Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Man Yu reorganized the Fusang Tribe’s army and, with meticulous battle tactics, quickly defeated the increasingly arrogant and overbearing Nine-Tower Mountain Tribe, reclaiming the hundred-li stretch of territory they had lost.

For the Fusang Tribe, this was a victory they had never even imagined possible.

After all, by any measure, the Nine-Tower Mountain Tribe was far stronger than the Fusang Tribe. Once a powerful tribe like that seizes territory, it was almost unheard of for the weaker side to reclaim it.

But Man Yu, drawing upon her years of experience leading troops, forged a path to victory where none seemed to exist. Employing a strategy of luring the enemy in with small units, the soldiers of the Fusang Tribe led the forces of the Nine-Tower Mountain Tribe into a canyon and encircled them. They had trapped their foe and were now closing in for the kill. This allowed the Fusang Tribe, despite being significantly weaker, to achieve a stunning victory against a superior adversary.

Without a doubt.

A thousand boasts about one’s own greatness could never compare to the solid achievement of winning a seemingly impossible war.

And just like that, through this single war, Man Yu—who had been viewed with much skepticism—solidified her position as the new chieftain of the Fusang Tribe. An era of her rule had begun.

Following Li Chang’an’s instructions.

Man Yu reintegrated herself among her people and began secretly selecting talented youths from the Fusang Tribe for clandestine training.

The training ground for this group was the rear courtyard of the very Temple where Li Chang’an resided.

The place was considered sacred and was patrolled by guards around the clock, so under normal circumstances, no one would dare approach.

Man Yu gathered these selected elites in the Temple’s rear courtyard and gave them a special name: the Divine Shadow Guard!

Once the Divine Shadow Guard was established, Man Yu began to personally instruct the first group of members, teaching them how to cultivate the Martial Dao.

The impact on the participants was immense.

After their initial bewilderment, all the members of the guard were left utterly dumbfounded by this so-called “Martial Dao cultivation.”

After all, in their ingrained worldview, the Human Race had always been synonymous with humility and insignificance since the dawn of its existence.

They were born without Spirituality, unable to cultivate like other naturally gifted creatures. As a result, everything they had depended on the protection of the Guardian God they worshiped.

Without a Guardian God, a tribe could not even survive in its own territory.

Given all this, they had never imagined that humans could, through their own cultivation, attain power comparable to that of a Divine Spirit.

Upon realizing what they were being introduced to, every chosen member of the guard developed an intense interest in this Cultivation System.

At the same time, they assumed Man Yu was the creator of this Cultivation System. They began to see her as the tribe’s savior, worshiping her with the utmost reverence.

They all saw that cultivating the Martial Dao was setting them on a path far ahead of the rest of humanity.

The merit of this achievement was so great it could rewrite the tragic fate the Human Race had endured since time immemorial. That alone was enough to elevate Man Yu to a divine status in their eyes.

However, Man Yu corrected their assumption.

Shaking her head, she looked toward the nearby Temple, her tone complex as she said, “Such a powerful Cultivation Method was not of my own creation. It was passed down to me by our Guardian God. I am merely a conduit. So, if you truly wish to show gratitude and reverence, direct all of it to our great Guardian God!”

Hearing her answer, everyone was visibly shocked. Many stood frozen in place. As they turned to look toward the Temple, the already complex expressions in their eyes deepened further.

One of them opened his mouth as if to say something, but fearing he might offend the Guardian God, he forced the words back down.

Man Yu glanced at him, instantly understanding his thoughts. She smiled and asked, “You want to know why our Guardian God would impart this to us, don’t you?”

The trainees exchanged glances but said nothing.

But in that moment, their silence said it all.

Man Yu thought for a moment, then also shook her head. “I don’t know why, either. Our Guardian God is clearly far more mysterious than we ever imagined. And his greatness seems to have long surpassed the bounds of our tribe!”

“He has brought us the flame of hope. A hope not just for the Fusang Tribe, but for all of humanity. And you… you are the first Inheritors of that flame.”

She didn’t have to spell it out.

There were no fools among those chosen for this elite team.

For the Guardian God to pass down such knowledge and entrust it to them was, without question, a sign of immense trust and a great honor.

Just as Man Yu had said, what they had to do now was… carry on the legacy!

Once they fully grasped the importance of what they were learning, the bodies of all the Divine Hidden Guards trembled uncontrollably.

The first batch of Divine Hidden Guards was not large.

In total, there were only twelve of them, including Man Yu herself.

But their small number did not mean their cultivation was slow.

In just under three years, Man Yu’s rigorous training had forged them into a team. They had begun to take the shape of true Martial Artists.