Chapter 184: Third-Rank Mid-Stage! The Highly Watched Xu Jingming!

After sparring with Senior Brother Liu Ming.

Xu Jingming then spent several more hours learning spear techniques and other combat skills from Teacher Yang Zhentian.

He grabbed lunch there before leaving campus for the A-rank mission destination.

Unlike S-rank missions, A-rank missions are much simpler.

Xu Jingming successfully located the two Fourth-Rank Lower-Stage Blood Divine Envoys in just two days.

He eliminated them with almost no effort, earning 2, 00 Ability Points.

Before killing them, Xu Jingming learned from their mouths.

Apparently, Magic City is a key development target of the Fate Cult, and there are many more Blood Divine Envoys like them.

So, for the following period, Xu Jingming no longer entered the Wilderness Zone.

Instead, he continuously accepted Fate Cult missions, hunted down Blood Divine Envoys, killed them, and gained Ability Points.

Most of these missions were only A-rank or B-rank; S-rank ones were rare.

While carrying out low-rank missions, Xu Jingming occasionally brought Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chu along.

With their strength and the Guardian Necklace, they wouldn't hold him back during missions.

On the contrary, more people meant more eyes—easier to find clues.

Of course,

not every mission guaranteed finding a Blood Divine Envoy.

Yet even so, the efficiency of gaining Ability Points remained high enough.

Just two weeks later, on January 1st—the New Year's Day—

Xu Jingming's system accumulated 17, 00 Ability Points, and a plus sign appeared next to his system level.

"Seventeen thousand Ability Points... the cost to advance is higher than I imagined..."

In the second-floor training room of the student dormitory, Xu Jingming sat cross-legged on the floor.

The bright moonlight streamed through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window, merging with the artificial lights.

His bare upper body appeared as flawless as a marble sculpture.

"It seems advancing from Third-Rank Mid-Stage to Third-Rank Upper-Stage will require at least 20, 00 Ability Points."

Xu Jingming shook his head, then tapped the plus sign on his system panel.

Ability Points −!

【Level】: Third-Rank Lower-Stage → Third-Rank Mid-Stage!

【Physique】: 2, 47 Qi → 2, 97!

【Spirit】: 1, 35 Hz → 1, 85!

As his level entered Third-Rank Mid-Stage, his Physique and Spirit surged simultaneously!

At the same time, the golden Doushen Thunder subtly deepened in hue, swirling faintly around his body.

The dangerous aura it emitted grew even stronger, like a blazing sun.

Ordinary people could barely even stare at it without discomfort.

"Both Physique and Spirit increased by roughly 450 points."

Xu Jingming nodded in satisfaction.

A typical Third-Rank Mid-Stage adept's Physique and Spirit barely reached 1, 00 points.

Thanks to the S-rank Body Cultivation technique Thunder Indestructible Body, cultivated to its fourth layer, his Qi strength exceeded that of peers by nearly 900 points!

His spiritual power also surpassed theirs by nearly 400 points.

"With this, killing Blood Divine Envoys will become even more efficient."

Xu Jingming's gaze turned deep.

Magic University will go on winter break on January 18th; after that, he must enter the Thunder Secret Realm.

Though the Thunder Secret Realm also contains ferocious beasts he can kill to gain Ability Points,

he still preferred fighting human adepts over beasts.

After all, Vice Principal Ling Shuang had already assigned him to participate in the university league in three months.

Before then, he wanted to accumulate more experience fighting human adepts.

Of course,

if he could reach Fourth-Rank before the university league, that would be safest...

Another half-month passed.

Magic University, Mission Building, first-floor lobby.

Ever since the Fate Cult missions were posted, the first-floor lobby never lacked people.

Today, the mission hall was even more crowded than usual!

It was still before nine in the morning, yet nearly five or six hundred students already filled the first-floor lobby.

Keep in mind,

Magic University had only around 4, 00 enrolled students total.

Five or six hundred students already accounted for more than one-eighth of the entire student body.

Above their heads, a holographic leaderboard projected in midair:

"Rank 1: Xu Jingming. Record: 3 S-rank missions (total time: 225 hours 12 minutes), 6 A-rank missions (total time: 265 hours 45 minutes), 4 B-rank missions (total time: 187 hours 57 minutes).

Rank 2: Kong Shi. Record: 3 S-rank missions (total time: 275 hours 12 minutes), 4 A-rank missions (total time: 243 hours 12 minutes), 3 B-rank missions (total time: 91 hours 45 minutes).

Rank 3: Yao Fang. Record: 2 S-rank missions (total time: 292 hours 12 minutes)..."

"Who would've thought the top spot on the Honor Board would go to a first-year student?"

"Isn't that the truth? Kong Shi is nearly breaking into Fourth-Rank Mid-Stage, yet he still fell short."

"I wonder how Xu Jingming trains—he's just unbelievably strong!"

"..."

The Honor Board refreshes and settles rewards once a month.

Today was the day rewards were distributed.

Of course,

this had little to do with most people in the lobby.

They came here primarily to scramble for the new batch of Fate Cult missions released alongside the Honor Board refresh.

While waiting, they naturally began discussing the rankings.

Among them, the one who, as a mere first-year, had defeated veteran elites to claim first place—Xu Jingming—was naturally the most talked-about.

"Xu Jingming is indeed strong, but I wonder if the videos exaggerated his performance."

Xu Jingming is indeed very strong, but it's unclear whether the video has been exaggerated.

Magic University's official website began repeatedly broadcasting combat footage of students completing high-difficulty Fate Cult missions.

Among them were not only Magic University's top few Fourth-Rank students—Xu Jingming's figure was also prominently featured!

The dazzling golden thunder, the ferocious, bloodthirsty killing style—

the moment the videos aired, they became the hottest topic among Magic University students.

Xu Jingming's fame skyrocketed dramatically!

If before, Xu Jingming had only been known among freshmen,

after the videos aired, every student at Magic University knew who he was!

Thus, every time the school website updated its videos, Xu Jingming's footage always had the highest view count.

Thus, every time the school website updated its videos, Xu Jingming's video always had the highest view count.

some people doubted it, wondering if Xu Jingming's combat footage had been enhanced with special effects.

"Those in the top ten of the Honor Board will all show up to collect their rewards—you can see him with your own eyes soon enough."

"All of Xu Jingming and the other top ten on the Honor List should be there in person to collect their rewards—just wait and see for yourself."

In fact,

many present had only heard of Xu Jingming through videos and had never seen him in person.

Some had even come here specifically to witness firsthand what kind of prodigy this first-year student truly was.

Some people came here specifically to see in person just what kind of prodigy this first-year student, Xu Jingming, really was.