Chapter 461: Invasion

At the Celestial Martial God Hall, Li Pin returned to his courtyard on Hualong Mountain.

Xing Ying was absent from the courtyard, having been assigned to manage the electronic book, which held great importance to Gaia.

Shi Shihu was the only one left in the entire hall maintaining its normal operations. Aside from him, only one other person could still be considered a top-tier powerhouse—Li Yunyao.

Since their last conversation, Li Yunyao seemed to have matured a lot.

At twenty-two, her style had transitioned from the cute, anime-inspired outfits of her younger days, like tank tops and sporty T-shirts, to a more grown-up and polished appearance.

This maturity wasn't about heavy makeup but a clean, minimalistic look. Light makeup accentuated her striking features, giving her a natural, fresh radiance.

Even when standing among Astral Cultivators with seemingly flawless appearances, she stood out just as much, radiating a natural and clear elegance.

"Any issues with your cultivation?" Li Pin asked.

"None," Li Yunyao replied. "It's just that I'm still struggling to fully grasp Gaia's Celestial Force Field."

"Gaia's Celestial Force Field...."

Li Pin's thoughts turned to a critical step in the Martial God path—Celestial Breaker.

If Li Yunyao could comprehend inner spirit and enter the Vacuum Pulverizer realm, that would suffice. But if she couldn't reach Vacuum Pulverizer, she would have to face the perilous trial of Celestial Breaker at the peak of the Supreme Martial God realm—a step aptly described as extremely dangerous.

After some contemplation, he said, "Have you considered switching to Astral Cultivation? With the Divine Dragon Empire's techniques, anyone can become an Astral Cultivator. Considering your current foundation and the resources of the Celestial Martial God Hall, you would likely reach the Heavenly Realm in three to five years."

Puzzled, Li Yunyao asked, "Why bring this up now?"

"The Martial God path is arduous," Li Pin answered honestly.

During his time at the Celestial Breaker phase, Li Pin had extensively studied the Celestial Martial God Manual and reached a conclusion he couldn't deny—the Celestial Martial God Manual was truly difficult.

It was more difficult than the Heaven-Subjugating Technique from the Celestial Martial Arts inheritance. After all, the Heaven-Subjugating Technique didn't involve the life-threatening trial of Celestial Breaker.

While there were indeed dozens of Top-Tier Martial Gods in the Celestial Martial God Hall, those individuals had reached their current level solely through his infusion of Skill Crystals. The further a martial artist progressed down the Martial God path, the more complex it grew. The limited capacity of Skill Crystals could no longer contain the insights required for higher realms.

While using multiple Skill Crystals to store insights was possible, such insights were akin to sleep—once interrupted, resuming was far from easy. The resources required to cultivate even one individual would increase exponentially.

The inner spirit, in particular, was an inherently personal aspect. No one could teach it. Even if two individuals shared identical experiences and habits, their perceptions would inevitably differ.

Attempting to transfer his experience of comprehending inner spirit to others would not only fail but could also create "knowledge obstacles," disrupting their cultivation.

Li Pin said, "If you truly wish to continue on this path, once you reach the Supreme Martial God realm, you will need to undergo a cultivation process at the inner spirit level.

"Currently, there are only two methods, or rather... one method. You must choose a belief and follow it unwaveringly. For this belief, for this goal, you must be willing to sacrifice everything."

"Sacrifice everything?" Li Yunyao froze. She quickly realized something, her face turning pale. "What do you mean by sacrificing everything?"

"Exactly what you understand by it—sacrifice everything, "Li Pin said slowly. "Xiaolu, mother, sister... and—"

Li Yunyao looked up at him. "And you?"

Li Pin nodded calmly. "Yes. This belief, this goal, must take precedence over everything. It must occupy your entire life, leaving no room in your heart for anything else.

"If, one day, I stand in your way, hindering your goal, you must act without hesitation and kill me."

Although Li Yunyao had already anticipated this, hearing Li Pin's words still left her feeling drained of all strength, as if life had been sucked out of her.

Li Pin continued, "I know I'm being direct, but—"

Li Yunyao snapped, "This isn't direct, this is too much! It's excessive!"

She turned and ran out of the courtyard.

Li Pin didn't chase after her. Instead, he smiled faintly. Looking at her now-mature appearance, he had thought her heart had truly matured. But now, it seemed... she was still a child.

Li Pin glanced around. "The Celestial Martial God Hall...."

Many experts had gone to the Great Shang, but the hall was still brimming with talent. The Martial Gods and High-Class Martial Gods numbered in the hundreds and thousands.

However, Li Pin knew they lacked a critical factor.

None of them had his Clairvoyance and would likely waste their lives in the Celestial Breaker phase.

That was unless someone could show a trace of inner spirit.

At that point, they could rely on the Frost Ring to attempt to understand the Vacuum Pulverizer realm. This would give them a chance at breaking through the Celestial Breaker phase and reaching the realm of Supreme Experts, becoming recognized across the universe.

Li Pin thought to himself,

Though I wish to leave my mark on this world, this galaxy ultimately belongs to the Astral Cultivators. In terms of the future, they are the true path to success.

He acknowledged this despite understanding the implications of becoming an Astral Cultivator. After a thousand years, the practitioner would lose their astral energy as it is consumed and refined, causing them to fade away.

However... not becoming an Astral Cultivator meant that people like Li Yunyao would inevitably turn to dust after a hundred years.

The Martial God path did not extend lifespans, and not everyone had the ability to delve into the realms of cells, genes, and atoms like he did.

Li Pin withdrew his gaze and walked toward the training room.

During his six months of seclusion on Planet Taibai, he had slightly organized his cultivation system.

The gap between cosmic life and planetary life was vast. The combat methods and techniques he had once mastered were now useless. When he fought Si Xing, aside from Atomic Disintegration, only the neural acceleration from the Zhulong of Time had been useful. All his other techniques had become obsolete at his current level.

Li Pin pondered,

The neural acceleration from the Zhulong of Time can still be optimized. Neural acceleration and body acceleration don't completely align.

While I've increased my neural response speed by four times, my physical speed hasn't improved. I've only optimized how to exert force and explosive power.

And when the neural reaction speed outpaces the body's response, a significant gap forms.

Additionally, the Great Sun Golden Crow and the Great Sun Infinite could also be optimized.

By simulating a real Great Sun and creating nuclear fusion within his Natal Planet to release energy, using an entire planet as fuel... the power would undoubtedly be immense.

"In the universe, the standard for evaluating Power Level has never been about how much energy a person possesses. The most significant factor is the maximum energy they can release in an instant. After that, consistency, total energy, and other factors come into play...."

As Li Pin organized his thoughts, images of the Great Sun Furnace and the Divine Radiance Beam flashed through his mind, and a new idea began to take shape.

As for Atomic Disintegration... Si Xing's Thousand Fold Sea and Void Tsunami were excellent concepts.

"Thousand Fold Sea is another application of the Double-Layered Force. Void Tsunami combines Thousand Fold Sea with domain power. By mastering the domain power to its utmost refinement, all the explosive energy is gathered and then released in an instant."

Li Pin continued reflecting on his real battle with Si Xing.

He incorporated the Astral Techniques from the Cosmic True Dragon Secret Art and the combat techniques from the Heaven-Subjugating Technique, merging them into his own unique battle techniques.

***

Half a month later.

Li Pin smiled faintly. "The Zhulong of Time has barely completed the first round of optimization.... Originally, when I was in a state of inner spirit eruption, I could increase my neural response speed four times.

"Now, while maintaining the four times neural response speed, I reflect my inner spirit upon myself. This not only enhances my physical state but also boosts my speed up to twice the normal maximum."

The difference this two times increase created must not be taken lightly. Twice the speed meant twice the explosive power, twice the impact. Strength, defense, and structure might not have doubled, and the body would endure immense strain under the acceleration, but the resulting combat power was nearly like surpassing a whole realm.

"In some ways, this is already a secret art that pushes my limits... It's like modifying a car with a maximum speed of 300 km/h to make it run at 600 km/h. That's pushing the limits, right? If you're not careful, the car might fall apart."

Of course, due to the faster mental response, the user would notice right away if the car was about to break down, avoiding disaster. But the damage to the car would still be unavoidable.

"While it will place a significant burden on my body, it's fine for short-term use as a secret art."

Given that this technique had become more of a secret art, calling it the Zhulong of Time no longer seemed fitting.

Li Pin thought for a moment and remembered the Astral Cultivators' starlight state.

This secret art, which utilized the characteristic of accelerated thinking to push the body past its limits in speed...

"Let's call it the Limit Break State," he said with a slight smile.

"The Limit Break State can, in some ways, replace the Celestial Body-Tempering Fist—pushing the limits and adapting to them until the Limit Break state becomes the norm... and then further developing a deeper Limit Break State... that is, the Stage Two Limit Break State!"

Li Pin decided on the name for his new technique.

He then turned his attention to the Atomic Disintegration Technique.

However, before he could dive back into his work, his communication bracelet suddenly vibrated violently.

As he answered, Yuan Zhenchuan's serious voice quickly came through.

—Hall Master Li, the Divine Dragon Empire's attack has begun! The second Astral Gate they opened in the Royal Empire was just a decoy. The real point of invasion is still the Solar Radiance Gate!

Li Pin nodded. "The Solar Radiance Gate, huh."

—We underestimated the strategic rigor of the Divine Dragon Empire. To deal with our small Gaia, they even used a feint. From this, we can see they value us more than we imagined. Perhaps...

Yuan Zhenzhuan paused, his tone growing heavier.

—A Legendary figure may even show up!