Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 253: Legendary

Dragon Gate Hall.

Mo Wangqing, accompanied by Ran Dongsheng, Zhang Songbai, and Xia Qingshan, traveled from the Tianyuan capital and made their way towards a mansion.

"Master Mo, we could have directly invited Li Pin. Why did you come in person?" Ran Dongsheng said with a smile.

"It's not the same," said Mo Wangqing, shaking his head and not elaborating further.

Soon, the group arrived outside Li Pin's mansion.

Li Pin had already received news of their arrival and was waiting for them in the courtyard.

Seeing them, he greeted each of them one by one.

"Li Pin, Master Mo has come all the way from Tianyuan himself to invite you to participate in the special training and attend the King of the Century Competition five months from now. This shows how much he values you, so why are you being so stubborn?" Ran Dongsheng urged.

"Let me have a talk with Martial Saint Li," Mo Wangqing said.

Ran Dongsheng stopped trying to persuade Li Pin and stepped back to give them space.

Mo Wangqing stepped forward and looked at Li Pin deeply for a moment. "This should be our first official meeting, right?"

Li Pin nodded. "It is."

"Given your level, you've probably heard that this year's King of the Century Competition will be different. It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome of this battle will directly affect the fate of many Master and Legendary Astral Cultivators. It may even... indirectly shape the future of the Six Extremities!" Mo Wangqing said, taking in Li Pin's youthful face. "At this moment, the future is entirely in your hands! You guys will carry an unprecedented responsibility!"

Li Pin smiled.

He knew very well how this King of the Century Competition would be perverted from its original purpose.

Given his current strength, what he had in mind regarding the competition would be akin to gambling his own life.

However, this battle might also bring him some surprises.

"Rest assured, I will participate in this grand battle and... give it my all," Li Pin reassured him.

Mo Wangqing was a little perplexed. "Since you're willing to participate in the competition... why won't you go to the capital to receive the special training?"

"I have my own training methods and plans. I'd rather not have them disrupted by external changes," Li Pin explained. "Take a few months ago for example. I had already become a Dragon Prince, yet I didn't immediately come to Dragon Gate Hall. Despite so, can you say I neglected my cultivation?"

Ran Dongsheng, Zhang Songbai, and the others exchanged glances.

His words were... irrefutable. Even Mo Wangqing found them so.

After a moment of contemplation, Mo Wangqing said, "My master has condensed a phantom figure and wants to speak with you personally."

This word sent a shockwaves through Ran Dongsheng, Zhang Songbai, and Xia Qingshan's hearts. His master!

Mo Wangqing's Master... was Fu Qingtian! Tianyuan's Supreme Expert!

Li Pin nodded slightly. "I have long heard of this great figure."

Mo Wangqing glanced at Ran Dongsheng and the others.

They immediately took the hint and excused themselves. Zhang Yuesheng also quickly dismissed the others.

Mo Wangqingq quickly took out a unique device that emitted astral energy fluctuations. After a brief operation, a stream of light quickly projected out from this astral equipment. A life-like figure that was almost indistinguishable from a real person appeared.

It was Fu Qingtian's avatar!

Master Astral Cultivators were powerful enough to separate part of their thoughts and will and embed them in special objects, essentially gaining an additional body and pair of eyes.

Legendary Astral Cultivators were even more amazing. And this wasn't any Legendary Astral Cultivator; it was Fu Qingtian, a supreme figure among Legendary Astral Cultivators.

Even though it was just a projection, the arrival of Fu Qingtian seemed to cause every atomic structure in Li Pin's body to radiate an intent of submission. It was as if they were calling and shouting at Li Pin, urging him to bow before the avatar, which looked no different from a real person.

However... Li Pin was someone capable of micro-managing his own cells. Moreover, since Fu Qingtian harbored no hostility toward him, he remained calm and composed, showing no signs of unease.

"Your Excellency, Fu Qingtian."

"You look even younger in person than in the videos," said Fu Qingtian's projection, looking no different from Fu Qingtian's real self. "Do you mind facing the aura of a Legendary Astral Cultivator directly?"

"I would be delighted," replied Li Pin.

The Atomic Will of Top-Tier Astral Cultivators had little effect on him. As for Master Astral Cultivators, he had never gotten the chance to face them.

Now, as someone who had never experienced the pressure of a Master Astral Cultivator, he had jumped right to the Atomic Will of Legendary Astral Cultivators.

It was a good opportunity for him to find out the degree that Atomic Will favored Legendary Astral Cultivators. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Fu Qingtian explained calmly, "Master Astral Cultivators integrate their will into Atomic Will. Legendary Astral Cultivators, on the other hand, possess the same worry as you guys, and the remedy we came up with was to use our own will to dominate Atomic Will!

"The ancients tell us to learn from others' specialties to fight and win against them! If you don't dive deep to understand it, how could you grasp its wonder or greatness!? And how would we humans be able to guarantee civilization's continuation before such greatness!? it's just like now...."

The Supreme Expert pressed down with an invisible hand, and in an instant, Li Pin felt as if his body was slipping out of his control. Every organ, every cell, and even the fundamental atoms that made up his body were violently stirring, trying to break free from the shackles of his "body."

It was like... disintegration! All the atoms were no longer willing to become the basic form that sustained his body and wanted to run off in all directions, completely breaking down this body's structure!

Li Pin's pupils dilated. At the next moment, his Martial Will erupted.

Additionally, Lunar Youying's domain rippled out, constantly suppressing the ravaging Atomic Will. At the same time, he rapidly condensed his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit, gathering them in the direction of his Lifeform Force Field.

However, unlike how he would condense his Lifeform Force Field to suppress and interfere with his opponents in the past, this time around, he attempted to condense his Lifeform Force Field with one objective—unification!

What he aimed to do was to unify his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit! To consolidate the absolute control that his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit had over his body—or rather, over his "life."

Buzz!

Under the impact of the invisible ripples stemming from his Lifeform Force Field, the Atomic Will's restlessness was rapidly suppressed.

That feeling and discomfort of his body disintegrating quickly dissipated.

"Hmmm?" Fu Qingtian quickly sensed the changes in Li Pin and looked somewhat surprised. "You've gained such control over your own Vitality, Qi, and Spirit."

After a moment, he mused, "This cultivation method... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before...."

"Chong Guang," Mo Wangqing said. "Master Chong Guang once had a theory of breaking free from the traditional Astral Cultivator system by fully controlling one's own Vitality, Qi, and Spirit, forming a unique Lifeform Force Field.

"One can then merge this force field with the Celestial Magnetic Field, treating the body as an alchemy pill and the Celestial Magnetic Field as a furnace to strengthen oneself until reaching a state where one's flesh and blood could harness Celestial Force.

"However, his theory had significant flaws. For instance, only those who have cultivated the Starlight Body could form a Lifeform Force Field. Even if someone could control ninety-nine percent of their Vitality, Qi, and Spirit, the force field would still have flaws."

He paused. "Any flaw would create a fatal risk. While it might not be an issue in normal combat, contact with the majestic power of an Celestial Magnetic Field—a force so overwhelming that even Legends cannot resist—would be like a small crack in a rocket ascending to space. No matter how small the crack, it would eventually lead to failure to rise and eventually exploding brilliantly."

Fu Qingtian nodded. "I remember an Astral Cultivator from Taibai named Xiang Tianxing who was also sunken on this path, unable to extricate himself. Despite being Starlight Bodies and having forged Lifeform Force Fields, attempting to leverage the Celestial Force Field with these fields is still a joke—the disparity between the two levels is just too vast."

Fu Qingtian pondered briefly, then said, "Perhaps the realm beyond Legendary could enable one to rival a planet, to influence the movements of stellar orbits, but... such planetary-level power is not something that even Top-Tier Astral Cultivators—who refuse to merge their own will with Atomic Will—can achieve."

Li Pin smiled. "No matter how great the disparity, is it greater than that between mortals and the Astral God?"

"If it's the Lifeform Force Field, then I understand where your pride comes from," Fu Qingtian continued. "This technique of yours does give you a significant advantage at the Martial Saint stage, but when facing Astral Cultivators with attributes surpassing yours, such qi and blood and mental spirit, this so-called Lifeform Force Field of yours becomes a joke."

Li Pin didn't argue. It was true that the Lifeform Force Field couldn't contend with Astral Cultivators.

"To gamble the small against the large is always the crooked path. Strengthening oneself, raising one's realm, and then crushing opponents with absolute superiority is the glorious way," Fu Qingtian critiqued briefly. He then continued, "However, this ability is quite suitable for this round of the King of the Century battle. Who knows, you might just rely on this method to compete for the throne of this season's King of the Century."

"Paths are created by humans," Li Pin stated calmly. "Is there a possibility... that the Lifeform Force Field could indeed dominate and control the Celestial Force Field... is it possible that this path may work?"

Fu Qingtian and Mo Wangqing looked at Li Pin at the same time. "May work?"

Even the three Master Astral Cultivators, Chong Guang, Xuan Yang, and Kai Ming, had failed.

"You?" questioned Fu Qingtian.

Li Pin looked at him, not evading his eyes. "Why not?"

Mo Wangqing couldn't help but bellow, "Li Pin!"

He... how dare he speak so arrogantly before the Legendary Astral Cultivator, Fu Qingtian!

"It's good for youngsters to have ambitions." Fu Qingtian didn't think much of it. "Moreover, let's assume this path can work, and it did, so what of it? It'd just be a brand new beginning."

Mo Wangqing advised Li Pin, "Creating a new path isn't as easy as you think.

"Take the Astral Palace system of the Great Shang as an example. The reason it has been widely adopted, with even our Tianyuan emulating it, is because its difficulty and combat power are on par with the orthodox Astral Cultivator path.

"What can help our current situation isn't simply introducing a new path that will immediately alter the world order. The key is that the new path must be proven to be easier, stronger, more accessible, and... more promising than the existing routes. Only then can it become the new mainstream. If it fails to do so, even if the new path is opened, it will just be one more option."

Mo Wangqing looked at Li Pin and said, word by word, "This path, while immensely significant for you personally, holds no relevance to the bigger picture."