Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 194: Breakthrough

"Interesting."

In the lounge, Mo Wangqing watched as Song Wuya and Duan Yidao took the stage one after the other. He smiled and said, "I've reviewed their profiles. Both have mastered the highest levels of swordsmanship and have seamlessly integrated these techniques with their secret arts.

"All they need now is a life-or-death battle to truly discover their inner selves. Once they understand their deepest desires, they can condense their Martial Will and ascend to become Martial Saints."

Wan Qingshan smiled and agreed, "It's as you remarked, Master Mo."

"Previously, it seemed as if they hadn't fully committed to this path, or perhaps they had the resolve but lacked the inner preparation. But now, Li Pin’s immense pressure had opened their eyes to the fact that their defeat was almost certain if they didn’t break through to become Martial Saints.

"Now, their spirits are undergoing a transformation. After this battle, they'll have a clearer understanding of themselves and thereby take that step into the realm of Martial Saints."

He chuckled. "Because only by condensing their Martial Will and reaching Martial Saint can they hope to stand a chance against Li Pin.

"The catfish effect," Mo Wangqing commented with a faint smile. "If luck is on our side, this year's World's Top Martial Competition might produce one or two more prodigies worth nurturing."

The others nodded in agreement.

However, that was only if luck was on their side.

If not... both Song Wuya and Duan Yidao could potentially lose their lives. Even in the best-case scenario, their spirits might be broken, crushing any hopes of further advancement.

***

"This year's World's Top Martial Competition... it's truly unprecedented," Cao Tianyou remarked from the audience. "In previous years, when have we ever seen two major battles between seeded contestants on just the first day?"

Lian Hongchen nodded in agreement. Both of them understood the reason behind this.

"The pressure Li Pin has placed on them is immense," Lian Hongchen noted.

"That pressure is also motivation," Cao Tianyou added. "Don't forget, half a month ago, Li Pin announced his breakthrough to Martial Saint. That was when everyone realized a formidable opponent had risen. Since then, they've all been in seclusion, training relentlessly.

"This past half month has been a period of accumulation, preparing for a breakthrough. Now, with the World's Top Martial Competition providing a stage for life-or-death battles, some of them might really just take that step into the next level."

"Exactly."

Lian Hongchen couldn't help but glance in the direction where Li Pin was sitting.

If Li Pin had chosen to conceal his breakthrough to Martial Saint, none of this might have happened. But as he thought it over carefully, this scene of blooming talents and fierce competition was probably exactly what Li Pin wanted.

Besides...

Even if Song Wuya and Duan Yidao did manage to step into the realm of Martial Saints, could they truly defeat Li Pin?

In Lian Hongchen's mind, compared to those two—or even Zhao Yushi, the Great Sun Chosen One, and Cheng Yufeng—Li Pin was the true peerless prodigy.

This confidence came from witnessing Li Pin rise step-by-step from a Core Formation martial artist to a Martial Saint in just a few months.

***

On the stage.

The host had already retreated to a safe distance.

The organizing committee members and the High-Class Astral Cultivators, stationed closest to the stage and tasked with ensuring the participants' safety, were all on high alert.

Neither Song Wuya nor Duan Yidao initiated the clash. They were building up their strength and cultivating their Saber Intent, while allowing each other time to do the same.

Duan Yidao was both his name and alias. His strongest technique was the Lunar Ice Strike, a strike sharp and cold as the winter moonlight.

The same went for Song Wuya. Though his swordsmanship wasn't limited to just one move, his most powerful technique—the Celestial Blade of Radiance—far surpassed any other killing move in his arsenal.

Forty years ago, the Extreme Martial Saint, Roc Demon King Mo Guang, had nearly slain the then King of the Century, Fu Qingtian, on the grand stage of the King of the Century Competition using this very technique.

Fu Qingtian, the current Supreme Expert of the Tianyuan Federation, had risen from the depths of countless corpses. The fact that Mo Guang nearly defeated such a formidable opponent with a single strike is a testament to its extraordinary power.

Both fighters stood prepared, their Saber Intents growing with each passing moment. An indescribable aura had settled over the arena, even though neither had yet spoken or made a move.

"A murderous aura," Li Pin muttered, his gaze fixed on the stage.

The atmosphere was thick with this murderous aura.

As time passed, the Saber Intents of the two swordsmen grew stronger, and the murderous aura intensified to such a degree that even the once boisterous crowd fell silent, compelled by an inexplicable force that urged them to be quiet. It felt as though something terrible would happen if they disturbed the silence.

In less than three minutes, the World's Top Martial Competition venue experienced a moment of "silence" for the first time. On the stage, the two supreme swordsmen had cultivated their Saber Intents for over three minutes.

Even though they stood motionless, not a single spectator felt bored or urged them to fight.

Li Pin kept his eyes fixed on the two.

Despite being over a hundred meters apart, his senses allowed him to perceive the shifts in their auras. That shift, that oppression, sent chills down his spine, even though he wasn't directly facing them.

He felt an overwhelming urge to activate his Martial Will, to unleash his most powerful strike and disrupt this still-brewing force. It was as if, if he allowed this to continue, the final blow would be so devastating that even he wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy.

Li Pin declared, "Here it comes."

Duan Yidao was the first to strike.

His sword, gleaming with a silvery sheen, exuded an aura of indescribable, ethereal beauty. It was like a solitary figure climbing to the mountain peak in the dead of winter to admire the moon...

A sense of profound loneliness, solitude, transcendence, and purity spread as the sword moved.

A line of poetry involuntarily flashed through Li Pin's mind: I would like to ride the wind and return home, but I fear the beautiful palaces of jade.[1]

The sword light, filled with a shrill, cold beauty and seeming otherworldly, descended as if it were a banished immortal falling to the mortal realm.

As this banished immortal's sword, radiating a haunting beauty, descended to strike Song Wuya, Song Wuya countered.

The heavens and earth shook!

The saber's radiance truly resembled a streak of light from the heavens, sweeping across the land, and shattering the earth where the saber light pointed!

Despite standing a hundred meters away, Li Pin could feel goosebumps all over his body. It was his biological response to sudden danger.

He quickly activated his Martial Will, his spiritual perception transcending his physical body, allowing him to see more clearly the saber's incredible speed and brilliance.

It wasn't just him; countless Martial Saints were also triggered into their Martial Will.

Everyone finally understood why Song Wuya's saber was powerful enough to slay a Martial Saint.

For even they, facing Song Wuya right now, in his strongest state, would face a fate no less than that of Martial Saint Zhou Tianfang, whom Song Wuya had already vanquished.

One sword, cold and serene like the moon.

The other, a shooting star striking the earth.

As their Saber Intents clashed and the saber lights collided, they forged a brilliance unlike anything ever seen before. In that brilliance, neither swordsmen hesitated nor showed any signs of retreat.

Their eyes were solely fixed on the weapons in their hands, trusting them completely as they poured everything into their strikes.

In this clash, Song Wuya's saber first shattered the limits.

No one knew what he had comprehended. Yet his saber became even more elusive and extraordinary, beyond measure. It truly resembled a shooting star from the heavens, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Under such a limit-breaking strike, Duan Yidao could only watch helplessly as the saber approached.

The strike was too fast. It was ethereal! Unpredictable! Like a fleeting shooting star!

His tactical advisor couldn't call for surrender in time as even he himself couldn't discern how this strike came so close. In the haze, he only saw the exiled immortal who had descended from the Lunar Ice Immortal Palace.

Although still an immortal, he was entangled in the mortal world, caught in the torment of the three thousand mundane troubles, unable to escape.[2]

In the end, he succumbed to a power more terrifying than death.

Loneliness. The eternal, undying loneliness.

"So, this is the true essence of the Sword Intent I have been pursuing..."

Unfortunately, he could not endure the silent, lonely years of diligent practice with the sword. Choosing to participate in the World's Top Martial Competition before his swordsmanship was perfected, seeking to...

Make his name known to the world.

***

"Whoa!"

In that moment, countless people simultaneously leaped out of their seats, leaning forward as if that would help them see more clearly.

Song Wuya and Duan Yidao's figures crossed paths.

Song Wuya, with his saber raised high, tilted his head back and quietly gazed at his saber, sunlight cascading over his face, as if he was reborn.

Behind him...

Bang!

Duan Yidao's sword shattered. Fine iron shards sprayed from the fractured sword.

Yet, his eyes were not focused on the broken sword. Instead, they seemed forever lost in some distant memory.

Finally, as Song Wuya slowly sheathed his saber, Duan Yidao's body leaned forward and collapsed. Blood continuously flowed from his wounds, quickly staining the ground red. His life force was rapidly fading.

Duan Yidao's tactical advisor shouted desperately. "Hurry! Save him!"

However, an elderly Martial Saint shook his head. "It's too late."

He understood.

What killed Duan Yidao wasn't his physical wounds. It was a blow to his spirit and soul. His Sword Intent had been shattered, and the resulting backlash drove him into his own Sword Intent, ultimately leading to his demise. The Martial Saint saw this clearly.

Despite this, a High-Class Astral Cultivator still rushed to the stage to try and save him.

High-Class Astral Cultivators forged Astral Palaces, each housing Astral Techniques with different effects, similar to Divine Abilities. The Divine Abilities within this Astral Cultivator's Astral Palace were evidently related to healing.

But half a minute later... he too shook his head.

At that moment, Duan Yidao became the first contestant to fall in the World's Top Martial Competition round-robin.

With his death, he helped Song Wuya take a crucial step toward becoming a Martial Saint.

Song Wuya bowed to Duan Yidao's body. "You were a worthy opponent. I will walk the path you could not."

Then... he straightened his back, stood tall, and set his gaze on Li Pin.

1. This poem expresses a longing for home but also a fear that it may no longer be as it once was, reflecting a sense of loneliness. ☜

2. in Chinese context, it refers to the complexities of earthly desires, keeping the three thousand sounds a bit poetic. ☜