I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

Could it be that even the Buddha Youqing couldn't withstand this top-tier ice?

“…No.” Wu Youqing shook her head.

Her gaze shifted slightly from Xue Jing to his left shoulder, her expression somewhat strange.

"Wow..."

Wu Youqing made a surprised sound, as if she had seen or heard something.

Xue Jing thought for a moment and asked:

"Is this little girl doing something to me?"

Wu Youqing gave him a complicated look, and simply said, "It's nothing."

After a pause, she continued:

"Ah Jing, if you have a child in the future, don't spoil her too much."

"otherwise……"

Xue Jing: "Huh?"

Wu Youqing glanced to her side, gave a light hum, and said nonchalantly, "...It's nothing."

"Alright, I have something important to discuss with you today."

"The U19 finals will begin in six days at the 'Super Arena' in Yuancheng."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing's eyes lit up: "Yuancheng?"

Yuancheng is one of the three inner-ring cities in the fifth metropolitan area.

He has never been to the inner ring city since he was born. It is said that it is extremely developed. Compared with it, all the outer ring cities are just 'rural areas'.

Speaking of which, he has quite a connection with Yuancheng. The head of the Dragon Cult to which Cat belongs is currently located in Yuancheng. The man named Zhu Yingkun, whom he killed during his first containment mission, was also from Yuancheng.

There's also Lin Qingsheng, a disciple of the Tiger Soul Dojo who has established himself in the inner ring, who also opened a Tiger Soul branch in Yuancheng.

"The finals will be a long tournament, lasting at least seven days. Under normal circumstances, people without a local household registration are not allowed to stay in the inner ring for more than five days... But I have already arranged special stay procedures for you, so you don't need to worry about that."

Wu Youqing spoke softly.

"In this final, besides defeating Suzuka Otogi and obtaining his [GOD-519·Unsharpened Blade], you should also take the championship. This will benefit you and make it easier for you to obtain 'titles' in the future."

"The seven major titles of the old martial arts world, plus a special title of 'Champion' with extremely high prestige, require extremely complex screening to challenge these titles. Participate in various competitions and win rankings to gradually accumulate the qualifications to challenge them."

"The U19 team is a special case. If they can win this competition, it will be much easier for them to qualify for the Challenger title in the future."

Xue Jing nodded and said, "I see, I understand."

Becoming a titled master is the ultimate goal for almost all old-school martial artists.

The seven titles, even the least prestigious 'tenth dan', once obtained, not only represent the ultimate satisfaction of achieving self-pursuit in the path of martial arts, but also symbolize extremely high status, power, wealth... these worldly desires.

Xue Jing, naturally, was no exception; he wanted these things too.

However, he is still far from achieving any of the titles—even when his master Li Qi was at his peak, a Grandmaster who had broken through limits, he dared not even glance at any of the seven titles.

Those were the seven peerless masters who stood at the pinnacle of martial arts in ancient China.

Of course, there are actually more than seven... Titles can be changed through challenges, and they are frequently switched. There are even cases where one person holds several titles at the same time.

"However, it will be a bit difficult for you to win this championship this time."

Wu Youqing reached out and tapped the table with her index finger.

Xue Jing raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"First is Otogi Suzuka. Whether you can defeat him in pure martial arts is still unknown... This person arrived in Yuan City two days ago, and many young talents from the inner ring have come to challenge him, including many professional seventh and eighth dan level masters."

"But... without exception, the battles ended in an instant, all of them were instant kills."

Wu Youqing said.

"Of course, this is also due to the fact that his school of cultivation is quite special. It is said that he has long since reached the level of 'hundred cuts' or higher in the ultimate technique of the Divine Style, 'Divine Slash,' and can unleash a hundred slashes in an instant."

"This is a typical 'watershed' move. Anyone whose strength is below his will be instantly killed. Only those who are equal to him or stronger than him have the right to fight him."

Xue Jing looked thoughtful.

"A thousand cuts in an instant, slaying gods"—the ultimate technique of the Far East Sword Saint, Sakagami Tenmune.

Even a professional 8th dan master can be instantly killed in one hit...?

"Besides Otogisuka, there's another problem... and it's a problem specifically targeting you."

Wu Youqing tore open the packaging of a dorayaki and began to speak.

Xue Jing asked in confusion, "Oh? Who is it?"

“A man named Zhou Yinglin,” Wu Youqing said while eating a dorayaki.

"He was one of the disciples of Wu Xuanzhu, the 'Eternal Master of War'."

Xue Jing's eyes widened slightly: "Eternal Lord of War..."

To add the word 'eternal' before a title, stringent conditions must be met.

The title battles for the seven major titles are held once a year, and the competition is extremely fierce.

There are two ways to obtain the word 'eternity'.

Alternatively, you could win the same title five times in a row.

Alternatively, you can obtain the same title ten times in total.

Both methods are equally difficult. The competition for the title is extremely fierce, with dozens of top experts vying for it every year. The person who ultimately wins the title will inevitably be studied and analyzed. Every move and stance of their entire body will be thoroughly investigated, and even their blinking habit will be analyzed a thousand times in an attempt to find a flaw.

As a result, when the title battle comes around the following year, it often happens that the previous year's title holder is quickly defeated and eliminated.

To defeat all opponents for five consecutive years under such circumstances, one must possess either overwhelming strength or an absurd rate of improvement!

Once you obtain the 'Eternal Title', you will never have to participate in title battles again and will enjoy the status and power of a title holder for life.

Wu Xuanzhu was known as the "Saint of Spears". His spear technique was "flawless" and was called "the most skillful in the world". He could sew a garment with three thousand stitches in ten breaths while holding a nine-foot spear.

"As Wu Xuanzhu's disciple, Zhou Yinglin naturally inherited the 'Seamless Clothes' technique, and at a young age, he has already reached the 'Ten Needles and Hundred Threads' level, making him quite famous in the old martial arts circle."

Wu Youqing said, "And he suddenly appeared as a seeded player in the 'Baocheng Elimination Tournament' a few days ago. Just like you, he instantly crushed his opponents and qualified for the finals."

Xue Jing crossed his arms and asked in confusion, "Why do you say he came specifically for me?"

"Zhou Yinglin is getting very close to Zhu Daizhao, the third young master of the Zhu family's branch in the capital..."

Before Wu Youqing could finish speaking, Xue Jing nodded: "I see, I understand. I'll just kill him then."

The girl gave him a helpless look: "If an U19 player kills someone, they will be disqualified from the competition... I haven't finished speaking, don't interrupt."

"Besides being associated with the Zhu family, Zhou Yinglin is also a member of the Secret Martial Arts Society. His sudden appearance at U19 might also be related to the Secret Martial Arts Society."

“He is Wu Xuanzhu’s disciple, and the U19 championship is dispensable to him. In that case, it can be basically confirmed that his target is you.”

After a pause, Wu Youqing continued, "Moreover, she probably wanted to 'accidentally' kill you on the stage."

“Zhou Yinglin’s strength is no weaker than Otogi Suzuka’s, and he uses the spear, which is the most advantageous weapon. He is very difficult to deal with, so you have to be careful.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded and said, "I understand."

"Also, there's something I need to ask you when you go to Yuancheng this time..." Wu Youqing said in a low voice.

……

Xue Jing stayed on the seventh floor of the library for more than an hour.

After he left, Wu Youqing sat alone in the silent attic.

The attic was dark, with no lights and closed doors and windows, but her pale purple eyes stood out brightly in the darkness.

After a long silence, Wu Youqing picked up the [GOD-1291] on the table and lit a match.

An eerie red and blue flame ignited, its ghostly light reflecting on Wu Youqing's serene and elegant face.

“Under true vision, the ‘abnormalities’ on his body are becoming more and more complex, and I wonder how many ‘insects’ will be attracted to him.”

"..."

“I understand. If you really are him and me… then it means I haven’t been affected by the ‘disappearance phenomenon’…”

"..."

"I know he's a smart man, and he probably already guessed something, but he's just pretending not to know."

"..."

"Let nature take its course. The so-called 'future' is not predetermined. You are just one of the 'possibilities,' not absolute."

"..."

"Ugh, alright, alright, stop it, my head hurts..."

"..."

"Why do you like him so much? You were just talking to him... I'm starting to worry..."

"..."

The girl's self-talk continued for a long time in the attic.

……

Chapter 209 Gunfire, Shadow Flame Upgrade, Elementalization! Xue Jing, Logia-type Devil Fruit User (4K)

In the living room, Xue Wan lifted her shirt, revealing a slender waist and a ruby-like navel stud hanging from her beautiful, upright belly button.

Once you've done it once, you'll get used to it. Xue Wan was no longer bothered by her younger brother seeing and touching her navel. She showed no embarrassment whatsoever and simply said with a normal expression:

"In just half a month, my mutation rate has risen to nearly 20%..."

"It must really be as you said, because with a way to solve the alienation, people relaxed and neglected to resist the erosion of their spirit by divine power..."

Xue Jing reached out and touched her sacred mark.

[Divine matter detected; absorbing divinity...]