Chapter 520: Strength

The overall combat strength of Tier Five and Tier Six Legends wasn't all that different. However, Tier Six Legends were much more flexible due to their ability to sense and traverse the Astral World, allowing them to utilize it for mobility.

Li Pin replayed his virtual sparring sessions with Tier Six Legends in his mind.

Without relying on the power of Astral World Fragments, a Tier Six Legend would be able to vanish abruptly every time Li Pin was about to deliver a fatal strike. They could simply abandon the battlefield, effortlessly defusing the life-threatening situation.

Thus, even though Tier Six Legends weren't that much stronger than Li Pin, he still might not even win one out of ten encounters with experts of that level. They simply had a higher tolerance for mistakes, dozens of times higher than his.

Li Pin mused, "However, unlike Tier Five Legends or peak Demigods, dealing with Tier Six Legends is far easier for a Divine Being. The power of Astral World Fragments can disrupt their Astral World traversal."

A faint smile appeared on Li Pin's face. Without the life-saving ability of Astral World traversal, a Tier Six Legend might not even compare to a peerless genius among Tier Five Legends.

Of course, those who reached Tier Six Legend status were nothing short of geniuses. They were paragons of talent. Many even served as emissaries of Astral Gods. Through meritorious contributions, they earned rewards. Some highly favored ones even wielded Divine Weapons.

In such cases, a group of ten or more Tier Five Legends would avoid confronting a Tier Six Legend, knowing the risk of challenging one head-on.

Li Pin composed himself. "Compared to Tier Six Legends, Divine Beings are far harder to deal with."

Each Divine Being was someone who had refined a celestial body spanning tens of thousands of kilometers.

Over the years, Li Pin had invested more than one million Divine Treasury Points into himself, excluding techniques, experiences, and insights dedicated to perfecting the path of omniscience and omnipotence. Yet, even with such resources, the scale of his Natal Planet was still several magnitudes smaller than that of a Divine Being.

"Scale isn't what matters. A Divine Being doesn't even rival a star in size, yet they could destroy one in ten thousand ways if they wished."

Li Pin quietly assessed his energy levels. "Only power that can be precisely controlled is true power. "

It was like the difference between uncontrolled and controlled nuclear fusion. It was only a difference of one word, but the technological gap between them spanned generations.

"In terms of Power Level, I'm currently at around 80,000. If my growth stays on track, I should reach the pinnacle of the Divine Realm within ten stellar years."

He made a brief calculation before sighing. "To achieve omniscience and omnipotence, I must understand every system and the changes that come with each new realm. Recently, I've exchanged for numerous ancient manuals, but the more I study, the more I realize how little I know. It's even made me question my earlier decisions."

A soft chuckle escaped him. Doubting himself now seemed laughable. Since he decided on this path, he should stick to it unwaveringly. A difficult road ahead wasn't the issue. The real challenge was having no road at all.

Thus, that moment of doubt lasted only an instant before Li Pin decisively eradicated it. His inner spirit seemed to have even gained a slight increase as a result of this brief turmoil.

Ten stellar years? Divine Beings live far longer than Legends. The oldest of them have even lived for tens of thousands of stellar years. To them, ten stellar years felt no longer than ten days to a normal person, hardly worth mentioning.

"It's time to exchange for the Divine Weapon Chapter. For Tier Five Legends and Demigods, the chance of possessing Divine Weapon is slim. But at my current level, there's no need to fear them anymore. My focus has shifted to Tier Six Legends and Divine Beings. Among them, the elites often wield Divine Weapons. I'd rather avoid making any unexpected mistakes."

Li Pin ended his training. He stood up and made his way to the information search area.

In the Divine Treasury Hall, materials related to Divine Weapons came at exorbitant prices. The Divine Weapon Encyclopedia, which recorded over ninety percent of the Divine Weapons in the Astral World, cost a staggering 100,000 Divine Treasury Points.

At times, the price of knowledge and information far surpassed that of so-called Heavenly Treasures.

Li Pin glanced around while he was on his way toward the information search area.

The surroundings had grown noticeably quieter.

Li Pin thought,

With the Mara World breached, the pioneers moved on from this Divine Treasury Hall to other halls. In another eight to ten years, the Mara Divine Treasury Hall would be dismantled, and its information repositories, mirages, and Divine Treasury Gates would be relocated to a new hall.

His cultivation resources were not yet used up, so he wouldn't enter the divine treasure world for now. However, as Fang Chunyang had said, the Astral World was unfriendly to Divine Beings, equivalent to Earthly Immortals. Li Pin needed to solidify his foundation before considering ascension.

With that in mind, he decided to spend more time observing.

Not entering the Astral World means only lacking the trait of immortality. In terms of lifespan, I don't need to worry for at least ten thousand stellar years.

With this thought, Li Pin calmed his mind and prepared to immerse himself in the information search area once again.

Compared to his life of constant combat in the past, this period of study felt like shifting from a martial artist to a scholar. Nevertheless, as long as he could feel his growth, Li Pin embraced it willingly.

***

While Li Pin headed to the information search area and exchanged for a comprehensive guide on Divine Weapons, Mi Lu, who had been observing him secretly for a long time, hurried to find Xi Lin.

"It's him, it's definitely him!" Mi Lu said with certainty. "I'm sure the one who broke open the Mara Divine Treasure World is Li Pin. Otherwise, there's no way to explain how he could afford to spend hundreds of thousands of Divine Treasury Points in just a few stellar years."

Xi Lin explained, "He's closely associated with Fang Chunyang's group. They gained a lot in the Mara World, so these treasury points might be from the shared profits of their joint efforts."

Mi Lu countered, "That's far too many points for them to have come from shared profits. I've looked into it. Each direct member of their group received less than a million treasury points. Others got only tens of thousands.

"Li Pin is a newcomer! Unless he made a major contribution, even getting ten or twenty thousand points would be a stretch. How could he have so many?"

Xi Lin appeared not to be concerned about it. "Maybe, as you suggested, he made a significant contribution or provided critical information."

Mi Lu continued, counting on her fingers. "That may be true, but he still controls hundreds of thousands of Divine Treasury Points. Having that much at his disposal means he has no ties to any home civilization. He's formed strong bonds with Fang Chunyang's group, built exceptional connections, and invested those points in himself, showing immense growth potential."

She enthusiastically said, "Xi Lin, if you seize this opportunity, your rise to prominence is practically guaranteed!"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Xi Lin asked, clearly exasperated.

"Didn't your brother-in-law's younger brother try to match the two of you? How can you not seize such a golden opportunity?"

Mi Lu's eyes widened with excitement. "He may be a Celestial Martial Artist, but with how things are going, he has a real chance of becoming a Divine Being! A Divine Being! In your family, that would make him an elder with real authority—one of the top figures, second only to your family's Grand Patriarch!"

"Alright, alright, I'll handle it. You don't need to worry about it. Focus on your own business," Xi Lin said, clearly trying to shift the conversation. "You only got into the Mara Divine Treasury Hall because of connections. If you tried another treasury hall's assessment, you might not even pass."

Mi Lu replied with a touch of anticipation. "I am thinking about my own business. Are you going to make a move or not? If you don't, then I will!

"A future Divine Being—even if I can't be the main wife, being a concubine would be fine. As long as he provides enough resources for my cultivation and daily needs, I wouldn't even care about status."

"Then go for it! Why are you asking me?" Xi Lin snapped, annoyed. "Alright, I'm going to train now. Get out."

"So you don't mind if I go after him?" Mi Lu pressed.

Xi Lin pushed Mi Lu out of the room, clearly flustered. "Go, go!"

Once alone, Xi Lin leaned against the wall, her chest rising and falling with unease. Her mind involuntarily wandered back to the information she had been tasked with investigating before the Mara World was shattered, an order directly from Lie Qingqing.

Li Pin... had become a God Emperor?!

Although she hadn't experienced even a single cycle in the Mara World, she had studied its structure in detail. She understood exactly what achieving God Emperor status meant.

For someone like Li Pin, a newcomer, to achieve something even the Gold Pioneers couldn't—to break the power cap and ascend as a God Emperor—was simply unbelievable.

And right after Li Pin reached this breakthrough, the Mara World was shattered. The timing made it hard not to draw a connection.

If Mi Lu's theory was correct, and Li Pin was the one who broke the Mara World, then....

Xi Lin hesitated for a long time before finally raising her communication bracelet. She brought up Li Pin's contact channel, choosing not to make a call but instead sending a single word as text.

Xi Lin: Available?

On the other end, Li Pin, likely just returning from the information search area and yet to begin cultivating, responded quickly.

Li Pin: Available. What's up?

Xi Lin: Do you have time? We've known each other for a while, but we've never met in person. Want to meet up?

Her face turned slightly red as she sent the message. This was the boldest move she had ever made, given her personality.

Li Pin: Do you need help with something?

Xi Lin: No.

Xi Lin hesitated for a moment, carefully composing her response.

Xi Lin: I just want to chat.

After sending the message, Xi Lin anxiously awaited a response, but there was only silence for a long time.

Several minutes passed before Li Pin replied.

Li Pin: What did you just ask?

Xi Lin frowned slightly but responded.

Xi Lin: I said... do you want to chat?

Li Pin: No, the first thing you said.

Xi Lin paused, trying to recall. Tentatively, she typed again.

Xi Lin: Available?

A quick reply came.

Li Pin: Not available.