Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 248: Resources

"It's not important."

Looking at Zhang Yuesheng and Su Feiyu's excited eyes, Li Pin remained calm. "The highest honor for a martial artist isn't the King of the Century throne, but in themselves. Becoming an unprecedented, perfect, and powerful life form is the ultimate achievement and glory."

His goal had always been the evolution of life.

Evolution, not assimilation.

He wanted to discover what form a human would take when they reached the limits of evolution.

Li Pin didn't explain further. For certain things, actions spoke louder than words.

No amount of words could compare to the awe that moment would bring, when his Lifeform Force Field dominated the Celestial Force Field, causing the planet to turn by his will.

It was like every time he fought, he would kindly warn his opponents about his strength, telling them to be serious and give it their all. But instead of believing him, they got upset.

It was simply baffling.

As for how difficult the path he chose would be, or how many hurdles he would have to overcome... Why did it matter? So what if it was hard?

As long as there's a will, there's a way. Success and failure were all part of life's journey. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

He had always believed that one was eternally invincible or undefeated in this world.

Defeat? It was merely a chance to start over.

His death and arrival in this world were a testament to that. It had allowed him to set foot again on the martial arts path.

He viewed those who formed their Core as High-Class Astral Cultivators. Those who cultivated their Aura as Top-Tier Astral Cultivators. And Martial Saints as Master Astral Cultivators.

That's all there was to it.

The fact that he could progress from a mere Core Force martial artist to where he stood now showed how extraordinary the path he treaded was. It was rooted in martial arts, yet it was still full of possibilities.

Just like not long ago, at the World's Top Martial Competition, when countless people were chanting his name.

One day... with this mortal body of his, he would stand at the pinnacle of the world and make the planet beneath his feet turn at his command.

Zhang Yuesheng and Su Feiyu exchanged glances after hearing Li Pin's words. "This..."

They didn't try to persuade him any further. After all, The death rate in every King of the Century Competition was astonishingly high, and Li Pin was still young. He had yet to reach his full potential.

There was indeed no need for him to compete in this year's King of the Century grand battle.

He could wait until he had reached the limit of his martial arts to use the King of the Century stage and ascend to the throne of the Supreme Martial Saints. Then, with endless glory and honor, he would achieve the ultimate transcendence and embark on the path of the Astral Cultivators.

"The rankings on the Hidden Dragon List and the Transformative Dragon List are settled, right?" Li Pin asked.

"Of course," Zhang Yuesheng answered without hesitation. "With your achievements, once the rankings are updated, you'll definitely be at the top of both lists!"

Li Pin nodded. Since 700 thousand points were about to come his way....

"Set aside 500 thousand points and help me exchange them for ten Primordial Electric Crystals," Li Pin instructed.

It was time to start preparing for the second phase of the Stars Overlord's cultivation.

"Primordial Electric Crystals are a niche cultivation material, and the Dragon Gate Hall doesn’t have many in stock. They are mainly sourced from Great Shang, which has access to this resource.

"Thanks to this, they developed a unique Astral Technique that stores lightning power in the Astral Palace. This technique generates attacks similar to lightning strikes. Though it's low-level, its power is immense.

Zhang Yuesheng paused. "Last time I checked, only six were left in stock."

"Six?" Li Pin nodded. "Get them all."

"Understood," Zhang Yuesheng agreed promptly.

After getting in the car, Li Pin thought briefly before pulling out his communicator and contacting Xiang Tianxing.

Li Pin: Do you have any channels for purchasing Thunder Magnetic Crystals?

It only took Xiang Tianxing half a minute to respond.

Xiang Tianxing: Primordial Electric Crystals? Electromagnetic force? Magnetic fields? Are you planning to take this route? It won't work. Lord Chong Guang tried this before and ended up wasting a large number of Primordial Electric Crystals without any results.

When you form your Starlight Body, all power attributes are converted into astral energy. Unless you're a Master Astral Cultivator, who's capable of using spiritual will to manipulate Atomic Will, it's impossible to generate electromagnetic properties within your body.

He thought for a bit and added.

Xiang Tiaxning: But that brings us back to the original question. Is this truly a cultivation system, or a high-level Astral Technique derived from the Astral Cultivator system?"

Li Pin: A large number of Primordial Electric Crystals... do you happen to have them?

Xiang Tianxing: I'll check.

He fell silent for over ten minutes. By the time Li Pin returned to his mansion, Xiang Tianxing finally texted back.

Xiang Tianxing: There are a few hundred left, but Lord Chong Guang didn't keep track of the exact amount. They're stored away in a storeroom.

Li Pin stared at the number. "A few hundred?"

A few hundred... and these were just leftovers.

They were cultivation resources left untouched in the storage room out of laziness. Yet, these forgotten items, which Chong Guang likely didn't even remember, required fifty thousand points to exchange at Dragon Gate Hall. And that was with a discount for his Dragon Prince status.

For core members or official members, it would cost eighty thousand, or even a hundred thousand points.

These points would take months of painstaking effort and risk to accumulate.

He finally understood why Ran Dongsheng said the Legends were willing to offer resources they considered precious to train Martial Saints. For the Martial Saints, this was a golden opportunity.

The resources that powerful Astral Cultivators possessed were unimaginable to others, even to Martial Saints.

Li Pin: What's the price?

Xiang Tianxing: Do you want it? In Tianyuan currency, Primordial Electric Crystals can sell for over a hundred million, but in Great Shang, it's priced at around 13 million. If you need it, I can get it from Lord Chong Guang at cost price, but you cannot resell it.

After sending the message, he added once more.

Xiang Tianxing: I'll also send you Lord Chong Guang's notes on using Primordial Electric Crystals to form an electromagnetic field. Go through it before deciding if you want to purchase.

Li Pin: Thank you.

Li Pin quickly checked his funds, which came from various sources, including the reward from the Taibai Royal Family when he became the world champion. After a brief calculation, he sent a reply.

Li Pin: Buy me a hundred.

Xiang Tianxing: Are you sure?

Thanks to Li Pin's mentorship of Xiang Xiaoyue, their month-long interactions at the Guardian Hall, and their shared bond over the Stars Overlord Secret Art, Xiang Tianxing treated Li Pin fairly well.

Li Pin: I'm sure.

Xiang Tianxing: Alright, you'll have them in half a month. Should I send them to you, or will you pick them up?

Li Pin: I'll pick them up myself. Let's set it for two months from now.

Li Pin thought for a moment, and then he added.

Li Pin: There's also something I want to discuss with you.

Xiang Tianxing: Two months?

He didn't ask further.

Xiang Tianxing: Alright.

The brief conversation soon ended.

After a short rest, Xiang Tianxing sent over the cultivation notes from Master Astral Cultivator Chong Guang. These notes detailed his experience with Primordial Electric Crystals on the Stars Overlord path.

Li Pin quickly began reading through them.

After a moment of reading, Li Pin realized that the perspective of this Master Astral Cultivator was vastly different from his own as a martial artist. It wasn't that he couldn't understand it, but their positions in life were worlds apart.

For ordinary people, achieving a million-dollar annual salary might take a lifetime of effort. To the Master Astral Cultivators, however, that would be laughable.

They would retort, "A million? Deposit a hundred million in the bank and you'll effortlessly earn millions in interest each year. We should have more ambitious goals to fulfill life's purpose."

This was the feeling Li Pin had as he browsed through the Master Astral Cultivator's notes.

"A Master Astral Cultivator... merging their will with the Atomic Will... This state seems similar to the Daoist concepts of refining the spirit back to nothingness or achieving unity between heaven and man. At his level, how could he possibly understand the struggles of someone like me, still stuck in the Qi-Refining stage?"

Li Pin glanced at his progress in the Innate Qi-Refining Technique.

Qi-Refining Chapter, he thought.

He hadn't even completed the Foundation Building Chapter yet.

Still, there were valuable perspectives in the notes worth absorbing.

After skimming through the notes, Zhang Yuesheng arrived with six Primordial Electric Crystals he had exchanged.

Without delay, Li Pin started experimenting on himself and began refining the crystals' power with his precise control down to the cellular level.

***

Meanwhile, Zhang Songbai rushed to find Ran Dongsheng. "Master, the result of Li Pin's match with Ye Chengyuan is out."

"Hmm?" Ran Dongsheng looked at Zhang Songbai, a bit surprised. "Li Pin won?"

Zhang Songbai nodded heavily. "He won!"

"What are you trying to say?"

Ran Dongsheng tapped on an electronic tablet in his hand, and footage of the match between Li Pin and Ye Chengyuan soon began playing.

"Li Pin... is very strong! Much stronger than Ye Chengyuan! I'm not sure what Wang Liancheng, the one the top figures of Tianyuan have placed their hopes on, is truly capable of. But in my opinion, Li Pin might even be on par with him," Zhang Songbai said.

"Wang Liancheng? Don't casually compare others to him."

Ran Dongsheng casually skimmed through the video, saying, "There are always people in this world who defy common sense. He was personally taught by the mighty Fu Qingtian, and other influential figures also supported him.

"Tell me, which Martial Saint in Tianyuan's history has ever received such treatment? I may not know much, but I can tell you that Wang Liancheng has broken over a dozen records for martial artists."

He glanced at Zhang Songbai. "Do you know how many Extreme Martial Saints the Divine Adoration Sect mobilized to ambush him? Six!"

After a pause, he added, "The leader among them even used top-tier astral equipment. Even a High-Class Astral Cultivator would struggle with such an ambush, yet Wang Liancheng survived."

"Master, perhaps you should finish watching the video of Li Pin defeating Ye Chengyuan first," Zhang Songbai gently reminded.

"A video of Li Pin defeating Ye Chengyuan? Was it a tie, or—"

Ran Dongsheng's words trailed off as his voice froze.

On the screen, Li Pin casually deflected Ye Chengyuan's sword, and the ease of his movement made Ran Dongsheng's pupils dilate. His previously relaxed posture straightened unconsciously.

After watching the video, his expression grew complicated. "Li Pin...."

Zhang Songbai remained silent, waiting for the master's orders.

"Has the list been submitted?"

"It has," Zhang Songbai replied.

"Alright, send the video to Master Mo as well. Let him decide if we should add another person."