Chapter 120: Instructor

Chapter 120: Instructor

"I'll go! Let me be the one to defend the honor of Astral Cultivators!"

"We are all Astral Cultivators here! My ranking is higher than yours, I'll go first!"

"Li Pin has already defeated Lian Ying, Zhang Shan, and Zhao Si three-on-one, and then beaten Xue Baiyi and Chi Shuang two-on-one. Do you want to jump in and join the fight? Of course, I'll go first! I've recently mastered a new kicking technique involving sliding attacks from below. I'll definitely crush him in one strike with that!"

Several people stepped forward simultaneously, full of energy, high spirits, and strong fighting intent. Li Pin couldn't help but be sincerely impressed.

As expected of the Astral Cultivators; they truly are this era's chosen.

Every single one of them was supremely confident in themselves, believing that they were destined for a bright future.

And indeed, they had reasons to believe so. Every Astral Cultivator began their future career as a level-five official in the Taibai Kingdom. That was comparable to being the ruler of a county.

This conviction was what kept them confident, determined, and resilient, never letting any failure break them, making them exceptionally tough. The more they were challenged, the braver they became; the braver they were, the more they fought!

Considering that martial artists could end up with lifelong disabilities if they carelessly pushed themselves too far, Astral Cultivators' strength was far superior. It came as no surprise that Astral Cultivators were considered extraordinary while martial artists could only be regarded as mere mortals.

"Come, come, come. Don't rush. Line up and come. One by one; everyone will get their turn."

Li Pin quickly reassured the Astral Cultivators who almost started a fight over who would go first.

Finally, after some debate, Xiao Jin was given the first slot.

He was one of the strongest among this batch of Astral Cultivators in the Astral Hall. Moreover, he was only eighteen; very young compared to the others. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was the best among them.

Under these circumstances, he naturally considered himself superior to everyone else and was the first to step up to Li Pin.

"I know you're strong, but you're gravely mistaken if you think that's enough to defeat us Astral Cultivators."

Stepping forward passionately, Xiao Jin declared, "Astral Cultivators will ultimately be the ones to rule this world. Even if martial artists are powerful, their rein is only temporary. You can't possibly go against..."

He paused for a moment, then continued loudly, "You can't possibly fight us Astral Cultivators before you refine your qi into Spirit! Today, let me show you the true power of an Astral Cultivator!"

***

In less than half a minute, Li Pin looked at Xiao Jin lying on the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Li Pin turned to the two teaching assistants and said, "Carry him away. Next."

Xiao Jin, sprawled on the stage, roared, "No! No! This isn't over! Li Pin! Remember; fortune changes over time! Even the most successful people can experience setbacks! Just wait, after I train hard for another half a month, I'll definitely defeat you! I'll definitely defeat you!"

However, the teaching assistants didn't have the time to take him away. An Astral Cultivator who couldn't bear to see Xiao Jin lose them any more face than this stepped up and dragged him away.

Xiao Jin's defiant voice slowly began to fade away as he was dragged away.

"Good, he still has spirit." Li Pin nodded. "I'll be waiting for your next challenge!"

Li Pin then turned to the equally loud-mouthed Ye Qinghua and said, "It's your turn now. It's time for you to fight for your honor."

Ye Qinghua stiffened.

Despite being two years older than Xiao Jin, their strength was about equal to each other. If Xiao Jin had lasted less than half a minute against Li Pin, Ye Qinghua wouldn't fare any better than him.

While some believed the masters held back to avoid offending the students and risking their positions, many others began to acknowledge Li Pin's true strength.

At that moment, a thunderous roar resonated through the air, seemingly tearing apart the very fabric of the atmosphere.

Immediately after, another student sparring with Li Pin was thrown backward.

However, that student quickly got up and exclaimed in excitement, "I've manifested my Force! That sensation just now... I gathered all my strength into a single surge and released it... That's Force! Just like the countless books describe! I've actually done it!"

Hearing this, the surrounding students became visibly excited.

Force! That was the first step to becoming a martial artist! It was also the dividing line between Astral Cultivator students and official Astral Cultivators!

Astral Cultivators meditated on the Astral God and bathed beneath the starlight to enhance themselves, channeling substantial qi and blood. Without precise control and integration of this power, a single misstep could result in injury to themselves or others. It was like driving a high-end sports car on the highway without knowing how to drive; it was almost guaranteed to end up in disaster.

Therefore, to avoid the risk of losing control, some cautious Astral Cultivators who have not yet mastered their Force would avoid meditating on the Astral God until their qi and blood levels reach fifty points.

Only after integrating their Force would they continue to meditate on the Astral God, raising their qi and blood levels to sixty, eighty, a hundred, or even beyond.

Once Astral Cultivators' qi and blood levels reached 150, the qi and blood would become so vast that they had to seek new methods to control and utilize it.

The first batch of Astral Cultivators, drawing from the martial arts practice of condensing Qi to form a Core, condensed starlight to develop the Astral Palace within their bodies. This allowed them to retain astral energy and develop Divine Abilities.

Once they unlocked their Astral Palace and developed their Divine Abilities, the Astral Cultivators would significantly outpace the martial artists.

From then on, it wouldn't matter how extraordinary a martial artist was. Even if they were the King of the Century among the most elite Martial Saints, they couldn't compete with High-Class Astral Cultivators with developed Astral Palace.

Now, with the student manifesting his Force... the door to becoming an official Astral Cultivator had already opened halfway for him!

For a moment, many students looked at him with envy.

At this moment, Zhang Shan had a realization. He said, "Speaking of which, when I sparred with Mr. Li, I also felt my control over my strength become more refined with every clash. Although I still felt a bit lacking in condensing my Force, the battle was indeed very rewarding...."

Zhao Si was a bit surprised. "You felt that too?"

Zhang Shan quickly looked at him. "Hmm! Don't tell me you...?"

Zhang San hastily looked at Lian Ying, the most talented among them.

Now that they weren't the only ones Li Pin defeated, with many outstanding Astral Cultivators like Xiao Jin and Ye Qinqhua having been defeated too, Lian Ying wasn't averse to the notion of mentioning the battle he had experienced a few days ago.

Facing the inquisitive looks from the two, as well as from Xue Baiyi and Chi Shuang, Lian Ying pondered for a moment and then admitted, "I did gain something too..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I managed to manifest my Force during my match with him that day."

Xue Baiyi and Chi Shuang's eyes widened.

"You manifested your Force that day!?"

"Zhang Shan and Zhao Si also gained something, and now Lian Ying... manifested his Force. Wouldn't that mean...."

Realizing this, their thoughts suddenly became clear. When they looked at Li Pin once again, their eyes were filled with an extra bit of fervor.

"Want to try again?" Xue Baiyi asked.

"Let's do it!" Chi Shuang said, proudly nodding. "If he is teaching us through this method and it proves to be effective... What's the harm in really calling him our instructor?"