winged Celestial, believing him to be so extraordinary that he was bound to become a true god in the future.
Lu Yuan even noticed that this man had amassed legions of fans, much like a celebrity, most of them women. They praised Winged Celestial not only for his strength, but also for his otherworldly elegance and handsome looks. Moreover, in every battle he fought, he had protected the weak and acted with noble righteousness, setting him completely apart from other Awakened.
Some pushed back, claiming it was all a manufactured persona and that major factions were definitely pulling the strings behind the scenes.
This counterargument gained wide agreement. Rumors indeed abounded online that the Five Great Sovereigns each belonged to different factions, and Winged Celestial was whispered to be affiliated with Wuzhou Group, though many dismissed this as groundless speculation.
All in all, the buzz surrounding these Five Great Sovereigns was deafening, sparking heated discussion everywhere.
'How early into this is it, and people are already daring to call themselves gods, emperors, and sovereigns?' Lu Yuan thought, rather speechless.
If it had been his previous life, he might not have felt much about it. He might even have agreed with those netizens, because back then, he had looked up to such figures with yearning, just like everyone else.
Now, however, things were different.
This was merely the opening phase of the global mutation; true powerhouses had yet to appear or be born.
Even judging solely from the videos, Lu Yuan could tell that while these five possessed decent potential, they hadn't even stepped into the Awakening Realm.
To him, they were only slightly stronger than that squad from Longevity Genetics.
After watching for a while, Lu Yuan closed the videos and continued browsing.
Aside from those five, certain netizens and authoritative organizations were proposing a top one hundred ranking for Awakened. However, since things were still in their infancy, not many had made the cut—only a dozen or so.
Among them, a familiar name caught his eye: Little Celestial Master Chunyang of Mount Longhu.
Ranked in the top five, he was widely regarded as an equal to those five sovereigns.
In addition, other strong contenders had posted videos of themselves battling mutated beasts in an effort to draw attention.
It was safe to say that during his three months in seclusion, the world had changed beyond recognition, shifting toward a reverence for the strong and the mighty.
"The worst of times, the best of times—and my time as well!"
Lu Yuan set down his phone and exhaled a breath. Taking in all of this, the blood in his chest burned with excitement. By nature, he relished competition and combat; he had simply gotten off to too slow a start in his past life.
This life was different. He would forge a brand-new path, one that would allow him to surpass everyone else!
Now, it was time to initiate the next phase of his plan.
Armed with ten years of foresight, Lu Yuan knew how to reap the greatest rewards at the lowest cost, and every step was firmly mapped in his mind.
*Ring, ring, ring.*
Just as he was deep in thought, his phone began to chime.
He picked it up and saw that it was Old Man Ge.
Since helping the old man resolve his granddaughter's school admission, the two had not been in touch. Lu Yuan knew Ge's character well; the old man would never reach out without good reason. If he called, something had definitely happened.
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan answered the phone.
"Hello? Is that Xiao Lu?"
"It's me. Is something the matter, Old Master?" Lu Yuan replied.
"Thank heavens," the voice on the other end said, sounding relieved. "I've called you so many times over the past few days without getting through. I was worried something had happened to you. How are you? Are you doing all right?"
The global mutation had affected everyone. Old Man Ge had few friends, and his relationship with his son and daughter-in-law was strained. If anything, he had taken a great liking to Lu Yuan; otherwise, he never would have parted with his ancestral book. That gesture had had nothing to do with his granddaughter's school, but had simply stemmed from goodwill. Learning that Lu Yuan was safe genuinely brought joy to the old man's heart.
"I'm fine. What about you, Old Master? Is your family doing well?" Lu Yuan glanced at his phone log and saw that the old man had indeed called him numerous times, dialing almost daily over the past three months. His phone had simply been powered off during seclusion, leaving the calls unreceived. Thus, he offered a polite and attentive greeting.
"I'm fine too. We moved to a new place, so it's quite safe," Old Man Ge said with a sigh. "It's just that granddaughter of mine. She won't stop giving me headaches. Every day she clamors to go out and make a name for herself with her classmates, talking about gaining some kind of extraordinary power. I can barely keep her under control."
"Oh? What did she say?" Lu Yuan chuckled. In his memories, Ge's granddaughter would not turn out to be ordinary in the future.
"She said she saw news online claiming that major changes have been happening at Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum lately, that it's a huge opportunity, and that she absolutely has to go," Old Man Ge remarked offhandedly before continuing. "But it's far too dangerous outside right now. She's just a teenage girl, so I locked her straight inside the house."
Evidently, he did not believe his granddaughter could accomplish anything in such chaotic circumstances. After all, for ordinary people like them, the only thing to do was to try their best to survive. The so-called Awakened were far beyond their reach.
Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum?
Hearing that, Lu Yuan was slightly surprised.
He calculated the timing and realized it was indeed about right.
That was the resting place of the Ancestral Dragon, shrouded in countless legends, and it was already part of his plans. He had simply not expected news of it to have leaked onto the internet so soon, though it made sense. With modern communications so developed and dramatic changes occurring everywhere, Mount Li was bound to draw intense scrutiny.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Old Man Ge, Lu Yuan opened his phone to search for details.
Indeed, Mount Li had undergone radical changes. Its peaks had expanded to towering heights of several thousand meters, and numerous mysterious entrances had emerged. Aside from that, however, information was scarce, with only scattered mentions, and hardly anyone was discussing it on the forums.
'It seems news on this front has been suppressed as well,' Lu Yuan mused.
Having entered the tomb in his past life, he knew far more than most.
This was still the initial phase of the mutation, an era when bizarre artifacts emerged one after another, throwing the situation into utter turmoil. Factions would seize this window, stopping at nothing to wrest control of these treasures in hopes of dominating the future. Such chaos would not settle down until years later.
Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum was already being watched by numerous major powers, including giants like Wuzhou Group and Longevity Genetics. They would suppress public reports and dispatch their own personnel to secure the upper hand, aiming to unearth divine artifacts from within to bolster their strength.
Even so, bits and pieces of information had managed to leak out.
One could foresee that before long, the first grand melee between Awakened would break out.
Yet only Lu Yuan knew that the imperial mausoleum concealed immense terrors and lethal peril. Without a key, most people who entered would return defeated, suffering grievous casualties.
Of course, for Lu Yuan, the situation was entirely different.
Without lingering in thought, he retrieved the mysterious small cauldron and the Ghost Seal.
'I can't afford any delay. My next destination is Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum.'
Lu Yuan considered his options. His current strength had already reached a terrifying level. With a visualization method and divine abilities in hand, the only piece he lacked was a supreme breathing method, which was indispensable. Therefore, the imperial mausoleum was a journey he had to make.
Moreover, the distance from Shanghai to Chang'an had always been considerable. With the expansion of the terrain, traveling there would take even longer.
In the end, Lu Yuan decided to rest for one night. Once his preparations were complete, he would head straight for his objective.
***
Shencheng.
This was the economic heart of the south, holding a domestic status on par with the metropolitan hub of Shanghai. Otherwise, it would never have been designated as one of the future five super cities.
In the center of the city stood a hundred-meter-tall skyscraper. Standing on its top floor, one could look down upon most of the urban landscape.
The interior of the tower was lavishly decorated and brightly illuminated.
The entire building belonged to a single enterprise: Longevity Genetics.
Following the global mutation, money had become little more than scrap paper, and countless wealthy elites had been bankrupted overnight, reduced to ordinary folk. Longevity Genetics, however, had capitalized on the upheaval during this period, seizing the initiative.
Their research institutes had extracted mysterious substances from exotic fruits and herbs, allowing them to artificially produce Awakened.
More importantly, the family controlling Longevity Genetics had awakened a powerful bloodline. In the span of a single month, they had seized control of most of Shencheng, expanding their influence far beyond what it had once been.
In fact, during the initial phase of the mutation, the government had only managed to stabilize Shencheng through cooperation with Longevity Genetics. This elevated the company into a power capable of standing toe-to-toe with domestic titans such as Wuzhou Group and Tianshen Technology.
Among the five super cities planned by the authorities, with the exception of Shuntian City, each of the other four was currently occupied by a mighty faction. In Shencheng, Longevity Genetics was, in many ways, the de facto ruler.
At that moment, in a high-floor room inside Longevity Tower, several dozen men in black suits stood at attention, their hands clasped behind their backs.
Judging by their bearing, none of them were ordinary people. They were thoroughly trained, and nearly all of them were Awakened—figures looked up to with awe on the streets outside.
Now, however, these men looked in the same direction with profound deference.
A middle-aged woman leaned against the sofa, clad in a burgundy qipao that lent her an air of refined elegance. On her wrist rested an emerald jade bracelet that emitted a gentle, warm luster, marking it as anything but ordinary.
"So you're saying that the people we sent to investigate the meteor incident at the Wuzhou farm are all dead?"
The woman spoke, picking up a bowl of strong tea, her tone chillingly cold.
"Yes."
"Two teams in a row have been wiped out. I was careless this time, but I promise it won't happen again," a middle-aged man replied, keeping his head bowed.
The elite squads of Longevity Genetics carried specialized tracking devices; the moment a member perished, their superiors would know at once. Upon receiving the news, he had hurried over immediately. Since the mission had ended in failure, he had to take responsibility, and his words carried an implicit plea for another chance.
"How interesting."
The woman took a delicate sip of tea, her gaze turning cold, and then set her eyes on a dossier resting on the table.
The folder was not thick, and resting right on top was a photograph.
The person in the photo was none other than Lu Yuan!
Chapter 35