Chapter 28: The Leap of Life, Dawn of a New Era

"Eighth Tier, Initial Realm? This is…"
Lu Yuan was stunned, his voice tinged with disbelief.

In his previous life, he had struggled for years, paid countless costs, and endured untold hardship just to become an Awakened. Even at the moment of his death, he was only at the ninth tier, unable to take that final step forward. Ten years of suffering, and yet he remained a small, insignificant figure.

But now, after fusing with the Ancient Bodhi Tree, he had achieved in an instant what had taken him nearly a decade before. Furthermore, in his past life, reaching this level had cost him all his potential—he had been utterly spent. Now, this was only the beginning.

With the fusion complete, his physical body had shattered its shackles, unlocking all the treasures hidden within. It was as if, before building a skyscraper, he had forged an unprecedentedly solid foundation—one that surpassed anyone else's in the world.

"At this rate, it won't be long before I break through to the next realm, the Awakening Realm!" Lu Yuan murmured to himself, a sharp, confident light flashing in his eyes.

The Awakening Realm—its name said it all—meant truly becoming one of the Awakened. In this stage, a person fully adapted to the world after its global transformation and began the path of evolution. At the same time, they awakened deeper mythic genes within, gaining all sorts of unimaginable powers.

If the Initial Realm was only about strengthening the body and physical power, then the Awakening Realm was a different world entirely. Some gained the power of flame, others the power of ice, or lightning—each Awakened was unique. Their abilities were as diverse as the stars, depending on their constitution.

This was the second realm of evolution for the Awakened. Unlike the Initial Realm, which was divided into nine tiers, the Awakening Realm had only one stage. Reaching its pinnacle meant one could attempt to break through to the third realm: the Shackles Realm.

Living beings were bound by the world; their bodies contained many shackles, limiting their ascent to higher forms of life. The Shackles Realm was all about breaking free from these restraints, unlocking ever more potential, elevating one's existence, and leaving humanity behind.

It was said that those who reached the Shackles Realm were unimaginably powerful, their numbers few and far between.

Such individuals could unleash deeper reserves of potential, capable of destroying mountains with a single blow. "There are said to be a hundred and eight shackles within the human body. Most Awakened only break twelve, but the more potential one has, the more shackles can be shattered. I wonder, with my foundation, how far I can go," Lu Yuan mused. Yet he quickly shook his head—he was still a long way from that stage. There was no point overthinking it now.

Steadying his thoughts, he was about to examine the next divine artifact when he suddenly realized the day had dawned.

Could it be that the fusion with the Ancient Bodhi Tree had taken an entire night? He immediately grabbed his phone. The date was September 10th.

Not a single night—but a full ten days had passed.

Lu Yuan was stunned, but quickly accepted it. After all, the Ancient Bodhi Tree was a supreme, peerless divine artifact; its fusion could hardly be completed in a day or two.

He checked his phone to see what had happened over those ten days. What he found shocked him—the world had descended into chaos. Strange phenomena erupted everywhere: a great river appeared before someone’s home, or seawater surged up into freshwater rivers.

But the news that caught the most attention was about people.

Some suddenly gained immense strength overnight; their bodies became as tough as iron. Others, after consuming a strange fruit, grew horns and reached three meters in height—like the Bull Demon King of legend. Still others, after touching a brilliantly colored flower, sprouted delicate wings and could soar through the sky at will.

In this climate, wealthy individuals began offering vast sums online for a single piece of rare fruit or food, hoping to acquire extraordinary powers. They were mocked, though, for soon after the upheaval, currency lost value at a dizzying pace. In some remote regions, even a hundred thousand couldn’t buy a single steamed bun.

"Global transformation—humanity will begin the path of evolution. Act first, and you may become a god!" So read a post on a certain forum, author unknown, yet it sparked wild speculation.

Many believed it was true. Those who hadn’t gained extraordinary powers began posting, hoping to find companions to venture into the deep mountains and forests to seek out these strange fruits—hoping to change their fates, to become gods as the post promised.

Netizens began to call the days after September 1st the New Age.

At the same time, Lu Yuan saw that his classmates were hotly discussing the matter in their chat group, led by Li Hansheng. The bolder Wang Zibo even suggested forming a group to search for the extraordinary fruits. Yet no one had decided—after all, many areas outside were now extremely dangerous, and ordinary people could hardly survive.

"Just like my previous life," Lu Yuan mused, "the world changes, the New Age arrives, and after a brief panic, everyone begins to pursue extraordinary power."

He shook his head. He had been one of them once, but reacted too slowly and fell behind at every turn. Now, though, he was ahead of everyone, having prepared well in advance.

As for the transformation, those miraculous flowers and fruits that could trigger evolution were merely mediums—most of them of the lowest grade. Even if one succeeded in fusing with them, the benefits were minimal; most couldn't even reach the Initial Realm.

The truly top-tier mediums were either yet to be discovered or had already been seized by mysterious organizations like the Wu Zhou Group. Some had appeared, but none recognized their value.

These mediums were unique—not necessarily more effective for being older or rarer, and their properties required verification.

But Lu Yuan was different; his mind was filled with memories of countless such treasures. This was the greatest advantage he possessed in this life.

Without further thought, he dismissed his curiosity about the outside world.

He cleared his mind and turned his attention to the courtyard. The Ancient Bodhi Tree, having fully fused with him, had vanished without a trace.

But before him remained ten divine artifacts, each radiating its own light—every one extraordinary.

"With the dawn of the New Age, there will be a period of chaos lasting several months. During this time, no peerless divine artifacts will appear. It’s the perfect opportunity to study and master these treasures," Lu Yuan thought. He was well aware that the items he had collected over the past three months were the finest available. Any one of them would cause an uproar if revealed, sparking fierce competition among hidden powers.

But now, they were all his alone.

He could safely excavate their secrets, without distraction.

He no longer needed to worry about the outside world. All he had to do was follow his plan and quietly grow stronger.

At this moment, Lu Yuan’s gaze fell upon the ten divine artifacts before him. After a moment’s thought, he focused all his attention on the ancient book on the far right.

It was the complete Dao De Jing.

(End of chapter)