Crackle—
Crackle—
At the centre of the clearing, with Xu Jingming at its core, the Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning spread outward across a three-metre radius!
The thunderclaps rang as sharply as the cries of a thousand birds.
The terrifying lightning seemed to transform the surrounding area into a forbidden zone of death!
Beyond the three-metre radius lay numerous fierce beasts, their bodies charred black by electricity!
Within the three metres, there stood only Xu Jingming, wreathed in lightning as though he were the sovereign of this domain...
"As expected, relying solely on physical strength to deal with so many Tier-1 High-Level fierce beasts is still somewhat strenuous."
Xu Jingming raised his left hand, gazing with fascination at the violet lightning arcs dancing across his fingertips.
The power and rank of an ability were closely tied to the two core attributes.
Although he was still merely an Awakened, his 180 points of Vitality and Spirit made his Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning far more powerful than when he had first awakened!
It even possessed tremendous lethality against Tier-1 High-Level beasts!
"This is an S-Rank Ability—dominant… and terrifying."
Xu Jingming looked ahead.
The sight of over a dozen gravely wounded beasts immediately attracted the attention of the local Beast King.
The Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear slowly rose from its resting position.
Standing at nearly five metres tall, with a body width exceeding three metres, it resembled a heavily armoured tank.
Imagine the crushing sense of oppression when a tank rises upright.
That was exactly the scene before Xu Jingming.
"A rare fierce beast—the Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear. This year's Martial Arts College Entrance Exam truly isn't ordinary."
Xu Jingming licked his lips.
In Jiangnan, summer sunsets came later than usual.
The slanted rays of the setting sun fell upon the Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear, casting a long shadow across the ground.
With the bear facing away from the light, Xu Jingming couldn't clearly see its expression.
Yet its pair of blood-red eyes radiated overwhelming brutality.
Influenced by that aura, the dozen or so remaining beasts—who had previously hesitated in fear of Xu Jingming's strength—grew bold once again.
They crouched low, baring their fangs, releasing continuous snarls and roars.
"This scene would actually make a great horror movie."
"However, once the battle starts, these small fry might become troublesome."
"In that case, let's clear the field first."
Xu Jingming's gaze sharpened.
The Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning, which had previously only covered the surface of his skin, began to flow deeper into his body under his control!
Hum——
As if injected with a powerful stimulant, Xu Jingming's body trembled violently!
Then—
His bright, sharp eyes filled with violet lightning, while terrifying power surged through every fibre of his being!
"That's the feeling!"
A wild grin spread across Xu Jingming's handsome face.
Abilities were natural forces within humans, as natural as moving one's arms.
Thus, besides refined combat techniques, there also existed rougher methods of using abilities.
Take Zhou Mingyang's Wind-Type Ability, for example.
A simple activation could reduce air resistance and increase speed.
Or earlier—
Xu Jingming's Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning explosion had functioned like a powerful plasma cannon.
And the state he was in now—
was another fundamental method of applying a Lightning-Type Ability.
By channeling lightning into his body and stimulating every cell, he could dramatically enhance his physical strength!
Previously, Xu Jingming had attempted to use his E-Rank Ability — Weak Lightning to stimulate his body.
But aside from causing slight numbness, it had produced no noticeable effect.
Now, however—
With the S-Rank Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning, everything was completely different!
He could clearly feel the lightning coursing through his body like a raging river, pushing his physique toward monstrous levels!
Of course—
This was not a true combat technique.
And allowing lightning to surge through the body was extremely dangerous.
Even the slightest mistake could damage his meridians.
Therefore, Xu Jingming could not maintain this state for long.
"But it's more than enough to deal with you beasts."
A faint smirk appeared at the corner of his lips.
The next instant—
Lightning flashed, and his figure vanished from his original position.
When he reappeared—
He was already beside a Tier-1 High-Level Unicorn Rhinoceros!
With spear in hand, he slashed forward like lightning, leaving behind a streak of purple-black light.
Before the Unicorn Rhinoceros could react—
A thin line of blood appeared across its neck.
Then—
Its massive head slid cleanly from its body.
Its hide, as tough as steel, offered no protection whatsoever.
Splatter~~~
Blood sprayed from the severed neck like a fountain.
Even with the powerful vitality of a Tier-1 High-Level beast, it could survive abdominal injuries.
But once decapitated—
It was utterly powerless.
The headless body collapsed heavily into a pool of blood.
"ROAR!!"
Seeing the Unicorn Rhinoceros killed before its eyes—
The Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear finally lost control!
With a furious roar, it charged toward Xu Jingming.
Despite its massive size, the bear's speed was astonishing.
In the blink of an eye, it crossed more than thirty metres!
It wasn't merely running—
It was practically leaping forward!
Yet—
Although the Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear was fast—
Xu Jingming was even faster!
Empowered by the Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning, he transformed into a purple-black phantom weaving through the battlefield.
Each thrust of the Black Radiance Spear, wrapped in violet lightning, claimed another life.
[Ding! You have slain one Tier-1 High-Level Beast: Unicorn Rhinoceros. Ability Points +15.]
[Ding! You have slain one Tier-1 High-Level Beast: Shadow Cat. Ability Points +13.]
[Ding! You have slain one Tier-1 High-Level Beast: Armblade Tiger. Ability Points +14.]
[Ding! You have slain one Tier-1 High-Level Beast: Iron-Bone Wolf. Ability Points +12.]
[...]
System notifications rang continuously within Xu Jingming's mind.
At the same time—
Furious roars from the Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear echoed across the battlefield as it repeatedly failed to catch him.
On the rooftop—
Zhou Mingyang and the others stood completely stunned.
"What kind of Lightning-Type Ability is this? It's terrifyingly powerful!"
Zhou Mingyang's voice trembled slightly.
"Just the initial burst alone critically injured multiple Tier-1 High-Level beasts…"
"And Xu Jingming is still only an Awakened!"
"Even an A-Rank Ability shouldn't be this powerful… right?"
The petite girl, Meng Di, swallowed hard.
Thanks to the internet, she had seen A-Rank Lightning-Type Ability Users before.
But the oppressive aura they emitted—
was nowhere near as overwhelming as what Xu Jingming displayed now!
"Stronger than an A-Rank Ability… could it be…"
Zhou Mingyang and the bald boy exchanged glances.
Then shouted in unison:
"S-Rank?!"
But the moment the words left his mouth—
Zhou Mingyang shook his head.
"No… impossible."
"If he truly possessed an S-Rank Ability, the entire Great Xia Nation would have been shaken the moment he awakened."
"And in this era, it's nearly impossible to hide an ability rank."
Ability awakenings were centrally managed by the state.
Every awakener's abilities were recorded in the national database.
If someone truly possessed an S-Rank Ability, the government would have immediately taken them into elite cultivation programs.
Why would he still remain at Jiangcheng No. 2 High School, a place with limited resources?
"Could it be… an ability mutation?"
The bald youth asked hesitantly.
"An ability mutation…"
Zhou Mingyang thought for a moment.
Then slowly nodded.
"That's indeed possible."
The world was vast.
Anything could happen.
Although rare—
Ability mutations had occurred before.
There were historical cases where D-Rank Abilities mutated into A-Rank Abilities.
"Regardless…"
"After today, the entire Jiangcheng will probably be shaken by him."
Watching the lone black-clad figure below—
Wielding a long spear.
Charging through waves of fierce beasts.
Clearing the battlefield with unstoppable force—
Zhou Mingyang's expression turned incredibly complicated...