I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

Zhu Shanying was also riding 'Sixty-Six' alongside him.

Xue Jing immersed himself in the joy of riding, turning his head to glance at Zhu. He inexplicably felt the scene was familiar.

You are the wind, and I am the sand...

Xue Jing shook his head, dispelling the BGM that suddenly sprung up in his mind.

Half an hour later, as Xue Jing grew more adept, the Skill Panel suddenly popped up with a notification.

[Conditions met, skill activated: Riding]

[Riding Lv1 (0/300)]

Xue Jing pulled back on the reins, and Wind Eater raised its front legs and stopped with a soft neigh.

"As expected, it activated..."

He touched the mane of Wind Eater beneath him, nodding his head.

As he expected, 'Riding' clearly counted as a skill.

Xue Jing carefully felt the enhancements the newly activated skill gave him.

"Hmm... Sense of Balance?"

Xue Jing said, slightly unsure.

He sat on horseback, and compared to before, he had a feeling of ease as if he were sitting on solid ground.

"And... sense of direction."

He looked to the left, without a hint of doubt in his mind, he instantly determined, this side is the 'northwest direction'."

"Interesting, this can't be all... just the changes I can clearly feel for now."

Xue Jing pinched his chin with one hand, intending to flick the reins and have Wind Eater change direction.

But before he could make a move, Wind Eater automatically turned its head in the direction he was thinking of.

Xue Jing was startled.

"Neigh—"

Wind Eater emitted a soft whinny.

Xue Jing inexplicably sensed a bit of its emotions.

It seemed a bit tired and also a bit thirsty...

"Hmm? What's this? Man-horse as one? Minds connected?"

Xue Jing blinked.

"Little junior brother—"

From a distance, Zhu Shanying rode up on Sixty-Six toward him and after coming closer, she pulled on the reins to stop the horse.

"Why did you stop?"

She asked.

After thinking for a moment, Xue Jing smiled, "Sister, I think Wind Eater and Sixty-Six are probably tired. Let's head back."

"Ah? We're stopping already?" Zhu Shanying seemed disappointed.

It was rare for her to have someone to accompany her riding, and she was really enjoying it, not wanting to go back yet.

"Let's ride again tomorrow. I find riding quite enjoyable. If Sister is willing, I'll often accompany you."

Seeing her expression, Xue Jing spoke to reassure her.

"Really? You said it yourself, okay?" Zhu Shanying immediately said happily.

...

Around five in the afternoon, Xue Jing rode back in Zhu Shanying's family car to his own home.

Upon opening the door, he saw Miao Miao sitting on the living room couch watching TV.

"Teacher Wan, why didn't you cook today?"

Xue Jing entered the house, closed the door, and while changing his shoes, he jovially started the conversation.

Miao Miao glanced at him with her emerald-like vertical pupils and retorted:

"Do you still need me to cook? I see you enjoy your freeloading quite a lot."

"How could that be? Freeloading is never as satisfying as food you make."

Xue Jing hung the Crouching Rabbit on the wall, walked over to the couch, sat down, and rubbed Miao Miao's head.

"Besides, what do you mean by freeloading? I was just visiting my fellow apprentice's home... Are you jealous over that too?"

Xue Jing laughed.

Miao Miao rolled her eyes: "Who's jealous over you? Stop talking nonsense."

With her tail ring gently swaying, Miao Miao stretched out her paw, licked it, looked up, and humphed:

"Although we... had that sort of experience before, you're still just my owner, nothing more... I don't mind whoever you wish to be close with."

"It's just that little girl..." Miao Miao's eyes showed contemplation.

"Her background is quite mysterious, even Old Man Li doesn't really understand her family's situation. He only knows that she comes from the First Urban Circle."

Xue Jing was surprised: "The First Urban Circle?"

After the Eternal Night War, Zhuxia underwent major administrative changes, dividing into nine major urban circles.

The urban circles were far apart from each other, with each middle region forming "isolation zones" that made transportation extremely inconvenient, even airplanes struggled to navigate through them.

As a result, there was very little exchange between the urban circles, each maintaining a significant degree of autonomy, all under the jurisdiction of "Cangting," located at the center.

Most civilians would never leave their respective urban circle in their lifetime.

The First Urban Circle and the Fifth Urban Circle, where Xue Jing resided, were one in the north and the other in the south, extremely distant from each other.

To travel from the First Urban Circle to here, one had to cross countless Intersecting Boundaries, which was an extremely dangerous affair...

"I specifically asked Old Man Li, that girl's family comes here from the First Urban Circle and stays for a while every year. Do you know what that means?"

Miao Miao said meaningfully.

"Either her family possesses absolute security forces that can traverse through the numerous Intersecting Boundaries without hindrance, or, her family controls a 'special air route' that can safely go from the First Urban Circle to here..."

"Regardless of which possibility, it signifies that her family's power is extraordinary."

"Being part of such a family comes with many rules; you better be prepared if you want to be their son-in-law."

Towards the end, Ning Feng Wan's tone couldn't help but have a hint of sourness.

Xue Jing heard it and just shook his head with a smile,

"What are you talking about, Zhu and I are just normal fellow apprentices."

Miao Miao hummed, "But that young girl probably doesn't think so."

"Not a kid anymore yet inviting a man over to her place alone, her intentions can't be that innocent."

A complex expression surfaced on Miao Miao's anthropomorphic cat face.

"Actually... if you really could have something with her and gain her family's protection, I wouldn't have to worry about you."

The girl always harbored worries about staying by Xue Jing's side.

Xue Jing chuckled, "Let's talk about that later; when the ship reaches the pier, it will straighten itself out."

...

Three days later.

North City District, behind the mountain.

Xue Jing swung Crouching Rabbit on the lawn, chopping weeds, with ceaseless flashes of swordlight, and a sky full of green fragments flying around.

His pupils dyed red, in his eyes, the swathes of grass being cut were not weeds but the heads of enemies.

Bodies piled up into mountains, blood accumulated into seas.

Deep within his heart, the Asura Blade dripping with endless crimson, was emitting an increasingly violent murderous intent.

"Heaven gives birth to all things to nurture humanity; humans are powerless to reciprocate heaven."

With the absolute mental control power brought by Meditative Visualization, Xue Jing firmly held his mind clear and never lost himself to the wild killing intent.

"The life and death of humans are determined by heaven... Even the Asura Palm kills, isn't it just obeying the commands of heaven... "

"If heaven wants him to kill, he cannot refuse to kill..."

Xue Jing's blade handling became more forceful, his sword techniques increasingly sophisticated, and his cutting of the weeds more precise.

"The Way of Asura is extreme and powerful, yet its purpose is not lofty."

"There must be a form of Sword Intent, standing above the Way of Asura."

Xue Jing's swinging blade paused above a delicate little grass.

The extremely sharp blade edge gently touched the grass, bending it, brushing over its body, but not harming it in the slightest.

"If heaven wants you dead, you have no choice but to die."

The blood in Xue Jing's eyes slowly receded, replaced by a slowly emerging silvery-white radiance.

Indifferent, divine, assertive... Those were eyes like those of a god.

"Heaven's intent like a knife... not to be defied."

Xue Jing gripped the handle of his blade tightly, the silver-white glint flashing.

"Crunch crunch crunch crunch—"

The grass in front of him, up to ten meters away, had all been cut at the roots, as if a lawnmower had ravaged it, leaving behind nothing but a bare patch of dirt.

[You have gained a sudden enlightenment in Sword Skills, gaining Weapon Strike Experience Points +998]

[You have gained a sudden enlightenment in Sword Skills, gaining Meditative Visualization Experience Points +1182]

[Weapon Strike advanced to Lv4 (657/1200)]

[Meditative Visualization advanced to Lv6 (113/3000)]

Xue Jing's silvery-white eyes stared straight at the blade in his hand.

"A blade to act on heaven's behalf?"

"No, I am heaven."

"The blade I swing is—Heaven's Will Saber."

In those silvery-white eyes, not a single emotion was shown, resembling the God of the Azure Sky who commands the life and death of all beings.

...