Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 183: Enhance

Having vowed to face each opponent with utmost seriousness, Li Pin naturally had to act to his words. He declined all media interviews and social engagements under the pretext of preparing for the World's Top Martial Competition, returning to his mansion for secluded training.

Everyone expressed their understanding of this and looked forward to the extraordinary spectacle that a competition featuring four Martial Saints and three Martial Saint-level martial artists would bring.

Discussions of this event permeated the public, the martial arts community, and the world of Astral Cultivators. Various betting odds and wagers emerged in abundance.

Numerous fighting games based on the top ten competitors of the World's Top Martial Competition were released and gained immense popularity. Some of these games even grossed a billion in just half a month.

Additionally, various challenge shows, adventure movies, and romance films were launched to capitalize on the hype and energy surrounding the competition.

Even prominent figures, typically interested only in the adult category, turned their attention to this event. They were just as eager to see who would snatch the title of world champion in the intermediate category.

***

The excitement surrounding the World's Top Martial Competition had reached an all-time high.

Meanwhile, Li Pin was inside his training room, meticulously reviewing the techniques he had cultivated.

"The Great Sun Infinite Radiance Technique includes both training and nurturing methods, as well as the Chaos Meditation Art for cultivating the mind. Additionally, it contains the Great Sun Infinite Secret Art and two combat styles, the Great Sun Golden Crow and Kunpeng Body Technique."

Li Pin had no issue with the cultivation methods, physical conditioning, and spiritual cultivation aspects. However, he couldn’t fully integrate the Innate Qi-Refining Technique into the Great Sun Infinite Radiance Technique no matter how he tried and had to keep them separate.

His combat techniques were derived from the Eight Enormities True Fire Force, incorporating concepts from other martial artists such as the Vermilion Phoenix Rise from the Solar Vermillion Force. This resulted in two powerful techniques, the explosive Great Sun Golden Crow and the agile Kunpeng Body Technique.

The Kunpeng Body Technique, inspired by the mythical creatures Lilong and Tengshe, allowed for powerful linear strikes, swift lateral movements, and aerial maneuvers. Naming it "Nine Heavens Kunpeng" might be more appropriate.

As for Hundun, Taotie, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Xiangliu, they were still in the fusion process.

"I created Hundun back then mainly to adapt to different situations. Taotie, true to its name, devours everything with overwhelming force, relying on sheer strength to overcome skill. Qiongqi is ruthless, Taowu is fierce, and Xiangliu delivers nine variations in a single strike for outnumbered combat."

Each technique had its own distinct characteristics and represented the culmination of his martial arts over the past decade. Although he had only been a Core Force martial artist back on Blue Planet, Core Force was as significant as being a great grandmaster in this world.

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His next task would be to refine and organize these techniques, which were originally designed for Core Force and Core Formation but had become somewhat outdated. He aimed to elevate them to grandmaster and Martial Saint levels, establishing the foundation for his martial arts system.

Li Pin pondered. In reality, whether it's Hundun or Taotie, the essence of their power lies in using sheer force to overwhelm and dominate their foes.

Qiongqi and Taowu embody cruelty, savagery, and brutality, their sole purpose being the annihilation of the opponent. Xiangliu's strength lay in its ability to adapt.

Li Pin continued to organize these thoughts, nurturing new ideas.

From time to time, he would separate the Great Sun Infinite Secret Art to optimize it. Unlike the Blood-Seething Secret Art, which only damaged the primordial qi, the Great Sun Infinite Secret Art depleted both his mental spirit and qi and blood. This was evident from how he had been rendered unconscious for several days after defeating Lin Yuzhi.

Previously, with the Innate Qi-Refining Technique, I could use the Blood-Seething Secret Art as frequently as the Blood Core Eruption. However, the Great Sun Infinite is strictly for life-or-death situations. Activating it will mean the death of me or my opponent. Either my Vitality, Qi, and Spirit will be completely exhausted during the transcendent state, leading to my death, or I will defeat my opponent in battle.

Fortunately, refining his system didn't mean his old techniques were useless. Up against enemies who weren’t strong enough to push him, he could still rely on the Blood-Seething Secret Art.

It was just that... it was frustrating knowing there were more powerful techniques he could use to push himself to his limits but having to use them cautiously.

Li Pin mused, "If only I could be like those Martial Saints and Top-Tier Astral Cultivators, ready to sacrifice everything just to maintain a pure state of mind...."

There were advantages to being less intelligent, at least there wouldn't be so many concerns.

But he....

In combat, he wouldn't charge in recklessly like the other Martial Saints. He preferred a more tactical approach to combat. Reckless, all-or-nothing battles weren't his style. He relied on battle wisdom and technique.

He rarely risked his life. After all, life was precious. He merely enjoyed the feeling of evolution from pushing his organs, muscles, tendons, bones, and cells to the extreme, breaking through their limits.

This fundamentally set him apart from martial artists who constantly spoke of mutual destruction.

"Speaking of secret arts...."

Li Pin took out the secret art the Qin Family had helped him find, The Stars Overlord.

"I haven't completed even the first step of condensing a Lifeform Force Field... a secret art created from a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator's perspective...."

People perceived the world differently. For instance, those with billions in assets and ordinary people approached earning ten million in vastly different ways. What seemed simple to billionaires could be incredibly challenging for ordinary people, no matter how much it was broken down.

The secret art, Stars Overlord, was no exception. Its method of implementation differed between ordinary people and Astral Cultivators.

However, Li Pin wasn't ready to give up.

Practice more, think more! There will always be a way to do it.

Li Pin took out the Essence-Gathering Pearl he had set aside. "An item for Astral Cultivators...."

As he held this treasure, a brilliant azure glow streamed from the pearl and permeated into his fingers.

Immediately, a miraculous scene unfolded. His fingers became transparent under the influence of this azure light.

The sensation was... like pressing the fingers against a bright light source in a dark environment, making them appear slightly translucent. However, the transparent effect from the Essence-Gathering Pearl's azure glow was much stronger than that of a light source.

Li Pin observed for a while, then followed the instructions from the books on how to use the Essence-Gathering Pearl. He placed the pearl between his brows and activated his meditation art to draw upon its power.

Had Li Pin looked into a mirror now, he would have noticed that as he activated his meditation art to absorb the Essence-Gathering Pearl's power, the azure glow intensified. Under this glow, his head seemingly became transparent, faintly revealing the outline of his brain.

At the same time, flashes of light resembling electronic signals emerged within his brain. However, these lights were soon completely engulfed and saturated by the azure glow.

After absorbing for a while, Li Pin suddenly felt a sense of discomfort. He even felt a bit nauseous.

He immediately halted the meditation art. Without its guidance, the intense azure glow from the Essence-Gathering Pearl dimmed slightly.

Li Pin recalled the information he had read from the books. The books mentioned that a few Martial Saints with unique Martial Wills might feel discomfort while refining the Essence-Gathering Pearl. This is because the pearl is remodeling and strengthening their bodies, and breaking the body's original limits naturally has its side effects....

After a moment of contemplation, he once again activated his meditation art.

This time, he split his focus between maintaining the basic operation of the meditation art and directing his attention inward to investigate the source of his discomfort.

His innate "Clairvoyance" gift had initially limited his perception to the cellular level, falling short of the atomic level required for understanding starlight power. This limitation became even more pronounced as he attempted to focus on multiple tasks simultaneously.

Ultimately, he concluded that the starlight enhancement was indeed the source of the discomfort. It was much like the itching sensation felt when a wound was healing.

Once he confirmed that everything was fine, he concentrated on the flow of starlight and vaguely "observed" how the starlight in the Essence-Gathering Pearl enhanced his physical body.

He guided the starlight within the Essence-Gathering Pearl to actively enhance himself. This greatly increased the enhancement's efficiency but also intensified the feeling of "discomfort."

This contrast...

"It looks like I'm one of the few Martial Saints with a 'special' Martial Will," Li Pin remarked, promptly focusing his mind and patiently completing the refinement of the Essence-Gathering Pearl.

***

Ten days or so passed quickly. With only one day remaining before the start of the World's Top Martial Competition round-robins, Li Pind finished his training and began to adjust his condition.

His opponents were three Martial Saints and three top-tier geniuses whose combat strength rivaled Martial Saints! Regardless of whether it was due to their strength or the title of the world champion, Li Pin needed to be in peak condition to face them. This was a mark of respect for his opponents and martial arts.

While adjusting his condition, Li Pin focused intently on sensing his state. Additionally, he made some modifications to his "attribute panel."

[Qi and Blood:43.88], [Primordial Qi: 43.11], [Mental Spirit: 25.31]

[Innate-Qi Refining Technique, Qi-Refining Chapter: 44/1000, Foundation-Building Chapter: 35/25000]

[Blood-Seething Secret Art: 36.13%]

[Stars Overlord: 1/?]

He had deleted the details of his cultivation realm and martial arts technique as he found them unnecessary.

After all, the Martial Saint realm was already the pinnacle of martial arts. While distinctions like High-Class, Top-Tier, and Extreme Martial Saints existed, they were not strictly defined. The only truly distinct level was the Extreme Martial Saint, which primarily depended on qi and blood and mental spirit.

Over the past half-month, he had made significant progress in these two attributes. His qi and blood, in particular, had increased by over three points thanks to the Essence-Gathering Pearl, nearing forty-four.

Such rapid growth was attributed to his precise control, more efficient guidance of starlight absorption, and the gradual benefits of the Foundation Building Chapter of the Innate Qi-Refining Technique.

With one more Essence-Gathering Pearl, he estimated that he could strengthen his body to forty-six points, reaching the peak qi and blood level of a typical Martial Saint.

Even now, his qi and blood level was sufficient to keep him from being among the bottom ranks in the Jiang Province Astral Hall. In other words, he could defeat the lowest-ranked Astral Cultivator students using only brute force. He wouldn’t need to resort to combat techniques or explosive power.

"I've made quite a significant improvement this time...." Li Pin looked into the direction of the World's Top Martial Competition. "What about you all?"