Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 120: Instructor

"I'll go! Let me be the one to defend the honor of Astral Cultivators!"

"We are all Astral Cultivators here! My ranking is higher than yours, I'll go first!"

"Li Pin has already defeated Lian Ying, Zhang Shan, and Zhao Si three-on-one, and then beaten Xue Baiyi and Chi Shuang two-on-one. Do you want to jump in and join the fight? Of course, I'll go first! I've recently mastered a new kicking technique involving sliding attacks from below. I'll definitely crush him in one strike with that!"

Several people stepped forward simultaneously, full of energy, high spirits, and strong fighting intent. Li Pin couldn't help but be sincerely impressed.

As expected of the Astral Cultivators; they truly are this era's chosen.

Every single one of them was supremely confident in themselves, believing that they were destined for a bright future.

And indeed, they had reasons to believe so. Every Astral Cultivator began their future career as a level-five official in the Taibai Kingdom. That was comparable to being the ruler of a county.

This conviction was what kept them confident, determined, and resilient, never letting any failure break them, making them exceptionally tough. The more they were challenged, the braver they became; the braver they were, the more they fought!

Considering that martial artists could end up with lifelong disabilities if they carelessly pushed themselves too far, Astral Cultivators' strength was far superior. It came as no surprise that Astral Cultivators were considered extraordinary while martial artists could only be regarded as mere mortals.

"Come, come, come. Don't rush. Line up and come. One by one; everyone will get their turn."

Li Pin quickly reassured the Astral Cultivators who almost started a fight over who would go first.

Finally, after some debate, Xiao Jin was given the first slot.

He was one of the strongest among this batch of Astral Cultivators in the Astral Hall. Moreover, he was only eighteen; very young compared to the others. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was the best among them.

Under these circumstances, he naturally considered himself superior to everyone else and was the first to step up to Li Pin.

"I know you're strong, but you're gravely mistaken if you think that's enough to defeat us Astral Cultivators."

Stepping forward passionately, Xiao Jin declared, "Astral Cultivators will ultimately be the ones to rule this world. Even if martial artists are powerful, their rein is only temporary. You can't possibly go against..."

He paused for a moment, then continued loudly, "You can't possibly fight us Astral Cultivators before you refine your qi into Spirit! Today, let me show you the true power of an Astral Cultivator!"

***

In less than half a minute, Li Pin looked at Xiao Jin lying on the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

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Li Pin turned to the two teaching assistants and said, "Carry him away. Next."

Xiao Jin, sprawled on the stage, roared, "No! No! This isn't over! Li Pin! Remember; fortune changes over time! Even the most successful people can experience setbacks! Just wait, after I train hard for another half a month, I'll definitely defeat you! I'll definitely defeat you!"

However, the teaching assistants didn't have the time to take him away. An Astral Cultivator who couldn't bear to see Xiao Jin lose them any more face than this stepped up and dragged him away.

Xiao Jin's defiant voice slowly began to fade away as he was dragged away.

"Good, he still has spirit." Li Pin nodded. "I'll be waiting for your next challenge!"

Li Pin then turned to the equally loud-mouthed Ye Qinghua and said, "It's your turn now. It's time for you to fight for your honor."

Ye Qinghua stiffened.

Despite being two years older than Xiao Jin, their strength was about equal to each other. If Xiao Jin had lasted less than half a minute against Li Pin, Ye Qinghua wouldn't fare any better than him.

Wasn't it said that he was already worn out when he defeated Lian Ying, Zhang Shan, and Zhao Si? thought Ye Qinghua.

Additionally, some had analyzed Li Pin's tactics over the past few days. Xue Baiyi and Chi Shuang lost because they had been too arrogant, resulting in them being caught off guard. Xue Baiyi, in particular, was kicked away while still in mid-air before he even landed. This indicated that Li Pin had been unwilling to engage him in direct combat.

However, seeing Xiao Jin's poor performance against Li Pin...

Li Pin extended his hand. "What are you standing there for? I'm not retreating. I'm right here. Aren't you going to show me what real strength is? Come on up!"

Ye Qinghua, feeling the weight of the crowd's gaze, felt his face flush with embarrassment.

Now that it had come to this, he knew he needed to back up his earlier words, even if meant doing it through gritted teeth. It was better than fleeing and being labeled a coward.

Besides, Li Pin must have expended some stamina in defeating Xiao Jin.

What if he is just bluffing? Even if he wasn't... at worst, I'll just get beaten up! I am an Astral Cultivator! With my strong physique and a few days of rest, I'll be as good as new!

The future of the world ultimately belonged to the Astral Cultivators!

Ye Qinghua roared, stepping forward. "If you want a fight, then let's fight! Am I supposed to be afraid of you!?"

"Come!"

***

Similarly, half a minute later.

"Take him away. Next." Li Pin once again motioned to the teaching assistant and then turned his gaze to the others. "You, the one who wanted to perform a slide tackle, your name is Gao Song, right? Yes, you. Come, I want to see how skilled you really are with your leg techniques."

The nominated Astral Cultivator looked a bit embarrassed. However, like Ye Qinghua, he found himself unable to back down.

He had realized by now that Li Pin's strength far surpassed his own, but he still had to force himself to step forward.

In any case, Li Pin wouldn't kill me or anything!

With the Astral Hall having Astral Cultivators proficient in healing on standby, there was practically no chance of anyone dying. At worst, he'd just get beaten up!

With this thought, he mustered his courage and stepped forward.

***

Within less than twenty seconds, this one screamed and flew out.

Zhang Shan, Zhao Si, Xue Baiyi, and Chi Shuang had all witnessed this scene. For some reason, the resentment and desire for revenge they felt from the humiliation a few days ago suddenly subsided. Looking at the injured Ye Qinghua and others being taken away, they felt a newfound sense of "recognition."

"It's not that we're too weak. It's just that Li Pin... is truly exceptional..."

"Speaking of which, my family hired an instructor at the Aura Cultivation realm to teach me martial arts. Why do I feel like he is weaker than Li Pin's? My tutor is supposed to be a top grandmaster in the Internal Aura realm! They say if he were younger, he'd be eligible for Martial Saint status."

"An Internal Aura Grandmaster? That's nothing. I enrolled in a training course with a Martial Saint! I've even sparred with him, but the pressure I felt from him was even less than what I felt from Li Pin. After thinking about it, I see only two possibilities.

"One, those Martial Saints know we're Astral Cultivators and don't dare to truly engage with us for fear of causing injury and earning our resentment, or two..."

He continued, "According to what I've heard, Li Pin killed Qiu Chufeng, the sect master of the Solar Vermillion Sect. That man was officially recognized as a Martial Saint! Clearly, Li Pin falls into the second category, he's stronger than a Martial Saint!"

The group whispered among themselves. It wasn't just them; other students felt the same way. There were dozens of masters in the Astral Hall and several Martial Saints among the guest instructors. However, the pressure they exerted was noticeably less than that of Li Pin.

While some believed the masters held back to avoid offending the students and risking their positions, many others began to acknowledge Li Pin's true strength.

At that moment, a thunderous roar resonated through the air, seemingly tearing apart the very fabric of the atmosphere.

Immediately after, another student sparring with Li Pin was thrown backward.

However, that student quickly got up and exclaimed in excitement, "I've manifested my Force! That sensation just now... I gathered all my strength into a single surge and released it... That's Force! Just like the countless books describe! I've actually done it!"

Hearing this, the surrounding students became visibly excited.

Force! That was the first step to becoming a martial artist! It was also the dividing line between Astral Cultivator students and official Astral Cultivators!

Astral Cultivators meditated on the Astral God and bathed beneath the starlight to enhance themselves, channeling substantial qi and blood. Without precise control and integration of this power, a single misstep could result in injury to themselves or others. It was like driving a high-end sports car on the highway without knowing how to drive; it was almost guaranteed to end up in disaster.

Therefore, to avoid the risk of losing control, some cautious Astral Cultivators who have not yet mastered their Force would avoid meditating on the Astral God until their qi and blood levels reach fifty points.

Only after integrating their Force would they continue to meditate on the Astral God, raising their qi and blood levels to sixty, eighty, a hundred, or even beyond.

Once Astral Cultivators' qi and blood levels reached 150, the qi and blood would become so vast that they had to seek new methods to control and utilize it.

The first batch of Astral Cultivators, drawing from the martial arts practice of condensing Qi to form a Core, condensed starlight to develop the Astral Palace within their bodies. This allowed them to retain astral energy and develop Divine Abilities.

Once they unlocked their Astral Palace and developed their Divine Abilities, the Astral Cultivators would significantly outpace the martial artists.

From then on, it wouldn't matter how extraordinary a martial artist was. Even if they were the King of the Century among the most elite Martial Saints, they couldn't compete with High-Class Astral Cultivators with developed Astral Palace.

Now, with the student manifesting his Force... the door to becoming an official Astral Cultivator had already opened halfway for him!

For a moment, many students looked at him with envy.

At this moment, Zhang Shan had a realization. He said, "Speaking of which, when I sparred with Mr. Li, I also felt my control over my strength become more refined with every clash. Although I still felt a bit lacking in condensing my Force, the battle was indeed very rewarding...."

Zhao Si was a bit surprised. "You felt that too?"

Zhang Shan quickly looked at him. "Hmm! Don't tell me you...?"

Zhang San hastily looked at Lian Ying, the most talented among them.

Now that they weren't the only ones Li Pin defeated, with many outstanding Astral Cultivators like Xiao Jin and Ye Qinqhua having been defeated too, Lian Ying wasn't averse to the notion of mentioning the battle he had experienced a few days ago.

Facing the inquisitive looks from the two, as well as from Xue Baiyi and Chi Shuang, Lian Ying pondered for a moment and then admitted, "I did gain something too..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I managed to manifest my Force during my match with him that day."

Xue Baiyi and Chi Shuang's eyes widened.

"You manifested your Force that day!?"

"Zhang Shan and Zhao Si also gained something, and now Lian Ying... manifested his Force. Wouldn't that mean...."

Realizing this, their thoughts suddenly became clear. When they looked at Li Pin once again, their eyes were filled with an extra bit of fervor.

"Want to try again?" Xue Baiyi asked.

"Let's do it!" Chi Shuang said, proudly nodding. "If he is teaching us through this method and it proves to be effective... What's the harm in really calling him our instructor?"