Chapter 12: Silent Growth, Ambitious Dreams
Li Chang'an stood before the full-length mirror, quietly studying his reflection. His tall, well-built frame bore little resemblance to a boy not yet seven years old. His dark eyes, sharp and focused, glinted with an inner fire.
"Just over six, and already at level 22 soul power," he murmured, voice low but brimming with satisfaction. "That alone puts me on par with Qian Renxue, who started with innate level 20."
He clenched his fists. Power surged within him—power granted by his soul beast clone. The unique feedback mechanism that steadily bolstered his cultivation was, in his own words, nothing short of a cheat.
"Accumulating soul power won't ever be a problem for me," he whispered, eyes glowing with ambition. "If I push myself, I could hit level 99 in my twenties."
But he knew that wasn't the real goal.
"Level 99 is just the ceiling of mortals," he reminded himself. "Becoming a god—that's the real endgame."
He recalled the tale of Poseidon. The original Sea God had spent over a thousand years spreading faith in the oceans, slowly accumulating divine power until he finally condensed a godhood.
"But I don't have a thousand years," Li Chang'an thought. "And even if I did, where would I spread faith? The continent's already claimed by the Angel God through the Spirit Hall, and the seas still belong to Poseidon. There's no space for a new god to rise by that method."
His gaze sharpened.
"Which means… I'll have to take the Sea God's legacy. Inherit it. That's the only realistic path."
But claiming that legacy wasn't easy. To gain the Vast Sea Barrier's recognition, his body had to be strong enough to withstand the Vast Sea Power. He'd seen the fate of those who tried and failed—shattered bodies and wasted potential.
"In the original story, Tang San survived it because he ate immortal herbs, tempered his body in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and had a 100,000-year soul bone. That foundation gave him the edge."
Li Chang'an thought it through carefully. "The soul bone helped, but the real key was the immortal herbs. That's what I need too. If I can get them, then even without a god's favor, I'll still be qualified to inherit Poseidon's power."
His eyes flicked toward the window, then narrowed slightly.
"I'll need a 100,000-year soul bone to be completely safe. Which means my ninth soul ring must come from a 100,000-year soul beast. Nothing less."
The mere thought of such a challenge would have made most soul masters flinch—but not Li Chang'an. He exhaled slowly, his mind already running simulations.
"Could I go after that rabbit?" His thoughts flashed to Xiao Wu. "She's a 100,000-year soul beast in human form. In this world, hunting soul beasts is part of the natural order. If she dies by my hand, it's just following the rules of the God Realm."
But reason quickly cooled his bloodlust.
"No. Tang Hao is still protecting Tang San. And more importantly… Tang San is under the protection of the Asura God. Picking a fight with him now would make me the designated villain in his narrative."
He chuckled bitterly. "I don't have enough plot armor for that."
Li Chang'an folded his arms and leaned back, deep in thought.
"There's no benefit in provoking Tang San right now. I might dislike him—hell, I do dislike him—but I have no real quarrel with him yet. Stirring the pot now will just bring disaster."
Better to wait. Grow. Hide in plain sight until the time was right.
His gaze returned to the mirror.
"Low profile. Steady progress. No unnecessary enemies."
Just then, another thought popped into his head—this one lighter.
"Dugu Yan… when will you arrive?"
He'd checked the academy's enrollment records. Yu Tianheng was already on campus, but Dugu Yan had yet to enroll. That meant she and Tianheng weren't a couple yet.
"That's my window," he thought. "Strike before the bond forms."
Li Chang'an had to admit—he was lucky. Thanks to the rapid physical growth that came with spirit ring absorption, he already looked like a young man of seventeen or eighteen. Add to that his mature mind, and there was no way anyone would guess he was only seven.
If he still looked like a normal six-year-old, how could he chase girls? They'd treat him like a younger brother at best. With his current appearance, though, he had a real shot—especially if he played his cards right.
Half a year passed in quiet anticipation.
Li Chang'an turned seven.
In that time, he'd advanced to level 26—thanks to the soul beast clone's feedback loop. In truth, he could have gone even higher, but he'd deliberately slowed his absorption, choosing instead to refine his soul power carefully.
His progress was monstrous.
So monstrous, in fact, that the academy's three education committee members had taken special precautions to protect him. They strictly blocked any news of his cultivation level from leaking out.
They knew what kind of world this was. A genius who hadn't grown up yet wasn't a blessing—he was a target. There were plenty of people in the soul master world who liked to eliminate threats early. Especially the kind of talent that could rewrite history.
That was why, outside of the committee members and the emperor himself, no one knew Li Chang'an had already reached level 26. The world still thought he was barely above level 10.
After all, the previous record for reaching level 20—even with innate full soul power—was eight years old.
But seven years old and already level 26?
That was a different kind of terrifying.
Even the committee members—stalwart, loyal veterans of the empire—admitted to themselves that if Li Chang'an wasn'tthe Emperor's son-in-law and hadn't grown up right under their eyes, they might have considered eliminating him out of sheer fear.
That was how dangerous his potential looked.
To them, it was no longer a question of whether he could become a Titled Douluo. The real question was how far beyond that he could go.
A Peerless Douluo? A Limit Douluo?
Maybe even something greater?
The term Peerless wasn't thrown around lightly. In this era, it referred to a level 99 Limit Douluo—masters who stood just one step short of godhood.
Demigods in all but name.
If Li Chang'an could reach that level while still young, the royal family's future would be secure for centuries.
The lifespan of a Titled Douluo was greatly extended after breaking through, but that extension didn't work like people imagined. It didn't add years—it slowed aging. That meant the younger you were when you broke through, the longer your life would be.
If you became a Titled Douluo at seventy or eighty, the benefit was marginal. But if you did it in your thirties or forties?
That was when real longevity began.
That also explained something curious from the original story—why so many Titled Douluo supposedly lived for 300 years, yet almost none of them were ever seen reaching that age.
Because most of them broke through too late.
Li Chang'an wouldn't make that mistake.
He had the talent. He had the resources. And more importantly—he had a plan.
*****
If you want to read more there's 15, 30, 50 chapters there of my written fanfictions and translated works in my Pat.Reon.
Here is the link:
https://patreon.com/LordFisherman?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
And if you can't find it just type my name: patreon.com/LordFisherman