I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Xue Jing walked along the streets on the outskirts of the southern district.

The narrow and poorly planned neighborhood sprawled haphazardly, with buildings crammed together in disarray. Most of these structures were old, some barely qualifying as houses, just shanties made of sheets of tin and planks of wood.

The building materials were obviously substandard, lacking even basic upkeep for a long time, with some areas looking utterly dilapidated.

Cans and trash littered the uneven concrete ground, pooled rainwater everywhere, while a few stray dogs watched Xue Jing attentively, as if waiting for something.

“……”

Xue Jing halted.

There wasn't a soul in sight on the street, yet an odd sensation lingered.

It was like the calm before the storm, a dark night seemingly harboring a terrifying beast, a foreboding pulse growing and receding in the shadows.

It was his own heartbeat.

Although he hadn't used any breathing techniques, his blood suddenly surged, his body temperature spiking almost to the point of boiling.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, a tingling sensation prickling his scalp, like a razor-sharp blade hovering over his throat, its edge gliding ever so slowly over his skin.

With no rational explanation, without the aid of any senses, his primal "combat" instinct deeply embedded within his being warned him of impending danger.

Without hesitation, Xue Jing chose to trust his instincts.

Run!

On the street, Xue Jing crouched slightly, his thigh muscles tensing up, and with the power of "running," he burst forward, swiftly dashing out of the street!

Just as he suddenly started sprinting, curses echoed from the alleys and gaps between buildings.

"Damn it, he found us!"

"Don't let him get away, catch up with him!"

"Hell, this kid's fast!"

From all the hidden alleys, a dozen figures emerged, chasing after Xue Jing.

Most of them wielded various weapons—knives, wooden sticks, machetes, bats... the clanging sound of metal weapons being dragged along the ground filled the air.

It was obvious they weren't new to this kind of activity. Centered around Xue Jing, their positions had almost formed a surrounding net.

Had Xue Jing started his move just ten seconds later, the net would have fully formed, leaving him with no escape.

But now, only two people stood in his path!

"Orange, Xiao Li, stop him!"

The voices behind shouted. Xue Jing looked ahead at the two blocking his path—a skinny youth in a red t-shirt wielding a bat, and a buzz-cut youth with an ominous gaze.

The distance between Xue Jing and them gradually decreased. Even though contact was imminent, he showed no sign of slowing down.

The youth with the buzz-cut didn't move, while the one with the bat took two steps forward, brandishing the bat as if preparing to whack Xue Jing like a baseball.

Closer, ever closer.

Just as the skinny youth's eyes narrowed and he swung his bat, Xue Jing suddenly ducked, without a hint of slowing down.

The bat whistled past his head, brushing a few strands of hair. Simultaneously, Xue Jing crouched down, clenching his right hand tightly, and as he rose, he delivered a powerful uppercut to the slender young man's chin!

His aiming skill was remarkable, and the precision of his strike was unmatched, hitting the young man's chin directly.

“Bang!”

The explosive sound echoed with a hint of bone cracking. Xue Jing felt a sensation as if his fist was crushing through something.

With the immense momentum from his sprint, combined with his one hundred and eighty kilograms of punching force, the sheer kinetic energy sent the slender youth flying nearly a meter into the air. By the time he hit the ground, his eyes had already rolled back, motionless, with his neck twisted into an exaggerated arc. The skin on his chin was uneven, clearly indicating that his jawbone had been entirely shattered.

“Xiao Li!”

“Damn, this kid’s a tough nut! Be careful, everyone!”

Exclamations erupted from the pursuers behind him.

Xue Jing didn’t stop for a moment, merely pausing briefly before continuing to dash forward.

The remaining crew-cut young man initially wore a casual expression, but the scene from before clearly made him realize that Xue Jing was not just any weakling student.

His expression turned serious, raising his hands, slightly bending his knees, assuming a defensive boxing stance.

As long as he could hold off this fast-running student for a while, his companions from behind could catch up. Then, they could trap him like a turtle in a jar, like a closed-door hunt.

He stood ready, with a solemn face, watching Xue Jing rapidly approach.

‘Left punch, right punch, or a kick?’

And just as he and Xue Jing were about to clash, at the most tense moment….

Xue Jing didn’t pay him any mind and rushed past him without stopping.

The buzz-cut young man was momentarily stunned.

He even thought he saw Xue Jing give him a strange look in passing, a look that seemed to say: "What are you doing?"

"Screw you!"

The buzz-cut youth flushed with anger, cursed loudly, and turned to chase after Xue Jing.

On the main street at the edge of South City, Xue Jing was running ahead while more than a dozen people chased him.

A few minutes later, watching Xue Jing's figure gradually fade into the distance, everyone began to slow and eventually stopped.

"This... this little bastard... how can he run so fast..." someone panted, leaning on a machete thrust in the ground to support their exhausted body as they spoke in broken sentences.

"Damn it, we've been hunting these birds for days, and now the bird has pecked out our eyes. We've really messed up this time—didn’t catch him and even got a brother hurt."

"What do we do? Brother Du is still waiting at the warehouse. We couldn't even handle this small task, he's going to chew us out."

"What else can we do, the guy's..."

The dyed-hair youth hadn't finished speaking when he stopped short.

At the corner of the street, just about to run out of their sight, Xue Jing suddenly halted, slowly turned around, and looked back at them.

"Hey, that little brat, finally too tired to run, huh?"

Someone snorted with laughter.

“Let's go over there. This dog has given us so much trouble; we have to make sure we really settle the score later.”

“My tweezers for pulling teeth are almost rusted, and this kid looks like the type that girls who like pretty boys would fancy. I wonder if he’d still be their type without his teeth...”

The crowd laughed and moved toward Xue Jing.

...

The shouting and footsteps behind him gradually faded away, and Xue Jing understood that he had escaped danger.

The heartbeat induced by the crisis began to calm down, yet a fury was slowly igniting within him.

Damn it! Suddenly, a whole bunch of people came after him like he was a dog. Whatever the reason, he wouldn't forget this vendetta.

Logic told him he should leave immediately, avoid taking risks, and retrieve what was lost only after becoming stronger—patience pays, and revenge is a dish best served cold.

Emotion told him, to hell with logic!

He slowly turned around, gazing at the dozen or so figures across the street.

He opened the panel to confirm the passive effect of "Dual Nature," gaining a renewed sense of assurance.

Xue Jing glanced around on the ground and spotted half a brick, about the size of a fist, not far away.

He picked up the half-brick, weighing it in his hand.

Without expression, he began to walk steadily toward the group, who looked on in astonishment.

……