I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Riding back to the manor on horseback, Xue Jing returned Wind Eater to the stable and then entered the main residence, heading up to the fifth-floor training room.

Sitting cross-legged on the clean rubber floor that was swept daily, he didn't begin his exercises immediately. Instead, he took out his phone. After a few swipes on the screen, he opened a peculiar app on the last page.

The app icon was composed of nine black leaves surrounding a central diamond shape, resembling a flower. This was the encrypted chat software for internal use by the Sixth Agency that Void Blade had sent him three days ago. However, it was a stripped-down version, as the full version boasted many more features that civilian phones couldn’t support. For now, it only offered chat and file transfer capabilities.

Upon opening it, the interface resembled something akin to WeChat. Currently, he had only one contact: Void Blade, whose profile picture, unexpectedly, was a cute, stylized cartoon bear.

Xue Jing tapped on their chat history and scrolled up, revealing several document files sent by Void Blade over different days. They all pertained to a place called the Borderlands.

'The mission to explore the new Borderlands will commence within seven days at the latest.'

'There’s also a U19 elimination match in Maple City three days later... not sure how long that will last or if the timing can be adjusted.'

Xue Jing rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Wu Youqing arranged for him an agent in Maple City; he would have to consult with this agent when the time came.

Shaking his head, Xue Jing opened one of the files titled 'The New Borderlands.'

[Temporary Serial Number: R278 Borderlands]

[Provisional Level: C+]

[External Area: 26.8 square kilometers]

[Internal Area: Estimated between 300 to 900 square kilometers based on visual assessments from personnel entering; potential errors noted, recommendation to bring over a dozen 'monitors'...]

[Entry Conditions: ...]

[November 23rd: Discovered humanoid settlement ruins, suggesting a significant level of civilization]

[November 25th: Detected unusual thunder frequency, suspecting the presence of dragon-class creatures, hence temporarily upgrading the level to C+]

...

Due to the harsh entry conditions, exploring the new Borderlands appeared quite challenging. The information in the current files was limited, allowing Xue Jing to finish reading them swiftly.

Closing it, he opened the next document. Its title was 'Dragon Species Information.'

It seemed that the suspicion of dragon species within the new Borderlands prompted Void Blade to send over this information.

[Dragon Species, the Sovereign of Sky Dwelling Creatures, Beloved Children of the Sky...]

Spending over half an hour meticulously going through the document, he ensured all the information was ingrained in his memory before closing it.

'Galloping through the skies, spewing thunder, creatures of freedom embraced by the sky... fascinating.'

Pondering for a moment, Xue Jing continued reviewing the other files.

After thoroughly going through all the materials, he took some time to digest the information, stretching lazily.

"We'll think about the Borderlands later. Right now, there's something else we need to do."

Xue Jing took a moment to assess his current mental state.

Although still somewhat weary, he had recovered enough to continue with consciousness simulations. He had an idea, one he wanted to test out...

Taking a deep breath, Xue Jing sank into concentration, engaging his imagination.

Countless pixel blocks swept across the scene, creating a grassy field in the hills behind the north district.

With a shift of his mind, he too appeared within this scene.

After confirming his bodily data was accurate, Xue Jing looked ahead.

Pixel blocks spun and solidified, forming the image of a youthful teenager, around seventeen or eighteen years old, standing before him.

It was Ning Yuantai.

"Boom—"

With a loud heart-thumping sound, 'Ning Yuantai's' skin began to turn crimson, and a red aura enveloped him.

Xue Jing circled around the energy-flaring Ning Yuantai, observing closely, and nodded in satisfaction.

"All my intentional data collection paid off; this replication is perfect."

"Crimson Lotus Volcano Style, let me witness it once more."

At the command of his mind, Ning Yuantai sprang into action.

With a full-body shudder, he assumed a fist position, mustering strength for a moment before striking towards Xue Jing's chest.

His surging force resembled volcanic magma, each punch generating waves of crimson energy rippling outward, a testament to his formidable power.

Xue Jing made no defensive move, instead closing his eyes, emptying his mind, and focusing entirely.

"Boom!"

The punch landed squarely on his chest, producing a thunderous noise. Despite not using even basic energy defenses, Xue Jing's sternum shattered with a crack, sending him flying diagonally like a golf ball.

Thanks to the strong mental control granted by [Observation·True], he blocked out the pain, dedicating complete focus to comprehending the secrets behind this punch.

"Through the altered internal structure of a transformed body, an unusual force maneuvering technique is used, achieving a volcanic explosion-like power by combining with extremely high body temperature."

Xue Jing pondered.

"This new martial art is truly remarkable... The high-level practice of the old martial arts relied on spiritual awareness to interfere with reality, achieving great powers through the essence of the human body."

"But the new martial arts skip the need for awareness, directly transforming the body on a material level into a powerful entity."

"Crimson Lotus Volcano Style... granting the body the force of a natural disaster like a volcanic eruption. If this forbidden technique truly evolves to match a volcanic eruption, it would indeed surpass the old martial arts by far..."

"Bang!"

Xue Jing crashed heavily onto the ground nearly a hundred meters away.

He opened his eyes and murmured to himself, “They’re really tempting me to learn a new martial art.”

“However, I have no interest in taking boosters.”

He got up, a deep fist mark imprinted on his chest, gradually regenerating as small pixel blocks converged.

As he stood, he chuckled, “But...”

“Who says you can’t master new martial arts without taking boosters?”

Xue Jing opened his panel and glanced at the 【Twin】 skill in the Divine Abilities section.

Upon reaching Lv4 with 【Twin】,【Bai Ya】 he didn’t immediately choose to add a new active effect, instead leaving it aside due to indecision.

【Options available: Reaction speed, Calculative ability, Concentration, Memory, Body temperature, Flexibility, Sensory ability, Instinctive intuition…】

Xue Jing focused on the 【Body Temperature】 option.

“To harness the explosive power of the Crimson Lotus Volcano Flow, an altered volcanic form is necessary... The key lies in achieving extremely high body temperature.”

“Only boiling heat can bring boiling power, a condition almost impossible for an unaltered natural human body.”

The body’s temperature is inherently linked to health, and even formidable martial artists would struggle with the perilous consequences of excessively high internal temperatures.

Temperatures exceeding a hundred degrees, like those in volcanic forms, would melt your brain right away.

Thus, only through alteration, obtaining a special heat-resistant body beyond human limits, can one withstand such extreme heat.

“However... I am different.”

“The 【Twin】 brings a conceptual double physical defense, withstanding damages in an absolute sense twice as much.”

“Naturally, this includes temperature.”

He channeled his energy, using the Starfire Method's technique related to blood cultivation to stimulate high-speed blood circulation.

Temperature, essentially, is the intensity of molecular motion.

The rapidly circulating blood started to heat up, raising his entire body's temperature.

Gradually, Xue Jing felt his body growing hotter, his skin turning red, as his temperature climbed from a normal thirty-something degree to over forty.

“Still not enough, go on!”

The blood continued to circulate, meanwhile, Xue Jing activated his other energies, pushing his body to extreme activity to elevate his temperature further.

After a while, he felt unbearably hot, dizzy, his vision blurred as if shrouded in mist.

By now, his temperature had surpassed fifty degrees.

“...This is the limit.”

“Fifty-something degrees… just managed to endure.”

Xue Jing shook his head slightly, feeling as though the breath from his mouth could scorch his own lips.

"It should be feasible."

"Harnessing twin-born abilities to double my body temperature, using double physical defenses to withstand it, to simulate the high heat of the Crimson Lotus Volcano style..."

With a thought, Xue Jing activated his twin defenses and, through mental simulation, entered a state of doubled body temperature.

"Hoo—"

His skin took on a faint red hue.

Reaching the boiling point of liquids, white steam continuously wafted off his body, enveloping him in a shroud of mist, like a deity from legend.

Opening his mouth, Xue Jing emitted steady streams of steam, making a hissing noise like a steampunk mech.

Though his entire body felt unbearably hot, under the twin defense's absolute doubling capacity, he managed to endure.

Every liquid inside his body boiled, truly and vigorously.

It was like a freshly boiled pot of water, constantly bubbling with noise.

Before him, pixels gathered and swirled, transforming into a mirror.

Xue Jing glanced at his reflection.

His moderately long black hair moved with an unseen wind, steam curling around him. His skin, with a faint crimson sheen, seemed inhuman, yet combined with his strikingly handsome features, exuded an oddly charming, devilish allure.

"What is this? Gear Second like Luffy?"

he remarked, his voice deeper and hoarser than usual.

"Next, it's time for that non-human energy circulation technique..."

Xue Jing signaled Ning Yuantai to approach.

Now, neither looked human.

One radiated with crimson, entangled in red waves; the other was a paler crimson, wrapped in white steam.

Ning Yuantai threw a punch; Xue Jing raised his hand to block, feeling the unique energy flow within Ning Yuantai's body at the moment of contact.

"Again!"

Punch after punch, Xue Jing quickly memorized the energy circulation technique of the volcanic anomaly.

He furrowed his brows.

"It's tricky... His internal body structure is entirely different from a normal human. Without such an altered physique, simulating volcanic internal motion feels incredibly awkward."

Xue Jing exhaled a thin stream of white steam, mobilizing his energy, and attempted to mimic it.

Flesh and bones twisted under his forced control, ignoring the risk of injury.

Fibers snapped, blood boiled to vapor, and bones creaked with strained agony. Xue Jing's eyes narrowed, steam bleeding from the corners of his mouth and nostrils.

“Ha!”

With a fierce shout, his entire body erupted with a crimson aura, steam rising as his pores emitted a bloody mist. He launched a punch that shattered the air, aimed directly at Ning Yuantai.

“Pfft—”

The punch, fueled with seething force, met no resistance, as if striking tofu. Ning Yuantai's upper body exploded into a mist of blood, scattering in all directions.

Even after obliterating Ning Yuantai, the punch did not desist. It continued to carve through the air, transforming into a red torrent, etching a trench over ten meters long into the grass, where the extreme heat turned the green blades to blackened carbon.

Xue Jing, meanwhile, felt his body weaken, dropping to one knee.

A glance inward revealed his body was riddled with injuries, similar to the state after employing the extreme version of his Tornado Thunder technique.

“I managed to forcibly simulate an alien volcanic form... But the repercussions are severe; deploying it in reality is impossible for now, improvements are necessary.”

With a thought, Xue Jing restored his body's injuries. The faint red sheen on his skin reseeded as the white steam dissipated.

He gazed in awe at the remaining half of Ning Yuantai's body on the grass and the long, charred trench.

“The power unleashed by this forced simulation of the Crimson Lotus Volcano is astonishing. That punch surpassed even Tornado Thunder Extreme...”

Xue Jing stroked his chin.

“Since it's derived from Crimson Lotus Volcano, let's call it ‘Crimson Lotus Mode’!”

“If I could execute the Hidden Dragon technique in Crimson Lotus Mode, the power would be unimaginable.”

“However, it's challenging for now. Stabilizing Crimson Lotus Mode's execution must come first... Otherwise, forcing it could destroy me.”

After pondering, a wave of dizziness hit Xue Jing.

This was a sign of mental exhaustion.

“Consciousness simulation is a great tool... but overusing it is no good; I might really faint this time.”

Xue Jing rubbed his temples.

He sensed he was genuinely drained. Despite the [Health Regimen] recovery speed being impressive, even it couldn't handle such excessive strain.

He could faintly feel that he shouldn't deploy consciousness simulation again today, else the mind might suffer serious hidden injuries.

The scene dissolved into countless pixelated blocks, as Xue Jing exited the consciousness realm.

He opened his eyes wearily.

“Hey, little junior... you, you're awake.”

In front of him stood Senior Sister Zhushan Ying, hands behind her back, looking guilty.

A blush adorned the young girl's delicate face, making Xue Jing smile. He was about to speak but noticed something unusual.

At the peak of his skill, he had a keen awareness of his physical state, capable of detecting even the slightest anomaly.

His lips felt slightly damp.

(This chapter concludes)