I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

The shadow-crafted, four-legged 'Shadow Cat' stepped on black flames. It opened its mouth, revealing pitch-black fangs, seemingly uttering a 'meow', but no sound emerged.

Its hollow white eyes looked out as it gracefully leaped onto the bed, snuggling against Xue Jing, like a typical cat devoted to its owner.

Xue Jing scratched the Shadow Cat's chin with his finger and was surprised to find he could feel a tangible form.

"This is intriguing," he thought.

Though Shadow Flame is unlike ordinary flames, its outer form resembles the plasma of fire.

Neither merely energy nor fully material, it remains a 'semi-entity', elusive and as intangible as air.

But now, having leveled up to Lv4, the Shadow Beast formed by the activated Shadow Flame has become a palpable entity.

"If that's the case..."

Xue Jing willed the Shadow Cat to disintegrate, reforming it into a cluster of dark flames.

He let the dark flames linger in mid-air, quietly flickering.

Gently picking up the cat, he set it on the bed, rising to stand on the floor himself.

The airborne black flame began to transform, shaping into a large black cloak per Xue Jing's intent.

"Whosh—"

Xue Jing grasped the substantial shadow cloak, draping it over his shoulders.

"...Interesting," he remarked with fascination.

"Turn it into a cat, and it feels like the soft fur of a real one; make it a cloak, and it materializes akin to actual clothing..."

Once more, he focused his thoughts, pulling in a current of black from the shadows cast by countless lights in the room.

Eventually, it coalesced into a magnificent, pitch-black Western-style two-handed sword.

Grasping the shadow sword, Xue Jing felt a slight heaviness.

"...Can it even manifest weight?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"This surely touches the realm of creation!"

Standing by the wooden table, Xue Jing picked up a small white porcelain teacup, tossing it gently into the air.

With the shadow sword in hand, he executed a swift cross-slash.

The teacup split into four equal parts mid-air, which Xue Jing deftly caught with a single hand, returning them onto the table.

Each cut was remarkably smooth, clearly indicating the formidable sharpness of the shadow sword.

"Astounding, it's like infringing upon divine prowess... Somehow crafting objects from mere shadows!"

He moved to the corner, picking up the Vutu Sword with a clang, unsheathing it.

"Let’s test its strength..."

Slanting the shadow sword against the wall, he struck down upon its blade with the Vutu Sword.

"Clang—"

The sound of metals colliding resounded, and the shadow sword cleaved in twain, dissolving into two separate black flames.

Feeling the resistance during the strike, Xue Jing nodded thoughtfully.

"The strength isn't particularly high... it's probably about the same as the same volume of steel, which is a bit of a letdown... However, as the Shadow Flame level continues to rise, the strength of 'Shadow Creation' should also correspondingly increase."

Xue Jing suddenly felt a moment of inspiration.

"Wait a minute, if this greatsword can achieve physical properties close to steel, then can it extend to the chemical realm? Like making a bomb or something?"

Xue Jing's heart pounded wildly.

If it could, that would really be something amazing!

The dream of crafting a nuclear bomb by hand wasn’t too far-fetched.

He pondered for a while, gathering all the black flame into his hand.

With his imagination, the black flame began to change shape, transforming into a jet-black liquid, condensing into a large black water orb in mid-air.

Xue Jing reached out to touch the orb, and it felt just like real water, even sticking to his hands.

He brought his liquid-covered hand to his nose and sniffed... no scent.

"...Does it not work?"

Xue Jing frowned.

He wasn't trying to turn the Shadow Flame into water but was imagining it transforming into ethanol... in other words, alcohol.

He had even precisely imagined the molecular model that makes up alcohol.

Yet the end product, the jet-black liquid, lacked the piercing smell that characterizes alcohol.

Not giving up, Xue Jing rummaged through his nightstand, pulling out a lighter. Igniting it, he waved it under the dark liquid back and forth.

The result was utterly unchanged; the lighter's flame even brushing the liquid didn't cause it to extinguish.

"...Not even water, huh."

Xue Jing sighed helplessly.

"Lacking any chemical properties at all..."

"Or to put it another way, the Shadow Flame's activation may seem to change into many things, but its physical property has always been one; its essence is unchangeable, and this 'Shadow Flame Material', can only engage in physical collision with real-world substances and can't chemically interact..."

Xue Jing stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Transformed into a cat, it felt like fur to the touch; as a cloak, it was as soft as clothing; as a sword, as hard and sharp as steel.

However, this was just a surface change, the Shadow Flame had always been fundamentally the same entity.

"Can't play around with fancy tricks after all... Oh well, it's already quite impressive."

Though somewhat disappointed, Xue Jing also understood that being able to condense into a tangible object was remarkable on its own.

The jet-black liquid in mid-air morphed into a black shadow hand, floating forward to open a refrigerator several meters away, retrieving a can of chilled aluminum cola and floating back to Xue Jing's side.

He took the cola, and a tiny tendril extended from the back of the black hand to hook onto the can's tab, cracking it open with a pop, releasing a burst of fizz.

Xue Jing gulped down the soda with a blissful sigh.

...

"Woo—"

The massive whistle of the cruise ship reverberated over the sea as the Infinite Nova approached Maple City Harbor.

Dressed in casual attire, Xue Jing leaned on the railing, gazing at the unfamiliar city in the distance.

Seagulls spiraled in the sky, screeching, while the gentle sea breeze tussled his hair, carrying a faint salty tang.

"Hmm? It seems quite lively over at the dock."

'Xue Jing suddenly spoke up.'

'Standing half a step behind him, the Head of Security, Chen Liang, blinked in surprise and glanced towards the direction of Maple City Harbor.'

'However, with his eyesight, at this distance he could only just make out some prominent buildings at the port, unaware of the specific situation there.'

'"Maple City is a centrally-located coastal city with extensive waterways, so it tends to have a large population," Chen Liang remarked with a casual smile.'

'He then seemed to remember something and added:'

'"Oh right, the U19 elimination matches are about to start, I almost forgot you were here to compete too, Mr. Xue... quite a few famous players arrive at Maple City by ship around this time."'

'"A lot of journalists tend to gather at the docks to interview the contestants, including ourselves," Chen Liang scratched his cheek.'

'"The incident involving the Infinite Nova being attacked by a swarm of sea bees two days ago has already made the news. Many reporters got wind of it and knew the ship would dock at Maple City for repairs, so they're definitely coming to interview the passengers."'

'Xue Jing adjusted his focus slightly, watching the pier where two imposing figures were approaching each other, their expressions brimming with combative spirit.'

'After some thought, he took out his phone and called his sister, Xue Wan.'

'After two rings, the call connected.'

'"Hello, hello~ Are you here?"'

'A cheerful and melodious voice came through the earpiece.'

'"Sis, where are you?" Xue Jing asked, eyes fixed on the activity at the pier.'

'"I'm in the waiting hall at the port, why?" Xue Wan responded, puzzled.'

'The waiting hall…'

'Xue Jing paced back and forth on the deck and adjusted his view, spotting the building marked "Waiting Hall."'

'"Just in case,"'

'Xue Jing thought to himself.'

'Then he said into the phone, "Stay inside the hall and don't go out to the dock; it might be a bit dangerous out there."'

'"What kind of danger?"'

'Before Xue Wan could ask further, Xue Jing hung up.'

'He then turned to Chen Liang beside him and said, "Director Chen, I'll disembark first. Could you keep an eye on my luggage? I'll collect it once the ship docks."'

'"Huh?"'

'Chen Liang looked bewildered.'

'Disembark first? How?'

'There was at least a nautical mile between here and the dock... Surely Mr. Xue wasn't planning to swim over? What could be so urgent?'

'Before Chen Liang could piece it together, he saw the young man in front of him vault over the railing, take a couple of strides on the lower deck, and sprint towards the sea.'

'Just as Chen Liang thought Xue Jing was seriously going to swim, what happened next made his eyes widen.'

'As the ship neared the shore, many passengers were chatting and enjoying the view near the bow when a passenger suddenly pointed at the sea ahead and exclaimed,'

'"Look!"'

“Whoa, walking on water?”

“Hold on, that's Mr. Xue!”

“Oh, it's Mr. Xue, that explains everything.”

“Considering it's Mr. Xue, this kind of maneuver is typical for him.”

Once they recognized the figure as Xue Jing, most of the passengers quickly set aside their surprise and assumed expressions of inevitability.

On the vast sea, a silhouette gracefully glided across the water like a dragonfly.

This wasn’t the sort of frenzied stomping, an extraordinary feat through sheer force of strength water walking.

It genuinely resembled a mythical light-footed skill; with a gentle step on the water's surface, the person drifted forward several meters, leaving barely any splash, just expanding ripples.

Xue Jing thus made his light yet swift way towards Maple City Pier across the water.

Naturally, this wasn’t some lightweight skill nor a display of power.

As he stepped on the sea, he transformed Shadow Flame into a solid form beneath his feet, creating a small, black, board-like surface to step and propel himself onward.

It wasn’t actual water walking.

“What a convenient skill...”

He couldn’t help but marvel.

Meanwhile, on the pier.

“Du Mingluan, even a shorty like you got selected as a seed candidate? Has the Xuanjiao Club really fallen that far?”

A young lad with long, grayish-white hair, dressed in a black combat suit, his hands showing large knuckles, mockingly taunted with a youthful face.

His target, another youthful-looking boy named Du Mingluan, wore casual shorts and a t-shirt, standing barely over 1.6 meters tall.

Narrowing his eyes, he spoke, “Kou Chengjian...”

As Kou Chengjian sauntered up to him, standing a head taller, Du Mingluan looked up to meet his gaze, small as he may be, his aura was undiminished.

“You slipped past me at the southern exchange last time, but your luck won't hold this time.”

Du Mingluan's tone held unabashed malice.

“I'll break your leg on the ring.”

Kou Chengjian sneered with amusement.

“For a shorty, you sure talk big.”

Kou Chengjian folded his arms, gazing down at him.

“The ring? I doubt you’ll even make it to face me, you'll probably get taken out first by others!”

“Why not now, do you dare?”

Du Mingluan shot him a look full of puzzled disdain.

“Are you out of your mind? Fighting here, with so many regular people around, will get us disqualified immediately.”

Kou Chengjian chuckled faintly.

“What, scared now?”

“Signed an eighty-million-a-year contract, proclaimed last year's outer circuit's highest-priced young talent, and this is all you've got?”

“A master at marketing, but why so short on height and courage?”

Du Mingluan took a deep breath.

"I know you're just jealous of my salary, trying to make me break my contract."

As he spoke, Du Mingluan's hair began to move as if caught in a gentle breeze.

"Such a low-level provocation..."

"But I'll accept it."

"Right here, right now, I'm going to thrash you."

"Boom!"

A violent crash erupted at Maple City Pier, as two figures clashed, sending ripples of air expanding from their center, forcing passersby to squint against the wind.

Soon, those around realized that two powerful martial artists were fighting openly amidst the crowd.

They hurriedly backed away in panic.

In the waiting area of the ferry terminal, a striking silhouette sat elegantly on a chair, her legs crossed, exuding an air of regality. One hand scrolled through her phone while the other rested on her chest.

She wore a cream-colored short dress that showcased her long, slender legs. At her feet were a pair of white sneakers, and her slightly wavy, long black hair cascaded like a glossy waterfall, as if it needed no special effects for a shampoo ad.

Her pretty face held a gentle gaze, her skin as smooth and white as milk, appearing to shimmer faintly.

"Boom!"

Hearing the commotion outside the waiting hall, Xue Wan turned her head curiously in the direction of the sound.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, the wall of the hall exploded.

"Aah!"

People inside screamed.

Countless pieces of debris flew in all directions, with Xue Wan within the coverage range.

She blinked, and unnoticed by anyone, a tiny crack appeared in the marble floor beneath her feet.

A green sprout tenaciously emerged from the fissure, pushing aside the tile and rapidly extending into a vine that whipped every incoming stone fragment away.

At the site of the blown-out wall, two figures were entangled, relentlessly exchanging blows, creating terrifying sounds and visible air currents.

As the fight continued, the combatants gradually closed in on where Xue Wan was seated.

Yet, in such a perilous situation, she seemed unaware, sitting motionless.

"Bang bang bang bang!!"

Just as the two fighters neared Xue Wan.

From the distant sea, a figure approached at high speed, cutting through the air so swiftly it pushed the water aside on either side, creating splashes.

Inside the terminal, the two young fighters, engrossed in their battle, ignored their surroundings, advancing right before Xue Wan.

The force from their exchanging blows caused her long hair to lift behind her, and Xue Wan nonchalantly brushed aside a strand that fell over her eyes, tucking it behind her ear.

At this moment, a figure moving at an unbelievable speed leapt through the hole in the wall.

Neither of the young fighters had time to react before a slender hand pressed against the back of each of their heads.

A formidable, irresistible force followed this action, forcing them to watch as the other's face drew closer... and closer...

"Haven't you had enough!"

With a sudden shout, their heads collided, lips meeting...

...