Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Chapter 285: Chapter 160: I’m Done Pretending, It’s a Showdown

Of course, it didn’t matter that Li Lin was clueless.

Li Chang’an would figure it out himself.

He sat cross-legged on the ground and slowly sank into silence.

While circulating his qi and blood to complete his training in the Martial Saint Realm, he activated his Heaven-defying Comprehension, using Li Lin’s few cryptic words to deduce the outline and structure of an Immortal Skill.

…

Time passed, second by second.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Li Chang’an ended his training, stood up, and opened the door. He looked up to see Emperor Wu of the Great Zhou standing at the entrance, his expression complex. “Lad,” he said, “I heard from the Ancestor that your achievements in the Martial Dao have already surpassed his?”

Li Chang’an smiled and said modestly, “Father, you praise me too much. Your son has only made some minor achievements. It’s not worth mentioning!”

Li Wuji said irritably, “There’s no one else around. Stop putting on an act for your old man. I’m planning to go to the Vast Misty Mountain and ask the Cangshan Martial God to teach you. What do you think?”

Li Chang’an laughed. “Father, even the Ancestor can’t teach me anymore. Could this so-called Cangshan Martial God possibly be stronger than him?”

Hearing this, Li Wuji’s eye couldn’t help but twitch. “Then tell me, what else in this world do you want? As long as I can get it for you, just ask!”

Li Chang’an thought for a moment before speaking. “I want an Immortal Skill. A real Immortal Skill. Can you get one for me, Father?”

At these words, it wasn’t just Li Wuji’s eye that was twitching; the corner of his mouth was too. “Real Immortal Skills can only be passed down after the true old ancestor of our Great Zhou returns! Forget you, even the Ancestor might not have obtained one yet. You’re asking me? Where am I supposed to get one for you?!”

Previously, when Li Wuji had Li Chang’an practice “Immortal Skills,” it was actually just having him learn to use some basic Techniques in advance.

In reality, they were all fake Immortal Skills, meant only to lay the groundwork for practicing a real one.

The true Immortal Cultivation Techniques were strictly controlled; not even the Emperor could access them.

Hearing this, Li Chang’an couldn’t help but sigh, his voice tinged with disappointment. “Then forget it. It seems you can’t help me get what I want anyway, Father.”

Li Wuji stared at him for a long time, then took a deep breath. “I know you seem to be planning something in secret. Although I don’t know why you’re being so mysterious and hiding it from everyone, I can give you a hand. It’s up to you if you need it!”

The little things Li Chang’an was working on in secret could not, of course, be hidden from Li Wuji, who was the Emperor. After some thought, Li Chang’an said, “This is truly not something you need to worry about, Father. If you really want to help, the best way would be to pretend you don’t see anything. That would be a great help to your son!”

’Until I’ve figured out the details about this Child of Destiny, I won’t make a reckless move. After all, my biggest advantage right now is that the enemy is out in the open while I am in the shadows.’

’If I’m not careful and alert the enemy, causing the Child of Destiny to deviate from the script, things will get troublesome. Just the thought of having to search for one person across the entire Jiuzhou Continent is enough to make my scalp tingle.’

Li Wuji was somewhat speechless.

He was the sovereign, after all.

But here he was, in front of his own son, trying everything he could think of, yet unable to even prove his own worth. It was truly a bit defeating.

…

In the year Li Chang’an turned eight, the Martial Dao tournament in the Great Zhou Capital began as scheduled.

However, the star of this tournament was not Li Chang’an, but his younger brother, Li Yuanqing. Li Yuanqing won victory after victory on the tournament stage, capturing the attention of the entire Capital City.

The sensation he caused was immense.

At the same time, Li Chang’an took the initiative to have news spread, giving Li Yuanqing many catchy titles, which made his fame spread even more rapidly.

After the Martial Dao tournament ended, a new message popped up on Li Chang’an’s retina.

[Ding! Defying Fate successful!]

[At the age of eight, you broke through to the Martial Saint Realm, becoming the youngest Martial Saint in history. In the same year, you secretly manipulated your younger brother, Li Yuanqing, into holding a Martial Dao tournament, hiding yourself in the shadows!]

[Rebirth evaluation increased. You have received an additional 20,000 Rebirth Points!]

’Excellent. The trajectory of my fate has already begun to change. All I have to do now is wait patiently for the Child of Destiny to take the stage and perform.’

After the first Martial Dao tournament ended, at Li Chang’an’s suggestion, Li Yuanqing announced a second Martial Dao tournament, open to the entire world.

Li Wuji pretended to think about it for a moment before agreeing to Li Yuanqing’s idea.

Furthermore, to attract more participants to this Martial Dao tournament, Li Wuji even took several pieces of priceless Armor and Weapons from the Royal Treasure Pavilion to offer as prizes.

The second Martial Dao tournament had an age limit.

Only Martial Artists under the age of fifteen could register. The top three winners would not only receive a solid Gold medal from the tournament organizers, but also priceless Armor and Weapons.

As soon as this news was released, it immediately caused a huge stir throughout the entire Great Zhou territory.

It was the first time many Martial Artists had heard of a Prince personally getting involved in the Jianghu to host a Martial Dao tournament, let alone one with such substantial rewards.

In an instant, Martial Artists flocked to register in droves.

If not for the age limit, the number of applicants alone would have probably been enough to fill an entire city.

「Great Zhou Chengshan County, a registration point.」

A black-haired young man in a dark robe saw the notice posted on the city wall. He stopped to read it carefully, then couldn’t help but sneer, muttering to himself, “Just a herd of pigs. Year after year they’re harvested like chives, yet they remain oblivious. But when it comes to showing off and fighting fiercely, they sure know how to make a fuss…”

“Fine. This Martial Dao tournament will be my first step to reigning over Jiuzhou. The master of the Jiuzhou Continent can only be me, and will only be me!”

As he spoke, he licked his lips. Without any visible movement, the notice that had been posted on the city wall appeared in his hand.

Dozens of onlooking Martial Artists had been gathered around, chatting as they read the information on the notice.

The notice had vanished right under their noses.

By the time they noticed and looked around searching for it, the black-haired young man was already gone.

…