Chapter 286: Close-in

Li Pin was gone. He had leaped off the cliff right in front of Fu Qingtian.

Wang Liancheng watched this scene unfold with his own eyes. Li Pin resembled a great roc soaring into the sky, gliding effortlessly for hundreds of meters in a single bound, as though he was riding the wind, drifting away with a carefree grace.

That elegance... that freedom... words failed to describe them.

Even Wang Liancheng, who was highly regarded and nurtured by Fu Qingtian and was only a step away from becoming an Astral Cultivator, felt a stir in his heart.

The other Extreme Martial Saints standing behind him were left in even more awe.

However, with Fu Qingtian's presence still looming, none of them dared to move, despite their admiration and longing.

Li Pin and Fu Qingtian's earlier conversation kept echoing in their minds....

Three to five years!?

A Martial God... in three to five years?! Could someone really grow strong enough to rival Top-Tier Astral Cultivators in only three to five years?

Does the Martial God path have the prospects to reach the heights of Legends in the future?

No one knew the answer except for Li Pin.

Yet, that conversation had planted a seed in everyone's heart. Whether it would take root and grow, leading to the resurgence of martial arts, remains to be seen

***

On the battleship.

Inside the war room where over a dozen Master Astral Cultivators had gathered, silence filled the air.

The Master Astral Cultivators who were somewhat fond of Li Pin—like Yun Long, Lu Jianchuan, and Su Dongfeng—wanted to speak up for him. However, when they looked at Fu Qingtian's expression, they knew better than to do that.

They couldn't bring themselves to say anything in Li Pin's defense.

Lu Jianchuan sighed inwardly. "Truly... the courage of the young is boundless."

Yun Long shared the same sentiment. "This is the second time Li Pin has gone against Lord Fu's will, isn't it?"

Many asked themselves: why did this happen?

After some thought, only one possibility came to mind.

It all boiled down to respect. Li Pin... had no reverence for Fu Qingtian!

Had he truly respected Fu Qingtian, he would have been overjoyed to accept his first personal invitation without hesitation.

As for the matter of Fu Qingtian pushing him into the spotlight under the guise of tempering him, that could've easily been square with Fu Qingtian's personal proposal to train Li Pin and elevate him to the Legendary realm.

Li Pin would have believed that enduring Fu Qingtian's trials had earned him this reward. Overjoyed, he would have held Fu Qingtian in even higher regard.

The problem was that... Li Pin never did! Not once. It seemed he never had reverence for anyone.

In his heart... he had no fear, no dread! No one could make him feel fear or intimidation!

Even when standing before Fu Qingtian, a Legendary Astral Cultivator and Tianyuan's Supreme Expert, Li Pin faced him with a sense of equality.

He regarded him as an equal.

One was a Martial Saint, the other a Supreme Expert. The gap between their statuses was immense!

It was simply... unbelievable.

Li Pin's pride rivaled the heavens! Because of that, when Fu Qingtian used the same method he'd use when mentoring any of the juniors, it quickly brought displeasure into Li Pin's heart.

That displeasure built up, time and again. In the end, it culminated in the standoff between the two, resulting in each going their separate ways.

At that moment, a thought flashed through everyone's mind:

Different paths cannot be walked together.

***

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Amidst the heavy atmosphere, Yuan Zhenchuan received some news.

He furrowed his brow and was about to stand up. However, after glancing at Fu Qingtian's stern face, he hesitated briefly before speaking, "I just received word that Cang Shengdao has recently broken away from the main fleet at Misty Cliff Harbor.

"He's heading toward Crimson Flame Island at full speed. As soon as Li Pin left the island, he slightly adjusted his course... It seems he's heading straight for Li Pin."

The Master Astral Cultivators present were taken aback. "Cang Shengdao!? He's heading for Li Pin!?"

Shortly after, their expressions turned into ones of anger. "What does he intend to do!?"

"Cang Shengdao is Lord Zhao Kunwu's disciple. We should ask Lord Zhao about his intentions. Could there be some ulterior motives?" Su Dongfeng interjected.

Another Master Astral Cultivator spoke. "During the King of the Century Competition, Great Shang lost forty-one Martial Saints. One of them was Cang Shengdao's younger brother, Cang Shengjie."

"From what I know, Cang Shengjie was his only living relative, and the two were very close. In the past, Cang Shengdao even fought with his senior martial brother, You Zhige, over Cang Shengjie....

As he spoke, worry began to cloud the Master Astral Cultivator's face. "Cang Shengjie died on Crimson Flame Island, at the hands of Li Pin... And now, Cang Shengdao is leaving the harbor alone and heading straight for Li Pin..."

Lu Jianchuan, Yun Long, and Su Dongfeng could no longer sit still.[1]

The problem was... Li Pin had just had a falling out with Fu Qingtian. Additionally, Cang Shengdao was a Legendary Mage!

Though he hadn't condensed his Starlight Body, by stacking, resonating, and amplifying the power of his nine Astral Palaces in unique formations, he was fully capable of unleashing a Legendary level Astral Technique attack.

None of the Master Astral Cultivators were confident they could defeat him. The only way they could guarantee victory was if a Legend made a move.

For a moment... everyone's eyes turned to Fu Qingtian.

Sensing their gazes, Fu Qingtian shook his head. "What? Do you all really see me as that petty? Li Pin has carved out a new path, and his method of condensing the Lifeform Force Field has greatly reduced the death rate of Martial Saints transitioning into Astral Cultivators.

"This is an incredible achievement! For this alone, if he's in danger, we can't just stand by and do nothing."

He glanced at Mo Wangqing. "Why are you just standing there? Send a message to Zhao Kunwu! How does he manage his disciple? And what exactly is that disciple trying to do?"

As soon as Fu Qingtian had finished speaking, his communication bracelet vibrated.

Buzz! Buzz!

He let out a cold snort when he saw the caller and answered immediately.

Before long, Zhao Kunwu's figure appeared as a projection.

The powerful leader of the Great Shang wasted no time in explaining.

—All the astral equipment in Cang Shengjie's possession belongs to Great Shang. Now that the battle has ended, Cang Shengdao needs to reclaim these items. We intended to discuss this with everyone, but Li Pin appears to be leaving Crimson Flame Island and not returning to Tianyuan. Cang Shengdao only acted in haste, but rest assured, he won't harm Li Pin.

"Nonsense! Zhao Kunwu, do you even believe yourself? Recall Cang Shengdao at once, or don't blame me for showing no mercy!" Fu Qingtian said firmly.

No matter how rebellious Li Pin was, Fu Qingtian couldn't afford to face any trouble at this critical time. Otherwise, Tianyuan's reputation would be utterly shattered.

—Rest assured, Lord Fu, Cang Shengdao is truly only after the astral equipment. If he dares harm Li Pin, I will be the first to kill him upon his return!

Zhao Kunwu declared with conviction.

Fu Qingtian's tone grew stern. "A life for a life? You can't seriously compare Cang Shengdao's life to Li Pin's. And even if he's after the equipment, it's completely unreasonable! Those are Li Pin's spoils of war, and Great Shang has no claim to them anymore!

"It seems, Lord Zhao, that you refuse to recall your disciple. Or... could it be that your disciple doesn't respect you at all? Why keep a disciple who doesn't listen? If you won't deal with him, I will!"

Fu Qingtian took a step forward into the air, brilliant starlight radiating about him and lifting him into the air. Wrapped in its glow, he shot towards the clouds like a streak of light.

"I'll go with you," Yuan Zhenchuan said, swiftly following after Fu Qingtian.

Zhao Kunwu, being just as powerful as Fu Qingtian, could make things difficult, possibly leading to mutual destruction... Yuan Zhenchuan couldn't stand idly by.

"Count me in!"

"This is outrageous! Does Great Shang want to start a war with Tianyuan? We'll see it through to the end!"

"Sending a disciple to ambush one of our heroes in broad daylight!? Does Great Shang even acknowledge Tianyuan anymore?"

"Zhao Kunwu, what a Supreme Expert! Has he lost his mind!? How could he allow this? If anything happens to Li Pin, he will bear the consequences of everything that follows!"

Yun Long, Lu Jianchuan, and Su Dongfeng all roared in anger. The other Master Astral Cultivators also shared their fury.

Even if Li Pin had disagreed with Fu Qingtian moments ago and parted ways, he was still one of Tianyuan's people and had made great contributions to the kingdom. How could they stand by and let Great Shang bully him?

In an instant, more than half of the dozen Master Astral Cultivators entered their Starlight Body state. They activated their astral energy without hesitation, vibrating the atoms around them with their wills.

They transformed into streaks of light, and shot into the sky, following Fu Qingtian and Yuan Zhenchuan.

This scene left the other Astral Cultivators and crew aboard the battleships stunned. No one knew what had happened to cause such a powerful response.

Yet, just as Fu Qingtian barely broke through the sky, he came to a sudden halt.

The reason... It was a single sentence from Zhao Kunwu.

—You've put in so much effort, and opened your heart to him, but Li Pin... does he truly need your help?

Fu Qingtian froze mid-air.

—Earlier, I mentioned testing Li Pin because I wanted to know if he was truly one of us.

Fu Qingtian, quick to react, realized something. "So everything you said before, including handing over the Legendary Astral Technique formation, was all for this moment, wasn't it?"

—You could say that.

Zhao Kunwu sighed.

—It's undeniable that we both want to see the human race flourish. But sometimes, good intentions don't necessarily lead to good outcomes.

—From what I overheard of your earlier conversation with Li Pin through Wang Liancheng, you're willing to pay a huge price to nurture Li Pin to the Legendary realm within eight years. I genuinely admire that dedication, no one can question your character. But is what he wants truly aligned with what we want?"

—Our vision goes beyond personal gains and losses, focusing on humanity's future. But him? All he wants is to promote his martial path. He hasn't considered the chaos his efforts could bring to our current system!

—A dam can collapse from a single breach! When Martial Saints feel there's a new way forward, they might stop risking their lives in reconnaissance or give up transitioning to Astral Cultivators to refresh the bloodlines..."[2]

Such a change could trigger a dangerous chain reaction.

The consequences... would be unimaginable.

1. A Chinese metaphor to convey the feeling of being so concerned they can't stay still. ☜

2. A dam ca collapse from a single breach means a tiny flaw can ruin a masterpiece. ☜