Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 178: Clarify

Rumble!

The roaring sound of the aircraft grew louder as it approached, but it was quickly overwhelmed by the thunderous cheers of the vibrant spectators, numbering a hundred thousand.

At the competition venue, a man wearing a suit and sunglasses grabbed a microphone and shouted, "Next up to arrive at our venue is the number six in the rankings, a true Martial Saint who has condensed his Martial Will—the Great Sun Chosen One. What kind of spectacular match will he bring us fifteen days from now?"

Aboard the aircraft, the Great Sun Chosen One wore a grim expression. As one of the top five seeded contenders, he had failed to make it into the top five.

Though Song Wuya and Duan Yidao ranked behind him, their situation was different. Their sword techniques excelled in battles against other martial artists, but were far less effective when put up against ferocious beasts. For them, making it into the top ten was already a victory.

The Great Sun Chosen One, however, was a Martial Saint! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had been expected to crush those ferocious beasts head-on! Therefore, settling for sixth place had left a bad taste in his mouth.

The Great Sun Chosen One’s expression grew darker as he descended from the aircraft. Nonetheless, the spectators welcomed him with enthusiastic applause.

Putting aside other countries across the Tianyuan Federation, as a Martial Saint, he was a highly respected figure. That stood even in the capital city of the powerful Tianyuan Dynasty. His status was comparable to that of a top scientist.

It was no exaggeration to say that ninety-nine percent of the people in the martial competition venue would never reach the heights of a Martial Saint in their lifetimes.

Given that the attendees of the martial competition were themselves social elites, even these reactions were considered quite moderate compared to what a Martial Saint could receive when visiting a county with a population of tens of thousands. In a place like that, a visit from a Martial Saint could create a major stir. The county lord and the local Guardian Hall would all come to welcome him.

When the Great Sun Chosen One arrived, a few people were already waiting on the other side of the high platform. They were Song Wuya, Duan Yidao, Su Feiyu, and Ying Long, the competitors ranked seventh to tenth.

Since he was in a bad mood, the Great Sun Chosen One didn't greet them and simply took his seat at his spot designated by the committee.

As time went by, Nan Lifeng, Yan Hongtu, Cheng Yujian, Zhao Yushi, and the others arrived one by one via aircraft. Each arrival was met with thunderous applause from the crowd.

Anyone who had failed to make it to the top ten wouldn’t be competing further. Their matches were over. They could only join the crowds to watch the upcoming battles.

By the time the final aircraft arrived, carrying the top contender, the stands erupted with fervorous cheers. That was especially true when the crowd saw Li Pin's young, bright, handsome face. Their screams reached an all-time high, eclipsing even Zhao Yushi's previously massive popularity.

"He's so handsome! My brother, he just gets better looking the more you see him!"

Li Yunyao, who had entered with a "family and friends" ticket, watched as her brother Li Pin stepped off the aircraft. Seeing his determined expression, she turned to Lin Xiaolu and squealed, "Look at my brother! Even an Astral Cultivator can't compare to him."

Lin Xiaolu nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah!"

Qin Rouran pulled out her phone discreetly and took photos of Li Pin. She wholeheartedly agreed with Li Yunyao's words.

She knew her judgment was influenced by other factors, and that the fact Li Pin, currently in the limelight as the top contender in the martial competition preliminary round, added to his appeal. However, she couldn't deny that he was exceptionally handsome, even by the standards of Astral Cultivators.

Beyond a certain level of attractiveness, it often came down to personal preference. It was like a luxury car; some people were drawn to the headlights, others to the model, some to the exterior design. Other people could be focused on the interior, feel, and driving experience.

The moment Li Pin stepped off the aircraft, all eyes turned to him. Regardless of whether it was out of admiration or envy for his first-place ranking, the other eight participants—except Su Feiyu—scrutinized him from head to toe.

Before the preliminary round started, Li Pin had only been notable for his young age. Now he had earned the right to be taken seriously and given full attention by everyone.

While hunting ferocious beasts wasn't a definitive measure of one's strength and often involved an element of luck, it still required significant skill to survive and break into the top ten.

Especially in the last three days, when everyone would already be spent, Li Pin’s score continued to climb, maintaining a lead and widening the gap.

Therefore, they would not let their guard down against Li Pin in the round-robin round.

The host, dressed in a suit and tie, announced loudly, "The top ten contenders of the World's Top Martial Competition have finally been decided. Li Pin from the Taibai Kingdom has claimed first place with an overwhelming score of 2621!

"Although this is just the preliminary round, achieving such results in hunting ferocious beasts and demonic creatures shows that Li Pin truly lives up to his reputation as a prodigy. Let us all cheer for him with all our might."

As soon as he finished, cheers erupted. The noise echoed through the heavens. Even people outside the venue heard it clearly and watched with curiosity, eager to see the spectacular events unfolding inside.

Some even inquired if the round-robin matches had started early. While the preliminary rounds were largely overlooked, no one would want to miss the round that would decide the final rankings.

On the venue, after the top ten contenders had made their appearances and been extensively photographed and filmed, there was no mandatory interview session. After all, those who achieved the rank of Martial Saint were typically people of high status and would not enjoy being in the spotlight.

Apart from a few who were happy to speak, most turned to leave. At this moment, Li Pin waved to a staff member with a microphone.

The staff member hesitated for a moment before quickly stepping forward to hand over the microphone. "Mr. Li, would you like to say a few words about winning first place in the preliminaries? I can connect you to the main channel right away."

"Just a few words," Li Pin said, taking the microphone.

At this point, those who were about to leave frowned.

Cheng Yufeng sneered. "What a show-off."

Yan Hongtu halted his steps. "Well, he did win first place, so he deserves to brag a bit. Let's see what he has to say."

Not just him, even the Great Sun Chosen One stopped, rubbing his bald head. Su Feiyu, however, looked somewhat puzzled. Based on what she knew about Li Pin, he didn't seem like the type to be so high-profile.

The host quickly approached. "Mr. Li—"

"No need for trouble," Li Pin interjected. "I have two things to clarify. Many have noticed my points surged significantly on two occasions, and rumors are spreading that it was just luck or that I picked up easy kills. I want to clarify that this is not a rumor."

He calmly explained, "On one occasion, I eliminated an Orc Fighter and a Crimson-Tooth Tiger caught up in a fierce battle, earning 210 points. On another, I cooperated with Miss Su to finish off a dying Orc Warrior, which earned me 300 points."

Hearing this, many quickly did the math—two mid-tier ferocious beasts for 210 points, plus one high-tier beast for 300 points....

"510 points from lucky kills!? What kind of luck is this!?"

"That's 510 points! If I had that, I could also be in first place!"

"Damn! No wonder people think his first place is questionable! Without those 510 points, he might have even dropped out of the top ten!"

The crowd quickly buzzed with surprise. Many of the competitors who had been eliminated but were still lingering in the contestant area looked on with envy. They couldn't help but imagine if they had been in Li Pin's shoes.... They would have easily broken into the top ten too, maybe even challenging first place with a bit of luck.

"Really...?" Duan Yidao murmured.

It seemed like he wanted to say something, but he ultimately shook his head in disappointment.

Song Wuya couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief. "To take first place like this...."

At this moment, Li Pin spoke again, unhurried, " When I encountered the Orc Fighter and Crimson-Tooth Tiger drenched in blood and fighting each other, the Great Sun Chosen One was also present.

"We each took on one opponent. I was responsible for killing the Crimson-Tooth Tiger, while he dealt with the Orc Fighter. But the result was... in just one exchange, the Great Sun Chosen One was knocked back and severely injured."

Duan Yidao's disappointed face and Song Wuya's disbelieving smile froze. At the same time, Cheng Yufeng and Yan Hongtu's pupils dilated.

The Great Sun Chosen One!? Knocked back in just one exchange!?

All eyes immediately turned to the Martial Saint of the Great Sun Divine Sect!

The Great Sun Chosen One was taken aback. How did the topic suddenly shift to him? Furthermore, it was about that humiliating moment during the competition?

The Great Sun Chosen One's face flushed with embarrassment. Everything Li Pin had said was true, leaving him with no way to argue.

The Great Sun Chosen One’s reaction made everyone realize that Li Pin was telling the truth!

A Martial Saint! A Martial Saint was actually sent flying by a wounded Orc Fighter!

In no way was this because the Great Sun Chosen One was weak! The Great Sun Chosen One has had multiple public records of his achievements as a Martial Saint over the years. He was undoubtedly a true Martial Saint!

The only explanation was....

That Orc Fighter was incredibly strong! Even while wounded, it could easily fend off a Martial Saint!

Yet, Li Pin had killed such a formidable Orc Fighter! Even more impressive was that Li Pin had slain a Crimson-Tooth Tiger prior to fighting that monster in a bloody battle!

Wouldn’t that mean that... Li Pin was even stronger than the Great Sun Chosen One!

Everyone's expressions grew somber.

"As for the high-tier ferocious beast, the Orc Warrior was surely on its last legs. It might have been able to move a bit, but it only had about one-tenth of strength left by the end. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had the right to even stand before it."

Li Pin glanced around at everyone and smiled lightly. "As for the reason... perhaps you should try to experience firsthand the intense killing intent of a High-Class Astral Cultivator."