"You’d better think this through. I’m a Level 5 Citizen," Li Chang’an said calmly, his gaze fixed on Cao Hui, who stood a short distance away. "As long as my Citizen Rights haven’t been revoked, if anyone dares to make a move on me, I can request protection on the spot. I could kill every last one of you in retaliation and not break a single law established by the Association!"
"Level 5 Citizen?" Hearing this, Cao Hui raised an eyebrow, his face filled with disbelief. "You? A hick from some remote backwater, and you’re a Level 5 Citizen?"
One had to understand that within the Reincarnator Association, laws could be bent and Law Enforcers could be biased, but the authority of one thing was beyond question or challenge.
—Citizen Level!
The issuance of every single Citizen Point required not only the approval of the Reincarnator Association but also simultaneous confirmation from the Rebirth Mark.
In fact, it was less that the Reincarnator Association issued Citizen Points and more that the Rebirth Mark itself personally reviewed and approved their distribution.
A Level 5 Citizen was a bona fide member of the privileged class, even in places like Kyoto and Shanghai, which were teeming with Reincarnators.
Even the most renowned Reincarnator Families had to treat such high-level citizens with the utmost respect.
Of course, that wasn’t the most important part.
The most important part was that the entire Xiangnan region had a very limited number of high-level citizens. In fact, the total for all of Xiangnan was likely less than that of a single district in Shanghai or Kyoto.
It wasn’t that Kyoto and Shanghai were overflowing with exceptional talent.
Rather, those who could raise their Citizen Level that high were invariably favored by the Rebirth Mark. They were the privileged class of the entire Main World and would, under normal circumstances, choose to live in a major developed city to enjoy the conveniences their various privileges afforded them.
Almost none were willing to remain in remote regions.
’Given all that, this young man, who looks to be in his early twenties, dares to claim he’s a Level 5 Citizen?’
’That’s taking bluffing too far, isn’t it?’
Cao Hui’s first thought, once he processed it, was that the guy was trying to bluff him.
’No, this isn’t even a bluff. He’s just trying to insult my intelligence.’
’Even with the special support of my family, I’m only a Level 3 Citizen. The next level feels impossibly far away.’
’How could this guy possibly have the resources to compete with me, backed as I am by the full might of my family?’
Seeing the doubt written all over Cao Hui’s face, Li Chang’an gave a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. "It seems the Gu Family didn’t give you a clear briefing before you came. You didn’t even bother to find out who you’d be dealing with before rushing over so recklessly... Should I call you ignorant, or just bafflingly self-confident?"
Hearing Li Chang’an’s condescending words, delivered with a confidence that showed no signs of bluffing, Cao Hui, who had been so sure of himself just a moment ago, suddenly began to have doubts.
To be honest, he really hadn’t looked into the details of his current objective.
In fact, before Li Chang’an brought it up, he’d assumed the Gu Family had called him here because they knew someone was pursuing Su Ruobing and wanted him to teach the guy a lesson.
But now that Li Chang’an mentioned it, he realized he had unknowingly become a tool for the Gu Family—a blade to be used against their enemies.
However, just as Cao Hui was wavering, unsure if Li Chang’an was telling the truth, Su Ruobing, who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines, chimed in at the perfect moment. "Young Master Cao, I forgot to give you a proper introduction. This is Li. His full name is Li Chang’an. You might not have heard his name, but you must have seen the discussions on the forums recently about the *Basic Martial Arts Truth*. He is the one who created and uploaded that Martial Arts Cultivation Method. We should be friends, not enemies, don’t you think?!"
At Su Ruobing’s words, the uncertain look on Cao Hui’s face froze solid.
The Law Enforcers standing behind him exchanged stunned glances.
The *True Understanding of Basic Martial Arts* had caused a massive uproar online recently. It had been intensely debated and scrutinized for opening a path to cultivation for ordinary people. Naturally, all of them knew about it.
Even if they hadn’t participated in the discussions themselves, they’d heard the gossip and rumors.
They never imagined that such a hugely influential Evolution Path had been created and uploaded by someone so young.
His future was simply limitless.
The moment this bombshell dropped, the once-lively reception party instantly fell into a deep, deathly silence.
Cao Hui, at the head of the group, was the first to snap out of it.
He felt a surge of anger—the anger of being played for a fool from start to finish.
’Confronting a Level 5 Citizen was a major affair, yet I was completely in the dark until Li Chang’an revealed his identity himself?!’
’Part of the blame, of course, lay with me for not taking this matter seriously from the start.’
’But I refuse to believe my family was in the dark, too.’
Ignoring the stares of Li Chang’an and Su Ruobing, Cao Hui stepped aside, pulled out a communicator, and dialed an encrypted number to contact his grandfather directly.
He relayed his discovery in Linjiang to his grandfather and furiously demanded an explanation. But the reply from the old man—who had always doted on him and granted his every whim—plunged him into an icy abyss, and his face instantly turned deathly white.
On the other end of the line, the patriarch of the Cao Family, a man of indeterminate but ancient age, seemed entirely unsurprised by his youngest grandson’s report and accusations.
After Cao Hui had finished venting all his anger and frustration, the Cao family patriarch’s voice came through, colder than ever before. "Are you finished?"