I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

"..."

"Your words are a bit too harsh."

Li Chengxuan considered himself a patient man, but as a young guy, being belittled by Li Qi like this was somewhat unbearable.

His mouth twitched, his expression turning cold.

Su Bijing, standing by his side, quickly interjected, "Master Qi, my little junior didn't mean it like that..."

"Enough."

Li Qi raised his hand to interrupt.

"If it's a challenge, then it's a challenge. There's no need for these fancy words. It's not like we can't handle it."

He turned his gaze toward Li Chengxuan.

"Kid, there's an unwritten rule in martial arts, trying to pair opponents of similar ages. But you're banking on being young to play this game, and that's a miscalculation."

"Such rules mean nothing to me! Even if you're just a three-year-old causing trouble at Canglong Dojo, I'd personally squeeze the crap out of you!"

Hearing these words as he entered the training hall, Xue Jing broke into a cold sweat.

After all, he had made his way into Canglong Dojo through challenges.

Could he still thank his master for sparing him?

Su Bijing's expression changed.

He didn't think Li Qi was merely bluffing.

Back in the day, the Dragon King was someone even Master Jiao Hongyuan had to grudgingly admit he was no match for.

Such a being, even now as a half-disabled elder in a wheelchair, no one could guarantee he was truly harmless.

Stepping forward cautiously, Su Bijing subtly shielded Li Chengxuan.

"Ha, that's just perfect. I also want to see firsthand the Canglong Style that even made Master bow down."

With anger flickering in his eyes, Li Chengxuan took two steps forward.

Constantly mentioning "crap" in exchanges, how uncultured.

He wasn't afraid of the old man; he could be called Dragon King out of respect, or just a defeated relic without it.

"Just afraid you won't be able to stand up!"

Hearing this, Su Bijing twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Yet, instead of getting angry, Li Qi chuckled.

"At any other time, you'd already be cleaning yourself up."

"But today, you're lucky."

"I do want to see how this piece of wild crap compares to my family's diamond."

Turning his head toward the entrance, "The junior master and Sister Zhu are here!"

someone announced.

Li Chengxuan and Su Bijing's expressions changed, shifting their gaze to the entrance.

The disciples parted, clearing a path.

A young man dressed in a training suit, upright and sturdy like a tall pine, walked over calmly.

His features were handsome, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, perfectly proportioned, exuding an unearthly aura with every step, as if special effects surrounded him.

Li Chengxuan always thought of himself as good-looking, yet upon seeing this young man, he couldn't help but feel a pang of inferiority.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced past the young man, turning instead to the youthful girl beside him who lagged a step behind. His eyes lit up instantly.

“Little Senior Brother.”

“Little Senior Brother, Sister Zhu!”

“Little Senior Brother, you've arrived...”

“Little Senior Brother...”

All the disciples respectfully greeted the young man.

He smiled and nodded to everyone in response.

“Senior Brother Su, that person...” Li Chengxuan spoke softly.

Su Bijing nodded, looking at Xue Jing.

...This is the one who took down 'Number One' and 'Number Nine.'

Although they already knew he was young, seeing him in person was still somewhat surprising.

After some thought, Su Bijing whispered, “Junior Brother, this person is no pushover. If you end up fighting him later, be cautious...”

“I wasn't talking about him.”

Li Chengxuan waved his hand dismissively and fixed his roguish gaze on Zhushan Ying, exclaiming, “What an adorable girl. Is she also a direct disciple of the Hidden Dragon Dojo?”

Su Bijing was momentarily taken aback, thinking his focus was misplaced, but he still replied, “Yes... I believe her name is Zhushan Ying. Aside from Xue Jing, she's the youngest direct disciple of the Hidden Dragon Dojo. She's quite mysterious, hardly ever showing herself publicly.”

Li Chengxuan clicked his tongue.

“Senior Brother Su, I've changed my mind. We really should cultivate good relations with the Hidden Dragon Dojo. We're in the same field, after all, and should exchange dialogues... proper dialogues...”

Su Bijing: “...”

In no time, Xue Jing and Zhushan Ying, under various gazes, made their way into the arena, approaching Li Qi.

Noticing the man across was staring at her, Zhushan Ying furrowed her brow, took two steps sideways to stand behind Xue Jing, and avoided his gaze.

“Master~”

She called sweetly.

Xue Jing also respectfully addressed, “Master.”

Li Qi chuckled in response, “Hmm.”

Then turned to Xue Jing, “So, did you hear the conversation just now?”

Xue Jing nodded.

“Go on, show him that even among geniuses, there are differences,” Li Qi gestured.

“Little Junior Brother, hit him hard!”

Zhushan Ying behind him, pumped her tiny fists, encouraging.

She then began to organize the surrounding disciples.

“Everyone, take a step back, give them space...”

The disciples, aware the main event was about to begin, backed off to create space while eagerly discussing among themselves.

“There's going to be a great show now!”

“Finally, we get to see Little Senior Brother in action.”

“It's actually not looking good. The guy challenging us is called Li Chengxuan. I've been following the recent U19 matches; he was a participant and is ridiculously strong.”

“I've watched his matches too, he always finishes off opponents swiftly, not even needing weapons!”

“He's been quite the buzz online recently, the dark horse of the Fengcheng division...”

"Little Brother's talent certainly rivals his, but considering his young age and that he's only recently begun his martial training..."

"Ah? What should we do? Could it be that they'll actually succeed in challenging us?"

The disciples, hearing this, looked uneasy and worried.

Su Bijing, seeing things progress to this point, could only sigh and pat Li Chengxuan on the shoulder. "Little junior brother, you truly have to be cautious. That person is not a simple opponent."

Li Chengxuan responded casually, not taking it seriously.

After Su Bijing also left the arena, Li Chengxuan looked at the young man before him and began with a smile, "You must be Xue Jing?"

"My name is Li Chengxuan... I'm a year older than you, so if you don't mind, you can call me Brother Li."

Xue Jing did not reply.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm truly not here to challenge you. It's just that after seeing the news about your genius status, I really wanted to meet you, so I came uninvited."

Glancing at the petite figure in the distance standing behind Li Qi’s wheelchair, cheering him on with chants of 'Go, Junior Brother!', Li Chengxuan continued to smile. "Rest assured, this is merely a friendly spar. I'll hold back; I won't embarrass you."

"Of course, in exchange, I hope that after the match, you'll answer a few of my questions..."

Xue Jing, however, shook his head. "You... talk a lot."

"Bang!"

The floor suddenly cracked.

Xue Jing's figure vanished from where he stood.

Energy surged, dragon roars reverberated.

Spiral imprints emerged on his right arm, spiraling down toward his fist.

Whirlwind Thunder!

"Boom!"

Xue Jing's punch aimed directly at Li Chengxuan's face, spiral energy stirring a violent air current, blasting with a thunderous roar.

Before Li Chengxuan could finish his words, a punch met him head-on, his face instantly showing displeasure.

The Golden Wind White Rainbow Sword energy surged, sharp energy exposed, set to teach this cheeky young man a lesson.

"Bang!"

A wave of air exploded between them.

Li Chengxuan slid back seven or eight meters, his feet leaving two deep grooves on the rubber floor.

Looking at his elbow, emitting smoke and feeling a bit numb, his expression shifted slightly.

The power of this punch... something was off!

"Nicely caught."

Xue Jing's eyes lit up, flexing his fist that bore a fresh cut, as if sliced by a blade, looking somewhat excited.

Surprisingly, this was his first serious bout with a martial artist.

Previously, his opponents were either mechanical constructs or cockroach monsters.

Only his senior brothers and sisters offered some non-combative, mild training.

Now, he finally encountered a decent opponent.

With his punch intercepted, he wasted no time, immediately charging at Li Chengxuan again.

Along the way, his full body energy flowed into his skin membrane, spiraling within it, and from the neck down, his skin revealed a dense pattern of dragon scale marks.

"Golden Scale Armor!?"

§Li Chengxuan noticed the change and immediately dropped his nonchalant demeanor, his gaze becoming serious.

He knew that his master once mentioned losing to Dragon King Li Qi due to an inability to handle his opponent's golden-scaled skin.

Unexpectedly, this young Xue Jing had already mastered this technique?§§‘But...that was a thing of the past.’

‘Now the Jin Feng Bai Hong Sword has evolved beyond recognition!’

Li Chengxuan stepped forward, his eyes sharp, charging towards Xue Jing.§§In close proximity, the two engaged in rapid combat, entwining in a fierce skirmish.

“Clang clang clang clang——”§§Xue Jing was surprised to perceive that each time his strikes collided with the opponent, a sound akin to metal clashing with metal rang out, as though his adversary was a man-shaped block of steel.

‘The Jin Feng Bai Hong Sword...interesting.’§§His gaze shifted slightly, identifying a vulnerable point, and employed the speed of his dual energies, suddenly accelerating as if fast-forwarding, driving his fist through a gap aimed at Li Chengxuan’s chin.

Though surprised, Li Chengxuan remained calm; realizing it was too late to intercept with his arm, he simply lowered his head to confront the punch with his forehead.

“Bang!”

It sounded as if the punch struck solid steel, but Li Chengxuan appeared unscathed!§§“Master, what’s happening?”

Zhushan Ying exclaimed in surprise upon witnessing this.

Li Qi, observing the persistent combat, explained, “The Jin Feng Bai Hong Sword train practitioners to become as blades; besides sharpness, their hallmark is reinforced solidity.”

“This lad has trained his skills to the point of ‘edge reaching four corners,’ even his hair is as sharp and solid as blades, let alone his naturally hard skull.”§§Zhushan Ying expressed concern, “Will Little Junior Brother be alright…”

Li Qi smiled, staying silent.§§“Bang!”

Xue Jing launched another punch, meeting Li Chengxuan’s elbow.

The golden scales quivered, like a dragon shaking its armor, deflecting the sharp force effortlessly.

In their continuous exchange of blows, Li Chengxuan grew increasingly astonished.

How could it be!?

This guy is really only seventeen?

Even on the U19 arena, he'd never encountered an opponent like this.

‘This can’t go on.’

Feeling his limbs grow subtly numb and swollen, he glanced at Xue Jing, whose golden-scaled skin remained vigorous, deepening his understanding of Master Jiao Hongyuan’s past helplessness.

He had to escalate his efforts.

Resolutely, he made his decision.§§Jin Feng Bai Hong Sword, with Jin Feng for slicing and Bai Hong for penetration.

He crossed his arms in an X-shape, bracing against Xue Jing’s assault, then suddenly shoved him away.

With force flowing throughout his body to the fingertips of his right hand, Xue Jing's attention piqued, instinctively sensing a trace of danger.

Without hesitation, he activated his twin defenses, protecting his chest with his arms.

“Whoosh!”

In the next moment, the air was pierced, a white shockwave ripping through the air.

"Pfft—"

A finger, as sharp as a blade, pierced his arm relentlessly.

Golden scales trembled, forming an unbroken surface, but they could not withstand this incredibly sharp blow. The scales shattered, and a bloody hole appeared in Xue Jing’s arm.

But... that was all.

The fingertip collided with Xue Jing’s arm bone with a cracking sound.

"Ah!!"

Li Chengxuan staggered back two steps, clutching his fingers that were twisted with bone spurs breaking through the skin, screaming in pain.

"Did your physics teacher ever teach you this?"

Xue Jing advanced, a spiral imprint emerging, and punched towards Li Chengxuan’s chest.

"Force... acts mutually."

"Boom!"

Li Chengxuan was struck back several meters, slamming into the wall, vomiting blood.

"Stop!"

Su Bijing's face drastically changed as he shouted.

Xue Jing ignored him, stepping forward, using both hands and feet, continuously attacking Li Chengxuan, who was pinned against the wall with no space to evade.

"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!!"

Su Bijing was anxious, wanting to intervene, but a wheelchair had somehow already moved in front of him.

"The fight isn’t over, why are you rushing?"

Li Qi said calmly.

Su Bijing was about to force his way past Li Qi, but suddenly he felt a chill in his heart.

He saw... a pair of dark golden vertical pupils.

In an instant, his mind went blank, all thoughts vanishing completely.

"Bam! Bam! Bam!"

The concrete wall cracked. Under Xue Jing’s ceaseless assault, Li Chengxuan was embedded into the wall.

"It’s over—"

Xue Jing raised his right fist.

Just then

"Stop—"

An angry shout echoed from an unknown direction.

Crash—

The training hall’s glass shattered, and a figure rushed in from outside the window.

"Kid, I told you to stop!"

The figure extended an arm towards Xue Jing with incredible speed, causing his pupils to shrink.

He saw it, but it was too fast; his body couldn’t react in time.

At that moment, another figure darted in through the window.

"Slap!"

Xue Jing looked at the hand that stopped just centimeters from his neck, somewhat shaken.

And that hand’s wrist was firmly grasped by another massive hand.

Xue Jing looked at the towering back blocking him.

Master Brother—Meng Boxiang.

...