Chapter 148. Improving By Leaps and Bounds, the Second Global Awakening

A detached building stood prominently within the Mount Tai Trials Academy.

The officials had it specially constructed for just one person; it featured classic decor with furniture made out of rare and exotic wood. There was even a training chamber constructed entirely out of steel, and its amenities prioritized comfort above all.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged with eyes closed inside the building. A powerful aura radiated from his entire being. The golden energy remained completely contained, no longer visible. Even so, the aura emanating from him had grown more formidable than ever.

Before him, the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace crackled as surging power heaved inside it. After several days of refinement, something had taken form inside, and it slowly rose to hover before the furnace.

It was a translucent thumb-sized pill radiating a brilliant light. Upon a closer look, one would see mysterious patterns etched on its surface. It closely resembled the legendary immortal pills described in ancient texts.

Before long, Lu Yuan opened his eyes. Upon seeing the medicinal pill, he couldn't help but smile. "I've already broken seventy genetic shackles. I wonder how many more I'll break upon consuming this pill..."

Seventy genetic shackles. Soon, he would shatter a hundred and eight genetic shackles. With his current foundation, it was only a matter of time. In fact, he could directly shatter the rest of the 108 genetic shackles as long as he had enough energy source to do so.

The pill before him was refined from the spiritual fruits and exotic herbs he had collected at Mount Olympus. By extracting their essence while removing their impurities, the pill contained power concentrated to the extreme.

Without hesitation, Lu Yuan took the pill and swallowed it. The pill dissolved instantly upon entering his mouth. It transformed into an extremely pure yet overwhelming wave of energy. In an instant, the wave of energy surged throughout his limbs and bones, penetrating every inch of flesh and skin.

He closed his eyes again, circulating the Primordial Dragon Breathing Technique to assimilate the energy.

Hum!

The moment Lu Yuan began absorbing it, his aura erupted, and his entire being became shrouded in a radiant light, which illuminated the whole room.

The pill contained dense energy refined from quite a few spiritual fruits and exotic herbs. The dense energy rushed straight to Lu Yuan's sea of consciousness. Generally, strength inflated one's confidence, which could easily breed arrogance and lead one to lose one's sense of

self.

Those in ancient times called it "inner demon." Overcome it, and one would reach perfection; fail, and danger awaited one.

Lu Yuan wasn't anxious. Instead, he recited the

Dao De Jing

, visualizing the vastness of the cosmos. In his mind, the Innate Spirit, the god of wisdom, sat serenely beneath the Bodhi Tree.

In a mere instant, the strange sensation disappeared.

The overwhelming energy was completely under control.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Three consecutive

cracks

echoed from within Lu Yuan. Three genetic shackles were shattered at once. Immediately afterward, nine grotto-heavens manifested behind him, each nurturing a true god within.

The tenth grotto-heaven was also taking form.

Under the pill's effect, Lu Yuan knew that this seclusion would be extremely profitable for him. His strength would improve by leaps and bounds once again.

With that in mind, he ceased all idle thoughts and focused entirely on circulating his visualization method and breathing technique. He wasn't in a rush—haste made waste, after all. His foundation was solid enough; he only needed to proceed step by step.

As time trickled bit by bit, the power within him grew even stronger.

Soon, the tenth grotto-heaven manifested, and the eleventh grotto-heaven was also manifesting. Lu Yuan shattered more and more genetic shackles as time went on.

Over half a month passed in a flash, and today, Lu Yuan opened his eyes.

As soon as he did, light flashed through his pupils. His aura remained restrained, but he was now emitting a faint fragrance. His skin also shimmered with faint, iridescent colors, indicating that his physique had reached new heights.

His organs became quiet, no longer as noisy as before. Now, they resembled a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. Once activated, they'd unleash terrifying might.

Lu Yuan had also shattered a grand total of 95 genetic shackles and was now only thirteen away from the ultimate limit. His cultivation of the Primordial Dragon Breathing Technique had also reached brand-new heights, as he had opened fifteen grotto-heavens—a fifteen-fold amplification to his combat prowess. His physique and strength had also improved by leaps and bounds.

Tempered by the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token, the Innate Spirit within him became shrouded with a purple light. It seemed to look down upon all living beings. Of course, this was just the beginning.

As time went on, it would only become even more extraordinary.

What a great harvest.

Lu Yuan stood up and clenched his fist. His muscles and bones roared at the same time. As his vital qi surged, the air itself

crackled

. He had become tremendously stronger than before he entered seclusion.

Against a nuke, he would emerge unscathed even without the Primordial Dragon Breathing Technique's help. In summary, the gains were massive.

Now, he was at the limits of the Unfettered Realm. Soon, he would begin advancing toward the fourth stage of evolution, the Golden Body Realm.

I wonder how the Great Luo Sword Embryo is doing. Let's see...

Lu Yuan retrieved the sword embryo for observation. The sword remained entirely black, its brilliance contained, yet the sword energy it emitted was far stronger than before.

The patterns on it had become increasingly clear and profound as well.

With a little stimulation, the Great Luo Sword Qi manifested, and a sharp killing intent erupted. Despite his physique, even Lu Yuan found it to be a threat. It seemed the Great Luo Sword Embryo had also improved by leaps and bounds after absorbing the Vatican's five holy relics.

Lu Yuan reckoned he could unleash horrifying might with it through the Heaven-Earth Sword. Perhaps it could cleave a small mountain in half?

Sadly, divine items are really hard to find. Otherwise, the sword embryo would have become even more powerful.

Lu Yuan lampooned.

Divine items capable of transforming the Great Luo Sword Embryo were rare. Of course, he wasn't going to be greedy; taking it slowly was fine. He had already progressed ahead of others.

The path forward would only become even smoother as well.

With that in mind, Lu Yuan took out his communicator to browse some news about the outside world.

The founding of the Alliance of Humankind progressed smoothly with Huaxia at the helm of it. Headlines like "True King of Humanity" and "Strongest Human Alive" appeared everywhere.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Lu Yuan's prestige even surpassed the combined prestige of the Five Supremes, but of course, no one really talked about those so-called Supremes anymore, as they believed their title was exaggerated, except for Lu Yuan.

In addition, more and more Awakened were making a name for themselves in the world, including Zhu Qingyu, Master Chunyang, and Monk Huikong. They reached the Awakened Realm and were hailed as the pride of the younger generation.

Naturally, no one compared them to Lu Yuan. In everyone's eyes, Lu Yuan stood in a league of his own.

Lu Yuan paid little attention to the praise, focusing instead on other relevant news, such as news about earthquakes, snowstorms, torrential rains, and lightning storms. Apparently, the frequency of such natural phenomena had been increasing these days. They had also become more exaggerated.

For instance, snow fell continuously on Shuntian City for half a month, while sea levels surged dramatically in Shen City. However, none of these phenomena received much attention, as people focused entirely on becoming an Awakened.

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes as he muttered to himself, "The second Global Awakening should begin soon."

Compared to the first one, the second and the third Global Awakenings proceeded silently. Without his memories from his past life, noticing them would have been difficult for Lu Yuan.

Just then, he was reminded of the Spirit Monkey's words. The mutated beast kings in the seas had been feeling anxious recently.

It seemed certain beings would soon appear. Afterward, beings from the Outer Cosmos would begin their descent.

"The Great Age, huh..." Lu Yuan murmured to himself, his face serious. A great age meant great battles and struggles.

Just then, he recalled Elder Ji's words about those two visitors. They would return to the Mount Tai Trials Academy. Over half a month had passed since then, so Lu Yuan believed it was about time they visited him.

Of course, Lu Yuan couldn't really say for sure, so he decided to wait a few more days.

Besides, the gains from his recent seclusion had to be properly stabilized, so Lu Yuan decided to continue his seclusion for a few more days.

***

Today, the Ice Fairy and Zhu Qingyu left their rooms to train. On their way, they saw two people ahead—an elderly man and a young woman.

The young woman was tall and slender with long legs, snow-white skin, and exceptional bearing. Her beauty surpassed even the two of them, yet she was clad in bizarre clothing—ancient-looking ones.

The elderly man in loose red robes was walking a step behind her.

"Excuse me, you two. May I ask what brings you two to the Trials Academy?" the Ice Fairy asked, stepping forward. She was certain she didn't know them; this was her first time seeing them here.

The young woman turned with a smile. Two small dimples appeared on her beautiful face as she politely said, "I've come to find Lu Yuan. May I ask if he has returned?"

Lu Yuan? The Ice Fairy and Zhu Qingyu exchanged glances. Both saw a hint of curiosity in each other's faces.

Just then, Elder Yun approached them and cupped his fist. "King Lu has returned, and he told me to lead you two to him. Follow me this way."

Elder Yun had met these two before. He knew they had mysterious identities along with strangely formidable strength, so he rushed over immediately upon seeing them.

"Thank you, elder." The young woman smiled sweetly, remaining very polite. She glanced at the Ice Fairy and Zhu Qingyu and nodded at them before following Elder Yun.

The elderly man in red robes remained silent.

"Her bearing and beauty don't fall short of Zhou Yunqiong. No, I think she's more beautiful and graceful," the Ice Fairy said, chuckling as she watched them leave.

"It seems King Lu is both powerful and lucky with women," added the Ice Fairy.

Zhu Qingyu chose not to respond, simply standing in place. However, her gaze was transfixed on the young woman's back.

On the other side, Lu Yuan had finally stabilized his current level of strength. He opened his eyes, preparing to stretch his muscles, but he suddenly looked up to stare outside. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "So they're finally here?"