Chapter 437: Essence

Astral energy influenced the world through atoms. As long as the atoms were shattered, astral energy would lose its carrier. At that point, a practitioner could defeat their opponent and dissipate their Starlight Body.

Li Pin realized the crucial point. "My Atomic Disintegration Technique already has the foundation to shatter atoms. The key is... the atomic disintegration process must be faster and stronger, leaving the astral energy with no chance to react."

Ge Lin nodded. Then he looked at Li Pin. "You can't do it?"

"I can't." Li Pin replied, "Neither my mental spirit nor my magnetic field's intensity are strong enough. I lack the power to accelerate the process explosively."

"Then nurture it." Ge Lin said, "Use the Sword Nurturing Technique. Accumulate over time, adding layer upon layer. When it's sufficient, detonate it in an instant. The effect shouldn't be too bad."

"No." Li Pin closed his eyes. "I can also introduce a new type of power to enhance my explosiveness."

"A new power?" Ge Lin frowned. "What power?"

"The power of the inner spirit." Li Pin answered.

"The inner spirit? Emotions?" Ge Lin asked.

His expression growing serene, Li Pin explained, "Emotions and mental spirit are forms of inner spirit power, but the derivatives of inner spirit power go beyond just emotions and mental spirit."

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

For a year, he never stopped exploring inner spirit power. Now, inner spirit power was no longer an enigmatic, elusive force but had become a tangible power he could wield.

Ge Lin looked at Li Pin. "If you're trying to enhance explosiveness, this emotion of yours seems off, doesn't it?"

This calm demeanor didn't seem connected to explosiveness in any way.

Li Pin answered with some emotion, "Indeed, it doesn't work. In fact, the so-called Martial Will of Martial Saints is, to some extent, a prototype of inner spirit power. However, Martial Will is too limited compared to inner spirit power, which is why it falls short.

"But this power is truly strong... Later, its significance was overshadowed simply because astral energy became even more dominant. Yet, even astral energy imparts Atomic Will. This itself proves something, but we just hadn't paid attention to it before."

"Martial Will..." murmured Ge Lin.

He remained silent for a while before saying, "It's not that we didn't value Martial Will, but Martial Will integrates with Atomic Will at the Master Astral Cultivator stage. From that point on, Martial Will gets distorted, losing the potential for further exploration. All we can do is continue integrating it, even if we eventually dominate Atomic Will... by then, our Will will no longer be pure."

He continued, looking resigned, "There's always a trade-off. In this world, there's no such thing as perfection."

Li Pin nodded and opened his eyes. "It was pleasant conversing with you, Your Excellency Ge Lin. Now, I must take my leave and try to ignite inner spirit power using the methods I'm familiar with."

Ge Lin looked up at Li Pin. "Hmmm?"

Then he suddenly connected this to Li Pin's mention of Martial Will earlier... The world had already analyzed every detail of Li Pin, and they all knew his Martial Will was inevitably tied to combat.

Now that Li Pin said he would ignite his inner spirit using methods he was familiar with.... he had to be looking for someone to fight.

"Who? Solar Radiance?" Ge Lin asked.

Li Pin replied, "No. While I don't believe what Solar Radiance Sovereign did was a good thing, I can't judge whether his actions are right or wrong. But I can tell he doesn't have bad intentions; he's doing it for Gaians. However... some people are always limited by their self-interest. For that, they are even willing to shatter the hard-won peace.

"So... if they're lucky enough and fail to ignite my inner spirit power, they might survive. But if they succeed... I'll announce to the world that the era of not executing government officials and killing Legends for their crimes has come to an end."

"Go ahead." Ge Lin looked at Li Pin and smiled for the first time. "This is something I've long wanted to do but never did. As long as you accomplish it, we'll be even for the Sword Nurturing Technique matter."

***

At Great Shang.

Zhao Kunwu, Ji Xuanyuan, Zhu Zhao, Ying Huo, Jin Taibai, two Supremes, and three Legends, had stayed in the imperial capital that day.

Recently, most Heavenly Realm cultivators have had frequent gatherings to discuss Astral Techniques. Moreover, with only the Bloodmoon Gorge remaining as a perilous region to address, many now consider the situation effectively under control. As a result, the cultivators no longer feel the need to rush, allowing them more time to communicate, debate, and rest.

Such occurrences of five Heavenly Realm figures gathering were once exceedingly rare. Now, they had become much more common.

To outsiders, it appeared that the five Heavenly Realm Astral Cultivators of Great Shang had gathered to discuss and exchange insights on Heavenly Realm Astral Techniques. However, these cultivators knew the truth: their true focus was on closely monitoring the actions of the Celestial Martial God Hall.

They had even braced themselves for the possibility of worst-case scenarios.

Zhu Zhao sighed. "Look at what Li Pin has achieved. A year ago, he suffered such humiliation yet endured it. Thinking back, it's quite incredible."

Jin Taibai nodded in agreement. "Exactly. If he and Solar Radiance had fought to the death back then, Solar Radiance wouldn't have had the chance to publicize Heavenly Realm intelligence and the Cosmic True Dragon Secret Art. There wouldn't be so many powerful Heavenly Realm cultivators now, and our advantage would undoubtedly be greater."

Ying Huo grumbled with dissatisfaction. "Who isn't capable of contacting alien forces for support? It's just that we had concerns. fearing we might bring disaster upon Gaia—so we didn't dare act on it! Clearly, Solar Radiance was the first to cross the line by recklessly reaching out to alien civilizations. And now, he's being portrayed as Gaia's savior instead."

He scoffed, "He's utterly hopeless."

Ji Xuanyuan shook his head. "Enough. There's no point dwelling on this. We were outmaneuvered, plain and simple. Who could have predicted the Divine Dragon Empire would be so accommodating?"

He continued, "Besides, the Divine Dragon Empire is the dominant power in the Dragon Swamp Nebula. The faction we contacted was also part of the empire, but they belonged to a different cultivation faction. Even if they wanted to help us, they wouldn't risk offending Solar Radiance's intermediaries."

Zhao Kunwu smiled faintly. "Thus, if we want to reclaim the initiative, Solar Radiance must not become Gaia's decision-maker."

With that, they approached Long Xiang, laying out the stakes and steering him—someone who believed everything was for Solar Radiance Sovereign—into a confrontation with Li Pin.

On the surface, it seemed like they were helping Solar Radiance Sovereign eliminate Li Pin. But in reality, everyone knew these two individuals, both focused on the bigger picture, would never truly descend into civil war.

As long as Long Xiang acted against Li Pin, and Li Pin retaliated fiercely, killing Long Xiang, Solar Radiance Sovereign would have no choice but to intervene. Whether Solar Radiance Sovereign liked it or not, an internal war would erupt, and he would be forced to waste resources at this critical juncture.

If he were to make a move, he wouldn't be able to keep his role as acting chairman. If he didn't act, he still wouldn't be able to hold the position. If he intervened and lost, he would have to step down and cede power. If he won, he would still be labeled as the instigator of Gaia's internal conflict.

A gentleman could fall to others' trickery because of their own upright morals. With this guilt weighing on him, Solar Radiance Sovereign would have no choice but to step down.

This reasoning also applied to the impulsive Li Pin.

If Li Pin emerged victorious, a bit of provocation would suffice. He was already disinterested in Gaia's trivial matters, so he would likely withdraw as well.

With Li Pin and Solar Radiance Sovereign both eliminated, who else could compete with the Great Shang?

No one.

This.... was their true objective.

Once they became Gaia's decision-makers, they would establish contact with the Divine Dragon Empire to secure its strong support. Great Shang would then rapidly rise and complete Gaia's unification.

As for revealing cultivation methods to the public... what a joke. Releasing techniques before unification was, in their view, utterly foolish.

Seeing through Solar Radiance Sovereign's foolishness, Zhao Kunwu, Ji Xuanyuan, and the others were resolute that Gaia couldn't be entrusted to him.

With Gaia on the verge of integrating into the alliance led by the Divine Dragon Empire and the broader cosmic order, the only path forward for Gaia's civilization was ruthless centralization—regardless of the cost—and the concentration of resources to cultivate a handful of Supreme powerhouses.

If Gaia followed the Solar Radiance Sovereign's leadership, it would eventually become just another primary planet of the Divine Dragon Empire.

"By the way, Li Pin wouldn't know we're the ones stirring things up behind the scenes, would he?" Zhu Zhao speculated.

Ji Xuanyuan said, "We persuaded Long Xiang through Wu De, who already had a grudge against Li Pin. As for what Li Pin will do... we just need to keep an eye on Wu De. If the situation truly takes a turn for the worst, we still have the final card to play—the alternate dimension."

Recalling their preparations and the alternate dimension's vast potential, Zhu Zhao and the others felt reassured. With the backing they had secured, Great Shang was not necessarily weaker than Solar Radiance.

Jin Taibai smiled and mused, "By the way, I wonder about the outcome of the battle between Li Pin and Long Xiang. Did Long Xiang come out on top, or was it Li Pin...?"

Before he could finish, Zhao Kunwu cut in with absolute certainty, "Li Pin."

His tone left no room for doubt. "At best, Long Xiang is at the level of Solar Radiance Sovereign from a year ago. But while we've been advancing, so has Li Pin! Long Xiang challenging him would only end in one result!"

He then glanced at the others. "And that’s precisely why the five of us are gathered here."

They were here to prepare for contingencies.

Ji Xuanyuan nodded and was about to speak when he seemed to receive some news.

After a glance, he projected the message onto the large screen. "Long Xiang was defeated. It seems he didn't even put up a fight. Their fight was a throwback to when Li Pin relied on his unmatched power to crush legendary-level demonic creatures before the Cosmic True Dragon Secret Art was globally disseminated."

The message included a blurry, distant video showing the battle between Li Pin and Long Xiang.

"As expected of Li Pin. Even though we now have the complete Astral Cultivator legacy, he is still pioneering his path out of nothing and has grown so rapidly," Zhao Kunwu remarked, unable to suppress a sigh."Why isn't Li Pin from our Great Shang? And why...is his personality so unapproachable?"

Zhu Zhao and the others looked somewhat grim.

"He's still...this powerful...."

"Alright, now we just wait for Li Pin's response," Zhao Kunwu said. "Will he retaliate against Solar Radiance Sovereign, target Wu De, or perhaps..."

He remained calm. "Come straight for Great Shang."

Ji Xuanyuan remained silent.

He knew that after the storm, the true ruler of Gaia's civilization would be determined.