Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 235: Position

One by one, the core members of Dragon Gate Hall stepped onto the stage, and one by one, they were carried off by the Astral Cultivators responsible for tending to the wounded.

The Astral Cultivator in charge was overwhelmed with work, wishing that Li Pin would pay him extra for overtime. But considering the promising future of this Dragon Prince, he kept a smile on his face throughout the whole process.

The crowd initially thought that with thirteen Martial Saints challenging him, Li Pin would merely arrange the match order, perhaps fighting one or two rounds at most. After all, these challengers were far stronger than the opponents he faced in the World's Top Martial Competition.

Even in that competition, each contestant would have a cycle of fighting one match followed by a rest to maintain their condition. If this were the competition, facing thirteen challengers would take at least ten days to two weeks, assuming he partook in one match per day.

But... throughout the whole thing, Li Pin had barely taken any breaks. He summoned a few challengers, dealt with them quickly, and then brought on the next batch without pause.

Although he took a Pill of Rebirth at one point, his overall qi and blood seemed endless, never showing signs of depletion. He divided the thirteen Martial Saints into several rounds and defeated them all.

Even Zhou Heng from the Transformative Dragon List, was no exception.

Perhaps because he thought he was strong, the 600 thousand points he had spent, or maybe it was the fact that his turn came at the very end, but Zhou Heng had faced Li Pin in a one-on-one duel.

But even then... the outcome was the same.

Li Pin knocked Zhou Heng's sword from his hand, and the edge of the Lingfeng Sword grazed his throat.

Zhou Heng stiffened, not moving an inch.

Li Pin cupped his hands. "Thanks for the match."

Considering Zhou Heng was a major client, having spent 600 thousand points, enough to use the legendary astral equipment twice, Li Pin added, "Much appreciated."

Zhou Heng controlled the blood trickling from his throat and looked at Li Pin with a complex expression. "It's me who overestimated myself."

He exhaled slowly. "Li Pin... whether it's your status as the Dragon Prince or your second-place ranking on the Hidden Dragon List, they are all indisputable. No... I even feel that Dragon Gate Hall's ranking is too modest. Compared to Cang Yunxiao, you should be the true number one on the Hidden Dragon List."

"You flatter me," Li Pin responded. "The journey of martial arts training is long, and I still have a long way to go."

Zhou Heng stared at him.

He couldn't tell if Li Pin was being humble or arrogant...

After a moment, he accepted the former conclusion.

Humble! Li Pin... was indeed a humble man.

Despite facing challenges from thirteen powerful Martial Saints, despite straightforwardly talking about fighting Fang Ziyou and Zhao Yunlong at once, despite bluntly saying that only when Yue Hengjiang and the others teamed up did he feel pressure, despite...

Damn it! I can't keep lying to myself. How could this not be arrogance!? At best, it was arrogance backed by strength!

"Li Pin, I believe you're a true prodigy. In the future, you could even rival Ye Chengyuan, Bai Liying, Ying Zhen, and the White Emperor. You might even compete alongside them in the King of the Century Competition. But... humans have limits."

Zhou Heng spoke solemnly. "The King of the Century Competition has no rules, no restrictions. Dozens, even hundreds of Extreme Martial Saints ascended to their transcendent state will clash in one massive battle. If you're too arrogant and become the target of everyone's attacks, no one could endure that, not even Wang Liancheng."

"Thanks for the reminder. I've always been cautious and know my limits." Li Pin nodded. "Just like earlier, after defeating twelve martial saints, I was significantly drained in both qi and blood and stamina. So, I didn't dare face you and the others together and chose to fight you one-on-one, defeating you. That's how precisely I gauge my own strength!"

Zhou Heng's face darkened. Could you stop bringing up those fights?

"Actually, I expected every Martial Saint would have a trump card, some powerful technique to decide the battle. Just like me, I never used my Great Sun Infinite... I was waiting for one of you to erupt, to breakthrough, or even transcend in the heat of battle," Li Pin said, glancing regretfully at Zhou Heng and the others.

Zhou Heng suddenly clenched his fists. That look in his eyes...

He really wanted to give Li Pin a good beating. But remembering the man's strength, he could only scream inwardly.

Thirty years east, thirty years west! Li Pin! You just wait! Everything you're flaunting before me today, I'll return it to you tenfold, a hundredfold in the future![1]

Filled with resentment, Zhou Heng turned around without another word and left.

As for the other challengers.... once Zhou Heng was defeated and it became clear they wouldn't witness Li Pin being knocked off the stage, they quickly left.

None of them wanted to be surrounded and "interviewed." Whose pride could handle that?

After all, they were Martial Saints, all of whom had condensed their Martial Will!

Thankfully, this wasn't a life-or-death battle, so they could still find an excuse for themselves...

Just a sparring session between peers.

Otherwise, their Martial Wills might have been shaken, leading to self-doubt.

***

Zhang Xujin stared at Li Pin for a long while before uttering softly, "Let's go."

He then turned and walked away.

Third place... So be it. At least it's still in the top three, right? The real pressure is on Mo Tingyu.

Suddenly, Zhang Xujin noticed something. Hm? Where is Mo Tingyu?

He glanced back and noticed that Mo Tingyu, who had been watching from the crowd, had already quietly left.

"This Li Pin... he's truly strong enough to shake the will of a Martial Saint," Hong Feng murmured softly as he followed behind.

The others nodded in agreement, no one daring to mention Li Pin's arrogance again.

***

"He's gotten even stronger." Zhao Yushi tensed up. "The gap between us hasn't narrowed at all. Instead... it's widened."

The Great Sun Chosen One exhaled deeply. "As expected of Li Pin, the strongest world champion in the most competitive edition of the World's Top Martial Competition."

"We need to intensify our training," Song Wuya said calmly. "What we need to do is work harder so we can get closer to him. None of you would want to just stand by and watch when he contends for the title of King of the Century, would you?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zhao Yushi didn’t say another word. She simply turned around and left the scene.

Just as Song Wuya had said—train!

She had to throw every ounce of energy into intense practice! As long as it didn't kill her, she'd push herself to the limit!

One day, she'd catch up to Li Pin, just like she had surpassed all her rivals over the years.

The Great Sun Chosen One, however, remained still. Watching them leave, he rubbed his gleaming bald head and muttered something under his breath.

But whatever thoughts had surfaced in his mind were quickly pushed aside once again.

***

The incidents at the arena soon reached Ran Dongsheng, the Hall Master.

He glanced at Zhang Songbai, who had hurried over, and chuckled softly, "Well?"

"This guy...."

Zhang Songbai opened his mouth as if he wanted to comment, but after a moment, he found himself at a loss for words to describe him. In the end, he could only say, "Anyone who has the balls to come to the Dragon Gate Hall is already an elite genius, whether from a city, a province, or even a nation.

"Over the years, I've encountered many who could be called extraordinarily gifted, but compared to Li Pin... they fall far short. And when comparing him from a few months ago to now... his progress is nothing short of staggering."

"These past few days, I've gathered some information about Li Pin. Though he delayed coming to Dragon Gate Hall for over a month, that doesn’t mean he had neglected his training. During that time, he had been training with Xiang Tianxing, one of the top Astral Cultivators, constantly honing his Mental Spirit under his intense pressure. Besides...."

Ran Dongsheng glanced at Zhang Songbai. "You've also speculated that Li Pin might have a unique physique. After refining an Essence-Gathering Pearl, he pushed his qi and blood to the human body's limit.

"And with the Essence-Gathering Pearl gifted by Lord Fu Qingtian and the World's Top Martial Competition committee, his qi and blood must have skyrocketed. I estimate it's already at forty-eight and nearing forty-nine."

Zhang Songbai was startled. "Forty-eight!?"

That's approaching the upper limit of those with innate talents!

Generally, the King of the Century had qi and blood above forty-six. In addition, their mental spirit attribute often exceeded forty-five...

This wasn’t to say that only the exceptionally talented could claim the title of King of the Century or become Astral Cultivators. However, it did prove that their path to transitioning to Astral Cultivators was smoother than for other Martial Saints.

Ran Dongsheng sighed in regret. "This Dragon Prince Li might very well be another figure on par with Ye Chengyuan. It's a pity... that the Dragon Gate Hall weren’t the ones to nurture him like Ye Chengyuan...."

He paused in thought, then said, "With the massive points he's accumulated, he'll definitely apply to use the legendary astral equipment soon. Approve it immediately if he does.

"As for any other requests he makes while in Dragon Gate Hall, green-light them the moment they arise. Any benefits or compensations owed to him, make sure he receives them promptly. Understood?"

"Understood." Zhang Songbai nodded heavily. "Li Pin's rise is unstoppable. From here on, we must do our best to maintain good relations with him and avoid any dissatisfaction he may have with Dragon Gate Hall."

Ren Dongsheng nodded. "Good."

As one of the key figures of Dragon Gate Hall, Zhang Songbai had proven himself capable, and Ran Dongsheng had always trusted him in this regard.

"Hall Master, the rankings for the Hidden Dragon List and the Transformative Dragon List are coming up soon. Should we move Li Pin up the rankings on the Hidden Dragon List? And where do you think he should be placed on the Transformative Dragon List?" Zhang Songbai inquired.

Usually, such decisions were discussed by a few people in charge, and then a final list would be handed to the Hall Master for approval. But now...

"I recall the top spot on the Hidden Dragon List is held by Cang Yunxiao? A very promising Martial Saint, but compared to the twenty-three-year-old Li Pin... he's a bit older."

Ran Dongsheng thought for a moment and said, "Move Li Pin up to first. He deserves the top spot on the Hidden Dragon List. As for the Transformative Dragon List... rank him third."

Zhang Songbai was stunned. "Third!?"

That high?

However, he didn't question the Hall Master's decision. "Understood."

1. describing that life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns. ☜