I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Pei Youguang pushed through the crowd, determined to handle Xue Jing himself.

Although this pretty-boy upperclassman's combat prowess was unexpectedly impressive, Pei Youguang was confident he wouldn’t be his match.

After all, Pei Youguang had trained in a dojo and received authentic martial arts instruction!

Just as he stepped forward and before he could boast a few more words, everything suddenly went dark before his eyes, and a sharp pain pierced his left eye.

“Ah!!” he screamed, clutching his left eye, the blood seeping through his fingers.

Furious, he shouted, “Despicable scoundrel!”

It was Xue Jing who had casually pulled a quail egg-sized pebble from his pocket, tossing it precisely to hit Pei Youguang's left eye, striking a critical weak spot.

Enraged beyond measure, Pei Youguang endured the pain in his left eye, opened his unharmed right eye, and charged at Xue Jing.

He swung a powerful backhand punch, fast as lightning, but due to the impairment of only having his right eye to see with, he misjudged the distance.

Not only did he miss the dodging Xue Jing, but he inadvertently punched the wall instead.

"Bang!"

A crisp sound echoed as the impact left a small, cracked crater in the brick wall, the sheer force of his punch making Xue Jing raise an eyebrow.

‘Is this martial arts?’

Retreating two steps, Xue Jing retrieved another pebble from his pocket.

Seeing this, a shadow of the trauma to his left eye surged within Pei Youguang, leading him to shield his remaining right eye with his hand.

However, Xue Jing didn’t throw the stone.

Instead, imitating moves from martial arts videos, he spun to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at Pei Youguang's head.

Although Pei Youguang reacted just in time to attempt a block, the force of the kick was beyond his expectations, thrusting down his blocking arm and still hitting his head, causing him to stagger.

"He knows martial arts?" Pei Youguang felt the force of the kick and turned pale with shock.

"No, that's not right. It's pure brute force, without any 'skill'."

That was even more unsettling.

Not trained in martial arts, yet his raw strength surpassed my 'skills'!?

Is this guy really just a high schooler?

Xue Jing, unaware of Pei's thoughts, might have teased him if he knew: do you even understand the explosive power "running" brings to the legs?

Having landed a successful hit, Xue Jing seized the opportunity to advance, launching a relentless barrage of punches and kicks at Pei Youguang.

Caught off guard by Xue Jing's fierce offensive, Pei struggled to catch his breath and couldn't muster his 'skills'. He could only defend himself passively.

Xue Jing was in his element, his confidence growing with each strike. He seamlessly incorporated the combat moves he had diligently learned from videos over the past month. With practice, these techniques felt increasingly second nature.

Pei Youguang's followers were stunned, watching their formidable leader being beaten into submission as if he were a mere puppy.

Not far away, Li Ge was recording the fight on his phone, hands trembling with excitement, unable to utter a word.

Jing Master, Jing Boss, Jing God!

After what felt like an eternity, Xue Jing, in a moment of instinctual enlightenment, found coherence in his previously chaotic strikes, culminating in a flawless right hook.

The punch cunningly bypassed Pei's defensive stance, slipping through the gaps, and collided with Pei's face.

Amidst a resounding crack, Pei Youguang's entire body was lifted off the ground, knocked backwards.

[Activated conditions met: Skill unlocked - Combat]

Xue Jing maintained his punching stance, staring blankly at his own fist.

His muscles tingled and twitched, shifting and beginning to transform internally.

His strength increased, flexibility improved, making him more adept at exerting force, as if he shed a heavy iron armor, feeling agile and light as if he were effortlessly gliding like a swallow.

Moreover, upon standing upright, his body emitted countless crisp popping sounds from his bones, and he suddenly grew slightly taller.

His skeleton had transformed, becoming sturdier and stronger, causing his entire body to proportionately enlarge as if digitally enhanced.

“Brother Pei!” gasped a few of Pei Youguang’s lackeys, eyes wide as they looked at Pei, lying on the ground with his nose caved into his face, a pitiful sight.

With a clatter, everyone involuntarily dropped their weapons, casting fearful glances at Xue Jing.

Xue Jing closed his eyes, concentrating, feeling the transformation within his body.

The scene fell momentarily silent.

After a while, Xue Jing opened his eyes, and with a calm gaze, looked toward Pei Youguang's lackeys.

“Xue... Xue Senior, we…” one of them stammered, his lips quivering.

But before he could finish, Xue Jing interrupted, “Pick them up.”

“What?” they questioned in confusion.

“Pick up your weapons.”

Xue Jing's voice held no emotion, chilling the hearts of several students, who felt like frightened children before a stern father. Instinctively, they picked up the weapons lying on the ground.

“Attack,” he commanded.

“…” The students exchanged nervous glances, rooted to the spot in fear.

“I'll count to three,” Xue Jing's eyes glinted coldly.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Ahhhh!!” Under unbearable pressure, one student snapped, swinging his bat wildly at Xue Jing.

With someone taking the lead, the rest, driven by a herd mentality, dashed toward Xue Jing as well.

“Bang, bang, bang, bang.”

The students scattered like torn sacks, each bearing a punched indent or kick mark on their faces.

In the silent, dim alleyway, students in the school uniform lay sprawled in disarray, either unconscious or groaning while clutching their wounds, with Xue Jing standing alone among them.

He appeared calm and intellectual, showing no signs of the fight except for his slightly disheveled clothes. Against the surrounding scene, he resembled a movie’s suited rogue, embodying an elegant yet violent contrast.

“…” Li Ge stared at the scene for a long time, slowly snapping out of it, then stopped recording on his phone.

He approached Xue Jing, wanting to speak, but hesitated to break the silence.

Xue Jing observed Li Ge’s hesitation, smiled, and asked, “How did I do? Pretty impressive, right?”

His usual gentle tone slightly softened the violent impression from earlier. Li Ge relaxed somewhat and replied with a grin, “Awesome, absolutely amazing. From today, consider me a die-hard fan of Iron-Blood Jing.”

Xue Jing playfully tapped his head. “Don't give me that.”

He reached for the phone. “Let me see how the recording turned out.”

The video captured the entire sequence, starting from when Xue Jing entered the dark alley. Everything was clear, except for the shaky moments when Li Ge got too excited. He followed Xue Jing's instructions to disable the audio recording and just capture the video.

When the video showed Xue Jing threatening the students to pick up their weapons, due to the lack of audio, it appeared as if the students were unwilling to give up, retrieving their weapons to continue attacking him.

Li Ge was puzzled and asked, “Why did you do it like that?”

Xue Jing calmly explained, “According to the laws of Zhuxia, when faced with an armed opponent intending to commit a violent crime, the victim has unlimited right to defense.”

Li Ge scratched his head. “But they had already surrendered, hadn't they?”

“What does their surrender have to do with me?”

It was as if Xue Jing was speaking both to Li Ge and to himself.

“People must always pay the price for their mistakes.”

In the room, tension hung thick in the air. Xue Jing shifted his stance, every muscle poised for the impending confrontation.

Across from him, Chen Hao eyed him warily, attempting to anticipate his next move.

The geography teacher, standing at the periphery of the impromptu battleground, felt a sense of dread. Something about Xue Jing's calm demeanor unnerved him. There was a sense of inevitability looming over them all.

Surrounding them, a small crowd had gathered—students, seemingly impassive teachers, even the enigmatic talking cat perched on a nearby desk, all silent observers to the unfolding drama.

"Are you really going to go through with this?" Chen Hao's voice broke the silence, echoing a mixture of disbelief and apprehension.

Xue Jing did not respond immediately. When he did, his voice was composed, devoid of any overt emotion. "Every action has its consequence," he stated simply, eyes locked on his opponent. "Today, we understand that truth better than ever."

The motions commenced, precise yet fluid—a choreography of conflict where both combatants demonstrated skill and determination.

Du Shiwei, who had initially fueled the rumors leading to this altercation, watched with a mixture of regret and fascination. He had not anticipated things reaching this point.

As Xue Jing moved deftly to avoid Chen Hao's aggressive advance, a series of calculated maneuvers followed, each action met with a suitable counter.

The air seemed to pulse with the intensity of their engagement, and for a moment, time itself seemed to warp around them.

Eventually, with a final decisive shift, Xue Jing gained the upper hand, subduing his opponent with a lock that left little room for struggle.

Chen Hao, recognizing his defeat, signaled submission, bringing the encounter to an abrupt halt.

There was no celebration in Xue Jing's expression, only the quiet acknowledgment of a necessary outcome. "Remember," he murmured, "there is a price for every choice."