Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 116: Offend

Die?!

It hadn't been easy for Chi Xingyu to rise to this level. Starting out as a martial artist who was amongst the lowest of the low, he slowly attained Core Force, achieved Core Formation, and then assumed the spot of the county martial society's chairman.

Chi Xingyu then slowly climbed up the ranks. He was promoted to the city martial society's deputy chairman and then its chairman, before becoming the provincial martial society's review committee member and then its committee head.

He kept climbing until today... when he had finally become the Jiang Province Martial Society's deputy chairman!

In the future, whenever he returned to the county city, all the seniors in his family—regardless of whether they were from the city or county—would have to put down everything they were doing. All of them would have to plaster smiles and personally welcome him, a third-grade official.

How could I die?! I have yet to become a Martial Saint!

Chi Xingyu had yet to assume the position of the Jiang Province Martial Society's chairman, becoming the provincial official who would hold authority over the entire Jiang Province's martial arts community! How could he die here!?

Chi Xingyu's mental spirit and beliefs were being set alight.

At this moment, he almost forgot his objective. He forgot his identity. He forgot that he was at the Jiang Province Martial Competition. Under the pressure of life and death, he forced himself to keep a clear mind, leaving only one thought left in his heart.

He had to punch! Punch with everything he had! Punch regardless of the price he had to pay!

Chi Xingyu was going to let this punch ignite his mental spirit and detonate his beliefs, using them as fuel to unleash the power of his blazing convictions. He was going to strike with unprecedented determination, throwing out a punch that would live up to his name as a top-notch grandmaster at his peak condition!

He would let the world know...

"I... have once been our county's pride too!"

Boom!

Void space trembled and exploded.

The two people flew like comets sweeping past the moon. It was as if heaven and earth had collided!

The collision between Chi Xingyu's and Li Pin's mental spirits and the exchange of auras deeply astonished everyone on stage. It gave them a deep realization of the tremendous difference between them and actual martial artists!

Before the collision, Chi Xingyu and Li Pin two of them seemed to have compressed the air in front of them into a wall. Reaching extreme levels, the two waves of wall-like Aura Force then collided, producing a shockwave and blasts of wind. They even picked up the remnant broken wood and carpet pieces from the smashed stage and sent them flying.

The flying pieces of broken wood were like many projectile weapons. They smashed heavily on a few nearby Core Formation martial artists, leaving many bloody wounds.

Even the few martial artists standing further away were intimidated and backed off. They put up their hands to block the dust.

"Such power... such power...."

The Core Formation martial artists who had survived were all badly shaken. They found it almost impossible to imagine how non-Astral Cultivators could unleash such horrifying destructive prowess. Even hot weapons like grenades and bullets couldn't even compare.

The tremendous pressure these two top-notch experts exuded stifled the spectators. There were several ten thousand of them, but not one said a word. It was so quiet it seemed as if someone had pressed the pause button.

Even though almost all of them had seen exchanges between Aura Cultivation martial artists on television or the Internet, the visual and spiritual impact of seeing an exchange like that in person was completely different.

It took a full second before the few martial artists who could still fight managed to regain their senses after witnessing the horrifying destructive prowess of Chi Xingyu and Li Pin. Then they realized something and looked up as fast as they could. They gazed intently through the dust, trying to look at the center of the battle.

At this moment, someone from the audience seat finally snapped out of it, seemingly woken up from a dream.

That person gasped, "Who won? Who won!?"

"It should be Chairman Chi. He's the Jiang Province Martial Society's deputy chairman.... He's in his prime and the best condition of his life. Moreover, he has been attempting to get the Martial Saint title all these years! How could someone like that possibly lose!?"

"Wasn't it a battle between Li Pin and the other ten martial artists? Why did Chairman Chi suddenly make a move?"

"A battle between Li Pin and the ten martial artists? Was that a battle? That was a one-sided massacre! Look at Master Li and then at the other ten martial artists! They aren't on the same level at all. I'm now wondering if it is really just a rumor that Master Li had dropped out from the competition because of some shady things that had taken place."

Such discussions rapidly took place amongst the spectators.

However, there were more people focused on the fight, waiting for the dust to settle so that they could see who the victor was.

As for Gu Haoran, Jiang Zhenhai, Zhou Yuanfei, and the other martial artists... no one paid any attention to them.

There wasn't much dirt and dust, and they settled rather quickly. Soon after, a battle-god-like figure emerged from the dust.

Seeing this figure, many people suddenly stood up and couldn't hold back their gasps.

"Li Pin! It's Li Pin!"

"God! To think that the one who remained standing in the end was Li Pin! How is that possible? Chairman Chi is no Zhou Chaoguang! He's an actual grandmaster at his peak. He's someone who has the right to be reviewed and assigned the Martial Saint status. To think that... he has lost!? Moreover, his defeat occurred after Li Pin already defeated ten Core Formation experts, including Gu Haoran, Zhou Yuanfei, and Jiang Zhenhai!?"

"Master Li—no! Grandmaster Li! To think that Grandmaster Li has become so powerful!?"

Lian Hongchen, who was in the spectators' stand, couldn't suppress his excitement and swung a fierce punch! "Excellent!"

Lian Xiyue drew in a mouthful of cold air. "Li Pin.... Is this his true strength!? He's only twenty-two years old!"

In a luxuriously decorated room, Lin Yuzhi saw this scene from the window and his countenance turned extremely grim. However, he no longer cussed and mocked anyone for being trash.

Qiu Chufeng, Qiu Chufeng, Li Huozong, and Chi Xingyu were defeated one after the other. Everyone knew that this wasn't because they were weak.... It was because the opponent was too strong!

"This is a huge problem...." Lin Yuzhi broke out in a cold sweat and forced himself to calm down. "I must think of a way to detach myself from this matter. Otherwise...."

He thought of all the things he needed to do to take care of this matter.

As he did that, his gaze remained on Li Pin.

Previously, Lin Yuzhi had not felt bothered by Li Pin, who seemed to be a far cry from him. Yet, Li Pin, a martial artist from the intermediate category, had now attained the right to threaten Lin Yuzhi's status.

***

"I've... lost...."

The outcome had been decided.

Chi Xingyu half-knelt in front of Li Pin. As a large number of his blood vessels had burst, blood was oozing out from all over his body, dyeing his clothes red. He was soaked in blood; his eyes, nose, ears, and the corners of his lips all had traces of blood as well.

The Five Elements Unity's penetrating power had attacked him from the inside, destroying countless nerves in his body. The only reason he hadn't died was because he had succeeded in tempering his organs and renewing his blood. Therefore, his vitality far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

"Your punches are very strong!" said Li Pin as he looked at Chi Xingyu, who was finding it difficult even to remain in his half-kneeling pose. "However, you're still some distance away from striking out actual Spirit Force to defeat me! This is because your heart is not pure enough!"

"My heart is not pure...."

Blood kept on flowing out from the corners of Chi Xingyu's eyes and lips, but they still couldn't cover up the bitterness he was feeling.

He understood well why his heart was not pure enough. However... the world would never change because of an individual's will!

Even if a person wished to focus on studying martial arts and attain success in this area, what could they do if their family, their friends, and their parents were to look for them!? Could they remain undisturbed? Could they break off ties with them!?

And if they were to help those people once, it'd start a never-ending chain, a second occurrence, a third.... This would keep going on until a big net was formed!

It was a big net named the secular world, and it would bind onto the person tightly until the person had completely fallen into it. There was no breaking free from it and they would become one part of this huge net.

At the thought of this, Chi Xingyu looked at Li Pin. "This time around... you've completely offended Lin Yuzhi.... He... won't let you off...."

"I've offended him and he won't let me off?" Li Pin replied calmly. "Lin Yuzhi is very daring. But when he had others hurt me with rumors and made me lose ten million yuan, did he consider the fact that he'd offend me!?"

Chi Xingyu was stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes opened wide.

Offend you? Who do you think you are? Do you think that you can be put on the same level as Lin Yuzhi!?

This was the first thought that came to his mind.

However, when he saw Li Pin's extremely calm face, he suddenly thought of Li Pin's age!

Twenty-two years old! He's only twenty-two years old!

He reached the peak Internal Cultivation phase at the mere age of twenty-two. What kind of glory would be waiting for him in the future!?

Lin Yuzhi may have suppressed him in this round of the martial competition... but what about the next round!?

Given Li Pin's peak Internal Cultivation capabilities, it wasn't merely hopeful thinking that he might be able to compete for first place in the national competition. It was a given that he would get first place in the Jiang Province Martial Competition!

In fact, his real stage wouldn't even be the national competition but... The World's Top Martial Competition!

Once Li Pin truly condensed his Martial Will and aspired for the Martial Saint status, he could get into the top ten of the World's Top Martial Competition or even the top three. With this result in the Jiang Province... how would Lin Yuzhi be able to compare Li Pin then!?

No!

There wasn't a need to wait for this to happen one day in the future!

As long as Li Pin could maintain his current standards when the next round of the martial competition comes, he'd be able to fight his way into the World's Top Martial Competition. At the mere age of twenty-five, he'd definitely become the brightest star in Taibai Kingdom!

How would Lin Yuzhi be able to fight against him then!?

As for Chi Xingyu, he had failed to see Li Pin's potential all because of the bit of benefit that had been extended to him, leading him to pick the wrong side to stand with. As a result, Chi Xingyu had given his life away!

"I've practiced martial arts my entire life.... I've thought I've seen through everything, but in fact, I haven't seen through anything at all.... Martial arts are our true roots.... Hahahaha...."

Chi Xingyu couldn't help but burst out in laughter. He mocked himself for having chased after unrealistic goals. His laughter took away his remaining bit of life. In that instant, blood gushed out from his mouth, and his breathing became noticeably weaker.

Nevertheless, before he took his last breath, he looked up and stared at Li Pin.

"Li Pin, you must persist on... persist on... and go even further...

"Even further..."