I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

In his dream, he lived a blissfully happy life. His father, though as stern as ever, took pride in him, while his mother would secretly slip him pocket money behind his father's back, gently ruffling his hair while whispering "Mama loves you." In the dojo, his senior fellow disciples followed his lead; he was celebrated as a prodigious talent in martial arts, the focus of countless admiring gazes.

He would no longer be ignored as if he didn't exist by his father, nor would his mother be gone. He wouldn’t just be a shadow in the presence of his genius brother who went to the Inner Ring City, and there would be no shameful memories of fleeing from constant ridicule in the dojo.

Everything was so perfect.

“……”

In the dream, his father seemed to be saying something to him. Pei Youguang strained to hear the words, but they remained unheard.

His father repeated himself several times, growing impatient, and suddenly lashed out with a slap.

“Smack!”

Pei Youguang awoke to the stinging heat on his right cheek.

“Hey.”

Xue Jing crouched down, looking at Pei Youguang, who lay on the ground with his eyes open but still in a daze. Xue delivered another slap to balance the mark on Pei's cheeks symmetrically.

“Pei Youguang, right? You wanted something from me? Speak.”

Xue Jing said in a cold tone.

Pei Youguang: “……”

Once fully awake and aware of the situation, Pei Youguang remained silent for a moment before a sheepish smile crept across his face.

"N-no... it's nothing now."

Xue Jing nodded, "That's good."

"But now that you're fine, I actually have something to discuss with you."

Pei Youguang touched his sunken nose, wincing from the pain, but hearing Xue Jing's words, he quickly responded, "Please, go ahead."

He was not a person with a strong backbone. Having been bullied countless times since childhood, he had long learned to be submissive and endure insults.

Though he had gotten used to throwing his weight around since joining the affiliated school and almost forgot the past, two slaps from Xue Jing had successfully awakened his muscle memory.

He no longer dared to flaunt his family background as a threat; students at the affiliated school all knew of his connections. If Xue Jing dared to hit him, it meant he wasn't afraid.

Whether he had powerful backing or was simply bold, the fact was Pei Youguang was in trouble now.

He could only concede defeat.

Looking down at him, Xue Jing asked, "I heard you've killed someone? And bullied a female classmate?"

Pei Youguang chuckled awkwardly, "No, no, those are all rumors."

"So what happened with that girl who transferred last semester?"

"... I was pursuing her, but I swear I didn't do anything. She transferred because she was too scared. If I had done it, the school would've kicked me out long ago."

At this point, Pei Youguang glanced at his henchmen lying around, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "Please don't tell anyone; I'm still a virgin."

Xue Jing swung a backhand slap.

'Smack—'

"I don't want to hear this useless intel."

Pei Youguang clutched one side of his face, "Yes..."

"If it wasn't true, then why didn't you clarify?"

"Clarifying might not help, and the rumors make everyone afraid of me... I thought it was cool..."

Xue Jing slapped him again.

He said bluntly, "Are you brainless? Clinging to a rapist’s reputation?"

Pei Youguang dare not talk back, "You're right."

Pei Youguang hesitated, "Um, but..."

'Smack—'

Pei Youguang held one side of his face with one hand, and waved the other hand repeatedly, "I'll go back and write it."

Xue Jing acknowledged with a hum, seeming to ask casually, "By the way, that punch you threw at the wall was pretty powerful, what’s up with that?"

Pei Youguang answered honestly, "I've trained in martial arts, and in that punch, I used 'force'."

Xue Jing curiously asked, "Inner strength? Is it something like the inner energy in martial arts novels?"

Pei Youguang nodded first, then shook his head. "Inner strength can also be called 'inner energy'... It's not some supernatural power. It's a method of utilizing physical strength. By coordinating one's muscles, bones, blood, breathing, and so on, you extract the potential that the body naturally possesses. That's 'inner strength.'"

Pei Youguang recalled the teachings of the old master at the dojo as he explained.

"From a scientific perspective, the essence of 'inner strength' is kinetic energy. Various organs within the body coordinate and move together to accumulate kinetic energy, then unleash it through 'techniques' with a force much greater than ordinary punches or kicks."

"I've heard that some extremely skilled martial artists can use inner strength in such exaggerated ways that they can even punch through a tank's armor with their bare hands. I wonder if that's true."

Xue Jing pinched his chin but remained silent.

Seeing this, Pei Youguang quickly understood and hurriedly said, "If you're interested, I can teach you, although I only know the basics of channeling energy..."

Seeing Pei Youguang so willing, Xue Jing patted his shoulder, his expression softening somewhat. "I'll be troubling you, then."

Pei Youguang cautiously said, "Oh, it's no trouble, but about reading the self-reflection in front of the class... could we maybe skip that?"

Xue Jing thought for a moment and said, "No, but you don't have to read it ten times, once will do."

"..." Pei Youguang felt that ten times and once made little difference; either way, it was a loss of 'dignity.' Such concessions hardly seemed worthwhile, but he dared not argue, only managed a forced laugh. "Thank you."

"Alright." Xue Jing stood up.

"That's settled then. This afternoon or tomorrow, if I'm free, I'll come to you to learn 'inner strength'. Study well from now on, be a proper student, and don't let me hear about you bullying anyone again."

Pei Youguang replied, "I'll do as you say."

After Xue Jing left the dark alley, the followers who had been pretending to be unconscious slowly got up from the ground. They tapped their heads and groaned in pain, all appearing as if they had just regained consciousness.

“Hey, Pei bro, where’s that Xue...Xue senior gone?”

Pei Youguang sat up, reached into his school uniform pocket, and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes. He wanted to light one but soon lost interest and sighed.

“From now on, we should call him Brother Jing.”

The followers exchanged glances, reluctantly agreeing.

The scene fell silent for a moment. Pei Youguang's eyes shone with contemplation: ‘He hasn’t trained in martial arts, yet possesses such physical prowess...He must be what the dojo master calls a natural talent...’

‘Just like the big brother...’

Uncertain if he was impressed by being beaten or what, Pei Youguang had a gut feeling that Xue Jing was destined for greatness.

Words like ‘climbing the ranks’ and ‘great achievements’ flashed through his mind, but the limits of his vision and understanding left him unable to discern the benefits and drawbacks clearly.

After a long pause, he shook his head.

“Forget it, no need to overthink. Anyway, the key is to establish good relations with him!”

Pei Youguang decided to follow his intuition.