Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Common Ideal

Li Chang’an opened his mouth to speak.

But before he could get a word out, Cao Shuran, who was standing behind him, cut in with a broad smile. “You’re Chang’an’s homeroom teacher, aren’t you? I remember seeing you at the last Ministry of Education meeting. To have cultivated such an outstanding student, you’ve got some real skill!”

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Qin Yang’s shoulder, his expression warm and friendly.

Qin Yang was taken aback by the praise.

As the vice chairman of the Linjiang City Reincarnator Association, Cao Shuran also held positions within the Ministry of Education, so of course Qin Yang recognized him.

Qin Yang, however, was just a homeroom teacher at an ordinary high school. A leader like Cao Shuran was a big shot that even the principal of the city’s top high school had to treat with utmost respect. The gap in their status and position was simply too vast for them to have ever interacted under normal circumstances.

The only times they might have seen each other were during large internal meetings at the Ministry of Education, where Cao Shuran would typically sit at the head table and speak eloquently.

Meanwhile, Qin Yang’s role was to be in the audience, diligently scribbling notes.

So, when Cao Shuran said this, Qin Yang couldn’t even tell if the man truly remembered him or was just making a casual remark to be polite.

But true or not, it was an incredibly pleasant surprise for him.

He was immediately overwhelmed by the flattery, saying, “Chairman Cao, this is all the student’s own achievement. As his homeroom teacher, I only taught the same basics everyone else learns. I really don’t deserve such high praise…”

With Cao Shuran’s power and influence, a single compliment about his “skill” was enough to guarantee his teaching awards for the year. It was a done deal.

Seeing his nervous expression, Cao Shuran couldn’t help but laugh heartily. “Don’t be so modest. If I were you and had taught such a promising student, I’d have been bragging all over town by now.”

At these words, Qin Yang snapped out of his daze. He looked at Li Chang’an and said earnestly, “Chang’an, you’ve really made your teacher proud today!”

As he said this, the muscles in his face couldn’t help but tremble.

The happiness had simply come too suddenly, leaving him dazed for a moment.

But with Cao Shuran’s reminder, he now understood. The real reason Cao Shuran was paying so much attention to a lowly homeroom teacher from an ordinary class—even deigning to give him so much face in public—was to win over the rising star standing right before him!

Li Chang’an had obviously seen the truth of the matter even faster than him. He could only manage a wry smile. “I didn’t have much choice but to make you proud. My strength speaks for itself!”

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and after Qin Yang finally learned of Li Chang’an’s reincarnation results, his face filled with awe.

Barely an hour had passed since he entered the Rebirth World.

Li Chang’an, once an ordinary student nobody would have paid any attention to, had now become a great figure that even he had to look up to.

What does it mean to Defy Fate?

This is Defying Fate!

Once the small talk was over, Li Chang’an didn’t hurry to leave. Instead, he turned to Li Jianfei, whose expression was conflicted, and said, “Didn’t we agree we’d become Reincarnators together? How could you go back on your word?”

Li Jianfei gave a wry smile, his tone tinged with self-mockery. “Who knows? I guess this is just fate.”

He didn’t know Cao Shuran, but he knew Qin Yang.

Anyone who could make Qin Yang so deferential had to be someone important.

At the very least, they were someone he couldn’t hope to reach at his current level.

Therefore, at this moment, he could feel the immense, chasm-like gulf between himself and Li Chang’an even more clearly. He cursed with a laugh, “It’s true what they say. Your own failure is terrifying, but a friend’s success is even more agonizing!”

Li Chang’an laughed too and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you an extra temporary rebirth permission. Go home and wait for my good news!”

Li Jianfei gave another wry smile and shook his head. “Extra temporary rebirth permissions aren’t easy to get. You’ve only just stepped onto the Extraordinary path yourself. You shouldn’t worry about me…”

His voice trailed off. After a long silence, he put on a carefree air and said, “Actually, I’d already thought it through. If my rebirth failed, I’d just go back and inherit the family business. My old man’s restaurant might not make me rich, but it can definitely keep me fed and comfortable for the rest of my life, no problem!”

Neither of them came from a wealthy background. The so-called “inheriting the family business” was not nearly as grand as it sounded. Li Jianfei only said this because he didn’t want Li Chang’an to feel too burdened.

After failing the rebirth at eighteen, a person normally wouldn’t get a second chance unless they could obtain an extra temporary rebirth permission.

Extra temporary rebirth permissions were different from ordinary rebirth permissions.

An extra temporary rebirth permission could be assigned to anyone. Even an ordinary person could use one to enter the Rebirth World again.

Ordinary rebirth permissions, on the other hand, could only be used by Reincarnators who already possessed a Permanent Rebirth Mark.

Therefore, the difficulty in obtaining the two was completely different.

An ordinary rebirth permission could be bought for thirty to fifty thousand Rebirth Points.

A temporary rebirth permission, however, not only required a certain Evolution Level and Citizen Rights, but its price was also extremely high, making it a terrible value.

Even the great Reincarnator families rarely chose to buy an extra temporary permission for a member who had failed.

After all, failing once meant they lacked talent. What good would another chance do?

Even if they got incredibly lucky and became a Permanent Reincarnator, they would likely never achieve much.

This kind of obvious money-losing deal was almost unheard of among the large, sprawling Reincarnator families with their many descendants.

Li Chang’an knew that nothing he said right now would be convincing.

So he just smiled and, under Cao Shuran’s guidance, left the athletic field, heading toward the nearby personal information registration center.

Watching him walk away, Li Jianfei’s eyes filled with an inevitable sadness and gloom. Of course he wanted to become a Reincarnator too, but he also knew that people’s fates were ultimately different.

Some were destined for the spotlight from birth, while others, like him, were doomed to a life of mediocrity, unable to move forward no matter how hard they tried.

’Goodbye, Brother Chang’an. I hope we can always be friends.’

The perception of time between Reincarnators and ordinary people was completely different.

A single day a Reincarnator spent in the Rebirth World could be an unimaginably long period to an ordinary person.

Because of this, many people with weak wills would quickly forget their old friends and even family after becoming a Reincarnator.

Although he didn’t think Li Chang’an would be like that, he couldn’t be sure that the next time they met, they would still be able to greet each other with a smile and talk about their shared dreams as they once had.

…