Chapter 758: Support

In White Emperor Ji Shun's palace complex, within the Sacred Flame Hall.

A Divine Weapon platform sat surrounded by countless sacred weapons and blades. Li Pin, Mo Xuan, Ji Shun, and Yan Hao were seated cross-legged on the ground.

Three of them were Heavenly Emperors. Only Li Pin held the rank of Cosmic Radiance, but no one present saw anything inappropriate about his presence.

The Sacred Flame Hall had four hall masters.

Mystic Emperor Mo Xuan was in charge of the Primordial World and the Humanity Sanctum. He oversaw disciple cultivation and bore responsibility for the Sanctum's security.

White Emperor Ji Shun handled all external campaigns and military operations. Anything involving foreign races, no matter the scale, fell under his jurisdiction.

The other two, Crimson Emperor Yan Hao and Black Emperor Miao Zhuan, each carried their own responsibilities.

Since the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War involved military strategy against foreign races, it naturally fell under Ji Shun's authority.

Ji Shun's tone was especially gentle as he spoke. "Li Pin, there's something important we'd like to consult you on. That's why I summoned you, even though you're still recovering and reflecting after clearing the Supreme Ladder."

He got straight to the point. "You've probably heard of the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, held once every epoch to resolve conflicts among the different factions, right?"

Li Pin replied honestly, "I've heard a bit through Sasha."

"Since you're already in the loop, I'll get straight to the point," Ji Shun said. "We'd like you to represent humanity in the tournament, fight for our share of the rewards, and claim some honor for yourself while you're at it."

"That was my plan all along," Li Pin replied with a smile. "I challenged up to the eightieth step of the Supreme Ladder precisely to use that as my ticket into the tournament. Looks like it worked."

"Worked? You've exceeded our expectations!" Ji Shun's face lit up with excitement. "Honestly, just showing strength at the Cosmic Radiance level would've been enough to apply for the tournament."

Li Pin was a bit surprised. "

Oh?

"

Then, he thought of something and added, "I'm aiming for the Overlord Division."

"Of course, we—"

Ji Shun smiled and was about to respond, but his voice faltered and he stopped mid-sentence.

At that moment, Mo Xuan, Yan Hao, and even Ji Shun himself all turned to look at Li Pin.

"The Overlord Division?"

Li Pin nodded. "That's right."

Ji Shun replied, "If you joined the Prodigy Competition, we'd practically have a guaranteed win on our hands. That kind of victory would draw the attention of any Heavenly Emperor. But if you enter the Overlord Competition..."

He took a deep breath. "That would be a different story. The participants in the Overlord Division typically train for an entire epoch. That's a hundred times longer than those in the Prodigy Division!

"Forget the elite Nine Sovereign Races. Even the contestants from second-tier top races possess strength far beyond that of ordinary Cosmic Radiances. Each one is an elite among their peers."

"I understand," Li Pin said, glancing calmly at White Emperor. "But is it not possible to enter both divisions?"

"It is, but..." Ji Shun glanced at Li Pin. "If you were to face a Tyrant in the Astral World, do you think you could win?"

Li Pin paused, then answered, "It would most likely end in a mutual kill."

"Exactly," Ji Shun said. "Everyone entering the tournament carries the weight of their race's interests. To protect those interests, each competitor would willingly risk death. Even if they can't win, they'll do everything in their power to leave you with at least a trace of Eternal Oblivion Force."

He continued, "The more of that force you accumulate, the weaker your combat ability becomes. Put simply, unless you have overwhelming strength, very few people make it past the second or third match."

He paused. "Unless... you too, regard the Eternal Oblivion Force as nothing."

Mo Xuan added from the side, "Why do you think the tournament limits training time instead of setting a bar for cultivation level? If it were based on cultivation, those who've hit a bottleneck would throw themselves into the fight without hesitation, willing to sacrifice everything for their people.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"They'd trade their lives to take down their opponents. But with a time limit for training, who would be willing to risk the lives of those who spent a thousand years reaching Cosmic Radiance or an entire era to become a Tyrant?"

He sighed. "Even so, those who make it to the end often face the same fate. Every death in the tournament is a tremendous loss to our race. If the reward doesn't justify the cost, we'd rather forgo it and seek compensation elsewhere."

Li Pin listened in silence, his expression calm. "I'm willing to join the Prodigy Competition, but on one condition: I will also participate in the Overlord Competition."

"Li Pin, are you looking to hone your skills by battling the elite of the foreign races?" Mo Xuan asked. "If that's all you want, there's no need to risk yourself in the Overlord Division. If it's just sparring and experience you're after, we can arrange that. But the Grand Tournament—"

"The weight of humanity's hopes, the thrill of life-or-death battle, the attention of billions..."

Li Pin's voice was calm, but a restless heat simmered within him. He reached out, as though to grasp something, yet caught nothing. But deep down, he knew very well what he sought.

"In such an environment, one can push their limits and rise through adversity again and again. Every strike of the sword, every swing of the fist, becomes a breakthrough. That's how I'll surpass myself."

Mo Xuan, Ji Shun, and Yan Hao had lived for countless years and witnessed all kinds of people.

They exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same concern.

They had seen their fair share of people like Li Pin. Across every era in the Ancient Astral World, they had always existed.

They were often referred to as "Dao Seekers."

Each of them possessed extraordinary talent. As long as they didn't die, they could rise at an incredible pace, reaching the pinnacle and standing at the very top of their chosen path.

The ideal sounded beautiful, but the reality was far grimmer. Not a single one of these so-called "Dao Seekers" had a happy ending.

Some had their Dao Hearts shattered in moments of great terror, abandoning the path and fading into obscurity. Others died halfway through their breakthrough.

Very few ever reached the true summit.

After all, fortune and fate never favored them forever.

Among all the Seekers they had encountered, Li Pin had already come the furthest.

Many didn't even survive the Cosmic Radiance stage.

After all, the Astral World, saturated with the Eternal Oblivion Force, was utterly unforgiving to Seekers who constantly pushed themselves to their limits.

Before becoming Astral Gods, they could still try their luck at pushing their limits. But once they stepped into the Astral God Realm, the Eternal Oblivion Force would quickly remind them of their place.

Ji Shun opened his mouth, about to speak. "Li Pin—"

Just then, Mo Xuan cast him a glance.

Mo Xuan turned to Li Pin and said, "In principle, we agree to let you enter the Overlord Competition. But you must understand that every battle in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War comes with tremendous stakes. Especially this time... it involves the testing grounds for the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations trials. It's a matter of the highest importance. The major races will go all out to claim victory. Under these circumstances..."

He paused. "It's not that we doubt your potential, but with your current cultivation at the eightieth step of the Supreme Ladder, you're not yet strong enough for the Overlord Division."

Li Pin responded calmly, "If I remember correctly, there are seventy-four years left until the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War. I believe I'll be ready by then."

By now, Ji Shun had caught on to Mo Xuan's intent and smiled. "We admire your confidence. In this era, there are twenty-two major, irreconcilable conflicts between the human race and other species.

"Nine of them will be resolved through the Prodigy Competition. The remaining thirteen will be decided in the Overlord Competition. That means we'll have thirteen representatives in the Overlord Division.

"The strongest among them may even have to fight twice. So, if you want to join, we won't stop you, but you'll need to rank in the top ten during the final selection. How about that?"

Li Pin gave a slight nod. "That's a reasonable condition."

"Very well." Ji Shun smiled. "Any participant qualified for the tournament, including those in reserve, will receive special training. This training can either be provided by First Galaxy or designed by the participant."

"I'd like to design my own," Li Pin said.

Ji Shun didn't object. After all, Li Pin had Sasha, an Intelligent Lifeform assisting him. Her computational power wasn't necessarily inferior to First Galaxy's.

In fact, as an offshoot of the Ocean of Time, First Galaxy might even fall short in that regard. With Sasha crafting his training regimen, Li Pin wouldn't fall behind those receiving official instruction.

That was clear from the fact that he had reached the Cosmic Radiance Realm in less than a century after becoming an Astral God.

Ji Shun added, "Alright. Cultivation is a personal journey, and everyone follows their own path. Still, it would be best if you reported your progress regularly to keep the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War Committee updated."

"I'll challenge the Supreme Ladder once every ten stellar years," Li Pin replied.

"The Supreme Ladder..." muttered Ji Shun.

Quite frankly, he didn't believe Li Pin could break into the top ten among the Cosmic Radiance and Tyrant-level human cultivators selected for the Overlord Division. Still, he chose not to be too harsh. With a slight nod, he said, "Fine."

After confirming their intentions, he smiled. "Next, let's go over the support you'll be receiving."

With a wave of his hand, he continued, "Since you already have a guardian by your side, I won't go into that.

"As for equipment, you'll be granted either a Pinnacle Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon or a Top-Tier set of Divine Items, depending on what suits your needs."

Li Pin looked slightly surprised. "A Pinnacle Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon?"

Ji Shun nodded with a smile. "Yes. As long as you win, the equipment is yours to keep."

Then, with a sigh, he added, "But if you lose, there's nothing more to say. According to tournament rules, everything the loser owns becomes the winner's spoils."

Li Pin nodded. He knew full well how ruthless the tournament could be.

"Second," Ji Shun went on, "your clearance level will be raised to Level Ninety-Four. You'll have access to all information below the Heavenly Emperor level."

Li Pin's eyes lit up. "Oh?"

He couldn't help but wonder.

Would Level Ninety-Four give me access to materials on the Dao Realm?

"And finally, the third benefit," Ji Shun smiled, "you'll gain temporary access to every cultivation technique in the Human Race's database, including, but not limited to, Supreme, Transcendent, Highlord Techniques, and various secret arts."