Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 584: Self

Shi Yiren looked at Li Pin, struggling to understand him. "Trigger Baili Qingfeng?"

Shi Keqing shared her confusion.

They had already emphasized the dangers of Baili Qingfeng. Approaching him was a life-threatening risk, with the potential of being trapped in a cycle of reincarnation for a hundred years. Yet, Li Pin not only wanted to get closer, but he also intended to trigger him.

It was absurd.

Shi Yiren stated, "Pioneer Li, Captain Li, we have two objectives in the Void Divine Treasure World. First, to understand every detail of the Void Emperor's human form, so the specialists at the Divine Treasury Hall can analyze a method to awaken his humanity and bring him back to the Existence faction. But this is secondary to our primary goal—breaking out of the Void Divine Treasure World."

She continued, her tone grave. "If we fail to escape, no matter how much we learn, we won't be able to relay that information to the outside world. We'll be trapped here, cycling through reincarnations until our lives end. History has records of Divine Beings dying in divine treasure worlds."

"I know what I'm doing," Li Pin replied calmly. "Rest for a day. Tomorrow, I'll return to Mountain Qingyuan."

Shi Yiren fell silent. After a moment, she said, "As captain, you have the authority to lead us. But I cannot support triggering Baili Qingfeng."

"Understood." Li Pin turned to Fang Zhiqian. "Discuss with Fang Chunyang and Xu Anping. Choose a new captain."

Even Fang Zhiqian couldn't help but urge caution. "Captain, Baili Qingfeng is the human form of the Void Emperor. It is well known that he's dangerous. Countless Gold Pioneers have died at his hands over the cycles. Even the strongest among us have fallen. Shouldn't we reconsider?

"Each cycle lasts 111 stellar years. Not even Divine Beings can afford to waste that much time."

"I understand," Li Pin said. "My decision may have personal motives, but this is how I operate."

He looked at Fang Zhiqian. Not only did he not blame him, but his expression also carried a hint of encouragement. "I appreciate your caution. I'm not angry. In fact, I'm glad you're willing to challenge me. It means the team won't fall apart if something happens to me."

"Captain—"

Li Pin smiled and patted Fang Zhiqian's shoulder. "Go. Inform the others."

***

After Li Pin left, Shi Yiren frowned. "Who exactly is this Captain Li? He acts like the Void Emperor's human form is nothing to him..."

Fang Zhiqian spoke in a measured tone. "Captain Li is a true, once-in-a-generation genius. Calling him one of humanity's supreme prodigies wouldn't be an exaggeration. Naturally, methods would be different from ours."

Shi Yiren scoffed. "A supreme prodigy? Human prodigies are taken as disciples by Astral Gods or even Cosmic Radiance the moment they emerge. They advance smoothly under their masters' guidance, ascending to Astral Godhood without needing to take risks like competing with us for the legacies and resources of the Divine Treasury Hall.

"Besides, I've never heard of a human prodigy who would take the far more dangerous path of becoming a Divine Being."

Fang Zhiqian replied, "That's because Li Pin has low astral energy talent. On top of that, he comes from an indigenous planet. He had no choice but to walk the path of a Celestial Martial Artist first."

"A human prodigy with low astral energy talent? That's the first I've heard of such a thing," Shi Yiren said dismissively.

She continued, her voice firm. "A true prodigy shines like the midday sun the moment they emerge. Their brilliance casts a shadow over everyone of their generation across the entire Star Abyss and even neighboring ones.

"They are absolute, unparalleled, and infinite; they are figures to be revered. That is what it means to be a prodigy. A so-called prodigy with such a glaring flaw? At best, they're just someone with a few exceptional traits."

She glanced at Fang Zhiqian, who seemed almost in awe of Li Pin. "And we are Gold Pioneers and Ace Pioneers, nurtured by the Divine Treasury Hall. We are all extraordinary geniuses in our own right. So tell me, what exactly gives him the right to act so superior?"

Fang Zhiqian remained silent. He understood Shi Yiren's frustration. Since Li Pin's arrival, he had repeatedly overturned her plans and strategies. More than that, his attitude stood out. Unlike them, Li Pin didn't seem to share their deep fear of the Void Emperor's human form.

What they regarded as a nightmare, he treated with calm indifference. It gave the impression that he operated on an entirely different level.

Shi Yiren was someone also considered a once-in-a-generation genius, nurtured as a secret weapon by the Void Divine Treasury Hall, and someone who had provided critical intelligence, so this was bound to be unsettling for her.

The core of the matter lay in self-perception. Some individuals, with a stable grasp of their inner spirit power, could maintain rationality and objectivity at all times. Others, however, awakened their inner spirit power by amplifying and solidifying extreme emotions, leading to an unshakable self-belief, an absolute conviction, and an unshakable faith in their own path. A belief that they were always right.

After a long silence, Fang Zhiqian finally spoke. "Is it possible... that even among peerless geniuses, there are still vast differences? Just as the gap between ordinary people can sometimes be vast?"

Shi Yiren countered, "A gap? Perhaps. But can it be as vast as the one between us and Baili Qingfeng?

"He is the human form of the Void Emperor! Yet Li Pin intends to challenge him—an entity so immense that even among the Void faction, no words can capture his greatness."

"There's something you might not know." Fang Zhiqian looked at Shi Yiren. "While gathering information about Blue Planet, I spoke with Zhao Tiangang. Captain Li... has broken through the physical limit and become a tier ten martial artist."

The moment those words left his mouth, Shi Keqing's pupils dilated sharply. "A tier ten martial artist!?"

Shi Yiren was stunned for a moment but quickly refuted it without hesitation, "Impossible. Absolutely impossible. In the last cycle, the fastest anyone reached tier ten was six and a half months. It hasn't even been that long yet!"

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Fang Zhiqian said quietly. "But that's Captain Li's talent."

Shi Keqing couldn't help but ask again, "He really reached tier ten?"

Fang Zhiqian explained, "Captain Li has always turned the impossible into reality. Back in the Mara World, while everyone was focused on researching the main storyline and competing to become a God King, he quietly shattered the power limit no pioneer had ever broken.

"And he did it in just a few years, while still in the second phase of the main storyline."

He paused, then added, "Now, he has once again reached tier ten at an unbelievable speed."

He nodded heavily. "I believe it."

Shi Keqing turned to her sister, Shi Yiren.

Shi Keqing had always followed her lead, even when Shi Yiren tried to take control and sideline Captain Li. As long as she could show a greater hope of breaking through the Void Divine Treasure World, she would have supported her. But now...

Shi Yiren's expression shifted slightly. "A tier ten martial artist..."

After a moment, she spoke, "I won't deny that reaching tier ten in such a short time is impressive. But in past cycles, others have achieved similar feats. Some even used Legendary Blood to reach tier eleven, half a step into the Legendary Realm."

She paused briefly. "Besides, the human form of the Void Emperor recently destroyed Mountain Mirror. That alone proves his strength is at tier eleven, half-Legendary.

"Theoretically, to defeat him, we would need to surpass that by at least one level. This means Li Pin'd need to be tier twelve—a true Legendary."

Fang Zhiqian opened his mouth but found no words to counter her. Shi Yiren wasn't wrong.

After a long silence, he said, "I believe Captain Li isn't reckless. If he's challenging the Void Emperor's human form, he must have some confidence."

"Confidence? You think he can defeat a stronger opponent?" Shi Yiren's tone sharpened. "His opponent isn't just a Legendary, a Divine, or an Astral God. He isn't even a Cosmic Radiance! He's the human form of the Void Emperor.

"He's the one who defies the odds, always surpassing stronger foes. How could anyone weaker possibly defeat him?"

"Then let the facts speak for themselves," Fang Zhiqian said, glancing in the direction Li Pin had left. "We'll see the outcome soon enough."

"Before that, we should keep our distance," Shi Yiren added. "No need to get caught in the crossfire."

Shi Keqing, standing beside her, spoke softly. "Sister... what if he succeeds?"

Shi Yiren paused. "Succeed?"

Succeed?

If Li Pin actually managed to defeat the Void Emperor, to break the invincibility of his human form, to shatter the myth of his undefeated legacy—what would that mean? It would mean... he would become the king in the eyes of all pioneers. The top pioneer of the Void Divine Treasure World!

With that kind of reputation, every pioneer aiming to conquer this world would rally to his side, ready to follow his orders.

At that point, forming a team of Gold Pioneers would be trivial. He could easily gather an Ace Pioneer Team, with no shortage of volunteers.

Shi Yiren didn't dare to dwell on it further.

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