I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Xue Jing sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, his longsword resting flat on his knees, eyes closed and completely still.

The only sound in the entire training room was the unbroken rhythm of his breathing.

After a long moment, Xue Jing furrowed his brows and opened his eyes.

“No, it won't do. Imagining a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood out of nowhere... it all feels so unreal.”

He was trapped in the cultivation of the ‘Asura Blade Intent’.

The Blade of Asura must be tempered with blood.

Yet he struggled to envisage such pure killing intent, of slaughtering all to prove one’s own path with a landscape of death.

“I lack the material.”

Xue Jing shook his head.

The only person he personally killed was Zhu Yingkun, incinerated with shadow flame during a containment mission.

The rest were merely two cockroach monsters...

With such a meager store of ‘material’, he simply couldn't comprehend the true essence of the Asura Blade.

Though he could force a semblance of sensation through 【Conceptualization】, it ultimately lacked the feel of genuine killing intent, unable to grasp the essence fully.

“I can’t just go around killing people to practice... I’ll leave it to fate.”

Xue Jing shook his head, stood up, raised his longsword, and began practicing the basic forms of the blade technique with precision.

Slash, chop, lift, intercept, thrust, hook, pierce...

He practiced earnestly, striving to make each move’s posture and force reach his ideal of perfection.

With 【Blade Combat】 now activated, Xue Jing could almost palpably sense his improvement with each swing.

The blade grew more and more responsive in his hands, the slashes flowed smoother with each stroke.

After half an hour, “Whew—”

the sword sliced through the air, whistling as it went. Xue Jing withdrew the blade with a flourish and sheathed it.

【You've completed a blade technique practice, Blade Combat experience +55】

【Blade Combat upgraded to Lv2】

In a flash, Xue Jing felt an even deeper connection with the long blade in his hand, as if their bond was one of blood and sinew. It was as though the blade was an extension of his own body, an integral part of him.

“A few more levels up, and I suppose I'll become an 'Innate Blade Saint'... Or maybe the deity of weaponry from ancient Greece?”

Xue Jing mused.

The enhancement from [Weapon Combat] went beyond mere proficiency with blades—it encompassed all weapons.

At least, all cold weapons. He had tried wielding staves, swords, and spears over the past two days; without exception, they all felt right in his hands, just like the blade.

“In the old martial world, there are ‘Seven Great Titles’, one of which is ‘Master of Arms’... The martial artist who claims this title is hailed as the greatest expert in cold weaponry, mastering countless weapons with unparalleled skill.”

“With [Weapon Combat] in hand, I reckon I could play at being a ‘Master of Arms’ too.”

Xue Jing stroked his chin thoughtfully.

But for now, focusing solely on the blade was sufficient; mastering all weapons could come later.

He shook his head and continued his training.

Several hours later, as noon approached, Xue Jing completed his daily practice of Armor Tremor Techniques and, feeling hungry, headed to the canteen for a meal enriched with medicinal herbs. Afterward, he returned to the training room, ready to resume his blade practice.

Just then, his phone vibrated, prompting him to check his messages.

It was a WeChat message from Wu Youqing.

Attached was a dossier titled ‘Otogi Suzuka’.

Several more vibrations followed, delivering a series of videos.

Xue Jing didn’t open them immediately, but the thumbnails all featured a long-haired man wielding a long blade while wearing a black haori—clearly Otogi Suzuka.

Yesterday, Xue Jing had contacted a wealthy and influential ally, expressing his intention to participate in the U19 tournament and test his skills against Otogi Suzuka, hoping for some insight into his opponent.

Today, he received the information—quite swift, he thought.

Xue Jing replied with a simple "Thanks, BOSS," before opening the dossier.

[Otogi Suzuka, male, 18 years old, third heir of the Otogi financial group...]

Xue Jing browsed through, finding a detailed account of Otogi Suzuka’s familial background, relations, hobbies, and martial arts training, complete with numerous photographs.

One photo from a kendo competition showed a fierce match, with Suzuka’s shirt torn.

Studying the photo, Xue Jing confirmed the masculine physique—this was undoubtedly a man.

“His appearance is really deceiving.”

Looking at the photo of Otogi Suzuka, with her gentle features and long hair reaching her waist, Xue Jing couldn't help but comment.

He continued flipping through the documents.

“Subayashi Shogami Ryū…”

Xue Jing glanced at the detailed introduction of this martial arts style.

【The Sword Saint of the Far East, Sagami Tenzō, claims to be a descendant of 'Sakanoue Tamuramaro', the legendary martial god of the Far East…】

【He founded the martial arts school 'Subayashi Shogami Ryū’, named after Sakanoue Tamuramaro's sword, 'Subayamaru'.】

【The word 'Subayashi' implies 'quick', and the school is renowned in the martial arts world for its lightning-fast strikes.】

【Its ultimate technique, 'Deity-Slaying Slash', is reputed as 'A Thousand Cuts in an Instant', capable of delivering a thousand strikes in a single moment at its highest level.】

Xue Jing rubbed his chin.

“A Thousand Cuts in an Instant… sounds intriguing.”

Xue Jing had some knowledge of Sakanoue Tamuramaro, the martial god of the Far East, due to playing some gacha games that featured historical figures.

There was an interesting legend about him, claiming he was a descendant of the Eastern Han royal family, with the surname Liu…

Though it was just an unbelievable tale, totally unreliable, it left a deep impression on Xue Jing because it was quite fascinating.

Xue Jing nodded, feeling more assured.

The principle that 'speed breaks everything' is a martial arts truth. Speed-focused opponents are nearly flawless and can be a headache for most martial artists.

But Xue Jing was different.

Thanks to his 【Precision】 ability, he possessed outstanding dynamic vision, making it easy for him to handle speed-oriented adversaries.

Like the previous two encounters with the Cockroach Monster, where this skill was crucial.

“I'll try to level up 【Twin Souls】 once more before the real fight starts, so I'll have double the reaction speed by then…”

Xue Jing clicked his tongue.

He began to feel that he might be Otogi Suzuka’s nemesis.

“But it ultimately comes down to real strength… No matter how fast your reaction speed, it's useless if your body can't keep up.”

“Let’s see how far I can improve over these couple of months…”

After skimming through the report, Xue Jing closed the files and opened the video sent by Wu Youqing.

The massive open-air arena was packed with spectators, centered around a spacious platform about a meter high.

Otogi Suzuka stood elegantly, holding a long blade; her opponent was a young man, also wielding a sword.

The video was shot from a high angle, presumably an official perspective.

The roar of the crowd was deafening, mostly in an Eastern dialect, creating a cacophony.

As the contestants assumed their positions, the referee swiped a hand between them, signaling the start of the match.

In the blink of an eye, the screen seemed to cut abruptly.

Suzuka's opponent clutched his bleeding shoulder, half-kneeling on the ground.

Suzuka herself, holding her blood-streaked blade that had inexplicably unsheathed, swung it to the side to flick off the blood.

Then she performed a graceful flourish, sheathed her sword, and struck a finishing stance.

A perfectly executed series of motions, steeped in the ceremonious tradition of Eastern swordsmanship.

Xue Jing raised an eyebrow at the speed...

Before long, the video replayed the scene in slow motion.

The high-speed camera captured Suzuka drawing her blade with a single upward slice.

Despite being ten times slower, her swiftness remained apparent in the slow-motion replay.

Her opponent appeared stunned, barely reacting as he took the hit.

Xue Jing closed the video and opened another, all showing Suzuka swiftly ending her battles.

“No wonder she’s a scion of a wealthy conglomerate, with top-tier resources. To reach this level at eighteen...”

“In over a month, let’s see if I can match her,” Xue Jing murmured.

“But it's worth a try.”

He drew his blade and meticulously practiced his techniques.

…

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Canglong Dojo’s office building.

“Oh? The Canglong Dojo is just upstairs?”

A young man with a somewhat roguish demeanor in his eyes looked up at the top of an office building.

“Just one floor? Not even a standalone dojo? It's a bit shabby, isn't it?”

The young man spoke with a smile.

He seemed to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, with handsome features and a tall physique, standing at least six foot three. He was dressed in casual attire suitable for movement.

The young man's posture was straight as a blade, exuding an intimidating sharpness that was painful to the eyes. Passersby unconsciously kept their distance as if he was surrounded by invisible edges.

“Junior Brother, the Canglong Dojo is different from ours. They don't rely on student admissions to make a living. With so few people, just one office floor is more than enough.”

Su Bijing, leader of the Razor Gang, stood beside the young man and explained.

“Besides, this is the eastern district. Rent's pretty steep here, so renting a floor for a dojo isn't shabby at all.”

Upon hearing this, Li Chengxuan shrugged and said, “Whatever. Let's go, Brother Su, accompany me upstairs.”

Su Bijing hesitated and spoke, “Junior Brother, Master said we should avoid causing trouble lately... Maybe we should drop it. The Canglong Dojo isn’t easy to mess with. Also, you’ve got the Feng City Elimination Tournament coming up in a few days. What if you get hurt...”

“Brother Su, you're mistaken.”

Li Chengxuan waved his hand, shaking his head.

“I’m here with the genuine intent of martial arts exchange, so how could this be seen as causing trouble?”

“At just seventeen, he twice slew terrifying cockroach monsters and was in the news as a martial arts prodigy. We're of similar age, so it’s understandable that I want to exchange insights with him, right?”

Li Chengxuan smiled, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

“...I just want to ask why Senior Brother Kaiping died when he killed the monster.”

Su Bijing hesitated to speak.

Seeing this, Li Chengxuan shook his head and said, “Enough, Brother Su, no need to say more. Senior Brother Kaiping treated me very well. For him to die inexplicably, I can’t pretend nothing happened—especially since he had conflicts with this Xue Jing prior, and Xue Jing was present when he died. Isn’t that too coincidental?”

“I need to get some answers from him.”

After speaking, Li Chengxuan headed into the office building.

Su Bijing, seeing that he had no intention of listening to his advice, could only sigh, secretly sending a message to Master Jiao Hongyuan with his phone, then quickly following.

…