Chapter 204: Gather the Beasts! Then Kill Them! Rich Ability Points!

Use the SS-class ability, Daitian Thunder, to attract ferocious beasts, then kill them all in one go!

This idea took root in Xu Jingming's mind and spiraled out of control.

"But it's not safe to test this in the core zone—wait until I return to the central zone."

The core zone has fifth-rank ferocious beasts; if this idea is correct and Daitian Thunder draws one of these terrifying creatures, it'll be trouble.

So Xu Jingming suppressed his excitement, scanned his surroundings, and prepared to find an open area to observe natural lightning.

Observing natural lightning is one method to improve proficiency in controlling lightning-based abilities.

The core zone is riddled with lightning—perfect terrain.

Soon,

Xu Jingming found a tree over twenty meters tall and leapt upward along its branches.

He finally stopped near the treetop canopy.

He sat on a thick branch, hidden among dense foliage.

His clear eyes, however, could see through gaps in the leaves, watching the relentless lightning striking outside.

"Begin observation."

Xu Jingming calmed his mind, fixing his gaze on the lightning in the sky.

His powerful spiritual force spread out, carefully sensing the thunderous energy permeating the air.

Simultaneously, the brilliant golden Daitian Thunder swirling around his body flickered faintly.

At Magic University, Xu Jingming had once tried observing during thunderstorms.

But even in a single storm, no more than a dozen lightning strikes occurred—far too few to gain insight.

Here in the thunderstorm zone, however, lightning was continuous and varied in form.

Cloud lightning, ball lightning, tree-like lightning, needle-like lightning...

The different forms of lightning left Xu Jingming awestruck and revealed countless details he'd never noticed before.

Soon, he slipped into a state of deep immersion.

"Ferocious, unrestrained, sharp..."

"So lightning has so many subtle details I never noticed before."

"Indeed, observing natural lightning improves one's control proficiency over lightning."

Over four hours later,

Xu Jingming exhaled deeply, slowly withdrew his gaze, and began manipulating his Daitian Thunder.

Crackling~~~

Under his control, the energy-form Daitian Thunder became far more agile than before.

It formed patterns one moment, complex three-dimensional shapes the next.

"This level of control proficiency is now comparable to my previous S-class Zixiao Thunder," Xu Jingming nodded slightly.

This unruly wild horse, the SS-class Daitian Thunder, had finally been slightly tamed.

"But to advance further—to liquefy the lightning—I'll need much more time."

Lightning-based abilities have three forms: the most common energy form,

the liquefied form, and the solidified form.

Energy, liquefied, solidified.

Each successive form is denser and more powerful than the last.

Of course, combat techniques can also alter lightning's form.

For example, the Lei Mao that liquefies lightning, or the Lei Shen Finger that compresses and solidifies lightning before detonation.

But these require precise coordination of spiritual force and ability.

Proficiency, however, is different: once Xu Jingming achieves liquefaction-level control over Daitian Thunder,

he can freely condense any number of highly compressed liquefied lightning bolts!

At that point, even without combat techniques, he could unleash far more devastating combat power!

"For today, that's enough. I'll return to the central zone and test my idea."

Xu Jingming reformed a defensive net of Daitian Thunder around himself, then leapt down from the tree.

He immediately sprinted toward the central zone.

Xu Jingming entered the thunderstorm zone at 8 a. .; after all this,

he returned to the central zone at 11: 0 p. .

Though near midnight, the thunderstorm zone was perpetually shrouded in lightning—now as bright as day.

Back in the central zone, Xu Jingming rested for over two hours.

Ate a few energy bars, waited until his stamina and ability were fully restored, then began his experiment.

"Whether I can harvest more ability points depends on this!"

Xu Jingming took a deep breath and unleashed his ability fully!

Boom-boom-boom!!

Amidst the muffled thunder, brilliant, noble golden Daitian Thunder densely swirled around Xu Jingming,

forming a powerful, compact miniature thunderstorm zone!

The ferocity and divine majesty of Daitian Thunder, an SS-class ability, were fully manifested at this moment!

"Roar—"

"Howl—"

As if sensing this unique thunder, distant ferocious beast roars rose in waves.

"It actually works!"

Xu Jingming's face lit up; he didn't stand still, but began running!

His current rank was mid-third-tier; Daitian Thunder's radiation range wasn't large.

Standing still would only attract nearby beasts.

But if he ran, expanding his ability's radiation range, he could attract as many ferocious beasts as possible!

"Roar—"

"Moo—"

Two hours later, Xu Jingming, wreathed in thunder, sprinted through the thunderstorm zone,

while behind him trailed a horde of ferocious beasts of varying ranks and species!

Dense and numerous—at least a hundred!

At this moment, these beasts, like sharks scenting blood, had bloodshot eyes.

And Xu Jingming was the bleeding, ever-moving delicacy drawing them in!

From afar, it looked like an utterly hopeless scene:

A hundred ferocious beasts chasing one human—the human must die!

But only Xu Jingming knew: he was the hunter, and these beasts were the prey!

"Almost... time to harvest."

After over two hours of sprinting and prolonged ability output, Xu Jingming's ability was nearly depleted.

He abruptly stopped, turned, and faced the horde of powerful beasts!

"Roar—"

The beasts, seeing this, ignored everything else, roared in excitement, and charged faster!

Boom-boom-boom~~~

The smaller beasts were car-sized; the larger ones approached tank size!

All four limbs pounded the ground like a terrifying steel tide, shaking the earth.

Trees and rocks along the path shattered instantly under their charge.

More terrifying still, every single beast shimmered with lightning!

This was an exceptionally powerful horde—even fourth-tier adepts dared not face them.

Yet Xu Jingming merely lifted his right hand slightly, his expression calm:

"Since you're so eager to bathe in my thunder, I'll grant your wish. Thunder Prison!"

Crackling—

The control-type A-class combat technique "Thunder Prison" was now used by Xu Jingming as an offensive weapon!

Wild thunder surged, instantly killing five or six beasts!

But it wasn't over!

Boom!

With a piercing sonic boom, Xu Jingming hurled a lightning spear!

Like a cruise missile, it struck dead center among the beasts!

Boom-boom-boom!!

The Lei Mao exploded, unleashing furious and brilliant golden lightning, and a mushroom cloud rose from the spot.

The dozen or so beasts at the center were vaporized into ash; the outer ring were instantly crippled.

Simultaneously, pleasant system prompts echoed in Xu Jingming's mind:

'Ding~! Slain one mid-third-tier Blackarm Thunder Ox. Ability points +37.'

【Ding~, slain one First-Rank Upper-Stage Long-Tailed Thunder Cat, Energy Points +11.】

【Ding~, slain one Second-Rank Lower-Stage Sword Thunder Tiger, Energy Points +23.】

【......】

Xu Jingming's system panel's Energy Points immediately began to surge!