Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 236: Commotion

Inside Mansion Twenty-Six.

Zhang Yuesheng cupped his hands and bowed. "Congratulations, Dragon Prince Li. After these battles, no one in Dragon Gate Hall will ever doubt your strength again. Your ranking in second place on the Hidden Dragon List is well-deserved."

Li Pin nodded slightly. There was little joy on his face.

Being ranked second on the Hidden Dragon List didn't excite him nearly as much as the 3.6 million points he had just earned.

Yes, his final tally reached an astonishing 3.6 million after he had called forward the two last challengers.

Forget about using the legendary astral equipment or hiring a Master Astral Cultivator; he could even use some of his points to get an Essence-Gathering Pearl to push his qi and blood beyond its plateau. He could easily afford to do that now.

Su Feiyu looked at him with mixed emotions. "I didn't expect your progress to be this significant in just a few months, Li Pin."

It wasn't that she harbored any ill feelings towards him....

It's just that... watching Li Pin make such substantial growth in such a short time when she had yet to even break through to the Martial Saint realm... was disheartening.

The disparity was immense. It was like she was playing the legitimate version of the game, grinding for levels by fighting battle after battle, slaying dozens of beasts, and exerting tremendous effort, constantly flirting with death.

Meanwhile, Li Pin was playing on a private server. One attack, and he was already at level ninety-nine. No, it was even worse than that. It was like his exp skyrockets without him lifting a finger, like he was AFK farming levels.

The more she compared herself to him, the more disheartened she felt.

This hit her hard, leaving her somewhat emotionally withdrawn.

After all, compared to others like the Great Sun Chosen One, Song Wuya, or Zhao Yushi, Su Feiyu had spent far more time with Li Pin and learned far more about him. And that only made the psychological blow all the more intense.

Li Pin calmly said, "It's just a small achievement in the martial arts circle. I'm still far from being a true expert. I clearly remember facing that Beastfolk Warrior during the World's Top Martial Competition preliminary rounds. Its qi and blood suppression was so overwhelming. The pressure was so strong it almost felt tangible.

"Only when I can openly wear top-tier astral equipment without needing Prince Su Mai's escort will I barely be considered accomplished."

"The Beastfolk Warrior is on par with a High-Class Astral Cultivator," Su Feiyu reminded, smiling. "But Li Pin, I believe that with your strength, you will definitely succeed in refining qi into Spirit, achieving that ultimate transcendence and soaring to new heights after transitioning into an Astral Cultivator."

"Let's see how far I can go," Li Pin said. "The ultimate transcendence largely depends on one's spiritual purity. Specifically, their mental state and spiritual conviction at that moment. But qi and blood and mental spirit are also crucial factors. The higher the value of these two, the greater the chance of success."

Stronger qi and blood could nurture stronger mental spirit.

Before an Extreme Martial Saint achieved transcendence, their mental spirit would typically be four or five points lower than their qi and blood.

In the transcended state, a Martial Saint refined their qi into Spirit. But even with a conversion rate of 1.5, they could still achieve only 112 in the Mental Spirit attribute, with both qi and blood and mental spirit equal at forty-five.

On the other hand, if Li Pin managed to raise his qi and blood to seventy and his mental spirit reached sixty-five, his final mental spirit could easily exceed 120 even with a low conversion rate of 0.8.

Therefore, unless he hit an impasse with no room for further progress, Li Pin wouldn't recklessly rush into refining his qi into Spirit.

"I believe you'll definitely succeed," Su Feiyu affirmed. " If others can but you can’t, then there isn’t any justice in this world."

Li Pin smiled but remained silent.

"Now that you've gained 3.6 million points, your next goal must be to claim first place on the Hidden Dragon List, right? Are you also aiming for the top three on the Transformative Dragon List?" Su Feiyu asked.

"I'm particularly interested in Ye Chengyuan, the number one on the Transformative Dragon List."

Su Feiyu was taken aback. "Ye Chengyuan!?"

Ye Chengyuan was an Extreme Martial Saint. Within the borders of the Tianyuan Federation, he was only second to Wang Liancheng.

His level far surpassed that of an ordinary Extreme Martial Saint.

However, considering Li Pin's strength....No! More importantly, considering his terrifying potential, setting his sights on Ye Chengyuan was only natural.

Having thought of that, a smile rose on Su Feiyu’s lips. She encouraged, "With your talent, I'm sure it won't be long before you challenge Ye Chengyuan."

Li Pin smiled again but didn't elaborate. He turned to Zhang Yuesheng and instructed him to apply for the use of the legendary astral equipment for him.

Zhang Yuesheng quickly went off to handle it.

After a brief conversation with Su Feiyu, Li Pin excused himself, claiming he needed to review his battle experiences, and returned to his training room.

Naturally, she couldn't stay at the mansion any longer and had no choice but to take her leave.

***

Inside the training room, Li Pin reflected on his battles with the thirteen Martial Saints.

His mood remained calm and steady.

"It seems... I'm too strong," he murmured softly.

Despite having a relatively low mental spirit attribute and not yet qualifying as an Extreme Martial Saint, his qi and blood value of fifty-four already placed him far above ninety-nine percent of Martial Saints, even the gifted prodigies.

His qi and blood wasn’t any weaker than the Astral Hall’s students now. Additionally, he had delved into numerous manuals to enrich his knowledge over the past month. As a result, facing ordinary Martial Saints now offered him little benefit beyond broadening his perspective. It no longer contributed much to his cultivation.

In this situation, the only one who could truly command his attention was Ye Chengyuan, whom the Dragon Gate Hall had nurtured with great effort—a strong contender for the title of King of the Century.

Of course, talent wasn't everything. Even if those blessed with talent could push their qi and blood to a level three or four points higher than most Extreme Martial Saints, four points wasn’t an insurmountable gap.

In fact, Extreme Martial Saints killing Supreme Martial Saints and gifted martial artists was not a rare occurrence.[1]

If an Extreme Martial Saint at the absolute pinnacle of power truly existed, perhaps they could pressure Li Pin. But such an opponent...

He had yet to encounter any so far.

"Among the Martial Saints in Dragon Gate Hall, aside from Ye Chengyuan, only the second and third on the Transformative Dragon List slightly intrigue me. As for the others..."

Li Pin shook his head. No matter how strong they are, they likely only reached the level of Extreme Martial Saints.

"It seems I’ve nearly reached the end of the martial arts path, almost without realizing it," Li Pin murmured.

At least... from the understanding of Tianyuan, or even Gaia, this was the limit of martial arts.

Beyond that....

Various profound insights related to the Stars Overlord flashed through Li Pin's mind.

The only question now was whether this path was truly feasible.

3.6 million points should be enough for me to make a definitive attempt and confirm whether this path is viable. Li Pin thought as he closed his eyes, quietly waiting for his state to recover.

***

The impact of Li Pin's battles against the thirteen Martial Saints, including Fang Ziyou, Zhao Yunlong, and Zhou Heng, far exceeded his expectations. To say it caused a stir throughout the Dragon Gate Hall was not an exaggeration.

After all, thousands of witnesses had observed the fight firsthand, over one-tenth of Dragon Gate Hall's total population.

These witnesses had seen Li Pin first battle four opponents simultaneously, then three. With barely any rest, he defeated one formidable adversary after another. Finally, his astonishing victory over Zhou Heng left everyone eager to spread the news.

Li Pin's name echoed throughout the Dragon Gate Hall.

His display of dominance sparked widespread discussions about who was stronger, him, or Liu Xuanming and Han Chixiao, ranked second and third on the Transformative Dragon List, respectively.

Some even began to compare Li Pin to Ye Chengyuan, who had previously been regarded as a cut above everyone else.

Though many didn't believe that Li Pin could challenge Ye Chengyuan's authority just yet, one undeniable fact stood out.

Li Pin was only twenty-three years old!

Could Ye Chengyuan have been compared to Li Pin at twenty-three? Clearly, the answer was no.

Consequently, the level of public interest in comparing the two remained high.

As for Cang Yunxiao, the former number one on the Hidden Dragon List... hardly anyone paid him any attention anymore.

Everyone realized that it was merely a matter of time before Li Pin would replace Cang Yunxiao as the new leader of the Hidden Dragon List.

***

In a mansion some distance away from Mansion Twenty-Six, Mo Tingyu and a few others were conversing with a man seated in the main chair.

"I didn't expect this generation of newcomers to be so interesting," the man said with a slight smile. "The younger generation is indeed formidable."

Mo Tingyu sighed. "This Li Pin... he truly deserves the title of a peerless genius. His rise pushed me out of the top three. After watching him battle Zhou Heng and the other twelve Martial Saints, I must admit... I lost fair and square. It might be a long time before I can reclaim my spot in the top three."

The man in the main seat glanced at Mo Tingyu.

Those who entered Dragon Gate Hall were all proud people who were very confident in themselves. They believed themselves unmatched among their peers. Even if someone occasionally surpassed them, they harbored the ambition to reclaim their position.

But Li Pin... actually made Mo Tingyu, the former third on the Hidden Dragon List, admit defeat wholeheartedly... It seemed Li Pin truly was extraordinary.

"Though the news is still fresh, in a few days, rumors will likely surface questioning whether Yunxiao truly deserves his top spot. But I believe your strength is far beyond what you've shown. So, what do you think? Should you step up and let everyone in Dragon Gate Hall know who truly deserves the top spot on the Hidden Dragon List?" one of the men suggested.

This man had once ranked on the Hidden Dragon List but had aged out of eligibility. The "Yunxiao" he referred to was none other than Golden Dragon Cang Yunxiao, the number one peerless prodigy on the Hidden Dragon List.

"There's no need for that," Cang Yunxiao replied, chuckling lightly. "Even if I defeat Li Pin and defend my top ranking, so what? I've said it before, I've always only had one goal in mind."

Everyone immediately thought of one name. Ye Chengyuan!

He was the undisputed number one Martial Saint of Dragon Gate Hall. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to place him among the top ten Martial Saints in the entire Tianyuan Federation.

This ranking wasn't just about scraping into the ninth or tenth spot. Putting him in second would invite very few voices of disagreement.

Cang Yunxiao's ambition to challenge Ye Chengyuan highlights the lofty heights of his aspirations.

"Though I don't care about any rumors surrounding Ye Chengyuan, it's about time I make some moves after training in seclusion for so long," Cang Yunxiao said with a faint smile.

Mo Tingyu and the others immediately showed interest. "Are you going to challenge Li Pin?" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Cang Yunxiao replied calmly, "He's only a newly appointed Dragon Prince, having been at Dragon Gate Hall for a little over a month. Challenging him might make it seem like we old veterans can't tolerate fresh blood.

"To prove I'm stronger than Ye Chengyuan, I first need to demonstrate I'm nearly his equal. Therefore, I'll challenge the second-ranked on the Transformative Dragon List, Liu Xuanming!"

1. supreme in this context refers to the best of the best, in addition to being outstanding Martial Saints, they are naturally gifted to be even more powerful. Do not mix them with Extreme Martial Saints. ☜