Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 6: Competition

Li Pin smiled and replied, "Hall Master Fang is like a role model to me. He wants to continue on the martial path and see the view from higher grounds. I share the same thoughts."

"The martial path...." Shan Hu looked at Li Pin in a bit of a daze. "Oh, that's right. You're only twenty-two after all. Martial artists often continue developing until the age of thirty-five years old. You still have more than ten years to go."

"Twenty-two... It would be nice if you were eighteen," Fang Yubai said regretfully. "The level-two certification! If you were eighteen, you could have participated in the Jiang Province Martial Competition's junior category. If you score a high ranking, you might even have the chance to participate in the national competition or even the World's Top Martial Competition, which is hosted by Tianyuan. Even if you get eliminated in only the first match, this experience alone will allow you to clinch countless advertisements and talk invites."

"That's true," said Shan Hu, nodding. "The top celebrity Shen Manjun was in the junior category of the 14th Hai Province Martial Competition, and she got into the top ten. As she was the only female in the top ranks, her company publicized her as the top female martial artist in the junior category of that competition. She immediately gained six million fans that day. And in the next month, she clinched fourteen advertisements. She earned herself over 100 million in a year."

She then added, "That's in gold yuan... Over 100 million gold yuan."

After Taibai was attacked by the Star Alliance in the past, the value of Taibai's currency plummeted. Things had gotten to a point where a person would need to fork out several tens of thousands of yuan just to have a meal outside. At present, the national currency was still being used, but most people were already using the Tianyuan Dynasty’s currency.

The exchange rate for converting the Tianyuan currency to the Taibai currency was 1/570. It had an extremely high value and was known as the "gold yuan."

"That's not all," said Fang Yubai enviously. "Su Aojian—who, like us, is from Jiang Province—made his name in the 15th Jiang Province Martial Competition. He was later recruited into our country's solar-grade Qiankun Martial Hall. He is now preparing for the national competition, and the payout for his contract is 80 million gold yuan for five years."

Fang Yubai's family was rich. However, despite two generations of his family toiling away for years, they had only been able to amass several hundred million in assets, most of which were properties. Their lack of liquid assets meant if they wanted to take out several tens of millions of gold yuan, they probably would not be able to. In fact, Fang Yubai's monthly allowance was only around ten thousand gold yuan.

Li Pin shrugged. "There's no helping it. I'm already twenty-two."

"Li Pin can join the intermediate category. I recall that the age restriction for this group is thirty-six," Liu Yingying said.

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"Yingying, you don't understand." Shan Hu shook her head. "Martial artists' growth phase is between thirty to thirty-five years old. In other words, martial artists generally reach their peak between thirty-five and forty years old. They would remain at that stage for over ten years before entering a decline.

"The intermediate category is where the greatest battles take place. If a martial artist hasn’t attained Core Force, there’s no hope for them to emerge victorious in the Jiang Province Martial Competition."

Shan Hu then lowered her voice a little as she continued, "The reason my master hasn't been visiting the martial hall much recently is that he is preparing for the 16th Jiang Province Martial Competition."

"The 16th Jiang Province Martial Competition...." muttered Li Pin, feeling a little tempted.

These martial competitions they were discussing took place once every three years. They were segregated into provincial competitions, the national competition, and the World's Top Martial Competition. Each competition ran for a month.

Once the competitions started, everyone in the country—and possibly even across the entire Federation—would get obsessed with them. This was especially true when the matches reached the finals. Schools and companies would even grant leaves for people to watch the matches.

When it came to literature, people would find it difficult to pinpoint who was truly the best. However, martial arts was different; there was always a clear winner.

If martial artists wanted the highest-ranking title of Martial Saint, the quickest way for them to acquire it would be to get into the national competition and clinch first place.

There was also the King of Century Martial Competition, which had a higher level of difficulty than the World's Top Martial Competition. This competition took place once every ten years.

The participants of this competition would all have broken through the limits of the human body, capable of withstanding even bullets. These people would even be able to suppress the average Astral Cultivator.

However, this didn't concern the Taibai Kingdom much. In the past three competitions, no one from the Tianyuan Federation had won the title of the King of Century.

"If Hall Master Fang can stand out in the Jiang Province Martial Competition, it would boost Changfeng Martial Hall's reputation," Li Pin said.

"That's right. When that time comes, we can just apply for our martial hall to be given the star grade. If the application gets approved, we will have the support of the city and be able to expand rapidly. It wouldn't be hard to get several thousand or ten thousand students to enroll with us then."

Shan Hu looked at Li Pin. "How about it? Do you want to consider taking charge of the martial hall?"

Li Pin replied calmly, "One of the reasons martial artists have such high statuses in society is that Astral Cultivators can use martial arts to supplement their training, giving value to martial arts and in turn martial artists. Another reason is that martial artists are often required to scout dangerous places, as demonic creatures can’t detect them.

"However, the most important factor that can help a martial artist's growth is hands-on combat. Many different competitions are held within the country for the purpose of allowing martial artists to gain combat experience. Therefore, I want to give the upcoming competition a try."

"You want to participate in the upcoming Jiang Province Martial Competition?" Shan Hu was stunned. "You—I mean, once you’re a level-two martial artist, you would qualify to participate in the intermediate category, but wouldn't you just be reduced to being cannon fodder? There are plenty of talented martial artists in the province. The top ten would all have achieved Core Force."

"The outcome is not the most important thing. I'd be satisfied if I could gain some combat experience and spar with many Transformative Force experts or even Core Force Masters," Li Pin said sincerely.

Such opportunities had been rare on the Blue Planet. However, such competitions were held once every three years in this world!

Every three years, he would be able to spar against Core Force Masters and maybe even Aura Force Grandmasters. He would have the chance to appreciate and understand the wonders of Core Force and Aura Force.

Li Pin felt excited just at the thought of it. He wondered what kind of wonderful sound he'd be able to hear when Core Force struck a person, causing their bones to shake and rumble.

Li Pin suddenly grinned with anticipation.

"Old Li, calm down, don't let it get in over your head," said Fang Yubai quickly. "Even though renowned martial artists and astral equipment would be present to ensure safety, there's still a chance of dying. I remember that in the last Jiang Province Martial Competition, three people died, and nine were crippled."

"Isn't that just a total of twelve casualties?" Li Pin smiled. "Several million people die in car accidents every year. Do we stop driving because of that? Moreover, which martial artist doesn't get injuries?"

"This..."

Fang Yubai was left not knowing what to say.

Shan Hu, on the other hand, was in favor of this idea. "It's just to build up combat experience and won't be too dangerous. Moreover, given Li Pin's aptitude and growth rate, it might not be impossible for him to win the Jiang Province Martial Competition before he turns thirty-six. Participating in the competition early can be considered to accumulate experience for the future."

Liu Yingying smiled and said to Li Pin, "I'll go and cheer you on."

Li Pin nodded.

At this moment, the dishes were served, and the conversation stopped there.

After the meal, Li Pin and Shan Hu went back to the martial hall upstairs. Liu Yingying went along with them.

Meanwhile, Fang Yubai continued to spend the rest of the day with his girlfriend. They decided to go shopping before watching a movie. The two of them walked for a while.

Then Meng Lingbing suddenly asked, "Miss Shan Hu said that there's a chance Li Pin may be able to win the Jiang Province Martial Competition before he turns thirty-six. Is that true?"

"Even if she was being nice, I don't think her estimate would be far off from reality," Fang Yubai said a little ruefully. "To be honest, I was shocked when my uncle said that Li Pin manifested Force last month. After he gets a martial artist certification, the income he'll be getting from work related to martial arts will definitely be no less than what a Hanyang University graduate earns. And now, he's already going straight for the level-two title...."

The Taibai Kingdom, situated in the center of the Tianyuan Federation, didn't have many dangerous spots within its borders aside from the Death Valley and Shadow Forest. So, compared to the rest of the Tianyuan Federation, things were better in the Taibai Kingdom, and its residents lived in peace and security.

Astral Cultivators were able to continue enjoying a dignified status even in this peaceful country, but martial artists, who supported the Astral Cultivators, did not have the opportunities to show their worth.

However, things worked differently in countries with more dangerous terrains within and near their borders. Martial artists, especially those willing to scout dangerous terrains in place of Astral Cultivators, enjoyed hero-like treatment in those countries. Some Astral Cultivators even showed great respect for them.

The academics, entertainment, and even business circles could not hold a candle to the martial arts world. A martial artist with an Assistant title would enjoy a higher status than an associate senior professor. Intermediate martial artists would be able to enjoy tax subsidies or waivers, and even possibly get further subsidies or support from the government.

"That friend of yours is really short-sighted. She's missing out on such a good opportunity just because of some rumors." Fang Yubai smirked coldly. "Just wait. She'll definitely regret this in the future."

"I won't hang out with her anymore," Meng Lingbing quickly said.

"Don't. I want to know how she will react when Old Li becomes famous and successful." Fang Yubai laughed. "There's no helping it. This is how crude your boyfriend is."