Chapter 237: Heavenly Sovereign

A small car, resembling a sightseeing vehicle, drove through the tree-lined avenue and entered a heavily guarded courtyard, coming to a stop in front of a grand, ancient-style palace.

Upon exiting the vehicle, Li Pin felt several pairs of eyes fall on him.

The familiar sensation of facing Astral Cultivators, which he had encountered more than once, pervaded again. The palace clearly had stringent defenses.

"When Astral Cultivators look at one another, it doesn't trigger an excessive reaction from the Atomic Will, much like how ordinary people rarely notice when someone is looking at them. However, when an Astral Cultivator observes a martial artist...."

The effect was immediate. If the Astral Cultivator harbored malicious or murderous intent, they could induce a profound, indescribable fear in the martial artist, without even uttering a word. This fear could trigger underlying diseases or even death from sheer terror.

This explained why most Astral Cultivators seldom interacted with ordinary people. Whenever they were around, everyone would be walking on eggshells. They would feel hesitation to breathe, much less speak. This sort of reaction and attitude made any interaction moot.

Even by the Dragon Gate Hall standard, having so many Astral Cultivators personally standing watch over a place was a rare sight.

This palace... was exceedingly important. It was none other than the very foundation of the Dragon Gate Hall's existence and development, the place where the legendary astral equipment was housed.

Three days had passed since Li Pin defeated thirteen challengers, and his application to use the legendary astral equipment had been approved. He had been guided by the hall's steward to this palace.

Zhang Songbai was already waiting at the entrance of the palace. He was dressed formally.

"Li Pin," Zhang Songbai called out, smiling. "This is our first meeting, isn't it?

Haha

. A few months ago, I led the Dragon Gate Hall's team to the World's Top Martial Competition. There, I got to witness your impressive victory firsthand, where you overcame numerous obstacles to claim the championship."

"You are too kind," Li Pin responded modestly.

"Come, the Hall Master is waiting inside. He will personally activate the legendary astral equipment for you."

Li Pin was somewhat surprised. "The Hall Master?"

Though the current hall master wasn't the founder of the Dragon Gate Hall, he was a Master Astral Cultivator nearing the pinnacle of his field.

However, after Li Pin thought about it for a moment, he didn’t find it strange; the legendary astral equipment was very valuable, and it made sense that the Hall Master would handle the activation personally.

Li Pin followed Zhang Songbai into the palace.

The palace was constructed from special materials. While not as solid as the arena for the World's Top Martial Competition, it effectively prevented the Astral Energy leakage, prolonging the astral equipment's lifespan.

Not far ahead within the palace was a completely sealed room. Hall Master Ran Dongsheng, dressed in a long robe, was conversing with an elderly man inside.

As Zhang Songbai brought Li Pin in, the two paused their discussion and shifted their gazes toward him.

They were merely sizing Li Pin up, but the pressure they bore was palpable.

Li Pin had spent over a month adapting to Xiang Tianxing’s pressure during his training period at the Guardian Hall. Therefore, he immediately realized that these two were... Master Astral Cultivators.

They were each strong enough to rule a nation beyond the six Extremities, commanding hundreds of millions of people.

Ran Dongsheng, seeing that Li Pin's expression remained unchanged before them, sincerely praised him, "It's true what they say, heroes do rise from the young."

As a Master Astral Cultivator whose mental spirit had merged with Atomic Will, he didn’t need to deliberately show any malice. The pressure from his gaze alone wasn’t something an ordinary Martial Saint could withstand.

For Li Pin to remain unfazed... was a testament to his profound mental fortitude.

"It seems you've undergone the process of tempering your Martial Will with Atomic Will. Is that why you have stayed in Jiang Province after the World's Top Martial Competition? To train with Xiang Tianxing?" Ran Dongsheng asked

Li Pin nodded. "Yes."

He was aware that he wasn’t the only Martial Saint to undergo this type of training. Though their efficiency certainly couldn't compare to his.

"I've heard that with every million points spent, I can request a Master Astral Cultivator from the Dragon Gate Hall to assist me. May I request a Master Astral Cultivator to use their Atomic Will to temper my mental spirit?"

"Oh?" Ran Dongsheng was somewhat surprised to hear that. He looked at Li Pin for a moment before breaking into a smile. "I understand that the tempering effect of the Atomic Will you experienced with Xiang Tianxing was good. However, I wouldn't recommend this."

"Why?"

"There are only a few Master Astral Cultivators in Taibai, and right now... you might have trouble reaching them and getting their help. It's understandable. You must know... Master Astral Cultivators are different from Top-Tier Astral Cultivators."

Ran Dongsheng ruminated for a moment, then asked, "Have you heard the rumor that astral energy contains information?"

"Warden Xiang mentioned that to me."

"Ah, Xiang Tianxing... indeed, he is an anomaly among Astral Cultivators," Ran Dongsheng said with a smile. "Since he's already told you, it makes things easier. A Top-Tier Astral Cultivator could help temper mental spirit with the Atomic Will, but a Master Astral Cultivator cannot."

He looked at Li Pin. "Astral energy contains information. The way it transmits that information is through Atomic Will, which has been 'enlightened' by astral energy. After a Master Astral Cultivator merges their mental spirit with the Atomic Will, their thoughts can subtly influence the minds of other beings if the gap between their minds is large enough."

Li Pin quickly caught on. "You mean..."

Ran Dongsheng nodded. "If I help you, it will be fine in the short term. But over time, your thoughts and consciousness will gradually be assimilated by mine."

He sighed. "This is why many Martial Saints can only enhance their mental spirit attribute through repeated life-and-death battles."

"Will be assimilated...."

Ran Dongsheng continued, "Your talent should already have attracted the attention of Lord Fu Qingtian. He probably hasn’t taken you as his disciple because of this issue.

"Apart from those evil cults, no one would nurture disciples this way. Once a person's mind is assimilated, their 'true self' concept is essentially destroyed, making it difficult to retain their true essence. After that, they become easily influenced by more powerful Legendary Astral Cultivators."

Li Pin felt a chill run down his spine.

The idea of the true self being destroyed, and the mind twisted...

And...

Once the 'true self' is lost, it gets twisted further by stronger individuals. Is such a life still considered a life form?

What difference is there between that and a tool or puppet?

Then, as if struck by a realization, his face changed abruptly. "The nature of this influence comes from the Atomic Will... and the source of the Atomic Will... the Astral God!?"

Ran Dongsheng didn't answer directly but said, " These subtle influences can be so imperceptible that you won't even notice unless someone points them out. But once you've been influenced, you've effectively lowered your baseline. Wavering, indecision, these become part of your daily routine."

He looked at Li Pin. "Imagine you hit a dead end, with no progress in your cultivation, and then someone steps forward, offering to take you as their disciple and guide your practice.

"Under their direction, your skills rapidly improve in a short period. You'd feel immense gratitude. You'd see them as your savior, someone whose kindness you'd be willing to repay, even with your life. Do you see anything wrong with that?"

Li Pin remained silent. But deep down, he already had his answer.

No.

"In reality, the reason for your rapid improvement is that you've already been assimilated. It's through this assimilation that your strength grows."

Ran Dongsheng smiled. "Every gift from fate has its hidden price."

In a quiet voice, he added, "But we often have no other choice."

These words made Li Pin realize the root of the differences between Xiang Tianxing, Ran Dongsheng, and the others. It also made him understand that, when it came to choosing a "path," there was no absolute right or wrong.

No one was omniscient. When the future of Gaia's humanity was shrouded in uncertainty, who could confidently say their chosen path was the one, true way?

Even when the upper echelons of the world knew that by following this path, refining astral energy, and merging with the Atomic Will they would end up being "assimilated" by the Astral God, would they stop treading this path?

No. They simply didn’t have the luxury of choice.

"Hahaha, we're probably just overthinking it. It's like observing a supernova on the verge of exploding at the end of the universe. No matter how destructive its energy, what does it have to do with us? The power of the Astral God is immense.

"Their mere presence illuminates the entire galaxy. Other civilizations would probably be envious that such a great life form chose to assimilate us."

Ran Dongsheng looked at Li Pin, smiling. "If you were an ordinary person, and the great Lord Fu Qingtian wanted to take you as his disciple, and all you had to do was pay the price of developing absolute loyalty through subtle influence, would you accept?"

Li Pin himself would never agree. But... across Gaia, countless ordinary people surely would. Even 10 billion was a conservative estimate.

And the gap between that great Astral God and a Master Astral Cultivator... was unquestionably greater than the gap between Lord Fu Qingtian and an ordinary person.

"Technological progress brings environmental pollution, and nuclear energy development poses a threat to human extinction. In this world, you can't gain anything without paying a price. Many believe that being assimilated by such great beings and becoming part of them is no different from being colonized by a super civilization.

"A hundred years ago, many of those extremely backward small countries would have seized the chance and flocked to the superpower to become part of it."

Ran Dongsheng smiled. "So, there's no need to worry about distant matters. We should focus on the present and seize the moment."

He stood up and led Li Pin to a transparent treasure chest made entirely of a massive Astral Crystal. "Just like now, your task is to use this legendary astral equipment to take a step closer to becoming a supreme Martial Saint and lay the foundation for your journey as an Astral Cultivator."

Li Pin nodded.

His thoughts shifted from the impact of "assimilation" to the treasure chest made of Astral Crystal.

As Ran Dongsheng activated the astral energy, the chest quickly opened.

Inside were three exquisitely crafted items. They appeared before Li Pin, each radiating strong astral energy.

"This is the ultimate treasure of the Dragon Gate Hall," Ran Dongsheng said solemnly. "The legendary astral equipment, Heavenly Sovereign."