NABC Chapter 256: Under the Feet
Chapter 256: Under the Feet
chapter 256: under the feet
li pin nodded. "i did it."
xiang tianxing repeatedly muttered under his breath, "the lifeform force field..."
"but... how? how is this possible? even the supreme expert, fu qingtian, said that only top-tier astral cultivators, who have transformed their bodies into pure energy and transcended their carbon-based forms, can completely separate their vitality, qi, and spirit to form a lifeform force field. how could... a mere martial saint like you do this? how...?"
li pin replied, "in theory, it should indeed be impossible to separate the vitality, qi, and spirit. it's just like how people can’t kill themselves by holding their breath. but humanity's greatest advantage is that we know how to make use of tools!
"if you can't suffocate yourself, you can hang yourself. similarly, if you can't fully separate your vitality, qi, and spirit to forge a lifeform force field through your own abilities, you can make use of legendary astral equipment...."
"legendary astral equipment?" xiang tianxing's eyes widened. "are you saying that legendary astral equipment can help a martial saint fully separate their vitality, qi, and spirit to forge a lifeform force field?"
li pin nodded. "that's right."
moreover, li pin was certain that his understanding of the lifeform force field would deepen as he conducted more research. it might be possible to forge a lifeform force field using rare or even top-tier astral equipment in the future.
"legendary astral equipment... legendary astral equipment.... we had this theory back in the day and even had people attempt it, but without exception, all of them failed...."
"clearly, they didn't have a profound enough understanding of the lifeform force field," li pin said.
the process by which he forged the lifeform force field, as of now, couldn't be replicated. however, that was to be expected. any newly created path would be difficult to tread at first. only when more people walk that path, contributing their collective wisdom, would it become easier to traverse.
wasn't the same true for the astral cultivators? it took decades for high-class, top-tier, and then master astral cultivators to appear.
if li pin were given decades to work with—no! not even decades. in at most three years, he was confident he could lower the threshold of forging the lifeform force field to a level where nearly any extreme martial saint could use a piece of rare astral equipment to do it.
xiang tianxing could hardly believe it. "the lifeform force field!"
his thoughts churned for a long time before he finally let out a long breath.
he looked at li pin with a complicated expression. "if only you had been born a few years earlier... when chong guang, xuan yang, and kai ming hadn't yet given up hope on this path, they would have done everything to meet your requirements... but now... it's too late."
"but you haven't given up, have you?" said li pin.
xiang tianxing was momentarily stunned, and he fell into silence.
after a long pause, he finally said, "yes, i haven't given up."
he knew that the next step for lifeform force field... was to harness the celestial magnetic field!
he looked up at li pin. "so, how can i help you!?"
"just give me the primordial electric crystals i asked you to buy," li pin said.
"the primordial electric crystals? are you really planning to go in that direction? but master chong guang...."
"didn’t fu qingtian assert that only top-tier astral cultivators can forge a lifeform force field?" a smile rose on li pin’s face. "a man and a fish frolic, and others laugh at his foolishness. but... how do you know that i don't understand the joy of the fish?"
his words left xiang tianxing speechless.
li pin was right! how could he be sure li pin would fail in harnessing the celestial magnetic field? li pin succeeded at what countless people had failed to achieve and forged his lifeform force field. with a natural talent like that, who could say he wouldn't be able to take the second step to becoming a stars overlord?
however, something else occurred to xiang tianxing at that moment. "since you've already forged the lifeform force field, why... do you still want to participate in the king of the century competition? shouldn't you focus all your energy on taking the next step? if you succeed... you'd at least be comparable to a master astral cultivator!"
xiang tianxing wore a stern expression. "don't tell me you can't tell that this year's king of the century competition will have no honor, fairness, or sanctity. victory—by any means necessary—will be the sole theme of this competition."
"why would i still participate in a king of the century competition that is devoid of fairness, sanctity, and glory?" muttered li pin.
he didn't respond right away. it wasn't clear what he was thinking of. however, after a long pause, li pin smiled and responded, "just think of it as me being eager to show the world that i've mastered the lifeform force field."
if such things were to spread, the internal order of the human race would collapse. even legendary astral cultivators couldn't bear the consequences of that.
"i'm leaving," li pin said.
xiang tianxing warned seriously. "be careful on the road."
"mmhmm."
li pin waved his hand and casually left the courtyard.
"wait!" at that moment, as xiang tianxing watched li pin's carefree manner, he suddenly realized that what li pin called training in seclusion might be completely different from his expectations. "where are you going to train?"
li pin paused slightly.
"under my feet. [1]"
li pin’s steps picked up once again.
to explore the mystery of heaven and humanity, to understand the changes through the ages, and to form a unique path... that’s li pin’s goal and ambition.
xiang tianxing watched him leave. under the morning sun, standing tall with confidence. he had a calm demeanor about him, as if he didn’t realize the danger of the situation he was about to face.
though his situation would make any astral cultivator, let alone a martial saint, feel suffocating pressure, as xiang tianxing watched li pin's departing figure, a line of words involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
when the great roc rises with the wind one day, it soars straight up to ninety thousand miles.
***
li pin walked out of the guardian hall and headed straight out of jiang province on foot.
he suppressed his aura to an extremely low level and, through the use of martial will, caused others to unconsciously overlook his presence.
just like that, the bustling and noisy jiang province city faded into the distance. skyscrapers turned into two-story houses, and the wide avenues gradually narrowed and became dilapidated.
after walking for a while longer, the signs of human presence became scarce, and the scenery turned into desolate mountains and wilderness.
unlike in the past, today's wilderness was filled with ferocious beasts and demonic creatures.
but as long as one avoided the perilous regions, the beasts and creatures they encountered would generally be of lower levels. they would mostly resemble creatures like the demonic cats. mid-tier ferocious beasts and demonic creatures were quite rare.
nevertheless, for ordinary people, meeting a creature like that would still be a death sentence, so this area should still be avoided at all costs.
li pin, on the other hand, was no ordinary person. as long as he didn't venture into the perilous region, roaming the wilderness was a walk in the park.
before long, the sky grew dark.
li pin suddenly stopped and looked in a particular direction.
"so... are you coming out on your own, or do i need to ask you guys to come out?" he called out, his voice echoing in the sparse woods.
not long after, three figures emerged from the front.
li pin glanced at the three, then turned his gaze behind him, where four more people hurriedly appeared.
"i knew it." a middle-aged man, who had caught up, had a sharp gleam in his eyes. "i knew that when li pin joined the king of the century competition, he would definitely return to jiang province. but i didn't expect him to come alone, and so early at that... our people watching su mai and zhang songbai didn't even have time to alert us to gather more men...."
his gaze fell on li pin, filled with excitement. "martial saint li, come along with us."
1. li pin did literally say under the feet, but it should be more of a figurative way of saying that it'd be wherever he traverses—a path he creates for himself. ☜