Chapter 131: Invitation to battle

Li Pin gazed at the bodies of the two great grandmasters, Chi Tiexin and Qi Feng. "Not bad."

Lin Yuzhi truly lived up to his reputation as the Jiang Province Martial Society's chairman. He had managed to enlist the help of two great grandmasters to deal with him. These two great grandmasters had completed their martial arts systems and stood on the brink of becoming Martial Saints.

From their mastery of Fist Intent and Sword Intent, it was no exaggeration to say that both were promising candidates for achieving Martial Saint status. Such individuals, in theory, should be beyond the command of a mere provincial martial society chairman. After all, true Martial Saints are treated as national treasures, akin to "national heroes."

Unless it was a battle for Dao or a critical fight for the future, true Martial Saints rarely involved themselves in local personal disputes.

The Taibai Kingdom would be reluctant to allow a true Martial Saint to engage in a life-and-death struggle for private grudges. After all, once a Martial Saint refined their mental spirit to the utmost, they could potentially burn their essence, refine qi into Spirit, and forcibly meditate on the Astral God, becoming Astral Cultivators.

Even if the chances were slim, success would make them Top-Tier Astral Cultivators.

Such a figure would serve as a stabilizing force for the Taibai Kingdom, significantly enhancing its overall national strength. Each additional top-tier expert represented an increase in national strength.

With that in mind, in the martial world, a great grandmaster who had reorganized their martial arts and developed a unique fighting style represented the pinnacle of experts who could get involved in personal vendetta and conflict.

Li Pin was satisfied. The time he waited for Lin Yuzhi to make a move had been well worth it. Under the combined assault of these two great grandmasters, Li Pin finally unlocked his potential. With their help, he grasped the secret of harnessing boundless spirit within the limited body and glimpsed the essence of Spirit Force.

Having experienced it at least once, he knew that with his exceptional talent, he only needed to refine and study further to fully understand the power of Spirit Force. From that point, he'd lay the foundation for condensing his Martial Will and advancing to the Martial Saint realm.

After a brief silence of reflection, Li Pin turned his attention to Zhang Hengqiu. He had been standing on the side, careful not to make any moves.

"Grandmaster Li, please spare me," Zhang Hengqiu pleaded as soon as he noticed Li Pin's gaze. "I have strong evidence against Lin Yuzhi that could bring him down."

Li Pin did not respond directly but instead looked puzzled.

"You came with Qi Feng. And your Force just now..." Li Pin recalled. "You used the Solar Vermillion Force. The Solar Vermillion Sect has three Aura Cultivation experts. Qiu Chuyun had been stationed in Jiang Province, and Qiu Chufeng was in the capital city with another expert. You must be the one stationed in the capital city."

Thanks for finally remembering me!

thought Zhang Hengqiu.

However, Zhang Hengqiu was unsure whether to feel honored or helpless. Had he known Li Pin didn't see him as a serious threat and had no intention of wiping him out, he would have never involved himself in Lin Yuzhi and Li Pin’s feud.

"You were supposed to be aligned with Qi Feng and Chi Tiexin, so...."

Li Pin only learned Chi Tiexin's name from Zhang Hengqiu's exclamation earlier.

"Why did I act against Qi Feng when he tried to escape?" Zhang Hengqiu revealed a bitter smile as he spoke. "Grandmaster Li, I never intended to be your enemy. Honestly, I was afraid to oppose you."

After a pause, he continued, "Lin Yuzhi claimed that you are ruthless and always ensure no threat remains by eliminating all traces. Now that I've become the only member of the Solar Vermillion Sect, I feared you'd come after me.

"Plus, Lin Yuzhi holds damaging information about the Solar Vermillion Sect, so I had no choice but to return to Jiang Province and cooperate with him.

Even with that said, Zhang Hengqiu had a deeper motive for his actions against Qi Feng. Qi Feng's exceptional skills made him hard to catch, but Zhang Hengqiu, a newly promoted grandmaster, would be doomed if Li Pin pursued him.

Facing such a fearsome person capable of killing two great grandmasters, he knew his chances of survival were slim. Therefore, he intervened at a critical moment as a token of his loyalty. This was likely why Li Pin was willing to listen to his explanation now.

"Revenge has its reasons," Li Pin said.

Li Pin wasn’t the type to indiscriminately wipe out entire families.

Of course, if Zhang Hengqiu had been stronger, perhaps at the level of a great grandmaster, he might have considered going to the capital city to "spar" with him. But Zhang Hengqiu had only recently become a grandmaster. He was on par with Qiu Chuyun and possibly even weaker than Zhou Chaoguan. He wasn’t worth the trouble of making a special trip there.

"Grandmaster Li, if you are willing to spare me, I can provide you with the evidence to bring down Lin Yuzhi," Zhang Hengqiu quickly said, trying to secure his survival. "Lin Yuzhi is strong. However, without the position of martial society chairman, he would only be a powerful individual without official support.

"A hit like that would greatly reduce his influence. Grandmaster Li, once you become a Martial Saint, killing him would be a piece of cake."

"Is Lin Yuzhi very strong?" Li Pin asked.

"

Uh...

" Zhang Hengqiu hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, very strong! His position as the chairman of the Jiang Province Martial Society is partly due to his background and methods, but most importantly, it’s because he is exceptionally strong!"

Zhang Hengqiu pondered and continued, "The Solar Vermillion Sect has worked with him for many years and knows him well. Ten years ago, Chairman Lin defeated all challengers in Jiang Province with his Thirty-Six Paths of Infinite Sword.

"Within the Taibai territory, he was highly renowned. Even the esteemed vice chairman of the martial association, Lu Changkong, Martial Saint Lu, referred to him as the strongest person below the Martial Saints!"

Li Pin’s eyes lit up. "The strongest person below the Martial Saints!?"

Lin Yuzhi had such a distinguished moment ten years ago?

"The title of ‘strongest below the Martial Saints’ might be partly due to Martial Saint Lu's promotion, but it reflects how formidable Lin Yuzhi was at that time," Zhang Hengqiu said, pausing briefly before continuing, "Of course, that was ten years ago. Over the years, Lin Yuzhi has aged and, after becoming the chairman, has had less time to devote to martial arts. I suspect he is now on par with Qi Feng and Chi Tiexin."

Li Pin nodded. "A great grandmaster with perfected Fist Intent and Sword Intent?"

Such a figure could easily unleash Spirit Force as long as they were in good condition.

Furthermore, despite getting older, Lin Yuzhi could still rival the peak strength of Qi Feng and Chi Tiexin in their prime. His understanding of Spirit Force would likely be even deeper.

With that thought, Li Pin shifted the topic back. "You mentioned earlier that you have evidence against him?"

Zhang Hengqiu replied firmly, "When Lin Yuzhi summoned me, I suspected he wanted to use me against you. So, while he was instructing me, I made sure to record the entire process with special equipment."

"Grandmaster Li, your reputation in Jiang Province is immense. Even in the capital city, influential figures have heard of you. Given the intense conflict between Chairman Lian and Lin Yuzhi, presenting this video to the association will make it impossible for Lin Yuzhi to retain his position."

Li Pin was surprised. "You were prepared in advance?"

Zhang Hengqiu continued, "Lin Yuzhi thinks he’s meticulous and flawless. However, having held the position of martial society chairman for so long, he assumed that we, the leaders of local sects, would fear his power. But he doesn’t understand that authority is always secondary to true strength."

Glancing at Li Pin, Zhang Hengqiu added, "I’m more afraid of offending you than Lin Yuzhi. If I offend Lin Yuzhi, I might still live well even if I leave Taibai, but if I offend you, I fear that one day I might find no refuge anywhere, not even in heavens or on earth."[1]

Zhang Hengqiu spoke with sincere concern. At over fifty, even the most health-conscious martial artist would inevitably experience a decline in Vitality, Qi, and Spirit. Lin Yuzhi was no exception.

Putting aside the prospect of condensing Martial Will and ascending to the rank of Martial Saint, Lin Yuzhi had accomplished his greatest achievements a decade ago, when he dominated Jiang Province. He might have a future in the association, but that would be the extent of his limits.

Li Pin, on the other hand, was just twenty-two years old. At such a young age, he was already powerful enough to kill Internal Cultivation Grandmasters and had defeated two great grandmasters in direct combat. His combat prowess was astounding!

What was even more frightening was that Li Pin didn’t rely on astral equipment or medicines to boost his strength like other martial artists. He had achieved his strength purely through his own talent and effort. As long as he didn’t meet an untimely end, he would most definitely rise to become a Martial Saint. And once he achieved that level, it would be like stepping into a whole new world.

If people like Li Pin advanced to become Martial Saints, they had the potential to burn their essence, refine qi into Spirit, and forcibly meditate on the Astral God, taking a step many dreamt of to become Astral Cultivators. They could then rise to become key figures of the Guardian Hall in governing a province.

If they didn't, their Martial Will, capable of countering Atomic Will, would allow them to navigate perilous regions teeming with ferocious beasts and demonic creatures. They'd make excellent scouts, providing accurate intelligence for joint strikes by Astral Cultivators.

As they aged and their qi and blood waned, their accumulated achievements could allow them to transition into politics, starting with a role at the martial association and possibly advancing to deputy chairman or even chairman.

Of course, what truly pushed Zhang Hengqiu to backstab Qi Feng and demonstrate his loyalty was the strength Li Pin displayed in this battle!

Spirit Force! At twenty-two, mastering the Spirit Qi Unity!

This was simply... insane.

"Give me a copy of the evidence then return to the capital city," said Li Pin, pensive. "Lin Yuzhi is currently in the capital city, right?"

"To distance himself from this matter, he’s indeed staying in the capital city. He's trying to appear busy with the national competition," Zhang Hengqiu quickly replied.

He sighed with relief internally.

I survived!

Since Li Pin instructed him to go to the capital city, it meant he would not be killed for now.

He had... survived...

With newfound respect, Zhang Hengqiu bowed slightly. "Grandmaster Li, please give me your orders."

"It’s simple. Deliver the evidence to Lin Yuzhi," Li Pin instructed.

Zhang Hengqiu was stunned. "Deliver it to Lin Yuzhi!?"

"Tell him I’m giving him three days. After three days, I expect him to be in peak condition, as dominant as he was ten years ago in Jiang Province, and then..." Li Pin paused, "he must fight me."

Zhang Hengqiu’s eyes widened in shock.

"This battle will end in one of two ways, either he kills me and continues as the chairman of the Jiang Province Martial Society, or I kill him..." Li Pin smiled slightly, "And from then on, all grudges will be settled."

1. Chinese expression of being cornered totally with no way of escape. ☜