Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

To be honest, Li Chang’an wasn’t particularly concerned about the actual benefits that came with being an official in the Reincarnator Association.

After all, earning a few tens of thousands more or fewer Rebirth Points made little difference to him at this point.

What Li Chang’an truly cared about was the title of a Reincarnator Association official.

For one, with this title, the Night City Military Group and the entirety of Cangxuan City could receive larger tax breaks.

Furthermore, with this title, if the Gu Family wanted to move against him in the future, they would have to carefully weigh the potential consequences of being exposed for assassinating a Reincarnator Association official.

All in all, the outcome of the regional tournament was quite good.

He had taught Gu Ruilong of the Gu Family a lesson, leaving the unscrupulous bastard too preoccupied with his own problems to interfere with Cangxuan City’s weapons production lines for the time being.

It also won Li Chang’an more, and more effective, Protective Talismans.

These Protective Talismans might not be enough to save him if the Gu Family went berserk, but they would at least tie their hands and make them hesitate to act so openly.

For Li Chang’an, that was enough for now.

…

With the immediate matters finally settled, Li Chang’an returned to his private retreat in the City Lord’s Mansion and rested for another month.

During that month, the factory produced five Super Electromagnetic Cannons and ten Energy Particle Beam Cannons. Li Chang’an took some time to inspect their quality. Satisfied with the results, he ordered the factory to continue production.

The factory’s production efficiency wasn’t very high yet, as it was still in its initial break-in period.

After a while, once the workers were past the initial adjustment phase, the production efficiency would ramp up quickly.

In addition,

because Li Chang’an had once again uploaded the *Martial Arts Foundation True Understanding 3.0 Version* to the Human Federation, the previously foot-dragging Federation finally acted decisively. They integrated the content of the 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 versions and deposited all the corresponding rewards into Li Chang’an’s account.

The total rewards were: two million Rebirth Points, ten thousand Citizen Level points, a “Pioneer of Martial Dao Evolution of the Human Alliance” medal, and 50 Upper-Grade Spiritual Fields.

One had to admit, the Human Federation was quite generous with its rewards for new Evolution Paths.

The two million Rebirth Points spoke for itself. With current purchasing power, that was enough for Li Chang’an to arm himself and his entire city to the teeth.

The ten thousand Citizen Level points were even more valuable.

They directly raised Li Chang’an’s Citizen Level to Level 4.

[Name: Li Chang’an]

[Permanent Reincarnator ID: 31402]

[Evolution Level: B (Martial Arts Tier Six Mid Stage)]

[Citizen Rights: Level 4 (7,500/10,000)]

[Exclusive Talent: Heaven-defying Comprehension (Unique)]

[Remaining Rebirth Points: 3,131,461]

[Upper-Grade Spiritual Field x45, Middle-Grade Spiritual Field x11, Lower-Grade Spiritual Field x7, Extra Reincarnation Authority x45, World’s Favor x1…]

Although Li Chang’an’s total assets hadn’t inflated drastically, his balance of Rebirth Points had already reached a staggering three million.

This figure alone was comparable to the entire net worth of many smaller Reincarnator Families.

In Linjiang, at least, Li Chang’an’s current liquid capital was practically second to none.

And yet, this was merely a tiny fraction of the grand blueprint Li Chang’an had envisioned.

His true ambition—a ’journey across the stars and seas’—was still just a rough outline. He had a long way to go to reach his ultimate goal.

Of course, Li Chang’an wasn’t discouraged.

After all, haste makes waste, and an empire isn’t built in a day.

He had been a Permanent Reincarnator for less than two years. To have achieved so much in such a short time was already considered a miracle among the Reincarnator community.

Li Chang’an actually had a great deal of technology at his disposal.

It was just that Cangxuan City’s industrial infrastructure wasn’t solid enough yet, so production and R&D couldn’t quite keep up with his plans.

But for now, none of that was important.

As long as he followed his plan step-by-step, Li Chang’an was confident that within twenty years, at most, he could build a vast empire in Linjiang that would be second to none.

This Empire would encompass commerce, military industry, agriculture… and all sorts of other fields.

Not only would his people no longer be threatened by the Dark Tide, but Li Chang’an also wanted to perform a Reversed Celestial Spirits—to go on the offensive, trace the darkness to its source, and discover what had caused the Main World’s current plight.

Right now, what Li Chang’an lacked most wasn’t technology or production.

It was his own personal strength, which he needed to raise as quickly as possible.

Even though the Reincarnator Association explicitly forbade infighting among Reincarnators, Li Chang’an didn’t believe for a second that his rivals would abide by the rules when their interests were at stake.

After all, if rules were truly followed, the Gu Family wouldn’t have sent Gu Ruilong to move against him, both openly and in the shadows. Nor would they have escaped any meaningful sanctions or punishments after their scheme failed.

At the end of the day, the Human Alliance was just a massive organization. Its rules could, at best, restrain the Reincarnator Families that lacked powerful backing.

The Reincarnators who truly stood at the pinnacle were both the players and the referees.

To make them follow the rules they themselves created, you needed a fist big enough to inspire fear.