Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 132: Question

Zhang Hengqiu was completely bewildered. "Grandmaster Li... are you... are you serious?"

What was this about?

Li Pin patted his shoulder. "Even without his position as the martial society chairman, he is still a top great grandmaster. I'm not afraid of him, but as a traitor, you might not be so easily forgiven. So..."

Zhang Hengqiu flinched but forced himself to suppress his instinctive fear. He didn’t know if this was a test or a habitual gesture from Li Pin, but he knew that if he dodged now, whether he could leave Riverscape Marvel alive tonight would remain uncertain.

"Deliver this evidence to him," Li Pin instructed. "If he fights, this evidence will disappear with my death and will never be seen at the martial association Headquarters. If he refuses to fight... he will lose all his rights and honors as the martial society chairman, and he could even face accountability and be sent to the front lines."

Li Pin paused briefly before continuing, "I believe he will make the right choice."

Zhang Hengqiu listened to Li Pin's words. Recalling Lin Yuzhi's notorious vindictive nature, he clenched his teeth. "I understand."

Zhang Hengqiu nodded firmly and added, "I will pass on this evidence and message to Lin Yuzhi."

As he spoke, he took out his phone, which contained a video recorded with special equipment. The footage was very high quality.

Li Pin was a bit surprised. "How did you manage that?"

It was unlikely Lin Yuzhi would have made it easy for him to record the video.

"One of my friends likes to tinker with gadgets," Zhang Hengqiu replied awkwardly. "Grandmaster Li...I really never wanted to become your enemy. I've had this idea since then."

Li Pin nodded, took the video, and waved him off. "Go."

Li Pin knew Zhang Hengqiu might be at risk of being killed on the spot by an enraged Lin Yuzhi. However, this was only a possibility.

Li Pin was already magnanimous enough to offer him a chance to redeem himself. Zhang Hengqiu couldn’t possibly expect to walk off unscathed without showing any response or effort.

"By the way, take the two bodies with you," Li Pin added.

"Understood."

With the strength of a grandmaster, carrying the two bodies was easy.

Zhang Hengqiu carried one on his left shoulder and the other on his right shoulder. After a few quick movements, he disappeared into the night.

***

Spirit Force! Li Pin reflected on the profound feeling of achieving Spirit Qi Unity.

Using an infinite mental spirit to control a finite physical body... it was a truly mystical experience.

No wonder many grandmasters spent their entire lives stuck at this step, unable to progress.

Of course, there was a specific reason many couldn't take that step. By the time they reached the Aura Cultivation realm, they would often already be in their thirties or forties. Their Vitality, Qi, and Spirit would have declined by then. Even if they grasped the essence of Spirit Force in the future, they lacked the vigor and enthusiasm needed to truly harness it.

Without external assistance or tools, they might only experience unleashing Spirit Force once or twice, at most three to five times, in their lifetime.

It was like how a person could accomplish incredible feats when extremely angry but couldn't replicate them even if they got angry again later.

However, Li Pin was exceptionally gifted. Having already unleashed Spirit Force once, it was only a matter of time before he fully mastered it with dedicated practice.

However, whether he mastered Spirit Force in a month or three days didn't matter to Li Pin.

The World’s Top Martial Competition was just half a month away. Li Pin's true purpose for participating was to meet the world's top heroes and martial artists and fight with them battles that would push him to the limit. He didn't care about winning or losing as long as he could fight to his heart's content and learn from each match.

However, if he had a chance of winning, he certainly didn't want to lose. Competing at his best against the strongest opponents was a mark of respect for the competition and the competitors themselves.

Therefore, he hoped to master Spirit Force as quickly as possible. Mastering Spirit Force would prepare him to nurture his spirit and cultivate his Martial Will. Once his Martial Will was fully formed and he became a true Martial Saint, he would have reached the pinnacle of martial arts.

At that point, he wanted to know what new horizons lay ahead. Would he, like those before him, temper and refine his mental spirit to its utmost, choose to burn himself out, refine his qi into Spirit, and forcefully meditate on the Astral God to step into the realm of the Astral Cultivators? Or would there be a new path beyond the Martial Saint?

Li Pin smiled slightly. "It's just like in those games; the real journey begins after reaching the maximum level. The cultivation of life is the same. Before reaching the peak, you have to grind and push forward, with no time or energy to appreciate the scenery or ponder the meaning of life. Only after reaching the peak can you pursue higher spiritual goals and realize your social value."

However, at that moment, Li Pin's expression suddenly froze. Seeing the courtyard, which looked as if it had been bombarded by cannons, he painfully covered his eyes. He couldn’t bear to look anymore.

"That was reckless!"

With the courtyard in such ruins, the house was no longer suitable for anyone to reside. It would have to be renovated again. Not only would this mean wasting hundreds of thousands on renovation costs, but the noise from the construction would also disrupt rest and affect the neighbors' quality of life.

For a moment, Li Pin couldn’t help but blame Lin Yuzhi for this. If Lin Yuzhi hadn’t sent people to intercept him at home, he wouldn't have had to turn his own courtyard into a battlefield.

"Brother."

At this moment, Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu cautiously approached. Seeing the wounds and blood on Li Pin, their eyes welled up with tears.

Li Pin turned his gaze from the ruined courtyard to the two of them.

"Do you understand now? This is what a martial artist’s battle looks like," Li Pin said calmly. "A slight misstep can mean life or death."

Li Yunxiao and Lin Xiaolu were silent. The intense grandmaster-level confrontation they witnessed tonight had deeply shaken them. For the first time, they realized the extent of destruction that top-tier experts could unleash and the perilous nature of their life-or-death battles. Life seemed so fragile in these experts' hands.

"So, do you still intend to continue on the path of martial arts?" Li Pin asked them.

Li Yunyao had not yet spoken, but Lin Xiaolu nodded firmly. "I’ve been browsing many martial arts forums recently. While Taibai may appear prosperous and peaceful with its online entertainment, the situation in other countries outside Taibai is far from tranquil.

"Especially at the borders, where ferocious beasts and demonic creatures run rampant. Even the residents of major cities cannot be sure that one day, these creatures won’t attack and bring devastation to their cities and lives."

The usually gentle Lin Xiaolu displayed surprising strength at this moment. "This world is never at peace! We just happen to live in a tranquil country!"

Finally, Li Yunyao came to her senses, and she said, "I'll practice too. Without the talent to become Astral Cultivators, martial arts is the only way we can imagine protecting our family. In times of danger, even if we can’t fight against ferocious beasts and demonic creatures, practicing martial arts will still enhance our survival skills in chaotic situations."

Lin Xiaolu added with a nod. "And it also makes others more patient when they listen to us."

Li Pin smiled slightly and said, "I was just joking. You don’t need to take it so seriously."

"Brother... I know you’re not joking, right?" Li Yunyao responded.

Li Pin waved his hand dismissively and said calmly, "I just had a question cross my mind."

"What question?" Li Yunyao inquired.

"If I continue on the path of martial arts, I will inevitably offend people. The martial arts world has strict laws to protect family members, but when someone is willing to disregard their own life, they won’t be swayed by legal constraints," Li Pin said lightly. "If one day you two are captured and your captors set a trap to lure me in for your rescue, should I attempt to save you or not?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu’s eyes widened in shock.

Li Pin did not provide an answer. He clasped his hands behind his back and walked back into the mansion, leaving the two of them in a state of turmoil and distress.

If... if that day ever came, what should they do!? Should they choose to end their own lives to avoid being a burden? But... was that really the best choice?

Having witnessed the fierce battles of three top experts and realized the immense power of great grandmasters, Li Pin's question struck deeply at their hearts.

For them, it was bound to be a sleepless night.

***

In the training room, Li Pin quietly sensed the changes in his condition while reflecting on the profound and almost mystical experience of using Spirit Force. After a moment, he seemed to realize something.

"Core Force consumes the body's qi and blood, Aura Force draws upon the power of the internal organs, while Spirit Force depletes mental spirit and spiritual energy...."

Calming himself, Li Pin could feel how mentally exhausted he was. Even though his mental spirit attribute was now at nineteen, approaching the minimum standard for Martial Saints to condense their Martial Will, using Spirit Force still left him feeling mentally drained.

This wasn’t physical fatigue or a depletion of stamina. It was a profound mental and emotional weakness! It was like a person who, after sustaining intense anger all day, finds it hard to feel any anger even when provoked further.

Li Pin pondered. Is this why Spirit Force becomes so difficult to sustain after a few uses unless one has condensed their Martial Will and can maintain that unique state?

With each use of Spirit Force, the threshold became higher, making it more challenging to maintain the spiritual energy and achieve Spirit Qi Unity. Even Martial Saints, having condensed their Martial Will still experience significant exhaustion from repeated uses of Spirit Force.

This exhaustion affected not just the body but also the mind. Moreover, Li Pin sensed his condition and discovered that, unlike when physically exhausted, mental spirit recovery was much slower.

After using Spirit Force, full recovery might take one or two days. Using it twice or thrice in a row would lengthen the recovery time exponentially. A careless mistake could even lead to the risk of mental exhaustion or death.

It must be due to my mental spirit attribute being too low. Li Pin pondered.

He collected his thoughts, focusing on restoring his depleted Mental Spirit while also processing the gains from the battle.

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