I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

"Thank you to Song Nanxing and Otogi Suzuka for the wonderful match! Next, we will have an even more intense and exciting game!"

"Come, let's shout their names!"

Guided by the commentator, the audience began to cheer enthusiastically.

"Xue Jing—Xue Jing—Xue Jing—"

The calls for Xue Jing resounded throughout the venue, initially chaotic, but gradually becoming more synchronized and louder.

"Brother Xue's popularity right now... is ridiculously high."

In the spectator area, Yin Muhu sighed.

Otogi Suzuka, who also came here after finishing the match, smiled and said:

"Xue Jun is someone who deserves to be the center of attention."

"That's great! I can't wait to meet Xue Jun on the ring..."

He looked towards the contestant's passage where Zhou Yinglin belonged and said softly.

"Zhou Yinglin—Zhou Yinglin—Zhou Yinglin—"

After Xue Jing's cheers ended, it was Zhou Yinglin's turn.

Although he suffered a crushing defeat to Xue Jing, which greatly affected his popularity, he has been in the industry for a long time and has a large number of loyal fans, so the support he receives is still strong.

But he seemed somewhat lacking in confidence, and his shouts ultimately weren't as loud as they used to be.

"Let's welcome our two contestants to the stage!"

Seemingly determined to capitalize on this surge in popularity, Xue Jing and Zhou Yinglin's rematch was treated like a championship final, with both appearing on screen simultaneously.

Xue Jing, with a fishing rod slung over his shoulder, slowly walked out of the contestants' passage.

Compared to last time, he no longer needs to use his "Conqueror's Haki" to shut up the audience.

The cheers that filled the sky were mostly for him.

"Huh? A fishing rod?"

"What is Demon King Xue doing with that fishing rod? And what about that giant sword that's as big as a door?"

Some viewers were puzzled.

"No way..." But some people guessed what was going on and stood up with wide eyes.

……

Chapter 257 Sweep, Zhou Yinglin: "Don't come any closer!!" (4K)

"Is Xue the Demon King implying that he wants to finish this quickly so he can go fishing? I didn't expect him to be such a good fisherman... it's just that he's not wearing a helmet, which makes him look a bit unprofessional."

"It looks like a weapon to me. Didn't Dugu Qiubai use grass, trees, bamboo, and stones as swords? He could probably do that too, using a fishing rod as a gun? Anyway, it looks pretty much like a gun!"

"Do you think this is a novel? Please use your brain. Weapons have a much greater impact on combat power than you think. That fishing rod is obviously just an ordinary fishing rod, not specially made. It would break with a slight collision in a high-intensity martial arts competition. At most, it's just used to bully opponents of a much lower level and show off. If Demon King Xue really wants to play this game, he's going to suffer a great loss. The gap between Zhou Yinglin and him isn't that big!"

"What else could it be? It's not like fishing. In a martial arts competition, you're bound to bring weapons. He just wants to show off."

"As expected of Demon King Xue, I'm relieved to see him still so arrogant."

"Is it going to crash?"

"It's hard to say. Although the two seemed to have a big difference in strength in their last match, Zhou Yinglin must have something to rely on to still dare to step into the ring. If Demon King Xue is overconfident, things might really be a bit risky..."

"Fortune favors the bold! I've thought of that too. Since Zhou Yinglin still dares to go on stage, the outcome is still uncertain! The odds are five to one, I'm going all in on him, he's sure to win this round!"

"...It's you again, you gambling addict. Last time you went all in and Xue Jing won twelve times, wasn't that enough? Now you're going all in again? You deserve to die."

……

Amidst the murmurs of the audience, Xue Jing stepped onto the ring.

He slung the fishing rod over his shoulder with one hand and glanced at Zhou Yinglin, who was also standing opposite him.

Ignoring the photographers who had started taking 360-degree shots of him, Xue Jing spoke softly:

"Zhou Yinglin, you idiot, how dare you stand in front of me? Who gave you the guts?"

This time, his voice did not carry throughout the entire arena; only Zhou Yinglin and the referee next to him heard it.

Last time, the U19 organizers added amplification equipment to the match between Xue Jing and Zhou Yinglin to generate buzz, so their conversation was not only heard throughout the stadium but also shown on the live stream.

But Xue Jing's words... are a bit too much.

The phrase "idiot" and its various variations began to circulate online after the competition's dramatic conclusion.

Many children witnessed this and learned it very quickly, but their personal conduct dropped significantly, leading to numerous complaints from parents about U19. As a result, the organizers had to regretfully cancel this segment.

Zhou Yinglin held the 'embroidery needle' in his hand, his face flushed, perhaps because he was angered by Xue Jing.

His lips twitched slightly as he raised the embroidery needle, pointing the spear tip at Xue Jing, and said sternly, "Xue Jing, don't be arrogant. Martial arts aren't something you can fight with your mouth. I'll soon leave you speechless."

Since that last match, he has been given the derogatory nickname "mentally challenged" online, and hearing the originator of the term again made him somewhat unable to hold back.

Xue Jing was amused and chuckled twice before saying, "You've been beaten up like that and you can still say things like that. It really leaves me speechless."

"If your fighting skills were even half as good as your words, I would be begging you not to kill me right now."

As he spoke, Xue Jing swung the fishing rod in his hand a couple of times to test its feel.

Zhou Yinglin frowned and said, "What's the meaning of you carrying a fishing rod?"

Xue Jing held the fishing rod in his right hand, tapped it against his left palm, and laughed, "It's nothing special... I just grabbed it when I saw it. Do you think it suits you?"

"What are you talking about?" Zhou Yinglin asked, slightly puzzled.

Xue Jing didn't explain, but the narrator's voice had already started.

"...They're here, they've finally arrived!"

"Zhou Yinglin, who narrowly lost in the quarterfinals, successfully revived in the loser's bracket, made it to the semifinals, and stood in front of Xue Jing once again!"

"A brilliant young man with an indomitable will, like an unyielding warrior!"

"Will he be able to successfully avenge the great demon king who once defeated him? Let's witness the second battle between the hero and the demon king together!"

"Then, the game... begins!"

The referee stepped forward, waved between the two, and then immediately ran off the stage.

Zhou Yinglin started walking slowly in circles around Xue Jing.

He twirled the embroidery needle twice with one hand, speaking casually as he walked:

"Xue Jing, this time is different from the last time."

"I have completely seen through your true nature... Do you really think you are invincible with just a few divinely bestowed secret techniques?"

Xue Jing smiled and said, "Is that how you see it... So, what do you want to do?"

Zhou Yinglin snorted coldly and reached into his pocket to pull out a... Wind Ball?

It was a pale blue mass of air, coiled and gathered into a round ball, visible to the naked eye, constantly fluctuating and rotating.

Xue Jing was initially indifferent to the competition, but the moment he saw the pale blue aura, his expression turned serious and his eyes narrowed slightly.

This is……

When Zhou Yinglin saw Xue Jing's increasingly serious expression, as if he had confirmed something, he couldn't help but laugh out loud, his laughter full of joy.

"You recognize this thing, right? You're scared, aren't you!"

"You mere recipient of the Gift dare to stand on the arena and tarnish the glory of the old martial arts with your dirty tricks! Today I will make sure you die without a burial place!"

Zhou Yinglin seemed to have been holding back for too long, and at this moment he shouted out loud, his voice so excited that it became hoarse and cracked, and he was a little hysterical.

After saying that, he gripped the pale blue wisp of wind tightly in his hand.

Instantly, a pale blue stream of energy burst forth from his hand, spreading out in a ring and permeating the entire arena.

Xue Jing ignored the increasingly arrogant Zhou Yinglin and muttered to himself:

"The wind that was the beginning of all things..."

【GOD-098·The Wind at the Beginning of All Things】.

Youqing A-Meng commissioned him to steal a high-level divine relic with a high serial number from Xu's Biotechnology Company.

This is a rather special divine relic. Although it only has one serial number, it actually consists of nine pieces... or rather, nine paths.

The nine winds that are the origin of all things, each with the same power: to return things to their original state.

The most typical use of it is to deal with 'otherworldly things'.

People with alien implants, those whose bodies have become alienated due to practicing new martial arts, and those whose minds have become alienated due to receiving the blessings of alien gods... will have all traces of alienation temporarily erased when blown by the wind of the beginning of all things.

Simply put, with this thing around, any power that is not originally yours cannot be used.

Since its discovery, the primordial winds of all things have been scattered throughout the world. The nine wind clusters have never truly come together. Currently, no one knows what would happen or what the effects would be if they were to come together to become the 'complete form'.

Xue Jing had more or less guessed why Wu Youqing wanted the primordial wind of all things.

"Where did you get this thing?"

He slowly asked Zhou Yinglin.

Zhou Yinglin seemed quite excited, feeling he had hit Xue Jing's sore spot. He chuckled a few times upon hearing this, but instead of answering directly, he said:

"Those who follow the righteous path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little. There are many who want you dead, Xue Jing."

Xue Jing nodded, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

The Primordial Wind that Zhou Yinglin is holding is probably not the one from Xu's Biology, as he currently has no connection with Xu's Biology.

It was probably taken from the Secret Weapons Society?

Those who practice ancient martial arts are best suited to use the primordial wind of all things, as their power originates from within themselves and is therefore unaffected.

It wouldn't be surprising if an extreme old-fashioned martial arts organization like the Secret Martial Arts Society possessed this.

"I didn't expect such an unexpected bonus... My boss will be very happy."

Xue Jing imagined that if he took the two strands of the Primordial Wind back with him, Wu Youqing's usually calm and composed face might reveal a shocked and joyful expression...