Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

When Gu Ruilong realized Li Chang’an wasn’t joking and genuinely wanted him to get in the ring for a fight, a faint chill finally crept over him.

In the past, he knew that Li Chang’an’s growth rate, and indeed every other aspect of him, was utterly heaven-defying.

In just one year, he had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

But a complex mix of arrogance and inferiority was at play.

He had never truly acknowledged Li Chang’an’s development or achievements. It was only when he learned that Li Chang’an had developed two military-grade weapons capable of threatening his family’s production that he finally began to see Li Chang’an as an enemy who needed to be dealt with.

Yet even then, Gu Ruilong had never taken Li Chang’an seriously.

After all, in Gu Ruilong’s eyes, he was the young master of the Gu Family, born in Kyoto and established in Shanghai. Compared to someone from a backwater place like Linjiang, a name he’d barely even heard, he naturally felt a sense of superiority.

Even if Li Chang’an had developed something that could threaten the Gu Family’s business, in Gu Ruilong’s eyes, he was just some upstart who had gotten incredibly lucky.

His survival or destruction depended solely on what method the Gu Family chose to use, or what price they were willing to pay to crush him at their leisure.

Therefore, Gu Ruilong had never once considered Li Chang’an a rival, let alone an enemy.

It was just like the first time they met, when Gu Ruilong offered double the price to recruit him. Gu Ruilong’s focus hadn’t been on Li Chang’an himself. Rather, he saw it as a way to gain another promising fighter while simultaneously taking a bargaining chip away from Su Ruobing.

It was a way to kill two birds with one stone, nothing more.

But now, as he saw Li Chang’an staring daggers at him… Gu Ruilong found that some of his old assumptions were beginning to waver.

He was belatedly realizing that Li Chang’an had, at some unknown point, grown to a level that struck deep fear into his heart!

A single cold glance from him was all it took.

to send a bone-deep chill through his entire body!

In his entire career as the young master of the Gu Family, he had never encountered an opponent whose power had skyrocketed so absurdly, as if he’d ridden a rocket.

Gu Ruilong felt a slight flicker of fear in his heart.

But his pride and ego would never allow him to show it.

Thus, his pupils only contracted slightly before he sneered, “Who the hell do you think you are? You dare challenge me? Besides, this is the national stage of the regional tournament. Don’t tell me you’re planning to openly break the rules here?”

Seeing him being so stubborn, Li Chang’an returned the sneer. “Heh, we both know who’s not playing by the rules. Don’t take everyone for a fool…”

As he spoke, Li Chang’an carefully observed the expression on Gu Ruilong’s face.

’If Gu Ruilong shows any obvious fear or apprehension, I’ll immediately report him for tampering with the tournament and have the Reincarnator Association send people to investigate.’

’But if he doesn’t, it means he’s confident in his backing and isn’t afraid of an investigation at all.’

But he was disappointed; Gu Ruilong’s face betrayed no emotion.

He remained brazen. “Heh, you need evidence to make claims like that. Be careful your baseless slander doesn’t come back to bite you!”

Seeing this, Li Chang’an knew that conventional methods wouldn’t be enough to deal with him. He could only sigh. “Why bother? Strictly speaking, there’s no real grudge between us, yet you repeatedly make ruthless moves against me…”

“Consider today a small lesson. I have plenty more surprises waiting for you down the line. I just hope you won’t be too shocked when they arrive. After all, it’s impolite not to return a favor!”

With that, he stood up, turned, and walked back toward his camp.

Watching Li Chang’an saunter away with the air of a victor, the expression on Gu Ruilong’s face was indescribably foul.

In the past, he was always the one threatening others; no one had ever dared to threaten him. Now, Li Chang’an had not only broken that precedent, but for the time being, there was absolutely nothing Gu Ruilong could do about it.

…

「In the spectator stands.」

The Reincarnators from Linjiang were all dumbfounded by what had happened on stage. They had never imagined that Li Chang’an could single-handedly take on three powerful Tier Six Peak Evolvers. Not only had he won, but he had done so with such calm and ease.

It was a one-on-three fight!

Moreover, it was clear that his opponents weren’t just ordinary Tier Six Peak Evolvers; each one was an expert at the peak of Tier Six.

Yet Li Chang’an, with his own Tier Six Mid Stage strength, had beaten them all to within an inch of their lives…

The battle wasn’t just spectacular; it showed the crowd of Reincarnators the terrifying combat power of someone truly ’invincible within the same realm.’

Li Siying, sitting in the front row, watched Li Chang’an turn and walk away after his victory and couldn’t help but jump to her feet.

Waving her arms and legs in excitement, she couldn’t help but exclaim to Li Jianfei, “Jianfei, Brother Chang’an is just incredible, isn’t he? He took on three guys by himself! I heard the way everyone was talking completely change just now!”

Li Jianfei was also staring at the stage, but his expression was dazed. After a long moment, he muttered, “Breaking through to the Tier Six Evolution Path in under a year… That’s no different from the advancement speed of a goddamn monster!”