I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Three days later.

In the cultivation room of the Hidden Dragon Dojo.

Xue Jing stood in the center of the room, wearing a black practice uniform and standing barefoot on the wooden floor. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, his skin from the chin down was covered in dense patches of "dragon scales."

He practiced the breathing technique associated with the Rattle Armor Skill, causing the dragon scales to expand and tremble, reminiscent of a true dragon shaking its armor, producing a crisp sound.

"Hmm... my injuries shouldn't be a big issue anymore, at least I can start practicing again."

Xue Jing clenched his hand into a fist and nodded. Over the past three days, he had been recuperating, and the condition of his skin had improved significantly.

Letting the dragon scales disperse, Xue Jing took a deep breath, his gaze focused.

His muscles tensed as he gathered energy, a dragon's roar echoed around him.

On his right shoulder, spiral-like dents began to appear, spiraling towards his fist, as if a towel were being tightly twisted, making his entire arm appear slightly slimmer.

Although the Tornado Thunder technique was ready, Xue Jing chose not to strike just yet.

Instead, he activated [Twins]. Three days ago, he had chosen [Physical Defense] as its new active effect. Now was the time to test its effect.

The spiral compressed energy put a great burden on Xue Jing, with his arm barely able to withstand the load. However, after activating [Twins], his right arm, which felt like it was about to explode, suddenly relaxed.

With doubled physical defense, he had twice the physical endurance. At this moment, every aspect of his physique—bones, muscles, skin, and internal organs—had doubled endurance, defying physical limits.

Naturally, the Tornado Thunder, which was famed for its limitless compression of energy, could also be pushed to his newfound limit, doubling it!

With eyes narrowed, Xue Jing continued with the Tornado Thunder technique, compressing his energy further!

His muscles contracted with each vibration, the inner roar of the dragon grew louder, and the spiral dents on his right shoulder began to extend backward, as if numerous serpents were crawling beneath his skin.

The dents spiraled around, spreading over his collarbone, neck, armpits, and finally encircling his entire right pectoral muscle.

His muscles quivered under the unbearable strain, and Xue Jing realized he had reached his limit.

"Hah!"

He shouted loudly and punched the air in front of him with an unparalleled direct punch!

"Boom!!"

In the Hidden Dragon Dojo, the sound of thunder suddenly erupted, echoing in everyone's ears.

Countless disciples in the training hall looked up, puzzled.

"Was that thunder?"

"How strange, the weather forecast said it would be clear for days, and it doesn't look like it's going to rain outside?"

In the Heart of Cultivation, Li Qi sat quietly in his wheelchair, holding an ancient thread-bound book. Upon hearing the explosive sound, he immediately turned his head toward the direction of the training room, smiling silently with satisfaction in his eyes.

“Boom!!”

A spiraling airflow, visible to the naked eye and several meters in diameter, roared forward from the point of impact of a powerful punch.

The open glass windows emitted a rattling sound, trembling incessantly as if on the brink of shattering; the curtains hanging nearby were swept up by the ferocious current, unhooked, and whirled out of the window like a ceiling fan.

Xue Jing clenched his fist, looking at his arm.

“A blow like this could probably take out that cockroach monster,” he muttered to himself.

Having activated the dual ability of [Physical Defense], his combat power limit was almost doubled.

“It's not just Tornado Thunder; both Turn Golden Scales and Seal Cloud Tail have also benefited.”

“Moreover, this enhances the upper limits of [Twins' Power] as well.”

Twins' active effect allows for ignoring any physical laws, doubling a particular aspect of the physical body.

The doubled strength bestowed by Twins applies here as well.

If martial arts were mathematics, then techniques and power exertions would be different mathematical formulas.

And [Twins' Power] would be the unconditional addition of an 'X2' at the end of any formula.

Previously, the compressed force of the Tornado Thunder could unleash a punch with double normal power; with Twins' Power, it becomes quadruple.

Now, with Twins' Defense activated, Tornado Thunder can compress a punch to triple normal power, and using Twins' Power transforms it to six times the usual strength!

Twins—an increasingly exaggerated divine skill in the late stages!

“Feels a bit invincible,” Xue Jing nodded in satisfaction.

Additionally, over the past three days, he tested the Lv3 Twins' consumption and cooldown time.

So far, three active effects have been unlocked: [Power], [Speed], and [Defense].

Among these, [Speed] consumes the most; using Twins' Speed alone, it lasts about thirty seconds before fully depleting the 'mana.'

[Power] follows, sustaining around fifty seconds.

[Defense] consumes the least, lasting nearly three minutes when only Twins' Defense is used.

These capabilities share 'mana,' and if all three are used simultaneously, they last less than fifteen seconds.

Once the 'mana' is exhausted, it takes roughly five hours to fully recover, an hour less than when first activated.

Overall, Lv3 Twins have seen significant improvements across all aspects.

Having organized his current state, Xue Jing was about to continue training.

Just then, his phone, placed nearby, vibrated.

Xue Jing walked over, picked up the phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and took a look.

It was a message from Wu Youqing.

Xue Jing's spirits lifted immediately.

Could it be that there's a new mission?

For him, divine power was always a scarce resource.

In the last few days of rest and recovery, he had been practicing the integration of Bastet's power with Ning Fengwan every day.

Compared to the first time, however, the results were somewhat lackluster.

Every time, Ning Fengwan ended up trembling, but the platinum glow on her tail ring seemed dim, and after each session, her body was only slightly strengthened, without acquiring powers like the 'Serpent Slayer Commando' from other supernatural beings.

The divine power absorbed amounted to only a few points, sometimes reaching over ten.

While "steady and slow" might eventually lead to a substantial return over time, it was nowhere near as thrilling as obtaining several hundred points of divine power all at once from a divine relic.

Xue Jing quickly opened the message.

【Wu Youqing: [Image]】

"What is this?"

Xue Jing clicked on the image, feeling somewhat puzzled.

It was a photograph. In the picture was... a man?

Xue Jing wasn't entirely certain.

The photo was taken from a very close angle, making it hard to discern the surroundings, but faint clues suggested it was on some kind of platform.

Standing on the stage was a youthful figure wearing a black masculine haori, with long black hair cascading down to the waist, a face of extraordinary beauty, and an ambiguous gender. They were bowing slightly towards their opponent.

In their hand was a beautifully antique long sword, its hilt and sheath a faded, oxidized gray-brown, exuding a heavy sense of historical weight.

【Xue Jing: What's this, an Extreme East person?】

Observing the distinctively island nation style of the outfit and stance, Xue Jing inquired.

【Wu Youqing: He is the third heir of the Otogi family, one of the six major financial cliques of the Extreme East, Otogi Suzuka.】

【Xue Jing: Hmm? Sounds quite formidable.】

【Wu Youqing: He indeed is, but that's not the main point. Look at the sword he holds.】

【Wu Youqing: It's the GOD-519, the Blade Impermeable...】

Xue Jing raised an eyebrow.

He immediately requested a video call with Wu Youqing.

She did not decline, and soon, the call was connected.

On the phone screen appeared Wu Youqing's ever calm and serene face.

She was wearing a pink chiffon blouse, with a refined bow at the neckline, her hair tied in its usual high ponytail. Her bare face looked nothing like a wealthy and domineering woman, but rather like the prettiest girl in the class, clean and pure.

The front-facing camera also captured Xue Jing's face as he smiled and said:

"BOSS, what are the orders? Is this a new containment mission?"

On screen, Wu Youqing shook her head and replied, "GOD-519 is not in an out-of-control state; there's no need for containment."

Xue Jing questioned, "Then why?"

Wu Youqing refrained from answering directly, instead continuing, "GOD-519: The Impermeable Blade. Its ability is simple, called 'Everlasting Edge.'"

Xue Jing raised an eyebrow, "The kind of 'Everlasting Edge' I'm thinking of?"

Wu Youqing nodded, "Exactly as it sounds—everlasting. Experiments were once conducted where the blade of GOD-519 withstood temperatures exceeding ten million degrees for ten minutes."

"As a result, not a single particle on the blade changed."

Ten million degrees... that's a nuclear explosion level temperature, prolonged.

Xue Jing marveled, "Truly an artifact of the divine... defying logic, and physics."

"So what do you need me to do, BOSS?" Xue Jing asked.

The image of Wu Youqing set her phone on the table, seemingly using a stand to keep it upright. Leaning back in her wooden chair, arms crossed, she shook her head gently and said softly, "It's not about what I need you to do, but whether you are willing to do something yourself. I'm merely providing you with some information this time."

Xue Jing tilted his head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Wu Youqing dropped the pretense and stated bluntly, "GOD-519 has a 'selective ownership' trait."

"When the current holder of GOD-519 acknowledges in their heart that they have lost to another person, its ownership transfers to the victor."

Xue Jing understood, "You mean..."

"Aren't you fond of divine relics?" Wu Youqing smiled, winding a strand of her high ponytail around her finger.

"Otogi Suzuka was trained in martial arts from a young age, a martial arts fanatic... He believes in pursuing the true human limits with the natural body, practicing the old martial arts. He has come across the sea to Zhuxia to participate in the U19 Unlimited Combat Championship."

"Normally, engaging him might cause severe diplomatic incidents, but not this time."

"Just defeat him in the U19... it's a fair opportunity to claim GOD-519."

"Of course, I'm merely sharing this information with you. How you proceed is entirely up to you."

Xue Jing rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "How skilled is this Otogi Suzuka?"

He was indeed tempted, as chances to interact with divine relics were rare, and he couldn't afford to miss this one.

Yet, he needed to thoroughly comprehend the situation first.

Wu Youqing pondered and then said, "Based on his performance in competitions in the Far East a year ago, he was, as you martial artists would categorize, approximately a fifth-level professional."

Xue Jing frowned, "Fifth Rank?"

In the world of martial artists, ranks are used to categorize a practitioner's level of proficiency.

Although not entirely precise, they offer a rough indication of a martial artist's skill tier.

Xue Jing had never officially been ranked, but through researching the characteristics of each rank online, he self-assessed that, without utilizing special abilities like "Dual Soul" or "Shadow Flame," he was roughly at a Professional Third Rank level.

However, actual combat scenarios often deviated. It wasn't uncommon in tournaments for fighters to outperform opponents ranked several tiers higher, as these ranks merely reflected surface-level skill distinctions.

"Otogi Suzuka, though a staunch advocate of ancient martial arts and disdainful of what he perceives as evil practices like 'forbidden drugs' and 'alien implants,' is fortunate to have been born into a family with access to the highest caliber of developmental resources in the world," Wu Youqing explained calmly.

"A Fifth Rank evaluation isn't just from a year ago, it's also based on him fighting barehanded," Xue Jing's eyes narrowed slightly, "What do you mean?"

"He's apprenticed under Sagami Tenzō, one of the five master swordsmen of the extreme east old martial arts, and inherited the complete teachings of Sagami's 'Sōzashigi Shinnagare,'" Wu Youqing revealed with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"They call him the 'Ninefold Sword Master'...which means, with a sword in hand, his strength is over nine times greater than when he's unarmed." Xue Jing's mouth twitched.

"The U19 Ultimate Fighting Tournament permits the use of weapons... so you mean to say I have to defeat him wielding a sword to claim GOD-519?" Wu Youqing nodded with a smile.

Xue Jing laughed awkwardly, "I'll think about it when I have the time. It's not that I'm scared, just genuinely busy lately..."

Wu Youqing, with an implication, added, "It's your decision... Also, if you wish to compete, act quickly."

"The qualifiers are over and the regional eliminations are about to start. Considering what you need to do, I can have a word with the authorities, use a bit of influence to list you as a seed player directly entering the Maple City eliminations."

"You have a week to decide."

After hanging up the video call, Xue Jing appeared troubled.

GOD-519... he really wanted it.

A truly indestructible weapon was an irresistible lure for any warrior.

Not to mention the divine essence inherent within the relic itself.

Yet his current strength was insufficient.

Barehanded, at Professional Fifth Rank, Otogi's nominal strength already vastly surpassed his, not taking into account the 'nine times with a sword' narrative.

And this data was a year old...

"Sigh, I need to get stronger," Xue Jing stood up, black flames quietly igniting in his eyes.

Kong De's Security Company

Otogi Suzuka

Heavenly Worm Mother...

He needed to become stronger.

Urgency surged within Xue Jing's heart.