I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

“Bam!”

Even Lou Huiying, caught off guard by a ferocious kick aimed squarely at her weak spot, doubled over like a cooked shrimp. She clutched her abdomen as blood and vomit poured from her mouth.

Xue Jing showed no hesitation. He moved forward, lifting his right leg high above his head, gathering strength to the extreme. Like the blade of a guillotine, he swung it down with tremendous force!

Lou Huiying was bent over, clutching her abdomen, and the back of her head was struck hard, driving her like a nail into the ground with Xue Jing's merciless kick.

“Boom!”

Her face was embedded deep into the hard cement, surrounded by a dust cloud, and a spiderweb of cracks more than a meter in diameter radiated out from her.

Lou Huiying no longer moved, and her dark coronet toppled off her head, rolling away to the side. Just an ordinary accessory, it seemed to hold no special significance now.

Everyone watching was as silent as death, stunned by the terrifying power of the young man and his ruthless treatment of the woman.

Xue Jing didn't care about the opinions of the onlookers. He straightened the glasses that had slipped slightly from the intense action and bent down to pick up the [GOD-1105 · Crown of the Vicious Woman].

[Detecting divine material, absorbing divinity…]

He took out his phone, snapped a photo of the black coronet, and sent it to Wu Youqing.

“Containment successful,” Xue Jing murmured to himself.

He gave one last look at Lou Huiying, who lay face down, unmoving, and turned her over with his foot to prevent her from suffocating with her head buried in the ground.

As for the punishment for all the evil deeds she committed while wearing the Crown of the Vicious Woman... he'd leave that to the residents she had tormented over the past days.

With the rustic charm of South City and its thriving underworld, Lou Huiying, now reduced to an ordinary person without the crown, would find the coming days far from easy.

Xue Jing was about to leave when a low, indifferent voice suddenly spoke from behind:

“Oh? Almost too late, but it seems just in time.”

"Hey, kid."

"Hand over that thing you're holding. It's not something you're qualified to touch."

Xue Jing paused slightly, turning slowly to face the source of the voice.

A man stood before him, dressed impeccably in a suit, with an imposing stature.

His attire was meticulously arranged, with not a wrinkle in sight, his tie perfectly straight, and his hair slicked back with pomade, not a strand out of place, like someone with an obsessive need for order.

The man's face was rigid, his eyes carrying a trace of indifference, looking down on Xue Jing as if from above.

Xue Jing lingered on the man's face for a moment, sensing something strange.

His skin was unnaturally pale, so pale it seemed almost abnormal, with several depressions on his cheeks that made it seem as if the skin had been sewn on with extreme precision, imparting a sense of odd dissonance.

Even his eyes were peculiar, one being a normal black, the other emanating a faint glow of dark red.

"What if I refuse?" Xue Jing spoke without any hint of emotion.

He glanced at the panel.

In the divine skills section, under "Duality," fine golden strands of light were emerging and gathering constantly.

He had seen this phenomenon before.

It was the same as when he first encountered a Divine Relic, when "Duality" activated.

A new divine skill was being born.

Xue Jing closed the panel, slipping the "Crown of the Wicked Woman" into the collar of his shirt, ensuring it stayed in constant contact with his body.

Seeing his action, the man's eyes narrowed.

"Kid, are you seeking death?"

The man shrugged off his suit jacket, tossing it aside, and walked towards Xue Jing, loosening his tie with the air of someone preparing for a confrontation.

From the view of his prosthetic eye, a deep red hue covered everything, and the youth before him was rapidly analyzed.

【Physical Level Estimate: 1.7~1.9】

【Physical Aberration Rate: Less than 1%】

【Martial arts training detected, no significant specialized areas, unable to calculate combat patterns】

…

After a flood of data checks, the final evaluation came through.

【Comprehensive Threat Level Estimate: 2.1~2.5】

The man was a bit surprised with the result.

He looks only about sixteen or seventeen… Living out here in the outskirts, for a kid his age to score above a level 2 evaluation, he has some potential.

But… still too weak.

“Kid, I'm giving you one last chance.”

“Hand it over.”

He stood right in front of Xue Jing, crossing his arms.

“I'll spare your pathetic life, only breaking one of your arms and legs.”

“Kneel, and thank me for my mercy.”

The man's words carried an infuriating sense of entitlement.

Xue Jing remained silent for a moment, then blinked and smiled:

“You filthy dog, I'd wager you’ve never really tried to put on airs, have you?”

The man's eyes turned cold.

“Let me guess, you're one of those people content to grovel and wag your tail among the higher circles you don't belong to. Now that you're here, you feel like you're something special, walking as if you have the wind behind you, trying to mimic those highbrows you hang around with. But—let's be honest, you've never really pulled it off before, have you? It's too forced. Listening to you makes me feel embarrassed for you.”

Xue Jing's lips curved into a smile as warm as the sun.

“I’m curious, what exactly are you, this lowly, stinking canine, trying to pretend?”

A nearby member of the Razor Gang couldn’t help but snicker.

“Pfft…”

The laughter clearly hit a nerve with the man, whose face alternated between shades of green and white. His artificial eye flickered with what seemed like a mix of shame and pure rage.

“You're dead… you’re dead… you’re dead…”

“I’m going to… kill you!”

Just as he was about to strike, Xue Jing moved first. With zero hesitation, he aimed a kick at the man's groin.

“Smack!”

The dull sound resounded as the man looked on with disdain.

“A despicable martial artist, always resorting to such underhanded tactics. Did you really think we wouldn't be prepared?”

Xue Jing instantly sensed something wrong. The kick felt nothing like connecting with a human body, more like striking a tough, rubbery tire.

“It’s over!”

The man launched himself at Xue Jing with lightning speed, wrapping him up as if a giant beast opening its jaws for the kill.

It was supposed to be a foolproof move. According to the evaluation from the artificial eye, there was no way that a youngster with a physical energy level of less than 2 could possibly evade it at such a close range.

Yet, the man missed.

The youth was incredibly quick. With a speed that far surpassed his assessed level, he ducked down to dodge the tackle, took a step back, and swiftly distanced himself from the man.

Then... without hesitation, he turned and ran!

“Damn it!”

Enraged, the man smashed the floor and took off after Xue Jing.

...

Xue Jing weaved through the complex alleys, a pensive look in his eyes.

‘Who is this guy? Another containment company agent?’

‘His body is strange... someone who's used illegal drugs? Or does he have an implanted anomaly?’

‘The Outer Ring City lacks the medical resources for implanting anomalies... Could he be from the Inner Ring City?’

The sounds of crashing and smashing followed closely behind.

Xue Jing glanced back.

In comparison to his nimble maneuvers through winding paths, his pursuer took a cruder approach, crashing through countless walls like a tank, rapidly closing the distance in a straight line.

Watching as the gap between them narrowed, aware that his speed granted by the twins couldn’t be sustained indefinitely, Xue Jing checked his interface for the progress of divine extraction.

The pale golden light continued to gather.

‘Let's try to stall for some time and see what the new divine skill is.’

Xue Jing made his decision.

He turned into another alley, his gaze as sharp as lightning sweeping across the area. Taking a few steps forward, he picked up a rusty, bent iron nail from the ground.