Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Standing on a fragment of a shattered meteorite, Li Pin sensed the presence of the Astral God, who had vanished without a trace.

"Truly formidable!" muttered Li Pin. "No residual aura, no display of unique combat techniques.... In other words, that wasn't even his strongest form. Yet, I had to rely on the power of divine equipment just to kill him."

What did this mean? It meant that if the opponent had a weapon like his Solar Flare Divine Weapon, the outcome could have been his certain death.

Most, if not all, Astral Gods couldn't afford even a single Solar Flare Divine Weapon. But what if Li Pin encountered one of those who had them? They were rare, but they were out there.

Li Pin shook his head. "Not enough! It's still not enough!"

Today's battle gave him a sobering realization of his own limits.

"With my Limit Break State, I barely reached the standard for a Divine Being. I only stand a chance when contending against an Astral God's avatar in my Stage Two Limit Break state."

The Limit Break state was manageable.

During this time, he had been continuously enhancing his "mass" and "energy" attributes. This ability was gradually becoming a norm for him. While he couldn't maintain it indefinitely, it was sufficient for a single battle.

But the Stage Two Limit Break state? The strain it placed on his mind and body grew significantly. For example, earlier, without paying attention, he had maintained the Stage Two Limit Break state to bombard the Astral God's avatar with overwhelming force. He had even shattered the two-thousand-kilometer-wide celestial body beneath his feet.

It might've looked as though Li Pin had the upper hand, but in reality, his opponent had been steadily depleting his stamina as the fight dragged on. By the end, any hope of defeating the Astral God normally had already been lost.

Li Pin admitted, "My control and application of power are inferior to his. If I could reach his level... I wouldn't have needed any external tools for this fight."

This was what he truly believed.

Having embarked on the path of Transcendence, he had deep mastery and a thorough understanding of his own power. His command over the battlefield had also reached a high level. His strength surpassed those at the same level—many Divine Beings included.

But Astral Gods... those belonged to an entirely different realm. Every one of them was an eternal, undying existence. Some Astral Gods, blessed with good fortune, had even survived from the Ancient Astral World's fractured era to the present.

As the saying goes, "with time and mastery, skills become an art."

With eons of accumulated experience, they had refined their power to perfection. Compared to them, his rapid progress had left him lagging far behind in technique.

After a while, Li Pin calmed his thoughts and sheathed the Ruoxi Sword.

As he stored the divine equipment, the razor-sharp sensory perception it granted quickly faded. For a moment, even his mind felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

However, he quickly composed himself.

Li Pin pondered silently, It seems I need to set aside some time to incorporate the Enhanced Perception trait into my attribute panel. Then, with my Clairvoyance, I'll gradually integrate and develop it until, one day, I can achieve the same heightened perception without relying on the Ruoxi Sword.

He then immersed himself in reflecting on the battle just fought. A genuine smile of satisfaction appeared on his face. "My gains are immense."

The gains were indeed substantial. This fight hadn't just given him a clear understanding of his position. It had also illuminated the gap and shortcomings between him and Astral Gods. Moreover, it revealed the untapped potential of his Limit Break state.

Li Pin felt content.

To him, arrogance wasn't the real danger. The true danger lay in being arrogant without self-awareness. Now that he had recognized his flaws and limitations, he could strive to overcome them.

Li Pin firmly believed that diligence would be rewarded by the heavens. As long as he worked relentlessly and trained with dedication, one day he would catch up to that Astral God, match the pinnacle of cultivators, rival the likes of Cosmic Radiance Yin Luo, and even... surpass it!

***

After a long while, Li Pin steadied his mind.

He muttered, "Although you've deliberately concealed your identity and left no clues about who you are, I've sensed your true aura. When we meet again, I'll recognize you, and then we'll have a proper rematch."

He paused for a moment.

The Astral World was vast, with an environment and chaos far exceeding the material world. In such an unforgiving expanse, finding a specific Astral God was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even the Supreme Council wouldn't dare claim they could track every Astral God or monitor their movements.

Thus, locating the Astral God based solely on his aura would be no easier than finding a needle in the vast sea.

This realization brought a trace of regret.

"He's the first Astral God avatar I've faced... Leaving him nameless doesn't feel right. I should give him a code name."

Li Pin recalled the image of the Astral God avatar—white-haired, descending from the Astral World, with the void seeming to shatter like a mirror.

An old saying came to mind: "With a mirror, one can discern their flaws."

Thus... he decided on a code name.

"I'll call you White Mirror."

With that out of the way, Li Pin focused his attention on his attribute panel.

He erased the entry for [Demigod: 94/100] and replaced it with [Astral God: 1/100].

After some thought, he added a new attribute: [Enhanced Perception: 1/100]

These two new attributes represented his greatest gains from the battle.

"That should do."

Having finished modifying his attribute panel, Li Pin surveyed his surroundings.

The two-thousand-kilometer satellite had been completely destroyed during his fight with the White Mirror Astral God's avatar. The Sunset Gate, once standing on its surface, was now in ruins, leaving him unable to return to the Yin Luo Galaxy through it.

He would have to find another route.

Li Pin gazed at the primary planet, millions of kilometers away, with a diameter of over sixty thousand kilometers. The planet had shattered. The shockwaves had even swept some of its fragments into the vast cosmos. Others fell toward the primary planet.

Fortunately, the civilization behind the planet was highly advanced. From what Li Pin knew, there were several Demigods stationed there, along with the planet's defense systems.

At this moment, numerous streams of light shot out from the planet, destroying the fragments aimed at it. Countless Legendary and Heavenly Realm Experts rose into the sky to intercept the debris and prevent further catastrophe.

Interestingly, no one had been sent to investigate the satellite where Li Pin was. The final battle between him and White Mirror had made it impossible to control the release of their power. Any advanced observation system could easily deduce that they were high-energy lifeforms with a Power Level exceeding 100,000.

But given that the strongest figures in this civilization were only Demigods, they would likely overlook such "collateral damage." Even if a Divine Being were present, they would still turn a blind eye. After all, while the primary planet had been impacted, it hadn't been destroyed.

For a Divine-level faction typically controlling hundreds of primary planets, losing a single planet wouldn't warrant antagonizing another Divine Being.

***

Li Pin sighed and remarked, "The destructive power of Divine Beings and Astral God avatars... is truly immense."

And this was just an Astral God avatar. If it had been the Astral God's true form, a single strike could likely obliterate a star without much effort.

After a brief moment of thought, Li Pin accelerated, heading toward the primary planet.

He wasn't in his Limit Break state, but he hadn't concealed his energy fluctuations either. With a constant Power Level of 80,000, he would undoubtedly trigger alarms in the planet's energy monitoring systems.

Upon arrival at the primary planet, a cautious Tier Three Legend quickly approached him.

Before the Legend could speak, Li Pin directly stated, "Is there an Astral Gate operational? I need to leave this planet, preferably toward the Yin Luo Galaxy."

The Tier Three Legend immediately responded, "There is!"

Having witnessed the destructive power this being had displayed through observation instruments, the Legend dared not delay. He gestured respectfully. "Your Excellency, please follow me. I will have the Astral Gate activated immediately."

Li Pin nodded.

Astral Gods could travel through the Astral World at will, making Astral Gates largely unnecessary for them. This made it so that Divine Beings were the most common users of Astral Gates.

The arrival of a Divine Being often prompted a civilization to activate its Astral Gates in advance—an entirely standard practice and courtesy. In some cases, even Tier Four Legends with inner spirit mastery could enjoy similar privileges.

Li Pin followed the Tier Three Legend to another Astral Gate, which was already nearly fully operational.

He looked up.

Above the atmosphere, countless meteors had been destroyed and pulverized, giving the sky an intense, fiery appearance. Even with the planet's advanced civilization and protective shields over every city, vast wilderness areas had erupted in roaring fires, presenting a scene of desolation.

After a brief moment of thought, Li Pin took out a piece of Primordial Spirit Essence and tossed it to the Tier Three Legend.

"Consider this a bit of compensation," Li Pin said.

The Tier Three Legend hurriedly caught the essence.

A quick examination left him wide-eyed in shock. Primordial Spirit Essence!?

One piece of Primordial Spirit Essence could easily buy a less-developed primary planet!

Although they had lost a satellite and a long-range Astral Gate, this compensation was more than sufficient.

"The other individual who fought me was an Astral God. I don't know who they are. If you manage to track them down, you can demand another piece of compensation from them."

With that, Li Pin strode toward the fully operational Astral Gate.

The Tier Three Legend was stunned by Li Pin's words. "A... an Astral God!?"

Though they had observed the staggering power of the two combatants on the satellite—peaking at over 160,000 Power Level—it was beyond their imagination that one was a Divine Being and the other an Astral God's avatar.

For a moment, the Legend's breathing nearly halted.

What astounded him even more was the result of the battle. The Divine Being had won!

He has defeated an Astral God's avatar!? That means his Power Level is among the highest, even among Divine Beings!

With that thought, the Legend suddenly shuddered, snapping back to his senses. He quickly stepped forward and stammered, "Your Excellency... it is our greatest honor to host you at Forest Feather Sect. Such minor damages! How could we possibly ask for compensation from—"

Unfortunately, Li Pin's figure vanished into the Astral Gate before the Legend could finish. His words were destined to go unheard.

The Tier Three Legend considered chasing after him to build rapport and perhaps form a connection. However, he hesitated, fearing that his low status might lead to an offense instead. In the end, he could only remain where he stood, torn with regret over his lack of foresight and overwhelmed by frustration at his missed opportunity.