I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Feeling the gentle sensation from his fingertips, Xue Jing realized something was off, his expression suddenly changing.

Caught up in the heat of the moment, he hadn't considered much, seeing only the distance to her fingers and instinctively thinking he could take advantage of the situation with a flick.

Truly, it wasn't intentional.

While Xue Jing was momentarily stunned, Meng Qingjiao struck his chest with an open palm, sending him flying.

She still used her soft power.

Xue Jing performed a kip-up, quickly getting to his feet, and asked concernedly, "Senior Sister, are you okay?"

Meng Qingjiao shook her head.

She cast a long look at Xue Jing, her expression unchanged. If not for the faint blush on her face, it would seem as though nothing had happened.

The atmosphere turned a bit awkward, but fortunately, Li Qi stepped in to break the tension: "Alright, let's call it a day for training."

Hearing this, Xue Jing let out a sigh of relief.

After what happened, a subtle embarrassment had taken root in his heart, draining away his fighting spirit. Or, to put it another way, his energy to act had vanished; any punch would be powerless, practically ineffective.

Astute as ever, Li Qi noticed this and promptly ended today’s training session.

"Qingjiao, go rest," Li Qi said gently.

Meng Qingjiao nodded, thought for a moment, then walked over to Xue Jing. She patted his head, seemingly to reassure him not to worry.

Xue Jing was taken aback, but managed to discern a hint of maternal gentleness on the cool and pretty face in front of him.

After the short-haired beauty left, Xue Jing watched her curvaceous silhouette vanish and thought to himself.

'Next time, I'll prepare a grand feast for Senior Sister Meng... I'll put my heart and soul into it.'

Shaking his head, Xue Jing opened the panel and took a glance.

[Fitness Lv5]

[Wellness Lv3]

[Cooking Lv3]

[Running Lv5]

[Charm Lv4]

[Aim Lv3]

[Martial Arts Lv3]

[Force Management Lv4]

[Visualization Lv1]

These three days of combat training had been incredibly rewarding for him.

Particularly, his skills in Martial Arts and Force Management each raised by a full level, while Fitness, Aiming, and Wellness gained a significant amount of experience.

Of course, these are just numerical data displayed on the panel. The real combat experience he accumulated over these three days and the gradually developing combat strategy don't show on the panel.

This truly marks a significant enhancement in his combat prowess.

“Even though I’m used to your rapid progress, it still surprises me every time,” Li Qi mused as he stroked his chin.

“It’s all thanks to your excellent guidance, Master,” Xue Jing replied humbly.

Li Qi waved a dismissive hand, “As martial artists, we must learn to ‘deceive.’ You can’t always be speaking blunt truths.”

“In martial combat, if you can deceive your opponent, you’ve already won half the battle. Incorrect intelligence can be deadly in the heat of conflict; remember this.”

Xue Jing nodded, “Duly noted, Master.”

After pondering for a moment, Xue Jing asked, “By the way, Master, why are Senior Meng and the Senior Brother always silent?”

He voiced the question that had perplexed him since he joined.

Initially, he had thought the father-daughter pair were simply aloof and taciturn in nature. However, after spending some time with them, he realized things were not as he had imagined.

Senior Brother Meng Boshang, although never speaking, would always nod at him with a smile that was hard to discern but seemed well-intentioned.

Other than the constant silence and lack of expression, they didn’t quite fit the mold of being cold and indifferent.

“……”

Li Qi remained silent for a while, then sighed, “When Qingjiao was young, there was an incident…”

“Boshang, in his youth, used to follow me around the circles of the inner city. He was quite renowned and considered a promising young talent, acquainted with quite a few ladies from affluent families…”

“Among them was one particular lady, Qingjiao’s mother. They were quite fond of each other and soon married, giving birth to Qingjiao.”

"Speaking of which," Li Qi's aged, cloudy eyes revealed a trace of sadness and remorse.

"Back then, I was full of myself, thinking my martial prowess unrivaled, behaving arrogantly without knowing my limits. I dueled with people daily, eventually meeting my downfall at the hands of a ruthless character who crippled me, shattering my inner spirit."

"I have too many enemies. Upon hearing about my downfall, countless people took advantage of the situation to kick me while I was down."

"At that time, Bo Shang was by my side every day to ensure my safety, inevitably neglecting home affairs. On that particular day, only Qingjiao and her mother were at home when enemies came calling…"

"Qingjiao's mother, in order to protect her, hid Qingjiao and instructed her, 'Don't make a sound until mommy gets back.'"

Xue Jing listened silently, already having an inkling of what had transpired.

"By the time Bo Shang and I sensed something was wrong and returned, we found Qingjiao in the basement, starving for several days. Her mother had since disappeared, her fate unknown."

"Since that day, Qingjiao has never spoken again."

Li Qi gazed out the window.

"Bo Shang was originally talkative and cheerful, but later, to prevent Qingjiao from feeling like an oddity or a cripple, he joined her in silence."

"To escape our enemies and protect Qingjiao, we slunk away from the inner city and ended up in Qingcheng, opening the Hidden Dragon Dojo you see here."

Xue Jing remained silent, unsure of what to say.

In his heart, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of sympathy for Meng Qingjiao.

The reason that kept her from speaking—the instruction to 'keep quiet until mommy returns'—was truly heartbreaking.

Being an outsider, he couldn't express any opinions on the past Li Qi had described, so he remained silent.

"…Age makes one sentimental," Li Qi suddenly chuckled, "talks too much at times."

“You shouldn't worry about all this. They're just old tales, long past.”

Li Qi said, comforting Xue Jing.

“Master, do you want revenge?”

Xue Jing pondered for a moment and asked.

Li Qi shook his head, “An eye for an eye leaves the world blind... It's because I caused too much trouble and made so many enemies that Bo Shang's family found themselves in this mess.”

“I'll admit, the thought of revenge has crossed my mind. My last remaining obsession is to find the ones who hurt Qingjiao and her mother back in the day, but…”

Li Qi shook his head again, “I have too many enemies, I don't even know where to aim my anger anymore.”

Without hesitation, Xue Jing said, “Then don't worry about who exactly it is. We'll just crush them all eventually.”

Li Qi was taken aback.

“You’re bolder than I ever was at my peak. My enemies are all prominent figures from the inner city, not some insignificant folks from Qingcheng. Each one is tough to deal with. How do you plan to crush them all?”

Xue Jing blinked, saying earnestly, “I believe I can do it.”

Li Qi burst into hearty laughter.

“Well, I'll look forward to it then.”