NABC Chapter 220: Starlight
Chapter 220: Starlight
Chapter 220: Starlight
The Guardian Hall was the highest authority in any province, without exception.
In ordinary times, the Guardian Hall remained a low-key entity; many people knew its name but had never seen it. However, during times of turmoil when ferocious beasts rampaged or demonic creatures invaded the land, all departments across the province had to cooperate with the Guardian Hall.
If the Guardian Hall wanted anyone to step down, all it would take was a word—even if it was the provincial mayor, who sat at the top of the power chain in a province.
Li Pin had passed by the Guardian Hall more than once while teaching at the Astral Hall, but this was his first time actually entering it.
As the vehicle drove in, Li Pin distinctly felt a slight sense of discomfort.
This was because the Guardian Hall was filled with powerful individuals. There were numerous Astral Cultivators inside, including High-Class ones.
Li Pin had recently won the World's Top Martial Competition and was acclaimed as the world's number one, but that only pertained to the martial world.
A martial artist entering a place full of Astral Cultivators was akin to a lamb entering the wolf's lair. Any martial artist would find themselves feeling uneasy inside.
Fortunately, as Li Pin steadied his resolve, this discomfort quickly dissipated.
At this time, the vehicle passed through several villas and pavilions, entering an estate that spanned over fifty thousand square meters. It was complete with hills, groves, and an artificial lake.
The vehicle came to a stop in front of the main building. There was a middle-aged man standing outside. He looked to be in his fifties and was wearing a suit.
After getting out of the car, Zhou Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Martial Saint Li, I won't be going in. You can follow Butler Fang."
Li Pin nodded.
Zhou Xiuyuan was the head of the Astral Hall, but he did not dare to enter the estate rashly without an invitation from Xiang Tianxing, the head of the Guardian Hall.
Butler Fang gestured with his hand as he invited Li Pin in. "Martial Saint Li, this way, please."
He led Li Pin directly to the backyard.
The backyard was lined with lawns, planted with flowers, and had booths for one to take shelter from the sun.
In the backyard, Li Pin saw a man who seemed young, perhaps in his thirties. He was watching a young girl practice with her sword on the lawn.
The man had his back turned to Li Pin. He seemed to be glowing faintly, as if he were being illuminated by the sunlight. It was as if the photosynthetic rendering had been turned up to its maximum.
He gave off a mysterious feeling.
It didn't take Li Pin long to realize why. The man had a Starlight Body.
In critical moments, an Astral Cultivator could detonate the astral energy stored in their Astral Palace to completely convert their flesh into energy, thereby breaking through the limitations of their physical body.
An Astral Cultivator who had transformed into energy would basically be a new species, surpassing the limits of carbon-based life forms in every way. They could do many things carbon-based life could never achieve.
For instance, the ability to resist high temperatures, withstand frost, survive without air, or run at supersonic speeds.... These were no longer limitations for them.
Decades ago, experiments showed that Top-Tier Astral Cultivators in their energy form could even wander through outer space unaided.
Now that Li Pin knew the man had a Starlight Body, it was easy for him to piece together who the man was.
The man was Xiang Tianxing, the head of Jiang Province Guardian Hall. He was a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator who once studied under Fu Qingtian, a supreme Astral Cultivator in Tianyuan. In the eyes of Su Mai and the others, he had the highest potential to unify his own will with the Atomic Will, stepping into the realm of a Master Astral Cultivator.
Xiang Tianxing didn't turn to face Li Pin, so Li Pin stood quietly without saying a word.
The only sound left in the field was the wind stirred up by the girl's sword practice.
After a while, the girl seemed to notice Li Pin. She cried out in surprise, "Are you... Li Pin, who won Taibai the title of 'World Champion?"
"Continue with your sword practice," Xiang Tianxing said in a deep voice.
"Okay."
Even though Xiang Tianxing was suppressing it, Butler Fang could still hear the excitement in his tone.
Without the interference of the atomic will caused by the Top-Tier Astral Cultivator's astral energy, Li Pin found it much easier to control his vitality, qi, spirit, and sword dispositions.
As he performed Lunar Youying again, the ripples radiating from him seemed to coalesce into a special force field, showing signs of suppressing Xiang Tianxing.
Seeing this, Xiang Tianxing stepped forward voluntarily, allowing this suppressive force to cover him while he quietly comprehended it.
After a while, he remarked, "It's still a bit lacking."
Li Pin nodded. "It's flashy but without substance, scattered and uncondensed. At best, it's just an outburst of qi and blood, mental spirit, Sword Intent, and sword dispositions. There's still a long way to go before it can suppress the opponent's state from the life structure level as a Lifeform Force Field."
Xiang Tianxing sighed. "But you have comprehended it. If you were a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator, you would have already mastered this secret art."
The way he looked at Li Pin finally changed. Previously, even though Li Pin came with the title of being the world champion, Xiang Tianxing still saw him as a young man who hadn't fully matured and thought it would be enough to welcome him casually.
If Xiang Tianxing was in a bad mood, he wouldn't have even welcomed Li Pin; he would have gotten his butler to send Li Pin off.
But now... he looked at Li Pin with sincerity, acknowledging Li Pin's abilities. He even regarded Li Pin as an equal.
"Lord Xiang, I am visiting to ask for your guidance. I'd like to hear your thoughts about this secret art," Li Pin said.
"My thoughts..."
Hearing Li Pin's question, Xiang Tianxing couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
After a while, instead of answering, he turned to Butler Fang and instructed, "Take the young lady inside to rest."
"Yes," Butler Fang responded and led the young lady away.
However, before leaving, the young lady couldn't help but say to Li Pin, "Li Pin, after you're done talking with my dad, can I take a picture with you?"
Li Pin nodded. "Of course."
The young girl beamed. "That's great!"
Xiang Tianxing watched their interaction without saying anything.
Satisfied, the young lady left with Butler Fang. Then Xiang Tianxing gestured for Li Pin to take a seat under the shade.
Xiang Tianxing gathered his thoughts. After a while, he asked, "Have you ever considered that the Astral Cultivator system is developing too quickly?"
Li Pin was a little surprised. "Too quickly?"
"Yes, it has only been a little less than a hundred years since the Astral Cultivator system was established. Yet, it has surpassed all existing systems, enabling humanity to undergo rapid evolution.
"Before the Astral Cultivator system came around, Martial Saints had been the strongest, but even they could be taken down with firearms. Now, we have Legendary Astral Cultivators, who are so strong that they can shift mountains and overturn seas. A single legendary astral technique rivals a large nuclear explosion...."
At this point, Xiang Tianxing paused. He realized Li Pin was not an Astral Cultivator, so he wouldn't understand the power Legendary Astral Cultivators held.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't know if my view is right or wrong. It might overturn your understanding of the Astral Cultivator system. But if you want to hear it—"
"Lord Xiang, please go ahead," urged Li Pin, expressing his stance.
Xiang Tianxing nodded. "You're familiar with the term 'Atomic Will,' right?"
"Of course."
"Have you ever thought about how Atomic Will is born?"
"How it is born...."
"It's starlight," Xiang Tianxing continued. "All along, we've had a theory that starlight contains information! It is this information that gives atoms will!"