Chapter 11. Underground Room, the Path to Supremacy

Within the courtyard, the ancient Bodhi Tree stood tall and still. Bathed in the moon's glow, each of its leaves shimmered a gentle emerald glow. Despite being more than two thousand years old, its trunk remained thick and gnarled, and it pulsed with thriving vitality.

If one stared at it long enough, they might be able to sense the subtle flow of Daoism essence flowing through its branches. But aside from that, the Bodhi Tree displayed no other special trait.

The global awakening seems to be silently unfolding behind the scenes, but its scope is very small. To outsiders, these phenomena are merely normal natural oddities. But when that day comes in over a month, everything will change. These phenomena will happen everywhere around the world like a tidal wave that can't be stopped.

Lu Yuan pondered over the matter as he made his way toward the villa's main hall.

Most divine artifacts exhibited no noticeable trait at this current moment. Even if others were to discover them, they would just disregard the treasures or even entirely ignore them.

However, everything would change after that fateful day.

Of course, there were still a few items that had already proved to be useful even before the global awakening. However, most of these treasures had likely been claimed by mysterious factions such as the Wuzhou Group.

The only edge Lu Yuan had was his firsthand experience of ten long years in the new era. That alone placed him leagues ahead of everyone else.

This was also the basis of his confidence and why he could clearly plan for the future and outpace the rest of the world.

Upon entering the main hall, Lu Yuan directly headed for the basement. He stood before a door and keyed in a series of numbers on the digital lock.

The alloy door opened with a click, and the lights inside flickered on.

It was a room custom-built and accessible to only him. The room was rather empty. There were only three items on the table: a pearl, a tattered Daoist robe, and a bow. All of them looked rather ordinary without any outstanding traits.

Lu Yuan stepped into the room and placed the Ghost Seal he had acquired from the Treasure Pavilion onto the table.

He then reached for the first item and picked it up before gently running his fingers across its surface.

It was a bead that was rough and with specks and blemishes across its surface. Even if it were placed on the side of a road, it wouldn't attract any attention.

But in actuality, only Lu Yuan knew its true identity. This bead was a sarira, left behind after the passing of a high monk. It was discovered within an ancient tomb deep in the Tibetan highlands. And a terrifying supernormal Buddhist knowledge was contained within it.

Of course, even if someone were to own the sarira, they wouldn't know how to activate it. Because the bead could only reveal its true power after the global awakening. On top of that, it had to be blessed under the Bodhi Tree.

As for the second item, the patched, worn Daoist robe, it was the legendary Primordial Qi Robe. When worn, the user could passively absorb the essence of heaven and earth. Not only could they then be able to temper their fleshly body, they would also nullify all poisons, and become immune to both fire and water. More importantly, the robe came with staggering defensive power, allowing one to withstand the fury of lightning itself.

Lastly, the third item was the Heavenquake Bow, a weapon said to be forged as a replica of the divine bow that once shot down the sun. When drawn, it could channel the power of the heavens and earth into a condensed energy arrow capable of striking enemies from ten thousand miles away. Even though it was not as powerful as the mythical bow of Hou Yi, it was still considered a divine artifact in this day and age.

In his previous life, Lu Yuan had witnessed a powerful figure use this very bow and its divine power to shoot down a star in outer space.

After his regression, Lu Yuan had drawn on his memories from his past life and scoured antique markets and domestic auctions to seek out these three treasures. He then spent a large amount of money to acquire them. Since they were all basically antiques with considerable collection worth, none of them had come cheap.

Especially the Heavenquake Bow, which had been preserved in nearly perfect condition, and had cost him more than fifty million.

But to Lu Yuan, the worth of these items was immeasurable in any currency.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, they might find him reckless and wasteful. But how would any of them truly understand his real goal?

The ancient Bodhi Tree would awaken one's innate soul, grant divine wisdom and amplify talent a billionfold.

The Sarira Bead held supreme supernormal Buddhist knowledge.

The Primordial Qi Robe would temper the physical body, granting immunity to flame and water, and even the strength to resist lightning.

The Heavenquake Bow would gather the power of heavens and earth, forming energy arrows capable of striking enemies from ten thousand miles away.

The complete version of

Dao De Jing

was the key to unlocking the legendary Cosmic Visualization Method, which was also known as the most powerful mental cultivation art under heaven.

Then the Ghost Seal and the heirloom cauldron from Chen Song's family were the two essential keys to entering the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin.

Lu Yuan mentally tallied his gains. Excluding the two keys, every other item granted him tremendous benefits. Armed to the teeth, he would be able to survive any catastrophe that might come with the global awakening. Perhaps, he could even unlock the path to invincibility.

Not enough...Not yet...The Wordless Stone Stele of Mount Hulong. The Cosmic Sword Embryo. The Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda. Gramp Ge's Meridian Heavenmend Furnace...

If I want to ascend to the pinnacle, I have to claim them all. I can't miss even a single one.

Having struggled at the bottom of the food chain for ten years in his past life, Lu Yuan had learned the true meaning of cruelty.

He didn't want to go through that again. He wasn't willing either.

So his plan now was to wrap up everything in Hu City and then leave. He wanted to get every piece in place before the global awakening descended upon the world.

With that, Lu Yuan counted and sorted all the items in his possession before turning around and leaving the underground chamber.

And so, in the following days, Lu Yuan continued with his preparations. As he scoured for new gains, he would also do physical training daily. Whenever he had spare time, he would visit Gramp Ge and help out whenever needed.

During this time, he had also received a package from overseas—the complete edition of

Dao De Jing.

He had also met with Chen Song and successfully secured the heirloom cauldron.

The items in the underground chamber gradually increased.

One morning, Lu Yuan had just finished his daily training. While enjoying his breakfast, thoughts started churning in his mind.

Ordinary training can only help keep the body healthy at best. If I want to attain a physique beyond human limits, I’ll need something out of the norm. I must get my hands on the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace at Gramps Ge's place, no matter what.

He then strategized how he could accelerate the acquisition process. After all, that furnace was one of the rare few items that were of practical use before the global awakening. It could help him lay a solid foundation and offer him unexpected benefits in the future.

Ring-ring-ring.

Just then, Lu Yuan's phone rang.

Lu Yuan picked up the phone and, upon seeing the name on the screen, his eyes lit up.

"Hello? Manager Lin? How's the progress?"

Indeed, the caller was Manager Lin from the Treasure Pavilion's sixth floor.

—Mr. Lu, I've managed to arrange a meeting. The seller is arriving at 10 a.m. But, I can't say if the deal will successfully go through or not. I think you'll still have to negotiate with him personally.

They were talking about the Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda—one of the items that Lu Yuan had decided that he had to acquire.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face. "No problem. As long as he shows up, things will be easier. I'll head over now."

Lu Yuan ended the call and, without any delay, he quickly prepared and drove out of the villa.

If the seller was willing to appear, it meant that he still had some interest in striking a deal, even if it was faint.

His only job now was to fan that interest until the seller was willing to let the item go. And Lu Yuan was rather confident about achieving that task.