Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready

The foreigner gripped his walkie-talkie, his expression turning grim. Around him, the others continued to observe Lu Yuan and his group.

”Mark the target’s coordinates. Over.”

Soon enough, a static-laced voice crackled through the receiver. The accent mirrored the man as well.

”Copy. Over,” the middle-aged leader of the party of foreigners replied curtly. He then pulled out a compact device resembling a military-grade computer.

Clearly, they had been preparing for this operation for a long time. And now, the decisive moment had arrived.

However, Mount Tai was vast and shrouded in mystery. Its terrain made pinpoint accuracy difficult. But of course, for this man, approximate positioning would suffice.

Within moments, a faint beep sounded. The coordinates had been sent out.

”Transmission complete. Maintain visual contact. Do not lose the target. But be careful not to get too close,” the leader muttered, a cold, predatory glint flashed through his eyes. ”Once the strike lands, the blast radius will be enormous.”

”The Great Celestial Archangel himself passed the order that that man, Lu Yuan, must die this time. There will be no mistakes. Is that clear?”

”Yes, sir!” Every man present nodded affirmatively, their expressions tense and solemn.

Indeed, their mission to Mount Tai this time was to track Lu Yuan down and feed his location to their reinforcements for follow-up action.

Every one of them present was an Awakened belonging to the Vatican Church. Ever since the slaughter of the Eleven Apostles, the Church’s higher echelons had been thrown into outrage, especially the Celestial Archangel.

However, they also knew that Lu Yuan was strong, so strong that he could suppress the Golden Body Realm Southern Sea Kraken alone.

His strength could be said to be beyond imagination.

Thus, the Church devised a different approach—powerful modern weaponry.

The plan was swiftly approved by higher significant figures.

After all, Lu Yuan, the King of Humanity, posed a grave threat to their future ambitions. If they could strike him down here and now, it would be the perfect outcome. In the New Era, they would then be able to shape the world as they pleased.

Everyone knew that the new world was no longer the same one as before. The old world had crumbled, and the balance of global power was on the verge of being rewritten.

An existence like Lu Yuan would tip that balance beyond repair. Who could say for sure how much stronger Lu Yuan would become in time?

If such a threat existed, then it had to be eliminated before it was too late.

”Alright, move out.” The leader ordered and closed the portable device in his hand.

At once, the rest of the team nodded and descended the ridge at high speed.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan led Zhu Qingyu and the others on their ascent toward the summit.

After the Global Awakening, Mount Tai had grown taller and grander than before. But everyone in the party was an Awakened and wielded extraordinary power. For them, climbing a mountain was hardly a challenge.

They had another problem, though.

As they ascended, the mutated beasts they encountered were larger, stronger. The resistance was fiercer than when they encountered beasts at the foot of the mountain.

Some among them, unable to endure the strain, were forced to turn back, gasping and bloodied.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Overhead, helicopters and drones unleashed a storm of gunfire. The ground quaked. Trees splintered and stone erupted as explosions tore across the slopes.

Amid the chaos, Zhu Qingyu and the others engaged the onrushing mutated beasts head-on. Each of them unleashed their own unique techniques.

Northern Emperor’s bronze-hued physique gleamed as his fists shattered rock and bone alike.

Ice Fairy moved with chilling grace; waves of frost radiated from her body, freezing mutated beasts around her into lifeless ice sculptures.

And then there were Young Celestial Master Chunyang and Monk Huikong. Their methods were unlike the rest. They used Daoist and Buddhist divine arts and breathing techniques, respectively.

Their moves shifted and evolved like flowing scripture. And in that moment, they seemed to even faintly outshine both Northern Emperor and Ice Fairy.

Lu Yuan chose not to intervene, for he knew that their potential was immense.

This kind of battle was a crucible, one that would temper rather than destroy them. In time, each of them would rise as a pillar of strength in this New Era. That was why he chose not to act.

He could also discern that Young Celestial Master Chunyang and Monk Huikong had likely cultivated a form of visualization method. If they continued on this path, they would one day surpass both Northern Emperor and Ice Fairy. As for Zhu Qingyu, her future potential far surpassed her peers.

But this was only the beginning of the ascent. By Lu Yuan’s estimation, few of them would last long. Reaching the mountainside would already be their limit.

Beyond that, the mutated beasts grew far stronger and multiplied endlessly.

「Indeed elites favored by the upper echelons...they’re really impressive.」

「Of course. Every one of them is at the Awakened Realm.」

「But why hasn’t King Lu moved? I wanted to see him crush some beasts!」

「Are you kidding? Does King Lu need to deal with these weak creatures himself? He needs to reserve his power for those beast kings at the summit.」

「True enough. He’s the King of Humanity after all.」

Across countless live feeds, the comments scrolled like a tidal wave. Most viewers were still at the Foundation Realm and were awestruck by the display of abilities by Ice Fairy and the others unfolding before them.

At the same time, they also finally understood how deep the upper echelons’ hidden strength ran. Even without modern weaponry, their Awakened were terrifyingly strong. And now, even Polaris Biotech’s Ice Fairy and the twin disciples of Dao and Buddhism had joined the fray.

Ordinary citizens saw only reassurance. But the other major factions saw the underlying power balance.

Even Zhou Yunqiong couldn’t help but frown slightly as she watched the live feed.

It wasn’t their strength that unsettled her. Rather, it was the message behind this show of force. The government was making its stance clear that it could summon such might whenever it wished.

Fortunately, the Wuzhou Group had remained low-profile as of late, avoiding any direct confrontation with the upper authorities. Otherwise, the situation could have turned troublesome indeed.

We need more time to prepare. The thought entered Zhou Yunqiong’s mind briefly before her gaze suddenly sharpened.

”Hmm?”

She stared intently at the screen before her. A flicker of intuition ran through her heart; Lu Yuan was about to make his move.

On the live feed, the group had already climbed to the mountainside. Most of the mutated beasts, barring their claws and fangs, had reached the Awakened Realm. Ordinary firepower no longer held them back.

More and more Awakened were being forced to retreat down the slopes. Even Northern Emperor, Ice Fairy, and the others were beginning to falter.

”No... it’s no use. The mutated beasts are getting stronger. We can’t ascend anymore.”

Ice Fairy had just struck down a mutated beast, yet her face was pale. The power within her body had been almost completely drained; she was at her limits. Given her cultivation, the fact that she had reached this height was already a feat to be proud of.

”Same here. I didn’t expect that I could barely reach half the mountain’s height.”

Beside her, Northern Emperor spoke hoarsely, his upper body glimmering with a dull bronze hue. Deep claw marks laced his skin, and at his feet lay the corpse of a massive wolf—its body smooth as jade, its lifeless eyes still gleaming with feral pride.

Clearly, the wolf had a strong physique, too. Even though Northern Emperor had fought it to the death, he too had suffered some injuries.

Elsewhere, Zhu Qingyu, Young Celestial Master Chunyang, and Monk Huikong were gasping for air, their strength nearly spent.

Yet before them, there were still dozens of Awakened Realm beasts snarling low like predators that had scented prey.

If not for the constant suppression from the aerial weapons above, the party would have had no chance to breathe at all.

”That’s enough.” Lu Yuan finally stepped forward. ”The training goal has been achieved. We can stop now.”

There was a faint smile in his eyes as he glanced at his watch.

This is sufficient; there is no need to drag this out any further.

Without another word, he took a single step forward.

Boom!

In that instant, an overwhelming force rippled from his body.

Golden aura surged outward and erupted in radiant streams that lit up the mountainside. The ground beneath his feet split apart with a deafening crack. Boulders shattered. Dust spiraled into the air as a hurricane-like shockwave tore across the ridge.

Lu Yuan’s figure stood amidst it all like an ancient mountain awakened from its slumber. With just one step, he exuded a might that could crush the heavens.

Splurt—splurt—

In the distance, the hundreds of beasts that had driven Zhu Qingyu and the others to despair moments ago froze under the weight of Lu Yuan’s released aura.

Their bodies cracked open like shattered porcelain. Some simply burst apart, dissolving into crimson mist.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, and every last beast before them was dead.

Silence blanketed the scene.

Without turning around, he said in a calm, almost gentle tone, ”All of you, head back down. Leave the rest to me.”

With that, he bent his knees slightly and shot forward like a cannonball.

The golden tide of aura enveloping him grew far more intense than before and swept across the forest without restraint.

In an instant, the mountains trembled beneath his overwhelming pressure. Several raptors circling high above let out piercing cries before dropping lifelessly to the ground.

Even the armed helicopters and drones hovering in the air jolted, their pilots scrambling to steady their controls before hastily following after him. After all, they were here to carry out a mission.

”Why do I feel like the only reason we haven’t reached the mountainside yet... is because we’re the ones slowing him down?” Young Celestial Master Chunyang muttered helplessly as a gaze of confusion flickered in his eyes.

From the moment they began at the foot of Mount Tai, the climb had only grown more arduous. The beasts grew more vicious, their numbers unending. Many had already fallen or turned back.

And yet, the moment Lu Yuan made his move, the entire battle ended as easily as breathing. The Awakened Realm beasts, which had forced them to their limits, crumbled before his mere presence.

Just a flare of his aura, and they were annihilated.

”Indeed... it’s just like back at Mount Shu...” Mong Huikong concurred. His heart sank with a faint ache. He had trained tirelessly since then and had reached a new height, but compared to Lu Yuan, the gap only seemed wider now.

”Dean Zheng once said this expedition up Mount Tai had two purposes. First, for us to train; second, to clear out the lesser beasts ahead so that King Lu could focus on the true threats.” Zhu Qingyu’s voice was quiet but steady as she spoke. ”But now... I think he alone is enough.”

Hearing her words, everyone froze for a moment before they then, one by one, nodded in silent agreement.

Indeed.

With that kind of presence, what help could they possibly offer...

In an unspoken consensus, the group exchanged glances. The same thought flickered in every mind—it was time to descend the mountain.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan continued his ascent. His figure was a blur as he streaked through the mountain like a golden phantom.

Every beast that appeared along his path met the same fate. They were either crushed beneath his overwhelming power or cowed into retreat by his sheer aura. Even an Unfettered Realm beast king had fled into the forest the instant Lu Yuan’s presence brushed against it.

He hadn’t even needed to raise a hand.

Just like that, he advanced without pause and crossed the mountainside in mere moments.

He was clearly unstoppable!

Above, the drones struggled to keep pace, their cameras trembling as they barely managed to capture the scene and broadcast it to the world.

For a heartbeat, every livestream fell into absolute silence. Viewers sat frozen, stunned to their core. Never before had they seen Lu Yuan’s power so clearly—so close, so real. And he was far, far stronger than anyone had dared to imagine.

Then, all at once, the chat exploded.

「Almighty King Lu! Can he still be considered human now?」

「How long has it even been? He’s already past the mountainside. He’s just too strong.」

「He doesn’t even need to fight. He crushed every beast with his aura alone. Is this the true might of the King of Humanity?」

「Even the beast kings can’t put up a fight before him. He walks through a mountain of monsters as though it were level ground. He’s truly invincible!」

Everyone reveled in shock and disbelief. They found the sight beyond comprehension.

As true to the words, he didn’t act, but once he did, he blew everyone away.

The Awakened Realm, the Unfettered Realm—they were nothing more than fragile paper effigies in front of Lu Yuan.

Even Zhou Yunqiong widened her eyes in astonishment. A faint calculative gleam lit their depths. She had known he was powerful, but this was far beyond anything she had imagined.