Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Chapter 107: Chapter 90: Kyoto Reincarnator Association

Two Tier Three Martial Arts Energy Cores cost 200,000 Rebirth Points before any discounts. With the 50% discount from his Level 3 Citizen Rights, it still cost 100,000.

Without the discount, spending 100,000 Rebirth Points on a single Tier Three Energy Core was extremely inefficient. The same number of points would be far better spent on other resources.

Only the prodigal sons of incredibly wealthy families could afford such an expense.

It was a luxury among luxuries.

But since Li Chang’an had a personal money printer in the form of uploading Evolution Paths, he wasn’t worried about his funds. Without much hesitation, he decisively spent 100,000 Rebirth Points on two of them.

The Tier Three Energy Cores were several times larger than the Tier One cores he had used before. The Energy they contained was also countless times purer.

Even from a distance, he could feel an almost tangible aura of Energy emanating from them.

Li Chang’an placed them on the table and studied them for a moment before turning his attention back to his Rebirth Mark.

In addition to purchasing Energy Cores to raise his Evolution Level, Li Chang’an also needed a Cultivation Technique that could restore Spiritual Power.

Plenty of people were selling such techniques on the Rebirth Forum, but few caught Li Chang’an’s eye. After browsing the forum’s sales section again and again, he finally settled on a Cultivation Technique called the Absolute Flow Scripture.

He had settled on it after much searching not only because the Absolute Flow Scripture could rapidly restore one’s spirit, but also because it possessed the ability to make a Martial Artist’s or Cultivator’s body “complete and without flaw.”

The energy in the universe is always conserved.

When Reincarnators absorb energy, they naturally dissipate some as well.

In fact, many powerful Reincarnators constantly radiated energy just by standing still.

The Absolute Flow Scripture, in addition to its primary focus on cultivating the spirit, could also seal one’s pores, drastically reducing the dissipation of a cultivator’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

For Li Chang’an, this was an absolutely perfect Cultivation Technique.

He had encountered and even reverse-engineered similar techniques back in the Great Derivation World. But while he had achieved some minor success, Li Chang’an later discovered that they limited his power, so he ultimately abandoned them.

He never expected to find a similar, fully-formed Cultivation Technique right here in the Main World.

Naturally, Li Chang’an wasn’t going to pass it up.

The Absolute Flow Scripture had a steep price tag—a full 200,000 Rebirth Points. But again, Li Chang’an didn’t hesitate. Once he confirmed its effects were as described, he paid for it and bought it on the spot.

The Cultivation Technique and the energy were both ready.

Li Chang’an wasted no time and began to absorb the energy and cultivate.

He was currently at the peak of Tier Two. To break through to Tier Three, the energy from a single Tier Three Energy Core probably wouldn’t be enough.

That was why, just to be safe, Li Chang’an had bought an extra one.

If his energy ran low during the breakthrough, he could use the second one to supplement it, ensuring his efforts wouldn’t be wasted on a failed attempt.

Soon, Li Chang’an sank into a state of deep cultivation.

The Energy Crystal Stone in his hand pulsed with a faint glow. Wisps of energy, like a crystalline dragon, slowly seeped through his skin and merged into his body.

…

…0…

While Li Chang’an was busy with his cultivation.

「Kyoto. Hua Country Reincarnator Association.」

Hu Xiuyuan followed behind an old man who looked to be in his seventies, his face flush with excitement. “Elder Bai, I told you! The kid who uploaded the Basic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Version is an absolute genius!”

Hearing this self-congratulatory boasting…

On any other day, the man Hu Xiuyuan called Elder Bai might have rebuked him, but this time, he gave a rare nod. “Yes, he is indeed quite impressive. The boy has potential.”

Hearing this, Hu Xiuyuan grew even more excited. “So, what’s the status of the review? When will it pass the national audit and be sent to the Human Alliance?”

At these words, the old man gave a wry smile. “Why are you in such a rush? Allowing ordinary people to walk the path to becoming Extraordinary… this Evolution Path is truly world-shaking. It can even be considered an epoch-making leap from zero to one, from nothing to something!”

“But a few of us old-timers have studied it, and we’ve found a fatal flaw in this Evolution Path: its ceiling is too low!”

“Ordinary people can become Martial Artists through the Basic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Version, but as it stands, this Evolution Path only allows them to grasp the most elementary Martial Arts Power. That amount of power is negligible on the battlefield against the Alien Races. However, if we were to truly popularize it, the resources we’d need to invest would be substantial…”

“So, all things considered, our consensus is that the Basic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Version can be rolled out within our Hua Country. If the results are promising, then we will submit it to the Human Federation!”

Hu Xiuyuan’s expression faltered. “But… an internal rollout doesn’t prevent us from submitting it for further review!”

It was true. While the Basic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Version that Li Chang’an had casually uploaded opened a door for ordinary people to become Transcendents, the only issue was that the path was far too short.

So short, in fact, that even cultivating it to its absolute peak would only grant one the strength to lift a thousand pounds.

To that end, the Reincarnator Association would have to prepare significant resources for ordinary people to cultivate the Martial Dao. The return on investment wasn’t completely out of proportion, but it wasn’t exactly a bargain, either.

After all, for the same amount of resources, the return from training a few more Reincarnators could easily surpass that of training a large group of middling-strength commoners.

Seeing that he was still not resigned, Elder Bai sighed and spoke frankly. “Don’t you get it? Only our Hua Country is willing to commit the resources to popularize and test something like this. Most of the Reincarnators in the Human Federation come from the elite class. If we don’t show them some tangible results, they will never approve it!”

Hearing Elder Bai’s words, Hu Xiuyuan finally cooled down.

As a provincial Governor, it wasn’t that he didn’t understand these politics. He had simply been overcome with excitement, his judgment clouded by the thrilling prospect.

Even though humanity was currently beset by external enemies and overrun by Exotic Beasts, a time when they should be united as one…

But wherever there were people, there was conflict. How could it be any different for a behemoth like the Reincarnator Association, which spanned not just one nation, but several?

Unless they focused on popularizing and promoting it, achieving results so significant that those arrogant elites couldn’t ignore them, Li Chang’an’s Evolution Path would likely never pass the Human Federation’s review.

Seeing the disappointment on his face, Elder Bai couldn’t help but smile.

“Don’t worry. Our Huaxia never shortchanges its heroes, and neither does the Human Federation. As long as that prized student of yours is on the right path, he will eventually produce results. He won’t miss out on a single reward or honor he’s due; it just might take a bit longer!”

“In the meantime, I’ll contact a group of High-level Martial Arts Reincarnators and see if they can further flesh out the Basic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Version. If it can be improved to the point where an ordinary person can cultivate to the level of a Tier One Martial Artist, that would truly be a world-changing achievement!”

The two of them discussed the matter for a while longer.

And with that, the matter was settled.

Due to its low advancement ceiling, the Basic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Version was temporarily held back by the Kyoto Reincarnator Association and not submitted for further review.

On one hand, the Kyoto Reincarnator Association ordered a small-scale rollout of the Basic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Version in various regions across Hua Country.

On the other hand, the Kyoto Reincarnator Association was also internally deliberating on the reward to be given to Li Chang’an for submitting the Evolution Path.

Under normal circumstances, submitting an ordinary Evolution Path wouldn’t have sparked such a wide-ranging discussion. The standard procedure would be to simply issue the corresponding reward.

But the Evolution Path Li Chang’an had submitted this time was special. Within the Kyoto Reincarnator Association, it was widely deemed to be of greater symbolic than practical significance.

Its symbolic significance lay in the fact that a Reincarnator had finally turned their attention to ordinary people and successfully pioneered a path for them to access the Extraordinary power of the Martial Dao.

Its practical significance, or lack thereof, referred to the fact that while Li Chang’an’s technique was brilliant and contained many eye-opening concepts, its ceiling was simply too low to bring about any fundamental change for ordinary people.

Therefore, whether to issue a reward based on its practical value or its symbolic value became a major topic of debate and deliberation within the Kyoto Reincarnator Association.

Regardless, one thing was certain.

Li Chang’an, the young man who had just joined the Reincarnator Association, possessed an extraordinary talent for the Martial Dao. Given time, he might just bring a massive surprise to the entire Rebirth World!

…

…0…

「Linjiang Reincarnator Association.」

Su Ruobing had just finished her official duties and was preparing to head to the Rebirth Space to practice her Magic.

Just then, however, she received a call from Kyoto.

She had received quite a few calls from Kyoto recently, and almost all of them, in one way or another, were subtly trying to get information from her about Li Chang’an.

After all, while Kyoto seemed vast, the truly elite circles were always small. The moment there was a whisper of anything significant, the great Reincarnator Families were the first to know.

For them to go so far as to contact her, Su Ruobing, just to dig up information on Li Chang’an meant that he had stirred up a huge amount of interest in Kyoto.

This gave Su Ruobing a strong sense of impending crisis.

After all, Li Chang’an was currently the most promising pillar of her faction. The future development of Linjiang depended on him, and by extension, so did her bet with Gu Ruilong.

Now, this pillar of hers was being eyed by the Reincarnator Families of Kyoto and even Shanghai. If they managed to poach him from under her nose, she felt like she would just die.

On top of that, Li Chang’an hadn’t responded to her messages in days, and she had no idea what he was doing. It left her feeling so flustered and agitated that even the thought of cultivating had lost its appeal.

She glanced at her communicator, and after confirming there was still no reply from Li Chang’an, Su Ruobing pouted.

But just then, her communicator rang again.

She frowned as she looked at the caller ID. When she saw it was Governor Hu Xiuyuan, she wasn’t sure if she should feel disappointed or something else. Taking a deep breath, she answered. “Governor Hu, how did things go on your end?”

Hu Xiuyuan skipped the pleasantries, his voice tinged with delight. “The Kyoto Reincarnator Association has approved Li’s submission, and the reward has already been issued! I’m on my way to Linjiang as we speak. Are you free? Let’s go see him together!”

“Even though the Basic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Version wasn’t sent directly to the Human Alliance, this has still brought great honor to our Xiangnan and to Linjiang!”

Hearing the undisguised glee in Hu Xiuyuan’s voice over the communicator…

Su Ruobing’s previously gloomy mood brightened considerably. After a moment’s thought, she nodded. “Chang’an has probably gone into seclusion. He hasn’t been answering my messages. Let’s go check on him!”

“Even if he’s in seclusion, he should be out by now!”

Li Chang’an had mentioned he was taking a break, so he couldn’t possibly be in a Rebirth World right now. Su Ruobing wasn’t worried about being unable to find him; it was just a question of how long they’d have to wait.

…