Outside the examination grounds—
When Xu Jingming appeared alone before the swarm of fierce beasts, gasps of shock immediately erupted across the military district plaza.
"What is Xu Jingming doing? How did he end up directly in the beasts' line of sight?"
"Zhou Mingyang and the others hid at high ground to observe first—how could Xu Jingming be this reckless?"
"Run! Hurry and run!"
"..."
The Director of Education and the various headteachers were all Tier-2 Ability Users with sharp eyesight.
Naturally, they had long since assessed Xu Jingming's combat capability.
He might manage to handle two or three Tier-1 High-Level beasts at once.
But facing dozens of Tier-1 High-Level beasts simultaneously was pure fantasy.
Not to mention—
There was an even more terrifying Tier-2 Beast King — Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear stationed nearby, a foe far beyond his ability to handle.
So when they saw Xu Jingming appear at the center of the battlefield without even attempting concealment, the Director and the headteachers immediately panicked.
Teachers from Jiangcheng No. 2 High School began shouting anxiously, urging retreat.
Unfortunately—
Xu Jingming, within the projected battlefield footage, could not hear them at all.
Instead, after alarming the beast pack—
He was instantly swallowed by the charging swarm.
---
"Xu Jingming is far too overconfident. He actually dared to charge directly into the heart of danger."
The Director shook his head with a grim expression.
Even if Xu Jingming somehow survived—
Such reckless behavior, once reviewed by the admissions departments of elite universities, would likely result in a heavily reduced evaluation.
"It's over… Is our school's long-awaited prodigy really going to fall like this?"
Zhao Yao, Principal of Jiangcheng No. 2 High School, looked pale.
"Doesn't Xu Jingming still have his Safety Sphere?"
His homeroom teacher, Chen Fan, spoke urgently.
"Even if he manages to activate the Safety Sphere, the high-voltage defensive field it produces won't withstand the assault of so many Tier-1 High-Level beasts."
Principal Zhao Yao shook his head.
Then he turned toward the overall commander of the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam.
"Commander Wang, please instruct the nearest Ability User Rescue Squad to prepare for emergency deployment."
To protect candidates as much as possible—
Beyond the Safety Sphere, another safeguard existed:
Ability User Rescue Squads stationed across the examination grounds.
Unlike inexperienced candidates—
These squads consisted of battle-hardened elites.
Although each member was only a Tier-1 Ability User, their coordinated teamwork allowed them to hold their ground even against Tier-2 beasts.
Of course—
Such elite squads were extremely limited in number.
They were reserved exclusively for rescuing candidates of exceptional potential.
And Xu Jingming, currently ranked First Place, clearly qualified.
"Understood."
Commander Wang nodded and opened his communicator.
"Let's hope Xu Jingming can hold out until rescue arrives…"
Principal Zhao Yao sighed heavily.
---
At that exact moment—
The projection screen showing Xu Jingming suddenly erupted in dazzling brilliance!
Centered on Xu Jingming—
Countless streaks of purple lightning burst outward!
Under the violent lightning storm—
Every surrounding beast was instantly charred black and blasted away!
In that instant—
Xu Jingming appeared like a Lightning War God, violet lightning dancing across his body.
Holding his long spear—
He charged directly into the beast horde!
The Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear gave chase—
Yet failed to land even a single hit!
It could only watch helplessly as Xu Jingming slaughtered beast after beast.
Within moments—
The battlefield had completely reversed.
The Director of Education, Principal Zhao, and the gathered teachers were left utterly speechless.
"Th-This… is this Xu Jingming's Lightning-Type Ability?"
Principal Zhao Yao inhaled sharply.
Beside him—
Zhang Wenshan, Director of Education, stared in disbelief.
"Principal Zhao…"
"You call this an E-Rank Ability?"
"You must be joking."
---
Deep within the ruined town—
Empowered by Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning, Xu Jingming moved effortlessly, leading the Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear around as if walking a dog.
The Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear eventually realized—
Its speed was insufficient.
Continuing pursuit would only exhaust it.
So it stopped chasing.
Instead—
It planted itself firmly at the center of the clearing, its blood-red eyes locked onto Xu Jingming.
Each time Xu Jingming killed another beast—
The bloodthirsty aura surrounding the bear intensified slightly.
There had originally been 34 Tier-1 High-Level beasts in the area.
Among them—
13 had already been reduced to charred remnants during Xu Jingming's initial lightning burst.
As for the remaining 21 beasts—
They were slaughtered one after another within a single minute by Xu Jingming, whose body had been fully stimulated by lightning.
Crackle—
With a flash of lightning—
Xu Jingming's tall figure, spear in hand and wrapped in thunder, appeared roughly eight metres before the Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear.
"Quite clever."
"You knew I would come to you—and chose to wait right here."
His lightning-filled eyes locked onto the massive beast.
At this moment—
The Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear was clearly enraged beyond measure.
It snorted heavily.
Its thick chest rose and fell violently.
Its blood-red eyes radiated cold killing intent.
A weaker Ability User would likely collapse from fear at such a sight.
Yet—
Xu Jingming's expression remained calm.
He clenched his left hand.
Like a god of thunder commanding lightning—
The Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning swirling around him rapidly condensed—
Forming a dense bolt of violet lightning!
Zzzzt!
With full force—
Xu Jingming hurled the lightning spear forward!
BOOM!
The lightning bolt struck the Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear directly.
This terrifying strike—
Capable of instantly killing Tier-1 High-Level beasts—
Merely crackled across the bear's fur.
Aside from making it appear even more ferocious—
It caused almost no real damage.
"Truly worthy of being a rare Tier-2 Beast King… its defenses are terrifying."
Xu Jingming's gaze sharpened.
Unlike domesticated animals—
The Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear never groomed its fur.
Over time—
Its fur clumped together, forming a thick defensive layer similar to armor.
This natural armor rivaled E-Grade Alloy in durability.
More importantly—
It was largely non-conductive.
Even with the immense power of Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning—
Xu Jingming, still only an Awakened, found it extremely difficult to injure a Tier-2 beast across such a large power gap.
"It seems I must first find a way to break through its defenses."
While Xu Jingming considered his options—
The Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear was not idle.
"ROAR!!!"
With a furious roar—
A crimson aura of vitality erupted around its body.
Like a berserker entering a frenzy—
Scarlet energy surged upward like flames.
Its body visibly expanded—
Muscles swelling violently as veins bulged across its face.
Under the surge of energy—
Even the loose stones on the ground trembled.
Then—
It slammed its legs downward with explosive force, leaving a deep crater beneath its feet.
And that enormous, tower-like body—
Launched forward toward Xu Jingming!
"Damn—?!"
Do you know what it feels like—
To have a tank charging directly at you?
That was exactly what Xu Jingming felt at that moment.
His expression changed instantly.
He dodged sideways at full speed.
BOOM!!!
The Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear slammed into the ground like a falling meteor.
The cracked concrete beneath it shattered completely.
Shockwaves radiated outward.
Dust exploded into the air!
Moments later—
As the dust settled—
The towering form of the Bloodthirsty Berserker Bear, still surrounded by raging crimson energy—
Appeared once again before Xu Jingming's eyes.