I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

Xue Jing closed the panel with a smug look on his face.

This sudden attack by the Dragon Cult feels like they've come to deliver a gift to him.

Besides divinity, he also gained some other benefits from this...

Thinking back to the battle just now, in which he used the Forgotten Greatsword as a vessel to unleash 'Seamless Clothes' and 'Full Moon Cherry Blossom', Xue Jing couldn't help but fall into thought.

"Could this be the true application of weaponry? Or is it a sign that weaponry is about to be elevated to a higher level?"

"Not bound by the external form of the weapon in hand, but using one weapon to control ten thousand?"

"Dugu Qiubai is said to be able to use grass, trees, bamboo and stones as swords... If my idea is true, then wouldn't it mean that one could pluck a blade of grass from the ground and wield it as a giant sword, even if it is light as a feather?"

……

Chapter 235 Xue Jing's Promise to the Cat, Ten Stitches and a Hundred Threads, Terrifying Speed ​​of Progress (4K)

Ceasefire Base.

The SUV slowly came to a stop in front of the villa where Xue Jing lived.

"Thank you for your help all day, Yuan Tai."

After getting out of the car, Xue Jing smiled and said to Ning Yuantai.

"What are you saying? I'd be happy to help you. So many people would love to help but don't have the chance," Ning Yuantai said, waving his hand with a smug look on his face.

Xue Jing patted his shoulder: "Don't say that. I've seen everything you've done for me these past few days. I consider you my friend, and I'll help you in the same way whenever you need me."

Ning Yuantai was deeply moved and almost shed tears: "Brother Xue, with these words from you, I have everything I need for the rest of my life!"

Xue Jing: "..."

……

Ning Yuantai quickly drove away, swaying from side to side, in a manner that would give traffic police high blood pressure, heading straight for the laboratory building to hand over the snake-man corpse that Xue Jing had asked him to examine.

Back at the villa, Xue Jing took a two-liter bottle of cola from the refrigerator, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down in one go without changing his expression, as if he had just drunk a glass of water.

"It's a pity we didn't capture anyone alive this time, so we can't get any news about Yunqin."

Xue Jing put the empty bottle in the trash can, sat down on the sofa, and began to speak.

The cat jumped onto his lap, squatted down, and its fluffy tail swayed back and forth, occasionally brushing against Xue Jing's chin, bringing a soft touch.

She was silent for a moment, then sighed:

"That child hasn't contacted me yet; either he's been imprisoned or he's dead."

"I am prepared for the worst..."

Xue Jing patted her head and comforted her:

"Don't worry, if she's still alive, I will definitely rescue her. If she's gone, I'll make the entire Dragon Cult pay for her death."

A faint platinum light shone forth, and Xue Jing felt a sinking sensation in his arms as the cat transformed into human form.

Ning Fengwan blinked her usually heroic and assertive but now somewhat delicate long phoenix eyes, sat on Xue Jing's lap, and gently buried her head in Xue Jing's arms.

"If Yunqin dies, then I'll only have you left..."

Because of the position, a slightly muffled, childlike girl's voice came from her arms, inexplicably soft.

Xue Jing smiled, gently stroked her smooth, fair back, and whispered:

"I won't die, you'll never be alone."

Upon hearing this, Ning Fengwan buried her head even deeper, seemingly dissatisfied, and said:

"Don't say things that sound like you're setting a flag."

She reached out and hugged Xue Jing very tightly.

"besides……"

"We must always keep our word."

Xue Jing thought for a moment, then hesitantly replied with a joke: "Uh... this is my ninja way?"

Ning Fengwan said expressionlessly, "Can you please stop ruining the atmosphere? This is really something."

……

In the consciousness simulation space.

On the grand arena stage, Xue Jing, wielding the Forgotten Greatsword, stood facing Zhou Yinglin.

He held the greatsword horizontally with one hand, as if wielding a nine-foot spear. His eyes narrowed, and he and Zhou Yinglin charged at each other simultaneously.

“Swish, swish, swish—!!”

Amidst the whistling air, Xue Jing was pierced into a pile of minced meat by the torrent of gunfire.

After restoring his body to its original state, Xue Jing reappeared in the arena and pondered:

"...It's not working, I can't find that feeling from last night."

This morning, he woke up and immediately entered his consciousness space, wanting to continue to study his ideas about 'soldier attack' from last night.

However, despite his many attempts, he was unable to successfully execute 'Perfect Clothes' or 'Full Moon Cherry Blossom' using the Forgotten Greatsword as a vessel, just as he had done the previous night.

It's as if yesterday's scene was just a flash of inspiration and an extraordinary performance on the spot.

"Forget it, if it can't be done, then it's just not the right time yet."

Xue Jing shook his head, and with a thought, the giant sword in his hand broke into countless pixelated pieces, which then rotated and reassembled into a nine-foot alloy spear.

After a moment's hesitation, Xue Jing stepped forward, gun in his right hand, and in a blur, lunged at Zhou Yinglin.

"咻咻咻咻——"

The extremely complex flow of energy circulated within his body, and Xue Jing unleashed six perfect thrusts in an instant... Then, on the seventh thrust, he paused, momentarily stuck.

This momentary opening was keenly seized upon by Zhou Yinglin, who launched a counterattack in an instant, and Xue Jing was once again overwhelmed by a torrent of gunfire.

The application of energy in perfect harmony is extremely complex and unpredictable. It requires not only meticulous control of the physical body, but also a terrifying amount of mental calculation.

This is extremely difficult; there are no shortcuts. The only way is through repeated practice and rote memorization, forcibly imprinting its infinite variations into one's physical instincts and the depths of one's consciousness.

"Come again."

Xue Jing, who had reappeared on the scene, continued walking towards Zhou Yinglin.

Xue Jing spent the entire morning practicing the Perfect Armor technique.

Stop and rest when you feel mentally exhausted, and continue when you've rested enough.

The intensity of his cultivation was ridiculously high, and the efficiency was naturally terrifying as well. By noon, when he felt his mental energy was exhausted and he could no longer continue cultivating, he had already made significant progress.

The "Perfect Clothes" technique has five levels, with "One Needle, Ten Threads" considered the entry level. A single thrust can produce more than ten variations, equivalent to a killing move from a common martial arts school.

This level of understanding is not difficult, at least not for Xue Jing. He was already able to achieve it when he first "tested the law with his own body" and was killed by Zhou Yinglin.

According to his estimate, even an average martial artist with average talent could master the "One Needle Ten Threads" technique in just one or two months of arduous practice.

However, the difficulty of striking a second shot immediately increases exponentially.

Each shot must adapt to the changes of the previous shot while generating its own variations, achieving a perfect match with the previous shot, seamless and without any flaws.

Therefore, each additional shot fired by the "Perfect Clothes" technique represents a remarkable improvement, with each shot being more difficult than the last.

Even with a lifetime of training, an ordinary martial artist might find it difficult to reach the "ten needles and a hundred threads" level of skill.

This is purely a matter of aptitude and has a hard limit. If you can't do it, you just can't. If your physical strength isn't subtle enough, or your mental and cognitive abilities can't keep up, then no matter how hard you practice, it's useless.

This is one of the most talent-dependent martial arts styles on the market.

After the "ten needles and a hundred threads", there are still the "hundred needles and a thousand threads", "thousand needles and ten thousand threads", and finally the most difficult, the realm that only one person in the entire old martial arts circle has reached so far - seamless.

The difficulty of achieving each level is more than a hundred or a thousand times greater than the previous level.

This is why Zhou Yinglin, at the young age of sixteen or seventeen, had reached the level of "ten needles and a hundred threads" and was so popular.

It is generally acknowledged in the old martial arts circle that he is very likely to reach the "Thousand Needles and Ten Thousand Threads" level within ten years, and perhaps in twenty or thirty years, he will be able to recreate the glory of the Gun Saint and become the second top martial artist to reach the "Perfect Clothes" level.

And Xue Jing...

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!"

The nine-foot-long spear gleamed with a chilling light, its thrusts as swift as a dragon, dancing wildly and instantly piercing ten holes in the alloy fist-shaped dummy in front of it, each one a fatal wound to the human body.

"The second day I reached the 'ten needles and a hundred threads' level... The progress is not bad, it's within expectations."

Xue Jing sheathed his spear, twirled it, and muttered to himself.

"But it still feels a bit slow. At this rate, it would take ten days to half a month to achieve 'hundreds of needles and thousands of threads'!"

Today and tomorrow are the rest days after the match. The round of 16 will start the day after tomorrow, followed by another three days of rest, and then the quarterfinals.

He is very likely to run into Zhou Yinglin in the first round of the quarterfinals.

In other words, at the earliest, he will be fighting Zhou Yinglin in five days.

"Five days isn't enough. I'm afraid I won't be able to completely crush him at the Perfect Clothes realm..."

Xue Jing touched his chin.

"Never mind, we'll talk about it later. Let's just practice for now."

"Perhaps... we don't need to use realm-crushing techniques; there's an even more pretentious way to play."

Xue Jing raised his nine-foot-long spear and thrust it repeatedly into the air, stirring up turbulent air currents that swirled like giant snakes dancing wildly.

As he absorbed the seamless skills and knowledge like a sponge, his understanding of martial arts and his combat skills also rose accordingly, making significant progress.

Overall martial arts prowess is also constantly increasing.

Although many of his panel skills are stuck at the Ascension stage, his rate of progress is still overwhelmingly faster than that of other martial artists.

……

Around noon, Xue Jing was having lunch with Ning Fengwan.

Today was a rare occasion; instead of eating at the Zhige base's canteen, he prepared a lot of ingredients and cooked a meal in the villa's kitchen, something he hadn't done in a long time.