Over the next two days, Charles, true to his word, injected Li Chang’an with two Extraordinary Potions.
Each of these potions was refined from dozens of ordinary ones. Not only did they greatly increase the probability of becoming a Transcendent, but they also correspondingly reduced the risk of a failed awakening or genetic runaway.
This top-tier product was impossible to find on the open market.
Every single dose was priceless.
Logically, after being injected with such a large dose of Extraordinary Potions, Li Chang’an should have awakened as a Transcendent by now, provided he had even a trace of the necessary genes.
But whether it was because he cultivated the Nine Revolutions Chaos Technique or for some other reason, the highly purified potions—enough to turn dozens, even hundreds, of people into Transcendents—had a negligible effect when injected into Li Chang’an’s body.
As a cultivator of the Martial Dao, his physical constitution was simply too strong.
While the potions could provide him with a great deal of Energy, it wasn’t enough for him to awaken a Superpower and become Extraordinary.
After the third injection, seeing Li Chang’an still perfectly fine and full of life, Charles’s expression darkened.
It wasn’t that he was bothered by the cost. After all, for the head of a top-tier corporation like him, money was the cheapest and most insignificant resource he possessed.
The reason he lost his composure was that he had placed high hopes on Li Chang’an and the ’Sharp Blade’ project, believing that once Li Chang’an was developed, he would become the sharpest blade in his arsenal.
But he had never imagined that this Sharp Blade would be unable to even awaken an Extraordinary Ability.
’Does a failure who can’t even awaken an Extraordinary Ability have any value left to cultivate?’
’The answer is obvious. None!’
With this in mind, Charles’s gaze toward Li Chang’an grew cold. "You can go now," he said flatly.
Seeing his nominal ’father’s’ attitude change so quickly finally dispelled the last shred of doubt in Li Chang’an’s mind. He smiled. "Father, you have another child, don’t you?"
Hearing Li Chang’an’s question, Charles froze for a moment, his brows shooting up. "Who told you that!"
His reaction only confirmed Li Chang’an’s suspicion.
The smile on Li Chang’an’s face grew brighter. "No one told me," he said lightly. "I guessed."
"I’m just a Puppet you’ve pushed out to attract public attention. If I showed enough value, you would have put me in the spotlight, but the true heir to the Yunxiao Group is someone else!"
Hearing this, Charles stood up straight, his tone filled with a biting chill. "What are you trying to do?"
He had never truly cared for this nominal son; he had simply treated him as a pawn, a piece on the board whose life and death he controlled.
But now, he realized he had underestimated Li Chang’an. The boy was far more intelligent than he’d imagined—so intelligent that Charles could smell a hint of danger.
Li Chang’an, however, made no drastic moves. His wings had not yet fully grown; right now, the most important thing was to continue securing resources.
Thus, he smiled and said, "I can do everything you want me to. In return, you must continue to provide me with Extraordinary Evolution Liquid!"
Charles reacted as if he’d just heard the biggest joke in the world.
He sneered, "Everything you have now, I gave to you. I can take it all back at any moment, including your life. What right do you have to negotiate with me?"
In response, Li Chang’an smashed the bulletproof tempered glass in the laboratory with a single punch. He reached inside, took out an exquisitely crafted firearm, and said coolly, "Didn’t I just say? As long as you’re willing to cultivate me, I can give you everything you want!"
Seeing the tempered glass—strong enough to withstand a high-caliber sniper rifle—shattered by Li Chang’an’s punch.
Charles’s expression finally changed, his pupils contracting instantly. "I didn’t detect any trace of Extraordinary Power awakening in your body just now. You... How did you do that?"
The president of the Yunxiao Group, one of the world’s top ten corporations, the Emperor standing at the pinnacle of power in Night City—was now so shocked by the child he himself had raised that his voice unconsciously wavered.
One can only imagine how deeply shaken Charles was at that moment.
Li Chang’an said nothing, merely staring at him coldly.
Charles’s expression shifted several times before he finally spoke after a long silence. "I admit, you are even more exceptional than I imagined..."
"Very well. Since you have shown your worth and possess the necessary resolve, my investment in you will not be reduced by a single cent!"
Although Li Chang’an’s recent display made him feel very uncomfortable, like a lone wolf in the wilderness encountering another.
But Charles was not intimidated.
After all, he was the Night City Emperor, the one who held supreme authority.
And no matter what Li Chang’an became, he was still just a doll Charles had created on a whim. Perhaps this doll now exhibited an uncontrollable, threatening nature, but so what?
If he lacked even this much confidence, Charles would never have reached his current position.
...
After Li Chang’an demonstrated his value, his relationship with Charles seemed to return to normal.
At regular intervals, Li Chang’an would receive an injection of an Extraordinary Potion. Downing concoctions worth hundreds of millions like water—only Li Chang’an could enjoy such treatment in all of Night City.
And as the concentration of the potions in his body increased, Li Chang’an began to feel changes within himself.
Most noticeably, his physical strength, speed, endurance, and spirit were all greatly enhanced. This enhancement was different from the transformations through Martial Dao cultivation in his previous two lives; it was an augmentation more inclined toward the genetic level.
To more closely observe the changes in his body, Li Chang’an spent a long time each day in introspection, looking inward.
「Finally, on his eighth birthday.」
His Heaven-defying Comprehension brought Li Chang’an a flash of insight.
[Heaven-defying Comprehension: You have perceived some of the mysteries within your body’s genes. Your control over your physical form has strengthened...]
[Heaven-defying Comprehension: You have perceived some of the mysteries within your brain’s genes. Your control over your brain has strengthened...]
[Heaven-defying Comprehension: You have perceived some of the mysteries within the genes affected by the Extraordinary Potion. You have successfully awakened the Extraordinary Power: Barbaric Martial Saint!]
[Acquired Special Genetic Talent: Barbaric Martial God (Incomplete)]
[Barbaric Martial Saint: You are a Martial Arts God from the barbaric wilds. From birth, your genes have carried an indisputable Martial Arts Will!]
[Your body’s Basic Abilities are permanently increased by 250%. Physical attack damage is increased by 300%. The upper limit of your Martial Arts Gene is increased by 500%!]
[Your Extraordinary Divine Power can be imbued into any item. Under your Extraordinary Martial Force, the item will gain Martial Dao Divinity and provide an additional 200% to its Attributes!]
Looking at the information that appeared on his retina.
A satisfied smile touched Li Chang’an’s lips.
During this time, he had consumed dozens of Super Evolution Potions, burning through tens of billions, and had finally awakened a portion of his so-called Extraordinary Divine Power.
And under Li Chang’an’s deliberate control, the awakened Extraordinary Divine Power was conveniently related to increasing his combat effectiveness.
Aside from being somewhat incomplete for now, the various Attribute boosts were practically perfect!
As for how to make this talent perfect, Li Chang’an already had a direction in mind. The Yunxiao Technology Group was not adept at researching Extraordinary Potions.
Therefore, if Li Chang’an wanted to obtain higher-Level Extraordinary Potions, or even understand their production and manufacturing processes, he would need to get the Advanced Technology Group—the corporation that truly stood at the pinnacle of the world—under his control.
Without a doubt, this was an extremely challenging task.
The Advanced Technology Group was the foremost of the world’s top ten corporations, monopolizing the production of Extraordinary Potions—a business more profitable than any other industry in the current world.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Advanced Technology Group’s current scale, wealth, and power could rival the other nine major corporations combined.
To give a simple example, the Advanced Technology Group even occupied a private territory called ’Dog Town’ on the outskirts of Night City, the very home base of the Yunxiao Technology Group.
Even though the Yunxiao Group seethed with hatred over it, they didn’t dare make a move. This just went to show how terrifyingly powerful the group was.
...
Therefore, before he could covet the production process of Extraordinary Potions, Li Chang’an had to gradually build up his own strength.
After all, this world was not like the two ancient dynastic worlds from his past.
All sorts of high-tech weapons were rampant.
Even if Li Chang’an broke through to become a Land Immortal and could sweep through the world undefeated, he might not fare well under the concentrated firepower of a major corporation’s advanced weaponry.
’Putting everything else aside, even a Land Immortal couldn’t withstand a direct hit from a nuclear bomb, right?’
A Land Immortal could, at best, survive at the edge of a nuclear explosion. But if one were caught in the center of the blast, it wouldn’t matter that they were flesh and blood.
Even solid steel would be instantly vaporized.
However, the Advanced Technology Group possessed enough nuclear weapons to flatten all of Night City.
So, in a technologically advanced world, an individual’s combat power might not be that high.
But the destructive potential of a group was definitely not low.
Even an ordinary person, armed with various high-tech weapons, could instantly kill a Martial Artist known for their Copper Skin and Iron Bones.
Feeling the world-shaking power coursing through his body...
A cold sneer formed on Li Chang’an’s lips as he muttered to himself, "Now that I have enough power, it’s time to get my hands on some authority. I hope my dear old dad can put up a bit of a fight. Otherwise, it won’t be any fun."
...
At the age of nine, Li Chang’an went to Charles and requested an internship at the corporation.
Although Charles thought he was still too young, he decided to give him a chance. "Since you say you’ve awakened an Extraordinary Power, go serve in the company’s Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team. Perhaps there you’ll get a taste of the shock and awe of the Extraordinary World and the cyber-psychos!"
As he said this, Charles wore a smile, but his eyes were cold.
If the Yunxiao Group was the Emperor of Night City, then the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team was the sharpest blade in the Emperor’s hand—the city’s most violent enforcement agency.
By assigning Li Chang’an’s internship to the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team, Charles not only created an opportunity to better observe Li Chang’an’s Extraordinary Ability, but he also intended to keep him under surveillance.
After all, his son’s wolfish ambition was barely concealed. Although Charles didn’t think the boy could ever defy him, he still took precautions.
To this, Li Chang’an naturally had no objection.
...