Chapter 17. Prelude to the Awakening: The Young Celestial Master of Mount Hulong

"Benefactor, since you've made your choice, I shall get it registered right away." Without saying anything else, Master Yuyang instructed one of the younger disciples to mark it down in the register.

After the document was stamped with the official seal of the Celestial Master Hall in crimson clay, Carefree Abode officially belonged to Lu Yuan for the next decade.

However, Lu Yuan didn't really care much about that.

Ten years? It was already August, and in less than a month, the global awakening would happen.

By then, it remained to be seen if any of these contracts or designations still held legal effect.

What mattered the most was that he was able to get his hands on the Wordless Stone Stele.

Now that Lu Yuan had selected his lay cultivation site, the group began their journey back to the Celestial Master Hall.

As for the Wordless Stone Stele, Lu Yuan wasn't in a hurry to retrieve it. A block of stone like that wouldn't catch anyone's attention.

But on the way back, Liu Qing and the others couldn't help but approach Lu Yuan and tell him that his selection of Carefree Abode had been a far too impulsive one.

That place was rundown, abandoned without any care, and far away from the Celestial Master Hall. It was Lu Yuan's loss to have chosen the Carefree Abode.

However, Lu Yuan simply smiled and offered no explanation.

How could they possibly understand that the seemingly ordinary stele concealed a supreme Daoist divine cultivation technique?

Not long after, the group arrived at the Celestial Master Hall. The vegetarian feast had already been prepared. After leading them into the dining hall, Master Yuyang excused himself and left with the other disciples.

It was just about mealtime, and the hall was already filled with Daoist priests, seated in small groups and eating quietly.

While many Daoist sects had strict dietary rules, the Celestial Master Hall belonged to the Zhengyi branch, which allowed meat in moderation, so the feast contained more than just vegetables.

Lu Yuan and the others lined up, collected their food, and found seats to settle in. Having tired themselves for the entire morning, they could finally sit down and rest.

Everyone gathered were businessmen, and spending time together along the journey, they'd gotten to know each other somewhat. So, naturally, they started their idle chatter.

"President Wang, how many days are you planning to stay here at Mount Hulong?"

"Probably just two or three days. I've got a business meeting a few days later. I'll probably make a trip to Mount Tai while I'm at it."

"Mount Tai, that's a place worth visiting. It's the foremost of the Five Great Peaks. Mind if I tag along?"

"Sure! You're more than welcome."

"President Wang, didn't you hear?" Liu Qing leaned in. "Mount Tai has been sealed off. They're not allowing any visitors. I've heard that two days ago some tourists saw the celestial palace amongst the clouds again. On top of that, one even claimed to see a group of people dressed in ancient clothes, standing on the summit at night, seemingly conducting some ritual."

"A ritual? Are you serious? Why have I never heard of it? Is it fake news?" Another person asked with apparent curiosity.

"Didn't the official statement say it was just a mirage?" another chimed in.

"What benefits do I gain from lying? I have a video right here," Liu Qing said as he pulled out his phone, wanting to show the others the evidence.

But as he scrolled through his gallery, his brows began to furrow together. "Huh? That's weird. It was still here this morning... Why is it gone?"

"It's definitely fake news. I've climbed Mount Tai a bunch of times. Never saw any celestial palace or ancient figures."

"Don't be so sure about it. I've heard that strange things have been happening all over domestically and even overseas."

"Yeah, yeah! You guys know about Mount Huajiu, right? There's a rumor going around that every morning at sunrise, you can hear chanting coming from the mountain."

"No way! Why haven't I seen any news about this?"

"No idea."

The topic stirred the group's interest, and each began to share what they had heard eagerly.

Mount Hangtai. The Duanheng Range. The Qinling Mountains. Or even the Kunlun mountain range. Strange phenomena had happened at all of the famed mountains. Earthquakes happened at some sites, while some visitors in other places witnessed dazzling rays of multicolored light piercing the sky. And in some places, snowfall had begun falling the previous month and had yet to stop.

As for those villagers living near the base of the Qinling Mountains, they reported hearing the chilling howls of wild beasts echoing through the night until dawn.

Various strange occurrences had been taking place everywhere—across the land, mountains, valleys, sacred peaks.

No one could explain their existence.

But there was one thing everyone knew. None of those events made major headlines on the Internet. It was as though someone was deliberately hushing this news.

So it was highly possible that the video in Liu Qing's phone had been wiped.

Sitting by the side, Lu Yuan listened in silence. He knew that this was the prelude to the global awakening.

The signs hadn't swept through the cities, but the ancient places—famed mountains and lakes steeped in legend and myth—were already starting to stir.

Of course, this was only the beginning.

Once September 1st arrived, the global awakening would change the fate of every living soul on the planet.

Fortunately, he had already made his preparations and wouldn't be thrown into panic and confusion.

"Excuse me, benefactor. May I sit here?" A gentle voice entered Lu Yuan's ear.

Lu Yuan looked up to see a young Daoist priest. He looked probably seventeen or eighteen, with his hair tied in a traditional topknot. He had a calm expression and held a tray of food with both hands.

"Sure," Lu Yuan said with a nod.

"Thank you," the young boy said with a bow before taking the seat across Lu Yuan. But instead of starting on his meal, he looked at Lu Yuan and said, "I heard you picked Carefree Abode as your lay cultivator site?"

It wasn’t surprising that the young boy knew Lu Yuan had chosen the Carefree Abode. After all, Mount Hulong was closed to the public today to welcome a few esteemed guests and major donors. Word was bound to spread quickly.

"Yes," Lu Yuan answered and waited for the boy to go on.

"That's not exactly the best place," the young Daoist said with a dry chuckle, "I stayed there a few years ago. The roof leaks when it rains, and I even heard the cries of wild beasts in the night. Aren't you afraid?"

"Taoism emphasizes the cultivation of the heart. I am but a mere layman, but I've heard that the harsher the place, the better it is for cultivating one's mind," Lu Yuan made up a random excuse. There wasn't anything much to worry about since he wasn't planning to live at Carefree Abode long-term. Besides, with his current physique, not even tigers or wolves could get close to him.

"What you said makes perfect sense," the boy nodded in agreement.

With that, he continued with his meal and didn't say anything else. When he was finally done with his meal, he spoke again, "My Daoist name is Chunyang. I hope we'll have the chance to discuss Daoist philosophy together one day."

Chunyang then bowed slightly and turned to leave.

Chunyang?

Lu Yuan's expression shifted slightly, his heart skipping a beat.

That name would come to gain great fame after the global awakening.

That was the name of the Young Celestial Master of Mount Hulong, and one of the strongest Awakened among the younger generation.

"To think I'd run into someone like him now," Lu Yuan muttered to himself. But soon enough, he calmed his emotions and let out a light chuckle.

In his previous life, he had been just a small fry while the Young Celestial Master of Mount Hulong was the most renowned powerhouse within Huaxia. His strength was unmatched among his peers, and to Lu Yuan back then, Chunyang was like a distant, unreachable star.

But in this life, everything would be different.

Without saying much, Lu Yuan quietly finished his meal.

When the group was almost done with their meal, arrangements were made for them to stay the night in the Celestial Master Hall.

Yet, under Lu Yuan's firm request, he managed to get them to agree to let him stay at Carefree Abode for the night.

Only by doing so would he have enough time and also the chance to claim the Wordless Stone Stele as his own.