Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Not only did Wu Yong quickly accept Li Chang’an’s explanation, but he also stroked his chin, musing aloud, ”I never imagined a talent like this existed. You were practically born for the Martial Dao!”

Being able to predict an enemy’s movements and react in advance was one thing, but to also be so steady, precise, and ruthless... that kind of talent was truly enviable.

But this thought quickly led to another, as Wu Yong remembered Li Chang’an’s pitifully low Qi and Blood Value.

He couldn’t help but frown and sigh in regret. ”What a shame his Qi and Blood Value doesn’t pass muster... Otherwise, he would be an absolute top prospect for the Martial Dao!”

They say that when the heavens close a door, they open a window.

But in Li Chang’an’s case, Wu Yong felt the heavens had opened a window only to board it up.

He clearly possessed an incredible talent but was held back by an insufficient Qi and Blood Value, making it nearly impossible to truly unleash his potential. The very thought of it made Wu Yong, a man who deeply cherished talent, sigh with regret.

Li Chang’an, for his part, didn’t seem to care.

After all, only he truly understood his own situation.

Seeing Wu Yong staring at him with a complicated expression, Li Chang’an gave a nonchalant shrug. ”Is there anything else, Teacher Wu? If not, I’ll be leaving.”

Wu Yong saw that he showed no particular emotion, and his own brow slowly unfurrowed. In any case, Li Chang’an’s ability to remain so composed under the circumstances was commendable.

He tilted his head, thinking for a moment before an idea struck him. Choosing his words carefully, he began, ”With your current condition, taking the conventional path will make it nearly impossible to break a Qi and Blood Value of 10 before you turn eighteen. You’ll need to consume a lot more Qi and Blood Supplements if you want any chance of Defying Fate...”

”I happen to have a few available slots that grant Qi and Blood Supplements. However, you would need to participate in some school-organized competitions and achieve a certain rank. Are you interested in trying?”

Wu Yong had clearly deliberated for a long time before making the offer.

It was true that he had a few competition slots at his disposal, but each one was incredibly precious. In the past, only the very top students were ever considered.

Now, to recommend Li Chang’an for these important competitions—where he would be representing the school—was undoubtedly a huge risk for Wu Yong.

If Li Chang’an were to drop the ball during the competition, Wu Yong would, at best, be reprimanded by the school. At worst, the school might begin to question his judgment and capabilities.

Normally, Qi and Blood Value and combat prowess were directly proportional. Someone like Li Chang’an, with a low Qi and Blood Value but terrifying combat strength, was clearly a rare anomaly.

After careful consideration, however, Wu Yong decided to give Li Chang’an a chance to prove himself.

Although Li Chang’an’s Qi and Blood Value wasn’t high, his actual combat strength was formidable.

Otherwise, he never would have been able to so easily defeat Wang Lu, a top student, during combat training.

Of course, while these were Wu Yong’s thoughts, his face betrayed none of them. He simply studied the young man before him, wanting to see if he possessed the driven, ambitious heart of a true Martial Artist.

Li Chang’an had already been turning to leave, but he paused when he heard what Wu Yong said.

’With my abilities, I can condition my body and Qi and Blood on my own and make up for my Innate deficiency,’ Li Chang’an thought. ’But that would still take a significant amount of time to achieve a full recovery.’

’If I can get some Qi and Blood Supplements, I should be able to shorten that time considerably.’

With that in mind, Li Chang’an agreed without much hesitation. ”Alright. When do we start?”

Wu Yong was rather taken aback by how quickly he agreed. ”Aren’t you going to ask about the specific competition, what rank you need to achieve, or what the rewards are?”

”Does any of that matter?” Li Chang’an said dismissively. ”Just tell me how many Qi and Blood Supplements first place gets, Teacher Wu. The rest is irrelevant.”

Wu Yong was visibly stunned by the remark. He never expected such an audacious response. After a moment of shock, he burst out laughing. ”Excellent! Such spirit for a young man! In that case, I’ll submit your name. I hope you won’t let me down...”

He paused, then continued after a moment’s silence. ”As for the reward... if you really can take first place, the school will award you ten Qi and Blood Supplements and a scholarship of three hundred thousand Cosmic Coins. The supplements should raise your Qi and Blood Value by at least two to three points, and the scholarship will be deposited directly into your account. On top of all that, I’ll personally sponsor you a combat training robot and one extra Qi and Blood Supplement!”

Li Chang’an nodded and got up to leave again.

Seeing that Li Chang’an genuinely seemed unconcerned about the competition’s name or the caliber of his opponents, Wu Yong couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He finally gave in and added a reminder, ”The competition you’ll be entering is the Martial Dao Nova Tournament, hosted by the Lion’s Fang Star government. Everyone eligible to compete is a top-tier prodigy from one of Lion’s Fang Star’s major academies. You don’t have to take first place—the school will reward you just for making it into the top ten!”

He paused again, unable to stop himself from adding one last thing. ”This competition is about bringing honor to our school. It affects our annual recruitment quotas, so whatever you do, don’t you dare drop the ball!”

Li Chang’an didn’t look back. He simply gave a wave to show he’d heard, then pushed open the office door and headed home.