Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 392: Status

Buzz, buzz!

Light flickered.

Soon, Li Pin's figure appeared in the conference room.

The moment he entered, hundreds of Master Astral Cultivators turned their gaze toward him. Not only the Master Astral Cultivators, but the Legends did as well. Whether they had seen him before or were encountering him for the first time, all eyes were fixed on him.

In that moment, he was the brightest presence in the room, the most dazzling figure of recent years, and arguably humanity's most outstanding legendary prodigy.

As everyone looked at him, Li Pin met their gaze with a steady and composed expression from the high platform.

Every attendee at this expansion conference was at least a Master Astral Cultivator, and there were about a thousand attendees.

Nevertheless, this wasn't the full count of humanity's Master Astral Cultivators. Due to the unusually high attendance of Legends, many critical areas were left under the supervision of Master Astral Cultivators, so only half of them could attend today.

In total, humanity had 1868 Master Astral Cultivators. Half of them were from the Six Extremities, while the rest were spread across more than a hundred nations and factions outside.

Compared to the Master Astral Cultivators, the number of Legends was far smaller. There were 53 in total, including the Supreme Experts!

This was humanity's full strength!

Li Pin swept his gaze across the fifty-three seats at the front. Forty-eight were occupied.

It could be said that every Legend who could attend had come. This included the Solar Radiance Sovereign, who rarely attended even one meeting per year.

Their presence here underscored the importance placed on Li Pin joining the Human Alliance.

At that moment, Yuan Zhenchuan's voice rang out. "Given your intelligence networks, I assume that all of you must already be fully aware of Martial God Li's recent feats.

"He single-handedly swept through Death Valley and slew over twenty million high-tier and hundreds to thousands of lord-level demonic creatures. Despite the conflict between humans and these creatures having existed for many years, achievements like this are still exceedingly rare.

"Moreover, Martial God Li pioneered the Martial God path, giving humanity a new direction for cultivation. His revelation of the Lifeform Force Field's mysteries has significantly improved the transition rate for Astral Cultivators.

"Both of these contributions are monumental for humanity and the world, standing on par with his victory in Death Valley."

The audience listened in silence. As leaders of major factions, they fully understood the tremendous contribution Li Pin had made by establishing the Martial God path. This contribution was no less significant than producing one or two more Legends for humanity.

"Given Martial God Li's achievements, joining the Alliance is both fitting and expected. Now, on behalf of the Human Alliance, I invite Martial God Li and his Celestial Martial God Hall to become official members."

Yuan Zhenchuan's gaze swept across the room, locking on each member. "In accordance with the Human Alliance's principles of fairness and justice, I ask everyone to cast their vote. Those who agree with this proposal and support Martial God Li and his Celestial Martial God Hall joining the Human Alliance, please vote."

The room reacted immediately.

Green lights blinked on one after another from each area.

The Royal Empire side voted unanimously in favor!

The Great Shang side voted unanimously in favor!

The Solar Radiance side voted unanimously in favor!

Even on Tianyuan's side... Fu Qingtian, standing in for Yuan Zhenchuan as Tianyuan's representative, cast a vote in favor!

Everyone was relieved to see this result, though it had been expected.

After all, Li Pin's accomplishments easily qualified him for the Alliance. Had Fu Qingtian voted against it, it would have made him seem petty, and he would have been looked down upon by the other Legends.

"164 member nations, regions, and factions—all in favor!"

Yuan Zhenchuan said, leading the applause. "Let us welcome Martial God Li and his Celestial Martial God Hall into the Human Alliance to contribute to the great cause of humanity's revival!"

Clap, clap, clap!

The thunderous applause filled the hall. It lasted more than a minute with no signs of stopping.

After the atmosphere had calmed, Yuan Zhenchuan made a second proposal. "In recognition of the tremendous contributions Martial God Li and his Celestial Martial God Hall have made for humanity, I propose elevating the Celestial Martial God Hall's status by inviting them to join the alliance council. Those in favor, please vote."

This vote, too, had little suspense.

Generally, any nation or faction led by a Legend could join the alliance council, unless it was severely lacking in other aspects.

Not only did council members hold voting rights, but they also enjoyed advisory powers, giving them far greater influence within the Alliance.

Given Li Pin's global reputation and his recent victory in Death Valley, this proposal quickly passed unanimously.

This time, however, the applause lasted less than ten seconds.

Everyone stopped at once. Their gazes went beyond the Human Alliance Secretary-General, An Na, and settled on Yuan Zhenchuan, presiding over the meeting.

They anticipated there was more to come.

Indeed, Yuan Zhenchuan, the Special United Squad's Supreme Commander's, voice echoed once more. Under everyone's nervous yet eager gazes, he said, "Next, we'll proceed with the third proposal. Until now, the Human Alliance has had only six Chairmen—that is, six Executive Directors.

"Martial God Li's achievements in sweeping through Death Valley—eliminating over twenty million high-tier and hundreds to thousands of lord-level demonic creatures—qualify him for an Executive Director nomination.

"I propose a vote by the six Executive Director Nations on whether to invite Martial God Li and the Celestial Martial God Hall to become the seventh Executive Director Nation of the Human Alliance."

As he finished, all eyes turned to the Six Extremities: Solar Radiance, the Royal Empire, Great Shang, Tianyuan, the Star Alliance, and the East Sea's Thirty-Six Xountries.

The Legendary figures and Supreme Experts representing these nations didn't keep them waiting.

The Royal Empire was the first to vote, casting a vote of opposition. The vote came from Xiao Zhenglie, bearer of the Royal Empire's Destruction Ring, who stated, "While no one denies Martial God Li and the Celestial Martial God Hall's immense contributions to humanity, qualifying as an Executive Director Nation requires the strength to secure a region or suppress a level-six perilous region.

"The Celestial Martial God Hall has only Martial God Li as its backbone. It lacks the depth for such responsibility. Placing them over a level-six perilous region would only harm them. Therefore, I believe they need more time to mature. This decision requires further consideration."

Following the Royal Empire, Great Shang's Zhao Kunwu promptly cast another opposing vote, remarking, "Given Martial God Li's talent and strength, he shouldn't waste time on the Human Alliance's trivial matters. With enough time, his power would undoubtedly go beyond his current limits and perhaps reach a level above Legend. So, this vote... let it serve as both a challenge and a gesture of expectation for Martial God Li."

Zhao Kunwu smiled broadly. "I look forward to the day you truly surpass the Legendary level. When that day comes, not only will we support you as an Executive Director; even if you wish to run for Alliance Chairman after its reformation, Great Shang will wholeheartedly support it."

After Zhao Kunwu and Xiao Zhenglie cast their votes, the East Sea's Thirty-Six countries followed suit.

Then, it was the Star Alliance's turn. Unexpectedly, they voted in favor.

Solar Radiance, on the other hand, chose to abstain.

With this abstention, the vote was practically settled—there was no chance of a tie.

Yet, everyone's eyes remained fixed on Fu Qingtian, waiting for his vote on behalf of Tianyuan.

Meeting their gaze, the Supreme Expert of Tianyuan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Do they really think I'm so blind to the bigger picture?

He glanced at Li Pin, only to find that Li Pin wasn't looking his way. For a moment, he wasn't sure whether to feel regret or something else. In the end, he cast Tianyuan's vote in favor.

As Tianyuan's light lit up, Lu Jianchuan, Chong Guang, Kai Ming, Yun Long, and the other Master Astral Cultivators erupted in a barely contained cheer.

A concession had been made!

While the result had already been decided whether Tianyuan voted in favor or not, Fu Qingtian voting in favor represented a form of concession toward Li Pin.

The Master Astral Cultivators, who had feared internal conflict between Tianyuan's top figures, let out a collective sigh of relief, their faces glowing with joy.

At the same time, those vying for the Alliance presidency, including Great Shang and Solar Radiance, felt quite disappointed.

Most of the Master Astral Cultivators and Legends, however, were pleased to see this harmonious outcome.

Even though Li Pin had not been elected the seventh Executive Director, Lu Jianchuan, ever straightforward, was the first to break into applause.

His clapping quickly spread, and soon the entire room was filled with applause.

To those unaware, it might have seemed like Li Pin had indeed been elected as the seventh Executive Director.

"Martial God Li, the Celestial Martial God Hall still needs time to settle." Yuan Zhenchuan looked at Li Pin. "Moreover, everyone feels you could use more time to grow."

Li Pin nodded, unsurprised by the result.

The position of Executive Director of the Human Alliance wasn't just about personal ability—it was also about the forces behind the individual. If something were to happen to him, leaving the Celestial Martial God Hall with only a few to support it, would they continue in the Executive Director role, or step down?

If they wished to stay, the other legendary factions would certainly object. If they stepped down, it would be like discarding someone after they had served their purpose.

"There's something I need to announce," Li Pin said. "I also have a proposal regarding it."

"Of course," Yuan Zhenchuan quickly replied. "As a council member of the Human Alliance, presenting suggestions for humanity's future development is your right."

With that, Yuan Zhenchuan stepped aside from the podium. Li Pin moved forward and took his place without ceremony.

He spoke directly. "Humanity, aside from the threat of ferocious beasts and demonic creatures, now faces an invasion from another civilization. To combat this, they've built a powerful army."

He paused. "If we don't act soon, this army could destroy the human world."