Chapter 176: Martial Saint

"If I can consistently unleash Spirit Force while in that mental state, does that mean I have become a Martial Saint?"

"Reaching that state is what we call awakening the Martial Will. Actually, it's not that hard. It's not enough to constitute a new cultivation stage... If you just follow your heart and extend your Martial Will, you can enter that state pretty easily. The real challenge is staying in that state," Su Feiyu explained.

"Not that hard...."

Li Pin pondered for a moment.

That seemed to be... true. As long as his opponent could threaten or excite him, he could easily enter the state where his boundless spirit controlled his limited qi and blood.

If he encountered opponents who failed to excite him... then it was safe to say he didn’t even need Spirit Force to deal with them.

Since that was the case... it seemed he had truly condensed his Martial Will and could activate it at will.

Wouldn’t that mean that he had actually....

"Have I actually become a Martial Saint?" Li Pin wondered.

Su Feiyu nodded affirmatively.

He had done it without breaking any limits, without experiencing any dramatic battles or life-threatening situations.... It just happened....

Was breaking through to the Martial Saint realm this easy?

He had always been told that it was the most mysterious and challenging step of any martial artist’s cultivation journey, a step that had trapped countless grandmasters for decades.

"Achieving Martial Saint status is akin to being reborn from the near-death experiences. In life-and-death situations, one perceives their true self and comprehends their will. Martial Saint Li, it seems that when you achieved this status, you too experienced a life-and-death battle," Su Feiyu said enviously.

Life-and-death? Blood battles? Wasn't human evolution about discovering one's shortcomings through repeated limit-breaking battles? Weren't perilous battles standard practice?

Li Pin understood that suffering Injuries was inevitable in martial arts training. Getting killed because of inadequate skill wouldn’t even be surprising.

"Strictly speaking, I'm not even a great grandmaster yet," Li Pin remarked, noting that he hadn't fully refined his martial arts system yet.

However... that wasn’t a big deal. Becoming a great grandmaster wasn't a prerequisite for achieving Martial Saint. In reality, breaking through martial arts realms didn't follow such rigid rules. For many geniuses, the barriers between realms were almost negligible.

Like Song Wuya and Duan Yidao. And... Wang Liancheng, who could already battle a Martial Saint while still in the Core Formation realm.

Grandmasters refined their martial arts systems to better understand themselves and the fundamental principles of their system. Doing this would enable them to find the path that suited them best.

"I intend to condense a Martial Will based on justice. While fiery and destructive Martial Wills associated with slaughter are exceptionally potent in combat, they are difficult to sustain. A Martial Will around justice is relatively easier to sustain. As long as I adhere to the principles of fairness and maintain the Theory-Practice Unity, I can easily ascend to the peak Martial Saint realm," Su Feiyu said.

She then added with a serious tone, "The Martial Will is the foundation of a martial artist. In life-or-death battles, many cultivators specifically target and weaken a Martial Saint's Will in an attempt to significantly diminish their combat prowess. Therefore, it is imperative that you never disclose your Martial Will to anyone."

Li Pin nodded. He had heard of this before. Perhaps his Martial Will could be described as "strengthened by challenges."

"Based on the information I had about you, I used to find it hard to believe that you have reached this point entirely through your own efforts. It made us seem rather inadequate." Su Feiyu sighed. "Whether I want to admit it or not, it’s clear now that there's a vast difference between us."

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself," Li Pin replied. "Even though I've become a Martial Saint, there's still a long journey ahead. While the path of the Martial Saint has been established for a few decades, it's far from fully explored.

"Our predecessors have been refining the system, creating distinctions like High-Class, Peak, and Extreme Martial Saint. But in reality, these distinctions are meaningless."

Su Feiyu added, "As I mentioned earlier, a Martial Saint's effectiveness depends on their Martial Will. Outside of their specialty, the differences aren't as stark. At this level, everyone's maximized their potential already."

"Their specialty..." Li Pin pondered. "Theory-Practice Unity?"

Su Feiyu nodded. "If a High-Class Martial Saint whose Martial Will is rooted in justice were to betray their principles and spiral into corruption and commit unjust acts, even a newly-promoted Martial Saint could take them down.

"However, a Martial Will is a practitioner's most closely held secret. It’s hard to predict whether certain words or actions could drive an opponent to ignite their Martial Will to its fullest and unleash strength that exceeds their normal capabilities."

She paused slightly. "Additionally, every Martial Saint is a revered figure in the martial arts community, and there are rules against Martial Saints engaging in life-or-death duels. Given these factors, deadly confrontations at this level are infrequent."

Li Pin was somewhat surprised. "Does that mean Martial Saints don't always treat each other with respect?"

"Every Martial Saint strives to achieve the same goal. Whether they're ordinary Martial Saints, High-Class Martial Saints capable of unleashing Spirit Force from every part of their bodies, or even those Martial Saints who've mastered the 'deception' technique to achieve Theory-Practice Unity and maximize their Martial Will, they all wish to become Extreme Martial Saints. To reach the pinnacle of physical strength and mental fortitude."

"The pinnacle..." mumbled Li Pin.

"Through cultivation, a human's qi and blood typically peaks around forty. If a martial artist wishes to improve beyond that, they’d have to rely on rare, heavenly treasures to slowly do so. But where do these treasures come from? They're controlled by the countries. The only way for Martial Saints to obtain them is by completing missions."

"Exploring perilous regions," Li Pin said.

Su Feiyu nodded. "Exactly. The battlefield for Martial Saints has moved beyond internal competition within nations. It now extends past the boundaries of the Tianyuan countries. They fight for the survival of humanity."

She glanced at Li Pin. "You're likely nearing the limit of physical enhancement now. If you want to continue improving, you'll need to do the same: venture into those perilous regions and scout for ferocious beasts and demonic creatures.

"If you can locate where these demonic creatures gather, or even where their leaders are located, report to the Guardian Hall immediately. The Astral Cultivators there will strike with thunderous force, and you will be entitled to a share of the rewards."

Ferocious beasts, demonic creatures, perilous regions.

After reaching the Martial Saint realm, Li Pin was eager to continue testing himself against other Martial Saints to push his limits further. However, the allure of battling ferocious beasts and demonic creatures and navigating through perilous regions where life and death were uncertain was equally compelling.

If high-tier ferocious beasts could make his body stiffen, as if every cell in his body was opposed to him facing them, then what about top-tier ferocious beasts? Or even lord-level and legendary beasts and demonic creatures?

"This world is truly fascinating," Li Pin remarked sincerely.

***

As the two made their way to the supply town in the competition area, Li Pin’s score on the leaderboard updated with the points he had obtained from slaying the Orc Warrior.

Though Li Pin had originally been in first place with a score of 1745, he had only outscored Zhao Yushi, who was in second place, by 64 points. With three days remaining in the competition, Zhao Yushi still had a chance to surpass Li Pin.

However, with Li Pin's points suddenly surging from 1745 to 2045, the gap between him and Zhao Yushi became an insurmountable chasm. With only three days left, even if Li Pin stopped hunting altogether, it would be difficult for Zhao Yushi to catch up to him.

After all, most of the beasts in the competition area had already been killed. Her only chance at a comeback would be for her to leave the competition area. However, there would be countless mid-tier and high-tier ferocious beasts. Not even a fully-equipped official Astral Cultivator could guarantee a complete retreat, much less a Martial Saint like her.

Li Pin had stretched his score lead to 364, effectively securing the championship three days in advance. Unless Zhao Yushi had extraordinary luck and came across a critically injured high-tier ferocious beast, there was little chance for her to turn the table.

***

The spectators had already begun cheering for the soon-to-be champion.

Inside the control room.

Su Mai, Wan Qingshan, Ying Yu, Qiao Feiyu, and Zhang Songbai saw Li Pin and Su Feiyu’s rising scores.

"Three hundred points. Both of them received it at the same time too.... Only the Orc Warrior could account for this kind of score increase, right?" Zhang Songbai remarked enviously. "Li Pin is incredibly lucky... He even encountered an injured Orc Warrior. That young lass from the Taibai Royal Family has now climbed into the top ten too."

Su Mai smiled and laughed. "

Hahaha

! Luck aside, strength also plays a key factor. Even if they encounter a critically injured Orc Warrior, without enough strength, they might still fail to defeat it. This is a demonic creature on par with a High-Class Astral Cultivator."

Zhang Songbai felt a mix of emotions. "This should be the final ranking. Who would have thought that Taibai would end up the winner?" Zhang Songbai said somewhat wistfully.

They had specifically sent out Yan Hongtu, a practitioner skilled in battling ferocious beasts, to make a strong showing during the competition. But as it turned out... not only had Yan Hongtu failed to shine, but Zhao Yushi, the Great Sun Chosen One, and Cheng Yufeng were all overshadowed by the young man from Taibai.

"Li Pin, Li Pin..." Zhang Songbai repeated under his breath.

Given Li Pin's performance, he would almost certainly secure a position as a Dragon Prince. As a Dragon Prince, Li Pin would have to head to their Dragon Gate Hall for secluded training.

The martial arts environment in Taibai was notoriously harsh. Perhaps, if they were willing to invest more resources, they might be able to recruit him.

Ying Yu glanced at Zhao Sha's name, which had suddenly dimmed, and his expression darkened. "What happened?"

He had told Zhao Sha to team up with others if the situation changed to ensure his safety, but to his surprise, Zhao Sha had...

Died!

Not just him! His selected teammates, Poison Fang and Green Bird, had also perished!

Did they encounter unbeatable mid, or even high-tier ferocious beasts they couldn't handle?

Or....

Ying Yu quickly summoned someone and instructed, "Go to Zhao Sha's location and find out what happened. Report back to me."

The man nodded and left promptly.

While over forty participants had already perished in the competition so far, the sudden deaths of three people at once did attract some attention. However, the attention wasn’t that much to warrant a substantial discussion. After all, those were merely Quasi-Martial Saints who had yet to forge their Martial Will.