I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

Bonus Chapter: Top Secret Report – The Death of God

As is widely known, on June 16th, 193 years ago, at the end of the Old Age, a special and momentous event known as the 'Death of God' occurred, ushering the world into a new era.

Gods, otherworldly realms, borderlands... many things that were never noticed or manifested in the old era have become the focus of human research.

I have been engaged in related research for more than 180 years. Although my abilities are limited and most of my work is futile, I have been entrusted with a great mission. No matter how incompetent I am, I dare not slack off in the slightest. Through diligent and tireless work, I have made some small gains.

So first, let's look at some data:

To date, based on our exploration of the collected rituals of the alien gods, we have gradually accumulated enough historical data and information to compile into a book. Among these, the collection of data on the "old days" before the birth of the "serpent" was the most difficult and also the most fascinating.

Its chaotic lineage and abstract existence make it difficult to understand, yet it also possesses a dangerous charm that compels one to explore it.

Although it is chaotic and abstract, after so many years of summarization, the old genealogy can still be roughly distinguished into a certain degree of hierarchical relationship...

Among these, the beings universally acknowledged by the academic community to be at the top of the old lineage are the 'Great Mother' and the 'Darkred Mist'.

The former is a symbol of the origin of motherhood and reproductive ability, giving birth to the 'serpent' that drove the old from the Great String and brought order to the world. There are even indications that the 'bird' may have been born from it.

She is a loving mother who gives equal care to all things in the world.

The latter ■■■%&@#*■■∥∏∽■■■ (Author's note: If the text here is a mess of dark red characters, it is because it has been eaten by 'Crimson Worms'. Please do not stare at the text for more than ten seconds to avoid infection with Crimson Syndrome. It is best to cover the text with a green object.)

Generally speaking, these two are considered the highest in the old genealogy, but there are also many subtle signs that suggest there may be more.

For example, in the border area of ​​"Unclean Village", there are ancient sacrificial sites that are common. In all the sites where multiple gods are worshipped at the same time, three altars are placed in the very center.

In the various great entity illusions seen by some of the recipients of the ancient gods while roaming the chaos in the 'dream medium', there is always a very abrupt gap next to the Great Mother and the Crimson Mist.

Although no information about the 'Third Person' can be found in any otherworldly records, I think this does not mean that the 'Third Person' does not exist, but rather that it has been forgotten for some reason.

Therefore, I have tentatively designated it as—The Forgotten.

—Excerpt from "Iyengar's Argument: Why are there 'three' and not 'two' in the 'Oldest Three Pillars'?" Translated by Wei Xuanfang

"...Oh my god, I can't believe what I'm seeing... No, I can't say it out loud, or the world will go crazy..."

……

God isn't actually God... Haha, hahaha, hahahaha!

—Excerpt from "Dr. Mary Fujiyama's Dream Media Experience Record" Translator: Anonymous

[...The Lord of a Thousand Colors and Myriad Beauties is the only Old One to successfully submit to order. The 'Serpent' personally crowned Him, causing the 'Earth' and 'Water' to merge and nourish His new form. This is simply unbelievable. The 'Serpent,' who should despise the chaotic Old One the most, actually broke this precedent. The deep reasons behind this are intriguing...]

This source of flowers, plants, and trees, which is favored by the 'Snake', must have been inextricably linked to the GM (Great Mother) in its predecessor, the 'Corrupted Mother'. In fact, it may even be the direct embodiment of the GM, a manifestation of one aspect of the Great Mother.

Only when facing the mother who gave birth to it will the 'snake' still have a trace of compassion.

...It has already been concluded that order and chaos are not absolute opposites; even the 'serpent,' which is the ultimate symbol of order, has room to contain chaos.

So, what about the reverse?

—Excerpt from "Chaos Returning to Order" (Translator: Anonymous)

……

(20,000 words of the thesis omitted)

In my opinion, the death of God is quite suspicious.

As someone who personally experienced that event and witnessed the death of God, I shouldn't have made such a doubt.

As a member of the human race, I have no doubt about the death of 'God'; it is a truth that has been engraved in my soul.

But is the 'God' we see really our 'God'?

After the 'serpent' brought order, all the superstring beings born were righteous gods, attached to the Great String, and had no possibility of complete death.

The world we live in today is so precise in its laws and so rigorous in its design that it is breathtaking among all realms. It is undoubtedly a product of order and is by no means a world like the one of the past.

The gods of this world must be the righteous gods of order, yet the death of 'God' was so thorough that it left no room for doubt.

So, is it possible that the God of this world has never actually appeared, and the 'God' we see is just an outsider?

……

This report is classified as 'Top Secret' and must not be disclosed to personnel with access level O or below. No records of it should be kept. It should be destroyed immediately after reading.

Author: Ning Furen, written in 192.

……

Chapter 318 The Cruel Competition System, The Sea of ​​Steel, The Students' Schemes (4K)

Zhuang Qiu lay almost naked on the ground, his skin displaying a spiral pattern that sent chills down one's spine, starting from the hand he had just clasped with Xue Jing's.

Everyone present, including the Zhige base members watching from the sidelines, wore strange expressions upon witnessing this scene.

I felt a mix of amusement, embarrassment for the vice-captain, and awe at the young man before me.

The result of this contest of strength was an undeniable crushing defeat.

There was no sign of a close contest; this is a result that only occurs when there is an absolute disparity in strength.

Although it's just a contest of strength... strength itself is a very important part of martial arts prowess.

Given such a huge gap in the most basic 'hard power', no one would think that Zhuang Qiu would have any chance of defeating Xue Jing in a real fight.

Not to mention, everyone present was a master of martial arts with exceptional eyesight. Xue Jing's exquisite control of force, which made Zhuang Qiu spin like a top with a twist of his wrist, clearly showed that in addition to his great strength, he was also extremely capable in other aspects.

"……sharp."

Squad leader Yang Yingyu looked at Xue Jing, his eyes involuntarily narrowing slightly.

As a master who had broken through limits, he was the only one among those present who could almost see through the true nature of Xue Jing's move.

In terms of basic strength alone, Zhuang Qiu, who had cultivated the new forbidden martial art and mutated his physical body, was superior to this young man.

However, this boy displayed something illogical and incomprehensible in terms of his energy application.

Compression of force to increase output... This is not a rare technique. Almost any expert who understands the application of force can do it, only the level of proficiency varies.

But no matter how proficient you are, you still have to follow the basic principles.

The human body has its limits. No matter how skilled one is at manipulating force, dangerous operations like compressing force must take into account the body's ability to withstand them.

But this boy... is strange.

If an average person with his physical strength could theoretically achieve a maximum force compression level of 1, this boy could at least achieve 3...

It far exceeds the theoretical limits of a normal human body.

If it weren't for the fact that the information clearly stated he practiced the old martial arts and that his physical mutation rate was less than 1%, Yang Yingyu would have thought he was practicing some kind of perverted new forbidden martial art.

'But I've heard he's also a chosen one of God... that must be part of the reason.'

After thinking for a moment and finding a reasonable explanation for what seemed illogical, Yang Yingyu shook his head and kicked Zhuang Qiu, who was still lying motionless on the ground.

"Are you just pretending to be something you're not? Get up now."

Yang Yingyu spoke calmly.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Zhuang Qiu.

"..."

After several seconds, his fingers twitched slightly, and then he groaned, as if he had just woken up, and slowly propped himself up, sat up, and covered his head with his palm.

"Ugh... I feel so dizzy."

"Snapped--"

Yang Yingyu slapped him on the head, making Zhuang Qiu stagger.

"Stop pretending. Losing is losing, losing is losing, these are nothing. The important thing is to face your shame when you are embarrassed. That's what a man in the Seventh Urban Circle should be like."

Zhuang Qiu's lips twitched: "I just need to rest for a bit."

As he spoke, he stood up and limped over to Xue Jing, hissing as he walked: "Ouch...that really hurts."

My skin felt burning and taut all over, as if it were being gripped and twisted by countless pincers...

Zhuang Qiu gave Xue Jing a thumbs-up, his hand trembling slightly.

"This level... is more than enough, I approve of you!"

Xue Jing glanced at him: "I don't need your approval... Deputy Captain Zhuang, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Zhuang Qiu was quite carefree; it seemed he had abandoned all shame after saying it. He stood naked, hands on his hips, and said nonchalantly:

"What guidance? In our Seventh Urban Circle, the strong are always respected. There are no other ridiculous rules. You are stronger than me... you are stronger than me. It's my turn to ask you for guidance."

Xue Jing nodded and smiled, "It's great, I like it this way too... I feel like I'd be a perfect fit for this place."

……

Afterwards, Xue Jing talked with the group from Zhige Base for a while and found that these people from the Seventh Urban Circle seemed to be the kind of people who were rather straightforward.

Their thoughts and words are straightforward and not foolish; rather, they are a way of thinking shaped by the overall atmosphere.

This way of thinking also leads them to be relatively xenophobic in general, and they look down on outsiders who always like to beat around the bush and have many rules... Of course, the most crucial reason is their overwhelming overall strength.

The Seventh Urban Circle is a very closed and extremely competitive environment. In martial arts, it has almost no interaction with the outside world and is aloof and superior.

Honors earned outside the circle don't carry much weight here. Even Xue Jing, who is hailed as the strongest champion in U19 history, is met with instinctive contempt from people in the Seventh Urban Circle.

It's nothing more than ruling the monkey mountain where there are no tigers.

That's why Zhuang Qiu provoked Xue Jing. A minor outsider who actually defied the Heavenly Gang and came to the Seventh Urban Circle to be an examiner for the martial arts exam—who could stand that?

However, the stereotypes that people in the Seventh Metropolitan Area have about outsiders are all based on overwhelming physical strength.

A beating will cure it.

Zhuang Qiu actually helped Xue Jing this time, allowing him to unintentionally establish his authority and gain the approval of everyone at the Yincheng Zhige Base, thus avoiding a lot of trouble later on.

After settling into a detached villa at the Zhige base, Xue Jing and Ning Yuantai headed to Examination Room No. 9.

This time, Ning Yuantai was driving a black SUV with a special military license plate. I don't know what brand it was, but it looked very high-end.

On the way, Ning Yuantai casually asked while driving:

"Brother Xue, you should have received the exam details by now, right? What's the situation?"