Chapter 281: Weight

Fu Qingtian stared at the figure on the screen, standing on a cliff. "Li Pin?"

None had expected this outcome at all.

After all, according to the strategy his team of advisors devised, the moment Li Pin set foot on Crimson Flame Island, he would inevitably face an onslaught of Martial Saints. He would either die in battle or flee, ultimately getting eliminated.

However... it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for Li Pin to be the King of the Century. Yes, they saw him as arrogant, reckless, and rather dismissive of others. But they couldn’t deny his strength. He was undoubtedly the strongest Martial Saint in the world. Not every King of the Century had reached his level of strength.

At least, back when Fu Qingtian was still a Martial Saint, he might have been able to resist the encirclement of one Supreme and one Extreme Martial Saint. However, if there had been another Extreme and two Top-Tier Martial Saints, then he could only adopt a hit-and-run strategy.

He... couldn’t have done what Li Pin did. He had crushed one Supreme and two Extreme Saints and had instilled such fear into two Top-Tier Martial Saints that they were paralyzed from fear.

That wasn’t something he could’ve done back then.

"He became this generation's King of the Century?" This legendary figure smiled faintly. "It seems we underestimated him. Impressive."

—King of the Century...

Wang Liancheng fell silent for a moment.

—He's not the King of the Century.

"What!? He's not the King of the Century!?" Fu Qingtian was taken aback instantly. "Who is!? Is it Ten-Thousand Slaughter? Ao Haichuan!? Or Cang Shengjie!?"

Even Yuan Zhanchuan couldn't help but interject, "Wang Liancheng, you still look like you have plenty of fight left in you. Why would someone else receive the honor of King of the Century!?"

—No, that's not it. I'm saying Li Pin isn't the King of the Century, not because someone else holds the title... but because all the Martial Saints agreed that the honor of King of the Century couldn't capture his greatness and accomplishments. They unanimously honored him with a different title, according to his wishes...

Wang Liancheng took a deep breath and said gravely.

—Martial God!

"What kind of nonsense is this?" Fu Qingtian frowned. "King of the Century can't capture his greatness and achievements? This title is only awarded once every ten years to one among all the Martial Saints worldwide... He—"

—He paved the way beyond the Martial Saint realm.

Wang Liancheng quickly clarified.

—And he named this new realm Martial God.

Upon hearing this, the Master Astral Cultivators around them were momentarily stunned, especially those who had transitioned from Martial Saints to Master Astral Cultivators, their eyes widening in shock.

One of the Master Astral Cultivators couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Wang Liancheng, did you just say... Li Pin... forged a path beyond the Martial Saint realm!?"

—Yes, Master Yun Long.

Wang Liancheng repeated.

—Li Pin used the Stars Overlord Secret Art as a foundation and forged a completely new path beyond Martial Saints. Because of this, he earned the respect of all Martial Saints, which is why we now see this harmonious King of the Century battle.

He glanced toward the peak of the cliff.

—The original purpose of the King of the Century Competition was to gather countless Extreme Martial Saints for combat, hoping to ignite sparks of inspiration in intense life-and-death clashes and ultimately pave the way beyond the Martial Saint realm. Now... Li Pin has done it! This battle has reached its most glorious moment since its founding seventy years ago.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

His words left the traditional Master Astral Cultivator in awe.

However, those who had transitioned from Martial Saints, including Yunlong, couldn't help but smirk and laugh!

"Good! Good! This is fantastic!"

"Martial God!? The realm beyond Martial Saints, called Martial God!? Excellent! What a Martial God!"

"I never imagined that I, Lu Jianchuan, would live to see the birth of a path beyond Martial Saints! Haha, this calls for celebration!”

These Master Astral Cultivators burst into joyous cheers, their laughter ringing out even in the presence of legends and supreme experts.

The infectious excitement spread among the others as well.

However, they were soon reminded of a pressing matter that had been weighing on their minds.

"Li Pin paved a path beyond Martial Saints, earning himself a title higher than King of the Century, and is now revered as the Martial God. That means the bet regarding the supreme commander of the Special United Squad... we've won."

"Indeed, with every Martial Saint convinced and no longer wishing to challenge Li Pin, the Martial God, victory is clearly ours."

"Haha, this kid may have been a bit unruly earlier, but since he helped secure us the victory, I'll chalk it up to youthful arrogance. It’s a good thing for youngsters to have drive and character! Otherwise, how could one innovate on the Martial Saint path and walk the Martial God's road?"

One by one, the Master Astral Cultivators chimed in, and the room filled with an atmosphere of joy and celebration.

Fu Qingtian still felt somewhat conflicted.

The one who had secured them the position of supreme commander didn’t turn out to be Wang Liancheng, whom they had invested heavily in, but rather the rebellious Li Pin.

However, no matter how conflicted Fu Qingtian felt, he knew what needed to be done. Given Li Pin’s contribution, Fu Qingtian understood he needed to express his gratitude.

Fu Qingtian smiled. "Li Pin has indeed rendered a great service to the Federation.

"If his path to Martial God aids in converting more Master Astral Cultivator, I'll personally cover all the resources required during his progression from ordinary to Master Astral Cultivator. As long as he doesn't encounter any bottlenecks, I'll ensure he gets whatever he needs to save time and enhance his cultivation."

Su Dongfeng of the Taibai Kingdom quickly clasped his hands in gratitude. "On behalf of Li Pin, Your Excellency, I thank you."

Fu Qingtian smiled. "All right, let's bring our competitors home. The time has come for them to return with glory."

"Shall we contact the other nations' representatives?" Yuan Zhanchuan suggested.

Fu Qingtian nodded in agreement.

The two quickly made their way to another room with more private communications.

***

Elsewhere, the representatives from Great Shang, Solar Radiance, the Royal Empire, the Star Alliance, and the East Sea's Thirty-Six Countries were also in contact with their own competitors. They quickly learned the details of what had transpired.

"Martial God! Martial God! Li Pin actually forged a path beyond Martial Saints and ascended to the level of Martial God! With that power, he subdued all the Martial Saints who dared to resist. This... this is practically unfair!"

"To annihilate dozens of Martial Saints in a single blow, then leap hundreds of meters... If he had chosen a hit-and-run strategy, using the entire Crimson Flame Island as his battlefield, how long could three or four hundred Martial Saints have held out?

"On top of that, the Tianyuan forces weren't any weaker! Xi Mi and the others... their defeat wasn't their fault."

"This King of the Century Competition is unlike any before. It wasn't fought for the ultimate transcendence. Even if someone had truly claimed the title of King of the Century, the other Martial Saints likely wouldn't have accepted it.

"They would have continued fighting until only one side, or one Martial Saint, was left standing. But now that Li Pin has become a Martial God, he commanded their subservience, unlike any other King of the Century."

"Wrong, wrong, wrong! It's my fault! Back then, I thought that no matter how strong a Martial Saint was, he couldn't decide the outcome of a battle involving hundreds. Who could have imagined... that Li Pin would ascend directly to become a Martial God! One wrong move, and we lost everything!"

"Tianyuan is truly fortunate! To have someone like Li Pin emerge as such a peerless figure!

Sigh

, if I had known earlier, I would have done everything possible to bring him into the Royal Empire when I first heard the reports."

Upon hearing this news, the Legends of these nations sighed in regret, frustration, and reluctance.

Sadly for them, their regrets no longer mattered. They had no choice but to accept reality. The agreements made by the Human Alliance weren't something any nation could change.

***

Great Shang, in an estate at Misty Cliff Harbor.

While other factions had come to terms with reality, the atmosphere in this estate, where Great Shang's top experts gathered, was suffocating.

The reason wasn't just the loss of several Extreme Martial Saints who were on the verge of transitioning to Astral Cultivation, but something far more painful.

The brother of Cang Shengdao, Great Shang's Supreme Expert, also Zhao Kunwu's personal disciple, a Legendary Mage who achieved the highest attainment in the Astral Palace path, had perished on Crimson Flame Island. .[1]

They had all known very well that this iteration of the competition would be incredibly brutal, with at least a ninety percent fatality rate. That was why Cang Shengdao and many Master Astral Cultivators had incessantly warned Cang Shengjie against going to the island.

However, despite many preparations and measures to ensure his safety, even giving him a piece of rare astral equipment... Cang Shengjie had still fallen.

In the end, his brother had still died.

Great Shang had become the biggest loser in this King of the Century grand battle. Among the sixty-two Martial Saints who had perished, two-thirds belonged to Great Shang.

The losses... were unimaginable.

"Master!" Cang Shengdao forced down the pain in his heart and spoke, his voice cold. "This is all Tianyuan's scheme!"

"Enough."

Zhao Kunwu glanced at his disciple and shook his head. "This King of the Century Competition was destined to be the bloodiest. You should have been prepared for this the moment your brother stepped onto that island. If you couldn't handle it, you should have stopped him by force. But the truth is, even you believed he had a chance of winning."

"But why did the other factions suffer so few losses, while Great Shang alone lost forty-one Martial Saints? And then there's Li Pin. He had clearly surpassed the realm of Martial Saints and became a Martial God, yet he participated in the grand battle between Martial Saints! This is obviously Tianyuan's scheme!"

Cang Shengdao pressed on, "We must make Tianyuan pay for this! At the very least, they must hand over Li Pin!"

Zhao Kunwu's expression turned cold.

Cang Shengdao knew his near-unreasonable demands were angering his master, but he didn't back down. "Li Pin is exceptionally talented. He will inevitably become a Legend in the future. If we allow him to grow unchecked, Tianyuan will gain another Legendary powerhouse, maybe even someone on par with Fu Qingtian—"

"Silence!" Zhao Kunwu cut him off with a stern rebuke.

"Master..."

"Demand Tianyuan hand over Li Pin!? Do you honestly think Tianyuan would agree? Even I find this request of yours to be unreasonable!"

Zhao Kunwu glared at Cang Shengdao coldly. "Li Pin didn't just bring great honor to Tianyuan; he helped Fu Qingtian secure the Supreme Commander position of the Special United Squad. He's also paved a path beyond the Martial Saint realm, becoming a trailblazer in the eyes of countless martial artists.

"This achievement alone rivals that of any Legend! You expect Tianyuan to hand him over!? That would be akin to demanding they hand over one of their legends for you to dispose of!"

Cang Shengdao's eyes widened in shock.

His master... was comparing Li Pin to a Legendary figure!? A martial artist being compared to a Legend!?

"Calling him a Legend is modest! In terms of reputation, he may even surpass Legends, for he will become a teacher to all martial artists worldwide!" Zhao Kunwu snorted heavily. "If Legends could be handed over that easily, Tianyuan would collapse overnight! Do you think your influence is so great that Tianyuan would risk its downfall just to give you Li Pin!?"

Zhao Kunwu waved his hand sharply and commanded the disciple beside him, "Xu Tianji, prepare a gift and head to Tianyuan. Offer congratulations to Li Pin on paving the way for millions of martial artists, and sincerely invite him to Great Shang to share his insights on the path to Martial God."

With that, he turned and left, leaving a gradually calming Cang Shengdao behind.

1. Mage is a term for Astral Cultivators who walked the Astral Palace path. Not to be confused with Sorcerer who walked the Beast-Taming path. ☜