I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

"Xue Jing, this is Ke Jiaqian, who is in charge of the post-match interview. You can just call me Xiao Ke... Is now a convenient time for you?"

"An interview?" Xue Jing glanced at the camera pointing directly at him, intending to refuse.

But after thinking about it, he nodded and said, "Alright, come in."

As he spoke, he stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter the lounge.

Because Xue Jing had basically refused all post-match interviews before, Ke Jiaqian had no hope at all and was just asking as a last resort.

But to my surprise, Xue Jing actually agreed!

She paused for a moment, then blushed and couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

Could it be that he's taken a liking to her...?

After the interview, if he wants to… will he agree or not…?

Xue Jing frowned and said, "Aren't you coming in?"

"Okay, thank you!"

Ke Jiaqian snapped out of her daze and hurriedly went into the dressing room, with the photographer excitedly following closely behind.

After adjusting the camera position, Xue Jing sat down in front of the camera.

Ke Jiaqian sat next to him, held the microphone out to Xue Jing, and coughed lightly.

"Then let's get started."

"First of all, congratulations to Xue Jing for winning this match and getting off to a good start in the quarterfinals."

"I'd like to ask Xue Jing, what's your assessment of your opponent in this match—Zhou Yinglin's performance?"

This is a question that's being deliberately steered, but Xue Jing has always been indifferent to it.

He chuckled and said, "Performance... does he even have a 'performance' to speak of? Does making a fool of himself count?"

Ke Jiaqian coughed lightly: "Hmm, I see. So, the next question is, I'm very curious, Xue Jing, you just used Zhou Yinglin's signature martial art 'Seamless' on the stage. How did you do that? Is it a special martial art similar to 'Xiao Wuxiang Gong'?"

Xue Jing gave her a strange look: "Didn't I already say that? I learned it from Zhou Yinglin just a few days ago."

……

(I'm dizzy and lightheaded, and haven't had enough rest... but the positive response to the last chapter has kept me on edge... it's so exhausting.)

Chapter 248 Xue Jing's 'Chicken Soup': A Hundred Needles and Thousand Threads, A Military Strategy Sublimated! (4K)

"A few days..."

Ke Jiaqian looked hesitant.

"This is 'flawless'...it's known as one of the most difficult martial arts styles to master in the world, you know?"

It wasn't that she didn't want to believe it, but rather that she simply couldn't believe it.

Zhou Yinglin's talent was already exceptional. From birth, his innate mental energy level was far superior to that of ordinary people, earning him the reputation of a child prodigy. It was for this reason that he was able to become a disciple of the renowned "Gun Saint".

He practiced "Seamless" for three years, spending one year getting started and another year reaching the "Ten Needles and Hundred Threads" level. Only in the last year has he entered a period of explosive growth, making rapid progress to the level of "Hundreds of Needles and Thousands of Threads".

This speed of progress is astonishing to those who know how difficult it is to achieve 'perfect'.

In just a few days, he went from nothing to mastering the art of perfect defense to the point where he could defeat Zhou Yinglin...

If we're going to be strict about it, wouldn't that mean his talent is a hundred times greater than Zhou Yinglin's?

This is impossible. Even Li Taixian, who is known as the 'Martial Saint' with the most extreme natural human martial arts talent, could not reach this level.

All human talents exhibit diminishing marginal returns; the closer one gets to the limit, the rarer they become.

Zhou Yinglin already possesses the top tier of natural human talent, with only a handful of people having better talent. If someone's talent were a hundred times greater than his... then the difference would be even greater than the gap between a monkey and a normal human; they would be two completely different species.

No one could possibly achieve that... unless they weren't human.

Xue Jing smiled and said, "I've already answered that. You can ask other questions now."

Hearing this, Ke Jiaqian knew that Xue Jing was either impatient or didn't want to answer some secret, so she didn't dare to press further. She quickly composed herself, held up the microphone, and said seriously:

"Then... let's move on to the next question... Xue Jing, you are the only player from the outer ring in this U19 finals. In fact, even if we include all the previous U19 finals, there are only a handful of players from the outer ring who can make it to the top eight."

"This data is enough to prove that players from the outer ring have a considerable disadvantage when facing players from the inner ring. How did you reverse this disadvantage... or do you have any tips or advice for other players from the outer ring?"

Upon hearing this question, Xue Jing thought for a moment and slowly replied:

"Reality is not a game; people cannot choose their starting point."

"Talent, family background, environment, educational resources... these are real differences between people, and cannot be bridged by factors like 'effort' which have a minor impact."

"I can't give you any motivational platitudes that only offer temporary encouragement... or spout nonsense like 'you can achieve anything through hard work.'"

"Because I didn't get to where I am today through 'hard work'."

"The only advice I can give is that if you want to move forward, don't look at what others have, but look down at what you have, and then hold on to what you have and keep going."

"If you have nothing but 'effort,' then all you can do is work hard. This doesn't mean you'll definitely get a reward; it just means you're using this clumsy method to move forward, nothing more."

"This is a very difficult and hard-to-accept fact, but recognizing it may be the first step to becoming stronger..."

Ke Jiaqian and the photographer stared blankly at Xue Jing, who was talking eloquently, finding it hard to believe that the person in front of them was just a seventeen-year-old boy.

These words may not be particularly profound, but they are certainly not the superficial understanding that can be learned from textbooks in an ivory tower.

It doesn't offer inspiration or fantasies, but rather practical advice... though it might be hard for self-important people to accept.

"...I see. Thank you very much for Xue Jing's remarks. I was really moved by what you said."

Ke Jiaqian said with emotion.

"You must have gone through a lot of hardship and difficulties to be able to say such profound words, which is why you have such a deep empathy for the people?"

She held up the microphone and asked.

Xue Jing gave her a strange look and said directly, "No, I'm just talking without understanding the pain. I've had a very easy time. I don't know what hard work is. I became stronger without even realizing it."

Ke Jiaqian: "..."

Photographer: "..."

……

The interview lasted for nearly fifteen minutes. Just like the interview before the start of the last competition, Xue Jing kept making outrageous statements, saying things that normal people from Zhuxia would not say.

When Ke Jiaqian left, she was beaming with joy, wondering how much bonus she would receive for this unexpectedly successful interview...

The only regret was that before leaving, she tried desperately to hint at something, but Xue Jing seemed not to understand anything and didn't react at all. In the end, he even impatiently said, "Get out of here after the interview," and kicked her out...

Sigh, I feel like I missed out on a fortune...

After the interviewers left, the lounge finally quieted down.

Xue Jing sat down in the chair, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in the simulation of consciousness.

The scene was set up, the grand arena was created, and then he himself appeared in it.

After stretching his body, Xue Jing had a thought and conjured a figure in front of him.

This time, it wasn't Zhou Yinglin who appeared, but himself.

After Tianyi Wufeng reached the level of eighty shots, Zhou Yinglin's skill was no longer sufficient to undertake sparring with him.

Especially after the formal match with Zhou Yinglin, he felt that he had unloaded some burdens in his heart. In addition, the large amount of experience gained from [Soldier's Strike] gave him some new insights into the Perfect Shield.

Both Xue Jings simultaneously opened their palms, and countless tiny pixels coalesced in their hands, transforming into a nine-foot-long spear.

"Ding--!"

Without a word, the two moved simultaneously, thrusting their spears at lightning speed until the tips of the spears met.

Instantly, a terrifying ring of air exploded and spread outwards.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-"

The metallic clang of spear tips clashing against spear tips rang out incessantly. Both were executed flawlessly, each strike exploring every possible variation, thus each strike hitting the perfect 'point,' resulting in an extremely precise point-to-point collision.

After fifty shots, the Heavenly Feather Robe was woven.

After eighty shots, Xue Jing had reached his limit before the competition, but he still didn't stop.

Eighty-five shots...

Ninety shots...

It wasn't until the ninety-fifth shot that both Xue Jings paused and stopped.

At this moment, the illusory image of the Heavenly Feather Robe woven by the two had solidified to the point of being almost tangible, with only a slight sense of transparency.

"Just from playing a match, I suddenly got a 15-shot boost..."

Xue Jing muttered to himself.

As you progress through the game, the more guns you have, the harder it becomes to improve your skills.

His ability to rapidly increase his cultivation level in such a short period of time was achieved through countless extreme training sessions where he disregarded his own life and death.

The progress Zhou Yinglin made with each hammer blow was enough to equal the thousands of times he died in the consciousness simulation.

"With my current flawless skill level, if I were to spar with 'Zhou Yinglin,' he would no longer be able to put any pressure on me that would kill me. My progress would probably be much slower than before. I need to think of another way..."

"I'm about to reach the 'hundred needles and a thousand threads' level of skill with a hundred shots. I have a feeling..."

Xue Jing's eyes showed clear understanding.

For him, "perfect accuracy" is more than just a marksmanship.

The profound martial arts theories contained within, along with the various imaginative and ingenious ideas and energy flow routes, brought him countless inspirations and gains regarding 'soldier combat' during his practice.

The deeper he cultivated, the more this became true; it was like an inexhaustible treasure trove, with each advancement in his realm bringing him deeper knowledge of martial arts.

He could already sense it; the sublimation of [Soldier's Strike] was just around the corner.

The accumulation has reached a critical point. Once this critical point is broken, the conditions for the sublimation of [Soldier Strike] will be met.

That critical point should be the 'hundred needles and a thousand threads'.

The moment the realm is reached is the moment when weaponry is sublimated.

……