Chapter 191: Choice

Yan Hongtu! He was a genius the Dragon Gate Hall meticulously nurtured!

Even the top five seeded competitors would have to be on full alert to avoid suffering unexpected defeats at the hands of this Dragon Gate genius. But now...

His blade... the very blade that had slaughtered countless ferocious beasts, a factor of his great strength, was firmly gripped in Li Pin's bare hand. He couldn’t push the blade down even an inch more despite its length of nearly 1.8 meters.

It was as if the fox felt the sorrow of the rabbit. The oppressive atmosphere was almost suffocating.[1]

"Li Pin!" Yan Hongtu roared.

Yan Hongtu’s eyes filled with blood like he had activated some kind of secret art. A violent surge of Force erupted from him, causing his already 1.96-meter frame to swell, pushing it close to 2 meters.

However, this boost came at a cost. The surging qi and blood seemingly ruptured his blood vessels, forcing blood to seep through his skin. Yet, despite that, he continued to hold his blade firmly, unleashing wave after wave of force in an attempt to press the blade downwards with a mountain-crushing power and cleave Li Pin in half from head to toe.

Unfortunately, as powerful as his eruption was, Li Pin's eruption was even more powerful!

Yan Hongtu had already received the best training out there, bolstering his qi and blood level to an astonishing forty points. This far exceeded the limits of grandmasters and Martial Saints in their normal state. Nonetheless, Li Pin's qi and blood had approached forty-four after refining the Essence-Gathering Pearl.

Additionally, his Blood-Seething Secret Art, perfected according to his own condition, further enhanced his abilities

In terms of strength and physique, Li Pin surpassed not only Martial Saints and Astral Cultivator apprentices but also newly appointed official Astral Cultivators who had just mastered Force.

No matter how much Yan Hongtu pushed himself or tapped into his secret art, the blade he held was frozen in mid-air, unable to descend even the slightest bit.

"It seems this is truly your limit," Li Pin said, somewhat disappointed.

A surge of immense power erupted from within Li Pin. With a burst of strength from every muscle and bone, he twisted the blade held in his mortal hand aside.

Bang!

Sparks flew.

Under the astonished and disbelieving gazes of the spectators, Li Pin's sudden burst of force broke the nearly meter-long blade on the spot.

Iron shards flew through the air.

Yan Hongtu suddenly lost his "support" point. Combined with the force of Li Pin's twist, his entire body followed through and lunged forward toward Li Pin.

The sudden lack of an opponent and the weakness from maintaining the secret art for so long caused him to feel so weak that he lost his balance. He stumbled a few steps forward before crashing to the ground, looking utterly disheveled and pitiful.

The more he tried to maintain his balance, the more miserably he failed.

The tactical advisor seized the opportunity to shout once again, "We concede, we surrender!"

The judges on the judging panel exchanged glances.

Although temporarily disengaged from the battle, Yan Hongtu still retained some fighting capacity. As such, the tactical advisor's declaration of surrender carried little weight without Yan Hongtu's personal declaration.

However, even without the Martial Saints on the judging panel, anyone with a basic understanding of martial arts could see that Yan Hongtu and Li Pin were simply not on the same level. If the fight continued, it would only lead to a more severe defeat. Recognizing this, the judges nodded, signaling the end of the match.

Seeing this, the tactical advisor signaled the medical staff to rush onto the stage and help Yan Hongtu.

Yan Hongtu was gripping his bloodstained broadsword, his right hand trembling so badly that he could barely hold it."My blade... my blade..."

His eyes were filled with despair. The moment his blade shattered and he collapsed onto the stage, his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit drained entirely.

"How could... it end like this...."

The tactical advisor quickly comforted him. "It's alright, it's alright. Victory and defeat are common in warfare. In this world, there's no such thing as perpetual victory or invincibility. You're still young, and in the future, you will surely...."

He suddenly stiffened.

Young? Among all the contestants in the World's Top Martial Competition, including the hundreds eliminated and the dozens who died, who was younger than Li Pin?

"It's alright, it's alright. We'll go back and train hard in seclusion. Then we'll apply for more advanced astral equipment to assist in your cultivation—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

More advanced astral equipment?

By the time this competition was over, first place or not, Li Pin would be guaranteed a spot as one of the Dragon Princes. And a Dragon Prince... had the privilege to use the legendary astral equipment!

He quickly corrected himself, "This defeat must be due to our secret arts and martial arts being subpar. As long as we exchange for more advanced techniques and secret arts, then..."

He stopped once more. The force backing Li Pin seemed to be a small to medium-sized faction with only one Astral Cultivator.

What kind of top-tier techniques and secret art could such a faction possibly have? They likely don't even possess any supreme Martial Saint inheritances.

Even if the Taibai Royal Family had supplemented his techniques and secret arts after learning of his participation in the competition, that would only be a little over a month of support. This period was not enough for a martial artist to experience a significant change in their strength.

It was highly likely that the techniques and secret arts Li Pin cultivated were already worse than Yan Hongtu's.

Li Pin had utterly crushed Yan Hongtu in every aspect, whether age, astral equipment, or techniques. This completely baffled the tactical advisor.

Yan Hongtu, having somewhat recovered his senses, seemed to have thought of this as well. An unprecedented sense of disparity and crushing despair beyond words washed over him, instantly filling his heart.

Clutching his beloved broken blade, he couldn't help but look up and let out a long, anguished wail filled with grief and despair. "No! No! No!"

***

"Dear competitor," at this moment, the host interjected, "We understand your sorrow, but please take a break now. We need to invite the next contestant to the stage."

It was only then that Yan Hongtu and his advisor realized that not only had the audience already finished cheering for Li Pin, but he himself had already left the stage. They had been too consumed by grief to realize this.

As a Martial Saint who valued his reputation, the tactical advisor couldn't stay on the stage any longer. He quickly gathered a few people to help the exhausted Yan Hongtu to the rest area.

As they watched Yan Hongtu being carried away, the expressions of the Great Sun Chosen One, Song Wuya, Duan Yidao, and Nan Lifeng turned complex.

They couldn’t feel relieved at the prospect of losing a strong opponent such as Yan Hongtu after he had been defeated.

That was because....

Song Wuya and Duan Yidao stared deeply at Li Pin, now down the stage.

"Li Pin! Li Pin!"

"I always thought that the only ones who could stop me from winning the competition were the three Martial Saints, Zhao Yushi, Cheng Yufeng, and the Great Sun Chosen One. I never expected a young Martial Saint, only twenty-three years old, to suddenly appear."

Moreover... this Martial Saint was clearly more powerful than they had anticipated. Having defeated Cheng Yufeng in a direct confrontation and still having the strength to crush Yan Hongtu was the best evidence.

They all knew that, with such a formidable opponent, they were about to undergo the most rigorous test of their careers.

***

"I am afraid Yan Hongtu is done for."

The Black Tortoise Dharma King sighed. "Li Pin has shattered his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit in this battle. Unless he can muster the immense resolve and determination to face Li Pin again and emerge victorious, overcoming the psychological trauma of today's defeat will be very difficult.[2]

“He'll likely struggle to forge his Martial Will for the rest of his life and ascend to the Martial Saint realm."

The Great Sun Chosen One turned his attention from Li Pin to Yan Hongtu. He could tell that the "light" in Yan Hongtu's eyes was gone. Compared to Cheng Yufeng, Yan Hongtu's defeat was even more crushing. It wouldn't be surprising if he chose to withdraw from the competition.

However, this wasn't the time for such concerns.

Because....

"Next, let us welcome the Martial Saint from the Great Sun Divine Sect, one of our five seeded competitors—the Great Sun Chosen One!"

The host's loud and enthusiastic voice echoed through the arena, and time was running out for the Great Sun Chosen One.

"Dharma King, should I... challenge Li Pin?" The Great Sun Chosen One asked as he stood up and began preparing.

"He first fought Cheng Yufeng, then Yan Hongtu... Although defeating Yan Hongtu seemed relatively easy, the continuous use of Blood Core Eruption and activating secret arts would have consumed some energy. But..." The Black Tortoise Dharma King paused slightly. "Whether to challenge him now, don't ask me, ask yourself."

He fixed his gaze on the Great Sun Chosen One. "Do you have enough confidence, determination, and will to fight Li Pin and win?"

The Great Sun Chosen One pondered in silence. The Black Tortoise Dharma King waited patiently and did not rush him.

After a few seconds, he finally spoke slowly. "A few days ago at the competition, I met Li Pin. At the time, I was facing an Beastfolk Fighter while he dealt with a Crimson-Tooth Tiger. However, I was knocked out by the Beastfolk Fighter with a single blow. If Li Pin hadn't been there, I might have been dead. In that sense, he saved my life."

He gradually came to a decision.

"I, the Great Sun Chosen One, will never tolerate those who are ungrateful," he said firmly.

With that, he quickly stepped onto the arena with a determined stride.

"So, the Great Sun Chosen One from the Great Sun Divine Sect, who do you choose as your opponent?" the host asked, voicing the question everyone was eager to know.

The Great Sun Chosen One's gaze swept past Li Pin and Su Feiyu, finally landing on Nan Lifeng. "I choose to challenge him, Nan Lifeng!"

1. expresses the idea of a shared sorrow when witnessing another's misfortune, in this case, Yan Hongtu. ☜

2. Black Tortoise refers to Xuanwu, one of the four mythological creatures in Chinese Mythology, along with Vermillion Bird (Zhuque), Azure Dragon(Qinglong), and White Tiger(Baihu). ☜