I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

Otogi Suzuka's expression gradually turned cold.

"No secrets allowed, only fair play, giving it your all, burning your own blood, and fighting with all your might to defeat your opponent, or be defeated by your opponent. I believe this is the necessary respect for a true martial artist."

"What you asked me to do is to force me to insult him, to force me to insult myself, and to insult the martial arts."

"I demand that you apologize immediately."

Mr. Fox paused for a moment, then chuckled inexplicably: "An interesting little brat."

"Forget it, that's fine."

"As an anomaly, how could it be without hardship? Even that Supreme Martial King back then..."

He stood up and looked at Otogisuka.

"I apologize, it was indeed an inopportune request... You really are a member of the organization."

With these words of lament, Mr. Fox's figure had already disappeared from the dojo.

Otogi Suzuka sat upright, seemingly oblivious to Mr. Fox's sudden disappearance, her eyelids slightly drooping as she pondered something.

At that moment, the sliding door to the room was pushed open, and a young man with a serious and resolute face walked in, speaking in a Far Eastern language:

"Young Master, who was that person just now?"

Otogi Suzuka snapped out of her daze, glanced at the young man, and said in the same Far Eastern language, "He is called Fox Sleeper."

"Foxes sleep on ruined walls, rabbits run on desolate platforms, all of which were once places of song and dance... This is an ancient saying of the Chinese people, describing the impermanence of the rise and fall of worldly affairs, and that man is a madman who wants to plunge all things in the world into impermanence and chaos."

The young man seemed to understand but not quite, and could only respond blankly, "...I see."

Otogi Suzuka smiled and said, "Taiping, has Xue-kun replied to me yet?"

He remembered what Humianzi had said earlier: "You will be meeting him soon."

Fox Sleeper has never been wrong. Since he said so, Xue Jing must have agreed to meet with him.

As expected, the young man named Taiping nodded and said:

"The Galaxy Club has replied, saying that Lord Xue Jing will come to visit this afternoon."

Otogi Suzuka looked expectant: "Really? That's great."

……

Around 3 PM, Xue Jing arrived at A3, one of the so-called affluent areas of Yuancheng, on a suspended high-speed monorail train.

Following the address marked on the wristband, he quickly found a dojo that occupied a considerable area and had a very Japanese style.

Xue Jing glanced at the signboard of the dojo.

"Wakamiya Dojo... this is it."

"Let's go in and take a look... Hmm? What's wrong?"

He turned to look at the cat perched on his shoulder and asked in confusion.

At this moment, the cat's fur stood on end, as if it had been electrocuted, and it looked much fluffier than usual. Its two front paws also extended into silver-white snake-slaying spears, which shone brightly in the sunlight and made Xue Jing's shoulder ache a little.

"I don't know... I think I smelled a strange smell, and then this happened."

The cat was also puzzled, and just looked around warily.

"This feeling is the same as when I first entered Yuan City and was on the plane... I originally thought it was because I had entered the Dragon Cult's base, but now it seems that's not the case."

She placed one of her front paws on Xue Jing's head, standing even higher, and kept searching for something in the crowd.

"Ah Jing, there must be something strange here, or something strange just came by. It's terrifying..."

Seeing this, Xue Jing reached out and patted her head, smoothing her ruffled hair, and comforted her:

"Don't worry, I'm here."

At this moment, a young man standing at the entrance of the Ruogong Dojo saw Xue Jing, his eyes lit up, and he jogged over to him.

"...Is this Lord Xue Jing?"

He spoke in awkward, slightly strange Chinese, bowing his head respectfully.

Xue Jing glanced at him, nodded, and said, "Yes."

Upon hearing this, the young man bowed to him and said, "I am Ruogong Taiping. Lord Xue Jing, you may call me Taiping. Please follow me. My young master has been waiting for you for a long time..."

If Gong Taiping gestured for Xue Jing to proceed, she would then lead the way.

Xue Jing stroked the cat and followed behind him into the gate of the Ruogong Dojo.

This dojo not only has a Japanese exterior but also a Japanese interior design. Sliding doors can be seen everywhere, and the bamboo tube with flowing water in the courtyard, named "Surprising Deer," and the cross-shaped bridge give it a Zen-like feel and a sense of tranquility.

There was no one else in the dojo on the way; the entire dojo was so quiet it was almost desolate.

Following Wakamiya Taihei, Xue Jing made several turns along the solid wood corridor and soon arrived at the largest room in the dojo.

If Miyako Taihei stepped forward, knelt on the ground, slowly pushed open the sliding door, and bowed respectfully towards the inside, saying:

"Young Master, Lord Xue Jing has arrived."

A magnetic, gentle voice, neither clearly male nor female, came from inside the room: "Please come in."

Xue Jing stepped forward, took off his shoes, and entered the room.

In the very center of the spotless room, where the floor almost gleamed, a figure knelt on the ground with his back to Xue Jing.

His long, black hair, reaching his waist in a high ponytail, flowed smoothly like a black waterfall, covering most of his back.

Even upon seeing the person in person, Xue Jing, with his keen eyesight, couldn't immediately tell whether the person before him was male or female.

This feeling intensified when Otogisuka turned around.

That androgynous face, possessing both masculine and feminine features, exuded a captivating charm that transcended gender, leaving Xue Jing hesitant to address him as either "Mr." or "Miss."

"Mr. Xue, it's been a long time."

Otogi Suzuka stood up, a gentle smile on her face.

He extended a hand with incredibly smooth skin, unlike that of a martial artist, and spoke in fluent Chinese:

"I am Suzuka Otogi... Please just call me Suzuka."

Xue Jing shook hands with him and asked in confusion:

"What do you want from me? Do you want to have a match with me ahead of schedule?"

Faced with such direct words, Otogisuka's eyes lit up:

"Mr. Xue is indeed a man of principle. Although this was not my original intention in inviting you here, if this is your intention, perhaps... we should begin now?"

Otogi Suzuka's tone was filled with anticipation.

"The fight begins five seconds after we meet?"

Xue Jing's purpose in coming here was to try and obtain the [Unsharpened Blade] ahead of time, which was perfectly acceptable.

He thought to himself, "This Otogisuka is indeed as rumored, a martial arts fanatic."

"He's an interesting person, though."

Xue Jing smiled and said, "Then let's begin."

The cat jumped off Xue Jing's shoulder and sat down on its own.

Otogi Suzuka glanced at her, her gaze lingering for a moment on the white-gold tail ring before turning back to Xue Jing.

He smiled warmly, almost seductively, and began to speak:

"Xue Jun... be careful."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Jing subconsciously took a step back and leaned to the left.

An arm, like a karate chop, swept past the spot where he had leaned to dodge, without any warning.

"call out--!!"

A transparent sword aura emerged from where the hand blade had been swung, cleaving the sliding door behind Xue Jing in two, and continued flying forward with undiminished momentum.

In just one glance, Xue Jing immediately realized that the person in front of him was unlike any enemy he had ever encountered before.

It's not a matter of strength... If we're talking about strength, that pureblood dragon and Jiao Hongyuan are both above Otogisuka.

However, none of them possess a certain quality found in Otogisuka.

"Pure, passionate, and with unlimited potential..."

He was enjoying himself.

Xue Jing suddenly remembered a sentence.

Those who diligently cultivate themselves cannot defeat those who simply enjoy cultivating themselves.

Those who merely enjoy cultivation cannot win against those who truly appreciate it.

As the sage said: "Knowing something is not as good as liking it, and liking it is not as good as enjoying it."

The person in front of him was someone Xue Jing had never met before—someone who enjoyed practicing martial arts and fighting.

Even he himself, although he liked practicing martial arts and fighting, was essentially trying to obtain what he could get after practicing martial arts and fighting, rather than taking practicing martial arts and fighting as his own purpose.

But the person in front of me was different. He genuinely aimed to practice martial arts and fight, simply and purely enjoying the process itself.

"interesting."

Xue Jing smiled, forcefully severing his utilitarian thoughts of 'winning against Otogisuka and obtaining the [Unsharpened Blade]' with his strong willpower.

Faced with such an opponent, he was unusually intrigued and wanted to have a pure battle with him.

With the power circulating, a true dragon was born, and the sound of the dragon's roar resounded throughout the temple.

"Thunder Flame Boiling Cauldron!"

The Peerless Fist was unleashed, carrying power nearly that of a true dragon, creating a ring of air that blasted towards Otogi Suzuka.

Realizing the power of the attack, Otogisuka showed delight and immediately extended her right hand, striking upwards in a palm-holding posture.

"Su Zao Liu·Tan Tian Sha Sha!"

……