Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 134: Growth

It was a mere nod from Li Pin, but to Lian Hongchen and Cao Tianyou, it felt like a thunderclap, reverberating through their minds. Intense light mixed with an invisible roar left them dizzy and disoriented.

"How is this possible..."

Spirit Force! Spirit Force! They thought simultaneously

Spirit Force was the manifestation of one's "will," achieved through the unity of qi and spirit, the Spirit Qi Unity!

At the age of twenty-two, Li Pin had already manifested Spirit Force! If he continued to grow, becoming a Martial Saint would be no challenge for him!

For a moment, the two felt as if they were dreaming. Though they had previously recognized Li Pin’s potential to become a Martial Saint, the reality of this day had come way too soon, causing them to be lost in a surreal blend of time and space.

It was as if a promised fortune had arrived sooner than they previously thought, announcing to them the imminent arrival of Li Pin's new era.

It took Lian Hongchen and Cao Tianyou quite some time to recover from the earth-shattering news. They looked at Li Pin. Despite knowing that Li Pin wouldn't lie about such a major event, they couldn't help but ask again, "Did you really unleash the Spirit Force?"

Li Pin didn't elaborate further but instead went back on track. "I used the video evidence against Lin Yuzhi to challenge him to a duel. You can come and watch the match by then."

Lian Hongchen and Cao Tianyou quickly regained their composure upon hearing Lin Yuzhi's name. At this point, they were all in the same boat.

Bringing down Lin Yuzhi remained their biggest challenge. If they succeeded, both Lian Hongchen and Chao Tianyou had a chance to advance further and potentially become as influential as Lin Yuzhi and Qiu Chufeng in the Jiang Province Martial Arts Community in the future.

If they failed, the best outcome would be Lian Hongchen being thoroughly defeated, forcing Cao Tianyou to abandon the foundation of the Five Elements Sect and leave Jiang Province in disgrace. There was also the risk of their lives being in danger.

Lian Hongchen quickly adopted a proactive stance. "What can we do?"

The situation was slightly beyond Lian Hongchen's control, but it was still moving in a manageable direction.

"Unleashing the Spirit Force takes a significant toll on the mental spirit. Martial Saints today should have found ways to address this issue," Li Pin said. "From my understanding, whether it's a grandmaster or a Martial Saint, there are methods to nurture, not only the spirit, but also qi. I want to acquire a manual that includes this knowledge for study and research."

"You don’t have one!?" Lian Hongchen’s eyes widened in shock. "Didn't the Qin family give you—"

Lian Hongchen realized his mistake immediately and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Grandmaster Li. I didn’t mean to pry into your affairs—"

"It’s fine," Li Pin said, dismissing the apology with a wave.

Li Pin wasn't surprised that Lian Hongchen could trace matters all the way to the Qin Family and discover something unusual about them. Lin Yuzhi had likely done the same.

Despite the Qin Family having an Astral Cultivator, they did not intimidate someone of Lin Yuzhi's caliber. Moreover, the Qin Family had been secretive about the matter. Their attempts at covering it up only drew more attention and further weakened their influence.

While Lin Yuzhi wouldn't dare directly target the Qin Family members, he had no such reservations about dealing with Li Pin. Especially with Li Pin threatening his status and position. Lin Yuzhi wouldn't lack the resolve and determination to act decisively.

"Do you have the manual?" Li Pin asked.

"Yes!" Lian Hongchen responded without hesitation. "I'll deliver it to you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest!"

Li Pin nodded. "Alright. Make sure you are fully prepared. The battle between Lin Yuzhi and me is set in three days from now."

Lian Hongchen nodded firmly. "Understood!"

Although bringing down Lin Yuzhi would give him a strong chance of becoming the Jiang Province Martial Society Chairman and securing a powerful regional position, Lian Hongchen still showed deep respect for Li Pin. At this moment, he even considered himself slightly inferior to Li Pin.

Li Pin was a peerless genius who had cultivated the Spirit Force at the mere age of twenty-two, an age brimming with energy and vigor. His future was bound to be limitless. Once he became a true Martial Saint, his reputation would overshadow the entire Taibai Martial Arts Community for a long time to come.

***

In the afternoon.

Having just comprehended the Spirit Force, Li Pin initially planned to recover his mental spirit at home and take a day off from teaching. However, a message from Zhou Xiuyuan prompted him to come to the Astral Hall.

Upon arrival, Zhou Xiuyuan greeted Li Pin with a smile and a formal clasp of his hands. "Congratulations, Master Li! After a month and a half of instruction, Ye Qinghua has mastered the subtleties of Force and has officially graduated. In his graduation speech, he named you as the foremost contributor to his training."

Li Pin was a bit surprised. "I'm the foremost contributor?"

Li Pin vaguely remembered Ye Qinghua. At first, Ye Qinghua had been rebellious, but after a few beatings, he quickly became obedient. Based on Li Pin's understanding, Ye Qinghua had been at the Astral Hall for two and a half years. During this time, several instructors had taught him, some for over six months.

In comparison, Li Pin had only guided him for about ten days. Despite how little Li Pin had spent instructing Ye Qinghua, Ye Qinghua recognized Li Pin as his primary mentor.

"Three days from now, the Astral Hall will hold Ye Qinghua’s personal graduation ceremony, followed by a thank-you banquet. It’s an excellent opportunity to build a connection with this official Astral Cultivator, so Grandmaster Li, make sure not to miss it," Zhou Xiuyuan said

"I'll see if I have the time," Li Pin responded nonchalantly.

Zhou Xiuyuan was about to offer more advice but then chuckled. "True, with your abilities, you’ll have no trouble producing more students capable of manifesting their Force. There’s no need to attend the thank-you banquet like everyone else. Ye Qinghua should be the one to invite you personally."

Zhou Xiuyuan had subtly realized that Ye Qinghua naming Li Pin as his foremost contributor was in itself a gesture of goodwill. After graduating, Astral Cultivators would generally sever ties with their Astral Hall instructors to avoid future complications.

However, for someone like Li Pin who had the qualities of a great teacher, Ye Qinghua and the Ye family would be wise to seize any opportunity to build a good relationship with him.

Once a great teacher successfully trained official Astral Cultivators, he would build an enormous network of influence. This network, encompassing both official and High-Class Astral Cultivators, was not something one would dare engage directly.

"I remember you mentioned that helping a student manifest their Force would earn me one use of the astral equipment in the Astral Hall. Is that right?" Li Pin asked.

"That's correct, Master Li. Do you want to use it now?"

"Of course."

"Alright, I’ll get it arranged for you immediately," Zhou Xiuyuan responded, taking out a device to operate.

Soon, he said, "Please follow me."

He led Li Pin to a towering building. Although it was called a tower, the building covered a large area, with each floor spanning thousands of square meters.

Upon entering the tower, Li Pin immediately sensed something unusual. He knew that an Astral Cultivator had fixed his gaze on him, and it was likely a High-Class one. Otherwise, he wouldn’t feel this uneasy from just a "gaze." This was the natural "rank" suppression that Astral Cultivators exerted over ordinary people.

Zhou Xiuyuan brought Li Pin to a waiting room where an elderly man awaited them. The elder appeared old, but lacked the typical wrinkles and age spots associated with his age. Instead, he looked youthful and vibrant.

Zhou Xiuyuan approached him and bowed slightly. "Elder Wei."

"Li Pin?" The elderly man known as Elder Wei looked at Li Pin with a smile. "Not bad, I’ve heard about your teaching methods. Make sure to summarize and improve upon them. If you continue to develop them well, you might be recognized as a great teacher in the future."

"Summarize?" Li Pin pondered.

Is that really necessary? Isn't it just about having the student fight one round, and then it was over?

"Alright, the merit has been deducted. You may proceed. You have one hour."

Elder Wei smiled and said, "Even with the same astral equipment, different people will experience different effects. The specific results you achieve with this equipment will depend on how you use it."

Li Pin nodded and entered the room where the astral equipment was stored. The room was designed like a cultivation chamber. It was spacious, bright, clean, and sturdy. There were three recessed holes in the wall, each containing one astral equipment. Those were the top-tier astral equipment of the Astral Hall, crafted from top-tier Astral Crystals, the Platinum Essence, Mind Gem, and Sky Pearl.

"If even an ordinary person like me can sense the unique fluctuations emanating from these three astral equipment, they must be like beacons in the night for ferocious beasts and demonic creatures with heightened astral energy perception."

If the fluctuations from top-tier astral equipment were already this intense, then those from their Astral Cultivator counterparts would be even greater. If Astral Cultivators entered a perilous region, it's likely that most of the demonic creatures there would become aware of their presence.

It was no wonder that when sieging such areas, Astral Cultivators would first send martial artists to scout before concentrating their strikes to crush the region with overwhelming force.

There was no way to hide their presence. Astral Cultivators were like intercontinental missiles, and their strikes were decisive.

Li Pin approached and donned the three astral equipment one by one. The moment he put them on, he felt an incomprehensible effect from the radiant light emanating from them. He quickly focused his mind, assessing his condition and tracing the source of this effect.

However, even when delving down to the cellular level, he could not pinpoint the exact cause. Clearly, this was a change at the atomic level. Under this change, Li Pin felt his mind become extraordinarily clear and sharp.

It was an indescribable sensation, like a nearsighted person suddenly wearing high-definition glasses, making the entire world appear incredibly clear. As he lightly swung his fist, he felt like he could sense every subtle flow of his qi and blood.

Li Pin was somewhat astonished. "This is..."

It felt similar to his "Clairvoyance" gift but seemed to focus more on an enhancement of his "mental spirit" attribute.

This increase in the attribute also significantly boosted his "perception." As he delved deeper into the source of this enhancement and related it to his perception of the "mental spirit" attribute, he quickly reached an astounding conclusion.

Eleven points! These three astral equipment had increased his mental spirit attribute by eleven points.

This meant that ordinary people wearing this set of astral equipment could reach the minimum mental spirit standard required to condense Martial Will!