Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 216: Ending

Li Pin frowned and set down the Essence-Gathering Pearl in his hand, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Its once-brilliant glow dimmed. "That feeling...."

"In the end, it's still relying on external objects to forcibly raise the physical limits. It's more of an artificial increase in power that comes out of nowhere, like the difference between making ten thousand and stumbling on a hundred thousand. Even though the latter is ten times more, the one with hundred thousand will never be as reliable as the ten thousand earned."

Li Pin suppressed this feeling of discomfort and carried on.

When the Astral Energy in the Essence-Gathering Pearl was fully refined, the discomfort he was experiencing quickly dissipated.

Li Pin took a moment to sense his qi and blood.

It had risen to 49.65.

Sensing the improvement the pearl had brought him, Li Pin was quite amazed. "Compared to last time, the two Essence-Gathering Pearls have increased my qi and blood by more than five points."

The effectiveness of Essence-Gathering Pearl decreased with repeated use. Yet, even with this decrease, his qi and blood had increased by over five points....

It was worth mentioning that his potential had been significantly enhanced through the Innate Qi-Refining Technique Foundation Building Chapter.

"With this qi and blood level, I have finally caught up to Wang Liancheng's level when he had been at the Core Formation stage. Moreover, most Extreme Martial Saints have qi and blood around forty-five or six. I could be said to be gifted with innate divine strength, at least to some extent. Though, not to the same standard as Wang Liancheng."

In simpler terms, his passive "Innate Divine Strength" talent was at level one, whereas Wang Liancheng's "Innate Divine Strength" had likely reached level two, possibly even three.

This was a reminder that people couldn't be judged by the same standards.

"A sudden increase of over five points in qi and blood has weakened the burst percentage of the Blood-Seething Secret Art. This is because my control over my qi and blood has become less precise...."

He stood up and stretched a bit. After that, he sensed the subtle changes in his qi and blood growth and worked to re-familiarize himself with it.

He had indeed improved too quickly.

Before participating in the World's Top Martial Competition, Li Pin’s qi and blood hadn’t yet reached forty. Yet now it was approaching fifty. This was an increase of nearly ten points. Even with his innate "Clairvoyance" talent, he would still need time to adjust to this rapid growth.

This was also why Astral Cultivators, despite being able to strengthen themselves by meditating on the Astral God and bathing in starlight, still took months, years, or even decades to break through to higher realms. Their qi and blood increased too rapidly for them to keep up.

A reckless and excessive increase could lead to regression in realm, or worse, the risk of going berserk and losing control over the qi and blood. Thus, they had to proceed with great caution, meticulously refining and strengthening themselves bit by bit.

"The next step for a Martial Saint requires patience and gradual effort. Grinding through practice, completing tasks, and using Essence-Gathering Pearls to refine the body. At the same time, the mental spirit must be tempered through prolonged meditation and life-and-death struggles.

"The goal is to push both the qi and blood and mental spirit to their absolute limits before stepping into the realm of the Extreme Martial Saint... Of course, this process also involves smaller stages, like circulating internal force through the entire body and achieving the Theory-Practice Unity."

Li Pin paused. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He felt these smaller stages were insignificant.

Maintaining the Theory-Practice Unity didn't require "self-deception" if one wasn't concerned about their Martial Will being shattered.

As for circulating internal force throughout the entire body... it was simply about treating the body as a weapon.

With the subtlety of his innate "Clairvoyance" talent and his refined control over every burst of force, Li Pin believed this step wouldn’t prove to be particularly challenging after a few attempts.

This was also why he had placed himself in the third tier of Fu Qingtian’s Martial Saints’ realms breakdown after reading the latter’s notes on the subject.

"The biggest hindrance to me right now is my mental spirit attribute. Based on qi and blood alone, I am already at the fourth tier—or even the fifth tier, people with ‘innate talent.’"

There still seemed to be room for advancement beyond this tier. Thanks to the Innate Qi-Refining Technique's Foundation Building Chapter, Li Pin had not yet discovered his limits.

That was even more so... now that he had experienced those battles with Song Wuya and Zhao Yushi.

"Will and momentum...."

Song Wuya's Saber Intent was a pure essence, beyond the saber and himself. Li Pin realized that his Sword Intent was not as pure as Song Wuya's Saber Intent. That was precisely why his Sword Intent had shattered under Song Wuya’s Saber Intent.

When Song Wuya struck with his saber, everything in the world seemed to dissolve into nothingness; his senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and feeling. They all vanished.

Song Wuya had separated himself from his body, channeling his very being into his saber, and struck with the most sincere and intense belief.

If Li Pin was strong enough—or rather, if Li Pin's foundation was so profound that his mental spirit attribute reached thirty-five, or at most forty—then leveraging this advantage, Song Wuya would have failed to break Li Pin's Sword Intent with his saber. Song Wuya would have become another Duan Yidao, destined to die on the spot.

In other words, at the very moment Song Wuya had struck with his saber, he was already "dead," with his life transferred into his "saber."

Only by defeating his opponent could the "intent" within the saber return to his physical body. If his intent shattered under his opponent’s attack, he would inevitably die. Neither astral equipment nor Astral Cultivators could save him, much like with Duan Yidao.

Song Wuya's Saber Intent had left Li Pin in awe. Zhao Yushi's momentum had equally impressed him.

Wherever the spear went, the battlefield was set.

Or rather—the domain, the Lifeform Force Field!

Her personal momentum perfectly merged with the spear in her hand, forming a unique domain, a force field.

Whenever this force field was erected, it didn’t matter whether Li Pin’s qi and blood was higher. He could never suppress her, being repeatedly overwhelmed.

If this momentum were to combine with Song Wuya's Saber Intent....

"Just a little more refinement and I would forge the first step toward the Stars Overlord Secret Art, the Lifeform Force Field!" Li Pin murmured to himself.

To achieve this, he had two options. Either he could delve into and surpass Song Wuya's Saber Intent and Zhao Yushi's spear momentum, mastering and perfecting their techniques for himself, or...

He could temper his mental spirit!

By aligning his mental spirit with his qi and blood and reaching a transcendent state through the Great Sun Infinite, he could ignite his entire being. In this elevated state, with the utmost conviction, he could concentrate all his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit to forge the Lifeform Force Field.

The last method... external items!

By using external objects to push his control and perception to unprecedented limits, he could allow his already powerful innate "Clairvoyance" talent to break through the cellular life constraints. By transcending the limit of "cellular life," it would reach the fundamental element that constructed all things in the world—it would enter the realm of "atoms"!

Once he entered the atomic domain and moved beyond the fundamental concept of "cellular life," he could forcibly create the Lifeform Force Field. To achieve this, the external items must be incredibly powerful. Even rare Astral Equipment might not suffice.

Perhaps only the Dragon Gate Hall’s legendary astral equipment could help him achieve this.

He had three methods at his disposal; one required profound comprehension, one involved life-threatening risk, and the third was the most feasible.

After some contemplation, Li Pin made his decision. "Then... let's pursue all three approaches."

***

The fourth round-robin of the World's Top Martial Competition arrived amidst widespread attention.

Everyone knew that by the end of this day, the world champion of the World's Top Martial Competition intermediate category would be determined.

Thus, when Li Pin took the stage, the spectators erupted in cheers, their roars and screams deafening and unending.

At this point, Li Pin had only one opponent left, Su Feiyu, whom he chose to challenge immediately.

Su Feiyu wore a smile as she conceded.

And so, with eight consecutive wins under his belt, Li Pin clinched the championship early.

As Li Pin ascended and descended the stage amidst the cheers of countless spectators, Song Wuya, Zhao Yushi, Great Sun Chosen One, and Cheng Yufeng showed little outward reaction.

Perhaps there was some lingering dissatisfaction in their hearts... But it was mostly unwillingness to concede rather than pure resentment.

They all firmly believed in themselves and had confidence they would eventually surpass Li Pin, step onto the path of the Extreme Martial Saint before him, and eventually transition into Astral Cultivators.

However, they had to admit that Li Pin was stronger than them right now.

With him present, the first place was...out of reach. But... there were still second and third places to compete for.

Song Wuya, Zhao Yushi, Great Sun Chosen One, and Cheng Yufeng exchanged looks.

However... when it came to chances, Cheng Yufeng wasn’t really worth menti0ning.

But as for those who had only lost one match—Zhao Yushi, Great Sun Chosen One, and Song Wuya—their eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit.

Losing to Li Pin and missing out on the title of the world champion was as far as they could endure. They acknowledged Li Pin's strength.

But from here on... they would not lose to anyone.

Determined to fight for second place, the three of them looked at each other, their eyes sparking with electric intensity and burning flames.

***

Despite their intense fighting spirit, they remained calm and restrained.

Li Pin's unconventional tactics had forced them into early Martial Saints battles. Their early fights had been fierce, and they had yet to fully recover, so they collectively chose to challenge Nan Lifeng, Ying Long, and Yan Hongtu.

Three battles, three victories.

The competitors, unable to challenge any more opponents, were deferred to the next round.

In the subsequent round, they unanimously continued to eliminate those below the Martial Saint realm.

The World's Top Martial Competition finally became serious.

Once Nan Lifeng, Yan Hongtu, Ying Long, and Su Feiyu were eliminated, the remaining four Martial Saints began their battle for second place.

Following the start of the match, it quickly became apparent that Song Wuya and Zhao Yushi were indeed a notch above Great Sun Chosen One and Cheng Yufeng.

Moreover, Song Wuya and Zhao Yushi performed flawlessly in their subsequent battles, exhibiting exceptional stability and no errors. Soon, the Great Sun Chosen One and Cheng Yufeng were defeated and eliminated.

The fight for second and third place came down to Song Wuya and Zhao Yushi.

After a fierce struggle, Song Wuya ultimately emerged victorious.

Without waiting for Zhao Yushi's spear to reach its full potential, he delivered a decisive blow like a shooting star, shattering skill with sheer power.

Zhao Yushi's formidable spear techniques dissolved in the face of that lethal strike.

After several rounds of combat, the rankings for the eight contestants, excluding Li Pin, were finally determined.

Song Wuya claimed second place, and Zhao Yushi took third.

The Great Sun Chosen One narrowly defeated Cheng Yufeng to claim fourth place.

Surprisingly, sixth place went to Su Feiyu, the weakest of the ten contestants.

Nan Lifeng, Yan Hongtu, and Ying Long filled the seventh, eighth, and ninth places, respectively.

With that, the World's Top Martial Competition intermediate category came to an end.