I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

【Twin Life Lv4】

【Passive: Possess two lives, allowing resurrection at a chosen time within seven days after death. Cooldown: sixty days】

【Active: For each level, choose a physical ability to double its effect】

【Currently Activated: Physical Strength, Mobility Speed, Physical Defense】

【Available Choices: Reaction Speed, Calculation Ability, Concentration, Memory, Body Temperature, Flexibility, Perception, Instinctual Intuition...】

Xue Jing glanced at the Twin Life passive, now at Lv4, noting the cooldown time had decreased by ten days and nodded with approval.

"So, it really is a fixed reduction of ten days per level..."

This means, by reaching Lv10, the cooldown period could be reduced to an astonishing level.

"Even if I can't resurrect infinitely, it's pretty close," Xue Jing mused.

"Next up is choosing the active effect."

"The original plan was to select 'Reaction Speed'..."

Xue Jing looked at the dozens of options on the screen.

He hesitated.

Normally, as a martial artist, reaction speed would be a top priority for him.

But...

Xue Jing glanced at the top of the panel.

【Aiming Lv6】.

Nearing Lv7, his dynamic vision boost from Aiming was substantial.

Given his current strength, obtaining double reaction speed in addition to Aiming seemed wasteful.

His body couldn't keep up with that speed of reaction.

Just like during the attack from Jiao Hongyuan, he saw the incoming attack but couldn't dodge it.

His present reaction speed was already adequate, even beyond what his strength required.

Increasing it further would just be a pure waste.

"Otogi Suzuka's slashing speed, even if I could react in time, I doubt my body could evade it. Better to select something like【Instinctual Intuition】.

It might help me sense danger in advance, and my body would react instinctively," Xue Jing thought.

He recalled Wu Youqing's words about the importance of mental strength in martial arts.

"Or perhaps choose a mental ability? Like 【Concentration】..."

"Such a choice could enhance the intention of the Heaven's Blade and be beneficial for daily martial practice..."

"What a dilemma."

Shaking his head, Xue Jing closed the panel, deciding to postpone the choice of the new active effect.

"I'll deal with it later."

He went to the street, hailed a taxi, and headed to the restaurant where he had arranged to meet with his classmates.

Soon, the car stopped outside a place called 'Baolin Restaurant'.

Xue Jing scanned the QR code to pay, thanked the driver, and then stepped out of the car and walked inside.

The restaurant was chosen for its good reputation, not its high standards, since all the students had limited budgets. Xue Jing had eaten here before a few times and quite enjoyed the food.

As he entered, he headed straight towards the private room area, arriving at the one Li Ge had sent him via WeChat, and pushed open the door.

Many of his classmates were already inside.

Since the elite class had several dozen students, they had chosen a large private room with five big tables.

Upon seeing Xue Jing enter, Li Ge, who was seated at one of the tables, immediately stood up and called out loudly:

"Hey, hey, hey, all right! The main guest is finally here. Let's get the food served. I barely had anything at lunch and I'm starving!"

The other classmates chimed in.

"Xue Jing's here, have a seat, have a seat!"

"I'll go call the waiter to bring the dishes."

"Come, come, sit at the middle table..."

Xue Jing moved forward, took a seat next to Li Ge, and smiled at the questions from his classmates.

"Sigh, it feels like so many things have changed since over a month ago," Li Ge said reflectively as he opened a large bottle of cola, poured a glass for both himself and Xue Jing, and took a sip.

"Since you started practicing martial arts. It's like we're living in two different worlds now."

"I really never expected you to pull this off. Now even the news is reporting you as a martial arts prodigy. The principal even held a special commendation ceremony to praise you. It just felt weird that you weren't there in person."

Xue Jing wrapped an arm around his shoulder, smiling as he said, "What's the matter? Feeling abandoned by your brother's rapid rise to fame?"

Li Ge nodded slightly, "A bit, yeah."

"But honestly, more than that little bit of emotion, I really just hope you can soar into the sky, even if it means I can't reach you anymore," Li Ge admitted sincerely.

"People always need to aim higher. Since you have the talent and the opportunity, don't let anything hold you back. As your friend, I only wish you the best."

Xue Jing ruffled Li Ge's hair with his other hand, smiling, "You don't need to say that, I plan to anyway."

Hearing Li Ge's sincere words, Xue Jing couldn't help but feel a twinge of complex emotions.

Gaining something often means losing something else in return, and this is perfectly normal. He wasn't saddened, but there was a twinge of wistfulness.

"Hey, do you remember the first time we met?" Xue Jing asked with a raised eyebrow.

Li Ge chuckled, "Of course I remember."

It was in their first year of middle school, when they had just started and were assigned to the same class, sitting together as desk mates.

On their first meeting, Li Ge had asked Xue Jing a peculiar question.

"Are you someone who licks or bites their ice-cream?"

Xue Jing felt inexplicably confused at the time but went ahead and spoke, "The one that bites, I guess."

Li Ge immediately shook hands with him, "Comrade!"

Xue Jing thought this person was quite strange but somewhat interesting, so he countered, "Do you drink Coke or Pepsi?"

Li Ge replied without hesitation, "I don't give a damn."

Xue Jing chuckled and shook his hand again. "I don't give a damn either."

With just these few peculiar exchanges, a peculiar friendship formed between them.

"It's fate, really. Being classmates and desk mates in middle school was one thing. Then we attended the same high school, were in the same class, and later joined the elite class together."

Li Ge clicked his tongue in irritation. "Damn it, always hanging out with you, I missed out on so many romances. You stole all the girls."

"The worst part is, you don't even want them."

Seeing the increasingly exaggerated expression on Xue Jing's face, Li Ge felt a surge of annoyance.

If that face were on him, he'd flaunt it shamelessly.

Such a waste.

"Hmm? How are things going between you and your girlfriend recently?"

Xue Jing asked.

"Haven't seen each other for a while. I need to focus on preparing for the Gaokao entrance exams. I can't afford to fall too far behind you..."

As they chatted idly, time quietly slipped by.

They had an enjoyable dinner, only dispersing around half-past ten.

Xue Jing and Li Ge were the last to leave the restaurant.

The two of them walked along the road, reminiscing extensively before finally heading their separate ways home.

Once home, Xue Jing took a shower, practiced his aim at the dartboard for a while, and then went to bed, cradling his cat.

The night passed uneventfully.

…

The following day at noon, in the northern district's back mountain.

Xue Jing wielded the dyed-black Futou Knife entwined with shadow flames, practicing various basic blade techniques.

Occasionally, a ripple would run through the black blade, igniting a wispy black flame.

"This technique of converting the shadow flame into a 'coating' requires a high degree of precision in control."

"For now, maintaining the 'coating' form consistently over long periods is still a challenge. More practice is needed."

Thought Xue Jing, integrating the flickering black flame back into the black coating with a focused gaze.

After a while, the phone in his pocket buzzed with an incoming call.

Xue Jing paused his blade practice, dissipated the shadow flame coating, executed a flourish, and sheathed the Futou Knife.

He took out his phone to see 'Void Blade' displayed on the screen.

Without hesitation, Xue Jing answered the call.

"Hello?"

"The item has arrived. Where are you now?"

Void Blade's straightforward voice echoed through the receiver.

Xue Jing felt his spirits lift.

The big player was in.

"I'm at the back hill in North City. I'll send you the exact location."

……

In the abandoned building area of South City, at a makeshift base, Void Blade stood on a helipad marked with a large 'H'. She hung up the phone and opened WeChat to check the location Xue Jing had sent her.

Beside her stood a young man, about seventeen or eighteen, his face framed by a navy tactical suit and a talisman-like paper charm dangling from his left ear.

"What a big shot they've sent—are we expected to hand-deliver it?"

The young man scoffed, sounding amused.

Void Blade turned her gaze upon him, her expression unchanging as she calmly countered, "And why, Ning Fengwan, are you delivering this personally?"

The young man frowned in displeasure and retorted, "You White Crow people are truly impolite. Stop calling me Ning Da Shao. I've gotten to where I am by myself—nothing to do with my family."

Then, changing his tune, he continued, "As for why..."

He was holding an unremarkable, fist-sized green bamboo segment.

"I'm using this right now... Don't misunderstand; I earned this as a reward for my significant contribution in the operation against the 'troublemaker'. Nothing to do with my family."

Void Blade nodded, maintaining her expression as she simply said, "So, why are you bringing it over?"

"Didn't I say? Some fool cut in line, wanting it before me."

Ning Fengwan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"How could I let this slide? Naturally, I had to see who had the gall to cut ahead of me."

After a pause, he added, "Don't misunderstand; I only refer to myself as the young master out of habit, not because of my family."

Void Blade quietly replied, "Meeting him is fine, but please, Ning Fengwan, don't cause any trouble. The boy named Xue Jing has a truly formidable backer."

Ning Fengwan chuckled at this.

"A backer? How big a backer could it be? Bigger than my family?"

He quickly added, "Naturally, you shouldn't misunderstand. I'm just making a point. I never rely on my family."

Void Blade's expression remained unchanged, and she answered, "Honestly, perhaps a bit bigger than your family, Ning Fengwan."

"Stop calling me Ning Da Shao! I've told you I'm self-reliant." Ning Fengwan retorted with dissatisfaction.

"So, who exactly is his backer?"

……

About half an hour later:

"Rrrrrrrrrrrr—"

Xue Jing sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes closed in meditation. As the noise of rotor blades slicing through the air grew louder in the distance, he opened his eyes to see what was approaching.

A black helicopter steadily approached from the horizon, heading straight for where he stood.

Xue Jing rose to his feet, waiting patiently.

Before long, the helicopter landed gracefully, its rotors whipping the grass into waves, bowing repeatedly. Xue Jing raised a hand to shield his eyes from the fierce wind.

The cabin door opened, and from it leapt Void Blade, clad in form-fitting black tactical gear that highlighted her lithe, panther-like physique.

Following her closely was a young man, about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Xue Jing's gaze briefly paused on the green bamboo segment in his hands before he turned his attention to the approaching Void Blade.

“Captain Void Blade, it's been a few days since we last met.”

Xue Jing nodded with a smile, extending his hand for a shake.

Void Blade nodded back, her tone calm as she spoke, “It's a huge help that you accepted this commission.”

She then turned to the young man beside her, “This is…”

Before she could finish, the young man interrupted, “I'm Ning Yuantai.”

Xue Jing was slightly puzzled but returned the nod courteously.

“Hello, I'm Xue Jing.”

Ning Yuantai waved dismissively.

“Let's skip the pleasantries. I'm here to deliver 'Bai Chi Gan Tou' to you.”

“I was using it myself, but orders from above suddenly prioritized you. Don't you get why I'm annoyed?”

Xue Jing glanced at Void Blade, who responded with a helpless shrug.

He pondered and then said, “Not really... so what do you intend to do about it?”

Ning Yuantai twisted his neck, staring directly at Xue Jing, eyes glaring.

“I know you have powerful connections, but you must understand, everyone should rely on themselves. Like me, I made a name for myself without family ties and earned the reward of ‘Bai Chi Gan Tou’!”

Xue Jing tilted his head, puzzled, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Ning Yuantai thumped his chest, the sound echoing.

“Come, defeat me and take 'Bai Chi Gan Tou' from me yourself to prove your worth—”

Before his words finished, an alabaster fist was already upon him.

His pupils contracted, and in a brief daze, he saw a pair of silvery eyes.

Indifferent and disdainful, they seemed to recognize nothing beneath them, eyes that appeared divine.

“Boom!!”

Thunder clapped as his body spiraled backward like a cyclone, churning the airwaves, carving twisting furrows across the lawn, and crashing into the helicopter with a thud, embedding him into its frame.

Xue Jing withdrew his fist, catching the green bamboo segment that fell from above, his silver eyes as unemotional as ever, looking at Ning Yuantai embedded in the helicopter.

“I've taken it. Now what?”

[End of Chapter]