I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Just like in the morning, he did not head directly to his class but entered the Qing University campus again, making his way to the Qing University Library.

Unlike the sparse crowd in the morning, the library was bustling at this hour. However, a hushed silence prevailed, with the only sound being the occasional rustle of turning pages.

Xue Jing's arrival caught the attention of many students. A short-haired girl sitting in the lounge area, engrossed in an extracurricular book, looked at Xue Jing in his high school uniform with sparkling eyes and whispered excitedly to her friend beside her:

“Look, look, that guy looks so handsome!”

“Should we go and ask for his WeChat?”

Her friend, staring at Xue Jing, retorted, “I thought you liked older guys? Why are you suddenly drawn to a high school pretty boy?”

“Even if I don't usually like sweets, you'd still drool over a top-tier dessert like this!” The short-haired girl said, her eyes gleaming.

“Come on, come on, I'm going to ask for his WeChat, and you back me up…”

With that, she stood up from her chair.

The chair scraped against the floor with a slightly sharp sound as it was pushed back.

Perhaps noticing the commotion, Xue Jing turned his head, his gaze landing on the short-haired girl.

…”

Being caught in those cool, aloof eyes, it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, chilling her from head to toe, instantly quelling all her desires.

It was only after Xue Jing ascended the stairs and disappeared from her view that the short-haired girl clutched her bosom, panting as if she had just been saved from drowning.

Her friend paused for a moment, then quickly patted her on the back to help her catch her breath, concern in her voice, "What's wrong, Xiaolin, are you okay?"

The girl with the single ponytail named Xiaolin replied with lingering fear, "I don't know why, but that younger brother... seems really dangerous. I better not try to get his WeChat."

Unaware of the psychological impact his casual gaze had inflicted, Xue Jing continued onward and soon reached the seventh floor.

Unlike the bustling activity of the previous six floors, the seventh floor was as quiet as ever. It was starkly contrasting, occupied only by a young girl seated in an old chair, engrossed in a book. Her posture was impeccably straight, making even her light blue skinny jeans look perfectly fitted, reminiscent of a ripe peach.

It was the same girl Xue Jing had encountered at this spot earlier that morning.

This time, however, upon seeing Xue Jing arrive, the girl nodded in his direction, her waist-length high ponytail swaying gently. A slight smile played on her clean and pretty face.

Xue Jing returned the nod with a smile, opting to remain silent. He found this form of silent acknowledgement quite intriguing.

Heading to the bookshelves, Xue Jing began searching for clues related to 'divine matter.'

In the dim lighting, Xue Jing and the girl each focused on their own tasks, distinctly separate yet sharing a strangely natural sense of harmony. Like strangers passing by, yet there lingered an inexplicable camaraderie.

After an hour of delving into information unknown to most people, Xue Jing still found no leads on divine matter.

"Might as well head to class for now."

Shaking his head, Xue Jing placed the book in hand back on the shelf and exited the library.

In the silent seventh floor, only a young girl remained, resembling a lonely spirit bound to this place, with only the occasional rustling of book pages as proof of her real existence.

...

When Xue Jing walked into his classroom, he noticed that the desk and chair set, previously scratched by Pei Youguang, had been replaced with a new set.

“It's the sophomore Pei Youguang who brought it over and replaced your desk and chair.”

A classmate who had arrived early explained.

“I see.” Xue Jing replied.

He didn’t particularly mind. Whether the desk and chair were scratched or not, they were still usable. However, given that the drawers of the marked set had been stuffed with dirty things, it was nice to have them replaced.

Xue Jing thought to himself.

It wasn't for nothing that he had earnestly admonished Pei earlier.

The four afternoon classes went by quickly. Xue Jing bid farewell to Li Ge, saying he had something to take care of and let him head home first.

After packing his books, he slung his backpack over one shoulder, walked out of the third teaching building.

The attached school had three teaching buildings, one for each grade, with twenty classes per grade.

Xue Jing made his way to the corridor of the sophomore’s second teaching building and leaned against a pillar at the entrance. He took out his phone, browsing through martial arts videos while waiting.

His appearance was quite eye-catching, and the sophomore students coming out of the building couldn’t help but cast glances in his direction.

It didn't take long before a chubby teenager emerged from the crowd, wrapped in bandages around his nose and eyes like a mummy.

It was indeed Pei Youguang.

His subordinates also bore various injuries, though none as severe as Pei Youguang's.

Upon seeing Xue Jing, Pei Youguang first paused in surprise, then trotted over eagerly, saying, "Hey, Brother Jing, were you waiting for me?"

This behavior instantly left the nearby sophomore students dumbfounded.

"Is that Pei Youguang?"

"Huh? That's Pei Youguang? Couldn't recognize him all bandaged up like a mummy."

"Who's that guy? Why does Pei Youguang seem to be... licking up to him?"

"That's Xue Jing from junior year! This morning, I saw him being called out at the school gate by Zhou Jun Cheng. I thought Pei Youguang was going to beat him up. But looking at this... not a scratch..."

"Think, you dimwit. Pei Youguang ended up like this. He must've tried to hit someone but got beaten instead."

"What happened? Isn't Pei Youguang trained in martial arts? How did he end up in such a state?"

The surrounding whispers grew into a murmur of excitement, with students sporting looks as if they've stumbled upon the juiciest gossip.

This school bully was never popular, so seeing him suffer seemed to delight everyone.

"Serves him right, always picking on others. Finally hit a wall!"

“Finally, someone who can keep him in check.”

“I'm in the same class as Pei Youguang. This morning he was talking about getting back at Xue Jing because Lin Shiyu likes him... Look, Lin Shiyu is coming out.”

The sophomore Lin Shiyu, with her school uniform's short skirt and her long, straight legs glowing in the sunset, stepped out of the school building. Upon seeing Xue Jing, a hint of embarrassment appeared on her pretty face.

After having her confession rejected in the morning and now running into the very person again, she felt awkwardly frozen.

Fortunately, Xue Jing didn't even glance at her, as if he hadn't noticed her at all. Though it seemed somewhat cold, leaving her a bit disheartened, she couldn't help but feel relieved.

Lin Shiyu quickly grabbed her backpack, tugged her friend's hand, and jogged away.

“Jing, you're here to learn some force skills from me, right? Let's go to my place. It's quite spacious, and we have most of the martial arts equipment you'd need…”

Pei Youguang said, signaling to his younger friend with his only good eye.

The latter immediately understood and stepped forward, saying eagerly, “Jing, let me carry your backpack for you.”

“Hmm, let's go.” Xue Jing smiled, handed his backpack to the underling, and left the campus alongside Pei Youguang.