Chapter 73. The Title of Human Sovereign? Ancient Mount Shu, the Legend of Sword Immortals! (1)

"

Ah,

Dean! Are you alright?" Zhu Qingyu exclaimed in alarm, noticing that Dean Zheng seemed somewhat off. She quickly walked over to support him, her expression filled with puzzlement.

"Qingyu," Dean Zheng asked, his voice wavering slightly, "D-did I just give away a Sleeping Dragon's Crimson Fruit?"

Dean Zheng sank into his chair, his face a mask of delayed bewilderment. Few other things could affect him in such a way; after all, as the dean of the academy, his status and considerable strength gave him a steady disposition.

However, the key issue was the Sleeping Dragon's Crimson Fruit—across all the branch academies combined, they possessed only three! Each one was a treasure capable of creating a powerful Awakened in a short period of time.

"

Huh?

" Zhu Qingyu was taken aback. "Yes, Dean. Didn't you say that you saw Mr. Lu's high potential and greatly valued his talent?"

She found the situation to be quite strange. Dean Zheng had personally given the fruit away, yet now he was asking such a question. Could it be that he was already having regrets? If so, perhaps it wasn't too late to try and retrieve it.

Dean Zheng easily saw the confusion in the young girl's eyes and explained, "Lu Yuan is an extraordinary individual with an extremely high degree of vigilance. If we were to approach him with ulterior motives, he wouldn't agree to work with us, regardless of what we offer him.

"Hence, we must take our time and slowly earn his goodwill."

"At the moment, he has no plans of collaborating with the academy," Dean Zheng added, "However, that won't always be the case. We must be patient."

He had thought about it and realized that a direct approach wouldn't work, so he chose to simply ignore his goal for now. This indirect approach of building a rapport first could ultimately prove to be more effective.

Of course, Dean Zheng couldn't guarantee a positive outcome. He could only make the attempt.

"Is that so?" Zhu Qingyu immediately understood Dean Zheng's words. She was an intelligent woman, after all. Her gaze shifted to the empty seat where Lu Yuan had sat, and she recalled his domineering figure at the Mausoleum.

Just then, she recalled something and couldn't help but say, "Dean, I've always had a feeling that Mr. Lu and that person who shot that lightning arrow back in Qingyang City are the same people."

Before, she only had a vague suspicion, but now, her doubts were dissipating. The figures of the two individuals were far too similar, and there was no denying that Lu Yuan also possessed an incredible level of strength.

"Is that so?" Dean Zheng nodded slowly. "If that is indeed the case, then I believe he will not simply stand by and watch if a beast tide attacks the city in the future."

Being able to rescue Aurora Academy's teachers and students at such a critical moment proved that he had a righteous heart. However, the truth was that Dean Zheng could only hope that he hadn't misjudged Lu Yuan's character.

***

After parting ways with Dean Zheng, Lu Yuan was led by academy personnel to a different location on the campus. He was brought to a very quiet area, surrounded by a grove of green bamboo.

A spacious and elegant residence awaited him. The amenities were all-inclusive, even featuring a separate training room with walls constructed entirely of reinforced alloy. This was clearly a level of treatment reserved only for the most distinguished of guests.

After arriving at the room and tidying up briefly, Lu Yuan sat down cross-legged, taking a moment to recall everything that had transpired today. The incidents concerning the Southern Sovereign and his brother were trivial. What was done was done.

However, the recruitment attempts from both the Aurora Academy and Polaris Biotech deserved his contemplation.

He knew that the government backed both organizations, one operating openly and the other in the shadows. Therefore, their goodwill was, in effect, a representation of the officials' stance.

Unlike factions such as the Wuzhou Group and Longevity Genetics, an organization like the Aurora Academy considered the broader picture. Instead of mere power struggles, they considered the overall situation of mankind.

Their invitation for him to collaborate with them was primarily a move to better resist humanity's true enemy—the mutated beasts.

The truth was that Lu Yuan knew that the government could easily assimilate the major domestic organizations if it truly wanted to do so. Unfortunately, it meant paying a huge price. The losses would surely outweigh the gains and could even create enough chaos for the mutated beasts to exploit.

Hence, they ultimately chose the path of collaborating with others instead of conquering and assimilating them.

The new era was changing far too quickly, and no one could react to everything at once. Even with his ten-year advantage from a past life and three months of preparation, Lu Yuan couldn't claim to be completely prepared for everything.

As for Dean Zheng's intentions in gifting him the Sleeping Dragon's Crimson Fruit, he saw through them. In truth, if mutated beasts were to really attack the city, Lu Yuan wouldn't just stand by and watch.

After all, he wasn't some heartless eccentric. In his previous life, he survived for ten long years only because organizations like the Aurora Academy were protecting him.

He hadn't agreed to their proposal because he didn't wish to be constrained by anyone.

"This is only the beginning," Lu Yuan murmured to himself, recalling the cataclysmic changes the new era was destined to bring. "The future will only become more troublesome."

His heart felt somewhat heavy. The world's transformation would only become even more bizarre as time went on. In the future, traces of divinity would appear, and even legendary immortal mountains and blessed lands would emerge.

The incredible changes would inevitably attract the covetous eyes of powers from outer space. Once that happened, humanity's true catastrophe would begin. Lu Yuan's goal was to evolve and grow stronger; he was going to seize every opportunity in this short window of time.

Shaking his head, Lu Yuan cleared his thoughts and retrieved the Sleeping Dragon's Crimson Fruit. Holding it in his palm, he finally managed to take a good look at the intricate patterns upon its surface.

The patterns looked like tiny dragons swimming as if they were alive. Of course, they unleashed waves of pure and powerful energy.

"I wonder how many grotto-heavens this thing will help me open, or how many genetic shackles will I end up shattering?" Lu Yuan smiled. Without any hesitation, he took a deep breath and swallowed the Sleeping Dragon's Crimson Fruit.

It had to be known that he had consumed the Nine-leaf Golden Resonance only a few days ago and had just finished stabilizing his strength. To take another one of such treasures would be unthinkable for any ordinary Awakened; their body would definitely be unable to handle the strain.

It would be like a man who had just eaten a full meal being faced with another sumptuous feast less than an hour later. He would only be able to stare helplessly at the luxurious spread.

However, Lu Yuan's foundation was simply too deep and profound. His internal organs had already fused with the Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda, his visualization method was the complete

Dao De Jing

, and he had opened his Innate Spirit with the aid of the ancient Bodhi Tree.

At the moment, no one could compare to him. He was like a vast, all-encompassing ocean, allowing him to feel completely indifferent about the consequences.

Soon, the Sleeping Dragon's Crimson Fruit entered Lu Yuan's stomach, and it transformed into a torrent of incomparably pure and vast energy that surged throughout him. Within his organs, the Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda manifested once again, and the blood in his blood vessels began to give off a brilliant golden luster.

At the same time, Lu Yuan operated his breathing technique and visualization method. In an instant, his consciousness seemed to transcend his physical form. He felt as if he were sitting cross-legged in the middle of the universe, surrounded by a vast and silent starry river.

Wisps of aura resembling dragons rushed out of his mouth and nose. His chest heaved as a powerful force sank deep into his navel, from which a dragon's roar reverberated subtly.

"What a potent fruit!"

After consuming the Sleeping Dragon's Crimson Fruit, Lu Yuan realized that the Primordial Dragon Breathing Technique had become even smoother than before.

Behind him, the second grotto-heaven was already starting to manifest. Once he had completely assimilated every ounce of energy within the fruit, opening the second grotto-heaven would merely be a matter of time, and he could even manifest the third grotto-heaven directly afterward.

In other words, his strength

could

grow threefold.

Grotto-heavens were said to contain true gods; opening one wasn't a simple bolstering of his combat prowess, but a comprehensive improvement to his entire being. The mere thought of it was truly terrifying.

I guess I have to enter seclusion for a while again,

Lu Yuan thought, but it didn't matter; he was within the grounds of the Aurora Academy; he was incomparably safe here, and no one would disturb him here, allowing him to focus on his cultivation. With that in mind, he completely immersed himself in the process.

Time went on as Lu Yuan cultivated and evolved. In stark contrast to his peaceful seclusion, the outside world was anything but calm.

Almost every Awakened walking the path of evolution was shocked by a single, explosive piece of news—The Southern Sovereign was dead, killed by a previously unknown individual.

Videos of the battle were quickly released online. The footage was blurry, but most people still made out the key details—the Southern Sovereign, a man lauded as one of the Five Supremes, managed to offer absolutely zero resistance against Lu Yuan and was crushed.

Moreover, his subordinate Awakened couldn't even make a move before they were killed.

The news sent powerful shockwaves throughout the world of Awakened.

"His surname is Lu, and he doesn't belong to any of the major forces."

"He's too strong; he quite literally crushed the Southern Sovereign. That was really terrifying."

"I think he stands at the absolute apex, surpassing the other four Supremes."

"That's right, rumor has it that even the Winged Celestial God lost against him. Even if the Winged Celestial God hadn't transformed at the time, it still proves that he's quite something."

"Yes, yes, I saw it with my own eyes at the Mausoleum! He didn't even flinch in the face of a literal bombardment, and he dismantled helicopters with his bare hands. He's a complete monster!"

"The Southern Sovereign is dead, so the Five Supremes are now just Four Supremes. Lu Yuan can easily fill the spot, and perhaps as the strongest Supreme. I think he deserves a title for that."

"He could inherit the 'Sovereign' title, but I think there's a different title that suits him the most—Human Sovereign!"

"Human Sovereign? Isn't that too much?"