Burnt Rock City.

The late autumn sunset spilled its light, offering no warmth, but instead carrying a hint of chilliness.

Lu Yuan stood beneath a bluish-grey, human-shaped rock sculpture in the center of a small square, repeatedly checking his phone.

Golden ginkgo leaves were scattered at his feet, and behind him was a building identified by a sign: "Burnt Rock City Museum."

"The limb regeneration surgery isn't complicated, but considering the patient is an elderly person and a top-level fighter, we might need to use some precious auxiliary drugs to achieve the best surgical effect..."

"The health condition of your family members is relatively simple. Standard intermediate cell repair fluids will effectively maintain their bodies. If you want significant improvements in appearance, then surgery might be necessary..."

"The one with the Innate Evil Martial Physique that you brought in was immediately taken by a project team. The project level is so high that I couldn't find any information on it..."

A long list of messages filled the dialogue box on his phone.

Lu Yuan read them word by word.

In the Southern Hundred Cities Martial Arts Tournament, Liu had made a huge "sacrifice" for him.

Although Lu Yuan had eliminated Pei Ye, dissolving a fifteen-year grudge Liu had, he still wanted to give Liu ample compensation.

When Liu was besieged, he made a breakthrough on the spot, bringing him close to the Grandmaster Realm. His main problem was the incompleteness of his body, which prevented his True Intention from merging with his physique.

Therefore, Lu Yuan attempted to use the Yellow Bear channel to restore Liu's body.

Limb regeneration was a technique only found in sci-fi movies and fantasy novels fifteen years ago.

But five years ago, a major breakthrough suddenly occurred, and the technique quickly matured.

Now, within the Yellow Bear organization, missing an arm or a leg is no big deal. Even ordinary people in Sum Nation, as long as they have money, are eligible for this surgery...

Having read some related materials, Lu Yuan was once again astonished at the technological advancements in this world.

Many significant technological methods seemed to have no accumulation process before reaping results.

The research in a certain field might be non-existent one month, then boom! The next month saw explosive growth. Major breakthroughs happened one after another, quickly reaching a high standard.

This phenomenon wasn't limited to just one or two fields but was common across many areas and projects.

It seems like some mysterious force is deliberately guiding humanity's technological advancement in a few specific directions...

Could it be that we really received artifacts or gifts from extraterrestrial beings or advanced civilizations?

Lu Yuan recalled that the decline of Ancient Martial Arts seemed to have occurred merely in the past fifteen to twenty years.

New Martial and modification pathways suddenly gained prominence. Ancient Fighting Skill rapidly lost its prestige.

The division between the New World and the Old City Circle also emerged around the same time frame...

As Lu Yuan was thinking, he was about to inquire about Lin Zhiquin and Lin Mo from the Yellow Bear Research Group member on the other end of the phone.

At that moment, he spotted a few figures, hand in hand, emerging from the entrance of the distant museum.

They were all twenty-somethings, not particularly fashionable, but with a unique charm of maturity and youthfulness.

They were chatting and laughing, discussing where to have dinner and relax after work.

Lu Jing was among them.

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered. He lowered his head and messaged Lu Jing.

Half a minute later, one of the girls broke off from the group and jogged towards Lu Yuan.

"When did you come back?!" Lu Jing ran up to Lu Yuan, panting lightly. Her cheeks flushed, her face a mixture of surprise and joy.

"Just this afternoon." Lu Yuan smiled at Lu Jing, then asked, "What made you decide to work here?"

Lu Jing let out a breath and sighed lightly. "The martial hall is so boring," she said. "All we do each day is practice martial arts.

"I got so bored that I decided to venture out and find something to do. But it's not easy for someone with an archaeology background to find a job.

"Other than a museum, the only option is an auction house... and there are only a few large auction houses in Burnt Rock..."

Lu Yuan nodded, beckoning for Lu Jing to walk ahead, then said, "The issue with the archaeological team has been resolved. You don't have to worry about the curse anymore."

"Really?!" Lu Jing was visibly overjoyed. She let out a genuine sigh of relief, then muttered to herself, "That's why I've not been having nightmares recently. Oh, and also..."

Lu Jing couldn't resist asking, "What about Professor Xia, has Professor Xia returned?"

Lu Yuan knew she was referring to Xia Weimin and shook his head. "Xia Weimin is dead... He was killed by people from a heritage-trading firm. Those people took a batch of antiques that he had secretly taken from Xixu.

"But the authorities have intervened, and there should be results soon."

Lu Yuan fabricated a plausible-sounding "truth" to completely dispel Lu Jing's doubts.

Upon hearing the news, Lu Jing's face clouded over with grief, her mood visibly dampened, and she murmured,

"Professor Xia... Professor Xia was a really nice person.

"He took good care of us interns, and of all the professors, he was the most dedicated to the project..."

Lu Yuan didn't know how to comfort Lu Jing and could only pat her gently on the back.

Throughout the journey home, Lu Jing's spirits remained low. She kept her head down, continuously checking her phone.

It wasn't until their long-awaited family dinner that she gradually began to recover from the sadness of Xia Weimin's death.

During dinner, Mom kept inquiring about the math competition. Lu Yuan answered fluently while also secretly messaging the Yellow Bear Research Group to prepare his trophy and certificates ASAP.

After not seeing him for two months, his dad, Lu Xinghua, looked much healthier. His complexion was fairer, and he seemed to have gained some weight.

Everything at home was moving in a better direction, which gave Lu Yuan a sense of indescribable relief.

He hadn't forgotten the original purpose of his martial arts training—wasn't it all for these very moments?

POP!

At that instant, Lu Yuan felt a shift.

It was as if something in his mind had cracked open a bit, allowing a tremendous amount of light to pour in.

Immediately after, he felt his Spiritual Power surge significantly.

The misty Spiritual Power that had been lingering around his body increased by approximately half.

WHOOSH! The sudden surge of Spiritual Power diffused outward, generating an invisible and intangible shock wave.

CRACKLE! POP! The lights above flickered violently, then... the power at Lu Yuan's home went out.

"This old house! The circuit breaker must have tripped again!" Dad, Lu Xinghua, grumbled as he stood up to investigate, while Mom quickly rose to find a flashlight for him.

In the pitch-black dining room, light from a neighbor's window in the adjacent building shone through.

Lu Jing stared wide-eyed at Lu Yuan, asking in surprise, "Little brother, why are your eyes so bright?!"

Lu Yuan quietly looked back at Lu Jing, remaining silent for a moment, then said, "Sis... let's go stay at Grandpa's house for a few days tomorrow."

Lu Jing paused for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Alright!"

「The desolate and silent quarry.」

Lu Yuan sensed his current, heavy shell.

Dull, clumsy, and inert...

However, the moment this body moved, black lines rapidly lit up within the rock-like physique, as if carved from stone.

The sensations of dullness and clumsiness vanished instantly, replaced by... an overwhelming power capable of shattering anything!

BANG!

This punch fiercely struck the ground, reducing the solid rock within a radius of a hundred meters to dust.

The terrifying recoil transmitted back but was entirely nullified by the glowing black lines within the shell.

WHOOSH!

Lu Yuan exhaled a turbid breath, his consciousness instantly returning to his actual body.

Time in the [Imaginary Enemy] Consciousness Space was paused. The Elephantman Walker in front of him remained frozen, maintaining a downward punching posture.

Lu Yuan stepped forward, walking up to the Elephant God Walk. He pressed his hand on its body, his fingertips registering a coarse, hard texture.

He closed his eyes. A crimson bloodline lit up on his chest.

One, two, three...

A total of nine bloodlines intertwined, coiling like a dragon.

When all nine bloodlines had fully emerged, Lu Yuan's body trembled slightly. His eyes snapped open, revealing a faint crimson gleam, and a pale red glow simultaneously enveloped his entire body.

"Heavenly Domination Extravagance!"

In that instant, an unstoppable and utterly domineering sensation surged through Lu Yuan's heart.

Even his mindset shifted, as if he had transformed into an invincible general on a battlefield, possessing an indomitable spirit capable of swallowing the world, despising all rivals, and taking the enemy commander's head amidst an army of thousands.

But this was not the end yet.

Lu Yuan recalled the sensation of his Consciousness Inhabiting the Elephant God Walk, and his misty Spiritual Power dispersed.

It surged and converged, gradually forming a faint phantom in the shape of an Elephantman.

The moment this Elephantman True Intention solidified, the domineering and heroic aura in Lu Yuan's heart instantly soared to another peak.

He suddenly threw a punch at the Elephant God Walk's head in front of him.

BANG!

CRACK!

Following a crisp sound, Lu Yuan's punching wrist... snapped.

FLASH! Lu Yuan opened his eyes. In his small, dark bedroom, an inexplicable light seemed to flicker and vanish.

He sat cross-legged on his familiar old straw mat, not rising immediately, but continuing to ponder.

The skills on his [Fighter] panel were nearly all maxed out.

He was already considered an extremely top-tier Pure Martial Fighter.

Precisely because of this, he could more keenly feel the lack of power and the exhaustion characteristic of the later stages of the Pure Martial profession.

Thus, he was attempting to pioneer an Extraordinary Martial Arts path unique to himself.

Using the Crow God projection's manifestations to replace the Spirit Crane True Intention, and the Elephant God projection's manifestations to replace the True Intentions of various Transverse Martial Arts, including Heavenly Domination Extravagance...

Judging from the simulation results in the [Imaginary Enemy] Consciousness Space, this path seems viable. But how effective would it be if actually put into practice?

Lu Yuan opened his class panel.

On the [Fighter] panel, a dazzling array of martial arts skills was displayed—Sure-kill techniques, even Super Kill techniques.

For the current Lu Yuan, their power seemed somewhat lacking.

Aside from the Core Skills of the profession, the vast majority of martial arts skills are almost useless now. It's a case of being a jack-of-all-trades, master of none...

No, even if they are practiced to a profound level, they still can't achieve the effect I want.

Perhaps...

Lu Yuan pondered, considering how to organize and consolidate the numerous skills he currently mastered into a brand-new martial arts system truly suited to him.

This new martial arts system must encompass four aspects: offense, defense, speed, and Spiritual Power.

It should be based on Pure Martial True Skill as the bone, Pure Martial Vigor as the flesh, Pure Martial Moves as the skin, and the True Intention of the Evil God Projection as the soul!

In the darkness, the light in Lu Yuan's eyes grew increasingly intense. It was as if countless sparks of inspiration were colliding, flaring up, and dying down within his pupils.

He murmured to himself, "Its name... shall be the Martial God Atlas.

"And its Creator... shall be me, Lu Yuan."

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