In the ruined town — Core Zone, inside a dilapidated residential complex.
More than ten ferocious beasts were split into two factions, each treating the other as prey, locked in a brutal battle.
The two groups consisted of Unicorn Rhinos and Arm Blade Tigers.
If their numbers were equal, the Unicorn Rhinos would completely dominate.
However, there were eight Arm Blade Tigers here, while the Unicorn Rhinos numbered only four.
In terms of strength, the difference between the two sides wasn't huge—though the Arm Blade Tigers held a slight advantage.
Because of this, even after fighting for quite some time, tearing into each other and leaving bloody wounds, no beast had yet been killed.
Ferocious beasts were naturally savage.
Once battle began, they would not stop until one side was completely wiped out.
But just then—
One of the Arm Blade Tigers sniffed the air and suddenly halted mid-charge.
Lowering its body, it let out a threatening low growl toward the residential gate.
That single growl triggered a chain reaction.
All the Arm Blade Tigers and Unicorn Rhinos simultaneously stopped fighting.
They turned in unison toward the entrance.
Their eyes gleamed with hostility, their bodies poised to charge at any moment.
Under the beasts' watchful gaze—
A tall human youth slowly walked into view.
He wore a black combat suit, combat boots strapped tightly to his feet, his figure tall and well-proportioned.
His eyes were clear and focused, yet sharp like those of a lone wolf.
A thick, pitch-black spear rested casually across his shoulder.
Under the sunlight, the spear's blade reflected a chilling gleam.
"Twelve beasts… perfect."
Xu Jingming nodded in satisfaction.
This was the largest group of beasts he had encountered in the past hour.
With a firm strike to the tail of his spear, the Black Obsidian Spear flipped into the air before landing cleanly into Xu Jingming's grasp.
Just as he prepared to charge into the beast pack—
His brows suddenly furrowed.
He stopped.
Turning his gaze to the right.
There stood a crumbling old building.
"Come out. I've already noticed you."
"As expected of Rank One—your perception really is sharp."
A slender young man stepped out from the building's shadows.
A long sword was strapped across his back, and his appearance was clean and refined.
"Zhou Mingyang?"
Xu Jingming raised an eyebrow.
This person was none other than the famed Swift Wind Sword Zhou Mingyang, the student who possessed a B-Rank Wind-type ability.
Compared to his elegant image outside the exam grounds, Zhou Mingyang now looked somewhat travel-worn.
His hair was messy, and his combat uniform was stained with dark red blood—whether his own or from beasts was unclear.
Of course, most candidates in the exam looked similar.
Xu Jingming himself was no exception, though since he used a spear, far less blood had splattered onto him.
"But how did you know it was me?"
Xu Jingming asked, slightly puzzled.
He didn't believe a famous student like Zhou Mingyang would know someone from Second High School by sight.
"Only a few people dare to enter the Core Zone, and we all know each other."
"So when a stranger suddenly appeared, it could only be you—the one ranked first."
Zhou Mingyang smiled as he explained.
"I see."
Xu Jingming nodded.
During the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, candidates were forbidden from attacking one another.
If caught, they would permanently lose qualification to participate in the national exam.
Additionally, both of them had tracking drones hovering overhead.
There was no need to worry about ambushes or underhanded tricks.
So Xu Jingming simply carried his spear and moved toward the nearby beast pack.
"Wait—you're planning to handle this beast group alone?"
Zhou Mingyang froze in shock and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.
"What? You planning to steal my kills?"
Xu Jingming's gaze turned sharp.
To him, ferocious beasts didn't just represent points—
They also meant Ability Points.
There was no way he would give them up to someone else.
Meeting Xu Jingming's gaze felt like being stared down by a powerful beast king.
Goosebumps instantly rose across Zhou Mingyang's skin.
What a terrifying aura!
He quickly came back to his senses and hurriedly explained:
"There are two Tier-1 Mid-Level beasts in that group. You can't handle it alone. If we team up, we might stand a chance."
These were two separate beast packs.
Each pack contained its own Tier-1 Mid-Level King.
Zhou Mingyang had been hiding nearby all along, waiting for both sides to injure each other before stepping in.
But now—
Although both sides were wounded, none had died yet.
They were still in their most savage and frenzied state.
Charging in now would basically be suicide.
"No need. I can handle it myself."
Seeing that Zhou Mingyang wasn't trying to steal kills but rather suggesting cooperation, Xu Jingming's attitude softened slightly.
He patted Zhou Mingyang on the shoulder—
Then charged forward with his spear.
"Hey—!"
Zhou Mingyang tried to stop him again.
But seeing Xu Jingming already rushing into battle, he had no choice but to give up.
"Fine then… since you're so confident, let me see what kind of tricks you really have!"
Zhou Mingyang gripped his sword and stood aside, observing the battle intently.
If anything went wrong, he would immediately join the fight.
But what happened next—
Left Zhou Mingyang staring with wide eyes.
Xu Jingming charged straight into the beast pack like an unstoppable war god.
The black spear in his hands became a blur.
Every thrust—
Took a life.
In less than three minutes, of the original twelve beasts, only four remained.
"This…"
Zhou Mingyang was stunned.
Just two hours ago, he hadn't even known this person existed.
But now—
Xu Jingming had risen like a comet.
Not only did he quickly enter the Top Ten,
but just over ten minutes ago, he had snatched first place from him.
Naturally, Zhou Mingyang was extremely curious about such a fierce opponent.
He had even imagined what terrifying ability Xu Jingming might possess.
Perhaps some overwhelmingly powerful A-Rank ability.
Yet—
Xu Jingming had achieved this crushing dominance using nothing but that black spear.
Gulp.
Zhou Mingyang swallowed hard, his throat dry.
"Could it be… he has some kind of body-enhancement ability that I just couldn't detect?"
While he was still lost in speculation—
Xu Jingming had already finished the cleanup.
The final Arm Blade Tiger King collapsed to the ground.
System Notifications
Kill: Tier-1 Lower-Level Unicorn Rhino ×1 — Ability Points +12
Kill: Tier-1 Lower-Level Arm Blade Tiger ×1 — Ability Points +10
Kill: Tier-1 Mid-Level Arm Blade Tiger ×1 — Ability Points +15
...
Listening to the series of notifications echoing in his mind,
Xu Jingming felt an almost intoxicating sense of satisfaction.
This feeling—
Was simply indescribable.
"Once the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam ends, I won't have opportunities like this anymore."
"So I need to make the most of this time…"
Snapping back to reality,
Xu Jingming waved casually to Zhou Mingyang—
Then quickly departed.
By the time Zhou Mingyang reacted,
Xu Jingming had already dashed seven or eight meters away.
So he hurriedly shouted:
"Xu Jingming! Do you have a body-enhancement ability?"
"No."
Xu Jingming's voice echoed from the distance.
"It's Lightning-type!"
His figure had already vanished completely from sight.
"Li… Lightning-type?!"
Zhou Mingyang stood there dumbfounded.
There hadn't been even the slightest sign of Lightning-type power earlier.
"If you didn't want to tell me your ability type, you didn't have to brush me off like that… what a nasty personality."
Zhou Mingyang muttered bitterly.
"And that look just now… he actually thought I was trying to steal his kills?"
"With a beast pack like that, who else besides a monster like you could handle it?"
"Besides, there are so many beasts in the Core Zone—why would I worry about not finding any?"
"Come to think of it, I waited here for over ten minutes… technically you were the one stealing my kills…"
Even as he left, Zhou Mingyang kept muttering complaints under his breath.