I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

In the school, a cockroach monster faced a crowd of almost defenseless students; at that point, describing it as a tiger amongst sheep didn't quite capture the scene.

Without sparing much thought, he reached out and patted the equally panic-stricken Li Ge by his side. "Don't just stand there, call the police. Just say there's a cockroach monster at Qing Affiliate High."

Li Ge, snapped out of his daze, hurriedly took out his phone, only to see Xue Jing taking off his tracksuit and striding towards the teaching building.

"Jingye, you..." He wanted to stop him but then suddenly remembered—Xue Jing had been in the news just a few days ago for single-handedly taking down a monster!

Gritting his teeth, Li Ge, though still worried, said no more and instead ran away from the building, making a call to 110 as he dashed.

"Hello! There's a giant cockroach at Qing Affiliate High..."

The teachers were similarly seized by panic, but being adults, they managed to maintain some semblance of responsibility, handling the crisis better than the students.

"Students, don't push or crowd, watch your step!"

Many noticed Xue Jing heading towards the teaching building.

"What's the senior doing? Why isn't he running?"

"Didn't you watch the news the other day? He's a martial genius who's killed a monster!"

"Stop watching, get moving!"

...

The cockroach monster, gnawing at the meat in its claws, watched its prey flee in all directions, completely unconcerned.

To it, their escape speed was no different from standing still; it could catch up in an instant if it chose to, so it didn't bother hindering them.

Who should it eat next?

Its multi-faceted eyes, devoid of apparent emotion, surveyed the prey before it—a target that seemed to have little meat but promised a tender bite.

Lin Shiyu froze, unable to move.

Like a newborn herbivore facing the apex predator of the food chain, her mind went blank, incapable of even contemplating escape; her genetic instincts had already surrendered.

At this moment, a figure appeared by her side.

"Yes, it's at Qing Affiliate High... I'll see if I can handle it... Spare it? Don't make it hard on me; I don't even know if I can win."

"...This one is completely different from the last one."

Xue Jing, holding his phone, spoke while observing the cockroach monster before him, eyes slightly narrowed.

Compared to the one he encountered at the Rui Pearl Hotel, this one had undergone significant changes.

It was larger, its exoskeleton was darker and looked extremely tough; the spikes on its six legs were longer, and even the antennae on its head glowed with a sharp luster.

"Compared to the last one... has it undergone genetic optimization?"

Xue Jing turned to look at the girl beside him and realized she was the junior who had once brought him a towel and caused quite an incident.

"Can you still move?" Xue Jing pondered for a moment before asking.

Lin Shiyu, staring blankly at him, regained her senses upon hearing the question. Her face crumpled as she muttered, "I...my legs have gone numb."

Xue Jing frowned.

"Croak—"

The cockroach monster discarded the human bones it had already gnawed clean, its compound eyes fixed on this new prey.

Assessed as: Excellent flesh quality.

"..."

Feeling the gaze of the cockroach monster completely on him, Xue Jing sighed and said to his junior schoolmate, "Then, you're on your own."

Schoolmate: "..."

Isn't this the time for heroically rescuing her?

"First, then..." Xue Jing's gaze sharpened.

"Opening move on a monster, first suppress its health!"

The power of twins, the speed of twins!

In an instant, Xue Jing vanished from his spot.

The next moment, he appeared in front of the cockroach monster.

The true dragon within him stirred, his force surged rampantly, his muscles tightened, as hard as steel.

Spiraling indentations flowed from his shoulder, swirling down to his fist, subtly slimming the arm yet emanating an alarming sense of ultimate power.

In the moment before the cockroach monster could react, Xue Jing threw a powerful punch!

Finishing move—Whirling Thunder!

Like a true dragon soaring through the clouds, rotating its body, stirring up a thunderstorm, the compressed extreme force released in a spiral from his fist, striking directly at the cockroach monster's chest.

"BOOM!!!"

Out of nowhere, a thunderous crack sounded, and the cockroach monster's entire body spun backward like a fan, flying at high speed straight into the school building's main entrance, without stopping, smashing through several walls with continuous explosive sounds.

All the breaches made by the monster were spiral-shaped, as if drilled by a massive power tool.

The teachers and students who had been fleeing turned back at the noise and were all dumbfounded.

"Whoa...whoa damn!"

"Is that Xue Jing!? The guy from the news a few days ago?"

"It's senior, senior stepped in!"

"Master Jing’s awesome!"

Many stopped in their tracks, staring with excitement at the figure still maintaining a punching stance.

As the closest spectator to this punch, Lin Shiyu's hair was blown backward by the burst of air, her hands covering her mouth, staring incredulously at the boy in front of her.

Which side is the real monster here?

Xue Jing ignored the thoughts of those around him; he retracted his fist and pressed his arm.

His skin was covered in a red-purple hue of bruising, but with a surge of force, the bruises cleared, and he leaped through the hole the cockroach monster had made, into the school building.

Upon entry, Xue Jing didn't find the cockroach monster but saw a man lying nearby, missing the lower half of his body.

The man was dressed in janitor's clothes, blood pooling beneath him. He was gasping for air, looking as though he was at death's door. Seeing Xue Jing, he stretched out his hand, his voice trembling, "Help... help me..."

"Duan Kaiping?" Xue Jing frowned, recognizing who the half-torso man was. "What is he doing here?"

Before he could ponder further, a shadow shot towards him like a bolt of lightning, tearing through the air, leaving a faint white streak in its wake.

The impact was evident, and Xue Jing dared not confront it head-on. He swiftly activated Twin Speed, dodging to the side.

"Smack!"

Xue Jing managed to evade, but Duan Kaiping, who was in the shadow's path, wasn't so fortunate.

In a heartbeat, he was pulverized into a cloud of blood mist, his shattered flesh and viscera—a grotesque mix of red, yellow, and white—splattering messily, painting the walls and floor.

Witnessing this grim fate, Xue Jing's scalp tingled with fear. Had it been him, his outcome would likely be no better.

This cockroach monster was leagues beyond the one at Rui Zhu Hotel!

"Use wits, not brawn!"

Xue Jing's eyes turned steely as he looked toward the cockroach monster clinging to the ceiling with its six insect legs.

It bore little damage save for a spiral-shaped fist mark on its chest, making Xue Jing wince.

His previous attack had been full-force, compressing his power to the limit, utilizing the Twin Power, all measures except his secret Shadow Flame.

"Stall for time until Bai Ya arrives." Xue Jing planned his next battle move.

"Caw—"

The cockroach monster clicked its mandibles, transforming once more into a black bullet, racing toward Xue Jing.

"Bang!"

In its wake, walls and support columns alike bore the brunt of its charge, pierced through effortlessly.

Xue Jing attempted a nimble backward flip, thinking he'd escaped, but a tearing sound revealed otherwise.

His shirt ripped apart, exposing a divine-like sculpted upper body, but now marred with a bloody scratch on his chest.

Looking up towards the cockroach creature, it had smashed into a classroom, dust clinging to its body from the broken walls. Two of its antennae now sported a tattered cloth, stained with spots of blood.

"Did its antennae cut me as I dodged?" Xue Jing narrowed his eyes.

He kept a cautious watch on the cockroach monster while searching peripherally for something.

As his gaze flickered, seemingly finding what he sought, the black projectile came at him again.

Biting down, Xue Jing triggered Twin Speed, his body seemingly fast-forwarded as he darted toward the nearby corridor.

As he touched the ground, he reached and scooped up a red powder fire extinguisher.

Xue Jing swiftly turned around and hurled the object toward the cockroach monster, aiming precisely for its head.

The cockroach monster, oblivious to what this object might be, stretched out one of its legs to strike at the extinguisher.

"Boom!"

The extinguisher exploded, a massive amount of powder covering the cockroach monster's face, smearing its compound eyes into a white blur.

"Gwa—"

The cockroach monster immediately appeared distressed, vigorously rubbing its face with two of its legs, trying to clear its eyes.

Without hesitation, Xue Jing yanked a stainless-steel pipe from the sink in the nearby restroom and charged at the creature, swinging it down with all his might.

The whooshing pipe sliced through the air, striking the cockroach monster's head and driving it into the ground.

The pipe snapped at the connector under the force of impact. Xue Jing discarded the broken pipe and punched the creature's head with his left hand. Spiral imprints appeared where his fist landed.

Boom!

Like a hammer striking a nail, the forceful blow drove the cockroach monster's head into the floor, creating a ring of spiral-shaped cracks.

"Gwa—"

A muffled, bizarre cry emanated from the cockroach monster's buried head as its four thin wings suddenly unfurled and began to flap furiously, whipping up a massive gust that sent dust swirling everywhere.

Xue Jing closed his eyes as his vision was obscured, jumping back to distance himself from the monster.

When he opened his eyes again, the only thing left was a large hole in the floor; the cockroach monster had vanished.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp noise, like air being torn, sounded from behind him. Xue Jing spun around but saw nothing.

Another "whoosh" came from beside him.

The sound of air cutting became continuous, assailing his ears. Xue Jing looked up—

A shapeless black shadow zipped around the entire school building, moving like a supercharged bouncing ball. It wove a web of black lines, encircling him within.

Xue Jing felt his heart jolt.

At this rate, he couldn't tell from which angle the cockroach monster would strike next!

This damn thing had quite the battle IQ!

Although surprised, Xue Jing did not feel fear.

The passive effect of "Twin Lives" had yet to trigger, so death wasn't a significant consequence for him.

Still, if he could avoid dying, he certainly would prefer not to.

Xue Jing calmed himself and shut his eyes.

Since he couldn't see where the attack would come from, he decided not to look at all.

Visualization Technique—

Scenes of the entire school building unfolded in Xue Jing's mind, drawing information from the surrounding sounds to imagine the cockroach monster's movement path.

"Swish, swish, swish, swish…"

Xue Jing's mind danced with the image of a black lightning bolt, focusing on it with unwavering imagination. It wasn't until a sudden moment when he snapped open his eyes.

In his mind, the black lightning, after a bounce, swooped towards him from behind.

Simultaneously, in the real world, the cockroach monster matched the shadow's actions in his mind, charging at Xue Jing.

...

"Rattatatatatata—"

The side doors of a military helicopter flung open, revealing four men and women inside.

Void Blade, clad in a black tactical suit, sat by the door and gestured below. "That school is Qing Attached High."

"Xue Jing is likely engaged in combat with the insect spawn from the Skystream Matriarch."

The helicopter veered closer to Qing Attached High.

"Captain, is this Xue Jing really that incredible? You even offered him those terms to keep him around?"

Inside the cabin, a petite girl with short hair in matching tactical gear asked curiously.

"You'll see soon enough how skilled he is," nearby, Mountain Ape shrugged.

"Heh, Mountain Ape, just because he thrashed you, doesn't mean he's that amazing," a long-haired man beside him chuckled.

Mountain Ape rolled his eyes, "Believe it or not. But if you want to challenge him and get beat up, don't say I didn't warn you."

"That's enough. Let's drop it," Void Blade's voice remained calm.

Unbeknownst to all, the helicopter had reached the skies over Qing Attached High.

"We're here, let's move,"

Just as the last word faded, Void Blade leaped into the open air from tens of meters above.

The others followed suit in quick succession.

...

At the instant the cockroach monster nearly collided with Xue Jing, his perception of the world abruptly slowed.

It felt eerily similar to the day at the Ruzhu Hotel when he grasped the Secret Cloud Tail, the sensation resurfacing in his heart.

Fragments flashed through his mind, a true dragon with wings appeared amidst the sea of clouds.

It stretched its form, golden scales aglow with layers of light, each one shimmering and quivering, reminiscent of pearls cascading onto a jade plate, emitting a pleasing sound.

Enthralled, the dragon began to twirl in the cloud sea, waves of golden scales unfurling, their razor-sharp edges slicing through the air, conjuring a tornado reaching skyward.

On Xue Jing's skin appeared markings akin to dragon scales.

Power surged and spun within his skin, while he himself started to whirl like a top, with such velocity that surrounding dust rose and transformed into a sandstorm vortex.

Hidden Dragon Stream's ultimate move—Golden Scale Transformation!

...