I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

As I thought about it, a gentle smile unconsciously crept onto my lips.

This scene was captured by a photographer at close range and projected onto the large screen inside the venue, causing a stir and screams from the audience.

Xue Jing ignored the commotion outside and instead flicked his fishing rod, activating the [Master of War] skill.

The enhancement effect gradually covered the entire fishing rod, transforming it into a divine weapon... Moreover, there was no platinum staining.

This is the method he has tested over the past few days. Since stealth and assassination weapons such as daggers are also within the scope of [Weapon Master], as long as he thinks about the concealment of the weapon in his hand when using it, the platinum effect will disappear.

'As expected... even the primordial winds of creation have no effect on me.'

Xue Jing thought to himself, pointing his fishing rod at Zhou Yinglin, and said softly:

"Although you seem to have misunderstood something, I'm in a good mood right now, and I even feel like thanking you."

"I'll give you a chance. Make your move."

Zhou Yinglin scoffed, "Pretentious!"

"Go to hell, Xue Jing!"

He stepped forward, thrusting out his embroidery needle, and without hesitation used the flawless technique.

This time, he would never lose again. Without the divinely bestowed secret technique, the person in front of him was nothing more than a thief who had learned it flawlessly!

Zhou Yinglin's skin flushed slightly, and faint white steam rose from the top of his head.

The secret medicine he took before the competition began to take effect, forcibly boosting his mental calculation ability. At this moment, he had reached the third level of perfection – Hundred Needles and Thousand Threads!

Even if a Grandmaster who has broken through limits were to be in front of you, you would have to be extremely careful under his hundreds of needles and thousands of threads, or you would die on the spot!

The needle-like spear in his hand transformed into a stream of light, splitting into ten, then into a hundred, creating an endless torrent of spears that enveloped Xue Jing.

It's getting closer, closer and closer.

The country bumpkin in front of him, who had brought him immense humiliation through cheating, was about to die at his hands.

Zhou Yinglin felt his whole body go numb and hot, extremely excited, and a feeling of exhilaration was about to surge out and flow through his entire body.

He had a premonition that after killing Xue Jing, he would immediately experience a huge breakthrough, reaching the true realm of "hundred needles and a thousand threads"...

Just as the torrent of gunfire was about to engulf Xue Jing.

"Swish—clang—"

The wind whistled past, and the sound of metal clashing rang out.

Xue Jing casually swung the ordinary fishing rod in his hand.

A terrifying, overwhelming force, so powerful and unstoppable, struck, tearing Zhou Yinglin's perfectly formed armor apart like a tattered garment.

The torrent of gunfire dissipated and collapsed, and the embroidery needle flew out, spinning continuously in the air, and pierced into the pale blue repulsive membrane above the arena, stirring up a ripple.

"Varied……!!"

Zhou Yinglin's eyes widened in disbelief.

That's... a fishing rod?

Why... why does it look like that giant sword?

How can it be! ?

His hands, which had been holding the spear, suddenly went numb and almost lost all feeling, just like when he first started practicing and had to keep thrusting the spear for three days and three nights under the strict supervision of his senior brother.

In the end what happened?

In his bewilderment, Xue Jing's emotionless voice rang in his ears.

"You've used up all your opportunities, and you've done your best."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his body.

A fishing rod transformed into an endless torrent he was familiar with, covering him.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—"

The fishing rod, though not sharp at all, was like a real spear, piercing his body with countless bloody holes.

This scene, almost identical to the previous match except for the different weapons, left Zhou Yinglin somewhat dazed.

"The shot was weak."

"His backhand is not good."

"Loose steps."

"Responsive."

While holding the fishing rod in one hand, Xue Jing poked Zhou Yinglin off the ground and kept him suspended in the air, all the while chanting incantations.

"None of these places are decent, and you think you can compete with me? Keep dreaming!"

With a final rebuke, Xue Jing thrust his fishing rod out for the hundredth time.

A solid, ethereal robe appeared and was placed on Zhou Yinglin's body.

Zhou Yinglin coughed up a mouthful of blood, knelt on the ground, and looked at the feathered robe he was wearing, trembling all over: "Hundreds...hundreds of needles and thousands of threads, how is this possible..."

Xue Jing said, "After practicing for a few more days, it's normal to make some progress, isn't it?"

"What, you can't do it? Genius?"

Zhou Yinglin's hawk-like eyes completely lost their luster: "Impossible, it can't be, it shouldn't be like this..."

Xue Jing stuck the fishing rod in the ground and walked towards Zhou Yinglin, saying softly as he walked, "Still don't want to face reality? That's fine, but I regret to inform you now."

"The match time is over again."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yinglin suddenly looked up at Xue Jing, his eyes revealing deep fear.

He lay half-reclined on the ground, frantically backing away, screaming hysterically, "You...don't come any closer!"

The sound was so loud that almost the entire audience could hear it.

But amidst the pitying and unbearable gazes of everyone, the ruthless demon king, radiating an aura of black lightning patterns, approached him and grabbed one of his feet.

"boom--!!"

Zhou Yinglin's entire body was swung in a half-circle and slammed hard onto the floor on the other side, shattering the ground into a pile of stone chips and creating a large, human-shaped crater.

In an instant, his eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted. Blood gushed from the holes all over his body, making people wonder if a human body could hold so much liquid.

"Bang——" "Bang——" "Bang——"

The loud thuds of bodies hitting the ground rang out continuously. Xue Jing was swinging Zhou Yinglin around like a giant human sword. With each thud, the entire super arena trembled slightly, the force of which was terrifying.

Xue Jing only stopped moving and released his grip on Zhou Yinglin's ankle after Zhou Yinglin's bones were completely shattered and he lay limp on the ground in a twisted position like a broken sack.

"The human body is truly terrible and difficult to use as a weapon..."

In the silent arena, Xue Jing's soft voice echoed throughout the entire arena.

He walked to the side, pulled the fishing rod stuck in the floor, and swung it sharply.

The immense force stirred up the airflow, bringing together the pale blue primordial winds that had been spreading across the arena.

The primordial wind of all things possesses a cohesive quality. Even when it spreads out, it will always attract each other, remain at a very close distance, and slowly re-condense into a ball. Therefore, although it was crushed by Zhou Yinglin, it did not disperse but remained on the arena.

At this moment, Xue Jing swung the fishing rod several times from various angles, forcibly gathering the energy into a fist-sized ball of wind, which he held in one hand.

He glanced back at Zhou Yinglin, who was now motionless, and said calmly:

"I'm taking it with me."

"If you don't say anything, I'll take it as your consent."

Zhou Yinglin remained completely still.

"Looks like you agree, thanks."

After offering a perfunctory thank you, Xue Jing carried the undamaged fishing rod in one hand and walked towards the contestants' passage.

Only after his figure disappeared did the referee swallow hard, hurriedly pick up the whistle hanging around his neck, and blow the final whistle.

"The outcome is decided!"

……

(I forgot to set the time, so frustrating, what a waste of a leave slip...)

Chapter 258 An Unexpected Helper Found by Young A-Meng, A New Divine Skill: Ascension! (5K)

"As expected, Xue the Demon King is still Xue the Demon King... It seems that his act of kindness when he attacked Huang Lu last time was just a momentary act of kindness. I am relieved to see that he is still so cruel."

"Kindness, indeed... I heard that after Huang Lu woke up after the competition, he posted more than twenty blog posts, from doubting his own worth to crying that he was sorry for his parents and master's cultivation, and confused about whether he should continue to practice martial arts... He was almost forced to retire."

"I never imagined that fishing rod was actually used as a weapon. How did Demon King Xue manage to do that? Could it be that it looks ordinary on the surface but is actually made of super materials?"

"Stop trying to cover for Zhou Yinglin, really. After these two matches, surely everyone knows the gap between them, right? Does Xue the Demon King need to resort to such underhanded tactics? It's pure, unadulterated superiority! He could easily crush anyone with a fishing rod!"

"His strength is truly terrifying. In the last match, there were some excuses. You could say he was intimidated by that giant sword and underperformed, or that he was unprepared and underestimated Xue Mowang, which led to his poor performance... But this time, he was fully prepared and still got completely crushed by Xue Mowang with just a fishing rod. It was unbearable to watch, so embarrassing..."

"It's flawless again! And although the speed is too fast to see clearly, judging from the appearance of that Heavenly Feather Robe, it is clearly the realm of a hundred needles and a thousand threads. Demon King Xue has improved again!"

"It's only been a few days? Could it be true that he practiced to eighty shots in seven days, as he said in the interview?"

"This sounds absurd, impossible, but when it comes to Xue the Demon King, I'm starting to think it's actually quite normal..."

"Xue the Demon King's information has been basically dug up online. It is said that he has not even been practicing martial arts for four months since he started!"

"How is that possible? You actually believe that? If this person hadn't been meticulously trained since childhood, I'd eat shit on the spot! Coming from a humble background in the outer ring is exaggerated enough, and he's only been practicing martial arts for four months? How many systems does he have?"

"Fuck you, Zhou Yinglin! You can't beat me, so why are you acting all confident? Why did I blindly go all in on you? I lost everything I won last time!"

"A normal ending for a gambler is comforting."

With the conclusion of the semi-finals, the rematch between Xue Jing and Zhou Yinglin sparked a heated discussion among the audience and online.

……

The spectator area for the players.