Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 200: Arrogant

In the second round of the round-robin, those who had yet to compete were obligated to accept challenges from higher-ranked opponents, barring a forfeit. Ying Long was no exception.[1]

"Su Feiyu!"

Faced with the female martial artist whom everyone considered the weakest among the top ten, believing her ranking more of a fluke than a testament to her strength, Ying Long couldn't fathom the thought of losing to her.

"You want to fight? Let's do it!" The Eagle Talon Sect expert boldly stepped onto the stage. "Do you really think I'm easy to bully? I may not have fully recovered, but I'm not someone you can insult, especially when you only made it to the top ten by sheer luck!"

***

Several minutes later.

Ying Long was knocked off the stage, his face bruised and swollen.

Despite being considered the weakest among the top ten, Su Feiyu's skills were on par with Ying Long's. In their match, her chances of winning were slightly lower, but not by much, especially considering Ying Long's current condition.

During their intense battle, Su Feiyu seized an opportunity and kicked him off the stage, sending him tumbling down and rolling a couple of times.

With this victory, she secured her first win in the round-robin. As the announcer loudly declared the winner and instructed Su Feiyu to leave the stage, the crowd cheered.

"Next, we welcome the newly ascended Martial Saint who has delivered the most outstanding performance in this year's World's Top Martial Competition! He wasn't listed as one of the top five seeds, but he has already proven he’s every bit as strong as any of them!"

With one hand holding the microphone, the announcer gestured toward Li Pin. " Let's hear it for our next contestant, Li Pin!

"Wow!"

"Li Pin! Li Pin! Li Pin!"

Amidst the thunderous cheers, Li Pin slowly rose from his seat. He looked much more refreshed than when he first arrived and seemed to be in normal shape.

Unlike other contestants who either demonstrated their martial arts skills by leaping into the air or strode forward with big steps, Li Pin simply walked onto the stage, step by step.

But this simple act only fuelled his popularity further, with the cheers from the tens of thousands of the crowd threatening to shatter the skies. This overwhelming enthusiasm created an indescribable pressure for all the other competitors.

They had just seen that Li Pin wasn't in his best condition, and their tactical advisors confidently claimed that today was the best chance to defeat him. Yet, when Li Pin finally stepped onto the stage, everyone still felt inexplicably tense.

Yes, Li Pin wasn't in top form! But who could guarantee that he has no fighting strength left at all? As long as he has any power remaining, he’s still a problem. After all, aside from the few Martial Saints, who were confident they could take a half-weakened Li Pin?

No, even those Martial Saints, were they really sure they could beat Li Pin in this state? What if he still had more than fifty percent of his strength to spare; what if he could still use eighty, or even ninety, percent of his power? Were they confident they could handle that?

"Watch who Li Pin chooses to fight! Whoever he picks will give us an idea of his condition. Then, we can exploit his personality flaws to provoke him into fighting," said Nan Lifeng's tactical advisor in a low voice.

Others might think Nan Lifeng was severely injured, but he was well aware that Nan Lifeng had retained at least eighty percent of his strength thanks to the timely intervention of an Astral Cultivator.

If anyone believed that they could take advantage of Nan Lifeng, they were gravely mistaken.

Nan Lifeng nodded solemnly. He intended to reclaim all the honor he lost in the previous round, bit by bit, in this round.

Li Pin's gaze swept over the crowd. He skipped over Su Feiyu. Surprisingly, to the people around, he seemed to ignore all those below the Martial Saint level. His eyes loomed over Zhao Yushi, Song Wuya, and the Great Sun Chosen One.

He had promised Song Wuya that he’d give him three days before challenging him. That left only Zhao Yushi and the Great Sun Chosen One.

Li Pin had initially planned to challenge Zhao Yushi, the second-ranked contender. However, the Great Sun Chosen One's stunning performance in the previous round made him reconsider. So....

Li Pin's gaze fell on the Martial Saint from the Great Sun Divine Sect. "Great Sun Chosen One!"

With a slight gesture, he invited, "Please."

The Great Sun Chosen One was momentarily stunned, almost thinking he had misheard. "Me!?"

Zhao Yushi and Song Wuya, however, smiled. They were clearly not surprised by Li Pin's choice at all.

The Great Sun Chosen One asked again, "Li Pin, you want to challenge me?"

Li Pin nodded slightly.

The Great Sun Chosen One fell silent. He couldn't refuse this challenge.

"Li Pin is clearly not in top form, yet he's recklessly challenging you. This is your best chance to defeat him," the Black Tortoise Dharma King urged.

"Are you really certain that Li Pin is seriously injured? What if he aims to bring about a situation where both sides suffer?"

"That's impossible."

"Do you think Li Pin is the type to bluff?" the Great Sun Chosen One asked.

The Black Tortoise Dharma King's expression stiffened at this question. He couldn't answer.

After a while, he finally said, "He's the one challenging you, so you can't refuse. The only thing you can do now is to give it your all and fight him."

The Great Sun Chosen One wanted to say more, but the host had already called him again. There was no time for further delay.

He stopped speaking, strode forward, and soon stepped onto the arena. He intended to find the answer himself.

"You still haven’t fully recovered yet, have you? This isn't your peak state," the Great Sun Chosen One said. "Why choose me under these circumstances?"

"No, I'm doing well," Li Pin replied. "Maybe not in perfect condition, but I couldn’t be feeling any better."

After creating the Zhulong of Time, he gained new insights into the Foundation Building Chapter. With that, his previously stagnant qi and blood had improved further through this optimization and refinement.

This improvement wasn't a mere fantasy. It was an evolution, elevating him from an ordinary person toward someone with "innate divine strength." If he continued to cultivate the Foundation Building Chapter, he might one day become like Wang Liancheng. This prodigy had pushed his qi and blood to the extreme limit, reaching forty-nine points while still in the Core Formation stage.

If Li Pin could reach Wang Liancheng's level in the Martial Saint realm, elevating his qi and blood to fifty-four or fifty-five wouldn't be out of reach. This difference marked the gap between an Extreme Martial Saint and the King of the Century.

With the potential to reach such heights, how could his current state be considered anything but excellent?

"As for why I chose you...." Li Pin smiled at the Great Sun Chosen One. "It's simple—because you're strong."

The Great Sun Chosen One was stunned by these words. "Strong!"

He looked at Li Pin's eyes, which seemed to carry a certain longing, and realized something. He repeated the word again, "Strong!"

It was a very brief evaluation, but to the Great Sun Chosen One, it was the highest recognition he could ask for.

The Great Sun Chosen One nodded heavily. "Good! Li Pin, I know I am no match for your agility and explosiveness. Even though my defense is formidable, if you were to wield a sword... it would be difficult for me to withstand your blade...."

"I am not using a sword," Li Pin responded.

Having a weapon could make a significant difference in combat. When Li Pin wielded his sword, his strength would soar by at least ten or twenty percent.

However, what Li Pin truly enjoyed were fights where he could feel the impact of his force colliding with his opponent’s. Those were the types of battles he enjoyed, battles that shook the bones and tore the muscles.

That way, he could better understand the differences in each person's strength, will, and conviction.

"Won’t be using a sword...."

The Chosen One was at a loss for words. After a few seconds, he finally spoke, "What I excel at most is straightforward, no-nonsense combat. So... moving on, I'll use a secret art to unleash my strongest move! If you can withstand this blow, with your agility, precise swordsmanship, and keen grasp of opportunities, I won't be able to match you. But if you can't...."

Li Pin smiled slightly. "If I'm not as skilled, dying under your fist wouldn't be unacceptable."

The Great Sun Chosen One nodded.

After a long while staring at Li Pin's smile, the Great Sun Chosen One couldn't help but ask, "Li Pin, has anyone ever told you that you're very arrogant?"

"Arrogant?" Li Pin was a bit surprised. "Me, arrogant? Everything I do is with sincerity; where's the arrogance in that?"

The Great Sun Chosen One quickly retorted, "You're fully capable of using swordsmanship, and when you do, you're more lethal, yet you choose to abandon the sword. And now... you have this look of absolute confidence that you won't lose to me... isn't that arrogance?"

"That's not absolute confidence, but rather a constant awareness that I could die under my opponent's fist at any moment. Since I chose this path, that day will come sooner or later. After all, no one is invincible, and no one is unbeatable. This is my life's motto."

Li Pin tried to make his tone as sincere as possible. "As for why I don’t use the sword, it's because a sword doesn't allow me to fully experience the collision of strength—"

"No! It's because you have absolute confidence in yourself! You know that if you used a sword, this life-and-death battle between us would become meaningless."

The Great Sun Chosen One interrupted Li Pin and spoke bluntly, "Why do you use a sword when hunting ferocious beasts and demonic creatures? Because... whether it's an Beastfolk Fighter or a Crimson-Tooth Tiger, they're all without exception stronger than me!

"They are stronger than you! Facing such formidable opponents, you know that bare-handed, you'd be facing near-certain death. Only by wielding a sword, a spirit weapon, can you hope to emerge victorious!"

He waved his hand forcefully. "Deep down, you have an innate arrogance that knows no bounds!"

"Knows no bounds...." Li Pin shook his head. "You're wrong; I follow the rules."

The Great Sun Chosen One smirked. "Heh..."

"I won't argue with you any further; time will prove everything I do!" Li Pin paused. "However, if thinking that I have a boundless arrogance helps fuel your fighting spirit... then consider me arrogant."

The Great Sun Chosen One clenched his fists.

"Can we begin now? We've kept everyone waiting long enough."

As he gazed at the Great, Li Pin spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the second Martial Saint battle that was about to unfold, following that with Cheng Yufeng.

"As you said, throw your strongest punch. Come; let me see how powerful the Chosen One the Great Sun Divine Sect has nurtured with so much effort and cost truly is."

1. Given Ying Long has one loss, he is lower in ranking compared to Su Feiyu. ☜