Meanwhile, Xu Jingming had no idea that his departure had sparked so much discussion. At this moment, he was already in a room spanning about twenty square meters. It was a private training room provided by the Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts Hall. Typically, such rooms needed to be booked in advance, but with few people around, Xu Jingming was able to use it without a prior reservation.
"First, I'll test my peak strength without the ability enhancement," Xu Jingming thought, taking the long spear off his back and gripping it firmly.
Since ferocious beasts had thick hides and tough bodies, ordinary weapons couldn't breach their defenses. Therefore, superpower users utilized weapons custom-made by specialized corporations. The spear in Xu Jingming's hands belonged to the "Black Radiance" series manufactured by the Hengyuan Corporation.
The spear shaft was about 1.9 meters long, the sharp tip about 20 centimeters, reaching an overall length of 2.1 meters. The entire spear was made of an F-level alloy and had an unassuming black color.
Holding the spear, Xu Jingming lightly shook it, and a low metallic chime resonated. As soon as he did this, he immediately noticed something unusual.
"The spear… it feels lighter," he thought. "No, that's not it. It's because my Physique has become stronger."
Xu Jingming quickly understood the reason. "In any case, there's no opportunity to change weapons now."
Like the ability levels, alloys were also divided into nine levels: from F to SSS. The rarer the alloy, the tougher, sharper, and more effective it was against ferocious beasts. Of course, the price for such alloys was correspondingly higher.
When purchasing a weapon from the "Black Radiance" series at the Hengyuan Corporation, one was free to choose the alloy quality and weight. Since only F-level weapons and combat gear were permitted in the martial arts exam, Xu Jingming had chosen this alloy level. As for the weight, he settled on 50 kg.
Ultimately, this "Black Radiance" spear cost him approximately 200,000 yuan. As the saying goes, one might be stingy with money for studies, but not for weapons. Over the past few years, Xu Jingming had spent quite a sum on training, ability enhancement, buying combat gear, weapons, and studying combat techniques. Part of this money came from his aunt's family's generous support, which was difficult to refuse, and part from his parents' savings and the compensation for their deaths. By now, he had less than 50,000 yuan left, so buying a heavier weapon was out of the question.
"Well, it's not that important; it will only slightly affect my strength," Xu Jingming thought, concentrating and starting his warm-up.
The long spear was the weapon he had started training with at the age of twelve, so he had been practicing for almost six years. He had a perfect grasp of techniques such as the lunge, stab, strike, chopping blow, point strike, and thrust.
In the training room, the spear in his hands dissolved into a hazy black shadow, moving with frightening speed and force. In an instant, Xu Jingming felt all the muscles in his body relax, and his Vitality Units activated.
He then gripped the spear firmly and executed a powerful lunge into the center of the round target on the opposite wall!
Clang!!
Accompanied by a piercing sound of impact, the round target, made of shape-memory metal, buckled inward under the immense kinetic energy, forming a dramatic arc. After the spear was withdrawn, the target slowly returned to its original position.
Simultaneously, the number 321 ka appeared on the adjacent intelligent screen!
321 ka, my pure physical attack power has almost doubled compared to before!" Xu Jingming's eyes lit up.
The 'ka' was the standard unit of attack power measurement. 1 ka corresponded to the energy released by one "Black Spider" firecracker explosion. Most Awakened, relying solely on physical strength, could produce an attack power of around 100 ka. Previously, Xu Jingming, using only physical strength, could deliver a strike of about 140 ka. Of course, even with his former ability, he couldn't achieve a much higher result.
"But now, everything is different," Xu Jingming thought.
With a mental effort, he summoned the Purple Sky Divine Thunder.
Crackle!!!
In that moment, Xu Jingming was like a thunder god: countless purple lightning bolts swirled around him, accompanied by the sharp crackle of electrical discharges. He raised his hand and pointed a finger—a purple lightning bolt erupted and struck the center of the target with furious energy!
This time, the shape-memory metal target, after buckling, remained in that state for a full seven or eight seconds before returning to its original form!
An impressive number appeared on the adjacent intelligent screen: 3012 ka!
"The attack power has reached three thousand ka!! That's almost ten times the pure physical strength!" Xu Jingming took a deep, stunned breath.
It is worth noting that the average attack power of a First-Stage Superpower User was only 1000 ka! An attack of 3000 ka was roughly on par with a Mid-Rank First-Stage Superpower User!
"No wonder it's an S-Rank ability; it's simply unbelievable," Xu Jingming couldn't help but marvel.
According to the information in his memory, superpower users, standing above the Awakened, were divided into nine stages, from the First to the Ninth. Each stage, in turn, was subdivided into the Low, Mid, and High Rank. And he, being merely an Awakened, thanks to the S-Rank Purple Sky Divine Thunder ability, could already produce an attack comparable to a Mid-Rank First-Stage Superpower User!
"No wonder all nations strive to acquire Awakened with high-level abilities. The difference between the various levels is simply enormous," Xu Jingming thought. "However, three thousand ka is not my limit yet…"
Xu Jingming took a deep breath, allowing the electric light of the Purple Sky Divine Thunder to spread across the black spear.
"Lightning Burst!" he exclaimed.
A flash streaked through the training room, and the spear, as if transformed into a purple-black dragon, lunged towards the wall!
CRASH!!!
Lightning flashed, and a deafening roar erupted under the impact of the powerful strike. The entire training room trembled slightly!!
When the lightning faded, it became clear that the shape-memory metal target on the wall had been struck by lightning: a melted metallic crater formed in the center, which could no longer return to its original state. Terrifying cracks, like a spiderweb, spread from the center of the target across the entire wall, exposing electrical cables that were still sparking. These cables were connected to the shape-memory metal and used to calculate the attack power. By all appearances, the equipment was out of order.
Xu Jingming turned to the intelligent screen on the right, and as expected, no data was displayed.
"I entered the Beginner-level training room, where the shape-memory metal is designed to withstand the attack of a High-Rank First-Stage Superpower User," Xu Jingming reflected. "Now that the metal is destroyed, it's clear that the attack power reached the limit of its endurance."
"In other words, my attack is already comparable to a High-Rank First-Stage Superpower User!"
"No wonder it's a combat technique; it really is powerful!"
"Lightning Burst" was the only combat technique Xu Jingming currently possessed. Of course, this technique had been carefully selected by him, as it perfectly combined his lightning control ability with his spear mastery. In fact, most superpower users' combat techniques are closely linked to their personal abilities.
"A peak attack power comparable to a High-Rank First-Stage Superpower User. It looks like tomorrow's exam is going to be interesting," an anticipating smile appeared on Xu Jingming's face. He then slung the black spear onto his back and left the training room.
The Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts Hall had specialized maintenance staff who quickly repaired damaged equipment. Of course, there was no need to pay compensation. After all, those who could damage the equipment were the most welcome visitors to the Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts Hall.
"After walking around, I feel that our Raging Bear Martial Arts Hall is still slightly better. In the Thunder and Lightning Hall, not only are the training rooms smaller, but the power measurement equipment isn't the newest," said one of the girls in Tang Qi's group as they walked down the corridor of the Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts Hall.
"Well, what did you expect? Do you think we pay 100,000 yuan a year for membership for nothing?" someone from the group replied.
"By the way, after wandering around here, I feel a bit bored," another girl commented.
"Bored? Maybe we should go to the real combat room and have a few duels?" someone suggested.
Tang Qi and her three companions had originally come to the Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts Hall to relax before the upcoming graduation exams. However, after exploring for a bit, they quickly grew bored. Therefore, when someone suggested going to the real combat room, the eyes of all four lit up, and they were ready to try it.
Boom!!
At that moment, a sharp, almost deafening impact sound resonated, causing even the floor beneath their feet to slightly tremble!
"What a powerful energy wave! It has reached the level of a Superpower User!" the young man with the earring exclaimed in surprise.
He had awakened a C-level Mental ability, which made him especially sensitive to energy fluctuations.
"I remember that this floor is specifically designated for high school students. The few geniuses from our Jiangcheng who reached the Superpower User level all train at the Raging Bear Martial Arts Hall. Why would one of them come here?" Xiaoya, the pretty girl in the dress, frowned slightly, bewildered.
Although Jiangcheng was located in a less prosperous region of Jiangnan Province and couldn't boast a deep educational tradition, there were still one or two high school geniuses who managed to break through the Awakened level and become Superpower Users.
"Maybe one of those geniuses came here to train? Or do we have a new high school Superpower User?" someone in the group speculated.
"Let's go take a look!" another person suggested.
The unexpected incident instantly piqued the interest of Tang Qi and her friends. They turned around and headed toward the training rooms.