Chapter 190

January 17th,

The final exam at Metropolis Institute of Supernatural Abilities officially began.

The morning session tested foundational knowledge of ferocious beasts, far more detailed than the rudimentary beast identification taught in high school.

The exam required detailed descriptions of each beast's weaknesses and proper procedures for handling encounters.

Common beasts were easy to answer, but the obscure, rare ones on the test left many students sweating profusely.

For Xu Jingming, who regularly ventured into the wilderness, this posed virtually no difficulty.

Three hours later, the exam ended; students' papers were scanned and submitted to the AI Eva for grading.

Just five to six seconds later, everyone received their scores.

Xu Jingming scored a perfect 100, ranking first among the freshmen.

Notably,

Besides him, fourteen other freshmen also achieved a perfect score, tying for first place.

Song Qiuyun was one of them.

"Phew! 61 points! Barely passed—almost failed!"

"Not bad, 81 points."

"Damn it! 59. ! Just half a point short!"

"Hey, don't stress—afternoon's institute assessment is what matters."

"......"

After the exam, freshmen began filing out of the testing hall one by one.

Those who did well wore smug smiles.

Those who did poorly didn't complain about the difficulty—they carefully compared their answers to the official key.

Anyone who got into Metropolis Institute of Supernatural Abilities wasn't an idiot.

They knew the obscure beasts with special abilities on the test—

If they hadn't encountered them yet, fine; but if they ever did, the traits and weaknesses they'd just noted might save their lives.

After lunch, the institute assessment began precisely at 1 p. .

Each institute's assessment varied by specialization.

Logistics Institute tested pill refinement and weapon forging.

Support Institute tested how to maximize buffs for teammates.

Tactics Institute tested spiritual energy application, including tactical analysis and boosting morale through spiritual energy.

Elemental Institute tested fine control of supernatural abilities, such as shaping energy into specific forms and patterns.

Weapon Institute tested mastery of weapon techniques, how to maximize damage through strikes, and synergy between weapons and supernatural abilities.

Xu Jingming's gunplay had already reached master level; the Weapon Institute's assessments posed no challenge.

He scored perfect marks on virtually every item.

By 5 p. ., the institute assessment ended, leaving only the final phase: live combat.

Each student had to select an opponent for live combat, and no holding back was allowed.

Winning or losing in the combat assessment wasn't important.

What mattered was that the top-tier AI Eva would observe whether you demonstrated the combat capability expected for your current stage.

For example, a top-tier first-rank cultivator whose performance fell below an average mid-tier first-rank would be marked as failing.

"Live combat assessment begins. Choose your opponents."

At the instructor's command, the freshmen on Field 3 began selecting opponents.

Though winning wasn't crucial, no one wanted to lose.

Thus, weaker freshmen were picked first—some even fought over.

Stronger ones were left untouched, no one dared to choose.

As the top freshman, Xu Jingming, at mid-tier third rank, was seen by his peers as a demonic presence.

"Mid-tier third rank? Too strong."

"No comparison possible."

"Forget it—I'll just pick someone weak to finish this."

"......"

Formerly skeptical freshmen like Li Chengzhi and Lei Zhou,

Watching Xu Jingming stand there, radiating terrifying pressure,

Lost all desire to challenge him and quietly changed their combat targets.

Especially Li Chengzhi, who privately thanked his lucky stars for apologizing in time—otherwise, he'd have made a deadly enemy.

Thinking of it, he couldn't help smiling.

But the next moment,

He noticed the slender figure beside that terrifying presence walking toward him.

"Is she coming for me?"

Li Chengzhi's smile froze, then Song Qiuyun's melodious voice rang out:

"Li Chengzhi, for the combat assessment, I choose you as my opponent."

"My goddess, I haven't even annoyed you lately!"

Li Chengzhi felt like crying.

Song Qiuyun, with her delicate beauty and slender figure, was unquestionably the most beautiful freshman.

But her astonishing power made her a thorn-covered rose no one dared touch.

"Did you forget your provocation during the freshman competition?"

Song Qiuyun raised a delicate eyebrow, her massive halberd already in hand.

"The freshman competition? That was months ago!"

Li Chengzhi widened his eyes, but seeing Song Qiuyun in combat stance, he knew escape was impossible.

He sighed, shook his head, and walked onto the nearest arena.

Though Li Chengzhi had reached mid-tier second rank,

Against Song Qiuyun—born into a great clan and personally trained by Xu Jingming just yesterday—he offered almost no resistance, completely dominated.

And Song Qiuyun, who had been utterly crushed by Xu Jingming the day before, finally regained her confidence against Li Chengzhi.

Clearly, it's not that I'm weak—it's that Xu Jingming is too strong!

With this mindset, Song Qiuyun's fighting spirit surged.

But Li Chengzhi, on the other side, suffered desperately, forced into pure defense.

Even so, after the fight, his body bore multiple wounds.

Even so, after the battle, he was covered in numerous wounds.

Song Qiuyun held back appropriately.

These wounds would heal in two or three days.

One hour later, the combat assessment ended; no one dared challenge Xu Jingming.

The instructor, fully aware of Xu Jingming's exceptional status, awarded him a perfect score outright.

The instructor clearly knew Xu Jingming's special circumstances, so he gave him a perfect score.

The first semester of the freshman class officially concluded, and Xu Jingming, the top freshman,

After a full semester, still held firm atop the throne.

He had widened the gap so drastically that not even a single credible challenger could be found...

"The first-semester final exam for the 2037 freshman class is officially over!

Winter break begins tomorrow, January 18th, and ends February 23rd. Please plan your time wisely."

After announcing the winter break, the instructor dismissed them.

"The exam's over!"

"Phew! Winter break at last!"

"......"

On the field, the exhausted freshmen, relieved after a tense day, erupted in wild cheers.

On the playground, the nervous freshmen, after a tense day, finally let out their relief with wild cheers.

At that moment, Xu Jingming's phone suddenly rang.

He pulled it out—the caller was Cai Ju, the captain from the Public Security Bureau who had partnered with him in Jinning City.

"Why is Captain Cai calling me?"

Xu Jingming answered, and Cai Ju's deep voice came through:

"Brother Xu, I've got bad news.

The cold one you captured last time was rescued by the Celestial Mandate Cult over an hour ago.

The cold Chang you captured was rescued by the Celestial Mandate Cult just over an hour ago.