Chapter 118: The Fanatical Religious Zealot! One Strike, Instant Death!

"That's Xu Jingming, the top freshman of Magic University?"

"I heard he's already reached Second Stage Upper Tier—turns out it's true!"

"Impressive, and unlike Kiran, Xu Jingming is only eighteen too, just like us."

"Eighteen and Second Stage Upper Tier—truly suffocating..."

"Who says otherwise? Without Kiran, we'd have been crushed flat this time!"

"......"

The freshmen of Qingjing Institute of Esoteric Abilities had clearly been given Xu Jingming's dossier in advance and recognized him at a glance.

Though they weren't from the same school, the new students held sufficient respect and awe for this powerful S-Class cultivator.

On the other side, Xu Jingming was slightly surprised by Kiran's approach.

Didn't expect this foreigner to be so polite.

Must have lived in Daya for a while—otherwise he couldn't have mastered Chinese this well.

Yet at that moment, Kiran spotted Song Qiuyun beside him and his eyes lit up instantly.

Without waiting for Xu Jingming's reply, he turned toward Song Qiuyun and greeted her warmly:

"Madam, you must be Song Qiuyun—I'm delighted to meet you."

Never mind, I take back what I said.

Xu Jingming's face darkened instantly.

Kiran then performed a Western-style gentleman's bow.

He extended his hand, seemingly intending to take Song Qiuyun's right hand and kiss the back of it.

Song Qiuyun furrowed her delicate brows, about to rebuke him—when Xu Jingming's large hand shot forward and seized it first.

"Kiran, you've also studied some Western etiquette?"

On Xu Jingming's resolute face, a harmonious, friendly smile spread.

Kiran blinked in surprise, then nodded unconsciously: "I studied in Ying Country before awakening my esoteric ability."

"So that's how it is..."

Xu Jingming narrowed his eyes, released his grip, and patted Kiran's shoulder:

"In Daya, we don't follow this Western custom—you'd better change it."

After saying that, he walked off directly; Song Qiuyun obediently followed beside him, never once glancing at Kiran from start to finish.

"Magic University's S-Class—what incredible strength..."

Kiran raised his right hand, already marked with a deep red imprint.

Had he not possessed an S-Class enhancement-type esoteric ability, or not been a Third Stage cultivator—

That single grip would have shattered every bone in his palm.

"I wonder how a lightning-type cultivator got so much brute force."

Watching Xu Jingming's retreating figure, Kiran muttered in his native tongue.

Yet when his gaze swept over Song Qiuyun's slender back, a flicker of heat and greed flashed in his eyes.

The prodigy girl of the Song family from Sichuan—truly extraordinary!

If I could win her over, I'd never have to worry about cultivation resources again...

Inside the training ground, there were private training rooms.

After Xu Jingming and Song Qiuyun explained their purpose to the front desk staff, they received a free 100-square-meter training room.

"Jingming, can we spar for a bit?"

Inside the training room,

Since Xu Jingming had blocked Kiran for her, Song Qiuyun's smile had never faded.

Now, her lovely face bore a faint smile as she asked.

"Sure."

Xu Jingming didn't refuse—he'd treat it as warm-up.

"Good, but don't use your full strength."

Song Qiuyun pulled a black hair tie from her space ring and tied her long hair into a high ponytail.

Then she drew out an exaggeratedly ornate halberd, faint bright light radiating around her.

"Fine, you couldn't handle my full strength anyway."

Xu Jingming gripped his spear and charged...

Over half an hour later.

"N... no more..."

Song Qiuyun stood in place, gasping heavily.

Sweat from the fierce battle soaked her training uniform.

What had been loose now clung to her body like a second skin.

Outlining her slender curves and the full swell of her chest.

Watching Xu Jingming across from her—unfazed, not a single bead of sweat on his forehead—Song Qiuyun questioned her own existence:

"You... you have this much stamina?"

"Fine. I can sustain full combat for over two hours."

Xu Jingming checked his phone's time: "Almost twelve. Rest a bit, then continue after lunch."

After Song Qiuyun regained some stamina, the two stepped out of the private training room.

Outside, in the public training area, Kiran was long gone; Xu Jingming didn't care much.

Since he had already come to the Demon Den, Xu Jingming naturally wanted to take a look around.

So after leaving the training hall, he didn't return to the dormitory for dinner.

Instead, he went out and found a restaurant marked "Guizhou Specialty Dishes," and ate his fill.

It had to be said, compared with the cuisine of Modu and Jiangnan, the dishes of Qian Province were indeed far more fiery and spicy.

However, for Xu Jingming, a second-tier upper-rank esoteric ability user, it had no effect at all.

As for Song Qiuyun, who originally came from Chuan Province, she ate with even greater relish.

After the meal, Xu Jingming had originally wanted to look around the surrounding area.

He hadn't expected that the moment he stepped out of the restaurant, someone would block his way.

The one blocking the path was a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and scholarly, yet his face was filled with an incomparable fanaticism:

"Dread beasts will destroy the world; the final great cataclysm is about to arrive.

Only the supreme celestial god can save humanity. Join us, become one of us..."

The middle-aged man seemed to truly be seeing a deity, his expression frenzied. Without waiting for them to respond, he went on talking to himself:

"The Dread Beast Sovereign is about to descend; the world will become a paradise for dread beasts!

Only the celestial god..."

Xu Jingming and Song Qiuyun frowned at the same time upon seeing this.

Due to the ravages of the dread beasts, religions preaching doomsday rhetoric could be found everywhere across the world.

This person was clearly a fanatical religious zealot.

"This side of the Demon Cave has a high concentration of esoteric ability users, a mixed bag of all sorts; it's not strange for religions to be active here."

Xu Jingming shook his head and took a detour with Song Qiuyun to leave.

Although people like this were extremely zealous in preaching their doctrine, they weren't really dangerous.

Besides, such matters generally fell under the jurisdiction of the Public Security Bureau, so he didn't need to worry about it.

Just as he was thinking this, a little girl's scream suddenly came from behind him.

Xu Jingming instinctively turned his head to look, and discovered that the middle-aged man from earlier seemed to have fallen into a state of emotional collapse:

"Why? Why do you always refuse to believe me?"

Because of the middle-aged man's frenzied expression, the little girl from the family of three that had just walked out of the restaurant was scared into crying outright.

"I understand, I understand......

It must be that the price you've paid isn't great enough, that you haven't felt the pain firsthand!"

The middle-aged man suddenly pulled a sharp dagger from his embrace, and his right arm swelled up by a full size.

With a savage expression, he thrust it toward the little girl: "Only when you feel the pain will you understand the greatness of the celestial god!"

Because everything happened so suddenly, although there were esoteric ability users among the surrounding pedestrians who noticed the scene,

they were too far away to rescue her in time!

The little girl's parents were also clearly ordinary people.

Even so, they reacted quickly, instinctively shielding themselves in front of the little girl.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce into the left chest of the mother at the very front, a low voice rang out:

"Seeking death!"

The mother had just heard the voice when she saw the tip of a black-green spear wreathed in lightning thrust toward the middle-aged man's head!

The hard skull, at this moment, was as fragile as a watermelon and burst apart directly!

Bright red blood, mixed with who-knows-what, splattered outward!