"Ah, Dean, what's the matter with you?"
Zhu Qingyu noticed Dean Zheng acting strangely. Letting out a soft cry of surprise, she hurried over to support him, confusion written across her face.
"Qingyu... did I just give away the Crouching Dragon Scarlet Fruit?"
Dean Zheng sat back in his chair, looking dazed.
For any ordinary treasure, he never would have reacted this way. He was, after all, the head of an entire branch academy, possessing both distinguished status and considerable strength. The crucial point was that across every branch academy combined, there were only three Crouching Dragon Scarlet Fruits in existence.
It could practically produce a formidable Awakened in a very short span of time.
"Huh?" Zhu Qingyu blinked in surprise. "Yes, you did. Didn't you say you recognized Mr. Lu's immense potential and cherished such talent?"
She found it bizarre. He had given it away with his own hands, so why was he asking about it now?
Could the dean actually be regretting it?
If so, it wasn't too late to chase after him and ask for it back.
Dean Zheng was far too shrewd not to see the girl's confusion. He explained, "Lu Yuan is an extraordinary man, and his vigilance is extraordinarily sharp. If we approach him with an overt agenda, he won't agree even if there are benefits on the table. We have to win his goodwill gradually.
"His refusal to cooperate with the academy right now doesn't mean it will always remain that way. We must exercise sufficient patience."
He had considered many angles. Knowing that a direct request would fail, he had simply cast aside his practical aim altogether. Doing so might yield better results.
Of course, Dean Zheng could guarantee nothing; he was merely testing the waters.
"Is that so?" Zhu Qingyu was bright and understood the dean's reasoning.
She glanced toward where Lu Yuan had just been sitting, then recalled his imposing display back at the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum. Turning back, she couldn't help but say, "Dean, I keep feeling that Mr. Lu was the one who fired that bolt of lightning back in Qingyang City."
Whatever doubts she had harbored previously were gradually fading.
His build and bearing matched too closely.
Furthermore, didn't Lu Yuan possess that exact level of terrifying strength?
"Indeed?" Dean Zheng nodded. "If that is truly the case, I trust he will not stand idly by should a beast tide ever threaten our city in the future."
A willingness to rescue the faculty and students of Zhendan Academy at a critical moment proved that he carried a sense of righteousness in his heart.
He only hoped his judgment was not mistaken.
***
After parting ways with Dean Zheng, Lu Yuan was led by academy staff to another quarter.
It was exceptionally quiet, surrounded by lush green bamboo, and the residence was a freestanding, highly refined pavilion. It was spacious, fully furnished with every amenity, and featured a dedicated cultivation chamber built entirely of special alloy walls.
Clearly, this was treatment reserved strictly for distinguished guests.
After entering the room and settling his belongings, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged and reflected on everything that had transpired that day.
Killing the Southern Sovereign and his brother from Longevity Genetics was no great matter; they were dead, and that was that.
What truly warranted deeper consideration was the overtures from Zhendan Academy and Beidou Biology.
He knew both held official backgrounds, operating in the open and in the shadows respectively. Thus, their gestures of goodwill effectively represented the state.
Unlike the Wuzhou Group and Longevity Genetics, Zhendan Academy looked at the bigger picture rather than factional infighting. Their invitation to cooperate, for instance, aimed at fending off mankind's true enemy: mutated beasts.
In truth, Lu Yuan knew that if the authorities were truly set on consolidating the nation's domestic factions by force, it was not entirely impossible. But paying that staggering price would result in losses far outweighing the gains, and mutated beasts might take advantage of the chaos to run rampant. In the end, cooperation had been their only sensible choice.
The New Era was unfolding too rapidly.
No one could adapt immediately.
Even with ten years of future knowledge and three months to prepare, he had not been able to prepare for everything.
As for Dean Zheng's intentions in gifting him the Crouching Dragon Scarlet Fruit, Lu Yuan understood them perfectly.
In reality, if a beast tide truly attacked a city and brought catastrophic devastation, Lu Yuan would not sit by and do nothing; he would step forward to intervene. He was no unfeeling, ruthless tyrant, and in his past life, it was precisely the protection of forces like Zhendan Academy that had allowed him to survive for ten years. His refusal had simply been about refusing to be tied down by restrictions.
"This is only the beginning. The future landscape will grow even more complicated," Lu Yuan murmured to himself, his chest tightening slightly as he thought of the impending upheavals of the New Era.
The more time passed, the more staggering the mutations would become. In the future, miracles would manifest across the globe, and even legendary immortal mountains and grotto-heavens would emerge into the mortal plane.
When that happened, it would draw the covetous eyes of extraterrestrial star systems.
That would be the true apocalypse.
Therefore, he had only one goal at present: to evolve and grow stronger in the shortest possible time, whatever the cost!
Shaking his head, Lu Yuan cleared his thoughts and retrieved the Crouching Dragon Scarlet Fruit.
Now, he finally got a clear look at the pattern on the fruit's surface.
It was shaped like a dragon, coiling and shifting as though alive, radiating pure and potent energy.
"I wonder how many grotto-heavens or genetic shackles this will help me break through once consumed?" Lu Yuan smiled faintly. Wasting no further time, he took a deep breath and swallowed the Crouching Dragon Scarlet Fruit whole.
It had only been a few days since he consumed the Nine-Leaf Golden Rhyme to advance his strength. For an ordinary Awakened, taking another treasure so soon would certainly overwhelm the physical body. It was like a person stuffing themselves to capacity and then, within an hour, being served another feast—one could only stare helplessly.
Yet Lu Yuan's foundation was far too profound. His internal organs were tempered by the Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda, his visualization method was the complete Daodejing, and the Ancient Bodhi Tree had awakened his innate spirit. No one in this era could compare.
Like a boundless ocean accepting all rivers, he had no fear of excess energy.
Before long, the Crouching Dragon Scarlet Fruit dissolved in his stomach, turning into an immensely pure and surging sea of energy.
The Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda manifested once more around his internal organs. A faint golden luster flickered through the blood in his veins.
At the same time, Lu Yuan began circulating his breathing method and visualization method.
In an instant, he felt as if he were seated cross-legged amidst the cosmos, encircled by a boundless sea of stars.
Drifting dragon-shaped wisps of qi were continually drawn into his mouth and nostrils as his chest rose and fell in powerful rhythms. Tremendous strength sank into his lower abdomen, faintly echoing with resonant dragon roars.
*What miraculous efficacy!*
Lu Yuan could feel it vividly.
After ingesting the Crouching Dragon Scarlet Fruit, circulating the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Method became vastly smoother. Behind him, a second grotto-heaven began to faintly manifest in the void.
Once he fully absorbed this energy, opening it would merely be a matter of time. A third grotto-heaven might even follow directly, granting a threefold amplification in strength.
Each grotto-heaven housed a true spirit; opening one did not merely boost raw combat power. It was an all-around enhancement across every attribute—a truly terrifying transformation.
*Looks like I'll need to spend some time in secluded cultivation again,*
Lu Yuan thought to himself. It posed no problem here at Zhendan Academy. The security was top-notch, no one would disturb him, and he could dedicate his full concentration.
Casting aside all distractions, he sank completely into tranquil cultivation.
As his cultivation and evolution progressed, days slipped quietly by.
Yet the outside world was far from peaceful.
Nearly every Awakened walking the path of the extraordinary was rocked by a piece of breaking news.
The Southern Sovereign was dead.
He had died at the hands of someone previously unheard of.
A video of the encounter had been leaked online. Though blurry, most people could see what had happened: the Southern Sovereign, hailed as one of the Five Great Sovereigns, had possessed no means of resisting this opponent whatsoever and had been thoroughly crushed.
As for the Awakened under his command, they had died instantly before they could even make a move.
The news instantly set off an uproar in the Awakened community.
"The man's surname is Lu, and he doesn't belong to any of the major factions!"
"Too strong! Total domination! This man is an absolute monster!"
"In my opinion, his strength is definitely perched at the very peak of the pyramid right now, above the other four Sovereigns!"
"Exactly. Rumor has it that even Winged Celestial had a clash with him and suffered a quiet setback. Even if it was just in his normal form, that alone proves something!"
"Yes, yes! I was there at the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum and saw him brush off heavy thermal weapons and rip apart a helicopter with his bare hands. Absolutely ferocious!"
"Now that the Southern Sovereign is dead, the Five Great Sovereigns are down one member. He can take that spot. In fact, he might well be the strongest, so he deserves a title!"
"He can inherit the title of Sovereign. I think one title suits him best: the Human Sovereign!"
"The Human Sovereign? Isn't that carrying it a bit too far?"
Heated debates erupted online.
Lu Yuan became a household name among all Awakened, and even ordinary citizens took notice. Many believed he was strong and domineering enough to be called the foremost of the Five Great Sovereigns, skipping past the Top 100 List altogether.
Some even began calling Lu Yuan by a new title: the Human Sovereign!
However, this met with pushback. Critics argued that the title carried too much weight for an ordinary person to bear.
Before long, loyal supporters of Winged Celestial began pushing back as well, arguing that in his true form, Winged Celestial possessed tenfold the combat prowess of his normal state. Furthermore, upon returning to the Wuzhou Group, he had entered secluded cultivation. It was said he was preparing to fully awaken the latent potential within his bloodline, and he would emerge far stronger than before.
Supporters of the other three Sovereigns voiced their opinions as well, asserting that Lu Yuan could not be declared the strongest so readily.
In short, opinions ran rampant.
Yet one thing was undeniable: the Five Great Sovereigns had shifted, and a new figure known as the "Human Sovereign" had emerged.
Beyond this debate, numerous Awakened were watching another matter closely.
With the Southern Sovereign slain, how would Longevity Genetics respond?
They were one of the five major factions, boasting immense resources and foundations. In Shencheng, their influence even surpassed Zhendan Academy's. With a key figure dead, there was no way they would let the matter drop.
Yet strangely, Longevity Genetics remained utterly silent, issuing no statement whatsoever.
Some speculated that this silence was due to Zhendan Academy. Since Lu Yuan had been invited by the dean of the Chang'an branch, did that represent the stance of the authorities?
However, it was all pure conjecture; nobody could say for sure.
***
In Shencheng, atop the Longevity Genetics Tower.
Two women and one man stood inside a room where the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
"Zhenyun, are we just going to drop this? Our son is dead!"
"My Tao'er died at that man's hands as well!"
The two women spoke with trembling voices, their eyes red and swollen from weeping.
These were two madams of the Wang family. In the past, they had constantly schemed against one another, but now they stood united. Both their sons were dead, killed by the very same man. Their only thought now was vengeance—to make the culprit suffer a fate worse than death.
As for what their sons had done?
Did that matter?
In their eyes, the murderer had to pay with his life.
"Shut your mouths, both of you!"
The man spoke. He was middle-aged, tall, and carried an imposing aura.
He looked toward the two women, anger simmering between his brows. "Of course we aren't going to let this go. Those were two of my finest sons. But right now, we have far more critical matters to attend to and cannot afford distractions. We have successfully extracted the genetic material of our ancestors. In the future, this will create numerous high-level powerhouses.
"Let this Lu Yuan live a little longer. Once the time is right, there will be no burial ground for him!"
Wang Zhenyun spoke coldly. Though he too wanted to strike back immediately, the Wang family did not belong to him alone. Above him were clan elders pursuing a much grander plan.
Moreover, Zhendan Academy stepping in to defuse the confrontation with Lu Yuan was a clear statement in itself. Acting rashly could easily drag the entire Wang family into jeopardy. For now, they had to bide their time and build their strength.
"Then how long do we have to wait?" The Second Madam's only hope had been Wang Tao. With him dead, her eyes held only despair and regret. Why had he ever targeted Lu Yuan in the first place?
"It won't be long," Wang Zhenyun replied. "Enough. Both of you go back and rest."
Knowing that further talk was a waste of time, he dismissed them directly.
The two women knew they had no choice but to obey his words, and they ultimately left in grief.
When he was finally left alone in the room, the patriarch of the Wang family wore an expression dark as stagnant water. "Lu Yuan, I will see to it that you repay this debt of blood!"
***
In Shanghai, within a luxurious villa.
Zhou Yunqiong was browsing through online discussions about Lu Yuan on her phone.
Her expression was no longer as detached as before, replaced instead by solemnity.
"Who would have thought? You actually killed the Southern Sovereign. Did I truly misjudge you back then?"
Recalling their university days, he had seemed utterly ordinary. Toward the end, she had assumed she would eventually forget him entirely.
Yet look at Lu Yuan now.
In such a short span of time, he had surged forward like a true dragon, bursting into her field of view.
Even Zhou Yunqiong found herself forced to take him seriously.
"Eldest Young Mistress."
At that moment, Uncle Zuo entered.
He appeared much the same as before, but the aura radiating from his body was remarkably profound. He had actually evolved into the Awakening Realm, and his foundation was solidly stabilized.
This meant that this personal bodyguard had, in certain respects, already surpassed figures like the Northern Emperor.
"How is Yi?" Zhou Yunqiong asked, showing no surprise.
For a faction like the Wuzhou Group, backed by an ancient clan's heritage, having such foundation was precisely why even the authorities treated them with respect.
"He consumed the purified essence we extracted from spiritual fruits and extraordinary herbs," Uncle Zuo replied. "He is currently in secluded cultivation. When he emerges, the latent potential in his bloodline will be fully awakened."
"Even if the purity is only at eighty percent, that is sufficient," Zhou Yunqiong nodded, then added, "The matter of contacting his clan must also be put on the schedule. Launching a satellite or two is hardly a difficult task for the Wuzhou Group."
"Understood!" Uncle Zuo lowered his head slightly. "Additionally, the Family Head mentioned that since the Third Young Mistress is dead, let it be. You need not concern yourself with it."
His words were shocking—a father who cared nothing for his own daughter's life.
"I know. You may take your leave." Zhou Yunqiong waved her hand dismissively, her bearing as haughty as ever.
Uncle Zuo bowed and turned to leave.
He knew very well that the Eldest Young Mistress was the sole hope of the entire Zhou family.
Winged Celestial?
Nothing more than a chess piece!
***
In the outside world, online discussion regarding Lu Yuan gradually began to subside as time passed.
This was because an even more monumental event had occurred.
Mutated beasts were stirring up riots.
Yet unlike before, they were not attacking human cities. Instead, they hid deep within the mountains, howling toward the heavens.
This phenomenon felt eerily familiar—it was just like the prelude to the initial global mutation.
Sure enough, a few days later, heaven and earth thundered once more.
Overnight, countless new mountains and rivers inexplicably emerged across the country.
Some Awakened hunting in the wilderness stumbled into uncharted territories resembling folded spaces; fortunately, they turned back in time, or they would have been trapped forever.
Ordinary people venturing into no-man's-lands discovered spiritual fruits and extraordinary herbs once again, far more potent than those found before, allowing them to evolve in a single bound.
The same was happening abroad. The Divine Knight and the Holy Angel led groups of Awakened, claiming they had received God's grace once more. Their strength surged, leaving them unafraid of heavy thermal weapons, cementing their status as pivotal figures in the West.
Everyone realized that this was likely a second wave of mutations, and far more violent than the first.
Immediately, countless Awakened began mobilizing.
Another day passed, and a breaking piece of news suddenly emerged, drawing massive attention.
"Hundreds of mountain peaks have emerged in the Shu Region, standing shoulder to shoulder with Mount Emei and Mount Qingcheng!"
"I've read ancient records—these match the descriptions of the legendary Ancient Mount Shu!"
"Ancient Mount Shu has emerged! There must be tremendous fortune and opportunities there. We have to go!"
Mount Shu had originally been a collective term for the famous peaks across the Sichuan and Shu Region, without referring to any single mountain.
Yet the peaks that had suddenly appeared bore striking resemblances to ancient texts. In particular, the central peak rose like a sword piercing straight into the clouds.
This immediately sparked vivid imaginations among the nation's Awakened, as Huaxia was rich with legends of Mount Shu's sword immortals.
Believing that the legacy and fortunes of sword immortals lay within, people flocked toward Mount Shu in droves.
Several major factions mobilized as well, aiming to seize the peaks of Mount Shu to bolster their own power.
Before long, however, news arrived.
Tens of thousands of official military troops had already moved in to garrison Ancient Mount Shu, strictly forbidding unauthorized entry.
At the same time, Zhendan Academy announced that Ancient Mount Shu was temporarily under their control for systematic research, and access would be opened conditionally at a later date.
Some were dissatisfied, arguing that divine fortune belonged to all, and voices of opposition erupted online.
Yet these dissenting voices vanished almost instantly.
Many witnessed dozens of supersonic fighter jets patrolling the skies over Ancient Mount Shu day and night. Below the peaks, tanks and armored fighting vehicles gathered in vast formations. Reports even surfaced online that missile launch installations were being deployed in the area.
Following these developments, domestic factions issued unified statements expressing their consensus: Ancient Mount Shu rightfully belonged under Zhendan Academy's stewardship.
The Awakened community accepted this without further argument.
Thus, an impending conflict over Ancient Mount Shu was abruptly quelled before it could ignite.
Yet through this, many finally recognized the sheer might of the authorities.
They did not move lightly, but when they did, they settled the realm with absolute finality!
Naturally, all eyes remained fixed on Ancient Mount Shu, and the buzz surrounding Lu Yuan completely faded from the spotlight.
***
Not long after, in Chang'an, within a secluded cultivation chamber at Zhendan Academy.
*Rumble! Boom! Boom!*
A continuous series of resonant booms reverberated from within, accompanied by faint dragon roars and waves of blazing radiance surging outward.
Under this terrifying force, even the alloy walls buckled and bent.
Lu Yuan had been in secluded cultivation for over ten days.
And today, he had finally arrived at the critical juncture.
Chapter 55