Gene Lock, Life Evolution, An Attack?

Lu Yuan's expression brightened slightly.

But soon, he felt a trace of confusion.

The speed of pill refinement was too fast, exceeding his expectations.

However, when he held the pill in his hand, he immediately understood.

The Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu could absorb Heaven-Earth Spirit to refine pills automatically, but the process would normally take a very long time, and without any spiritual herbs or exotic fruits, even if a pill formed, its effects would be uneven.

The reason it was fast this time was because Lu Yuan discovered that all the residual essence left in the furnace had vanished.

It must have merged into the pill, which was why the speed was so great.

After all.

Back then, though he had soaked it in water.

Only the surface essence was usable.

Now, the pill he had just refined absorbed the deeper essence.

"I wonder what its effect will be, whether it can push me further, to the next realm, the Shackled Realm!"

Lu Yuan held the pill, pondering in his mind, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes.

If the Awakening Realm was about awakening the Mythical Gene within the body, removing its restrictions, then the Shackled Realm was about breaking the genetic locks that bound the human body, fully unleashing potential, continuing evolution, and gaining stronger supernatural power.

More importantly, upon reaching this realm, one's life level evolved again.

Even in his past life, this realm was considered the level of a strong person.

He had thought this realm was still far off.

Unexpectedly, he was about to step into it.

It must be known.

Back then, Lu Yuan had only watched battles of this level from afar, with no contact whatsoever, because the gap was too great.

Now, he too was about to arrive at the Shackled Realm.

Of course, after this realm.

There were higher stages of evolution, but those were not something he needed to consider now.

The evolutionary realms of Awakened were formulated by major powers based on various research and records, used to distinguish strength.

According to his memory, this realm theory should be announced soon after the mutation.

Shaking his head.

Lu Yuan stopped thinking further.

He picked up the pill and swallowed it directly.

The pill dissolved upon entering his mouth, then burst forth with an extremely powerful energy.

This energy was very violent, and even ordinary Awakened could not withstand it; it would harm them.

But when it came to Lu Yuan, it was completely different. After fusing with the Eleven-story Blood Futu, he was unified inside and out, his internal organs strengthened to a terrifying degree. The energy converted from the pill could not pose any threat to him.

Instead, supported by his powerful physique, it began to be absorbed in a short time, flowing through his limbs and bones.

"Not bad, comfortable." Lu Yuan felt it and showed a faint smile.

Then he stopped thinking too much.

He focused on merging this energy into every cell and gene.

Because this time, he was going to break directly into the Shackled Realm.

Once completed.

Then, when he stepped out again, he wouldn't be able to act with impunity, but it wouldn't be far off.

Thus, Lu Yuan continuously absorbed the energy from the pill, injecting it into his body, stimulating his physical potential.

This process was actually not slow, and it went very smoothly. There was no helping it—he had fused multiple divine objects, his foundation was too good, probably unmatched by anyone else globally, even those special beings with ancient bloodlines could not compare.

The three months of preparation were not wasted.

Lu Yuan had long made up his mind.

In the early stages of the mutation, he would lie low, silently grow strong, and once he emerged from seclusion, he could sweep across the globe!

And the effect of this medicinal power was indeed beyond expectations, with great results.

He could be certain that if he could fully absorb it.

Breaking through the evolutionary barrier, unlocking the genetic locks, and allowing his life level to evolve again was entirely possible.

However, if he wanted to absorb it, it would probably take some time.

This made Lu Yuan a bit worried.

His villa could temporarily ensure safety in the early stages of the mutation, but accidents could still happen.

It wasn't that he feared being discovered, but that he wanted to prepare everything in peace.

Of course, it could also be overthinking.

He stopped dwelling on it.

And focused on absorbing.

Preparing for three months—if he wanted to use everything well and maximize its effect, it really did take time.

Days passed one after another, and the weather seemed to be turning cooler.

Meanwhile.

On a wide road.

Two jeeps were speeding along.

But due to the global mutation, the asphalt had broken apart in some places, weeds grew rampant on both sides of the road, and further off, towering mountains that pierced the clouds—at least several thousand meters high—could be seen, with the roars of wild beasts echoing from within, somewhat terrifying.

"Captain Wang, it looks like we're entering Shanghai City territory up ahead," one person in the car said.

This group was none other than the Chang Sheng Gene Squad, who had set out from that farm in Wuzhou.

Captain Wang Xing nodded upon hearing this.

Then he looked ahead.

But there, too, were endless mountain ranges.

"Originally, Wuzhou wasn't far from Shanghai City, but with the global mutation and the opening of the path of evolution, the land has expanded. The original distance has multiplied several times, costing us a lot of time."

A team member sighed. Along the way, it was either broken roads or mountains blocking the way, making it hard to drive the vehicles through.

Sometimes they even ran into mutated, evolving beasts.

Those beasts were enormous and very troublesome to deal with.

If it weren't for the special gene drugs developed by the company, which had set them on the path of evolution, along with their full gear, Forget completing the mission—they would have met their end on the road.

"Alright, stop discussing."

Captain Wang signaled to the group and pulled out his phone: "The company just sent information. The specific residence of that person named Lu Yuan has been found. Once we reach Shanghai City, we won't waste any time—we'll head straight there."

"Of course, Captain. You can just rest on the sidelines; the few of us can handle it."

A team member laughed, thinking this mission was just a hassle, not difficult at all.

From all the information on Lu Yuan, He was just a spoiled rich second-generation who liked antiques and trinkets.

"Don't let your guard down." But at this moment, Captain Wang directly shook his head and continued.

"We lost a team before. The one who struck had some skill. That surnamed Lu might not be as simple as he appears on the surface. When the time comes, follow my orders."

He always felt that something unexpected might happen during this mission, but he couldn't pinpoint where that feeling came from.

He just suspected that the deaths of the previous three-man squad were closely related to Lu Yuan.

"Captain Wang, I think you're overthinking it."

Someone spoke up: "Even if that guy has some tricks, so what? We're all true elites trained by the company now, and we're carrying these things. How could he fight back?"

As he said this, he patted the gun at his waist and a few grenades.

Chang Sheng Gene had overwhelming influence, both domestically and internationally.

Getting their hands on some firearms was naturally no issue.

The other team members nodded one by one.

They weren't ordinary people; they possessed abilities beyond human limits, on a completely different level of life from regular folks.

"Mm."

Captain Wang said nothing more.

Maybe he had just gotten a bit tense from encountering so many evolved beasts along the way.

"Alright, focus on driving. Make sure we finish the mission early—don't let the company push us." He stopped thinking about it and urged them to speed up. The sooner they finished, the sooner they'd get the company's reward.

"Yes!"

Several team members responded and drove at full speed.

Their mindset was relaxed, as if they were just carrying out the simplest of tasks.

Shanghai City Suburban Villa.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in the courtyard, his eyes tightly shut.

Though he made no outward movements, waves of powerful energy emanated from within him.

Inside his body, his heart beat with a rumbling sound, audible even from a distance.

Like an engine, drawing everyone's attention.

Some time had passed since he swallowed that pill refined from the Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu.

At this moment, Lu Yuan had also fully absorbed the energy within. He could feel that every single cell of his was brimming with an extremely vigorous life force, as if on the verge of some kind of transformation.

"This is the feeling."

Lu Yuan understood, knowing he had reached the limit of the Awakening Realm.

The next step was to break free of the genetic locks, unleash his genetic potential, and evolve once more.

Then.

Without any hesitation, he focused his entire mind.

Channeling the power within his cells, he underwent a deep-level transformation.

After reaching the Awakening Realm, one could begin to gradually control their cells, making them cooperate with the body.

What Lu Yuan was doing now was exactly that.

Using the energy from that pill.

To force open the genetic locks.

But he knew this process was difficult and required enough patience.

Yet soon, as Lu Yuan began to exert his strength.

Crack.

A sound of something shattering was heard.

A surge of even greater power emerged from deep within his body, then coursed through his blood vessels, internal organs, and even every single pore, feeling incredibly comfortable, as if his entire being was soaking in a hot spring.

At the same time, Lu Yuan also felt his strength had increased once again, and across the board.

"This... is this breaking the genetic lock and reaching the Shackled Realm?"

He opened his eyes, somewhat stunned.

In his understanding.

Didn't everyone say breaking a genetic lock was an extremely difficult thing?

How come when it came to him, it turned out to be somewhat simple?

This was very unbelievable.

And just as Lu Yuan was about to observe carefully.

Crack~

Crack~

Two more consecutive sounds rang out.

Those were genetic locks being broken, being shattered, once again releasing a brand new power.

Adding the previous one, that meant three genetic shackles had been broken.

Lu Yuan didn't even know what to say.

One must know, after reaching the Shackled Realm, every time you break a genetic lock, it requires a lot of effort, unless you have the aid of special Spiritual Fruits or Exotic Grasses. But when it came to him, it seemed this rule didn't apply.

"I understand. It's because my foundation was laid too well. The fusion of several divine objects has made my physique reach a terrifying level."

"The reason I can break genetic shackles so easily is mostly because of this."

Finally, Lu Yuan figured it out, his expression joyful, thinking of many things.

The human body has a total of one hundred and eight shackles.

An ordinary Awakened could enter the next evolutionary stage by opening twelve.

But for those with extraordinary talent or powerful bloodlines, they would choose to continue breaking genetic shackles.

In his past life, he had heard that the highest recorded record was a total of forty-nine genetic shackles broken.

That was already terrifying, and it would make the path of future evolution very smooth.

And allow one to go even further.

Now.

What Lu Yuan was thinking about was, with his foundation and base, could he manage to break all one hundred and eight?

"Breaking them all... what would that be like?"

He thought to himself, his eyes growing bright.

Because he knew it was absolutely possible, and the probability was high.

"Let's see if I can continue." Lu Yuan muttered to himself. He had already broken three shackles in a row, and if he could keep going, it would definitely be a good thing.

But disappointingly, perhaps because the essence of that pill had been exhausted.

In the end, he was unable to continue breaking genetic shackles.

He remained at his current progress.

This was also normal.

After all, this was something that required time and accumulation.

To have reached his current level, Lu Yuan was satisfied, not greedy enough to try to swallow an elephant like a snake.

The path of Awakening and evolution required steady, grounded steps forward.

"It's about done."

Without further words.

Lu Yuan stood up, stretching his limbs slightly.

Instantly, a powerful aura burst forth from his body, extremely dense.

His body now was slightly taller than before, with well-proportioned muscles and perfect lines.

Upon closer inspection, a faint shimmer played across his skin, somewhat dreamlike—a sign that his physique had evolved to a certain degree.

Lu Yuan could clearly sense the explosive power hidden within his body, enough to be unafraid of thermal weapons.

Then, he looked at the Zi Wu Bu Tian Furnace and patted its walls a few times.

The furnace rapidly shrank.

Until it was only the size of a fingernail, easy to carry.

The Immortal Elder's tools were really convenient to use.

"Now, I've basically used all the divine objects except for the last one." Lu Yuan pondered as he picked up the only one he hadn't touched—the Sky Shaking Bow.

After the mutation, the Sky Shaking Bow had also changed. Its entire body was now gold and red, with the sun and moon carved at both ends.

The bowstring was a black thread, made of some unknown material.

A slight touch revealed its toughness.

Almost impossible to snap.

This was an imitation of Da Yi's Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, crafted by the ancients, and it was also extremely powerful, named Sky Shaking.

"Sky Shaking Bow, Innate Qi Garment, Great Luo Sword Embryo, plus the several divine objects I've fused, and those two supreme Supernatural Powers from Buddhism and Taoism—I'm now armed to the teeth. If I go all out, there's probably no one in this world who can hurt me."

Holding the bow, Lu Yuan thought of the divine objects on him and estimated his own strength.

Very strong, terrifyingly strong.

As for why he conservatively said "probably no one can hurt me" instead of being absolute—

That was Lu Yuan's clear understanding of his own power. Not to mention the Awakened walking the path of evolution.

Under current technology, things like nuclear bombs still made him wary; their power was too great.

Moreover, this world was far simpler than it seemed.

It held many secrets.

For instance, in the distant past, there had been legends of immortals.

In the old days, no one would have believed it, but looking at it now, those immortals must have been incredibly powerful Awakened. Whether these beings still remained in this world, Lu Yuan didn't know, but it was always right to be cautious.

As long as he wasn't invincible under heaven, he had to stay careful.

He shook his head, dismissing further thoughts.

Because Lu Yuan knew very well, with the foundation he had laid.

As long as he kept evolving, even if a true immortal appeared, he would have nothing to fear.

"I wonder how much time has passed outside, and what changes have occurred."

He muttered to himself. His phone had long since died from a dead battery, so he couldn't accurately tell the time, only knowing it was night.

But judging from the slightly chilly weather, it seemed quite a few days had passed.

Sure enough.

When Lu Yuan charged his phone and turned it on.

He found that the displayed time had already reached December.

That meant using these divine objects had taken him over three months.

"Let's first see how the situation outside is now."

Lu Yuan didn't mind.

He was about to open some news and forum websites.

But just then, his ears twitched slightly, catching some unusual sounds.

It seemed like footsteps, rapidly approaching, almost at the villa.

Awakened had senses far beyond ordinary people, especially at Lu Yuan's level of strength—it was even more exaggerated, unless some special method was used to conceal it.

But clearly.

The newcomer didn't have that ability.

"I was just wondering who to test the Sky Shaking Bow's power on. Isn't this convenient?"

Lu Yuan smiled, temporarily setting aside the thought of checking the outside world. With a single leap, he left the villa's main hall.

Three months of hidden evolution would now be revealed for the first time!

With seclusion complete, the protagonist's path of invincible domination was about to begin. The author would work hard at the keyboard, making sure the brothers read with satisfaction!

There would be no more filler from now on, and updates would be posted in the early hours of the morning barring any surprises.

Moreover, each chapter would increase in word count from here on, letting the brothers enjoy an even better read!!! Once again, I'm asking for your support!!!