In the Central Zone of the ruined town, amidst a residential quarter's ruins, over a dozen ferocious beasts were split into two camps, trying to turn each other into a meal. The two opposing groups consisted of One-Horned Rhinos and Sabre-toothed Tigers. If their numbers were equal, the One-Horned Rhinos would undoubtedly have the upper hand. However, there were eight Sabre-toothed Tigers and only four One-Horned Rhinos here.
In terms of strength, both sides were roughly equal, with a slight advantage for the Sabre-toothed Tigers. This is why, even though the fight had been ongoing for quite some time and the beasts had inflicted numerous bloody wounds on each other, none had fallen yet. Ferocious beasts are cruel by nature, and once they start a battle, they won't stop until they completely destroy the opponent.
Suddenly, one of the Sabre-toothed Tigers sniffed the air and stopped abruptly. Crouching low to the ground, it let out a threatening growl toward the entrance of the residential quarter. This sound, like a chain reaction, caused all the Sabre-toothed Tigers and One-Horned Rhinos to simultaneously cease their struggle. They turned to face the entrance, their eyes blazing with fury, and their bodies adopted a stance ready to launch a swift attack at any moment.
Under the fierce gaze of the beasts, a tall young man appeared. He was clad in a black combat suit and combat boots, his figure lean and imposing. The youth's eyes shone with a clear and sharp gaze, like that of a solitary wolf. Over his shoulder, he casually carried a massive black spear, the tip of which gleamed ominously in the sunlight.
"Twelve ferocious beasts, excellent," Xu Jingming nodded in satisfaction. This group of beasts was the largest he had encountered in the past hour.
He struck the shaft sharply with his right hand, deftly tossing the black spear, and it settled perfectly into his grasp. Just as Xu Jingming was about to charge into the thick of the beasts, he suddenly frowned and stopped, glancing to his right. A dilapidated old building stood there. "Come out, I see you," he said.
"No wonder you hold first place, your senses are sharp indeed," a handsome youth with a long sword on his back emerged from the shadows of the building.
"Zhou Mingyang?" Xu Jingming raised an eyebrow in surprise.
This guy was none other than the B-level Wind Superpower User, known as the 'Wind's Light Sword' Zhou Mingyang. Compared to his elegant appearance outside the examination grounds, Zhou Mingyang looked quite battered now. His hair was disheveled, and dark-red bloodstains—either his own or the beasts'—were visible on his combat suit.
However, most exam participants looked much the same. Xu Jingming himself wasn't much better, although thanks to his use of the long spear, he had fewer blood splatters on him.
"But how did you know it was me?" Xu Jingming asked curiously. He didn't think this famous star student would know him, an ordinary student from Second Middle School.
"Only a handful of people dare to enter the Central Zone, and we all know each other," Zhou Mingyang explained with a smile. "When a stranger suddenly appeared, it was clear that it could only be you, the one who took first place."
"I see," Xu Jingming nodded.
In the martial arts exam, participants were forbidden from attacking each other; doing so would result in immediate disqualification. Furthermore, monitoring drones were hovering above both of them, so there was no need to worry about a sudden attack from Zhou Mingyang. Therefore, Xu Jingming readied his spear and headed toward the group of ferocious beasts nearby.
"Wait, are you going to take on that group of beasts alone?" Zhou Mingyang was taken aback and hastily reached out to stop him.
"What's the matter? Do you want to take my prey?" Xu Jingming's gaze turned dangerous.
To him, ferocious beasts meant not only points but also Ability Points! He had no intention of yielding them to anyone else.
Meeting that gaze, Zhou Mingyang felt as if a mighty Lord of the Beasts was looking at him—goosebumps ran down his skin. What a powerful aura!
Admiring him mentally, Zhou Mingyang quickly recovered and hurriedly said, "There are two Mid-Rank First-Stage beasts among them. You can't handle it alone. But if we join forces, we might have a chance."
These were two different packs of ferocious beasts, and each had its own Mid-Rank First-Stage leader. He had been hiding nearby all this time, waiting for them to weaken each other before intervening. Now, although the beasts were wounded, their numbers hadn't decreased, and they were in their most ferocious and dangerous state. Attacking them now would be tantamount to suicide.
"No need, I can handle it myself," seeing that Zhou Mingyang wasn't trying to steal his prey but wanted to cooperate, Xu Jingming visibly softened. He patted him on the shoulder and charged into the attack with his spear leveled.
"Hey…" Zhou Mingyang wanted to say something more, but Xu Jingming had already rushed into battle, so he could only resign himself.
"Fine, since you're so confident, let's see what you can do!" Zhou Mingyang stood aside with his sword at the ready, focusing all his attention on Xu Jingming. If anything went wrong, he was prepared to intervene immediately.
However, what happened next made Zhou Mingyang's eyes widen in astonishment. Xu Jingming, after charging into the crowd of ferocious beasts, seemed to have entered an invincibility mode. His black spear flashed like a phantom shadow, and every thrust took the life of another beast. In less than three minutes, only four of the twelve ferocious beasts remained!
"This is..." Zhou Mingyang was stunned.
Just two hours ago, he hadn't even suspected the existence of such a person. And now, this guy had shot up like a comet. He not only quickly entered the top ten but also snatched first place from Zhou Mingyang just ten minutes ago!
Naturally, Zhou Mingyang was extremely intrigued by such a powerful rival and tried to imagine what incredible superpower he possessed. Perhaps some super-powerful A-level ability?
Yet, Xu Jingming, using only his black spear, achieved something Zhou Mingyang dared not even dream of!
Zhou Mingyang swallowed, feeling his mouth go dry: "Does he have some kind of enhancement superpower that I just can't perceive?"
While he stood still, lost in his conjectures, Xu Jingming quickly finished the fight, striking down the last Sabre-toothed Tiger leader.
[Killed a low-tier first-level one-horned rhinoceros, +12 ability points.]
[Killed a low-tier first-level saber-toothed tiger, +10 ability points.]
[Killed a mid-tier first-level saber-toothed tiger, +15 ability points.]
[...]
Listening to the series of notifications in his head, Xu Jingming savored the moment. This feeling was truly delightful.
"However, after the martial arts exam ends, there won't be such good opportunities anymore," he thought. "So, I must use the time as effectively as possible..."
Xu Jingming snapped out of his thoughts, bid farewell to Zhou Mingyang, and quickly moved away. By the time Zhou Mingyang came to his senses, Xu Jingming was already seven or eight meters away.
"Xu Jingming, do you have an enhancement superpower?" Zhou Mingyang shouted after him.
"No, the Lightning element!" Xu Jingming's voice carried from afar, although he was no longer visible.
"Li... Lightning element?!" Zhou Mingyang was utterly bewildered. In the battle he had just witnessed, there wasn't a hint of the Lightning element.
"If he didn't want to talk about his superpower, he could have just said so. Why brush me off so carelessly? What an unpleasant fellow," Zhou Mingyang looked aggrieved.
"And that look of his... was he really afraid I'd steal his prey?"
"With a group of ferocious beasts like that, besides a monster like him, who else could handle it?"
"Besides, there are so many ferocious beasts in the Central Zone; why worry about running out?"
"Speaking of which, I'd been waiting here for over ten minutes. If anyone stole prey, it was him who stole mine…"
Zhou Mingyang, displeased with Xu Jingming's behavior, continued to grumble to himself as he left the scene of the fight.