Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 239: Condense

Buzz, Buzz!

Li Pin's spiritual world felt as if it were being caressed by a gentle breeze and nourished by a soothing stream. The waves of temptations that had been slamming into his mind powerfully and roiling his emotions vanished in an instant.

He couldn't tell if his choice was right or wrong, just as Xiang Tianxing couldn't be sure whether his path with the Stars Overlord would lead anywhere. If Xiang Tianxing’s path proved wrong, then Xiang Tianxing would remain a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator for the rest of his life, never to reach the Master Astral Cultivator realm in his life.

But at least... he'd still be a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator.

As for Li Pin, if his path led nowhere, he would be stuck at the Martial Saint realm forever, unable to even challenge a High-Class Astral Cultivator in the future.

The price he would pay was far heavier than Xiang Tianxing's.

Despite this, Li Pin would never allow himself to be assimilated. Even if it was by the grand Astral God whose power overshadowed the great sun in the sky!

It would crush his Martial Will—shatter his martial beliefs!

Li Pin smiled faintly. "I began my martial arts practice for the sake of life's evolution... but if the ultimate end of that evolution is to be assimilated into an Astral God, then what meaning does my pursuit hold?"

He knew this thought might seem laughable to some, not even worth mocking. Would a being as grand as an Astral God care about one insignificant martial artist, someone even a High-Class Astral Cultivator could kill?

But... was this any different from what he had once told Fang Lingjue back at the Changfeng Martial Hall?

Time would reveal everything.

And if it didn't... at least he had stood firm.

Even if he were buried like a tiny speck in the river of time, forgotten by all, at least he’d know that...

He was still himself.

This unprecedented spiritual awakening sparked an evolution in his mental spirit. At this moment, the world seemed much clearer. Even his observation at the cellular level seemed to have broken through, reaching a point where he could exert slight control.

Li Pin made a brief calculation.

His mental spirit attribute had surged to forty! An increase of nearly ten points!

But the real key to advancing from mere observation to slight control was the awakening and evolution of his inner will. The rise in his mental spirit was just an additional bonus.

"Now, let's get down to business, the first step of the Stars Overlord...."

He could distinctly feel his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit gradually separating.

"Lifeform Force Field."

He pressed his hand down.

With the legendary astral equipment enhancing his perception to its peak, the Lunar Youying technique began to operate. All of his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit poured into the Lunar Youying, converting into a force field-like area.

Buzz! Buzz!

Invisible ripples spread out from him at the center.

The astral energy fluctuations emanating from the three legendary astral equipment seemed slightly distorted. However, this distortion lasted only a moment before vanishing completely.

Li Pin felt a drastic drain on his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit. His body was overwhelmed with discomfort. This sensation coursed through every inch of his body, stimulating his nerves and causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead.

In less than half a minute, he felt as though he had been dragged from the depths of water.

The cause was clear. He had just drawn out all the Vitality, Qi, and Spirit that sustained his life, freezing his very existence.

No! It was even more severe than being frozen! He had technically been "dead" at that very brief moment. But because this moment of "death" had been very fleeting, he managed to come back to life.

Li Pin panted heavily. "Not enough, still a bit short."

This failure didn't cause him to back down. Instead, it only fuelled his determination.

Especially now... when there was no way back.

He swallowed a Pill of Rebirth and quietly restored his state.

As the three-hour mark approached, he once again adjusted his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit.

In the next moment, despite having no opponents in sight, Li Pin’s mental spirit seemingly detached from his body, taking on a third-person perspective.

No! It wasn't that there were no opponents! His opponent... was himself!

That version of him that wanted to follow the path of the Astral Cultivator.

And... the version of him that had chosen to tread a new path!

He had to prove to himself that his path... was not wrong.

Buzz! Buzz!

In this extraordinary spiritual state, his thoughts became unprecedentedly sharp and clear.

He could even see the astral energy fluctuations emanating from the legendary astral equipment, gradually spreading outward and forming a unique pattern.

This pattern merged with the boiling qi and blood from his Lunar Youying, eventually forming a domain where qi and blood and mental spirit coexisted.

A thought suddenly struck him. "So, this is the Lifeform Force Field?"

Li Pin clenched his hand.

A force field, embodying all his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit, quickly condensed and appeared in his palm.

At that moment, his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit seemed to break free from the constraints of carbon-based life and biological forms, stepping into a completely new state. One that combined matter, energy, and mental spirit.

In this state, his life form could be that of a carbon-based, flesh-and-blood entity, or an energy-based life form, fuelled by primordial qi condensed from qi and blood, similar to the Innate Qi-Refining Technique. It could also manifest as a purely spiritual life, governed by wisdom and memory.

This freedom, this ability to transform into anything he wills... even Li Pin found it bewildering. He had never imagined that the successful formation of a Lifeform Force Field would take on such a form. It had transcended the realm of martial arts, stepping into something extraordinary and fantastical.

It was similar to when Astral Cultivators reached the Top-Tier level.

Even when High-Class Astral Cultivators forged the Astral Palace within their bodies, their methods were still rooted in physical forms. It was only after shaping their Starlight Bodies and reaching the Top-Tier realm that their physical form would become entirely energy-based.

That change was what shattered the spiritual and lifeform constraints, making them fully aware they were no longer bound by the ordinary.

Li Pin was undergoing a similar experience now.

However, this state only lasted for a moment before the "qi" aspect collapsed abruptly. Then came the breakdown of the "spirit."

Li Pin, with his keen awareness, quickly realized something and dispersed the Lifeform Force Field.

His Vitality, Qi, and Spirit quickly returned to his body.

The instant they re-entered, he felt his qi and blood and mental spirit becoming slow and sluggish. It was like a machine that had to run continuously suddenly stopping, giving the illusion that it might never start again.

No! It wasn't an illusion!

It was real.... his body... had truly separated from his Vitality, Qi and Spirit.

In a more fantastical sense, his Primordial Spirit had left his body and could not return.

This time, the severity was far more critical than before. At this life-or-death moment, Li Pin's mind raced at an unimaginable speed.

With a single thought, a vast world, as expansive as the universe itself, visualized in his mind. At first glance, it resembled the starry sky above, but on closer inspection, it wasn't merely the universe. It was... the human body!

Back in Zanglong City, Li Pin had already delved deeply into the mysteries at the cellular level, understanding the secret of the microcosm within the human body. He even created the Chaos Meditation Art.

In his pursuit of breaking free from the body's constraints and embracing freedom, his body ultimately abandoned him. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Now, through the microcosm he had once mediated on, he reestablished the connection between his "spirit" and his body.

His Vitality, Qi, and Spirit returned once more.

Buzz, buzz!

Intense vibrations shook Li Pin's spiritual world.

As the microcosm of the body reappeared in his mind, recalling the scene from when he had observed his body at the cellular level, the link between body and spirit was restored. His "spirit" began to control every cell, reawakening the lifeless form.

It was like igniting the engine of a machine... When the engine finally started, the sense of a mortal's physical limitation and constraint returned. Yet at the same time, this restriction brought a profound sense of fulfillment.

True freedom and liberation, though it allowed him to transcend the constraints of the material and energy realms, left him adrift, like a rootless reed, floating endlessly through changes.

Only by returning to his own body could life regain its true weight. Only then could it be called true life.

Li Pin spent a long time merging back with his body. The intense discomfort from his first experience returned to influence him, putting him through another round of torment. But he ultimately endured.

After a long time... Li Pin opened his eyes again.

It had already been way past three hours, yet strangely, no one had come to disturb him.

Despite the briefness of the experience, the world before him had changed completely.

Li Pin looked around. "So, have I awakened some new 'talent'?"

Or perhaps, it couldn’t quite be said that he "looked." It was more like a unique perception beyond visual ability. He could "sense" the celestial body beneath his feet. Although this sense weakened as it extended further, and even though it wasn't much different from the sensation of standing on solid ground, he could indeed feel the presence of the planet.

Li Pin softly muttered, "Celestial Force Field."

Because he had condensed his Lifeform Force Field condensed, he could now perceive the Celestial Force Field. The next step would be to use the Lifeform Force Field as a foundation to manipulate the Celestial Force Field.

However, his Lifeform Force Field had only barely taken shape. Attempting to manipulate the Celestial Force Field was nothing short of fantasy.

Just like the difficult path he had taken to form the Lifeform Force Field, manipulating the Celestial Force Field would not be an easy task either.

"Still... once the Lifeform Force Field emerges, it does feel somewhat next level," Li Pin remarked with a light smile as he carefully sensed the changes.

The first obvious function of the Lifeform Force Field was... suppression!

It could suppress any lifeform with weaker qi and blood and mental spirit than his own. Even Martial Saints weren't exempt!