Chapter 17: Violent Aesthetics, Dominant Spear Technique!

Xu Jingming, standing at 1.86 meters tall and atop the bus roof, immediately drew the attention of the Arm-Knife Tigers in the square.

Except for the central Arm-Knife Tiger King, still lazily sprawled in place, the other nine resting Arm-Knife Tigers rose simultaneously.

Their eyes glowed with ferocity as they paced toward the bus.

Their speed was slow, but the oppressive presence of nine massive, car-sized Arm-Knife Tigers gathered together was terrifying.

That was precisely why beast packs were always so difficult to handle.

These nine Arm-Knife Tigers, even a high-tier first-rank beast, dared not provoke lightly!

Yet, facing the nine Arm-Knife Tigers advancing toward him, Xu Jingming showed not the slightest fear.

He leapt from the bus roof, landing with a thud.

“Roar—”

With a low growl, the nine Arm-Knife Tigers, who had been walking slowly, split apart with uncanny human-like coordination.

Then, they charged at Xu Jingming from different directions!

“No wonder this beast pack has a leader—it’s even learned basic formations.”

He gripped the weapon backward—Black Shine Spear already in hand.

The public bus was less than thirty meters from the square; for these low-tier first-rank Arm-Knife Tigers, it was negligible.

In an instant, the nine Arm-Knife Tigers closed the distance to within five meters of Xu Jingming.

But they didn’t rush en masse—five Arm-Knife Tigers surged forward first, leaping through the air!

Five massive Arm-Knife Tigers crowded together, blocking every forward path to Xu Jingming.

Behind him stood the abandoned bus—no retreat possible.

In this moment, Xu Jingming had nowhere to escape.

Facing this, Xu Jingming’s gaze remained resolute as he swung his 2.1-meter Black Shine Spear like a spinning windmill.

The whirling Black Shine Spear became a black phantom, like a high-speed rotating propeller!

At this moment,

the Arm-Knife Tigers realized their mistake—but it was too late!

Five Arm-Knife Tigers crashed headlong into the spinning Black Shine Spear.

*Puchī~~*

*Puchī~~*

The sharp spearhead sliced through their skulls like a meat grinder, spraying blood and brains.

Then, under the force of impact, each one toppled backward.

Though their heads were grievously wounded, these five Arm-Knife Tigers hadn’t died yet—they lay on the ground, still breathing.

“Pure physical strength still falls short.”

Xu Jingming shook his head.

This “Windmill” technique relied solely on his raw physical power—not a combat skill.

If this move had fused body strength with his ability, those five beasts would have been instantly obliterated.

“Still, it’s fine—just need to finish them off.”

Xu Jingming charged again; the remaining four Arm-Knife Tigers tried to block his path.

But he dodged them all with agile footwork.

Then, the Black Shine Spear, like Death’s scythe, claimed the lives of the five wounded Arm-Knife Tigers in succession.

“Roar—”

At this moment, the central first-rank mid-tier Arm-Knife Tiger King finally sensed something wrong and rose, stepping before the remaining four Arm-Knife Tigers.

“Perfect—I’ll take care of you all at once.”

*Zēng!* The Black Shine Spear was yanked free from the corpses.

Xu Jingming, spear in hand, stood alone against five Arm-Knife Tigers.

In his clear eyes, there was no fear—only endless coldness and killing intent.

“ROAR!!”

Whether from the loss of his companions or Xu Jingming’s unyielding gaze, the Arm-Knife Tiger King roared in fury and charged with the remaining four.

Xu Jingming raised his spear and charged forward, locking combat with the five Arm-Knife Tigers.

Though beasts, Arm-Knife Tigers possessed considerable intelligence.

Especially this pack, having coordinated repeatedly, had killed countless powerful beasts together.

Five such Arm-Knife Tigers, if unleashed in a city, could annihilate an elite squad of over a hundred soldiers!

Yet Xu Jingming became a black phantom, darting between the gaps of the Arm-Knife Tiger pack.

The Arm-Knife Tigers inflicted no real damage on him.

Every thrust of Xu Jingming’s spear struck vital points—either instantly killing the beasts or leaving them grievously wounded.

Within less than two minutes, all the Arm-Knife Tigers lay dead at his spear’s tip.

“First-rank mid-tier beasts aren’t even worth it—they couldn’t even force me to use my ability.”

Looking at the lifeless Arm-Knife Tiger King at his feet, Xu Jingming shook his head.

Though his physique had improved thanks to the system, he still didn’t fully understand his own combat strength.

He dared attack this Arm-Knife Tiger pack only because he had Purple Thunder’s backing.

Unfortunately, these beasts lacked even the strength to make him use his ability.

Xu Jingming glanced at his system panel.

Just this encounter had granted him a full 106 ability points!

Just this wave alone earned him a full 106 Ability Points!

Xu Jingming’s face lit up.

At this rate, by the end of the Wu Ke exam, he didn’t know how many ability points he’d accumulate!

“No point overthinking now—I need to focus on gathering ability points. Head to the next location.”

Wiping the blood from his spear, Xu Jingming slung it over his back and hurried toward the next site...

On exam day, all high schools in Jiangcheng organized first- and second-year students to watch the Wu Ke exam livestream.

One reason was to make students understand the bloodshed and brutality of the Wu Ke exam.

Another was to help them become familiar with beast behavior early.

At this moment, the playground of Jiangcheng No. 2 High School.

In midair hung a virtual projection identical to those in military zones.

Around the spectator stands, all first- and second-year students had been watching the livestream for a while.

In past years, the top ten had always been dominated by students from No. 1 High School.

Thus, they mostly discussed candidates from other schools.

But this year was different—his own school now had a candidate capable of breaking into the top ten!

But this year was different—his school now had a candidate who made it into the top ten!

When Xu Jingming’s name appeared on the big screen at ninth place, the entire faculty and student body of No. 2 High erupted!

Especially the scene of his spear piercing through the Shadow Cat, which thrilled the students.

“Holy shit! That spear move was so cool!”

“I’d never heard of Senior Xu before, but from now on, he’s my idol!”

“Senior Xu is tall and muscular—so damn hot!”

“Senior, you’re so tall and strong—you’re incredibly handsome!”

Unlike the directors and principals in the military zone who sighed at Xu Jingming, the students felt genuine joy and excitement seeing him break into the top ten.

Many even took him as their benchmark, their role model.

Yet, for over half an hour afterward, Xu Jingming kept moving without engaging much.

This left the students disappointed, especially after his rank dropped to tenth—some grew anxious.

They wished they could become Xu Jingming and slaughter beasts to reclaim his position.

“Sigh, looks like No. 2 High still can’t cut it—finally got a top-ten senior, and he’s a coward.”

“I hate to admit it, but Senior Xu is seriously disappointing.”

“Forget it—I’ll watch the top-ranked Qingfeng Sword, Zhou Mingyang.”

“Forget it, I’ll just watch the top-ranked Qingfeng Sword, Zhou Mingyang.”

The greater the expectation, the deeper the disappointment.

No. 2 High had finally produced a top-ten candidate—they naturally hoped he’d climb higher.

But Xu Jingming’s performance sparked scattered negative remarks among the spectators.

Many students began switching back to watching other star candidates’ livestreams.

“Look! Senior Xu found some beasts!”

Suddenly, a voice from somewhere redirected everyone’s attention back to Xu Jingming’s livestream.

On screen, Xu Jingming stood atop the bus roof, while below, massive Arm-Knife Tiger beasts gathered.

“Oh no! Senior Xu’s facing a beast pack!”

“Arm-Knife Tiger pack—done for.”

The arm-blade tiger beast herd is done for.

“Senior, why aren’t you leaving yet?! If you don’t go now, you’re done for!”

“It’s over—the Arm-Knife Tigers have surrounded him; he can’t escape now.”

“Senior, what are you doing?! Why haven’t you activated the safety orb?!”

“......”

Although Xu Jingming’s performance had disappointed the students, he was still their own school’s senior.

Thus, when he was surrounded by ferocious beasts, every student couldn’t help but worry.

And when five Arm-Knife Tigers lunged at Xu Jingming, who hadn’t activated his safety orb, some girls screamed and covered their eyes.

But the expected scene of him being devoured by the beasts never came.

Instead, Xu Jingming swung his Black Glaze Spear and blasted all five Arm-Knife Tigers away with an invincible posture!

“Holy shit! That’s insane!”

At that moment, everyone in the audience felt their hearts leap.

“Can a spear really be used like that?”

“This strength is absurd! If an ordinary person swung a spear like that, they wouldn’t injure the Arm-Knife Tigers—they’d be crushed under their massive bodies!”

“It seems this Senior Xu must have awakened a physical enhancement ability; otherwise, he couldn’t achieve this!”

In an instant, all the students’ earlier dissatisfaction with Xu Jingming vanished completely!

Then, Xu Jingming became a black phantom, spear in hand.

Like wind and lightning, he darted through the five Arm-Knife Tigers, constantly advancing and slaying.

His black spear, drenched in too much beast blood, turned a vivid crimson.

No one found this scene disturbing; instead, everyone cried out in exhilaration.

“Such a violent feeling—but I love it!”

“Awesome! This is way more satisfying than watching those flimsy Wind Blade techniques!”

“Every thrust strikes flesh—what a brutal spear technique!”

“......”

Beasts are humanity’s enemies—that was everyone’s shared belief.

So when the Arm-Knife Tigers were slaughtered without mercy, no one felt pity; instead, they felt immense satisfaction.

Especially that tall, slender figure moving through them—each spear thrust carried a unique sense of violence.

This violence wasn’t bloody; it was filled with beauty.

It set the hearts of these sixteen- and seventeen-year-old teenagers ablaze, their faces flushed red.