Otherwise, it would have struggled to accommodate Li Chang’an’s body now.
When he was fifteen hundred years old, the Fusang Tribe had finally consolidated the territory Li Chang’an had previously won for them. Though the land had belonged to the Fusang Tribe in name, their population was too small to rule it completely.
Now, the Fusang Tribe’s population had surpassed fifty thousand.
According to this world’s standards for classifying powers, a tribe with a population over fifty thousand and an army of twenty thousand could be considered a small-to-medium-sized tribe.
The Fusang Tribe now had a large enough population; only their number of soldiers was still somewhat lacking.
At the same time, the Fusang Tribe’s Divine Envoys who served Li Chang’an had been replaced. The previous Divine Envoy, Banyue, had resigned from her post following the death of her father, Cang Shan.
By now, Li Chang’an was practically unfazed by the passage of time. The only thing that allowed him to maintain a concept of time was likely the brief and insignificant lifespan of humans.
The old died, and a new generation took their place.
The newly appointed Divine Envoy was somewhat special. Her name was Man Yu, Banyue’s young granddaughter. From a young age, she had followed her grandmother, learning how to serve the Guardian God.
Man Yu was very attached to Li Chang’an and would often find ways to try and communicate with him when the other tribe members weren’t looking.
At first, Li Chang’an was reluctant to respond.
After all, as a long-lived being, Li Chang’an subconsciously wanted to avoid getting too involved with short-lived creatures like humans, who could die at any moment.
But the little girl was so endearing and exceptionally clever that over time, Li Chang’an found himself responding to her now and then.
One day, the little girl was unusually sullen.
She climbed along Li Chang’an’s crystalline, jade-like body onto his back, her dark, lively eyes filled with sorrow. "Grandfather Guardian God, Grandmother Banyue is dead!"
Li Chang’an was silent.
Banyue had also lived to be two hundred years old, which was certainly a long life for a human.
But her death had clearly brought the little girl immense sorrow.
The little girl hugged Li Chang’an’s neck and asked, "Grandfather Guardian God, does everyone die?"
Li Chang’an thought for a moment before giving a noncommittal reply. "I suppose so. The lifespans of humans in this world are never very long."
The little girl grew even more despondent. After a long pause, she asked, "Then, Grandfather Guardian God, will I also die quietly someday, just like my grandmother?"
Li Chang’an remained silent.
But at this moment, his silence said it all.
Man Yu lowered her head, a hint of terror and confusion showing in her ink-black eyes.
She unconsciously tightened her grip on Li Chang’an’s body, shaking her head. "I don’t want to die. I don’t want to. I want to stay with you and the tribe forever..."
Her voice, trembling at first, quickly became resolute.
She looked up at Li Chang’an again, her tone firm. "Grandfather Guardian God, I want to leave the tribe and venture out into the world. I’ve heard there’s a Divine Kingdom in the heavens, inhabited by immortal Divine Spirits. Maybe they have a way for humans to live forever!"
Li Chang’an was surprised to hear this.
In all his years, he had never heard of anyone wanting to voluntarily leave the tribe to venture out on their own.
It wasn’t that everyone was content to die for the tribe.
Rather, in a world this dangerous, for someone completely defenseless to leave the tribe’s protection and try to survive alone was basically a death sentence.
Li Chang’an tried to dissuade her. "Leaving the tribe with your current strength is a death sentence. Besides, those so-called Immortals in the heavens... what do you imagine they’re really like?"
It was rare to hear the Grandfather Guardian God say so much at once.
And all of it was to persuade her not to be impulsive.
Man Yu’s excitement faltered, and her spirits fell once more. She lowered her small head. "But if I stay in the tribe, my contributions will be limited. In the end, I’ll probably just die quietly like my grandmother, unremembered by anyone, without making a single ripple... Lord Guardian God, is our destiny really set from the moment we are born?"
Li Chang’an fell silent once again.
After a long silence, he suddenly said, "I can permit you to leave the tribe. But before you go, you must learn from me some skills to protect yourself."
Hearing this, Man Yu’s eyes immediately lit up.
She knew her ideas were considered heretical by the tribe.
If even the Guardian God didn’t support her, she would have no chance to act on them.
She had only hoped for Li Chang’an’s permission to leave; she never expected he would offer to teach her skills himself.
This was a wonderful, unexpected surprise.
...
For a long time after that, Li Chang’an began teaching Man Yu the Martial Dao.
After all, this world was quite unfair to the Human Race.
Without Spirituality, one could not walk the path of the Incense and Candle Divine Dao. Without walking that path, one could never become truly Extraordinary. Thus, the fate and future of the Human Race would forever remain in the hands of their Guardian Gods.
They could only pray for the protection of their Guardian God, generation after generation.
The only thing Li Chang’an could offer was the Martial Dao.
Although he wasn’t sure how effective the Martial Dao would be for the humans of this world, this was clearly an excellent opportunity to experiment.
Man Yu’s aptitude was strong, and her spirit was even more resilient than he had anticipated.
Through daily and yearly practice, she quickly mastered many Martial Dao skills. She became strong enough to easily kill the ferocious beasts that threatened their territory with her bare hands.
Driving away tigers and wolves on her own, without the tribe’s help...
In Li Chang’an’s eyes, this was merely the entry-level of the Martial Dao.
But to Man Yu and the other members of the Fusang Tribe, it was already an incredible feat.
...