Chapter 34. Genetic Shackles, Life Evolution, An Enemy Approaches? (1)

A hint of joy touched Lu Yuan's face, but almost immediately, doubt flickered in his eyes.

The pill had been refined far too quickly, well beyond his expectations. Yet the moment he held it in his hand, realization dawned upon him.

The Meridian Heavenmend Furnace could automatically draw in the essence of heaven and earth to refine pills. Ordinarily, such a process would take a long time, and without spiritual herbs or rare fruits as ingredients, even if the pill succeeded, its quality would be uneven at best.

There was a reason for the speed this time. Lu Yuan discovered that the leftover pill essence within the furnace from before had completely vanished.

It must have been absorbed into this very pill, drastically accelerating the refinement process.

After all, when he had soaked the furnace in water before, he had only managed to extract the essence clinging to its surface. But now, the freshly refined pill in his hand had drawn out the deeper reserves hidden within the furnace's crevices.

I wonder how effective this pill is. Can it push me forward, into the next realm—the Unfettered Realm??

Lu Yuan thought as he weighed the pill in his palm, a glint of anticipation flashing through his eyes.

If the Awakened Realm was the stage where one awakened the mythical genes within, freeing them from mortal restraints, then the Unfettered Realm was where one shattered the genetic locks binding the human body, fully unlocking its latent potential, evolving further, and gaining even greater transcendent power.

More importantly, reaching this realm meant another leap in the very essence of life itself.

Even in his previous life, this was a stage attained only by true powerhouses.

He had once thought such a realm far beyond his reach. Yet now, he was but one step away.

Back then, Lu Yuan had only ever witnessed beings of this level from afar, their battles shaking heaven and earth. To meet them directly had been impossible; the gulf between them was too vast.

But now, he was about to stand among them.

Of course, there were even higher realms beyond the Unfettered Realm, but those were concerns for another time.

The cultivation stages of the Awakened had been defined and codified by the great factions, established through extensive research and ancient records, serving as a standard to distinguish one's strength.

From his memories, Lu Yuan knew that this realm division theory would be made public not long after the Global Awakening.

Shaking his head, he set aside the thought.

He then picked up the pill and swallowed it.

The moment the pill touched his tongue, it dissolved instantly, unleashing a surge of immense power. This violent force was something an ordinary Awakened could never endure without harming themselves.

But for Lu Yuan, it was different. Ever since fusing with the Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda, his internal organs and external flesh had become one. His five viscera and six bowels were reinforced to an unimaginable degree, and the energy from the pill posed no threat to him at all.

On the contrary, supported by his formidable physique, the energy was absorbed almost instantly, flowing through his limbs and bones.

Not bad... quite comfortable.

Lu Yuan felt the energy coursing through him, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

Without entertaining any stray thoughts, he focused wholly on channeling that energy into every single cell and strand of his genes.

This time, his goal was clear—a breakthrough into the Unfettered Realm.

Once that was achieved, stepping out into the outside world again, he might not be entirely without restraint, but he would be close enough.

And so, Lu Yuan continued to draw the pill's energy into his body, awakening the latent potential of his flesh.

The process was anything but slow; in fact, it was remarkably smooth. After all, he had fused with so many divine artifacts that his foundation was likely unmatched in the entire world. Even beings with ancient bloodlines could not compare.

Three months of preparation had not been in vain.

His plan had been set from the start—lie low during the early stage of the Global Awakening, quietly strengthen himself, and when the time came to emerge from seclusion, sweep across the world unchallenged.

The pill's effect exceeded his expectations. It was astonishing.

If he could fully absorb it, he was certain he could break through the barrier of evolution, shatter the genetic locks, and elevate his lifeform to the next level.

But fully absorbing it would still take time.

This gave Lu Yuan a twinge of unease.

His villa was relatively safe in the early phase of the Global Awakening, but unforeseen variables could arise.

It wasn't that he feared being discovered. He simply wanted to complete his preparations without disruption.

Perhaps he was overthinking things.

Setting those thoughts aside, he focused once more on absorption.

If he wanted to make the most of every treasure after three months of careful preparation, it would indeed take time.

Thus, the days passed in silence, and the weather, too, seemed to be turning cooler.

Meanwhile...

On a wide highway, two jeeps sped forward at high speed.

However, ever since the Global Awakening, many stretches of asphalt had collapsed entirely. Weeds grew rampant along the roadsides, and in the far distance, towering mountain peaks pierced the skies, rising thousands of meters high. From within those mountains came the occasional echo of bestial roars—deep, resonant, and terrifying.

"Captain Wang, just up ahead is the boundary of Hu City," a man in one of the jeeps reported.

This group was none other than the Longevity Genetics squad that had set out from the farm in Wuzhou City.

Their captain, Wang Xing, gave a brief nod and looked ahead. All he could see was an unbroken range of mountains.

"Before, Wuzhou and Hu City weren't far apart," he said. "But after the Day of Awakening and the opening of the path of evolution, even the lands themselves expanded. The original distance has increased several times, costing us far more time."

A squad member let out a helpless sigh. The road so far had been nothing but collapsed paths and towering ridges that blocked their way, making it difficult for their vehicles to pass.

Every now and then, they would even encounter mutated beasts—ferocious creatures undergoing their own evolution.

These beasts were enormous, vicious, and exceedingly hard to deal with.

If not for the company's specially developed genetic serum, which had set them upon the path of evolution, and their full combat gear, they might not have survived the journey at all, let alone complete the mission or make it this far.

"Alright, enough talk," Wang Xing said, pulling out his phone. "The company just sent word. They've pinpointed the exact location of that man, Lu Yuan. Once we reach Hu City, we don't waste a second. We head straight for him."

"Of course, Captain. When we get there, you can just stand by and rest. The few of us will be more than enough to take care of him," a team member said with a grin. He felt that the mission was more troublesome than dangerous.

From all the intel they had gathered on Lu Yuan, he seemed nothing more than a spoiled young master with a taste for antiques and fine arts.

"Don't let your guard down," Wang Xing shook his head in disagreement. "We already lost one squad before this. Whoever did it has some real skill. That Lu fellow might not be as simple as he looks. When we get there, follow my orders."

For some reason, unease gnawed at him, a premonition that things would not go as smoothly as expected. He couldn't explain why, but he strongly suspected the death of the previous three-man team was closely tied to Lu Yuan.

"Captain Wang, you're overthinking it," someone replied. "Even if that guy has a few tricks up his sleeve, so what? We're the company's top elites. And we've got these toys," the man said with a smirk, patting the gun at his waist and gesturing to a few grenades. "How could he possibly fight back?"

Longevity Genetics was a force with vast influence both domestically and internationally; arming their operatives with hot weapons was never a problem.

The other team members nodded in agreement. They were no ordinary people, but Awakened possessing abilities that transcended human limits. Their lifeform was already far beyond that of common men.

"Mm." Wang Xing said no more. Perhaps the long journey and repeated encounters with evolved beasts had simply made him too nervous.

"Alright, eyes on the road. Let's finish this quickly and keep the company from breathing down our necks," he ordered, setting aside all stray thoughts. He then instructed the driver to pick up speed. The sooner the mission was completed, the sooner they could get their rewards.

"Got it!" the squad responded in unison.

Both jeeps roared ahead. The team members wore relaxed expressions as though they were merely heading out to complete the simplest of errands.