Chapter 751: Chapter 751

It is a bit too early.

The moment Mo Xuan laid eyes on Li Pin, he couldn't help but think their encounter had come sooner than expected.

As the saying goes, "King does not meet King."[1]

Li Pin could hardly be called a true king, but within the Supreme Council, and to the eyes of the entire Human Race, he was the bridge between humanity and the Black Abyss Highlord. His role was vital in any future negotiations. If a critical situation arose, it would fall on him to persuade the Highlord to take humanity's side. That made him a valuable asset.

None of the other Highlords' direct disciples held such sway. At most, they could offer advice to their respective Highlords.

But Li Pin... had been personally entrusted with Sasha's authority by the Black Abyss Highlord. He definitely had influence.

In this context, it wasn't about Li Pin as a person. His position alone was enough to rival that of a Heavenly Emperor.

So when it came to Li Pin, the saying "A king does not meet another king" didn't seem out of place.

However, now that he was already here, there was no need to say anything more.

Mo Xuan deliberately suppressed the divine radiance emanating from him.

The light that once lit up the area, along with the spatial and temporal power it carried, quietly receded. He did so as a sign of respect for the young man in front of him, whom he had already acknowledged.

Li Pin greeted him, "Hall Master Mo Xuan."

As the Humanity Sanctum's Hall Master, he was someone Li Pin naturally recognized.

Mo Xuan smiled in return. "Li Pin."

But as he opened his mouth, he found himself at a loss for words. Some topics were simply too difficult to broach.

Li Pin, however, broke the silence with a calm smile. "Hall Master Mo Xuan, I assume you're here to ask why I'm ranked Number Nine on the Divine Race's Black List, and whether it has anything to do with the Black Abyss Highlord?"

Mo Xuan gave a quiet nod.

"It's related, but not in the way you might think," Li Pin spoke openly. "As I've said before, I'm not the Black Abyss Highlord's disciple, nor has he ever tested me."

At those words, not only Yuan Guang and Shi Xingzun, but even Mo Xuan was slightly taken aback.

A trace of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

After a while, Yuan Guang came back to his senses and stepped forward. "How is that possible? If you're not the Black Abyss Highlord's disciple, then why... why would he transfer control of the Intelligent Lifeform, Sasha, to you?"

Mo Xuan didn't stop Yuan Guang from asking such a bold question. He too wanted to know the answer.

"Perhaps..." Li Pin paused in thought. Though it might come across as boastful, he responded calmly, "You could say it was an expression of his appreciation for talent."

Yuan Guang, Shi Xingzun, Mo Xuan, and the others were all slightly stunned. Appreciation for talent?What was that supposed to mean?

The Black Abyss Highlord recognized his talent to such an extent that he handed over Sasha's authority, yet didn't take him as a disciple? That was...

"Wait!" Mo Xuan suddenly seemed to realize something. He fixed his gaze on Li Pin. "Could it be... you are taking a path different from the Highlord's?"

"Different paths?" Li Pin pondered for a moment. This interpretation wasn't wrong, so he nodded slightly. "Yes."

Hearing his response, Mo Xuan, Yuan Guang, and Shi Xingzun quickly understood.

They were walking different paths!Li Pin was cultivating the Primordial Supreme Technique, which meant he was walking the path of the Supreme. In contrast, the Black Abyss Highlord pursued the path of an eternal, unshakable Highlord.

Because of this difference, the Black Abyss Highlord recognized Li Pin's potential, believing he might one day become a true Supreme disciple, but never formally took him in as his own.

That said, Li Pin had successfully broken through the Heavenly Prison World and completed his trial. Both in principle and sentiment, the Black Abyss Highlord owed him a reward. Taking everything into account, he granted Li Pin a precious gift: the authority over the Intelligent Lifeform, Sasha.

In this world, Intelligent Lifeforms were without question the finest assistants and the finest teachers.

Sasha, in particular, was no ordinary being. She was connected to the Ocean of Time, a presence of unfathomable power. Her computational ability infinitely neared the level of the Transcendent.

Even Tyrants and Sacred Monarchs could not compare to Sasha in terms of teaching ability. Even Heavenly Emperors might not make better teachers.

This could explain why the Divine Race had placed Li Pin at number nine on their Black List.

It also shed light on why Li Pin had reached the peak of Solar Flare in such a short time. This was the truth behind it all.

Yuan Guang's heart skipped a beat. "The Black Abyss Highlord... has returned a top prodigy to us humans. But due to the pressure from a few Supremes, he naturally wouldn't publicize this matter. As a result, we mistakenly thought Li Pin lacked talent... we almost missed out on a supreme prodigy who was fully qualified to be a Supreme disciple."

Surprise, shock, relief, and regret filled his heart, nearly shattering his inner spirit calmness and purity. Even his True Spirit seemed to dim slightly, its light shrouded in haze.

Mo Xuan sighed softly as he gazed at Li Pin. "The human population... there are simply too many of us."

Moreover, unlike other races, the Human Race was filled with deceitful individuals.

This could be seen from how even a single outstanding prodigy was often hailed as a supreme prodigy. Every era had at least eighty or ninety people who claimed to be supreme prodigies. In this environment, even if Li Pin had the same title, how could these Heavenly Emperors take it seriously?

He just hadn't expected that this time... it was real. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel✶fire.net

"I'll bring this matter to the next Supreme Council," Mo Xuan said solemnly. "If you truly possess such talent, enough to catch the eye of the Black Abyss Highlord, then we, the Human Race, won't let it go to waste."

Li Pin's expression stayed calm. "That's fine."

He had his own path. Nothing could sway him. No one's influence or will could change that. Just like now...

"I've been in seclusion for a full thirty years. At this rate, I'll start rusting. I'm planning to head to the Supreme Ladder to stretch my legs a bit."

Li Pin glanced at the others, then at the many Cosmic Radiance and Solar Flare cultivators watching from a distance.

The implication was clear—if you're not busy, step aside. I'm about to challenge the Supreme Ladder.

But Yuan Guang, standing nearby, either didn't catch Li Pin's meaning or had something else in mind. Instead, he stepped forward eagerly. "Li Pin, the reason you stopped at the sixty-sixth step last time... it wasn't because that was your limit, right? You must've had some sudden insight back then, didn't you?"

Li Pin replied calmly, "The sixty-sixth step is my limit. If I want to go any higher, I'd have to use powers that I don't have perfect control over."

"Powers beyond perfect control?!" Shi Xingzun's eyes widened as something clicked in his mind. His pupils dilated. "You mean... on your way up to the sixty-sixth step, you didn't use any external boosts? No Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon? No advanced universe manifestation techniques that you couldn't fully control?"

"Of course not." Li Pin nodded. "The Supreme Ladder's simulated battles aren't affected by the Eternal Oblivion Force, but in the real world, relying on unstable powers during life-or-death combat is suicide. There's no point in pushing for a few more steps using methods you can't count on outside."

As soon as those words fell, the expressions of the Vice Hall Masters shifted.

"You didn't use any power beyond your control..."

"The sixty-sixth step... so that's your true strength, even in the outside world?"

"You didn't even use the Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon and still reached the sixty-sixth step!? How... how long has it been!? You actually reached the sixty-sixth step with your own power in just a few decades!?"

"Is this the kind of talent that even the Black Abyss Highlord admires?!"

The Tyrants were visibly stunned. Even Mo Xuan was no exception.

At that moment, Yuan Guang seemed to catch onto something crucial. "Five or six more steps? Did you just say that if you go all out, you're confident you can climb another five or six steps beyond the sixty-sixth?"

"Something like that," Li Pin replied. "If some of the simulated opponents are perfectly adapted to their environments, it'll be a bit trickier. Otherwise, it shouldn't be too difficult."

The two newly appointed Vice Hall Masters drew sharp breaths. "Hiss!"

Before even tapping into any external power, Li Pin had already climbed to the sixty-sixth step of the Supreme Ladder. If he pushed himself to his limits, he could go another five or six steps. Even if it were only five, that would mean reaching the seventy-first step.

In the entire Humanity Sanctum, only Luo Shenxi had ever achieved that.

If Li Pin could reach the seventy-second, he would stand shoulder to shoulder with Luo Shenxi.

Even if it was just barely equal... how long had Li Pin been an Astral God? Just a few decades.

As for Luo Shenxi, she had been an Astral God for over ten thousand years! The gap between them wasn't just wide. It was staggering.

Recalling how Luo Shenxi was ranked thirteenth on the Black List, it seemed that Li Pin's rank on the Black List... was well-deserved!

Shi Xingzun let out a helpless sigh. "Relying too much on experience-based thinking... can be deadly."

They had placed too much faith in the Supreme Ladder. Too much trust in the reverence and recognition it held within the Humanity Sanctum.

Who would've thought there'd be someone like Li Pin, who treated the Supreme Ladder as nothing more than a tool to refine his cultivation?

The true purpose of the Supreme Ladder was likely to simulate opponents, to aid in training and growth. Yet so many became obsessed with climbing higher and higher, fixated on proving their worth, missing the point entirely.

"Li Pin!" Yuan Guang, now steady after taking a deep breath, spoke in a serious tone. "If you're going to climb the Supreme Ladder again, show us your true strength. Don't hold back, go all out and show us where your limits really lie. What do you say?"

Li Pin nodded slightly. "That's exactly my plan."

His next goal was the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War.

To prevent the enemy from underestimating his strength and sending weak opponents to their deaths, he knew he had to present himself at his peak. Only then would the pressure shift to the other races, forcing them to send their strongest to face him.

"Thirty years ago, you were already this strong. After gaining some insights and spending thirty years in seclusion, your strength must have grown even further..." Mo Xuan smiled faintly. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Let's witness a miracle together. Who knows... this time, you might break the record."

Yuan Guang, Shi Xingzun, and the others nodded seriously, their expectations clear.

In the entire history of the Humanity Sanctum, the greatest achievement had been reaching the seventy-fourth step of the Supreme Ladder.

According to Li Pin, if he had pushed himself to the limit, he would have reached the seventy-first step, and with a bit of luck, perhaps the seventy-second. His cultivation seemed to have progressed even further since then, so the possibility of advancing looked promising.

With some effort, he might truly surpass the record set in the thousands of years of the Humanity Sanctum. If he could break the record, his name wouldn't just echo throughout the sanctum; he could leave his own indelible mark on the entire history of the Sacred Flame Hall.

1. A classic Chinese idiom suggesting that two powerful figures avoid direct confrontation to maintain balance or prevent conflict. ☜