I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

……

On the aircraft, Xue Jing glanced at Cao Sini sitting in the seat next to him.

At this moment, her eyes were lowered, her face was indifferent, and she sat dignifiedly like a young lady who had received aristocratic education... It was not a deliberate act, but an instinct cultivated from childhood.

"...Little sister, are you from the Cao family?"

Ning Yuantai glanced at her several times and couldn't help but ask.

Cao Sini paused slightly upon hearing this, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then nodded.

Seeing this, Xue Jing casually asked, "Is the Cao family also one of the thirteen prominent families?"

Ning Yuantai nodded and said, "Yes, Brother Xue... Although I knew that most of the Cao family members were located in the north, this surname is not uncommon. I didn't expect you to be one..."

He scratched his head: "Strange, since you're from the Cao family, why are you participating in the martial arts exam and trying to steal a spot on the path to advancement for commoners?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Sini's gaze sharpened. She glanced at Ning Yuantai, then at Xue Jing, but remained silent.

"Don't ask too much about this. Yuan Tai, Sini doesn't seem to be participating just for fun. She must have her own reasons."

Xue Jing said.

Ning Yuantai nodded and said, "Brother Xue is right."

Cao Sini paused for a moment, then whispered:

"Thank you, Teacher Xue."

Xue Jing smiled and said, "Although it was just a short-lived connection... you are now my student. If you have any difficulties, feel free to ask. Your teacher is actually quite resourceful."

Seeing Xue Jing making this kind of interesting 'joke' again, Cao Sini's gaze softened slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

With the roar of its engines, the aircraft sped towards the very center of the Seventh Metropolitan Area.

Compared to the skyscraper center of the Fifth Metropolitan Area that Xue Jing had visited, the bustling atmosphere of the Extreme Martial Ascension Palace far surpassed that of the former.

Along the way, Xue Jing looked out the window and saw not only countless flying vehicles heading towards the Extreme Martial Ascension Palace, but also many people on the ground who were moving quickly toward their goal on foot.

From time to time, one could see hot-blooded martial artists clashing and fighting on the road, and occasionally it would even escalate into a large-scale and fierce melee.

"The people of the Seventh Metropolitan Area are full of martial spirit."

Xue Jing smiled.

"The government doesn't do anything about these fights?"

Ning Yuantai said, "Of course we don't care... How can we possibly manage it all? Every day, thousands or even tens of thousands of things happen. Only in cities are there some restrictions. In these wilderness areas, it's perfectly normal for hundreds or even thousands of people to die from fighting every day."

"It gets even more outrageous at the Extreme Martial Heavenly Palace. There, you can actually engage in legal deathmatches. Every day, the number of corpses carried out of the Heavenly Palace can pile up into a small mountain..."

Xue Jing sighed slightly: "In this kind of environment that's like raising venomous insects, it's no wonder that the people in the Seventh Urban Circle are generally far more powerful than those in other urban circles. It's normal that they look down on the lukewarm competitions outside the circle."

Ning Yuantai chuckled and said, "But today, they'll have to change their opinion of outsiders..."

"The Demon King Xue will arrive at his loyal Extreme Martial Heavenly Palace today!"

Xue Jing glanced at him, shook his head and chuckled, "Don't give me a loan, I can't do that right now... wait another year or two."

Ning Yuantai chuckled and said, "It's only a matter of time..."

Cao Sini, who was standing next to her, seemed to be having a strange feeling.

It's one thing that Teacher Xue always likes to make these strange jokes, but it's another that people actually play along with him.

Cao Sini smiled slightly.

She's such an interesting person... completely different from her parents.

After more than three hours of flight, the aircraft successfully arrived at the very center of the seventh metropolitan area—the Extreme Martial Ascension Palace.

Xue Jing got out of the 'car' and looked up at the huge white building in front of him, which was so large that he could hardly see its entirety.

Although it is called a palace, the overall structure looks more like a 'tower', with layers stacked on top of each other. The exterior is carved with exquisite ancient-style patterns, making it look like an ancient palace. It has a vast and ancient feel, which is extremely shocking and makes people feel extremely insignificant.

At the entrance was a huge gate, nearly fifty meters wide, through which countless martial artists, dressed in various styles and exuding extraordinary aura, were going in and out.

"There are seven more doors like this in different directions, making a total of eight entrance gates... Brother Xue, let's go in."

Ning Yuantai gave a thumbs-up and pointed to the front door.

Xue Jing nodded and walked forward first, with Ning Yuantai and Cao Sini following behind.

As soon as he entered, Xue Jing noticed that the bracelet on his wrist suddenly started flashing incessantly.

In less than a second, the flashing stopped, and a vivid female voice came to his ears.

"Welcome, 'Ascendant' No. 656652123."

Please tell me your name.

Xue Jing looked at Ning Yuantai beside him.

“The super AI ‘Xuanling’ of the Extreme Martial Heaven Palace was generated through the infinite computing power of the ‘Super Network’,” Ning Yuantai said with a smile.

"With unlimited computing power, she possesses autonomous thinking abilities equal to or even exceeding those of humans. Except for the limitations imposed by the 'AI Law' on her underlying code, she is essentially a truly living individual."

“There are many super AIs like this in the inner ring... Their production difficulty is not very high, but due to the legal provisions promulgated decades ago, only a number of licensed large companies can manufacture such AIs, and the configuration requirements for the machines are also very high, so they have not become widespread.”

Xue Jing nodded: "That does have a bit of a cyberpunk feel to it."

"Please tell me your name," 'Xuanling' reminded her again.

"Xue Jing".

"Welcome again, Xue Jing, the 'Ascender'."

Xuan Ling continued.

"Should we arrange a 'test' for you immediately?"

"After the 'test' is completed, I will assign you a suitable floor as your starting point. You can choose to start from this floor as your starting point for ascending to heaven, or you can choose any floor below this floor as your starting point..."

After Xuan Ling gave a rather detailed explanation, Xue Jing nodded.

"Thank you for your help. Please start the test immediately."

"Understood, please wait a moment..."

……

Chapter 327 Second-time Limit-Breaking Output, Exceptional Achievement (4K)

"Hey, that person... Xue Jing?"

On the first floor of the Extreme Martial Heaven Palace, in the preparation hall.

A woman dressed in a tight black leather outfit that accentuated her exaggeratedly sexy figure looked at Xue Jing and his group as they entered the Extreme Martial Heaven Palace with a strange expression in her eyes.

She immediately reached behind her ear and touched it, whispering a few words before following Xue Jing, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

Before long, several figures quickly and discreetly gathered around her.

Where is he? Where is he?

A burly man clapped his fists together twice and asked the woman a question.

"Are you blind? Can't you see for yourself?" The woman in the leather jacket rolled her eyes at him.

The burly man glanced around and soon spotted Xue Jing not far away.

His eyes lit up, and he licked his lips: "He really is good-looking... I'll take him."

The woman in the leather jacket was already aware of his sexual interest, so she wasn't surprised to hear this. She simply said:

“That guy is obviously a normal person who’s a bit homophobic. He’s the type who would feel uncomfortable if he were around a handsome man like Otogi Suzuka. If he heard you say that, he’d probably beat you to death on the spot… Where’s Li Suisui? Why isn’t she here?”

Upon hearing this, the burly man replied, "He is about to challenge the Lord of the 'First Heaven' and is currently meditating in preparation. We cannot contact him for the time being."

The woman in the leather jacket was startled upon hearing this:

"So fast? He's already reached the level of 'God'?"

The top seventy-two floors of the Extreme Martial Heavenly Palace are also known as the Seventy-Two Heavens due to their height. Each floor has a Heavenly Lord, and more than half of them are ruthless individuals holding the title of 'Eternal'.

Even the weakest Heavenly Lord in theory has always been a super expert who has broken through the limits more than three times.

"No wonder he's hailed as the 'strongest elementary school student on earth'—a peerless genius... That's truly outrageous," the woman in the leather jacket exclaimed in astonishment.

A tall, thin man who had also been summoned by the woman in the leather jacket sneered, "He graduated last year and is now the 'strongest junior high school student on earth'."

"...Besides, you've misunderstood. Although Li Suisui is powerful and on the verge of breaking through her limits a second time, she's not yet comparable to a Celestial Lord-level expert."

"This challenge was initiated by Yu Ruoying, the Heavenly Lord of the First Heaven, who valued his talent and used her authority to bring him to the First Heaven... It's called a 'challenge,' but in reality, it's meant to guide him."

The woman in the leather jacket suddenly realized, "I see... I really envy him. Lady Yu Ruoying has received the title of 'Celestial Rank'. To receive her guidance must be incredibly beneficial..."

As she spoke, she looked at Xue Jing, who was probably communicating with 'Xuan Ling' not far away, and her eyes showed pity.

"Xue Jing is also a remarkable genius, but this time he has to become another stepping stone and sacrifice for Li Suisui. It's so pitiful."

The burly man crossed his arms and said, "There's nothing we can do. He's been targeted by those old-fashioned conservatives in our Secret Martial Arts Society."

The tall, thin man nodded and said, "It's a pity... But people of his caliber can appear every now and then in our Seventh Metropolitan Area. They can't compare to a genius like Li Suisui, who is a once-in-a-century talent."

"The situation is still uncertain. I've heard that the reformists will also be taking action this time, and it seems they intend to recruit Xue Jing into their ranks..."

"Hmm? It seems his test is about to begin."

……

Xue Jing was used to being the center of attention and paid no attention to the gazes and whispers of those around him, focusing instead on the female voice of 'Xuan Ling' coming from beside him.

"Test Project 1 is under construction..."

"Construction complete, SC force field generating..."

Directly in front of Xue Jing, an orange-yellow force field membrane emitting a faint glow was continuously being generated.

Countless visible letters and numbers surged towards the light membrane from all sides, continuously filling its edges, causing the palm-sized light membrane to slowly expand.

In the end, it transformed into an irregular octagonal semi-transparent orange light membrane, which looked like a glass shield suspended in the air, with a diameter of about two meters.

"SC force field generation complete."