Chapter 197: Dead-end

"Xiang Tianxing believed that the next step for a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator shouldn't be merging one's will with the Atomic Will to achieve resonance. Instead, he thought that personal will is the true essence. If one's will is integrated into the Atomic Will and the Astral God perishes one day, then what? What would happen if the Atomic Will fell silent? How would the Astral Cultivator cope?"

Su Mai shook his head. "However, all these questions are meaningless. A being of such greatness, whose majesty surpasses even the blazing sun, how could it possibly perish? The sun might extinguish, but its radiance will forever shine upon the galaxy."

"Xiang Tianxing hasn't succeeded to this day?" Li Pin asked.

"How could he succeed?" Su Mai replied with a hint of resignation. "To fully align one's will with their physical body, create a personal Lifeform Force Field, then merge this field with the Astral Force Field to dominate the planet....

"Then, using the Astral Force Field, refine the personal Lifeform Force Field repeatedly until it mirrors the Astral Force Field, culminating in a miniature planet capable of tapping into the Astral Force Field within their own body.... This is nothing short of a fantasy."

Su Mai sighed. "Being prudent and cautious while walking this path isn’t a bad thing. Many Astral Cultivators have various concerns about that great Astral God, even going as far as concocting all sorts of wild conspiracy theories. But they fail to realize how insignificant we humans are in the eyes of that vast and boundless Astral God, so small that it probably isn't aware of our existence."

Su Mai looked at Li Pin. "Take yourself as an example; you've achieved fame and amassed a fortune worth billions. Would you really go to the trouble of traveling to a remote, impoverished village in the Flame Continent to steal a banana from a young man named Old Biao?"[1]

Li Pin didn't respond.

Su Mai went on, "The gap between human civilization and the Astral God is even greater than the gap between that banana and your entire fortune."

"Innovation is always a good thing," Li Pin said.

"If you're truly committed to innovation, you should keep pushing forward on the path of Legendary Astral Cultivators, not branching out at the Top-Tier Astral Cultivator level."

Su Mai paused. "Forty years have passed since the first Legendary Astral Cultivator emerged! Forty years, and the path beyond Legendary status remains unexplored!

"Even though the legendary figures of the Six Extremities of the world have convened to discuss time and time again, they still haven’t been able to figure out the way forward! Meanwhile, the evolution of ferocious beasts and demonic creatures is growing ever more intense....

"No one knows if there are species more powerful than the ferocious beasts and demonic creatures hidden in remote mountains, vast valleys, or the depths of the oceans. If humanity does not accelerate its evolution, our situation will become increasingly dire."

The legendary figures convened to discuss and find a solution....

Yes!

Despite the inherent rivalry among the Six Extremities, large-scale conflicts involving legendary and Master Astral Cultivators had been uncommon for a long time. It's been a full decade since a Legend lost their life in internal human struggles.

In fact, the last Legend to fall... hadn’t perished because of vengeance or personal animosity, but rather as a sacrifice. They sought to borrow another's power to force their way into a realm beyond Legendary, all in pursuit of the Dao.

Faced with the common threat of ferocious beasts and demonic creatures, the Six Extremities had set aside their national and racial biases, uniting to work toward a common goal for humanity's survival.

Li Pin shrugged. "I just want to understand if there's a possibility of perfecting this secret art."

"Impossible," Su Mai stated. "At least, it’s impossible for martial artists."

He continued, "This is a direct statement from Lord Fu Qingtian, the supreme expert of Tianyuan himself."

"Impossible to perfect?" mused Li Pin.

Su Mai nodded solemnly, "Yes. You've obtained the Stars Overlord Secret Art. You should have noticed that the technique is divided into three distinct parts."

Three parts?

Li Pin showed no reaction.

"The first part is to condense the Lifeform Force Field. The second part is to condense the Astral Force Field. The third part, also the one that involves forging a new path, is to refine the Natal Planet. But even the first part alone already exceeds the limit of what martial artists can achieve."

Su Mai explained, "Because a martial artist can't perfectly integrate their spiritual qi, mental spirit, and qi and blood into a unified Lifeform Force Field. No matter how they try, there will always be some qi and blood and spiritual qi needed to keep their physical body functioning....

"As long as those two can't be fully controlled, the Lifeform Force Field will always have flaws. Don't underestimate these flaws..."

Su Mai pondered for a moment then elaborated, "It's like a balloon with a small hole in it. No matter how small the hole is, you can never fully inflate the balloon."

Li Pin frowned.

"When Xiang Tianxing developed this idea, he was already a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator with a perfected Starlight Body. At its peak, the starlight body can detach from the physical body, so it doesn't burden the qi and blood flow. That's why he could condense the lifeform force field.

"But a living person cannot completely remove their qi and blood from their body. People can't even suffocate themselves completely, as it goes against the instinct of life. So, he was mistaken from the start. Having martial artists practice this technique? It's a dead end."

Su Mai asserted, "Only the dead can disregard bodily functions and focus entirely on condensing the Lifeform Force Field by stripping away all their Vitality, Qi, and Spirit."

Li Pin pondered for a moment.

If the Lifeform Force Field is truly as he described, then... it's indeed a dead-end.

"Don't waste time on this secret art," Su Mai said, somewhat helplessly. "Who gave you this secret art to begin with? I remember you didn't have any dealings with that Guardian Hall Warden."

"If it is truly unsolvable, I wouldn't waste time on it," Li Pin said. "However, I'd like to see Lord Fu Qingtian's evaluation and analysis of this secret art if you have it."

"That's possible, but..." Su Mai looked at Li Pin seriously, "The path outlined in this secret art is indeed very enticing, but..."

"I understand." Li Pin nodded. "Just as a reference."

"Alright," Su Mai gave in. He quickly added. "Do you also need a reference for spirit-tempering techniques? I'll prepare it for you right away."

"Sure."

At this moment, Su Feiyu spoke up. "Which opponent are you planning to challenge next? If you find yourself extremely exhausted, you can challenge me. I'll concede the match voluntarily."

Li Pin was a bit surprised. "Wouldn't that affect your Martial Will?"

"Don’t you know my Martial Will?" Su Feiyu smiled slightly. "Without you, I wouldn't have made it into the top ten of the preliminary round. So, as a form of repayment, I should give you a chance to rest one round. That's fair and just, isn't it?"

Li Pin initially wanted to refuse, but considering Su Feiyu's strength....

He feared he might not even be able to activate his Martial Will.

It was better not to waste time on her. Thus, he nodded in agreement.

The two exchanged a few more words before parting ways.

After they left, Li Pin turned his attention to the somewhat reserved Li Yunyao, Qin Rouran, and the others.

"Once Prince Su Mai delivers that set of astral equipment, I can start guiding you on how to channel your force from Covert to Transformative."

He turned his attention to Qin Rouran and added, "You can also accelerate your progress of bathing beneath the starlight and prepare for the transformation of your strength from Overt to Covert."

Qin Rouran nodded, looking quite obedient. "Alright."

Compared to Qin You, Qin Rouran was still young, and due to her focus on meditating on the Astral God, she was quite naive. His decision to keep her by his side was driven by his intention to train her properly.

So far, the results seemed promising.

***

Su Mai was very efficient. That evening, he delivered detailed information on Song Wuya, including supplementary information on Zhao Yushi and the Great Sun Chosen One.

In addition to these documents, Su Mai brought three top-tier spirit-tempering techniques: the Great Sun Spirit-Burning Meditation Art, the Silent Spirit-Tempering Technique, and the Void World Spirit-Tempering Technique.

These three techniques represented the pinnacle of what the Taibai Dynasty could offer.

While there were other, lesser techniques available, these three were clearly sufficient for Li Pin to study for some time.

As the saying goes, "Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing."

"Great Sun, Silent, Void...."

Li Pin spent the entire day carefully comprehending these three techniques.

He wasn't sure if it was a coincidence, but these techniques reminded him of his own Chaos Meditation Art.

The universe came right after the chaos. The universe was silent and void, accompanied by the light emitted from stellar explosions.

As Li Pin reviewed these techniques, he meticulously attempted to simulate and understand the extent of their impact on the Mental Spirit. By precisely tracking every change in his Mental Spirit attribute, he could clearly identify how to practice more efficiently and ultimately find the correct cultivation method.

The next afternoon, Su Mai arrived, carrying a special box.

He smiled as he presented the box. "Here."

Soon, three treasures with astral energy fluctuations appeared before Li Pin's eyes.

Su Mai introduced them one by one. "These are the top-tier astral equipment you requested: a Platinum Essence ring, a Mind Gem bracelet, and a Sky Pearl necklace."

Top-tier astral equipment! Not the high-grade ones that were easy to craft!

Each top-tier Astral Equipment was considered a strategic resource even in the most powerful nations like Tianyuan. Without sufficient connections, they were virtually impossible to acquire.

If it weren't for the possibility that Li Pin might become the world champion and bring great honor to the Taibai Kingdom, Su Mai wouldn’t have been able to fetch these for him. What contributed even more was the hope that Li Pin could become Fu Qingtian’s disciple. Even if Fu Qingtian was no longer accepting disciples and only allowed people to follow him for cultivation, it would still be an unmatched honor.

Without these factors, and with the necessity for the Taibai Kingdom to demonstrate enough sincerity to retain Li Pin, even Prince Su Mai would find it nearly impossible to obtain and present these astral equipment to Li Pin.

Li Pin donned the three Astral Equipment one by one.

Immediately, a sensation of significant enhancement in perception and a clearer view of the entire world surged through him.

"Excellent," Li Pin said.

"Keep this set of astral equipment for now. Tomorrow marks the start of a new round of competition. We look forward to your impressive performance," Su Mai urged him.

Li Pin nodded.

Finally, I get to use these astral equipment without restriction....

It was time to leverage the substantial boost in perception and mental spirit to refine his own state.

1. a famous Chinese net culture used to humorously illustrate the contrast between the mundane or trivial and something of great significance. ☜