I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

"Mr. Baidi, what a rare guest you are!"

The automatic doors opened to the left and right, and Xu Mude walked towards a tall young man while smiling.

He was a very strange boy.

His eyes are slightly wider apart than average, and his eye sockets are deeper, giving him the appearance of someone of mixed race.

Although he looks like a teenager, people who actually see him in person would never associate him with the word "teenager".

He simply sat there quietly, in a very casual posture, with his legs slightly apart, his right elbow resting on the armrest of the chair, his hand loosely clenched into a fist, supporting his chin.

Such a casual posture, yet it exudes an extremely terrifying aura, like a true dragon resting in the clouds, a fierce tiger lying on a hill, a dragon coiled and a tiger crouching.

That didn't look like a human at all; it was more like a 'demon,' a mighty tiger demon disguised in human skin.

Xu Mude knew in his heart that the person in front of him was nearly fifty years old, had been famous for more than thirty years, and was one of the top representatives of the old martial arts.

The reason he looks like a young boy is because he had already crossed the Dragon Gate in his youth, broken through the limits of human genes, achieved a sublimation of life level, and obtained a superhuman body.

A master who has leaped over the Dragon Gate has their spiritual consciousness covering every corner of their body, like an 'emperor' who truly controls their own body. They can command their body with extremely powerful spiritual strength and forcibly optimize their own genes.

Most Grandmasters who have broken through limits are spiritually perfect and can constantly adjust their physical condition to keep themselves at their peak throughout their lives. Their combat power will not decline due to aging. They will maintain their peak appearance after breaking through limits, just as they did when they did.

Therefore, the younger a Grandmaster who has broken through limits appears, the more terrifying they often are.

"Mr. Lu, what does Brother Zhao want from Laicheng?"

Zhou Yinglin, who was standing next to him, asked with some dissatisfaction.

The man named Lu Shenliu glanced at him and said softly, "Since you already understand, why ask me?"

Surprisingly, his voice was a rather soft and refreshing youthful voice, completely different from his terrifying and imposing appearance.

Zhou Yinglin's eyes twitched a few times, and he said stiffly, "I will handle Xue Jing myself, there is no need to trouble Mr. Lu."

Xu Mude laughed and said, "Young Master Zhou is talking big again. I watched the last match, and the difference in your strengths seemed quite large..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yinglin remained expressionless, only scoffing, "What do you know if you don't practice martial arts? The reason I lost last time wasn't because of my strength, but because he used methods that didn't belong to martial arts."

"The Sixth Agency's Special Operations Department deliberately concealed the information about this person's divinely bestowed secret technique, catching me off guard. But this time I was prepared, and the result was different."

Xu Mude asked curiously, "Oh? But I saw Xue Jing use your 'Seamless Armor' when he defeated you, didn't he? That's not some divine secret technique..."

Zhou Yinglin said calmly, "I already said, we were caught off guard."

"This guy is putting on a brave face, saying he learned everything from me in just a few days and it's flawless. That's impossible."

"Tianyi Wufeng is no secret in our circle. He has a connection with that woman from the Zhu family, so he must have obtained information about Tianyi Wufeng from the Zhu family a long time ago and studied it for who knows how long before reaching his current level."

"He may have some talent to achieve the perfect technique, but eighty shots is his current limit. He can't possibly improve any further in just a few days. But I'm different."

Zhou Yinglin clenched his fist, his pupils seemingly burning with flames.

"When two seamless garments clash, the one with the higher level wins. I have my own way of reaching the level of 'hundred needles and a thousand threads.' Once I step onto the stage and face him tomorrow, I'm sure to win."

Lu Shenliu seemed to find it somewhat amusing, but he didn't laugh out loud. He simply said, "Don't worry, I will make my move after your match with him is over. This was something Takeshiro Akira specifically mentioned."

Zhou Yinglin frowned.

Hearing the implication in Lu Shenliu's words, it seemed he had already decided that Lu Shenliu would lose.

But then, Lu Shenliu seemed to realize something and said, "However... I may not necessarily have the chance to make a move."

A serene and peaceful image of a young girl appeared in his mind.

That little girl is not someone to be trifled with...

Zhou Yinglin was unsure of what Lu Shenliu was thinking, but assumed that Lu Shenliu's words meant he was being acknowledged, so his expression softened slightly.

"Just you wait and see... Mr. Lu, you're probably going to have come all this way for nothing."

Confidence gleamed in his sharp, hawk-like eyes.

……

The next day was the day of the semi-finals.

Sitting in Ning Yuantai's car, Xue Jing watched him nervously glancing around every now and then while driving, and sighed helplessly:

"Yuan Tai, what are you doing?"

Ning Yuantai said with a serious expression, "I'm on guard."

"What if Lu Shenliu suddenly attacks... Brother Xue, it's very dangerous!"

Xue Jing said speechlessly, "If he really launches a surprise attack, you won't be able to react in time. This is just a futile move."

After a pause, Xue Jing continued, "If you're scared, just let me get off the bus. I can take a taxi myself."

Upon hearing this, Ning Yuantai immediately shook his head: "No way! I'm Brother Xue's personal driver, your number one henchman. Even if I have to die, I'll die with you!"

Xue Jing slapped him on the head, making him stagger: "What the hell are you talking about? Don't be disgusting. I don't want to die with you."

The cat sitting on the seat next to me yawned and lazily brushed its fluffy tail.

While chatting, Xue Jing suddenly noticed a fishing rod hidden in the gap behind the car seat.

"Yuan Tai, you like fishing?"

Xue Jing picked up the fishing rod, weighed it in his hand, and asked.

"Hmm?" Ning Yuantai glanced back at the fishing rod in Xue Jing's hand and casually said:

"I don't really like it, I just go fishing with Lao Xu occasionally."

Xue Jing nodded: "I see... then I'll borrow this fishing rod for a bit later."

Ning Yuantai was a little confused, but still said, "Huh? Oh, okay, no problem."

Upon arriving at the Super Arena, Xue Jing quickly entered through the internal passage.

Perhaps because the competition has reached the semi-finals and is becoming increasingly exciting, there are a huge number of spectators, and the area outside is packed with people, making it almost as popular as the previous quarter-final match.

Before even reaching the players' lounge, Xue Jing ran into an acquaintance on the way.

An elegant, beautiful woman of androgynous appearance, Suzuka Otogi.

"Mr. Xue".

He saw Xue Jing carrying a fishing rod on his shoulder and immediately reached out to greet him softly.

"Lu Sang, it's been a few days since we last met," Xue Jing replied with a smile.

Otogi Suzuka's eyes softened as she said softly, "Mr. Xue, I'm on my way to an interview. Would you like to come with me?"

Starting from the quarterfinals, there will be a pre-match interview session for each game.

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing shook his head: "Another interview? There are too many interviews. It's too much trouble to play a game. I'm not going."

"Hehehe~" Otogi Suzuka covered her mouth and chuckled, saying:

"That's such a pity... Xue Jun's fans must be so disappointed."

Xue Jing waved and passed by Otogi Suzuka, saying as he walked towards the lounge, "I never asked them to be my fans... It's so boring to have expectations and then be disappointed on your own."

Otogi Suzuka didn't turn around, but said softly, "You're right, Xue-kun..."

After waiting a while longer, until Xue Jing had already left around the corner, he continued, as if talking to himself:

"But I just can't stop having expectations of you..."

"And you will never let me down, will you?"

……

"Good afternoon, viewers! Welcome to the U19 Unrestricted Elite Fighting Tournament Finals. I'm your commentator, Tao Xingxiu!"

"After a period of competition, the tournament has finally reached the semi-finals. Every player who has made it this far is a master among masters, a genius among geniuses!"

"What kind of exciting match will these four incredibly talented young men bring us today? Let's wait and see..."

Amidst the commentator's continuous chatter, Xue Jing quietly appeared in the players' viewing area.

This time, not a single one of the 200,000 spectators and more than 20 contestants noticed his arrival.

【Concealment Lv9 (291/8000)】

After spending time intentionally or unintentionally grinding for experience, the skill [Hidden], which he had only activated recently, had reached level 9.

At this moment, when he used his aura concealment to suppress all his energy, his presence was already incredibly weak.

As long as one's own 'dynamic energy' remains absolutely calm and does not generate killing intent, hostility, or fighting spirit, even a martial arts master with extremely keen senses will subconsciously ignore the person standing in front of them.

With the commentator's passionate voice, the match was about to begin.

Otogi Suzuka and Song Nanxing then entered.

Xue Jing watched the two on the arena quietly.

With his own body remaining still while the heavens move, Song Nanxing of the Tiandong School, who has delved deeply into the field of defense and counterattack, faced off against Suzaku Shojin-ryu Ogayasuka, who was known for his ultimate fast attack and was praised for his "thousand cuts in an instant".

This is going to be a great match.

As Xue Jing had expected, and as most of the people present had anticipated, the two fought fiercely.

The back-and-forth fighting, the rapid attacks and counter-attacks, made the two of them almost like two bolts of lightning as they fought. Their speed far exceeded the limits of human dynamic vision, leaving the spectators gasping in amazement and unable to keep up.

However, only Xue Jing and a few top experts could discern the state of the two individuals.

One is relaxed and carefree, like playing around; the other is giving it your all, with your mind on edge.

The match ended with Otogi Suzuka using her 'Secret Technique: God Slash' for the first time in this U19 tournament.

At that moment, the hand strikes he unleashed were layered upon layered, seemingly delivering hundreds of different slashes in an instant. Song Nanxing had no means of resistance; even the best defense could not withstand an absolute attack.

“Interesting…” Xue Jing’s eyes lit up slightly as he murmured to himself.

He then turned around and quietly left the players' viewing area, returning to the backstage area.

From beginning to end, almost no one noticed his arrival and departure.

Next up is his second battle with Zhou Yinglin.

……

"...Welcome back to the U19 Finals Semifinals! I'm your host, Tao Xingxiu!"