I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Xue Jing glanced at the conditions and furrowed his brow.

The skill level requirement of Lv10 was relatively straightforward. Fitness was one of those skills he found easiest to grind; as long as he kept practicing martial arts, it would inevitably reach Lv10.

But the necessity for 1000 divinity points was a bit of a headache.

Why the hell did it require double the divinity of activating a divine skill?

However, once he adjusted his mindset, he realized that needing more divinity for Ascension perhaps meant that the post-Ascension skill would be even mightier.

With this thought, Xue Jing felt much more at ease.

He sighed, thinking about how there really wasn't any surplus grain at home.

With two children still crying for food, he was now faced with another demand for divinity. Besides divine relics, was there any other source he could tap into?

And as for the remaining condition full of question marks...

Xue Jing pondered for a while, realizing it was very likely related to the Tremor Armor Technique.

It could be directly linked to the technique itself, or perhaps something body-related might be triggered during its practice.

Anyway, continuing to practice would surely reveal the answers eventually.

He couldn't help but harbor great anticipation for the effects after his fitness skill's ascension.

{You've practiced the Tremor Armor Technique once, fitness experience +209.}

{You've practiced the Tremor Armor Technique once, energy circulation experience +208.}

Looking at the experience gained in the skill panel, there weren't any surprises this time.

The Tremor Armor Technique was so hard to practice that gaining this much experience was only natural.

Also... Xue Jing pinched the skin on his arm.

He felt that the benefits of practicing the Tremor Armor Technique weren't fully reflected in the skill panel's rewards.

His skin seemed to be awakened to something, infused with a strange vitality, and he wondered if it was a mere illusion.

When pinched, it felt more resilient than before.

This gain seems to be not just reflected in the [Fitness] skill, but directly palpable in his own body.

In fact, he had a similar feeling when practicing the Dormant Dragon Technique, but it wasn't as evident as with the Tremor Armor Technique.

“Turn on the nebulizer.”

Li Qi instructed from the side.

Following the guidance, Xue Jing pressed the button switch on the nebulizer.

In the next instant, the nebulizer started emitting a hissing sound, and a faint red mist began to flow into the oxygen mask.

“Use the paired breathing method I just taught you for the Tremor Armor Technique,” Li Qi reminded.

Xue Jing recalled the sensation of when Li Qi controlled his body earlier and began to run the breathing method, inhaling the medicinal mist.

This faint red medicinal mist had a strong herbal aroma, and inhaling it felt sticky and challenging, but Xue Jing endured the discomfort, continuously operating the breathing method to draw it into his lungs.

He could feel the mist traveling down his trachea, entering his lungs, reaching the alveoli, and being delivered into his blood. Under the control of the breathing method, the mist not only soaked into his blood but continuously transported its medicinal power to targeted locations.

Before long, he felt as if his entire skin was ignited, unbearably hot, turning a bright red.

All over his body, his pores started to follow a certain rhythm, constantly opening and contracting, opening and contracting...

Half an hour later, the nebulizer ceased operation, no longer emitting any faint red mist. Xue Jing slowly stopped the breathing method.

“How do you feel?” Li Qi asked with a smile.

Xue Jing stood up, spreading his arms, as if drenched in sweat in the heat of summer, standing under cool air conditioning, his skin feeling a refreshing relief.

“My skin...is breathing,” Xue Jing muttered as if talking to himself, eyes half-closed.

Li Qi, pleased, said, “Very good, you found the sensation on your first practice. As long as you follow this feeling further, you will eventually grasp one of the Five Great Killing Moves of the Hidden Dragon Flow.”

“It’s called—Golden Scale Reversal.”

"Golden Scale Technique?" Xue Jing repeated the name, flattering, "Master must have come up with this, right? It's a good name."

Li Qi sighed and humbly replied, "I've already said, as martial artists, we shouldn't always be too honest. We've got to learn to deceive…"

"Alright, I just prepared a medicinal bath. It should be ready now. You can soak in it for a while. Remember, while soaking, you must also practice your breathing technique. Try to find that sensation of 'skin breathing'; only then can you absorb the medicinal power from the bath…"

"The Shaking Armor Technique is extremely taxing on the body. Each practice session requires a full set of secret herbal supplements. If you practice too much without it, you'd end up overexerted and possibly dead within two or three days…"

Over the next few days, Li Qi taught Xue Jing the remaining four postures of the Shaking Armor Technique, each corresponding to flesh, tendons, bones, and blood.

Each set was more difficult than the last, and each required different secret medicines, different medicinal baths, and even Li Qi himself would perform acupuncture, turning Xue Jing into what looked like a hedgehog.

Xue Jing couldn't help but reflect that this was the true reality of martial arts training. The idea one can start training with just a manual, like in novels, simply wasn't feasible. The manual was only a part of it, and a negligible part at that. These accompanying secret medicines and corresponding methods were the true core legacies of each martial arts school.

Time flew by, and seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye.

At the Hidden Dragon Dojo, inside the training hall.

"Ha!!" "Bang!"

"Wen Zhaorong, punch force 201.3 kg…"

Wearing a black training outfit, Xue Jing stood upright beside the punching machine, his posture as sturdy as a tough pine tree, deeply rooted in the ground, exuding an unshakeable sense of stability.

In his hand, he held a stack of notebooks and a pen in the other, diligently recording the disciples' punching test results.

Today was the monthly exam day at the Hidden Dragon Dojo, meant for checking the disciples' martial arts progress.

Xue Jing, who had plenty of free time among the direct disciples, was roped in by Li Qi to record the disciples' test scores.

On nearby soft chairs in the rest area, several female disciples who had already completed their tests sat watching Xue Jing, whispering and laughing quietly among themselves.

“Senior Brother!” Another young disciple stepped up to the force testing machine, bowing to Xue Jing before setting himself into a stance and striking with all his might.

“Bang!”

Xue Jing glanced at the screen and jotted down in his notebook, "Yi Yingyu, 212.2kg…"

Yi Yingyu seemed surprised by his result, beaming with joy, and bowed to Xue Jing again before happily heading to the next test.

"Senior Brother, why don’t you give it a try yourself? Let everyone witness the prowess of a personal disciple!" A rather pretty female disciple teased from the side.

Her words were immediately echoed by many.

“Yeah, Senior Brother, give it a shot. Everyone’s curious.”

“I missed it when you showed your skills twice; I’d love to see what you’ve got today!”

“You’ve only been here a short while, no matter how talented, your punching power might not be strong yet. Don't pressure him, everyone.”

Others tried to provoke him further.

Xue Jing chuckled softly, saying, "No need, there's nothing significant to test. I doubt it would show much."

His response only made the disciples more persistent.

“Oh, come on, it won’t hurt to let everyone see.”

“Are you really afraid of showing weakness, Senior Brother? Don't worry, considering you just joined, none of us will laugh.”

“Anyone dares to mock Senior Brother, and they’ll have to deal with me first. Just give it a go…”

The disciples couldn't resist teasing this unusually young personal disciple now that they had the rare chance to be in his presence.

Just then, someone appeared at the gym entrance—it was Chen Fuguang.

He waved his hand in this direction but didn't speak; only Xue Jing noticed him.

Xue Jing looked at the disciples grappling in front of him, thought for a moment, and smiled, "Then, I'll just give it a try."

The crowd immediately burst into applause.

"Great! Let's see the flair of the junior brother!"

"That's a true direct disciple. Weakness is only temporary; it's more important not to be stage-frightened."

"Everyone, clear the way and watch the junior brother perform!"

The crowd laughed and joked around without malice, just using this chance to get closer to Xue Jing and join in the fun.

The disciples made way, giving Xue Jing space.

He walked up to the force tester, not assuming any fighting stance, merely turning sideways and casually throwing a backhand punch at the leather cushion on the machine, as if tossing bottles into a trash bin.

"Thud!"

An extremely muffled sound echoed, but the screen showed no response.

"Huh?" The disciples looked perplexed.

After delivering the punch, Xue Jing had already turned and began walking toward the gym’s entrance.

As everyone remained puzzled, the leather cushion on the force tester suddenly tore open with a ripping sound.

Then, as if triggering a chain reaction, the cushion continued to tear at various points, with the internal sponge breaking apart like dry leaves and falling to the ground, leaving only a bare iron rod in its original place.

Witnessing this scene, everyone wore a look of disbelief as if they had seen a ghost.

"Is this... pliable force!?"