I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

"We are going to take a boat back to Qingcheng."

“If that’s the case, the Lion Saints will come aboard with us.”

Xue Jing narrowed his eyes slightly.

"They'll definitely be at the dock in order to get on the ship."

Ning Fengwan pouted and said, "...If I were a member of the Lion Saint Sect, I would have to ask you now, what is my bank card password?"

Xue Jing laughed and said, "It's just speculation. Maybe it's just paranoia."

……

In the past few days, Xue Jing spent his time practicing martial arts in the small gym in the hotel room and studying how to use the [Dragon Horn]. He also accompanied Xue Wan on various sightseeing trips.

With the aid of the silver dragon lightning, his martial arts cultivation is progressing at an astonishing rate, and he can clearly feel himself getting stronger every day.

Time passed slowly, and a few days later, it was December 29th.

Xue Wan took leave and celebrated the New Year's Day holiday a day early, as she was going back to Qingcheng with Xue Jing.

Around noon, the two people and the cat arrived at Maple City Wharf Port, dragging their luggage.

Ignoring the already cool weather, Xue Wan wore a rather summery outfit and a sun hat, and happily said:

"Finally, I'm going back to Qingcheng. I miss the instant noodles I used to cook in that pot at home so much."

Xue Jing, standing beside her, glanced around and casually remarked, "It's just instant noodles, what's the difference?"

"Hey, wok hei, do you even know what wok hei is? I can't explain it to someone like you who doesn't know anything about cooking." Xue Wan waved her hand.

Xue Jing stroked his chin and chuckled, "Then you'd better remember this."

The cat was perched on his shoulder, licking its paws.

Because of his concern for the Lion Saint Sect, Xue Jing had taken the cat with him whenever he went out in the past few days, never letting her out of his sight for a moment.

Previously, Ning Fengwan forcibly gave the Serpent Slayer to Xue Jing, so he couldn't use this ability for a while and hasn't recovered yet, so his combat power is currently very weak.

Xue Jing's gaze swept across the surroundings like lightning.

Everyone whose gaze swept over him felt a chill run down their spine, their hair standing on end.

Since arriving at the port, he has carefully scanned almost everyone coming and going at the dock, but has not found anyone who seems amiss.

"Am I overthinking it?"

He pondered.

At that moment, he glanced to the side.

This was a completely unintentional glance; with normal eyesight, it would be virtually impossible to notice anything.

However, Xue Jing possesses a skill called [Aiming], and its level is as high as Lv9.

With extraordinary vision far exceeding human limits, it leaped past countless intersecting figures and transparent windows, noticing something amiss in a tiny gap smaller than a mosquito.

On the railing of a platform near the coastline, two tall men wearing black headscarves and thick fur around their necks came into his view.

The incongruous posture and movements, resembling a feline beast standing upright, made Xue Jing almost instantly certain that these were people from the Lion Saint Sect.

After thinking for a moment, Xue Jing squatted down, placed his hand on the cement ground, channeled his energy, and dug with his fingers.

Without making a sound, he pried a suitably sized cement block out of the ground.

"I, the Stone Throwing Immortal, am about to make a comeback."

He whispered.

……

Chapter 176 Throwing Techniques: Dragon Star Cluster, Air-to-Ground Crushing Bombardment! Supersonic Electromagnetic Cannon!

Xue Jing tossed the stone in his hand, thought for a moment, and then said to Xue Wan:

"Sis, I'm going to run some errands and buy some oranges. You stay where you are and don't move."

Xue Wan raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't think I don't understand. You'll always be a younger brother, once you're a younger brother. You want to level up? No way. I'm not staying here. I'm getting on the ship."

She dragged her rolling suitcase toward the boarding gate, paused, then turned back and said, "Be careful."

Xue Jing smiled and nodded.

After Xue Wan left, the cat perched on Xue Jing's shoulder blinked its emerald-green vertical pupils and spoke:

"You found the Lion Saint Cult?"

Xue Jing hummed in agreement and held the stone in his hand:

"Let's go, let's take care of this problem."

After saying that, he exhaled his energy and used the Hidden Dragon Ruyi to unleash pure soft power. With a single step, he disappeared from the spot almost instantly. None of the passersby noticed his departure; it was completely silent.

……

On the railing of the platform by the sea, two tall, hunched figures stood on the slender railing with ease, displaying an excellent sense of balance.

Due to their excessive weight, the iron railings were slightly bent as they stepped on them.

"Bazebu, they're already at the dock. I've seen the sacred object. When do we make our move?"

The Lion Saint's envoy, named Belial, asked in an irritated tone.

His right hand... or rather, his right claw, gripped the stone pillar supporting the railing beside him. With just one grip, the hard stone pillar was easily crushed like a cake.

"That damned woman is blaspheming the sacred object. She obtained the power of His Majesty the Lion God and transformed into such a perfect form, yet she willingly plays the role of a harmless house cat..."

"This is an insult to the War King's Wild Radiance!"

"Calm down, Belial," Bazebu said calmly from beside him.

"I'm angry too, but now is not the best time."

“Since they’re going to take a boat, we should go with them. We won’t have any worries about taking action at sea… That’s the best choice.”

"Patience, we must be patient... The War King is the god of victory, and patience is also a part of achieving victory."

"By the way, where's that little snake?" Bazebu asked.

Upon hearing this, Belial scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

"We've already found the location of the sacred object... I just felt that little snake was useless and wanted to eat it as a snack."

"But then he started shedding his skin... and he got away."

Bazebu shouted angrily, "You bastard—!"

To change the subject, Belial quickly waved his hand and said, "Wait a minute! That Xue Jing seems to have disappeared!"

"It doesn't matter. They'll get on the ship eventually. Just keep an eye on the boarding gate."

……

Xue Jing did not go directly to cause trouble for the Lion Saint Sect. Instead, he put on ordinary glasses and strolled around the area.

Soon, his eyes lit up as he spotted a deserted little beach below the edge of the pier.

Because it is constantly covered by the ebb and flow of the tide, a lot of marine debris is washed onto this small beach. In addition, some inconsiderate passers-by and tourists litter everywhere. The place is also hidden and inconvenient to clean, so it has almost become a garbage dump and emits a foul smell.

Xue Jing stood on a black reef not far from the beach. The cat frowned slightly, covered its nose with its right paw, and said:

"What are you doing here?"

Xue Jing smiled and said, "Prepare the ammunition."

"Hmm?" the cat asked, puzzled.

He didn't explain, but with a thought, a crackling sound of electricity suddenly emanated from the top of his head, and two beautiful dragon horns formed by solidified silver lightning appeared above his head.

"Oh? This is your new ability..." The cat looked curious.

She suddenly felt a slight itch in her paws.

The snake-slaying vanguard, which was on strike, seemed to have been stimulated by something, and looked like it was about to regrow.

Xue Jing, unaware of the cat's feelings, reached out his hand towards the small beach piled with trash.

"Crackling—"

Thick, silver lightning bolts extended from his palm and struck the small beach, but caused no damage.

A fine electric current swept across everything on the beach, and everything touched by the current slowly floated up and hung in the air.

Before long, all the trash on the beach was floating in the air, each piece spaced a little apart, arranged quite neatly, like an army lined up waiting for their leader's inspection.

"...This is the Dragon Lightning that can affect gravity?"

"The cat sighed."

"It looks like a lot of fun..."

"Want to play too?" Xue Jing smiled, holding up a finger and pointing at the cat on his shoulder.

A bolt of silver lightning shot from his fingertip, striking the cat and transforming into fine electric currents that coursed across her fur.

The next moment, the cat detached from Xue Jing's shoulder and floated in the air.

"Wait...wait a minute!"

The cat's eyes widened in surprise, its fur stood on end, and its four paws flailed in the air as if it were drowning.

It took her a while to get used to the weightlessness of floating in the air and to curiously experience true flight.

Controlling the cat to fly around, Xue Jing turned his head to look at the trash floating in the air and began to select 'ammunition'.

"Hmm...this glass bottle is nice."

"A nail enchanted with tetanus, a good item."

"Huh? There are still steel bars..."

"...Why are there pufferfish carcasses on the beach?"