Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 240: Ambush

Li Pin put down the legendary astral equipment.

In an instant, it felt like a severely near-sighted individual taking off their glasses; the world blurred before their eyes. Li Pin's sharp perception of the surroundings quickly faded, like the receding tide.

Li Pin sighed. "What a contrast...."

No wonder Ran Dongsheng had advised him not to get too reliant on external objects like the legendary astral equipment.

Martial Saints were experts at the pinnacle of the martial arts system. Each person who reached this level had their own unshakable will and thoughts. Advice from others meant little to them. Yet, Ran Dongsheng still spoke up on this matter....

That was simply because he knew better than anyone what difference using the legendary astral equipment made.

A thought crossed Li Pin's mind. With strength-enhancing, top-tier astral equipment, an Extreme Martial Saint could battle high-tier ferocious beasts, on par with High-Class Astral Cultivators. What if they then use rare or even legendary astral equipment instead?

No, facing a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator would probably still be difficult.

Perhaps there was already a fundamental difference in nature between the energy-based starlight bodies and the Martial Saints' flesh and blood. After all, Martial Saints' base attributes were too low.

If the legendary astral equipment could amplify a person's power tenfold, a Martial Saint with a base stat of one would only reach ten. But if the Martial Saint was replaced with an Astral Cultivator, whose base stat might be two, the difference would be huge.

"The astral equipment path is certainly powerful, but in the end, it's merely a tool. In some ways, it's not even as effective as the beast-taming path."

The beast-taming path specialized in mental spirit, perception, and affinity with nature.

However, they too were a branch of Astral Cultivation.

With their strong mental spirit, they could passively draw in astral energy to enhance their own bodies. Assuming that a Beast-Taming Astral Cultivator was powerless without their Companion Beast was a fatal mistake.

Their understanding of the mental spirit was so profound that they developed various spiritual combat techniques. In direct combat, they were only slightly weaker than orthodox Astral Cultivators.

In fact, even without their Companion Beasts, a Top-Tier Beast-Taming Astral Cultivator could still contend with High-Class ones. And with their mastery of spiritual power...

Beast-Taming Astral Cultivators were more adept at handling complex situations than their orthodox counterparts, even if they were slightly weaker in head-on combat.

"From the moment I condensed the Lifeform Force Field, I embarked on a new path—a path of transcendence, much like that of Astral Cultivators."

On this path, Martial Saints... would struggle to remain his rivals.

Just as the strongest Martial Saint, crowned as the King of the Century after battling through dozens, even hundreds of Extreme Martial Saints, could not rival those in the Astral Cultivator realm.

At best, they could kill newly ascended Astral Cultivators and defeat regular ones. But when it came to those at the pinnacle of the Astral Cultivator realm, they still fell short.

It wasn't that the King of the Century was weak; it was just that... Astral Cultivators were simply too powerful!

With their qi and blood values reaching 100, even 150, no mortal body could endure such overwhelming force. As for Li Pin's next goal....

"I wonder if I can handle it," he muttered.

Perhaps once he had further settled and fully adapted to the changes brought about by the condensation of his Lifeform Force Field, he could give it a shot.

Li Pin placed the legendary astral equipment back into the treasure chest crafted from Astral Crystals.

Feeling slightly disoriented, he closed the chest.

His mental spirit and perception had weakened, and even his control over his strength seemed less sharp than before. However, this was only a temporary imbalance, which would pass after some adjustment. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Outside the palace, Ran Dongsheng, the Dragon Gate Hall Master, had not yet left.

As soon as Li Pin stepped outside, Ran Dongshen noticed his weary expression, taking him by surprise. It was as though Li Pin had exhausted himself using a powerful secret art.

"Do you need assistance?" he asked quietly.

"I'll recover with some rest," Li Pin replied.

"I'll have someone escort you.”

After a moment's thought, he took out a vial of faintly glowing, golden liquid. "Take this."

Li Pin instantly recognized it. "This is... Great Sun Elixir?"

This was a life-saving elixir that could instantly heal and restore any internal injuries. An item like that should be reserved for critical moments to save lives.

He's offering it to me right now?

"Your future is boundless. Don't let impatience in your cultivation leave any latent dangers," Ran Dongsheng advised earnestly.

"Thank you, Hall Master Ran, but I know my condition well. There's no need for a Great Sun Elixir just yet.”

"Are you sure?" Ran Dongsheng looked at him. "I sense your aura... it's like a flickering candle in the wind..."[1]

"I wouldn't gamble with my future," Li Pin affirmed firmly.

He was honestly a little surprised by Ran Dongsheng's sharp perception. While his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit weren't fully aligned yet, making his aura appear fragile, for Ran Dongsheng to be able to perceive such minute nuances....

His mental spirit attribute had to have reached an astounding level.

Ran Dongsheng observed Li Pin for a moment longer. Confirming that he wasn't straining himself, he nodded.

A Martial Saint wasn't a child. There's no need for them to spell out everything.

Before long, he summoned Zhang Songbai to drive Li Pin back to the mansion.

Eager to rest and restore his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit condition, Li Pin didn't refuse.

It wasn't until he arrived at the mansion that he realized something.

In theory, a session with the legendary astral equipment should only last three hours. Yet he had stayed inside for over five hours. Would they count this as one session and only deduct 300 thousand points, or would they charge him for two?

After thinking it over for a moment, he let the matter go and headed to the training room. By the time he had stepped inside, the Spirit-Restoring Incense was already burning, as he had instructed. He took out a Pill of Rebirth, swallowed it, and began to replenish his energy.

He spent three full days in secluded training before he finally recovered his state.

"I still need to continue using the legendary astral equipment. Now that I've condensed the Lifeform Force Field, fully mastering it is simply a matter of practice and time. But if I can harness the legendary astral equipment, I can significantly speed up the process. It can also enhance my mental spirit and perceptions, allowing me to refine my control over the Lifeform Force Field...."

Right now, activating the Lifeform Force Field would still come at too great a cost.

"But speaking of which...." Li Pin carefully sensed his spiritual state. "After fully solidifying my inner conviction, facing my true self, and completing my spiritual transformation and ascension, it seems my mental spirit... has changed somehow...."

He tried sensing for a while before adjusting his own state.

In less than three minutes, his qi and blood began to burn, and his mental spirit raged.

As he activated both his qi and blood and mental spirit at the same time, the burning qi and blood and surging mental spirit began to transcend. Like a brilliant, boundless sun, it unleashed an unparalleled, dazzling radiance.

Great Sun Infinite!

Li Pin immediately entered the transcendent state of Great Sun Infinite.

In this state, his qi and blood and mental spirit were pushed to their utmost limits. It was as if his mental spirit became the fire, and his qi and blood the fuel, burning fiercely to release his full potential and shine at his brightest.

The effect lasted for one full minute before the exhaustion from the depletion of his qi and blood and mental spirit sat in.

Li Pin held on for another minute. However, after that, he couldn't maintain this spiritual state any longer and finally exited the Great Sun Infinite.

He quickly started to meditate to adjust his spiritual state while performing the Innate Qi-Refining Technique to replenish the primordial qi he had depleted while burning his qi and blood.

Several hours later, Li Pin finished his meditation.

"As I suspected, after completing the spiritual transformation, the burden of Great Sun Infinite has lessened significantly..." he remarked.

Naturally, it hadn't become as effortless as using the Blood-Seething Secret Art, where he could replenish his primordial qi easily with the Qi-Refining Technique. Nevertheless, the Great Sun Infinite wouldn't carry the same life-or-death risk as it used to.

Li Pin's thoughts drifted to the Lifeform Force Field.

The Lifeform Force Field originated from the Stars Overlord, a technique that had been initially created as a Secret Art.

"Could this be considered a revised version of Stars Overlord? Has the most powerful secret art been replaced by the Lifeform Force Field?" Li Pin murmured.

After reviewing everything one last time, he ended his four-day secluded training.

After a quick wash and a restful sleep, Li Pin woke up.

It was now the fifth day since he had used the legendary astral equipment.

***

At the dining table.

As Li Pin ate the expensive medicinal dishes, he ordered, “Zhang Yuesheng, apply for the legendary astral equipment again."

Zhang Yuesheng was stunned. "Again?"

Most members would enter seclusion for at least one to two months after using the legendary astral equipment. It had only been five days since Li Pin last used it....

However, as Li Pin's steward, Zhang Yuesheng couldn't refuse an order of his. "Right away. But Dragon Prince, don't you need to wait a bit longer?"

"No need," Li Pin added. "Go."

"Yes," Zhang Yuesheng responded.

"Oh, by the way, anything interesting happened recently?"

"Yeah..." Zhang Yuesheng replied."One event did cause quite a stir. Cang Yunxiao, ranked first on the Hidden Dragon List, challenged Liu Xuanming, ranked second on the Transformative Dragon List, two days ago, and won."

Li Pin didn't seem amused. "Oh.”

Then, he seemed to think of something. "Any news on Wang Liancheng, the unparalleled Martial Saint of the Federation?"

"Yes!" Zhang Yuesheng's tone became serious. "This is another major event in the Federation recently. Four days ago, on the second day of your seclusion, Wang Liancheng was ambushed and severely injured....

"The great Lord Fu Qingtian was furious, traveling three thousand miles to eradicate a Divine Adoration Sect stronghold, slaughtering hundreds of their members. The Tianyuan Federation has also launched a series of operations to eradicate the Divine Adoration Sect. From how it seems, they are vowing to wipe this cancer out completely!"

Li Pin was stunned. "He was ambushed and severely injured!?"

"Yes, the injuries are severe. It's unlikely he'll recover anytime soon. In fact..."

Zhang Yuesheng paused, looking grave. "He'll likely miss the... King of the Century Competition, which is only six months away!"

1. implies his aura is fragile. ☜