Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 118: Resources

Outside the martial competition venue, Li Yunyao said nervously. "Brother, let's go and treat your injuries quickly."

Inside, she had kept her emotions in check to avoid drawing attention to Li Pin's injuries, fearing others might take advantage of his weakened state. But once outside, she could no longer hold back. Her heart ached as she looked at Li Pin's bloodstained arm.

"It's alright," Li Pin reassured her. "These are just minor injuries. It will heal in a day or two with some medicine."

He smiled at her and asked, "Are you feeling better now?"

Li Yunyao nodded. "Yes."

But then, she shook her head. "If I had known they'd pull such dirty tricks, with the deputy chairman intervening like that once they lost, I would have ignored them from the start."

She clearly felt responsible for Li Pin being put in such a dangerous situation.

Li Pin smiled but didn't explain to her that some people, if ignored, would only see you as weak and become even more overbearing.

At this moment, he was acting purely on his own impulses, simply doing what he wanted to do and avoiding what he didn't. Nothing more.

However....

"You must change your mindset," Li Pin said, smiling as he looked at Li Yunyao. "If you're going to practice martial arts, you can't be afraid of getting injured."

"I—"

"I only ask that you practice martial arts for self-defense. I don't expect you to achieve great accomplishments in the future, but I do hope you approach martial arts with the right attitude.

"You're incredibly fortunate to live in an era where martial arts flourish and to witness this grand evolution of life. Once you fully immerse yourself in it, you'll realize that the difficulties you once feared are insignificant in comparison."

He raised his hand, his smile widening, and continued, "You see my hand covered in blood and think it's injured. But, the way I look at it, these injuries reveal my shortcomings. The intense battle showed me where I still need to improve.

"These wounds are markers guiding me toward perfection. Seeing these markers helps me see the path forward clearly. That's why I'm neither sad nor afraid. In fact, I'm happy."

Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu widened their eyes in disbelief.

Happy!? Who would be happy after getting injured!?

Lin Xiaolu couldn't help but interject, "I've read in many books that if martial artists undergo too many life-and-death battles and constantly push their qi and blood to the limit, they can develop hidden injuries over time. In some cases, even if they win an extremely intense life-or-death struggle, they will be as good as crippled, with no strength left to fight again."

"That's why it's important to balance practice with proper healing," Li Pin replied. "This is why I taught you the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique. As long as you continue cultivating this technique, you'll find that it's immensely beneficial. Even now, having reached the Internal Aura realm, I still haven't hit the bottleneck of this technique."

Li Yunyao had thought that this technique was only useful for speeding up recovery, so she was surprised to hear this. "Is this technique really so miraculous?

Li Pin nodded. "Of course."

Li Pin had a hunch that the top-tier martial arts inheritances also involved a "nurturing" phase. For instance, Martial Saints incorporated nurturing into their cultivation. Unlike Li Pin's focus on nurturing primordial qi, they nurtured their mental spirit by perfecting their spiritual qi, continually accumulating the boundless strength to empower themselves.

"I'll call Fang Yubai and postpone buying the car until tomorrow," Li Pin said.

He had gained some insights from his battle with Chi Xingyu and planned to go back and refine his practice of the Internal Aura realm. He expected this optimization to significantly improve the efficiency of his Internal Cultivation.

At that moment, someone called out from behind. "Grandmaster Li!"

Li Pin turned to see Lian Xiyue quickly catching up.

"Grandmaster Li, my uncle asked me to come and thank you. He was worried about how to maintain the hype of the Jiang Province Martial Competition scandal. With your actions today, his plan has gone smoothly. People will be talking about the recent battle for a long time."

Li Pin nodded. He had done this primarily to address the potential impact on Li Yunyao and those around him.

He had done it to make Li Yunyao happy, and that was enough for him. He didn't care about the convenience it might bring to Lian Hongchen. He never accounted for that and didn't care to.

Of course, he had come into this battle for a specific objective, which was to set a few troublemakers straight. However, his arrival had unexpectedly allowed him to experience a thrilling fight with a peak Internal Aura Cultivation Grandmaster. This gave him quite a pleasant surprise.

After a moment, he thought of something and asked, "As the chairman of the Jiang Province Martial Society, Lin Yuzhi must have many experts under his command?"

Lian Xiyue nodded. "Indeed, but don't worry, Grandmaster Li. After today's battle, you're considered a top contender for the next national competition. Your fame will be immense for the next three years.

"Even if Lin Yuzhi holds significant power, he won't dare to act recklessly at this sensitive time. If he does, it would be seen as a breach of propriety and higher authorities would likely intervene. So, your safety should be well ensured."

"No..."

Li Pin was about to say something but remembered that Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu were beside him and decided against it. He didn't want them to worry.

Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words.

He nodded slightly. "Let's go with that for now."

"Alright, Grandmaster Li, do you have any specific needs for cultivation resources?" Lian Xiyue asked.

"Resources?"

"The martial society has promised to devote all its resources to focus on your training. This is not just an empty promise," Lian Xiyue said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Li Pin replied nonchalantly. "Let's start with a set of various medicinal pills."

"Understood." Lian Xiyue took note. "Where are you headed? I'll drive you."

Li Pin nodded. "Sure."

He did not refuse, taking Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu along with him.

The streets were congested, and it took Li Pin over an hour in the car to return to Riverscape Marvel.

Given the jam... if he had been alone, he would have chosen to run back instead.

Once Lian Xiyue left, Li Yunyao asked hesitantly, "Brother, what about that Chairman Lin..."

"Don't overthink it," Li Pin said, patting her head. "It's just a small matter."

He practiced martial arts to fulfill his profound desire for personal growth and, more importantly, to have the ability to do whatever he wished whenever he wanted.

As for Lin Yuzhi?

Compared to his status, Li Pin was more interested in seeing what kind of person Lin Yuzhi would send to deal with him.

"To this day, I haven't encountered a Martial Saint capable of unleashing Spirit Force," Li Pin said with a hint of longing in his voice.

Li Pin had placed this hope in the upcoming World's Top Martial Competition to allow him to have that experience. But if Lin Yuzhi could surprise him with something before that, it would be even better.

***

The next day, Li Pin finished cultivating the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique and stretched his limbs. He then checked his progress with the technique.

"Almost at the Foundation Building Chapter," he muttered.

The Foundation Building Chapter was about improving oneself and tapping into the body's potential.

I wonder if I can push my qi and blood level beyond forty points by delving deeper into this stage. Li Pin pondered.

He checked his Internal Aura Cultivation progress.

[Internal Aura: 3/365]

After modifying his Internal Cultivation method and engaging in a bloody battle with the Internal Cultivation Grandmaster Chi Xingyu, Li Pin gained a thorough understanding of the Internal Cultivation and Blood Renewal realm, along with a surge of inspiration.

As he digested these insights, the experience points required for advancing in the Internal Aura realm decreased significantly.

Even if he stopped fighting others, ceased comprehending new Internal Aura techniques, and no longer studied martial arts manuals or ancient scrolls, he could still complete his Internal Aura realm within a year through diligent training at home, until he reached Blood Renewal perfection.

By then, once he reorganized and integrated his martial arts system, he would stand at the threshold of becoming a Martial Saint, a genuine martial arts great grandmaster.

"One year... that's too long," Li Pin muttered.

As he stretched again, a thought struck him, prompting him to smile.

The students at the Astral Hall might not have manifested their Force yet and couldn't offer much help with his Blood Renewal and Internal Cultivation, but... they were durable.

For a martial artist, there was a significant difference between training blindly and having a sparring partner, particularly when that partner was strong and resilient. It was perfect.

"I didn't hold class yesterday. I suppose those students must have had some misguided thoughts after hearing about what happened the day before. They might think that I was injured and barely holding on after fighting five Astral Cultivator students. That's why I held one class and had to rest next."

Li Pin paused. "No... It should be two classes. After all, I still haven't fully recovered from my injuries today."

He was telling the truth. Despite the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique and his self-healing ability, his injuries from his battle with Chi Xingyu hadn't fully healed.

So, he decided not to go to the Astral Hall today and confidently applied for leave. "I need to give them a bit of hope. That way, they can maintain their passion and motivation."

With that, Li Pin happily headed out and called to the room opposite, "Wake up. We didn't get to buy the car yesterday, so we're going today."

A reply came from the courtyard outside. "We're already up."

Li Pin walked over to the balcony and saw Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu practicing in the courtyard.

Were they motivated by what happened yesterday?

Seeing this, Li Pin didn't stop them and said, "Get ready. I'll call Fang Yubai. We're going out to buy the car."

"Alright!" Li Yunyao responded cheerfully.

***

While Li Pin, Li Yunyao, and Lin Xiaolu were discussing buying cars with Fang Yubai in an office, Lian Hongchen was meeting up with Lin Yuzhi.

Smiling broadly, Lian Hongchen called out to Lin Yuzhi, "Chairman Lin, I've put together a list of resource requests for Grandmaster Li. Could you take a moment to review and approve it?"

Lin Yuzhi glanced at Lian Hongchen, returning the smile, "Chairman Lian, you've been quite energetic lately! Always busy, making sure everything is handled."

Lian Hongchen, seemingly unfazed by Lin Yuzhi's sarcasm, continued to smile as he said, "It's all for the martial society to thrive."

As he spoke, he handed over the list.

"Heh... Chairman Lian, you're really keen on this."

With a light chuckle, Lin Yuzhi casually swept the list aside right in front of him. "I'll have someone verify it."