I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Everyone stared in wide-eyed shock at the corpse of the cockroach monster lying on the ground.

“What the heck? Did you just throw a depleted uranium armor-piercing shell with your bare hands?”

Mountain Ape said incredulously.

The petite short-haired girl, Xiao Jing, muttered, “It should be the armor-piercing knife...”

Void Blade cast a deep glance at Xue Jing and said, “...That knife was quite expensive.”

After Xue Jing hurled the knife, it pierced through the cockroach monster and continued spiraling away into the distance, with no telling where it ended up.

Had this been in an animation, it would probably have a twinkling star effect.

Xue Jing's right arm hung powerless, the surface mottled with bruised marks, nearly the entire limb swollen to a purplish hue.

The repeated use of such a taxing move as the Spiral Thunder had left his arm in a grave state.

While silently channeling his energy to dissipate the bruises, he chuckled, “Sorry, couldn't hold back the power; let's try to find it. If not, I'll make it up to you.”

Void Blade shook her head, “I'm not asking for compensation..."

She glanced at Xue Jing's alarming arm, “Let's go, get on the plane. We'll take you back to the Hidden Dragon Dojo first. We can deal with other matters later. Your dojo should have special medicines for this kind of injury, right?”

Xue Jing pondered for a moment, then pulled out his phone with his other hand.

Remarkably, during the intense battle just now, the phone only suffered a cracked screen, with all other functions intact.

He tapped a few buttons to bring up the dial screen and called his homeroom teacher, Du Shiwei.

“Hello, Mr. Du, I've sustained some injuries and will be leaving early...”

On the other end, Du Shiwei hurriedly replied, “Take care. I understand completely.”

“Thank you, Mr. Du.”

Xue Jing grinned.

He hung up the phone and nodded to Void Blade, “Let's go, and thank you, Captain Void Blade.”

Void Blade acknowledged with a murmur.

Mountain Ape casually remarked from the side, “Boss, what about Qi Yu's body?”

Void Blade shook her head, “Qi Yu hasn't been with the squad long; he's not carrying any essential implants we need to recover. Just take his 'black ribbon.' The Security Bureau should be arriving shortly. We'll leave the body for them to handle, and just take this monster's corpse.”

Mountain Ape shrugged, “Another member gone. Captain, should we request reinforcements?”

“We'll discuss it later. You've seen Qi Yu's situation. Additional rookies won't make much difference... If we lose a few more, the casualty rate will be too high, and my year-end evaluation will drop.”

Xue Jing silently listened to their exchange, somewhat disheartened by White Crow Squad's indifferent and even apathetic attitude towards their comrade's death.

Soon, Mountain Ape had packed the cockroach monster's corpse.

The group boarded the helicopter. Under the watchful eyes of the students and teachers from Qingfu Middle School, the helicopter roared to life, the rotors stirring up a storm that sent dust flying everywhere. Slowly, it ascended into the sky, disappearing from view.

...

On the helicopter, Xue Jing opened a panel to survey his achievements.

【You have endured a life-and-death struggle, unlocking your physical potential, Fitness Experience Points +1367】

【You have endured a life-and-death struggle, dealt the final blow, and claimed a victory, feeling utterly delightful, Health Preservation Experience Points +939】

【You have endured a life-and-death struggle, executed the perfect throw, utilizing your precision to the fullest, Targeting Experience Points +1211】

【You have endured a life-and-death struggle...】

【Precision upgraded to Lv6】

【Hidden Dragon Technique upgraded to Lv5】

【Observational Technique upgraded to Lv5】

As he perused the row of notifications, despite the excruciating pain coursing through his body, Xue Jing felt an exhilarating satisfaction, like savoring a mouthful of sweet shaved ice on a blistering summer day.

He turned to gaze out of the helicopter.

High above, the vast expanse of Qingcheng unfolded within his view. Picking a direction at random, he concentrated, adjusting his pupil focus, clearly observing everything from miles away.

In an old restaurant, a few guests gathered around a table, chatting and laughing. Their subtle facial expressions were crystal clear to Xue Jing, who could even deduce their conversation from their mouth movements.

“The hotpot here is really good, so fresh with its ingredients. Great recommendation from Boss Zhang...”

“I’ve already spoken with Mr. Li, and he plans to give us that order...”

Xue Jing withdrew his gaze.

With Lv6 precision, his enhanced static vision functioned like a high-quality telescope, even possessing certain microscopic attributes.

He had an uncanny feeling that, discounting wind resistance, he could precisely hit a target miles away with a thrown stone.

It wasn't just about improving visual precision; the advancement in his targeting skill also enhanced his throwing instincts and touch sensitivity.

“About the abandoned building in the southern district, although we haven't found any trace of the Heavenly Parasite Queen there yet... we did have another find,” Void Blade spoke from inside the helicopter.

“When we arrived, due to the frequent seismic activities, we used instruments to detect anomalies and found that the area's pollution rate has exceeded 10%.”

Xue Jing asked, puzzled, “Pollution rate?”

He was hearing this term for the first time and didn't understand its significance.

Void Blade sighed slightly, “The level of education in this outer ring is truly worrying... seems like there’s so much you haven’t learned.”

She explained, “Pollution rate refers to the degree of contamination our real-world regions suffer from 'otherworld' influences.”

“When the current world collides with another realm, a 'phenomenon of overlapping worlds' occurs. The more severe the overlap, the higher the pollution rate.”

“If the two worlds just lightly graze each other, only a 'worldquake' will occur. In this case, the pollution rate generally ranges from 1% to 5% and quickly returns to 0%.”

“If the collision is more severe, with a pollution rate exceeding 10%, worldquakes will become very frequent. During intense contact, the worlds might tear open 'gaps' that temporarily fit together, leading to a 'weak overlapping phenomenon.' At this point, the pollution rate can soar above 30%.”

“When weak overlapping occurs, the physical laws and rules of the current area may change due to the overlap with the other realm. It may even allow creatures from the other world to enter the current one through these 'gaps.'”

Xue Jing suddenly realized, “Is this how boundary zones are created?”

Void Blade shook his head, “Yes, and no.”

“Boundary zones are a result of a pollution rate reaching 100%. It is neither the current world nor the other world, but something born from their fusion. It is also referred to as a ‘Sub-world.’”

“Weak overlaps can eventually develop into boundary zones, but the process can be reversed as long as the correct measures are taken to prevent the transition from 'weak overlap' to 'strong overlap.'”

“In the past sixty years, newly appeared boundary zones have not gradually evolved from weak overlaps but have instantaneously formed as areas with over 60% pollution due to the violent collision of the two realms, becoming irreversible boundary zones...”

Xue Jing nodded, expressing his amazement. “Fascinating insight.”

Standing with his arms crossed, Void Blade warned, “In any case, the abandoned buildings in South District could experience a weak overlap at any moment. Stay alert and don’t approach recklessly.”

Xue Jing nodded to show he understood.

...

At the Hidden Dragon Dojo, in the meditation chamber.

Xue Jing lay on a therapy bed, stripped down to just his shorts.

In his wheelchair, Li Qi spun the wheels, inspecting the outline of dragon scales lingering on Xue Jing’s skin. With a sigh, he commented,

Zhushan Ying and Meng Qingjiao stood at the head and foot of the bed, diligently applying ointment to his body.

“Little junior brother, you really can’t stop worrying us. Every time you come back, you’re covered in injuries.”

While massaging ointment into Xue Jing’s thigh, Zhushan Ying complained about the work it took to make sure the medication soaked into his skin.

“Hiss—” Xue Jing kept hissing in pain.

Using the Transmutation of Gold Scales, he endured all the impacts from the cockroach monster, resulting in severe internal damage. Even a light touch felt like his flesh was being scraped with an iron brush, let alone being massaged with force.

“Not my intention, circumstances forced my hand,” Xue Jing replied helplessly.

He never intended to end up injured every time, but there had been no other choice.

At the time, he was the only one capable of standing against the cockroach monster, so he had to act.

It's not that he was particularly self-sacrificing; he just believed he could bear it, so he decided to try.

In any case, he had a fallback plan...

“Senior Sister Zhu, be gentler, hiss—” Xue Jing sharply inhaled, feeling the cold.

Zhushan Ying gave a light scoff, saying, "It needs to hurt for you to remember."

On the other side, unlike Zhushan Ying’s firm approach, Meng Qingjiao's movements were much gentler. Her soft, delicate hands, seemingly belonging to someone who had never practiced martial arts, glided smoothly over Xue Jing's back.

With exquisite control over her strength, she silently and seamlessly worked the ointment into his skin, making Xue Jing feel hardly any pain and even a bit of comfort.

Its gentle touch glided across his back.

As Meng Qingjiao leaned forward to reach the further spots, her breathtaking “World Cup” faintly brushed against Xue Jing’s back.

“……”

The fragrance from the short-haired beauty kept drifting to his nose, making Xue Jing’s expression turn peculiar.

As if trying to divert his attention, he turned to Li Qi beside him and asked, “Master, do you know anything about the Golden Wind Dojo?”

He recalled Duan Kaiping from the academy.

That cockroach monster probably had something to do with Duan Kaiping.

And the faction he belonged to, the Razor Society, was backed by the Golden Wind Dojo.

Xue Jing thought it would be wise to learn more about them.

Li Qi paused in his movements upon hearing the words 'Golden Wind Dojo', then casually responded, “I know a bit. Jiao Hongyuan, the owner of Golden Wind Dojo, crossed paths with this old man when he was young.”

Curious, Xue Jing asked, “What kind of encounters?”

Li Qi shrugged, “Got beaten up by this old man, of course. He was then a disciple of the Golden Wind Baihong Sword style in the inner ring city.”

“The skills of the Golden Wind Baihong Sword style claim to hone one's fists and feet into blades, with gimmicks like ‘bladeless four-sword style’ and ‘bare-handed equaling armed’. Their disciples are even required to wear leather gloves and foot wraps in certain important venues or else they’re considered ‘armed’...”

“Given such intriguing claims, this old man couldn't help his curiosity and found an opportunity to spar with their disciples...”

He pinched his chin, reminiscing, “Aside from Jiao Hongyuan, there were probably three others... I can’t remember exactly... Anyway, they all got a good beating from this old man.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the almost faded dragon scale marks on Xue Jing's body.

“Their skills weren't enough to break this old man’s Golden Scale Skin, ending up being taken down with one punch each.” Li Qi tightened his fist, a bit smug.

Xue Jing complimented, “You’re truly mighty, Master.”

Li Qi waved his hand dismissively, “That's all in the past... Time changes all, and we’ve all aged.”

After some thought, Xue Jing asked, “Master, if I were to fight someone using the Golden Wind Baihong Sword style, what should I watch out for?”

Li Qi turned his wheelchair, circling as he pondered, “Hmm... Their style does have something to it. Bare-handed equaling armed isn’t just a gimmick. If you face them, you’ve got to treat them as if they’re wielding blades.”

“But for someone of your skills now, it doesn’t matter.” Li Qi added.

"Oh?" Xue Jing inquired with curiosity.

"You've grasped the technique of the Golden Scales. Your body now boasts a layer of golden scale skin, perfectly countering the Golden Wind Baihong Sword... just like I did in my day. No sword practitioner of that caliber can penetrate the golden scale defense."

Li Qi remarked casually.

"Unless the opponent's power far surpasses yours... in that case, it won't matter what you do."

Xue Jing mused, "I see..."

"Alright, you all continue applying the medicine. I'll take a stroll outside," Li Qi waved his hand, wheeling himself out of the Heart-Nurturing Room.

After he left, Meng Qingjiao gently touched Xue Jing's head.

"..."

Her calm, cool eyes gazed at Xue Jing, conveying a subtle hint of maternal warmth.

"Little Junior Brother, turn your body around~"

Zhushan Ying's voice, tinged with laughter, sounded.

Complying, Xue Jing turned over, switching from lying on his stomach to lying on his back, suddenly unsure where to place his gaze.

The enormous World Cup trophy loomed right above him...

The black loose training robe couldn't entirely conceal the tension, making one worry it might leap out at any moment.

The body of a half-pubescent youth truly invited trouble... easily leading astray.

Xue Jing closed his eyes, silently visualizing the Dormant Dragon Technique to avoid embarrassment.

Gentle hands roamed his chest, the medicine seeping into his skin, bringing a refreshing comfort.

Unknowingly, those hands drifted from his chest to his abdomen.

Simultaneously, Xue Jing sensed a great shadow cast above his face.

As the hands moved lower, the shadow loomed closer, the fragrance surrounding his nostrils grew more intense.

Accompanied by the touch on his cheek, Xue Jing couldn't hold it anymore.

He opened his eyes awkwardly.

What greeted him was the overshadowing form, and Zhushan Ying's peculiar gaze peeking through the gaps.

"Little Junior Brother, you..."

She began, a hint of shyness in her voice, her gaze drifting down briefly before snapping away as if shocked.

"..." Meng Qingjiao straightened, a faint blush on her elegant, cool face.

Xue Jing sighed.

This could be troubling.