Standing at 1.86 meters tall, and positioned atop the bus roof, Xu Jingming drew the attention of the Arm Blade Tigers the moment he appeared.
Except for the Arm Blade Tiger King, which remained lazily lying at the center, the other nine resting Arm Blade Tigers all rose simultaneously.
Their eyes glowed with ferocious light as they slowly paced toward the bus.
They weren't moving fast—
But the oppressive pressure created by nine massive beasts the size of small cars gathering together was terrifying.
That was precisely why beast packs were notoriously difficult to handle.
These nine Arm Blade Tigers alone—
Even Tier 1 high-level beasts would hesitate to provoke them.
Yet facing nine Arm Blade Tigers advancing toward him—
Xu Jingming showed not the slightest fear.
He leaped down from the bus roof.
BOOM!
He landed heavily on the ground.
"ROAR—"
With a deep growl, the nine Arm Blade Tigers suddenly spread apart with eerie coordination.
Then—
They charged from different directions simultaneously!
"Not bad… A beast pack with a leader really does know simple formations."
With a reverse grip—
The Black Obsidian Spear appeared firmly in Xu Jingming's hand.
The distance between the bus and the plaza was less than thirty meters.
For Tier 1 lower-level Arm Blade Tigers—
That distance meant nothing.
In the blink of an eye—
All nine beasts closed to within five meters of Xu Jingming.
But instead of rushing together—
Five Arm Blade Tigers attacked first, lunging forward in coordinated leaps!
Five massive bodies surged forward, sealing every path in front of Xu Jingming.
Behind him—
The abandoned bus blocked retreat.
At this moment—
There was nowhere to escape.
Yet Xu Jingming's eyes remained steady.
The 2.1-meter Black Obsidian Spear spun in his hands like a giant windmill.
The spinning spear blurred into a black afterimage, rotating like a high-speed propeller.
At that moment—
The Arm Blade Tigers sensed something wrong.
But it was already too late.
Slash—!
Slash—!
Five Arm Blade Tigers slammed directly into the rapidly spinning spear.
The sharp spearhead tore into their skulls like a meat grinder, shredding flesh and bone.
Under the violent impact—
Their massive bodies were flung backward.
Although their heads suffered devastating injuries—
They were not yet dead.
All five lay on the ground, breathing weakly.
"Pure physical strength alone still isn't quite enough."
Xu Jingming shook his head slightly.
This windmill-like attack had relied purely on physical strength, not a formal combat technique.
If this had been a true Combat Technique integrating physical force with ability energy—
Those five beasts would have died instantly.
"Still… finishing them off will be easy."
Xu Jingming burst forward again.
The remaining four Arm Blade Tigers tried to intercept him—
But his agile footwork allowed him to weave past them effortlessly.
Then—
His spear moved like the scythe of death, harvesting the lives of the five severely wounded beasts one after another.
"ROAR—!"
At last—
The Tier 1 mid-level Arm Blade Tiger King, which had remained at the center, rose to its feet.
It stepped forward, positioning itself in front of the remaining four beasts.
"Perfect. I'll take care of all of you together."
SHING!
The spear was pulled free from a corpse.
Xu Jingming stood alone—
Facing five Arm Blade Tigers.
Within his clear, calm eyes—
There was no fear.
Only cold killing intent.
"ROAR!!!"
Whether enraged by the death of its pack—
Or provoked by Xu Jingming's unyielding gaze—
The Arm Blade Tiger King roared furiously.
Then—
It charged forward with the remaining four beasts.
Xu Jingming advanced head-on, spear in hand.
The battle began.
A Slaughter Without Resistance
Although Arm Blade Tigers were Fierce Beasts—
They possessed a certain level of intelligence.
Especially this pack, which had fought together many times before.
No one knew how many powerful beasts they had slain as a team.
A five-member Arm Blade Tiger pack like this—
If released into a city—
Could annihilate hundreds of elite soldiers.
Yet Xu Jingming transformed into a black phantom, weaving between them.
The Arm Blade Tigers could not land a meaningful hit.
But every spear thrust from Xu Jingming—
Struck vital points.
Each strike either:
Killed instantly, or
Inflicted fatal wounds
In less than two minutes—
Every single Arm Blade Tiger fell.
"All that from a Tier 1 mid-level beast king… and it still couldn't force me to use my ability."
Looking at the lifeless Arm Blade Tiger King at his feet—
Xu Jingming shook his head.
Although the system had strengthened his Physique—
He still wasn't entirely certain of his true combat limits.
The reason he dared attack the pack earlier—
Was because he had Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning as his final trump card.
Unfortunately—
These beasts weren't strong enough to make him use it.
System Check — Massive Reward
Xu Jingming opened his system panel.
Just this single encounter—
Had earned him:
106 Ability Points
"A massive harvest!"
Xu Jingming grinned.
At this rate—
By the end of the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, he couldn't even imagine how many Ability Points he would accumulate.
"Thinking too far ahead is pointless. Farming Ability Points is what matters right now."
Wiping the blood from his spear—
He slung it onto his back again.
Then quickly moved toward the next hunting location.
Outside the Battlefield — Student Broadcast Reactions
On exam day, all Jiangcheng high schools organized Year 1 and Year 2 students to watch the live broadcast.
There were two reasons:
To let students understand the brutality of the exam
To familiarize them with Fierce Beast behavior
At Jiangcheng Second High School, a massive virtual projection floated above the school field.
Students had already been watching for quite some time.
In previous years—
The Top 10 were always dominated by First High School students.
So discussions usually revolved around other schools.
But this year—
Everything was different.
They finally had someone in the Top 10.
Xu Jingming.
When his name appeared on the big screen at 9th place, the entire school erupted in excitement.
Especially the moment when he pierced a Shadow Cat with a single spear—
That image alone ignited the crowd.
"Holy crap! That spear strike was insane!"
"I'd never heard of Senior Xu before—but from now on, he's my idol!"
"He's tall, strong, and insanely cool!"
"..."
Unlike the cautious reactions of officials earlier—
The students watching were genuinely thrilled.
Many even began treating him as a role model.
Temporary Disappointment
However—
For over half an hour afterward, Xu Jingming spent most of his time traveling rather than fighting.
That caused disappointment among the students.
Especially when his ranking dropped to 10th place, some became anxious.
They almost wished they could take his place and slaughter beasts themselves.
"Sigh… looks like Second High still can't keep up."
"We finally had someone break into the Top 10, and now he's losing momentum."
"I guess I'll go back to watching Zhou Mingyang, the Swift Wind Sword user."
Expectations created pressure—
And disappointment followed.
Many students switched to watching other elite contestants.
The Turning Point
Suddenly—
A voice shouted from somewhere:
"Look! Senior Xu found beasts!"
All eyes snapped back to Xu Jingming's broadcast.
On screen—
Xu Jingming stood atop a bus.
Below him—
A pack of massive Arm Blade Tigers gathered.
"Oh no… he ran into a beast pack!"
"That's an Arm Blade Tiger pack—he's doomed!"
"Why isn't he running?! If he doesn't leave now, it's over!"
"He's surrounded! There's no escape!"
"Why hasn't he activated his safety sphere yet?!"
Although they had been disappointed earlier—
He was still their senior.
And seeing him surrounded by beasts—
Everyone felt anxious.
When five Arm Blade Tigers lunged toward him—
Some girls even covered their eyes in fear.
But—
The expected scene of him being torn apart never happened.
Instead—
Xu Jingming spun his spear and smashed five Arm Blade Tigers away in an overwhelming display of strength.
"WHAT?! That strong?!"
Everyone's hearts jolted.
"A spear… can be used like that?!"
"That strength is ridiculous! A normal person would get crushed instantly!"
"He must have awakened a body-enhancement ability!"
All dissatisfaction instantly vanished.
A True Display of Spearmanship
Then—
Xu Jingming transformed into a black shadow, spear in hand.
He surged through the remaining five beasts at lightning speed.
His spear—
Already drenched in blood—
Turned completely crimson.
No one felt disgusted.
Instead—
They felt exhilarated.
"So violent… but I love it!"
"This is way more satisfying than that elegant Swift Wind Sword style!"
"Every strike hits flesh! Such tyrannical Spearmanship!"
Fierce Beasts were humanity's enemies.
That was universal truth.
So when the Arm Blade Tigers were slaughtered—
No one felt pity.
Only exhilaration.
Especially watching that tall figure weaving through the battlefield—
Every spear strike carried a unique form of violence.
Yet—
That violence wasn't grotesque.
It possessed a strange, beautiful intensity.
One that made the watching teenagers—
Their blood boil.
Their faces flush red with excitement.