Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Li Chang’an smiled at Su Wanrong’s question but didn’t answer.

After all, the history between him and the Liyang Empire was far too complex to explain in just a few words. Besides, he couldn’t possibly reveal that he was the creator of the *Martial Scripture*.

Thus, the best way to handle it was to simply say nothing.

When he didn’t answer, Su Wanrong pursed her lips and chose not to press the issue.

Once she finally managed to calm down, her first instinct was to classify all information on Li Chang’an at the highest encryption level her authority allowed. She would deliver it all to the Empire’s high command after the battleship returned to the Imperial Star Realm.

After she had done all that, she turned to him and asked, ”I have some questions about the *Martial Scripture*. Captain, could you perhaps clear up a few things for me?”

Li Chang’an nodded. ”Of course. But I don’t have time for private tutoring right now. You can join the others to cultivate when I give my sermon!”

Although Su Wanrong wasn’t particularly happy with that answer, she ultimately refrained from complaining.

...

Fifteen hundred years later, Li Chang’an was now four thousand five hundred years old.

The Liyang Empire’s Hengyu-class Battleship finally completed its survey of the planet’s Dark Energy. The massive fleet then began its journey home.

Li Chang’an expressed his desire to go with them, but as expected, he was refused.

The reason was, of course, simple: until the connection between Reincarnators and the Dark Tide was understood, the Liyang Empire didn’t want Li Chang’an roaming freely through the cosmos.

Li Chang’an was slightly displeased, but he dropped the matter after Leng Yanran sent him a considerable amount of evidence showing Dark Tides erupting wherever Reincarnators roamed.

After all, the data clearly showed that on any planet a Reincarnator had visited, the probability of a Dark Tide eruption increased dramatically.

In other words, compared to the boundless Star Sea, Reincarnators were like plague-spreading rats. While they weren’t yet being hunted on sight, if the trend continued, it wouldn’t be long before they were treated as such.

With the departure of the Hengyu-class Battleship, Li Chang’an’s journey in this world was essentially coming to a close.

Over the next three thousand years, Li Chang’an worked to advance the world’s civilization, disseminating all the Cultivation Methods and scientific knowledge he possessed.

With Li Chang’an’s full and unreserved support, the God Eater Alliance developed at an incredible pace.

During this time, both technology and Martial Arts Power saw immense growth. Hundreds of millions of Martial Artists boarded interstellar spacecraft to explore, mine, and settle on other planets. The influence of the God Eater Alliance and the Fusang Tribe now extended across an entire small, neighboring region.

Three thousand years later, while Li Chang’an didn’t feel that his body had aged yet, he keenly sensed that it was starting to become less nimble.

By now, his Martial Arts Realm had long surpassed the peak he originally pioneered, reaching a whole new level. If it weren’t for the planet’s limited Energy and the fact that he wasn’t permitted to travel between stars, he could have likely made a push for the Star-Destroying Level.

And that was to say nothing of his Realm in the Incense and Candle Divine Dao.

Li Chang’an had personally used the Martial Dao to bring an end to the Divine Spirit Cultivation System of the Path of Incense and Fire. In the end, however, he had ironically become the greatest beneficiary of that very system.

Now, he not only received the worship and faith of the Fusang Tribe, but he also had a veritable sea of followers on other habitable planets in the surrounding cosmos. The sheer amount of Incense he received annually was a terrifyingly exaggerated sum.

This massive amount of Power of Incense flowed into Li Chang’an’s body as if it were free, allowing him to reach the Realm that the Sun Emperor and his peers had taken over ten thousand years to achieve in just a few millennia.

He truly embodied the adoration of millions!

When he noticed the first signs of aging, and felt the shackles of the world tightening and becoming unbreakable, Li Chang’an knew there was no longer any point in staying. He decisively returned to the Rebirth Space.

[Ding! Host has been detected leaving the Rebirth World. Defying Fate has concluded!]

[Finalizing settlement!]

[Destiny Node 1: At age ten, you successfully transformed from a common, unenlightened rock into a nascent Spirit Stone, capable of clearly perceiving the outside world. This was a small step for you, but a giant leap coveted by millions of Spirit Monsters.]

[Rebirth Rating has been upgraded to E+ Level. You have received an additional 10,000 Rebirth Points!]

[Destiny Node 2: At age thirty-three, you underwent a complete transformation by stealing Incense, changing from an ordinary rock into a Stone Monster acknowledged by the heavens and the earth. You have taken your first step on the path of cultivation.]

[Rebirth Rating has been upgraded to D+ Level. You have received an additional 30,000 Rebirth Points!]

[Destiny Node 3: At age fifty, you tempered your form in a mountain fire, successfully forging your stone body into a rare Spirit Jade Body. At age one hundred, through Thunderous Empowerment, you successfully obtained the Power of the Thunder Attribute!]

[Rebirth Rating has been upgraded to C-Level. You have received an additional 30,000 Rebirth Points!]

[Destiny Node 4: At age one thousand three hundred fifty, you finally achieved your Transformed Form. You defended the Fusang Tribe from a joint attack by other tribes, killing four Guardian Gods in succession. Your renown spread throughout the small, neighboring tribes, making even several medium-sized tribes quite wary of you.]