Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 179: Pressure

Experience the intense killing intent of a High-Class Astral Cultivator firsthand?

Others might not understand what this meant, but the competitors did. Their expressions hardened one by one.

Ordinary people and Astral Cultivators could coexist comfortably in the absence of hostility. Even if there was discomfort, they would only think that it was often attributed to the Astral Cultivator's noble status and the pressure of their presence.

But martial artists, especially those qualified to compete in the World's Top Martial Competition, understood better than anyone the terrifying consequences when an Astral Cultivator targeted someone with unrestrained killing intent.

The phrase "a glance can kill" was no empty saying!

In the face of an Astral Cultivator's killing intent, even a grandmaster would only be able to exert no more than thirty to forty percent of their power. Only a Martial Saint could suppress their turbulent Atomic Will and barely withstand their killing intent.

If an Astral Cultivator was already like this, then a High-Class Astral Cultivator was even more so. The blazing and explosive killing intent of a High-Class Astral Cultivator could cause any practitioner below the Martial Saint level to lose control of their body completely. It would be nearly impossible for them to regain control without one or two seconds of delay.

One to two seconds....

Even in grandmaster-level battles, this was enough to kill an opponent three to five times.

This severely injured and nearly dead high-tier beast would still be an insurmountable hurdle for many. Yet, Li Pin, despite the beast's intense and violent killing intent hammering at him, had been able to land the final blow against it.

For a moment, even Song Wuya, Duan Yidao, Nan Lifeng, and Yan Hongtu felt a shiver run down their spine. If they had been the ones in Li Pin’s shoes....

"The second thing," Li Pin said casually, not giving the crowd much time to react."I have condensed Martial Will and become a Martial Saint."

After saying that, Li Pin handed the microphone to the host and turned to leave. His abrupt departure, coupled with his shocking announcement, sent shockwaves through the crowd.

"Martial Saint?! He has condensed Martial Will and become a Martial Saint!?"

"Li Pin has become a Martial Saint!? Did he achieve this during the preliminaries? He forged his Martial Will through life-and-death battles and achieved Martial Saint!?"

"My God! Isn't he just twenty-three years old!? A twenty-three-year-old Martial Saint!?"

The crowd was in an uproar.

Whether it was Cheng Yufeng, who had thought Li Pin was just showing off, Yan Hongtu, who felt Li Pin was too arrogant, or Song Wuya, Duan Yidao, and the other contestants who doubted his abilities, they were all utterly stunned.

A Martial Saint! He made the breakthrough just like that?

To become a Martial Saint at twenty-three and win first place in the preliminaries was... an astonishingly remarkable achievement!

"Martial Saint!"

Song Wuya recalled the subtle clash of wills he had with Li Pin when they first met, over fifteen days ago. At that time, he had struck with a formidable saber intent, but Li Pin had effortlessly shattered his saber intent.

Now, Li Pin had even completed his breakthrough during the preliminaries and achieved Martial Saint....

Song Wuya murmured to himself, "Perhaps... an opponent stronger than Zhao Yushi, Cheng Yufeng, and the Great Sun Chosen One has emerged."

Duan Yidao tightened his grip on his weapon. "I wonder if he can withstand my Lunar Ice Strike."

Yan Hongtu's brows were furrowed with pressure as worry began to show on his face. "How could Li Pin possibly break through to Martial Saint so easily!?"

Cheng Yufeng cast a grave glance in the direction where Li Pin had disappeared before leaving swiftly.

"It's time to head back... and practice my spear techniques," Zhao Yushi murmured as she stroked her weapon.

She too glanced in the direction Li Pin had left and then strode away.

Meanwhile, the Great Sun Chosen One felt relieved after Li Pin revealed that he had achieved Martial Saint.

Perhaps... if Li Pin was a Martial Saint... it made more sense that he could easily defeat the Orc Fighter who had once knocked him back.

***

In the car-exclusive passageway, Su Feiyu quickly caught up with Li Pin.

"Li Pin," She called out, her confusion palpable, "why did you feel the need to explain how you defeated the Orc Fighter, the Crimson-Tooth Tiger, and the Orc Warrior? A clear conscience needs no defense. These rumors won't have any real impact on you."

GlLi Pin glanced at her and smiled. "You don't understand."

"I—"

"According to this year's World's Top Martial Competition schedule, there will be a half-month break after the preliminaries. Then, the nine-day round-robin matches will start, with each competitor fighting once a day. It's going to be quite intense."

Li Pin gave her an encouraging look. "Use this half-month to process your experiences in the preliminaries. Maybe your strength might improve further by the time the round-robin matches start."

Su Feiyu took note of his response and chose not to ask further. Still, she couldn't fully understand why he had done that. Li Pin didn't seem like the type who was overly concerned with his reputation.

Wait....

Perhaps not entirely. At the Jiang Province Martial Competition, when faced with accusations and slander from the martial society, he had once defeated ten top contenders single-handedly to clear his name.

***

"Quite an interesting young man."

News of what had happened at the World's Top Martial Competition soon reached the organizing committee.

"He's young now, but if he continues to grow at this rate, he might be on par with us in ten or twenty years," Zhang Songbai said with a smile.

He resolved to make a substantial effort to recruit Li Pin to the Dragon Gate Hall. He had already considered Li Pin almost one of their own and thus found him increasingly likable.

"Condensing Martial Will and achieving Martial Saint at twenty-three is indeed impressive," Qiao Feiyu remarked, glancing at Su Mai. "The Taibai Kingdom is truly fortunate to have such a prodigy emerge this year! Regardless of whether he wins the championship, just his age alone means he can participate in four more seasons of the World's Top Martial Competition, bringing Taibai endless fame."

"You're too kind," Su Mai responded with a smile. "It's just that he's a bit too young and impulsive. If he had kept his breakthrough to Martial Saint a secret, he might have caught his opponents off guard and won one or two matches."

"This is why I find him intriguing. You might think he revealed his Martial Saint status to dispel the rumors about 'free points.' But to me, his true intention is to demonstrate his strength, creating pressure on his opponents so they won't dare to underestimate him and will perform at their peak." Wan Qingshan paused. "His ambition is wild!"

"Let's hope his life isn't as fragile as paper!"

At this moment, Ying Yu, who had been silent, spoke up. His gaze was cold. "During this time, we have thoroughly investigated the death of Zhao Sha, the prodigy from the Blackbird Kingdom. It may appear as though he was killed by the Orc Warrior, but we found traces of weapons on their bodies. This indicates that Zhao Sha and the other two participants were actually killed by Li Pin and Su Feiyu."

He stated emphatically, "It's clear that Zhao Sha and the others discovered the Orc Warrior first. Just as they were about to kill it, Li Pin and Su Feiyu suddenly appeared and ambushed them. Adding that Li Pin has already reached the Martial Saint level, this ultimately led to their brutal deaths."

After speaking, the representative of the Blackbird Kingdom turned his gaze to Wan Qingshan. "For such brutes who harm other competitors, the committee should immediately revoke their qualifications and make them pay in blood!"

Before Wan Qingshan could speak, Su Mai retorted sharply, "Nonsense! Where's the evidence? Show us the evidence! If you can condemn someone based on mere speculation, then I can also suspect that you're colluding with the Demon Lord!"

"Compare the wounds on the corpse with Li Pin's weapons. I refuse to believe there isn't any evidence!" Ying Yu insisted.

Glancing at Ying Yu, Wan Qingshan simply replied, "We will investigate this matter ourselves."

Ying Yu assured, "Why bother investigating? It's already clear what happened."

"Ying Yu, do you need me to remind you how the competitor, Bai Lang died?" Wan Qingshan said indifferently.

Hearing this, Ying Yu's expression changed slightly.

After a moment, he said, "Let's not mix things up. The fact remains that Li Pin has harmed other contestants."

"How do you know it was Li Pin who harmed Zhao Sha and the others, rather than being forced to retaliate?" Wan Qingshan's tone hardened. "Even though the finals haven't started, the World's Top Martial Competition is closely followed by His Excellency Fu Qingtian.

"If you insist on investigating, I can arrange for His Excellency to use legendary astral equipment to look into it. But... are you sure you want to stand on Zhao Sha's side and make this accusation against Li Pin in your own name?"

Ying Yu's heart sank.

Fu Qingtian! The second King of the Century and the supreme expert of the Tianyuan Federation! This person had always been dedicated to pushing the development of the World's Top Martial Competition.

What Wan Qingshan said about Fu Qingtian paying attention to the tournament was not an empty claim. If this matter was truly brought to Fu Qingtian's attention....

"A twenty-three-year-old Martial Saint!" Wan Qingshan marveled wistfully. "The last time we had such an outstanding young prodigy in the Tianyuan Federation was Dragon Prince Ao Guang from the Dragon Gate Hall. He even received a personal audience and guidance from His Excellency Fu Qingtian!"

Su Mai interjected, "In my view, even Dragon Prince Ao Guang might not be as exceptional as Li Pin. After all, before Li Pin entered the martial arts world, he was just an ordinary person. He almost didn’t have any access to foundational precious medicine or cultivation resources at the start.

"Compared to him, Dragon Prince Ao Guang, born with a golden key, has had a far superior environment.

"If His Excellency Fu Qingtian is indeed paying attention to the World's Top Martial Competition, he would certainly have noticed that the most outstanding contestant this year is Li Pin."

Wan Qingshan nodded slightly. "Li Pin truly stands out as the brightest gem of this year's competition."

Ying Yu opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but ultimately couldn't utter a single word.