Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 217: Cult

At the World's Top Martial Competition Venue.

With Wan Qingshan taking the role of the host, the nine competitors each enjoyed their honor in order of their rankings and left with their rewards.

The benefits for the top ten in the competition went far beyond just receiving the Dragon Prince title. In addition to various substantial rewards, the Tianyuan Dynasty would bestow upon them the honorary title of Viscount. Though this title came without land or real power, a viscount in the Tianyuan Dynasty carried much greater weight than one in the Taibai Kingdom.

With this title, Li Pin could easily converse with Taibai Kingdom's Earl-level nobility on equal terms. Furthermore, he would have access to exclusive noble channels for traveling, entering special areas and attractions, and handling certain business matters.

To illustrate, if he was running late for a train, it wouldn’t leave till he arrived.

To highlight further, he enjoyed banking perks that other people didn’t. For instance, while ordinary people required explanations and documents to transfer even a thousand, he could transfer a hundred million instantly.

If he lost a bicycle, hundreds of people from various city departments would be mobilized to help find it.

If he had a problem with certain industries or stores, a single phone call could prompt city management, sanitation, taxation, and other departments to immediately order the shop to rectify the issue. If not, they could be forced to close down altogether.

Otherwise, if the Noble Council were to pursue the matter involving nobles, no local official could shoulder that responsibility.

This was completely different from the local government facing widespread public discontent. No matter how much uproar there was, they were not on the same level at all; the ordinary people's protests could not shake the government's position. However, the nobles truly had the power to do so.

***

The World's Top Martial Competition came to an end as the contestants stepped down from the stage, taking their glory with them.

Just before leaving, Zhao Yushi approached Li Pin. "Li Pin, I admit that you're incredibly strong now. I can't compete with you. You're even younger. In theory, your talent surpasses mine...."

She hesitated briefly, then affirmed, "But... I won't admit defeat!"

Li Pin gave her a kind nod, offering encouragement. "I know. You must work even harder from now on."

Zhao Yushi raised an eyebrow. "Of course I will."

She continued, "Song Wuya, the Great Sun Chosen One, and I have all been awarded the Dragon Prince title from the Dragon Gate Hall. We'll be furthering our studies there.

"The resources and opportunities the Dragon Gate Hall provides far exceed any other factions. Many who seem ordinary on the outside can soar to new heights there. So... our next arena will be within the Dragon Gate Hall."

Li Pin agreed happily. "Great. I look forward to seeing your mastery of spear momentum reach new heights by then."

"I will," Zhao Yushi said solemnly. "The Dragon Gate Hall holds a challenge every two years. The next one is just a year away. When the time comes, I'll definitely challenge you. I hope you'll remain as strong as ever."

"Alright." Li Pin smiled and nodded. "I'll keep myself strong, but I hope you don't fall too far behind. If you fail to spark my interest when the time comes, don't blame me for turning you down."

"I won't give you that chance," rejoined Zhao Yushi.

She shot Li Pin a deep look before turning sharply, her high ponytail swishing as she quickly left.

After Zhao Yushi's departure, Li Pin spotted Song Wuya, the Great Sun Chosen One, and Cheng Yufeng.

Before Li Pin could offer further encouragement, Cheng Yufeng said coldly, "Li Pin, remember this, no matter how strong you are, there's always someone stronger, always a higher mountain to climb. Don't assume that entering the Dragon Gate Hall and training there for a few years will make you unbeatable. One day, I'll show you who the main character of this era is."

Without giving Li Pin a chance to respond, Cheng Yufeng turned and left. The reason he brought up Dragon Gate Hall was likely due to his failure to obtain the Dragon Prince title.

However, since Li Pin wasn't familiar with him, he didn't react to his words. Instead, he turned to Song Wuya and the Great Sun Chosen One. With a wave, he said, "Once you're in Dragon Gate Hall, double your efforts. I'll be waiting for the day you surpass me."

"I will," Song Wuya responded, his tone steady and brief.

Defeating Li Pin had become the pinnacle of his life's ambitions.

The Great Sun Chosen One rubbed his head and chuckled. "Thank you, Martial Saint Li, for your high regard. I will certainly do my best not to disappoint you."

Li Pin nodded to the two before making his way out of the venue through the contestant passage.

At the entrance, Su Mai, Su Feiyu, Tuo Bafeng, and even Tuo Bahai and Zhao Xingge were waiting for him. Both Tuo Bahai and Zhao Xingge had been eliminated in the first round.

By now, the arrogance they had displayed on the train was long gone. Though their expressions were somewhat complex, they were very respectful toward Li Pin.

No matter how highly they regarded themselves as the prodigies of Taibai, with their extraordinary talents, they had to admit that Li Pin... was someone they could never hope to surpass in their lifetime. His future would never be confined to a small kingdom like Taibai; in fact, even the stage of the Tianyuan Federation would be too small for him.

His highest honor and brilliance should unfold on the battlefield of the King of the Century, competing for the throne alongside dozens or even hundreds of Extreme Martial Saints, spreading his name across Gaia.

"The World's Top Martial Competition has concluded successfully," Su Mai said with a smile.

Tuo Bafeng nodded in agreement. If winning the world champion title wasn’t a success, what was?

"The only regret is that he... did not take in Li Pin," Su Feiyu remarked.[1] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I've looked into it. If he had accepted Li Pin, it would have drawn a lot of attention, including the rats from the Divine Adoration Sect. Additionally, he is not particularly adept at teaching disciples. Given his lack of time as well, he decided that keeping Li Pin at the Dragon Gate Hall was the best choice," Su Mai explained.

Su Feiyu smiled and joined, "The Dragon Gate Hall is not a bad choice either. In recent years, many Astral Cultivators have emerged from Dragon Gate Hall. They have a well-established training system.

"By laying a solid foundation and achieving the extreme transcendent state there, the chances of successfully meditating on the Astral God are much higher when compared to other factions. Not to mention that the Dragon Gate Hall has a piece of legendary astral equipment."

"Speaking of legendary astral equipment..." Li Pin asked, "Do people with the Dragon Prince status have the right to use them? How does one apply?"

"Indeed," Su Mai confirmed. "Dragon Princes have the right to use legendary astral equipment, but not for free. To prevent frequent usage, a fee of three hundred thousand points is charged per use."

"Three hundred thousand?"

This amount was not excessive. It was about one-tenth of an Essence-Gathering Pearl. Martial Saints who took on reconnaissance missions typically earned between thirty thousand to fifty thousand points per task. Saving up over a year for a single use was feasible. They could even have some left-over points by the end.

Of course, Martial Saints in the Dragon Gate Hall wouldn't waste their precious time on these missions, given that the training period there was only two years.

Still, that was the legendary astral equipment! Even Master Astral Cultivators might never have the chance to access such tools. Using it once a year was equivalent to winning the lottery. It was too good of a treatment.

Many Astral Cultivators, including those who had transitioned from Martial Saints, might interact with the legendary astral equipment only once in their lifetime. And that was during their time as Martial Saints in the Dragon Gate Hall.

The thresholds set by Dragon Gate Hall were entirely reasonable. Not only did the core members have to be Extreme Martial Saints, but they also had to have reached that final stage of no return—the Transcendent state. Only then could they use the legendary astral equipment. Additionally, it came at the exorbitant price tag of three million points.

In comparison, Dragon Princes enjoyed much better privileges.

"However, Martial Saint Li, there's one thing that you need to be cautious of," Su Mai said. "Once you become a Dragon Prince at the Dragon Gate Hall, you must be careful with your travels and avoid being too casual."

"Hmm?" Li Pin quickly realized what Su Mai meant. "The Divine Adoration Sect?"

"Yes," Su Mai confirmed. "The Divine Adoration Sect has an assassination list. Anyone on that list, even if they are a Dragon Prince, will be closely monitored. They either try to recruit you or... eliminate you directly."

He looked at Li Pin with a serious expression. "The chances of the Great Sun Chosen One and Zhao Yushi being on the list are low. Song Wuya has a certain possibility, but you... I suspect that the moment you won the competition, you were added to the list.

"A twenty-three-year-old world champion was incredibly tempting. Even though the Divine Adoration Sect usually targets Martial Saints with the potential to become Astral Cultivators, your exceptional performance will likely turn their attention toward you."

Li Pin had heard of the Divine Adoration Sect. It was a radical organization.

They believed that the arrival of the Astral God was the greatest blessing to all beings on Gaia, and that all beings should sacrifice themselves devoutly and merge with the will of the Astral God.

In fact, Li Pin had been aware of this faction for a long time, but he always dismissed it as something as small and insignificant as an environmental group.

But according to Su Mai and others... that didn’t seem to be the case.

Li Pin asked in a bit of surprise, "So, the Divine Adoration Sect is quite large in size? Why hasn't the Tianyuan Federation eradicated them?"

"It's not that there hasn't been an attempt to do so. Even if they are eradicated, the Divine Adoration Sect always manages to resurrect."

"Why? Sacrifice oneself to merge with the Astral God's will... How can such a doctrine sustain the Divine Adoration Sect's persistence?"

"That's because..." Su Mai hesitated, then chose not to elaborate. "There are deeper and more complex factors within the Divine Adoration Sect."

He added quickly, "But don't worry. Recently, large cities have started using Astral Detectors. The Divine Adoration Sect's unrecorded Astral Cultivators wouldn't dare approach these cities.

"Only Martial Saints can operate in urban areas. With your strength, you should be safe as long as you remain cautious. If you encounter members of the Divine Adoration Sect, alert us immediately. Avoid being swayed by their rhetoric."

"Swayed?"

"Some misleading and malicious theories," Su Mai explained with a smile. "Just be discreet with your whereabouts. The Divine Adoration Sect is just a bunch of rats hiding in the shadows. Their manpower is extremely limited, so as long as you're careful, they won't be able to track you."

Li Pin nodded.

1. The "He" refers to Fu Qingtian. ☜