Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Of course, even though the Qi and Blood Supplement would allow him to achieve twice the results with half the effort, he hadn’t gotten his hands on it yet. For now, he could only cultivate the Martial Scripture and recover what little strength he could.

Over the next few days, aside from cultivating the Martial Scripture, Li Chang’an spent most of his time getting used to the rhythm of life in this new world.

Li Furong, Li Yan, and Su Yuman were all clearly surprised by his behavior these past few days.

After all, while the old Li Chang’an wasn’t exactly the silent and introverted type, he had low self-esteem and certainly wasn’t bursting with this much initiative.

Fortunately, Li Chang’an hadn’t just taken over the body; he had inherited its memories too. As a result, he didn’t give himself away, and the three of them just thought his personality had suddenly changed.

By the seventh day, Li Chang’an had finally adapted to his new life.

At the same time, he received a notice from Wu Yong. The Martial Dao New Star Competition was about to begin, and the principal wanted to meet with the group of top students representing the school before they departed.

And so, Li Chang’an and nine other students went to the principal’s office at the Third Martial Arts Middle School.

The principal, dressed in a well-tailored suit with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, sat at the head of the room. His gaze swept over the students before him, finally landing on Li Chang’an. He frowned and asked, ”And you, student, what is your name?”

Apparently, he knew all nine of the other students present. They were all famous geniuses of their year. Only Li Chang’an was an unfamiliar face whose name he couldn’t recall.

As the principal asked his question, the other nine students glanced at Li Chang’an out of the corners of their eyes, their gazes slightly curious. They clearly each had their own thoughts on the matter.

Hearing the principal’s question, Li Chang’an answered without hesitation, ”Li Chang’an!”

The principal nodded, his eyes scanning Li Chang’an once more, but he didn’t say anything else.

Wu Yong had previously told him about Li Chang’an’s record of easily defeating Wang Lu. ’He’s quite a talent, but is he reliable?’

Though these were his thoughts, the principal’s expression remained neutral. He stood up, looked around the room, and said, ”All of you are the best and brightest of our Third Martial Arts High School. You should know why I’ve called you all to my office for this meeting...”

Including Li Chang’an, none of the ten people present spoke.

The principal coughed twice to clear his throat. ”The Martial Dao New Star Competition is the biggest tournament among the Lion’s Heart High School collective, second only to the annual Martial Dao college entrance exam. Our school’s reputation and recruitment are on the line. If you can achieve a good ranking, both the school and I personally will give you a handsome reward!”

At this, he paused. His gaze swept over the students before him, and he noticed that, with the exception of Li Chang’an, most of the others showed little expression.

This wasn’t surprising.

Those who could achieve so much at such a young age usually came from well-off families. To them, the school’s reward was merely icing on the cake.

In fact, aside from Li Chang’an, none of the other nine students were here for the school’s reward.

So, the principal didn’t dwell on these unimportant matters. Instead, he said, ”Of course, that’s not the most important part. What’s most important is that every year, the Martial Arts High Schools of the Star Sea Alliance use the Martial Dao New Star Competition to recruit or court outstanding students ahead of time. Even if you don’t meet the standards for direct recruitment, as long as you can achieve a decent result on this stage and leave a good impression on the admissions officers from the major high schools, then congratulations. Barring any surprises, you’ll have one foot in the door of a Martial Arts High School!”

Hearing this, the students’ eyes finally lit up with fervor.

One by one, they couldn’t help but clench their fists, their bodies filled with fighting spirit and anticipation.

Clearly, this was the topic they truly cared about.

As for the school’s reward, it was icing on the cake at best.

Li Chang’an was also in the crowd, a look of keen interest on his face. After all, Wu Yong hadn’t mentioned any of this to him before.

His original goal had simply been to win some of the school’s rewards.

’I didn’t expect this competition to have spots for direct recruitment. Looks like this could be a shortcut.’

The principal was very satisfied with the students’ reactions.

It didn’t matter what they were hoping for. As long as they were students of the Third Martial Arts High School and had enough drive and motivation, nothing else was important.

After a few more brief remarks, the principal waved his hand, dismissing them.

Wu Yong pushed the office door open and came in. He led the students aboard a spaceship, heading straight for the venue of the Martial Dao New Star Competition: Salma, the largest metropolis on Lion’s Fang Star!

On the spaceship, the other students, who were already acquainted with one another, chatted in small groups, their faces filled with unconcealable nervousness and excitement.

Li Chang’an didn’t know them and had no interest in getting to know them. He sat alone in a corner with his eyes closed, resting.

After some time, a few students suddenly gathered around him. One of them, a brawny young man nearly two meters tall, looked Li Chang’an up and down before raising an eyebrow and asking, ”You’re the one who beat Wang Lu?”

Li Chang’an opened his eyes at the question, glanced at the group, and replied casually, ”Is there a problem?”

Seeing him admit it, the students exchanged glances. The same nearly two-meter-tall student spoke again. ”No problem. It’s just that I always heard Wang Lu was strong, that his Qi and Blood Value was almost at the level of last year’s top Martial Dao scorer. I never thought he’d turn out to be nothing but an embroidered pillow, all for show. To think he got beaten so badly by a little bean sprout like you that he even lost his spot in the Martial Dao New Star Competition!”