Chapter 157: Opening

"This is why I entered the World's Top Martial Competition," Li Pin said with a smile. He looked at the statues before him. "To be remembered by this competition."

"I believe that day will come for you," Su Feiyu said sincerely.

She had faith in Li Pin because... he was so young. At only twenty-three years old, he still had thirteen years left to participate in up to four more World's Top Martial Competitions! With his potential, as long as he didn't meet an untimely end, he would surely achieve the rank of Martial Saint.

It could be as early as the seventeenth competition, or at the latest by the eighteenth or nineteenth, that every spectator would be shouting his name, celebrating the arrival of the new champion. In the future, he might even advance from the intermediate category to the adult category, competing directly in the Martial Saint battles for the title of Tianyuan Number One, far surpassing the world champion title.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps approached.

A six-foot-tall man who seemed to be in his thirties arrived alone at the statue of the fourteenth competition's champion. The man was carrying a war saber on his back. He alone exuded a fierce and commanding aura that would make anyone take notice of him as he walked down the street.

Li Pin gazed at him. "Saber Intent?"

"That's Shooting Star Song Wuya," Su Feiyu whispered. "One of the top five seeded competitors contending for the championship."

"He is the most watched and controversial participant this year. Since the start of the competition, no opponent has been able to withstand a single strike from him."

As a princess of the royal family, Su Feiyu's intelligence network far exceeded Li Pin's, and she had detailed knowledge of all the contestants.

"Even Martial Saints?"

"Yes, even Martial Saint Zhou Tianfang!" Su Feiyu affirmed solemnly. "Zhou Tianfang is a true expert who has forged his Martial Will, yet even he could not block even a single strike from Song Wuya! Song Wuya's saber, known as the Shooting Star, was passed down from the renowned Extreme Martial Saint Mo Guang, known as the Roc Demon King, over forty years ago.

"It is an unparalleled saber technique that combines training methods and secret arts into one, representing the pinnacle of the Roc Demon King's swordsmanship!"

She took a light breath. "The Roc Demon King once clashed with Fu Qingtian, the reigning King of the Century Champion at that time. His saber flashed like a meteor. Unfortunately... he made a critical mistake and was ultimately defeated by Fu Qingtian.

"Despite this, his saber still left a scar on Fu Qingtian, which remains to this day. Even now, after Fu Qingtian became a legend, he has not erased those scars, as a tribute to the Extreme Martial Saint who fell to his hands."

Li Ping nodded, his gaze fixed on Song Wuya as he quietly sensed knife intent emanating from him.

The man nicknamed Shooting Star noticed Li Pin's stare and turned his gaze toward him. The moment their eyes met, Li Pin felt as though his spiritual world had been pierced by a beam of starlight.

It was fast! Incredibly fast! By the time Li Ping "saw" this starlight, the starlight had already penetrated deep into his mind at a speed capable of tearing through the sky, threatening to shatter his spiritual realm.

However, Li Pin's control over his own strength was exceptionally precise! Especially after coming into contact with the Spirit Force realm, his mental focus had become incredibly sharp.

The starry saber light was about to cleave his spiritual world, but at that moment, a brilliant sun seemed to rise from deep within. Its dazzling light, accompanied by terrifying heat, spread throughout the space in an instant. Within this sun, a figure was faintly discernible; fist raised toward the heavens, delivering a punch capable of incinerating the heavens.

The clash between Fist and Saber Intent caused a tremendous upheaval in Li Pin's spiritual world.

Nevertheless... this spiritual world ultimately belonged to Li Pin! Moreover, this was only a fraction of Song Wuya's Saber Intent. The collision lasted only a moment before the starlight-like Saber Intent melted away rapidly like ice under the blazing sun. In an instant, it was pulverized by the brilliant sun and the terrifying heat Li Pin's Fist Intent generated.

"

Hm!?

"

Song Wuya, surprised to see his saber intent crushed, took a closer look at Li Pin. After a moment, he realized something. "The twenty-three year old contestant, Li Pin?"

"Yes," Li Pin replied.

"Not bad."

Song Wuya didn't linger. He turned to leave after dropping off that remark.

Upon seeing this, Su Feiyu realized what had to have happened. Astonished, she quickly turned her gaze toward Li Pin. "Did you just...?"

"Formidable Saber Intent," Li Ping remarked.

Finding his description rather lacking, he added, "An incredibly swift blade."

"You two actually... had a clash of Saber and Fist Intent? And by the looks of it... it seemed... you won?"

"It's nothing. He simply unleashed a casual Saber Intent to intimidate me; it wasn't a serious attack. This kind of strength contest holds no real significance."

His gaze remained fixed on Song Wuya's departing figure as he spoke. Though he had won the recent clash, the swift, meteor-like saber intent still left a profound impact on him.

If Song Wuya had not used Saber Intent but had instead hidden in the shadows and launched a sudden, shooting-star-like attack, could he have defended against it?

He did not know! Even Li Pin could not provide a precise answer! The only thing he was certain of was that if he could not block it... he would die.

"And he's still... not a Martial Saint," Li Pin murmured to himself.

If Song Wuya was this powerful despite not even being a Martial Saint, then just how formidable must Cheng Yufeng, the Great Sun Chosen One, and Zhao Yushi be?

At that moment, Li Pin's anticipation for the World's Top Martial Competition grew even stronger. He almost wished he could face these five formidable opponents immediately. However, before he could challenge them, he had to hunt enough ferocious beasts first to secure himself a spot in the top ten.

Meanwhile, Su Feiyu observed Li Pin. He was calm and composed even after facing Song Wuya. Such composure and determination made it clear why he had come so far on the path of martial arts.

At the same time, she began to realize that her knowledge about Li Pin might still be lacking in detail. His strength, as it seemed, was more than just being able to fiercely counterattack when besieged by the two great grandmasters, Chi Tiexin and Qi Feng.

***

As time passed, the start of the World's Top Martial Tournament drew nearer and nearer. Media from all over began to gather outside Martial Arts Village, eager to interview the competitors. However, except for the most authoritative official media outlets, no one was allowed inside the village.

Among the invited interviewees, the most popular were naturally the five top contenders for the championship. Apart from them, Li Pin received just as many invitations. At twenty-three, he stood out sharply among the average thirty-year-old competitors in the intermediate category.

The Tianyuan Society's high evaluation of Li Pin, which placed him just behind the top five seeded competitors as a strong contender, only added to the buzz surrounding him. Despite this, Li Pin wasn't fond of the limelight. Aside from a brief interview with Taibai, he declined all other invitations.

He focused quietly on refining his own state, organizing his martial arts system, and aiming to achieve mastery upon completing his Blood Renewal. His goal was to become a great grandmaster, stand at the threshold of Martial Saint, and then sprint toward the ultimate realm of martial arts.

***

The 10th of July, the official start date of the World's Top Martial Competition.

After breakfast, Li Yunyao, Lin Xiaolu, and Qin Rouran all cheered Li Pin on together, "Good luck, Brother."

"I have faith in your strength, you can definitely score high enough to make it into the top ten!"

"Be careful."

The three took turns speaking.

Li Pin smiled at them. "See you in half a month."

After that, Li Pin left and headed toward the mansion where Su Mai was staying, taking with him the astral equipment sword forged from Lingfeng Crystal that Zhuo Chengyu had gifted him.

When he arrived, he found Su Feiyu, Tuo Bahai, and Zhao Xingge waiting, with Su Mai also present.

Seeing that Li Pin had arrived, Su Mai greeted him with a smile. "Let's go to the venue."

Li Pin nodded.

The five boarded the martial society business vehicle that was waiting outside. This was not a minibus or coach that could accommodate dozens of passengers, but a bulletproof business vehicle.

"I've said everything I needed to over the past few days. You should have a good understanding of this competition by now. The only thing I need to remind you of is one thing," Su Mai said, his usually gentle demeanor taking on an unusual seriousness as he looked at the four participants. "Come back alive."

These few words sent chills down their spine.

Although the high-tier ferocious beasts and demonic creatures in Snake Valley had been eliminated, leaving behind only mid to low-tier ones, many accidents could still occur. After all, they would be spending half a month alone in a perilous region, hunting these creatures.

Not even Zhao Yushi, the Great Sun Chosen One, or Cheng Yufeng could guarantee they would be completely safe. So, Su Mai's reminder to "come back alive" was far from an overstatement.

"Understood," the four responded solemnly.

Su Mai nodded and didn't say more. Over-explaining might only add to their stress.

The vehicle continued forward and gradually approached the venue of the World's Top Martial Competition.

Since the top ten spots would be decided by accumulating points through battling ferocious beasts, no actual matches would take place at the venue. Instead, four giant screens had been set up in the center of the venue to display real-time footage of the contestants and their scores.

Despite this, the venue was still packed. Over one hundred thousand spectators had gathered, and even though the upcoming matches could only be watched on large screens, just like on television, it didn't dampen their enthusiasm.

As soon as Li Pin and the others got out of the vehicle, they were greeted with a thunderous roar of sound. The entire venue felt like it was vibrating slightly.

Soon, a staff member approached and handed them a device that resembled a wristwatch.

"This is the latest model, incorporating both astral equipment and technological advancements. A guide will explain its use to you. For now, you need to head to your designated starting points."

The staff member pointed at the arena in the center of the venue, drawing their attention to it. On the enormous platform, originally over a hundred meters in diameter and used for sparring, were now eight futuristic-looking aircraft, resembling helicopters but with a more sci-fi design.

"Board the aircraft according to your team assignments. Once you arrive at your destination, parachute into the competition zone."