I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Xue Jing was enjoying his swim in the pool when suddenly, the door was flung open.

“Little Junior Brother!”

Zhushan Ying pushed open the door and stepped inside. Her eyes lit up as she spotted the figure weaving through the water.

“So this is where you were. I wondered why I couldn’t find you in the training room.”

Upon hearing her voice, Xue Jing immediately submerged himself, diving deeper into the water.

With his feet touching the bottom, he bent his knees, gathering his strength, and launched himself upward.

“Boom!”

The water erupted like a bomb had detonated, sending a cascade of droplets flying as a figure burst out and jumped directly from the center of the pool onto the bank.

Wearing only a pair of swim trunks, he stood in the well-lit room, displaying his perfectly proportioned physique under the sunlight.

Each muscle sculpted to the ultimate human beauty, countless water droplets rolling down his skin, shimmering in the light with an indescribable allure.

Zhushan Ying was momentarily stunned, her gaze locked onto this "beauty emerging from the bath" scene.

Xue Jing shook his head, pushing his medium-length hair that covered his eyes back into a slicked-back style. He looked up at Zhushan Ying, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

“Sister Zhushan,” he greeted softly.

Zhushan Ying, a bit absent-minded, snapped back to reality at the sound of his voice and quickly looked away, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Ah... Ah, Little Junior Brother, it’s noon. Let’s go eat.”

She spoke with a slightly awkward tone.

Xue Jing nodded, then exerted a sudden burst of energy through his body.

“Crack—”

Remarkably, the water droplets scattered instantly, leaving his body as if it had been wiped with a towel, with only a bit of steam lingering.

“The control over my strength is still not refined enough... If I could disperse even the steam with one surge, leaving my body instantly dry, that would be the realm where ‘not even a feather can be added, a fly cannot land,’” Xue Jing thought to himself as he changed clothes.

For lunch, Zhushan Ying didn’t prepare anything overly extravagant. It was similar to the diet at the Canglong Dojo, just a slightly upgraded medicinal meal.

Ordinary food can hardly meet the nutritional needs of martial artists.

After eating, Zhushan Ying took Xue Jing out of the main residence and headed to the stables on the left side of the estate.

“Miss.”

An elderly man wearing a cowboy hat, appearing to be around fifty, respectfully greeted Zhushan Ying at the stable’s entrance.

“Uncle Bao~” Zhushan Ying also greeted him with a smile.

She glanced at the stables, thought for a moment, and said, “Uncle Bao, could you please saddle up ‘Sixty-Six’ and ‘Wind Eater’ and bring them out?”

The old man, known as Uncle Bao, nodded and headed into the stables.

After a while, he returned, leading two tall horses.

One horse was chestnut with white stockings.

The other was pure black, with a white tuft on its forehead.

“Thank you, Uncle Bao~”

Zhushan Ying sweetly thanked the old man, then took the reins of the two horses and led them to Xue Jing.

“Neeeeigh...”

The black horse streaked with white approached Xue Jing, snorting as it sniffed around him, seemingly curious about his scent.

Then...

[A creature has taken a liking to you, Charm skill experience +28]

Hmm?

Xue Jing wore a strange expression, observing the horse, nearly as tall as him, as he reached out to stroke its mane.

The horse nudged its head against Xue Jing in response.

“Oh? ‘Wind Eater’ seems to really like you, junior brother,”

Zhushan Ying said with a smile from the side, patting the mane of a chestnut horse.

“They're both retired racehorses like ‘Sixty-Six’ here.”

Zhushan Ying continued, stepping onto the stirrup of ‘Sixty-Six’ and smoothly swinging herself onto the horse.

Once seated, she shifted back in the saddle, extending a hand towards Xue Jing with a raised eyebrow, “Come on, junior brother, hop on. I’ll teach you how to ride.”

Xue Jing glanced at her outstretched hand, shook his head, and declined her offer to ride together.

“No need. Even though I’ve never ridden before...”

Xue Jing patted ‘Wind Eater’s’ head, grasped the reins, and stepped onto the stirrup to mount the horse.

“I can manage to imitate fairly well.”

He sat confidently in the saddle, holding the reins with a smile.

Zhushan Ying pouted and let out a soft sigh of discontent, “Hey, riding really requires skill. You’d learn much faster with your senior sister guiding you step by step.”

Xue Jing ignored her, instead giving a tentative flick of the reins, gently squeezing the horse’s sides with his legs.

Receiving the signal, ‘Wind Eater’ snorted and started to move forward.

“This isn’t so hard.” Xue Jing remarked with a hint of delight.

Beside him, Zhushan Ying rolled her eyes, pulled her reins, and lightly kicked her horse’s sides to follow Xue Jing.

“Ordinary people don’t learn to ride like this; giving commands with no training is quite dangerous.”

She retorted with a pout.

Xue Jing nodded, “I understand.”

The reason he dared to mount and ride directly was his confidence in his ability, certain he could handle any mishap easily.

Though slightly disappointed she couldn’t personally teach her junior brother, Zhushan Ying still offered guidance from alongside:

“Keep holding the reins; don’t let go...”

“When turning, be gentle with the reins; no need for excessive force...”

As they conversed, the two of them rode out of the manor's back gate, arriving at the hills of the northern district.

A wide expanse of grassland stretched before them, perfect for horse riding.

Under Zhushan Ying’s instructions, and thanks to Xue Jing’s remarkable learning ability and the bold confidence from his powerful skills, he quickly became adept at riding, commanding ‘Wind Eater’ to gallop across the field.

Zhushan Ying rode alongside on ‘Sixty-Six’.

Immersed in the joy of horseback riding, Xue Jing glanced at Senior Sister Zhushan, inexplicably feeling a sense of familiarity with the scene.

"You are the wind, I am the sand…"

Xue Jing shook his head, dispelling the tune that suddenly popped into his mind.

Half an hour later, as Xue Jing became more adept, a notification suddenly appeared on his skill panel.

"[Condition Met, Skill Unlocked: Riding]"

"[Riding Lv1]"

Xue Jing pulled back on the reins, and Wind Eater immediately raised its front legs, stopping with a whinny.

"It's activated, as expected…"

He stroked Wind Eater’s mane beneath him, nodding in satisfaction.

As he had anticipated, the act of 'riding' evidently constituted a skill.

Xue Jing carefully sensed the enhancements granted by this newly unlocked skill.

"Hmm… Balance?"

Xue Jing said, somewhat uncertain.

Sitting on horseback now felt comfortably stable, as if he were on solid ground.

"And… a sense of direction."

He glanced to the left, his mind immediately registering that it was 'northwest' without any doubt.

"Interesting, this might not even be the full extent… just the most noticeable changes for now."

Xue Jing pondered, intending to flick the reins and have Wind Eater change direction.

Yet before he could move, Wind Eater turned its head, heading in the direction he envisioned.

Xue Jing was momentarily taken aback.

Wind Eater let out a soft neigh.

Xue Jing inexplicably sensed a hint of its emotions.

It seemed a bit tired and thirsty…

"Hmm? What is this? Unity with the horse? Telepathic connection?"

Xue Jing blinked.

"Junior Brother!"

From afar, Zhushan Ying rode her horse Sixty-Six towards him, pulling the reins to stop nearby.

"Why did you stop?"

She inquired.

Xue Jing thought for a moment and smiled, "Senior Sister, I think Wind Eater and Sixty-Six might be tired. Let's head back."

"Huh? No more riding?" Zhushan Ying looked a bit disappointed.

It was rare to have someone accompany her on horseback, and she was having fun; she wasn’t eager to return.

"Let’s ride again tomorrow. I find horseback riding quite enjoyable. If you’d like, Senior Sister, I’ll keep you company often."

Seeing her expression, Xue Jing offered comfort.

"Really? You promise!" Zhushan Ying said, joy lighting up her face.

Around five in the afternoon, Xue Jing returned home, riding Zhushan Ying’s car.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Ning Fengwan lounging on the couch in the living room, watching TV.

“Miss Wan, why didn’t you cook today?”

Xue Jing stepped inside, closed the door, and chuckled while changing his shoes.

Ning Fengwan glanced at him with her emerald-like vertical pupils, smirking, “Why should I cook for you? Aren't you thoroughly enjoying your free meals these days?”

“Not at all, nothing beats your cooking,”

Xue Jing hung his sabre on the wall, then plopped down on the sofa, giving Ning Fengwan’s cat-like head a gentle rub.

“Anyway, what’s ‘free meal’? Just visiting a fellow sect sister’s house… and you even get jealous over this?”

Xue Jing teased.

Ning Fengwan rolled her eyes. “Who's jealous? Stop talking nonsense.”

Her tail, adorned with a ring, swayed softly as she extended her paw to lick it, then looked up and huffed, “Although… we live like this, you’re still just my owner, nothing more. Whoever you want to be with is none of my concern.”

“But that little girl…” Ning Fengwan’s gaze turned contemplative. “Her background is very mysterious. Even Old Man Li doesn’t know much about her family, only that she’s from the First Metropolis.”

Xue Jing was surprised, “First Metropolis?”

After the Eternal Night War, the administrative regions of Zhuxia were drastically reorganized into nine metropolitan areas.

These metropolis areas are far apart, separated by ‘buffer zones’ at their borders, making transportation extremely difficult; even planes struggle to pass through.

Thus, interaction between metropolis areas is rare, and each enjoys a significant degree of autonomy, only under the central government, the ‘Cang Ting’.

Most civilians never leave their own metropolis area in their lifetime.

And the First Metropolis is far north, while Xue Jing resides in the Fifth Metropolis way to the south, separated by a vast distance.

Reaching here from the First Metropolis means traversing numerous perilous border zones, an exceptionally dangerous journey…

“I specifically asked Old Man Li; her family comes to stay here from the First Metropolis every year. Do you know what that implies?”

Ning Fengwan said with insinuating interest.

“Either her family has absolute security power to travel through numerous border zones unhindered, or they control a ‘special route’ that safely connects the First Metropolis to here…”

“Either possibility indicates that her family is exceptionally powerful.”

“For someone from such a family, they’ll have plenty of rules. If you plan to become their son-in-law, you better be prepared.”

In the end, Ning Fengwan couldn’t help but inject a bit of vinegar into her tone.

Xue Jing caught on, just shaking his head with a smile. “What are you talking about? I’m just normal fellow disciples with Senior Sister Zhushan.”

Ning Fengwan hummed, “But that little girl probably doesn’t think so.”

“She’s not that young anymore. Inviting a man over to her house alone—her intentions can’t be simple.”

On Ning Fengwan’s face, her complex expression seemed almost human.

“In fact… if you could actually secure something with her and gain her family’s protection, it’d set my mind at ease.”

The girl always carried a bit of worry about keeping close to Xue Jing.

Xue Jing chuckled, "Let's talk about it later. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go straight."

Three days later.

In the hills behind the northern city district.

Xue Jing was on the grass, swinging the sword, the "Futu," cutting through the weeds. Blades of light danced, and green fragments flew everywhere.

His pupils were tinged with red; to him, the weeds being slashed down weren't mere grass but the hundreds of enemy heads.

The corpses piled into mountains, the blood amassed into vast seas.

Inside his heart, an Asura blade flowing with endless crimson was exuding an increasingly wild ferocity and killing intent.

"Heaven created all things to nourish humanity, yet humans have nothing to repay heaven."

Relying on the absolute mental control granted by [Visualization], Xue Jing firmly maintained a clear mind and never lost himself in the violent murderous intent.

"Life and death are decided by heaven... The Asura masters death, is it not simply fulfilling heaven's mandate..."

"Heaven wants him to kill, he has no choice but to kill..."

The blade in Xue Jing's hand swung with increasing strength and precision, slicing the weeds ever more finely.

"The Asura's way is extreme and powerful yet lacks lofty aspirations."

"There should be a blade intent that stands above the Asura."

The blade Xue Jing wielded halted at a tender blade of grass.

The extremely sharp blade gently touched the soft grass, bending it, brushing past its body, yet not harming it in the slightest.

"Heaven wants you dead, you have to die."

The red in Xue Jing's eyes faded slowly, replaced by a silver-white sheen.

Indifferent, divine, domineering... those were eyes that seemed like those of a deity.

"Destiny, like a blade... cannot be defied."

Xue Jing tightened his grip on the sword's handle, a flash of silver-white light.

"Swish, swish, swish, swish——"

In front of him, the grass up to ten meters away was cut down entirely, as if a lawn mower had ravaged through, leaving only a barren mud surface.

【During your sword practice, you achieved enlightenment in Nameless Blade Intent, Combat Skill EXP +998】

【During your sword practice, you achieved enlightenment in Nameless Blade Intent, Visualization EXP +1182】

【Combat Skill upgraded to Lv4】

【Visualization upgraded to Lv6】

Xue Jing's silver-white eyes gazed at the blade in his hand.

"A blade driven by the will of heaven?"

"No, I am the heavens."

"The blade I wield is—the Blade of Destiny."

Within his silver-white eyes, not a trace of emotion surfaced, akin to a celestial deity controlling life and death.