Cangxuan City, City Lordâs Mansion.
I had to admit, even though Energy Cores were outrageously expensiveâthe very definition of a luxury itemâusing them felt absolutely incredible.
When cultivating with one of these things in hand, as long as oneâs understanding of âLawâ and âthe Daoâ was deep enough, oneâs Cultivation could advance by leaps and bounds.
Immersed in his cultivation, Li Changâan barely noticed the passage of time. He sat in the mansion for nearly half a month.
On the twelfth day, Li Changâan had completely absorbed the first Energy Core. His Cultivation broke through the threshold to Tier Three, restoring him to the peak strength he had possessed in the Great Derivation World.
But Li Changâan didnât stop there. He spent another ten days or so absorbing most of the energy from the second Tier Three core.
After all, due to the worldâs suppression, Li Changâan hadnât actively tried to break through to a new Realm in the latter stages of his time in the Great Derivation World. Now that he was back in the Main World, free from that suppression and with the constant nourishment of two Energy Cores, it was only natural for him to advance beyond his previous peak.
Now, after absorbing all the energy, he had not only completely recovered his peak strength from his past life but had even broken through beyond it, smoothly reaching the Middle Stage as a Third-rank Martial Arts Evolver in the Main World.
Such a cultivation speed would be considered insane, even in the Main World.
...
By the time Hu Xiuyuan and Su Ruobing saw Li Changâan, it was already the thirtieth day of his seclusion.
Li Changâan had originally planned to continue cultivating for a while longer before ending his seclusion, but Hu Xiuyuan and Su Ruobing couldnât wait any longer and sent him a message directly through his Rebirth Mark.
After seeing the message on his Rebirth Mark, Li Changâan snapped out of it as if waking from a dream, withdrawing from his state of total immersion in cultivation.
Leaving his place of seclusion, Li Changâan soon saw the two who had been waiting for a long time.
Looking at Li Changâan, whose skin was now fairer and who had grown quite a bit taller, Su Ruobing said with suspicion, "Itâs only been a month, but why do I feel like your aura has become even more restrained?"
Li Changâan smiled and said humbly, "A small breakthrough, just a small breakthrough!"
âWhat does he mean, a small breakthrough?â
âCould he have already advanced to a Tier Two Martial Artist?â
Su Ruobingâs expression remained one of surprise and uncertainty, but she didnât dwell on it. Instead, she turned to Hu Xiuyuan behind her and said, "Governor Hu has come personally to bring you news. Thereâs good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Li Changâan glanced at the smiling Su Ruobing, then at the stern-faced Hu Xiuyuan, and after a momentâs thought, said, "Letâs hear the good news first. Start things off on a positive note."
He had just emerged from his secluded cultivation and didnât want any bad news to ruin his mood, even if he didnât think it actually would.
Hu Xiuyuan coughed twice, dragging out the suspense before finally speaking. "Ahem, Li, the good news is that the âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ you submitted has passed the review of the Kyoto Rebirth Associationâer... that is, the Hua Country Reincarnator Alliance. They have officially rated the value of your Evolution Path as A+!"
"This should be the first Evolution Path to be rated A+ Level in the second half of this year. Li, youâve made a tremendous contribution to the development of the Human Alliance!"
He paused for a moment before continuing, "To reward your outstanding contribution, the Reincarnator Alliance has decided to give you one Sacred Heart Fruit, ten Upper-Grade Spiritual Fields, two million Rebirth Points, and ten thousand Citizen Points. The items will be transferred to your exclusive account shortly, so remember to check and make sure everything is there!"
Li Changâan raised an eyebrow at this.
He hadnât expected the review for the Basic Martial Arts Truth to be completed so quickly. Hu Xiuyuan must have played a significant role in it.
It was excellent news, but only the timing had truly surprised Li Changâan. He showed no particular expression, merely nodding. "Oh, that is good news. So, whatâs the bad news?"
Seeing Li Changâanâs completely calm expression, Hu Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment. After a pause, he asked in confusion, "Li... why arenât you the least bit excited?"
Hearing this, Li Changâan was the one who felt confused. "Is there something to be excited about?"
Hu Xiuyuan opened his mouth to say something, but for a moment, he didnât know what to say.
In all his years as Governor, this was the first time heâd ever felt such a strong urge to roast someone. But given his status, he could only bottle up all his complaints.
âIs there something to be excited about...?â
âThe various rewards add up to nearly five million Rebirth Points, plus ten thousand Citizen Points. This is a level of honor and wealth that countless ordinary Reincarnators could only dream of, working their entire lives and never coming close!â
âItâs a fortune that would tempt even a Governor like me, so how could it not be worth getting excited about in Li Changâanâs eyes?â
âAre all young people these days so composed?â
The corner of Hu Xiuyuanâs mouth twitched for a long time before he finally managed to calm the storm of emotions in his heart. "Alright, it seems you have nerves of steel, Li!"
"As for the bad news... itâs not really bad news, per se. Itâs just that the review for âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ is stuck in Kyoto and canât be submitted to the Human Alliance yet."
He paused, then said as tactfully as possible, "So you might have to wait a year or two and let things play out. After the âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ has been fully popularized throughout Huaxia and has shown some results, then it might have a chance of passing the Human Allianceâs review."
Hu Xiuyuan didnât mention the fatal flaw that Elder Bai had told him aboutâthat the evolution ceiling was too low.
After all, for a Newcomer Reincarnator, being able to comprehend and codify the âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ was already a heaven-defying feat. It wouldnât be appropriate to ask for more.
But Li Changâan wasnât a fool. He had created this Law himself, so naturally, he understood its strengths and weaknesses better than anyone.
Now, he could read between the lines of Hu Xiuyuanâs carefully worded, tactful explanation and understand the real problem.
A look of sudden realization dawned on his face, and he nodded. "Oh, I see. The âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ is indeed quite crude. Itâs perfectly normal that it couldnât pass the final review."
To him, the âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ was just something akin to a basic rough draft anyway.
The fact that it had made it all the way to Kyoto had already far exceeded Li Changâanâs expectations, so he naturally didnât feel any sense of loss at its failure to pass the Human Allianceâs review.
Seeing that he also seemed unbothered, his mood perfectly stable, Hu Xiuyuan couldnât help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The reason he had been so tactful wasnât out of fear of anything else, but because he was worried the matter would dampen Li Changâanâs enthusiasm.
After all, in his experience, geniuses who were unconventional in certain areas tended to be extremely proud.
Their pride and their talent, which far surpassed that of ordinary people, couldnât tolerate being questioned by others.
Although his impression of Li Changâan had always been quite good, he was still just a young man who had recently joined the ranks of Reincarnatorsâhot-blooded and prone to getting stuck on things.
Having breathed a sigh of relief, Hu Xiuyuanâs tone became more amiable. "Donât be discouraged. The Reincarnator Association has already begun promoting it in various regions. I believe weâll start seeing initial results within a few months. By then, Reincarnators across the entire Main World will know your name!"
Beside them, Su Ruobing also chimed in consolingly, "Thatâs right. I already started popularizing the âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ on a large scale in Linjiang a while ago. Right now, all the Reincarnator Schools and people on the streets in Linjiang are learning your Cultivation Technique. The response has been excellent. Itâs just that itâs been too short a time, so we donât know yet how many people will be able to develop âQi Sensitivityâ!"
The two of them spoke one after another, their words clearly showing their fear that he couldnât handle the blow.
âAm I really that fragile?â Li Changâan wondered.
"Actually, the âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ really is just a rough draft. You can tell from the name. I chose it to make it easier for me to release future updates without having to come up with new names."
He paused, scratching his head. "And speaking of which, Iâve recently worked out a âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 2.0 Versionâ that includes quite a few optimizations and upgrades to the original."
He opened his Rebirth Mark, skillfully navigated to the Rebirth Forum, and uploaded the âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 2.0 Versionâ to the local network.
He had put it together during his breaks while he was in seclusion for the past month.
He hadnât had the time or energy to deal with these miscellaneous matters while he was cultivating. Coincidentally, with both Su Ruobing and Hu Xiuyuan here now, it saved him the trouble of having to call them one by one later.
After finishing the upload, Li Changâan explained, "The âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 2.0 Versionâ is still mainly aimed at ordinary people. However, to ensure that they can fight the lowest-level Exotic Beasts head-onâso they donât learn the Cultivation Technique I created only to end up as cannon fodderâI specifically raised the Martial Dao evolution ceiling of the 2.0 version to Tier Two!"
"Even ordinary people with average aptitude, as long as they are willing to cultivate diligently and persistently, should have no problem breaking through to Tier One, even if they canât reach Tier Two!"
"This way, even if an Exotic Beast Tide breaks out, ordinary people who have cultivated the âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 2.0 Versionâ will be able to protect themselves!"
Hearing Li Changâanâs dead-serious explanation, Su Ruobing and Hu Xiuyuan both looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Their eyes widened involuntarily.
âWhy is it that they recognized every word Li Changâan said, but when strung together, it sounded like complete gibberish?â
âHe just came out with âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 1.0 Versionâ, which hasnât even finished its review process, and now heâs rolling out a âBasic Martial Arts True Understanding 2.0 Versionâ...â
âIs this kid a Devil?â
âThe most ridiculous part is, he claims it can allow ordinary people to cultivate to Tier Two?â
âSince when was cultivating so easy for ordinary people?â
Honestly, if not for Li Changâanâs prior track record of success, they wouldnât have believed a word of it.
After all, it wasnât as if no Reincarnator in the Main World had ever tried to open a path to the Extraordinary for ordinary people before. But in the end, every single one had failed.
This was mainly because the Main World was not a Rebirth World. The laws of heaven and earth operated completely differently, making it nearly impossible to find an Extraordinary path suitable for ordinary people to cultivate. Even if one existed, the cost would be astronomical.
With that kind of time and energy, it was far more practical to just train a few outstanding Newcomer Reincarnators instead.
Yet now, Li Changâan had casually produced an Evolution Path that he claimed could turn ordinary people into Tier Two Extraordinary Martial Artists, as easily as if he were just eating a meal...
No wonder the expressions on their faces were so strange.
After finally snapping back to their senses, Su Ruobing and Hu Xiuyuan glanced at each other, seeing the same shock and awe in the otherâs eyes. Then, in unison, they opened their Rebirth Marks and began to browse the content of the Cultivation Technique that Li Changâan had uploaded.
Seeing the two of them staring down with dazed, faraway looks, Li Changâan figured they wouldnât recover anytime soon, so he turned and went to patrol his territory in Cangxuan City.
The Exotic Beast Tide was due in half a month, and he needed to inspect the construction and replacement of the city walls and weaponry.
And if there was enough time, he could even undertake a new rebirth during this down time.
By the time he finished his patrol of Cangxuan City and returned to the City Lordâs Mansion, the place was already empty. Only his secretary, Zhao Xi, remained, staring nonstop at a hole in the ceiling above.
Seeing Li Changâan approach, Zhao Xi hurried over, her face pale with lingering fear. "Lord City Lord, just now... Lord Governor, he... he flew straight out and smashed a huge hole in the roof with his head!"
...