Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 188: Flaw

Ying Long wasn't surprised when Zhao Yushi chose him. After all, he, Su Feiyu, and Yan Hongtu were considered the weakest among the contestants.

As for why he was chosen instead of the other two....

Yan Hongtu was a member of the Dragon Gate Hall, so he had to be given preferential treatment, at least to some extent. That was because whoever secured a spot in the top three would have a shot at earning the title of Dragon Prince and would train at the Dragon Gate Hall.

As for Su Feiyu, she was a woman. Despite the Tianyuan Federation's long-standing calls for gender equality, women still enjoyed certain privileges in many situations. Therefore, Ying Long wasn’t surprised that Zhao Yushi had selected him. He had mentally prepared himself for this.

He stood tall, not a sliver of fear in his eyes. "In my homeland, status is determined by one's bloodline and social standing. Most Martial Saints are complacent aristocrats, more concerned with their titles than their actual abilities. I've killed more than ten such Martial Saints, including a genuine one. Unfortunately, he was old and past his prime, which led to him dying at my hand."

He donned a pair of steel gauntlets and flexed his fingers. 'I've never faced a Martial Saint at the peak of their powers like yourself.'

With a confident stride, the proud disciple of the Eagle Talon Sect approached the arena and faced Zhao Yushi directly. "I hope you won't disappoint."

***

After half a minute, a loud cry of surrender came from the Eagle Talon Sect’s tactical advisor.

Ying Long, bruised and battered, crawled to his feet.

"Her... her spear is too long... She didn't give me a chance to get close... That's too dishonorable. My weapon was completely useless against hers," he muttered, weakly.

With the tactical advisor's help, he quickly left the arena.

"That big sister is so cool!" Li Yunyao admired.

"Train hard," Li Pin advised. "If you practice the techniques I've taught you, you can do the same. At the very least, you can progress through the stages of Force Cultivation, Core Formation, organs-tempering, and Blood Renewal."

Li Yunyao replied with a serious expression, "Brother, I've thought about it carefully. You're right. We can't always rely on you. From now on, I'll focus on my training and advance my Force from the Overt to Transformative phase as soon as possible."

Li Pin nodded. "Good."

Meanwhile, his attention was focused on the techniques Zhao Yushi had displayed in her battle with Ying Long. Zhao Yushi's spear was exceptionally powerful, and her movement skills were impressive. However, what truly stood out was her momentum.

It wasn't the Fist Intent, nor the mental spirit, but her pure, unadulterated momentum. It was a subtle force less profound than the concentrated power of the Fist Intent.

It was like a person's Vitality, Qi, and Spirit, or the pressure from a swiftly moving spear, often considered insignificant in direct combat. Yet, in her hands, it transformed into something extraordinary. By integrating this momentum with her intent, she completely overwhelmed Ying Long, leaving him no chance to recover.

She then defeated him with a relentless barrage of attacks.

Li Pin had a feeling that even he would find it difficult to counter her unique blend of momentum and intent.

It's a bit similar to the Lunar Youying I developed during my fight with Cheng Yufeng. Grand and imposing, using sheer force to overwhelm.

The Lunar Youying involved inducing a unique spiritual state that altered atmospheric pressure within a ten-meter radius. This created high-frequency vibrations similar to infrasound, making the opponent feel as if they were trapped in mud. They would also experience illusions of being crushed by a mountain or witnessing the world's collapse.

Combined with the spiritual impact of the Fist Intent, this pressure was greatly amplified. The opponent would perceive themselves as witnessing the birth of chaos and the destruction of the world, inducing profound psychological fear.

This fear, in turn, weakened their combat spirit and diminished the power of their explosive fist and sword intents.

All these factors were interconnected. And that's what's powerful about the Lunar Youying technique.

"If my guess is correct... it proves that the fist technique I just created today has already been mastered and applied in actual combat by someone else."

This was hard to believe.

However, Li Pin reflected that he had only practiced martial arts for a year, and his spirit-tempering more recent, spanning mere months.

In contrast, Zhao Yushi was one of the most exceptional Martial Saints among the billions within the Tianyuan border. Additionally, her naturally ferocious and imposing spear technique made her invincible within a radius of three zhang. Given these factors, her understanding of this "momentum" was entirely reasonable.

After Zhao Yushi stepped off the stage, it was supposed to be Cheng Yufeng's turn. However, since he had already participated in a match, he could forgo further battles for the day.

Therefore, the next person to step onto the stage was Yan Hongtu.

Yan Hongtu was from the Dragon Gate Hall. During the preliminary round, he had reached first place on several occasions. This was largely due to his expertise in hunting ferocious beasts and his deep knowledge of their habits. His ability to slay so many ferocious beasts was a testament to his strength.

When he stepped onto the stage, the host asked him to name his opponent. Yan Hongtu's gaze immediately locked onto Li Pin. "I challenge Li Pin!"

"Challenge Li Pin?"

The moment these words left his mouth, the host and the other competitors were taken aback.

Any competitors who had just been through a major battle could choose to decline subsequent fights, whether they were challenged or the challenger. In such situations, challengers typically avoided targeting recently exhausted opponents.

First of all, it could be seen as an attempt to take advantage of an exhausted opponent, which could damage one's reputation. Secondly, there was a high likelihood of being refused, making the challenge pointless.

The host couldn't help but interject, "Yan Hongtu, Li Pin has just given us a spectacular battle. He—"

"I'm aware." Yan Hongtu interrupted the host before he could finish. "I'm different from other martial artists. I rarely spar with Martial Saints of my level. In fact, the number of great grandmasters I fought to the death with is very little. Most of the time, I roam the wilderness, studying and hunting ferocious beasts, because that is my true purpose in martial arts."

He continued, fearless, "I understand that battles between martial artists are meant to be fair and just. I also understand that challenging Li Pin now might be seen as taking advantage of his weakened state, but....

"When we're out in the wild, does the next beast wait for you to catch your breath after you killed a ferocious beast? Does it leave you to recover? No, it smells your blood, senses your weakened state, and pounces for the kill!"

The host found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

"Besides, Li Pin is a Martial Saint, and I am merely a grandmaster. I'm clearly at a disadvantage. If I don't seize the opportunity to fight him while he's weakened, how can I hope to win?

"The World's Top Martial Competition is full of unexpected dangers and surprises. It's not uncommon for seeded competitors to be eliminated by dark horses. It has happened in past competitions. At least I am laying it out honestly and openly challenging him. What's wrong with that?"

Yan Hongtu paused. "Of course, Martial Saint Li can turn down the challenge, and I would understand. In that case, I would challenge Cheng Yufeng, Ying Long, or Su Feiyu...."

As for why he didn't challenge Zhao Yushi....

Zhao Yushi had defeated Ying Long without resorting to her secret art. She had plenty of strength to spare. Even in the most ideal circumstances, challenging her could end in a mutually destructive outcome.

The host looked at Li Pin. "Li Pin, since you've just been through a major battle, you have the right to decline Yan Hongtu's challenge—"

"Heh."

Li Pin stood up immediately.

"Don't fall for his provocation—"

Before Tuo Bafeng could finish his sentence, Li Pin was already striding confidently towards the stage.

This distressed tactical advisor could only cover his forehead again in frustration.

What else could he say? It was clear he was just there for show. His contestant wasn't taking his advice seriously at all.

As Li Pin responded to Yan Hongtu's challenge by striding back onto the stage, all eyes turned to him.

The Great Sun Chosen One couldn't help but ask his tactical advisor, "Dharma King, didn’t Li Pin use a secret art just now?"

"Absolutely! He definitely used a secret art!"

The Dharma King of the Great Sun Divine Sect asserted firmly, "And it must have been a secret art that sharply drains his primordial qi."

The Dharma King glanced at Li Pin's complexion. It didn't seem to have changed much...?

However, that wasn't the point.

"I've noticed that Li Pin seems to have an exceptionally high level of pride. This might be a flaw in his character. If we want to defeat him, we could exploit this."

Having said that, the Dharma King whispered something to the Great Sun Chosen One.

Many people, including those influential figures who supported Li Pin, found it appalling that Li Pin accepted the challenge. It was clear that this had been a blatant provocation to him. Yet, despite that, Li Pin accepted nonetheless. His character flaw was too apparent, making him an easy target.

"Li Pin, I'm surprised you accepted the challenge."

Yan Hongtu looked at Li Pin on the stage with a mix of excitement and caution. "I've held the lead for most of the preliminaries, but unfortunately, I still narrowly missed out on first place. Going up against you now, my knowledge about ferocious beasts doesn’t mean anything; it’s useless.

"As for you, you’ve expended a lot of energy in your last battle. That’s why, it could be said we are on equal footing now."

He raised his long sword. "Let's treat this battle as a continuation of the preliminaries! Let's see who is truly the best!"

Li Pin didn't care to respond to all of that. He instead wondered, "So, that's the Martial Will you're trying to forge? Let me guess, is it something about hunting or killing? And does that include setting traps? Not just physical ones, but those targeting a person's character and mind?'"

Yan Hongtu's eyes narrowed, like a hawk about to strike. However, he quickly regained his composure. "I know my ways aren't honorable, but as a grandmaster, this is the only way I can defeat a Martial Saint like you—"

Li Pin waved his hand to cut him off. "Whether you call it traps, schemes, or even fair play, I only have one request: At least don't be too much weaker than Cheng Yufeng, alright?"

He extended his hand. "Come."