Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 175: Gain

In an environment filled with ferocious beasts and demonic creatures like the Shadow Forest, using electronic devices properly was hardly an easy task.

Adding to the challenge was the presence of an Orc Warrior nearby. It was as Zhao Sha had said: when encountering such high-tier ferocious beasts, losing three to five contestants was quite common. Even Martial Saints like Zhao Yushi, the Great Sun Chosen One, and Cheng Yufeng would face certain death if put up against such creatures.

Of course, this was the definite outcome if the Orc Warrior was at its peak strength. At this moment, having already thrown its battle ax, the Orc Warrior had made its last stand. Despite having several opportunities afterward, it could only watch helplessly as these humans fought among themselves, missing out on the chance to benefit from their conflict.

Li Pin glanced at the dying Orc Warrior and asked Su Feiyu, "Are you alright?"

"I'm... I'm fine. I have healing medicines on me. With a few days of rest, I'll regain my strength," Su Feiyu replied.

At the same time, she couldn't help but glance at Li Pin again, then at the three corpses.

Zhao Sha, Poison Fang, and Green Bird were no pushovers. Facing these three opponents simultaneously was a formidable challenge. Su Feiyu would struggle against any of them in a one-on-one confrontation. Yet Li Pin had managed to kill all three of them together.

What strength....

"What's wrong?"

"You...." Su Feiyu wanted to say something but ultimately refrained from being too dramatic. "Are you injured?"

"It's nothing."

Li Pin knew that suffering injuries as a martial artist was inevitable. Moreover, those who lived in the martial world weren't so delicate. Su Feiyu had to be accustomed to this as well.

"To prevent anyone from triggering a distress signal, we need to finish off the Orc Warrior and leave quickly," Li Pin said, approaching the Orc Warrior with his sword. "We just need to use the Orc Warrior's heavy ax to cover up the wounds from your sword. That way, even if the committee arrives, we'll have an explanation."

Su Feiyu replied, "Facing an Orc Warrior, it's fortunate if even the two of us make it out alive."

"Alright, you handle creating the injuries," Li Pei instructed bluntly.

He continued to advance toward the Orc Warrior with his sword.

The Orc Warrior appeared to have sensed that its death was imminent. It let out a low growl. Just its massive form, the pernicious aura it radiated, and the cold killing intent that seeped from its bones were enough to make any creature within a hundred meters tremble. Even Li Pin tensed involuntarily as he approached.

He sensed this and accordingly adapted to this abnormal reaction. It was better to adjust now than to be caught off guard in a life-or-death battle against high-tier ferocious beasts or Astral Cultivators in the future.

When they had first made their move, Su Feiyu had spent several seconds to break free from the restless Atomic Will brought about by the Orc Warrior’s killing intent. Even Li Pin had wasted nearly a second to recover from it.

An entire second!

In a life-and-death struggle against high-tier ferocious beasts or high-class Astral Cultivators, that one second was enough to have him killed at least eight or ten times.

"My body... is still my body. It belongs to me," Li Pin murmured as he sensed the changes within himself.

Atomic Will could interfere with inanimate objects and destroy their internal structures, but it had little effect on sentient beings.

Of course, this "little" effect was relative to him, who had forged his Martial Will. If a grandmaster had been in his stead... they would have been rendered nearly immobile by the rioting Atomic Will, as they lost control over their body.

At that point, the Orc Warrior could kill them effortlessly, like slaughtering a chicken.

After adapting for more than ten minutes and thoroughly memorizing this sensation, Li Pin turned his attention to the Orc Warrior.

Whoosh!

Without any warning, his qi and blood erupted.

Eight Enormities True Fire Force, Kunpeng!

Under the influence of his unrestricted will, he seemed to merge with the wind. In a flash, he appeared before the Orc Warrior, his Lingfeng Sword piercing through the air with incredible speed, tearing through the Orc Warrior's skull.

Thrust, withdraw, and retreat!

The Orc Warrior seemed ready to launch a final attack, determined to take him down with it. However, Li Pin had been standing motionless for over ten minutes before suddenly striking. His unexpected move caught the Orc Warrior off guard, and he delivered a fatal blow using the Kunpeng technique he had just mastered.

Even if the Orc Warrior had wanted to resist, it was too late.... Or perhaps, it was so severely injured that its body couldn’t keep up with its mind, failing to react quickly to the attack.

The high-tier ferocious beast could only stare with its eyes wide open. It remained upright for a moment before collapsing backward, as the myriad of nerves in its brain were destroyed.

Blood flowed.

It let out a final, unwilling roar before this high-tier ferocious beast slowly lost its life.

This scene caused Su Feiyu to breathe a sigh of relief.

No matter how weakened, a high-tier ferocious beast was still a high-tier beast. What happened earlier was a testament to that. Even in its severely injured state, the Orc Warrior had mustered two counterattacks, once by throwing its battle ax, and again in its final, desperate struggle.

Su Feiyu imagined what would have happened if she had been the one hunting this Orc Warrior.... She would have more than likely been dragged into a mutual death.

Li Pin confirmed that the Orc Warrior was well and truly dead before quickly moving forward to search its body.

"It's time to collect the rewards."

Within minutes, he had found six Astral Crystals on the Orc.

Yes! Six crystals!

It's worth noting that over the past ten days, Li Pin had hunted nearly a hundred ferocious beasts and demonic creatures combined, yet he had only obtained two inferior Astral Crystals. This Orc Warrior alone had yielded six Astral Crystals, three of which were of genuine quality.

He could easily forge a set of genuine astral equipment with these three Astral Crystals.

Li Pin kept rifling through its corpse. Before long, he retrieved a bright, golden powder. "This is..."

"That’s Great Sun Crystal Powder!" Su Feiyu exclaimed. "It's the main ingredient for making Great Sun Elixir!"

The Great Sun Elixir was a true divine medicine!

Unlike other medicines that required time to digest, the Great Sun Elixir might not always produce immediate effects. However, it could instantly pull someone from the brink of death, almost reviving them. It was no exaggeration to say that one bottle of Great Sun Elixir was equivalent to an extra life.

"This Orc Warrior must have intended to use the Great Sun Crystal Powder to make the Great Sun Elixir. If it had succeeded, today's battle wouldn't have ended with the death of this Orc Warrior but with ours instead," Su Feiyu said with lingering fear.

Li Pin removed the Orc Warrior's armor. Although the Orc Warrior's armor was quite crude, the materials used were valuable.

Li Pin's experience allowed him to identify the Half-Moon Stones, Lingfeng Crystals, and Black Crystals among the materials.

By properly dismantling and reforging this armor, he could acquire the main materials needed for forging astral equipment.

Killing an Orc Warrior had provided him with rewards equivalent to a set of astral equipment and the main material for making the Great Sun Elixir. No wonder it was said among Astral Cultivators that Orc Warriors in the Shadow Forest were like moving treasure troves.

It deserved this reputation.

"Unfortunately, this battle ax's material hasn't evolved into Rakshasa Iron. Otherwise, we would have truly returned with a full load," Su Feiyu remarked.

After thoroughly disguising the battlefield, she retrieved the spoils and the Orc Warrior's massive ax. Weighing nearly a hundred pounds, the heavy ax was somewhat difficult for her to carry in her injured state. However, she didn't ask Li Pin for help.

She knew that Li Pin was the primary combat force between them. In the perilous Shadow Forest, he needed to remain in top condition to handle potential ferocious beast attacks. Given this situation, it was most appropriate for her to carry the two hundred-plus pounds of items.

"Rakshasa Iron...."

Li Pin was familiar with this material. It was said that when an Orc Warrior's battle ax had seen so much bloodshed, the ax would be corroded by the blood and pernicious aura, transforming its materials into Rakshasa Iron. Many Top-Tier Astral Cultivators, even Master Astral Cultivators, sought this material. They were willing to offer sky-high prices for it. However, no one really knew why that was.

"How about we head to the Forest Town?" Li Pin suggested.

Su Feiyu nodded. "Yes, we need to restock as well."

Li Pin responded affirmatively, leading the way cautiously through the forest.

Su Feiyu was lagging slightly behind him. As they moved, she quietly observed him for a while.

"Have you... condensed your Martial Will and become a Martial Saint?"

Apart from becoming a Martial Saint, she couldn't think of any other reason for his ability to take on three Quasi-Martial Saints and kill them.

"Martial Saint.... I'm not sure."

"You’re not sure?" Su Feiyu was a bit surprised. "Typically, cultivators would know immediately if they've condensed their Martial Will and achieved the Martial Saint realm. Besides, I noticed that you can now freely and steadily channel spiritual power to unleash Spirit Force, which is a characteristic of reaching Martial Saint."

"That feeling..." Li Pin nodded. "I know, but I still can't enter that state at will."

"At will?" Su Feiyu raised her brows. "The greatest function of Martial Will is to channel Spirit Force! When you feel that special state and can unleash Spirit Force when needed, that's Martial Saint! Being able to do so at any time, that's already the second realm of Martial Saint, the realm of Theory-Practice Unity!"

Li Pin's interest was piqued. "Theory-Practice Unity?"

"Even with Spirit Force, if a Martial Saint's actions do not align with their Martial Will, their ability to channel spiritual power and unleash Spirit Force will diminish. The Theory-Practice Unity is rare. It can even change a person's character. But if it’s achieved, a Martial Saint can perform at their peak condition at all times. This is the pinnacle of Martial Saint."

Su Feiyu went on, "The level beyond this is the Extreme Martial Saint. It requires external aids for tempering and cannot be reached by sheer effort alone, so it's not included in this category."

Li Pin's mind raced. "You’re saying that...."

"Whenever you enter that mental state and can steadily unleash Spirit Force, that state represents your innermost desire and reflects the ultimate manifestation of that pursuit into your will," Su Feiyu said seriously. "And that is Martial Saint!"