I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

"That damned woman."

The man with the surname Wei glanced at Qiao Ying's corpse lying on the ground, his eyes narrowing slightly.

If it weren't for her wicked thoughts leading her to indulge with that young man during the mission, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.

"Fortunately, she still knew that the mission was more important... The 'nail' is planted, now we'll see what effect it has later."

Moving his gaze from Qiao Ying's body, the Wei surname man's attention shifted to the pristine young man not far away.

He calmly unscrewed the cylinder of his revolver, inserting the brass-colored bullets one by one without making a sound.

For the final bullet, he took out one that was entirely crimson red, with a sharper tip.

Once loaded, he returned the cylinder, spinning it to position the crimson bullet as the sixth shot.

"Too bad I left the [ISE] at the base for convenience... otherwise, I could've engaged him in close combat."

Wei surname man pondered deeply.

"With only one gun and without heavy firepower, it's tough to pose a threat to martial artists of this level."

"Should I return to the room for more equipment?"

Just as he was contemplating this, Xue Jing, who was pacing back and forth in the room, suddenly stopped.

He then bent down to pick up something from the ground.

"Is that... a die?"

The Wei surname man scrutinized what Xue Jing had picked up.

They were two sixteen-sided dice, likely used in some game, each side engraved with Arabic numerals, much larger than ordinary dice—about a third of a fist in size, and presumably made of metal judging by their color.

As he puzzled over Xue Jing's intentions, he saw Xue Jing close his eyes.

Then, Xue Jing casually tossed one die on his right hand to feel its weight.

With the other hand, he pointed with his index finger in the air, seemingly targeting something.

When he pointed in the direction of the Wei surname man's position, he stopped.

A sense of unease welled up in the Wei surname man's heart.

Trusting his instincts, he swiftly dodged sideways.

In the next instant—'Boom!'

The spot where he had been was pulverized as if a cannonball had pierced through, leaving a spiral hole across tables, chairs, screens, glass, walls—everything in a straight line was torn through.

"—What the hell is this?"

Astonished, the Wei surname man clicked his tongue at the sight.

Before he could take further action, a slim figure in a burgundy suit suddenly appeared before him.

It was akin to a jump-scare from a horror game; in shock, the Wei surname man responded quickly, raising his revolver with lightning speed and pulling the trigger without hesitation.

"Bang—"

The brass-colored bullet spun towards the boy’s forehead but was effortlessly dodged as he tilted his head to the side.

The man with the surname Wei didn’t expect this shot to achieve anything significant; it was merely intended to momentarily hinder his opponent's movements.

After firing, he swiftly reached into the lining of his overcoat, retrieving a metallic device resembling a lighter perforated with numerous small holes, and flicked the ignition.

Instead of producing a spark, the entire lighter abruptly exploded with a loud bang.

An intense flash of light and a deafening sound burst forth from the detonated device.

“Buzz—”

The Wei surname man turned his back to the explosion as a transparent membrane suddenly emerged from within his ear canal, shielding him from most of the damage exceeding 180 decibels of sound.

Despite these precautions, his brain shuddered, and a relentless ringing ensued, nearly causing him to lose balance and stumble to the ground.

He remained motionless, waiting for his disoriented senses to stabilize.

Prepared for the blast, he had turned away to avoid the blinding light; the reflected brightness was minimally harmful to his artificial eye, while the protective membrane in his ear blocked most of the sound waves.

What would blind and incapacitate an ordinary person from a stun grenade only affected him for a few seconds before he regained his sight and balance.

However, Xue Jing would be much worse off.

The weapon targeted the senses—martial artists like Xue Jing, whose senses were keener than most, would suffer more severely because of their heightened sensitivity to sight and sound.

With both men temporarily incapacitated, Wei only had to recover first to claim victory over Xue Jing.

“Still too young. Recklessly approaching without protection… it’s over.”

That was what Wei thought.

Just then, an extraordinary force struck his back, launching him off his feet like a javelin, spinning through the air.

“Boom—”

He crashed into and through one of the casino's massive support columns.

“What happened!?”

Feeling a burning pain on his back, Wei touched the area and discovered the skin twisted as if clenched by an invisible hand.

Turning around, his now restored vision caught sight of the slender figure.

The boy stood tall, retracting his fist without any sign of impaired vision or balance.

Wei shook his head, perhaps due to his not fully recovered vision, but it seemed as if he could see dark flames dancing in the boy’s eyes and ears.

Xue Jing's lips moved as if speaking, but the ringing in Wei’s ears rendered his words indistinct.

“... A lot of tricks, but they're useless against me.”

Staring at Wei, Xue Jing’s eyes and ears burned with silent shadow flames.

When Wei had pulled out the disguised grenade, Xue Jing instinctively called upon the shadow flames, transforming the surrounding shadows into black fire to seal his ears and eyes.

The intense light and sound waves that penetrated his eyes and ears were consumed by the obliterating black flame.

All Xue Jing felt was a breeze brushing against his body, no more.

"This skill is just too useful," Xue Jing couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

He stomped on the ground and approached the man named Wei, poised for another attack.

"Kid... don't you dare underestimate me!"

The man surnamed Wei spoke in a low voice, and at the same time, his left hand suddenly swelled up dramatically.

It wasn't merely a muscle expansion; the entire arm enlarged more than tenfold, resembling a giant's arm attached to a human being.

"Whoosh—"

A fist, even larger than a casserole pot, swung towards Xue Jing, stirring up the air with a fierce sound and imposing presence that made its destructive power evident at first glance.

Yet, Xue Jing's eyes lit up with interest.

"Interesting..."

He didn't even attempt to dodge, standing firm as if ready to take the punch head-on.

The man named Wei merely intended to force him back, but seeing Xue Jing unmoved, he focused and grit his teeth, making his swollen arm even larger.

This move was his way of harnessing the "Giant's Blood" within him, though he was still inexperienced with it. Using it increased the rate of his body's mutation, something he'd rather avoid unless absolutely necessary.

Never did he expect the youngster would confront it directly, intending not to evade...

Then I'll let you die!

As the massive fist, much larger than Xue Jing himself, approached like a locomotive, it collided with him.

With a thunderous crash, the giant fist struck his body, releasing a wave of air pressure.

Remarkably, Xue Jing remained firmly in place, resisting the force of the punch without being blown away.

He activated his Twin Defense, causing his bones to resonate with a deep rumbling, like thunder, as the explosive force filled his body.

But his bones gradually absorbed it, transforming the energy...

The kinetic force surged, accompanied by the roar of a dragon.

All the energy was wholly absorbed by his bones, and even Xue Jing's formidable physique couldn't completely withstand it, his bones groaning in protest.

With energy swirling through his entire body, and the mobility from his bones, Xue Jing spun around, delivering a backhanded strike.

Hidden Dragon Style—Cloud-Sealing Tail!

A long unused counterattack technique erupted once more.

This punch not only contained his own strength but also all the momentum from the man's giant punch.

"Pssh—Clap—"

The barrier-sized arm was met with no resistance, splitting open from the knuckle of the middle finger as if sliced by a blade.

The tear continued relentlessly inward, like paper ripping, from the knuckle down to the forearm, upper arm, shoulder...

"Ahhhhh!!"

A deluge of blood and flesh poured from the massive arm, splattering to the ground. The man named Wei clutched his enormous left arm split from top to bottom, howling in agony.

Xue Jing felt his still-trembling bones and looked at the man with the surname Wei, praising him.

"Impressive… How did you manage that move? Is it some kind of parasitic plant?"

The man's massive left arm gradually shrank back to its original size, yet it still split open in the middle, hanging limply at his side like two strands of limp noodles.

He clutched his shoulder, breathing heavily, staring intently at Xue Jing.

This monster…

He actually withstood the Giant's Fist with his human body. At his age, it's utterly terrifying.

"Parasitic plant… more or less. I had 'Giant's Blood' implanted in my bone marrow. This is one of the strongest species within the terrestrial race, the 'Giant Kind', which allows my body to transform into a giant's form."

The man with the surname Wei spoke.

Seeing that he seemed willing to cooperate, Xue Jing refrained from attacking again and asked instead.

"I'm quite curious, who exactly are you two and what is your purpose for being on this ship?"

The man with the surname Wei seemed to concede, no longer taking any other actions but instead answered honestly.

"We are members of the hunter group 'Colossus Brigade' from the Borderlands… Our purpose here is to capture a marine species known as the 'Sea Bee King'."

Just as Xue Jing was about to inquire further, he suddenly tensed up, every hair standing on end.

Instinctively, his body became covered in imprints of dragon scales as he prepared to employ his absolute defense, the Golden Scale Transformation.

"Thud—"

Just then, a noise came from beside him.

"Ah Jing… I told you, as long as you're on this ship, something's bound to happen."

Appearing out of nowhere behind him was Ning Fengwan, dressed in a beautiful black lace dress and wearing glasses, speaking with an exasperated expression.

She had her slender, jade-like hand gripping the wrist of Qiao Ying, who also seemed to have appeared from nowhere behind him.

"Teacher Wan…"

And…

Her?

Xue Jing was somewhat surprised to see the woman who should have already been dead by his hand.

Her neck had already returned to its normal state, though red finger marks remained, indicating what had just transpired.

She held a black dagger, its tip glowing green and vibrating silently.

"A high-frequency weapon?"

"Damn it!" The Wei surname man cursed as he saw Qiao Ying's failed ambush.

This planted nail was supposed to be the decisive move from the beginning, and now it was disrupted by a girl who appeared out of nowhere!

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The man with the surname Wei quickly raised his revolver and fired four shots at Xue Jing and Ning Fengwan.

Xue Jing and Ning Fengwan quickly dodged aside.

“Let's go!”

The man with the Wei surname shouted loudly as he seemed to levitate off the ground, Jo Ying doing the same—

Both of them possessed a flight capability similar to "Dragon Wing Devices."

"Teacher Wan, leave the female one to you."

Xue Jing spoke softly to Ning Fengwan.

“Don't worry...”

Ning Fengwan adjusted her glasses, and in the reflection, her eyes narrowed towards Jo Ying in the sky—the slanted phoenix eyes slightly squinting.

For some reason, despite it being their first meeting, this woman inexplicably irritated her.

From her fingertips extended razor-sharp, silvery claws.

—Snake Slayer Vanguard.

Then, she vanished from her position, darting up the wall like a cat with incredible speed. With each claw mark, she left ten small dents, swiftly closing in on Jo Ying.

The casino was a confined space, only tens of meters high across three floors. For her and Xue Jing, it made no difference whether the enemy could fly or not.

Xue Jing pressed down with his foot, leveraging on several stair railings before he charged directly at the Wei surname man.

After the previous skirmish, he couldn't bother to play around any longer.

The Wei surname man, intent on dodging mid-air, suddenly caught sight of serene, silvery eyes.

They were tranquil as the moon, peaceful and majestic.

In absolute silence, moonlight softly enveloped his eyes, rendering him motionless.

Xue Jing extended his right hand, shaping his palm into a blade.

Countless dark streams floated from the shadows, condensing at the 'blade edge,' coating it with a sharp ebony film.

A spiral of indentations surfaced from his arm, extending and merging into the blade.

“Whoosh—”

A black, spiraling line flashed through the air.

The Wei surname man was cleaved in two mid-air, severed at the waist.

His body split into two halves, tumbling to the floor as intestines and blood poured out.

The upper half of the Wei surname man's body had a vacant look, yet his finger involuntarily pulled the trigger.

“Bang—”

The revolver fired its last bullet.

Whether intentional or by chance, the fiery bullet sped towards the ceiling, creating an explosive impact that blew a large hole in it.

At that moment, the entire ship suddenly tilted and swayed, piercing alarms ringing throughout.

A slightly panicked voice resonated over the speakers onboard.

“Sea... a Sea Bee swarm, we're under attack from a Sea Bee swarm!”

In the dimly lit cabin, the air was tense with anticipation. The flickering shadows seemed to dance in concert with the participants' rapid heartbeats, setting the stage for an impending confrontation.

Xue Jing stood poised, his hand ablaze with a spectral, shadowy flame. It pulsed with an eerie glow, exuding a foreboding presence that captivated everyone within sight. The crowd held their breath, unsure of what to expect from this mysterious force.

Next to him, Ning Fengwan maintained her focus, her eyes locked on Jo Ying, who was still recovering from their previous encounter. Her resolve was firm, knowing that any hesitation now could mean disaster.

With a swift motion, Xue Jing propelled himself forward, the shadow flame extending from his hand as if alive. The attack was precise, a deft strike aimed right at his opponent. There was a collective gasp as the opponent attempted to dodge, but the shadowy hand-blade was swift—a dark arc slicing through the air.

In one seamless motion, the hand-blade sliced through, severing any hope of resistance. The demonstration of power left the crowd awestruck, yet this was just the beginning.

Before anyone could fully grasp the gravity of what had occurred, a low hum began resonating through the hull of the ship. It was a sound that nobody wanted to hear—a harbinger of what was to come.

‘The Sea Bees are here!’ someone shouted, panic lacing their voice, and chaos erupted. The menacing swarm was notorious, capable of overwhelming even the best of defenses in a matter of moments.

Ning Fengwan and Xue Jing exchanged a quick glance, understanding passing between them without the need for words. There was no time to lose; they needed to regroup, to ready themselves for this new threat.

Together, they turned towards the corridor, ready to face whatever danger awaited them. The battle was far from over.