# Chapter 328: Breakthrough to Battle Saint

After all the Forbidden Zones had been quelled, powerful figures streamed in to pay their respects to Lu Yuan in an endless procession.

On one hand, they came to thank him for repairing every Spatial Rift across Great Qi Star, sparing countless Gene Warriors from dying in defense of the Forbidden Zones. On the other, Lu Yuan had proven his strength through action — a powerhouse of such terrifying caliber stood in a league of his own across all of Great Qi Star, and naturally, droves of experts wanted to make his acquaintance.

Lu Yuan managed to receive them graciously at first, but eventually grew weary of the constant social obligations and retreated to the Li family estate, leaving Old Master Li, Old Master Si, and the others to handle visitors on his behalf.

Otherwise, he was certain he'd be pestered to death.

During this period, Lu Yuan also dropped by the Li, Si, and Harold families for meals from time to time, and even visited Amy's place several times, deepening their rapport.

The rest of his time was spent either cultivating or sparring with Si Tingyu and the others.

A month flew by, and Lu Yuan's Light Gate finished restoring itself. He could return to the Land of Origin once more.

With his current strength, he could remain in the Land of Origin for close to a year.

Tempering the Mechanical God Transcendent Gene to perfection required a staggering eleven million Ninth-tier Spirit Crystals — a truly horrifying figure.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan had resources to spare. Between what he'd stockpiled and what he'd earned auctioning various treasures in Sky-Mending City, Spirit Crystals weren't a concern.

His cultivation speed remained remarkably fast — it took only a little over six months of Origin time to temper Mechanical God to perfection.

The next gene in line, Spatial Rift, demanded even more: a full fifteen million Ninth-tier Spirit Crystals.

Lu Yuan's first stint in the Land of Origin ended before he could finish tempering it. Fortunately, nothing of consequence occurred during this stretch, and his cultivation proceeded undisturbed.

A year in the Land of Origin corresponded to one month in the real world. Upon leaving, Lu Yuan visited the Merit Hall to browse for higher-level Body Techniques and Spirit Techniques worth cultivating.

In the end, he selected an offensively-focused Body Technique called the Eight Desolations Fist — a Divine Grade technique that burned cellular energy to unleash devastating attacks. Incredibly powerful, though somewhat taxing on the body.

That drawback meant nothing to Lu Yuan. With his Life Spirit, a small expenditure of Spirit Power was all it took to heal the damage.

For his Spirit Technique, he chose one that complemented his existing powers: Star Shatter. This technique channeled the stellar laws inherent to his Cosmic Body.

It wasn't that he didn't want other types — Spirit Techniques related to space, fate, death, or life were simply too rare. At the Divine Grade level, even the Merit Hall had none in stock. Light and darkness types were available, but they came with steep price tags.

Both purchases were Divine Grade: the Eight Desolations Fist cost five million Merits, and Star Shatter cost eight million.

These were burst-type offensive abilities, and Lu Yuan sorely needed them. His current repertoire leaned heavily toward amplification, support, healing, and curse effects. His strongest offensive option was the Spirit Cannon under Mechanical Apotheosis — but the cannon required charging time. Against opponents of comparable or greater strength, he might not have that luxury.

Quick-burst attacks were therefore essential.

The price was steep, but Lu Yuan's Merit reserves ran deep. He didn't feel shortchanged — there wasn't much else he needed to spend Merits on anyway. Even after these purchases, he still had over twenty-four million Merits. More than enough.

After leaving the Land of Origin, Lu Yuan spent his time in the real world training the Eight Desolations Fist and Star Shatter. When he needed a break, he went out with Li Qinghe and the others, and even visited Tianming Star to spend time with Yeye and Small White.

Time passed quickly. One month later, Lu Yuan entered the Land of Origin again.

This time, he tempered Spatial Rift to perfection, then Heart of Light as well, and brought Shadow Divine Kingdom close to completion.

Four more months of real-world time passed. Over two additional trips to the Land of Origin, he finally tempered the last gene — the Wheel of Fate — to perfection.

At last, every single one of Lu Yuan's Divine Grade Transcendent Genes at the Battle Emperor level had been tempered to completion. The entire process had taken roughly one year.

If word of that speed got out, it would leave every cultivator in stunned disbelief.

During this period, Lu Yuan also made a run at the Battle Emperor Rankings in White Cloud City, earning 460 drops of Emperor Spirit Liquid along with Origin Stones, single-use Talismans, Sovereign Grade Gene Armaments, Saint Grade Gene Armaments, and even a Saint Grade Transcendent Gene.

For Lu Yuan personally, the Gene Armaments and Transcendent Genes he needed could all be evolved, so these prizes held limited value. But they could be auctioned off for Spirit Crystals, and he wasn't one to leave resources on the table.

All told, the haul amounted to several hundred million Eighth-tier Spirit Crystals — no small sum.

As for Lu Yuan claiming the top spot on the Battle Emperor Rankings — Gene Warriors in White Cloud City who remained unaware of his exploits in the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin were mildly surprised. But those who knew his true strength found it entirely unremarkable. The news passed without so much as a ripple.

Sky-Mending City. Training Hall. Gravity Room.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes. Within them, the Wheel of Fate turned in alternating cycles of black and white, while ethereal wisps of fate energy swirled around his body — an unfathomably profound sight.

Moments later, the Wheel faded and the energy dissipated with it.

Lu Yuan exhaled slowly, a faint smile crossing his face.

With no major disturbances to interrupt him, he'd been free to cultivate in peace. In what felt like remarkably little time, he'd tempered every last Transcendent Gene to perfection. Now, only the breakthrough itself remained.

The Origin Stones needed to advance from Battle Emperor to Battle Saint had been among his rewards from the Emperor Rankings challenge. Even without those, he could have purchased them from the Merit Hall with Merits.

No obstacle there. All he needed to do was break his Gene Locks.

He'd only been training for two hours today and felt no fatigue whatsoever — his condition was ideal. He decided to strike while the iron was hot and break through right now.

With that thought, Lu Yuan rose and left the Gravity Room, then headed back to the large villa he and the others were renting in Sky-Mending City.

The villa was shared between Lu Yuan, Li Qinghe, and the rest of their group. It was spacious, with over a dozen rooms — more than enough for everyone to have their own.

Thanks to the Merits they'd earned fighting Aberration creatures at Thorn Plateau, Li Qinghe and the others didn't need to hunt for a while and had been devoting themselves to cultivation. Beyond their sessions at the Training Hall, they'd come home to chat, go out together, and enjoy the downtime.

Lu Yuan had barely stepped into the living room when he spotted Shuangyue lounging on the sofa in nothing but a loose emerald-green bandeau top and matching shorts.

She looked over at the sound of his entrance. Seeing Lu Yuan, she blinked in surprise.

"Didn't you just leave to train? Why are you back already?"

Lu Yuan's gaze flicked over her fair skin and striking figure. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"I've finished tempering all my genes, so I came back to break through." He paused. "Also — Shuangyue, could you at least try to be a little more presentable? There *is* a man living in this house, you know."

Shuangyue grinned. "You're the only man here, so what's the big deal? What — seeing something you like? Need me to help you... cool off?"

She let her gaze drift pointedly downward.

Lu Yuan perked up, looking at her with unmistakable eagerness.

"Really? Then please, by all means."

Shuangyue froze. Color flooded her cheeks, and she glared at him.

"As if! What are you even thinking, you shameless pig!"

Lu Yuan shrugged, entirely unbothered.

The more time he spent with Shuangyue, the better he understood her true nature — a born provocateur. Completely at odds with her Elf heritage. Most Elves were supposed to be ethereal beings, above the mundane concerns of mortal life. How she'd turned out this way was anyone's guess.

But for all her talk, it was just that — talk. If you got flustered, she'd only escalate. The moment you called her bluff, she folded.

Lu Yuan smiled. "I'm heading up to break through."

Only then did the meaning of his earlier words register.

Shuangyue's eyes went wide. "Wait — you're saying you've already reached perfection at Battle Emperor? You can break through?!"

Lu Yuan gave her a puzzled look. "Yes. I just said that. Didn't you hear me?"

A flush spread across her cheeks. She could hardly admit that having him look at her like that had flustered her, and that between the embarrassment and trying to tease him, she'd completely missed what he'd said.

She cleared her throat. "I'm just expressing my shock now. Is that not allowed?"

"Of course it is."

Lu Yuan smiled.

Shuangyue regarded him with a conflicted expression. "I haven't even reached Battle Emperor yet, and you're already about to become a Battle Saint. How do you even cultivate this fast? You're a monster."

"You should be close too, right?"

"That I am," she admitted with a light laugh. "Almost at perfection myself."

Shuangyue was no slacker in training. Lu Yuan's influence had pushed Li Qinghe and the others to cultivate with fierce dedication, and that atmosphere was infectious — even if Shuangyue had wanted to coast, the group's energy would have swept her along. And she was far from lazy to begin with.

Lu Yuan nodded. "When you break through, I'll stand guard for you and help you inscribe a Saint Grade gene."

Shuangyue's strongest gene was currently Sovereign Grade, inscribed back when she'd advanced to Battle Sovereign. Once she broke through to Battle Emperor, Lu Yuan planned to prepare powerful Gene Armaments and new permanent-enhancement elixirs. With those, she should be capable of inscribing a Saint Grade gene.

Even if the inscription failed, Life Spirit would prevent any fatal outcome. It was worth the attempt.

At his words, a flush crept across Shuangyue's face. Over the past few months, the women in their group had pieced together, more or less, when exactly Si Tingxue and Rebecca's relationship with Lu Yuan had become... intimate.

Hearing his offer, Shuangyue's mind leapt straight to certain images.

She gave a small nod. "Mm. I'll be counting on you then, Yuan."

Lu Yuan noticed her reddening cheeks and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Why are you blushing?"

Shuangyue stiffened and shot him a glare.

"Just go break through already!"

"???"

Utterly baffled by the sudden outburst, Lu Yuan stared at her for a moment, then gave up trying to understand. He turned and headed upstairs to his room.

Left alone on the sofa, Shuangyue curled into herself, her mind flooded with decidedly inappropriate images of what a "breakthrough" under Lu Yuan's guard might entail. Her face burned hotter by the second until she shook her head vigorously and slapped her own cheeks.

"What am I even thinking?!"

Then she paused, a peculiar expression crossing her face.

"Wait... Tingyu and Qinghe are close to breaking through too, aren't they?"

The images multiplied. Her face turned an even deeper shade of crimson.

Lu Yuan returned to his room, which had a bathroom fitted with a bathtub.

He undressed quickly and settled into the tub — a precaution against the physical upheaval of breakthrough and evolution, when blood could end up everywhere.

Drawing a deep breath, he steadied his mind and began.

Taking out the Origin Stones, Lu Yuan started absorbing them, channeling the surging Spirit Power within to batter against his Gene Lock chains.

Because every one of his genes was now Divine Grade — and despite having sublimated his life essence numerous times already — the number of Gene Lock chains he needed to shatter reached a staggering three hundred and forty-seven. They coiled dense and tight around the entire Gene Lock region, a testament to the sheer difficulty of this breakthrough.

But Lu Yuan had Origin Stones to spare. The numbers didn't concern him.

One by one, the chains shattered. When the last one broke, the white mist cleared to reveal new Gene Chains above.

Power surged through Lu Yuan's body as his life underwent yet another sublimation.

He opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving upward.

*Finally.*

From this moment on, he was a Battle Saint.

Of course, without having inscribed new Transcendent Genes, he wasn't yet a complete Battle Saint in every sense.

But there was no rush.

His expression turned serious. He took a deep breath and turned his attention to evolving his Transcendent Genes.

He willed the Evolution Cube to evolve his Divine Grade Transcendent Genes — and every single one returned the same response: *unable to evolve.*

Silence settled over him. Disappointment, yes — but he'd been prepared for this.

*So there really is no way to evolve beyond Divine Grade.*

He'd suspected as much. This merely confirmed it.

*I need to visit those places sooner rather than later.*

His mind went to the areas he'd sensed a resonance with the Evolution Cube during his first challenge of the Prodigy Rankings — among them, the Mist Forest, home of the Mirage Dragon.

He intended to investigate once his breakthrough was fully settled. The key to surpassing his current limit might lie there.

But for now, he wasn't finished.

Lu Yuan produced a purple orb of light.

A Transcendent Gene. A time-type Transcendent Gene.

Time Stasis.

The gene he planned to inscribe next.