I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Upon reaching the seventeenth floor via the elevator, Xue Jing entered through the main doors and immediately spotted the receptionist, the same young woman in a qipao who had greeted him yesterday.

Xue Jing walked up to the front desk, tapped it lightly, and smiled, "Good morning."

The qipao-clad receptionist, yawning earlier due to arriving early for work and secretly playing on her phone, was startled. She quickly put away her phone and stood up when she saw Xue Jing.

"Goo... Good morning, Young Master Xue."

Young Master?

The somewhat archaic term sounded a bit extravagant to Xue Jing’s ears.

Waving his hand dismissively, he sighed humbly, "What’s with the 'Young Master'? No need to be so formal. Keep it simple, just call me Mr. Jing."

The young woman in the qipao was momentarily speechless.

Mr. Jing sounds even more excessive than Young Master.

Nonetheless, she immediately responded with a sweet smile, "Yes, Mr. Jing~"

"Ah," Xue Jing acknowledged her response. He felt much more at ease now.

Yesterday, after defeating Zhu Shanying, his fellow disciple, Li Qi had announced on the spot his intention to accept him as an apprentice, further expanding his roster of direct disciples at the Hidden Dragon Dojo.

From this moment on, he became the personal junior brother of the Hidden Dragon Dojo, his status second only to the head, Li Qi. The ordinary disciples had to respectfully call him 'Senior Brother', and even the staff not part of the disciples had to address him as 'Young Master'.

"It feels like I've suddenly jumped across class boundaries..."

Xue Jing thought as he left the reception area and stepped into the dojo.

The girl in the qipao watched his back, not sitting down with a sense of longing until he disappeared from her sight.

Xue Jing walked straight ahead and arrived at the training hall.

It was still early, and only a few diligent ordinary disciples were present. Upon seeing him enter, they each greeted him, calling him 'Senior Brother' with a respectful attitude.

This was one reason Ning Fengwan had him join the dojo through a 'challenge match'. After yesterday's event, having witnessed his strength, no one had any objections to such a young and talented youth becoming a personal disciple so suddenly.

"Junior Brother! Over here, over here."

A voice called out, making Xue Jing turn to see a handsome young man, one of the personal disciples.

"…Senior Brother." Xue Jing nodded at him and smiled.

The young man smiled back brightly and said, "My last name is Chen, first name Fuguang. You can call me Senior Brother Chen."

"Come with me, Junior Brother, I've been waiting for quite a while."

With that, he took the lead and walked out of the training hall.

Xue Jing stood up and followed.

Chen Fuguang led the way, saying, "You're a personal disciple, so you have your own dedicated training room. I've already tidied it up for you. From now on, you can practice there. I'll guide you to it first."

Xue Jing nodded, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Oh, by the way, Senior Brother Chen, where are Master and the other senior brothers and sisters?" he asked curiously.

"Master has an appointment with a doctor today. He has some old issues with his legs, so every now and then he goes for a check-up. He'll be back soon," Chen Fuguang explained with a smile. "As for the other senior brothers... let me introduce you to them."

"Currently, there are four personal disciples at the dojo. Besides me, the fifth disciple, yesterday you faced Junior Sister Zhuying Zhu, who ranks sixth and is the youngest personal disciple aside from you. The other two you met yesterday are Senior Brother Meng Boshang and Fourth Senior Sister Meng Qingjiao."

Chen Fuguang smiled and nodded, "They're father and daughter. Senior Brother was the first to join, and later he married and had a daughter, Meng Qingjiao. Because of her talent, Master also took her in as a disciple."

"As personal disciples, we all have our duties. It's a coincidence that all four of us were present yesterday. Senior Brother and Senior Sister Zhu are very proactive. After you left yesterday, they went out to work and haven't returned yet. Junior Sister Zhu is accompanying Master to see the doctor..."

As they conversed, they turned a corner and arrived at an elegantly decorated, ancient-style corridor. Looking up, Xue Jing saw seven doors, three on the left and four on the right, each with a plaque bearing Chinese numbers, neatly numbered from one to seven.

"Master's name is Li Qi. When he established the dojo more than twenty years ago, he said he would take on seven personal disciples. So, no matter how many times the dojo has relocated, there are always preparations for seven training rooms during renovations."

Chen Fuguang remarked with a hint of emotion, "Little Junior Brother, ever since you arrived, our Hidden Dragon Dojo is finally complete."

The two of them walked to a door marked with the number 'Seven'. Chen Fuguang reached out and pushed the door open.

Inside was a spacious room of about eighty square meters, with a luxuriant mahogany hardwood floor. The room was almost devoid of any furnishings, allowing one to take in the entirety of the space at a glance.

"This training room will be yours from now on," Chen Fuguang said, giving Xue Jing's shoulder a pat. Then, changing the subject abruptly:

"Alright, I have some important matters to attend to. Feel free to wander around the dojo, Little Junior Brother. The Master will return shortly."

Xue Jing nodded, smiling as he replied, "It seems that a personal disciple's life is really busy. Even Senior Brother Chen has to head out early in the morning for work."

Chen Fuguang waved dismissively, "Not exactly. Last night I met a wealthy lady at the bar, and we've arranged to exchange insights on martial arts today..."

Xue Jing: "..."

...

Chen Fuguang rushed off urgently. Xue Jing didn't wander about aimlessly but instead stayed in the training room, calmly practicing his breathing technique.

As his various physical skills improved and he gradually developed internal strength, his body showed great adaptability to the breathing technique.

Right now, he could carry out around twenty cycles of the basic breathing technique before feeling as though he couldn't go on.

【You have practiced a breathing technique once: Fitness experience +16】

【You have practiced a breathing technique once: Fitness experience +16】

After practicing the breathing technique twice, half an hour passed, and suddenly, an ancient voice came from the side:

"Your basic breathing technique bears traces of the technique from the Golden Wind Dojo. Where did you learn it from?"

Xue Jing opened his eyes and realized that Li Qi, who was in a wheelchair, was right next to him. He had no idea when Li Qi had arrived, appearing as if out of nowhere.

Hurriedly, he stood up and clasped his hands in salute, "Master."

After a pause, he added, "A classmate at school once trained at the Golden Wind Dojo. He taught me."

Li Qi nodded and smiled, "No need to be formal. I was just casually asking. After all, you are Xiao Ning's little boyfriend, so apart from being master and disciple, there's another kind of connection between us."

Xue Jing was momentarily taken aback but didn't refute the term 'little boyfriend.' Instead, he asked curiously, "Master, what is your relationship with her?"

Li Qi pondered for a moment and reflected, "I should be considered... someone who wanted to be her grandfather but never got to be."

Xue Jing: "Ah?"

……

Wishing all readers a happy Chinese New Year's Eve!