Tang Qi and her companions were walking briskly down the corridor, turning a corner. Unexpectedly, they bumped into Xu Jingming, who was walking toward them with the long black spear slung over his back. Tang Qi hadn't expected to encounter Xu Jingming again and was momentarily flustered, but she quickly composed herself and asked:
"Heading home?"
"Training's finished. I want to get back early and prepare a bit more."
"Good. Good luck with the martial arts entrance exam tomorrow, but don't forget to stay safe."
Although Tang Qi inwardly felt that Xu Jingming's participation in the martial arts exam with his E-level ability was sheer hubris, she still offered a word of encouragement to her cousin.
"Thanks, Sister Qi. Good luck to you too," Xu Jingming gave a broad, radiant smile, and walked past them.
Tang Qi and her companions didn't stop and continued their search for the source of the power wave they had felt earlier. There weren't many training rooms in this part of the building, only eight in total. Therefore, Tang Qi's group easily found the room Xu Jingming had used.
When they saw the training room walls, covered in cracks like a spiderweb, all four of them widened their eyes. Even the usually reserved Tang Qi slightly parted her lips in astonishment.
"Wow, even the shape-memory metal is destroyed. How powerful must that attack have been?" exclaimed the young man in the white casual clothes, with an exaggerated expression.
"From the residual energy, I can still feel that incredibly ferocious force. Whoever delivered that strike, if not a Rank Two ability user, is definitely at the peak of Rank One!" the young man with the earring, who had awakened a mental ability, remarked seriously.
"Peak Rank One? Or even Rank Two? Do we have high school students that strong in Jiangcheng?" Xiaoya asked incredulously.
"It's unlikely to be a high school student. Perhaps a Superpower User who didn't know the rules mistakenly came up to the third floor to test their strength," Tang Qi shook her head.
"True, an attack of that power can't be the work of a high school student."
"Even the geniuses from the provincial capital aren't capable of that, let alone our Jiangcheng."
The sudden incident instantly piqued the interest of Tang Qi and her friends. They turned around and headed toward the training rooms.
The others sighed in relief upon hearing this. They were already troubled by the thought of a few gifted candidates in Jiangcheng. If a Rank Two individual had suddenly appeared among the entrants, they, who had spent tons of resources and hadn't even become Superpower Users, would have no choice but to figuratively hit their heads against a wall out of despair.
"Hey, but only Xu Jingming walked through here. Do you think, maybe, he's the one who did this?" Xiaoya suddenly suggested, blinking her eyes. "What if Xu Jingming is actually a super-genius, just hiding his power all this time to shock everyone at the exam tomorrow?
"Have you been reading too many web novels about pretending to be weak? How could you come up with such a ridiculous notion?" the youth with the earring replied with some annoyance. "To hide power, you have to have power to hide. An E-level ability user's attack power reaches 300 ka at best."
"The corridors on both sides of this spot lead outside. That strong ability user probably left through the other exit, which is why we didn't meet him."
An ability rank is not determined arbitrarily; it's based on developmental potential. An E-level ability inherently limits Xu Jingming's upper ceiling.
"You're right," Xiaoya thought and nodded in agreement.
Tang Qi, who had been silently listening to the conversation the whole time, recalled the retreating, slender figure and suddenly doubted her earlier certainty: was Xu Jingming's participation in the martial arts exam really just overconfidence?
The liberal arts exam in Jiangcheng was held in the academic buildings of various schools. The martial arts exam took place in a military area near the suburbs. Students had to first gather at the city stadium, and then they would be taken to the military area in an organized fashion. The gathering time was set for eight in the morning.
Therefore, the next day, Xu Jingming woke up early and put on all his gear. Aside from the two-meter-long F-level black spear strapped to his back, he was dressed in an F-level black combat suit and black combat boots.
The combat suit and boots were made from the hides of ferocious beasts and were very durable. In battle against the beasts, they were not only difficult to damage but could also partially absorb incoming damage.
"Martial Arts Exam, here I come!" Xu Jingming focused his gaze and strode out of the room, his gait confident and firm.
Jiangcheng, Jinxiu Residential Complex.
This was a well-known villa district in Jiangcheng. In one of the villas, Tang Qi, having finished breakfast and put on her gear, was about to leave. Suddenly, she was stopped by an elegant woman whose face was seven or eight-tenths similar to her own:
"Xiao Qi, you will be taking the exam in the same location as Xiao Ming, won't you?"
"Mom, I told you last time, there is only one location for the martial arts exam in all of Jiangcheng, so of course we will be in the same place," Tang Qi replied, simultaneously conducting a final check of her equipment.
She had awakened a B-level special ability—Phantom Cat. After activating this ability, her physical strength, flexibility, and reaction speed increased significantly. Therefore, she chose a more flexible dagger as her weapon. Her combat suit was also tight-fitting and comfortable.
"If you meet Xiao Ming during the exam, help him if you can. After all, your cousin only has an E-level ability; the exam will be very dangerous for him," the elegant woman couldn't resist lecturing. "And you be careful, too. Even if the result is a little worse, don't risk fighting high-level ferocious beasts."
Although Tang Qi really wanted to say that the martial arts exam map was huge, and the probability of meeting after entering the examination area was practically zero, seeing the worry in her mother's eyes, she still nodded: "Okay, I understand."
Having said this and ensured all her equipment was in order, Tang Qi got into the limousine waiting at the entrance and headed to the city stadium.
There were three high schools in Jiangcheng, and the total number of third-year students was around three thousand. Excluding the students taking the liberal arts exam, another 1,400 people were participating in the martial arts exam.
To transport all these 1,400-plus examinees to the examination venue, the city allocated about forty large buses. These forty-odd buses were neatly parked near the city stadium, divided by school and class. Arriving examinees only needed to board the corresponding bus.
"Son, I'm not expecting high scores from you in this martial arts exam; the most important thing is to take care of yourself!"
"Dad, I got it."
"Daughter, in the exam, your main priority is to protect yourself!"
"…"
Among the examinees arriving at the city stadium, some came alone, while others were accompanied by their parents. Those who were escorted by their parents most often heard instructions to be careful in the final words before boarding the bus.
Xu Jingming, who had just arrived at the city stadium, observed this scene from afar, and it was impossible for a feeling of envy not to stir in his heart. In his past life, he was an orphan and also longed for parental love and care. Unfortunately, even after transmigrating, he was still alone…
Taking a deep breath, Xu Jingming gathered his thoughts. Among the multitude of buses, he found the one designated for Class 5, Third Year, of Jiangcheng Second Middle School, and immediately headed towards it.
"Oh? Is that Xu Jingming? I never noticed before, but in a combat suit, he's quite a looker."
"How did I not notice before that he has such an imposing aura?"
"Wow, he's handsome!"
"…"
Due to the introverted nature of the former Xu Jingming, he was one of the most unnoticed students in Class 5. If he had failed to show up for class one day, probably no one except his best friend Zhang Hao and the homeroom teacher would have even noticed.
Of course, Xu Jingming himself was naturally very attractive—186 cm tall, with a rather handsome face. But the former Xu Jingming preferred to slouch, and his gaze was uncertain, which is why he failed to attract attention.
Now that Xu Jingming had been reborn, his gaze was no longer hesitant; on the contrary, it was clear and expressive, and his posture was straight. Combined with the black combat suit and the long, formidable black spear strapped to his back, he gave off a completely new impression—one of determination and strength.
This drew surprised and eager looks from many girls on the bus.
Seeing Xu Jingming board the bus, the homeroom teacher Chen Fan, who was sitting in the seat next to the driver and was responsible for counting the number of students, was also momentarily taken aback. However, he quickly recovered and marked Xu Jingming's name on the attendance list.
As time slowly passed, the list of names held by the homeroom teacher Chen Fan gradually filled up. When the last student from Class 5 participating in the martial arts exam arrived, Chen Fan announced: "All students from Class 5 are present. Let's depart."