Chapter 180: Life-and-Death

Upon returning to the Martial Arts Village, Li Pin was immediately greeted with the warmest welcome from his friends and family. Li Yunyao, in particular, joyfully rushed down the steps and threw herself at him without worrying if he could catch her.

Fortunately, as a Martial Saint, Li Pin could easily react to it. He caught her in his arms and spun around to dissipate the momentum from her leap.

Li Yunyao looked up at him, her eyes brimming with joy. "Brother, you're amazing! I like you so much!"

"If you practice hard enough, one day, you too can stand on the stage of the World's Top Martial Competition and experience great honor," Li Pin said with a smile as he released her.

"Really?"

"Of course. Take Zhao Yushi for example. She was the most popular contestant, and people had high hopes for her taking first place. I think you can do better than her and become even more outstanding in the future," Li Pin said, looking into her eyes. "But to get there, you need to start working hard right now."

Li Yunyao nodded vigorously. "

Mm-hmm

! I'll train hard to become unstoppable!"

Li Pin patted her head. "That's the spirit. I'll help you with it."

Lin Xiaolu stood behind Li Yunyao. She asked cautiously, "Brother Li Pin, are you... injured?"

Li Pin stepped into the mansion with the others. "Getting injured is inevitable for martial artists, but since I practice the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique, minor injuries can be healed in no time."

In contrast to Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu's excitement, Qin Rouran was more curious. "Brother, did you really kill an Orc Warrior?"

"Yes," Li Pin affirmed, taking a seat.

Lin Xiaolu quickly poured him a cup of tea. Unlike her, the other two had never paid attention to such minute details.

"Orc Warriors are high-tier ferocious beasts, comparable to High-Class Astral Cultivators. Although Astral Cultivators are generally stronger due to their systematic approach and collective knowledge, these creatures are still incredibly powerful, aren't they?" Qin Rouran asked.

Now that she was an official Astral Cultivator, her military service was imminent. Despite her young age, which could have allowed her to continue her studies at the Guardian Hall or take up a post in a less dangerous city, the reality of facing ferocious beasts and demonic creatures was unavoidable. Given her family's limited influence, she had to start planning for this future, despite her reluctance.

"Orc Warriors are very strong," Li Pin explained. "If I went head-to-head with such a high-tier ferocious beast, I would be crushed in the blink of an eye.

"In terms of strength, speed, and explosiveness, it surpassed me by such a margin that no skill could compensate for the fundamental difference. It's like how a nimble antelope is no match for a fierce tiger."

Li Yunyao was startled. "

Ah!

Brother, did that mean you were in danger back then?"

"A perilous region, as the name suggests, is a place where danger is always imminent. The only difference is whether the danger is ordinary or life-threatening." Li Pin smiled. "Since that’s the competition grounds, we must be prepared for the possibility of death."

He seemed to remember something. "I recall that out of over a hundred contestants this time, forty-two have perished. That's more than a quarter?"

When this number was mentioned, Li Yunyao, Lin Xiaolu, and Qin Rouran all paled in shock.

A casualty rate of over a quarter!? This.... How terrifying!

The casualty rate in previous World's Top Martial Competitions usually fluctuated around ten percent by the end of the competition. This time... It's approaching thirty percent!?

To put it in perspective, if an army in ancient times were to lose thirty percent of its soldiers, that would be considered a crushing defeat. The army would entirely collapse.

Yet now...

"Brother... if the next season of the competition implements this same arrangement of hunting ferocious beasts for the preliminaries, can we... not participate?" Li Yunyao's face paled. "It's way too dangerous."

"In this world, danger exists everywhere. Even when walking down the street, you must be wary of cars going haywire. Instead of dwelling on what could be and what was, it's better to embrace the moment and live life to the fullest. If death should come—"

"No, no, no! Brother, you can't die!" Li Yunyao quickly interrupted, shaking her head. "What am I supposed to do if you die?"

"What are you supposed to do?" Li Pin looked at the frightened Li Yunyao and smiled gently. "You need to accept that once someone dies, they're gone forever."

He continued calmly, "In this world, everyone dies eventually. No one can live forever."

Li Yunyao swayed slightly at Li Pin's blunt words, her eyes welling up with tears. "Brother...."

Li Pin tenderly stroked her hair. "Such a beautiful girl shouldn't cry. It doesn't suit you."

"It's all your fault! You scared me," Li Yunyao pouted.

"I am not scaring you; I am just telling you the truth," Li Pin said. "I will die, you will die, and everyone will die. When death comes, we must learn to accept it."

"No, no, no, that's not how it should be! I won't allow you to die...!"

Li Yunyao clung to Li Pin's arm like she was afraid he might leave at any moment.

"Then train hard in martial arts," Li Pin wiped away her tears, smiling. "Martial arts are about transcending life, constantly improving, breaking through, and evolving. Perhaps one day, with a glimmer of hope, we might glimpse the true realm of eternal life."

Qin Rouran pulled herself from the somber atmosphere and joined the conversation, "Yes, cultivating and evolving. I've heard that Top-Tier Astral Cultivators can condense a Starlight Body and use astral energy to enhance themselves. It allows them to acquire a slight degree of energy-based characteristics and significantly extend their lifespan.

"The oldest Top-Tier Astral Cultivator is 142 years old and still looks like a man in his forties or fifties. Experts claim that Top-Tier Astral Cultivators who have condensed their Starlight Bodies have bypassed the human lifespan limit, reaching up to two hundred years."

This number made both Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu's eyes light up. "Two hundred years!"

"Is that so? What about Master and Legendary Astral Cultivators?" Li Pin asked.

"I don't know about that..." Qin Rouran said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I only heard about it from my sister years ago... I suppose they might live even longer?"

"Two hundred years? That's amazing!" Li Yunyao exclaimed in surprise.

"What does it have to do with you?" Li Pin looked at Li Yunyao with a smile. "I'm confident I'll achieve great things in the future, whether I elevate myself through martial arts or refine qi into Spirit to become an Astral Cultivator.

"At least becoming a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator won't be a problem for me. But for you, even becoming a Martial Saint might be difficult. I don't want to be in my eighties or nineties and still be full of energy while you're old and frail."

These words struck Li Yunyao, having just found a glimmer of hope, like a lightning bolt.

She stood there, stunned.

"Of course, I hope that by then, you will still be as beautiful and adorable as you are now," Li Pin said, reaching out to pinch her flawless little face.

Hmm. It feels nice.

But Li Yunyao remained frozen, her gaze vacant as she stared at Li Pin.

Li Pin offered no more words of comfort. He caressed her cheek and stood up, leaving Li Yunyao to ponder over his words, opening her eyes to the harsh reality.

He had already heard footsteps coming from outside. Thus, he left the living room and went directly to the outer courtyard. Just then, Su Mai, Tuo Bafeng, Su Feiyu, and others arrived.

"Li Pin, you've really brought great honor to the Taibai Kingdom," Su Mai said with a beaming smile.

"You're too kind. I'm also just trying to earn some honor for myself," Li Pin replied before gesturing for them to sit. "Please, have a seat."

He led them to a set of chairs in the courtyard flower bed. The mansion in the Martial Arts Village was very exquisite. Each mansion courtyard had a dedicated florist to tend the flowers. While the courtyard was relatively small, about forty to fifty square meters, it was beautifully adorned with flowers.

"Are you facing any difficulties in your cultivation or daily life? If there's anything you need, just let me know," Su Mai asked with concern.

"It's nothing. I can handle it myself," Li Pin declined. He then remembered something. "Though, I am running low on the pills for replenishing primordial qi...."

"Pill for replenishing primordial qi, is it? I'll have ten boxes of Pill of Rebirth sent over immediately. If that's not enough, I'll arrange for more," Su Mai said promptly.

Li Pin nodded. "Ten boxes... should be enough for now."

"Good. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We're counting on you to win the first place for Taibai," Su Mai said wistfully. "Since the start of the World's Top Martial Competition, Taibai has never won a single championship. Our best result was only making it to the top three... If you truly return with the honor of being the champion, you'll be a hero for Taibai!"

"I will do my best," Li Pin said earnestly.

"I am confident in your strength," Su Mai said.

He signaled Su Feiyu, who quickly brought out a box.

"Aside from congratulating you on winning first place, we're also here to bring you a treasure," Su Mai said, pointing to the box. "It's something that will help you strengthen your physique and raise your stagnant qi and blood."

Li Pin was somewhat surprised. "

Oh?

"

He had already reached the pinnacle of Blood Renewal. He knew that great grandmasters and Martial Saints didn’t focus on enhancing their physiques further. Martial Saints focused on condensing their Martial Will, while great grandmasters refined their martial arts system.

Li Pin had previously mentioned that he had no hope of defeating a fully empowered Orc Warrior due to the overwhelming advantage of the opponent's attributes. This was the insurmountable gap brought by attribute differences.

Now, Su Mai was about to gift him a treasure that could actually help him enhance his stagnated qi and blood.

Li Pin opened the box, and a brilliant blue pearl with what seemed like starlight shimmering inside came into view.

"This is...."

"An Essence-Gathering Pearl!"