For killing a High-Rank First-Stage ferocious beast, 100 points were awarded. For eliminating a Second-Stage beast, a whopping 4000 points! In the very center of the examination zone, Xu Jingming eliminated 34 High-Rank First-Stage ferocious beasts and one Lower-Stage Second-Rank Bloodthirsty Ferocious Bear. In total, this earned him 7400 points!
Adding this to the more than three thousand points he already had, Xu Jingming scored over ten thousand points, which was not surprising. However, in the rankings, his result looked staggering—it was nearly ten times the score of the second-place participant!
"There's just over an hour left until the end of the martial arts exam, and I've already eliminated all the beasts in the Central and Core Zones. Now I'll go back to the Middle Zone and try to kill as many as I can," Xu Jingming decided.
Casting a final glance at the lifeless body of the Bloodthirsty Ferocious Bear in the distance, Xu Jingming did not linger. Shouldering his almost-worn-out black spear, he headed toward the Middle Zone.
Meanwhile, on the roof, Zhou Mingyang and the others still hadn't recovered from the shock caused by Xu Jingming's performance.
"Did the Bloodthirsty Ferocious Bear just die like that?" Zhou Mingyang swallowed hard.
From the start of the fight until the moment the Bloodthirsty Ferocious Bear was killed with a single spear thrust, less than two minutes had passed. It should be noted that even elite Superpower Users usually required more than half an hour to defeat such a resilient Second-Rank beast!
"Terrifying, simply unbelievable!" The bald guy stared in shock at the score on his smartwatch. "Xu Jingming has already scored over ten thousand points!"
"Over ten thousand?" Zhou Mingyang's eyes widened, and he involuntarily exclaimed: "If I remember correctly, last year the best result in our Jiangnan Province was just over eight thousand points. Is Xu Jingming going to become the best in the province?!"
"Best in the province? Oh my god, is he really that strong?" The surrounding guys simultaneously inhaled sharply in astonishment.
At that moment, Meng Di's voice rang out: "Look quickly, Xu Jingming is gone! Judging by the direction, he is heading to the Middle Zone!"
"The Middle Zone? Worthy of the future best in the province—he killed a Second-Rank beast and isn't relaxing, but rushing to the Middle Zone," the bald guy clicked his tongue in amazement.
Zhou Mingyang also snapped out of his shock and slapped his thigh: "Damn it! I don't know if Xu Jingming will become the best in the province or not. But I definitely know that if we don't head to the Middle Zone right now, we won't score a single point in the remaining hour!"
"Exactly! Damn it, at this rate, Xu Jingming might kill all the beasts in the Middle Zone!"
"Faster! Let's go!"
"Heh-heh, well then, I, Zhou Mingyang, will go first," Zhou Mingyang said and, activating his Wind Superpower, sped off, being the fastest among them.
The others also came to their senses and, wasting no time on contemplation, grabbed their weapons and hurried downstairs.
At the open area outside the examination grounds, the school principals and teachers, stunned by the terrifying power of Xu Jingming's superpower, followed his actions with intense focus.
The Second-Rank Bloodthirsty Ferocious Bear was a creature that even they, the school principals, at their peak strength, tried to avoid. Yet, this fearsome beast now seemed like a toy in Xu Jingming's hands.
Easily dodging the enraged bear's leaps, he disabled its hind legs with two spear thrusts. With continuous lightning strikes, he induced a state of paralysis, rendering the beast immobile. With furious spear lunges, he instantly inflicted severe wounds on the Bloodthirsty Ferocious Bear. The final strike—a lightning combat technique that pierced the beast's heart—completed the kill!
This entire sequence of actions was executed smoothly and flawlessly. When the Bloodthirsty Ferocious Bear crashed to the ground with a thud, a dead silence descended upon the area. No one had expected a Second-Rank beast, capable of causing headaches even for the best talents of the provincial capital, to die so simply!
Even when the rankings updated and Xu Jingming's score reached ten thousand points, the Head of the Department, the school principals, and the teachers still couldn't recover.
"Ten thousand points! The record is broken! The record is broken!" At that moment, one of the teachers from Second Middle School shouted excitedly.
Hearing this exclamation, the other principals and teachers in the stands finally snapped out of it, and the area exploded with noisy shouts of amazement.
"Ten thousand points! He has not only broken our Jiangcheng record but also set a new Jiangnan Province record!"
"A genius! An absolute genius!"
"The heavens have blessed Jiangcheng; this year's best student in the province will be from our city!"
At that moment, the principals and teachers of all three high schools, forgetting their decorum, were shouting with joy. If before the other two schools might have harbored some resentment due to Xu Jingming being a student of Second Middle School, everything had now changed!
Xu Jingming, who was highly likely to become the best in the province, now represented not just Second Middle School, but the entire Jiangcheng city!
"Excellent work!" Principal Zhao Yao couldn't contain himself and jumped up, excitedly waving his fists!
Usually reserved, he himself couldn't remember how many times he had lost his composure. However, in the face of such a huge surprise, it no longer mattered. This result practically guaranteed the title of best in the province! In the worst-case scenario—a spot in the top three of Jiangnan Province!
It should be noted that in the over one-hundred-year history of Jiangcheng Second Middle School, the best achievement was the 64th place in Jiangnan Province! And now, what all the principals of previous generations couldn't achieve, he had managed! How could he not feel excitement and pride?!
"Ah, how could such an outstanding student not have been placed in our elite class?!" In the stands of Second Middle School, the homeroom teacher of the elite class, despite his joy, felt intense regret. If they had accepted Xu Jingming into their class back then, what glory would he be basking in now?
"Good, good, Xu Jingming, well done!" The homeroom teacher of Class 5, Chen Fan, felt as if he were dreaming, realizing that a student from his class might become the best in the province! He pinched himself to make sure it was all real, and he was filled with incredible excitement!
"Damn it, Class 5 has such a monster, that's too cool!"
"Who would have thought? I didn't expect it either."
"Ten thousand points! I, damn it, only have 102 points; that's a hundredfold difference!"
Towards the end of the martial arts exam, many participants who had been eliminated earlier due to activating the protective sphere had returned to the area. Seeing Xu Jingming's stunning result, they were plunged into a state of extreme amazement.
"Ten thousand points! Senior Brother made it!"
"Incredibly strong! With this score, he can get into any elite university, right?"
"Ha-ha, not just can! Now the best universities will be begging Senior Brother Xu Jingming to enroll with them!"
"I declare that from today onwards, Senior Brother Xu Jingming is my idol!"
On the sports field of Second Middle School, the first and second-year students, as well as the teachers, were also getting excited. Most of the students considered Xu Jingming their idol and role model, their faces flushed with excitement.
The hour flew by quickly, and now it was exactly nine o'clock!
At this moment, a red warning screen automatically popped up on the smartwatches of all the students still in the ruined town examination zone. Simultaneously, an automatic voice message sounded:
"Attention: The 2037 Jiangcheng City Martial Arts Exam has concluded. Killing beasts will no longer count towards the score. All participants are requested to return as soon as possible."
"Attention: The 2037 Jiangcheng City Martial Arts Exam has concluded. Killing beasts will no longer count towards the score. All participants are requested to return as soon as possible."
The notification sounded three times before quieting down.
In the examination zone, all the participants who received the notification, with various emotions—some with regret, others with relief—began to return.
"The martial arts exam is over..." Xu Jingming pulled his spear out of the body of another beast, feeling a slight regret. "Too bad, I won't have such an opportunity to accumulate Ability Points on this scale anymore."
Then, Xu Jingming, shouldering his spear, headed toward the exit!
The martial arts exam was over, and a brand new future awaited him!