I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

"Junior sister Zhu, don't mess around," said the young man among the inner disciples, shrugging. "You're not fully trained yet, and you have no control over your strength. He could be our future junior brother. What if you injure him?"

"Let's leave this to the most mature and composed here..."

Before he could finish, Old Li thoughtfully interrupted, "No, let's have Shanying do it."

"Huh?" The young man was puzzled. Just a moment ago, the master seemed to be quite fond of the boy. Why would he let the junior sister... This might turn into a mental trauma before he even joins. He gazed sympathetically at Xue Jing.

"Alright!" cheered the girl named Zhu Shanying, her bright and lively eyes curving into crescent moons. Without anyone noticing how she moved, she suddenly flickered to Xue Jing's side, her speed was exceptionally fast.

She took his hand and briskly led him towards the nearest arena. "Come with me, junior brother!"

Xue Jing's eyes flickered, that speed... He didn't resist, allowing the girl’s soft little hand to lead him forward.

The cat perched on the wheelchair's armrest pouted, feeling inexplicably displeased.

Zhu Shanying, pulling Xue Jing along, released his hand upon reaching the ring. Then, with two agile and graceful backflips, she bounded to the opposite side of him, cupping her fists with a smile, her eyes curving, saying:

"Little junior brother, please go easy on me!"

Xue Jing was somewhat amazed at her display of agility. While a backflip wasn't difficult, achieving such a light and natural level, akin to a cat's grace, was a completely different challenge.

It was his first time facing someone who seriously practiced martial arts, and there was a bit of excitement in his heart.

He copied the girl's example, cupped his fists as well, and said, "Please go easy on me."

As they took their positions, the surrounding disciples gathered around to watch.

"Hey, hey, hey, what exactly is happening here? Wasn't that person here to challenge the dojo? But then the host started asking questions like it's a matchmaking interview, and now what is this situation? I can't understand!"

"It's right to be confused. I don't understand either... Anyway, since Senior Sister Zhu is handling this, he will definitely end up very badly."

"I bet fifty cents that he'll at least end up with a broken arm and leg."

"Be more confident, I bet five dollars, all limbs broken."

"Tsk tsk, poor guy."

Xue Jing inexplicably noticed that nearly everyone looking at him had a hint of pity in their eyes that he couldn't comprehend.

At this moment, a young true disciple came to the middle of the ring, first patting Xue Jing's shoulder and comforting him, "Be cautious, and if you feel you can't go on, surrender quickly. I'll rush to save you then."

Xue Jing: "..."

"Then..."

The young man stood between the two, raised his right hand, and with a downward swing, said, "Begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, he leapt backward, out of the ring.

"Little junior brother, watch out!"

With a bright smile on her face, Zhu Shanying took a step forward, launching herself like an arrow from a bow, her speed was astonishing.

Her elegant hand twisted into a fist, aimed at Xue Jing.

Then... Xue Jing caught her wrist, smoothly performing an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming her hard into the ground.

“Bang!”

He held nothing back in this throw, even using some internal strength. The force was immense, causing the entire stage to shake fiercely. The girl lay flat on the ground, instantly falling into a serene, childlike slumber.

“Huh?” the awestruck disciples watching around.

“Hmm?” the young core disciple was bewildered.

Even the other two core disciples, who had remained silent since arriving, looking somewhat like a father-daughter pair, couldn't help but glance over at the boy standing in the ring. The entire dojo fell into an eerie silence.

“So... does this mean I've successfully challenged the dojo?”

Xue Jing stood on the stage, looking towards Li Qi, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and asked with confusion.

“……”

In the silence, Li Qi gazed at Xue Jing, then at the cat on the armrest, and sighed:

“...You truly have found a promising prodigy for this old man.”

...

On the way home, the cat sat proudly on Xue Jing's shoulder, exuding an air of smugness:

"Without ever practicing martial arts, yet you managed to defeat a core disciple of the Hidden Dragon Dojo. From now on, you have the privilege to visit the dojo anytime, receiving free guidance from Old Li. No one dares to question it."

"And I, I won't owe Old Li any big favors. Instead, having sent you, a good student, his way, Old Li should thank me."

"Win-win, a double victory for both of us."

The tail swept across Xue Jing's cheek, bringing a soft tickle. He pondered for a moment and said, "I didn't expect things to wrap up so quickly. I thought a core disciple from the Hidden Dragon Dojo would be really strong and had prepared myself to get severely beaten."

"You weren’t wrong," the cat said.

"In fact, that girl is indeed very strong, much stronger than you are now."

Xue Jing asked doubtfully, "Then why?"

The cat smiled, "I would instead ask you, why does being stronger guarantee victory?"

"In this world, there are countless examples of the weak prevailing over the strong. Some have even overcome ten thousand troops with just eight hundred men. Such a disparity can still be overturned, let alone the difference between you and that girl."

"Martial arts isn't about comparing numbers. There isn’t a rule that the person with the bigger number always wins. Mood, state of mind, will, intelligence, strategy... even something as trivial as luck can become a deciding factor in victory."

"If that girl had been a bit more cautious, not using such an open striking posture, if she had known a bit about you, understood your reaction speed, if she had used her strength to guard herself ahead of time, if you hadn’t seized the opportunity with full force for an all-out strike..."

The cat paused meaningfully.

"Any slight change in these factors, and she wouldn't have lost to you. But the undeniable truth is, she was defeated."

"This is the world of martial artists."

Xue Jing seemed to grasp something.

"This is also a valuable lesson for you. With your talent, you should become much stronger in the future. But you must not let this lead to arrogance, otherwise, a situation like today's might happen again."

"Be careful," the cat reminded him.

Xue Jing chuckled, "I'll be mindful, Teacher Wan."

Hearing this title, the cat nodded with satisfaction.

[You have experienced a battle where the weak triumphed over the strong. Martial experience points +211]

[You have experienced a battle where the weak triumphed over the strong. Fitness experience points +121]

[You have experienced a battle where the weak triumphed over the strong. Mood improvement, wellness experience points +89]

[You have experienced a battle where the weak triumphed over the strong. Aim experience points +56]

[You have experienced a battle where the weak triumphed over the strong. Power exertion experience points +139]

[Martial arts leveled up to Lv2]

Xue Jing glanced at the notifications on the panel, feeling his body grow stronger, and smiled silently, a sense of satisfaction filling his heart.

"By the way, since you can hit that kind of delicate girl so hard without hesitation, could it be... you have a misogyny problem or something?" the cat suddenly asked.

Xue Jing gave it a puzzled look and shook his head.

"Not at all. I'm just a genuine believer in gender equality. I treat hitting men and women equally..."