Chapter 256: Back to the Source Water Wasteland! Already Third-Stage Upper Rank?

Song Qiuyun's fluid combo left Xu Jingming stunned.

By the time he realized what was happening, he was already surrounded on both sides.

To any other man, this scene would have been utterly enviable.

For Xu Jingming himself, this... wasn't entirely unacceptable.

Thinking this, he instinctively pulled the two girls closer.

At the same time, he confirmed one thing.

Jiang Chuxuan's fullness was slightly less than Song Qiuyun's, just enough to fit snugly in one hand.

Of course,

given Xu Jingming's towering, muscular frame of 1.89 meters, even one hand's grasp counted as substantial...

Throughout this, Jiang Chuxuan's reaction was even weaker than Song Qiuyun's.

She merely cast him a sultry side-eye and made no move to stop him.

"Jingming-gege, I'm a bit hungry—want to grab some late-night snacks?"

After a long while, when Xu Jingming finally released his arms, Song Qiuyun spoke, her cheeks flushed.

In fact,

to prepare for tonight's sparring, she'd been too nervous to eat dinner all afternoon.

She'd just gone through a fierce battle and urgently needed to replenish energy.

"Sure."

Xu Jingming glanced at the time and nodded with a smile.

It was only just past nine at night—still early; calling it a snack was really just dinner.

"Wait a moment—I'm going to take a shower."

Song Qiuyun instinctively closed her legs, her face slightly warm, her beautiful eyes turning to Jiang Chuxuan:

"Chuxuan-jie, are you coming with me?"

"Mm, I seem to have broken a light sweat too."

The white-haired girl Jiang Chuxuan's cheeks were also flushed.

That moment of exploration had been far too intense for a girl who had never dated before.

"Jingming-gege, do you want to wait here for us, or... do you want to shower too?"

Song Qiuyun placed her right hand on her prominent chest and looked at him with unmistakable allure.

"He's so strong—he definitely didn't sweat. We'll go alone."

Before Xu Jingming could respond, Jiang Chuxuan grinned playfully and pulled Song Qiuyun away.

"Those two girls..."

Xu Jingming couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

After officially becoming a couple, the two seemed bolder than ever.

"But why did Jiang Chuxuan come along too?"

Song Qiuyun had just fought a battle—she needed to bathe; Xu Jingming understood that.

But Jiang Chuxuan had just taken a shower, hadn't she? Why did she need another one?

"Girls just have this habit of doing everything together."

Shaking his head, Xu Jingming didn't dwell on it and went to wait in the living room.

"Jingming-gege, let's go."

Half an hour later,

Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chuxuan reappeared before Xu Jingming, dressed in casual wear.

Though neither had applied makeup, their slender figures and exquisite faces still radiated the full essence of feminine charm.

They stepped forward immediately, one on each side, wrapping their arms around Xu Jingming's and heading downstairs.

At the first-floor landing, Qi Dongxia, seated on the sofa, spotted the trio and teased:

"Looks like the plan went well."

"So you were the mastermind behind all this," Xu Jingming realized.

No wonder Song Qiuyun had worn that battle outfit tonight—it had all been planned.

"What? You're not satisfied?"

Qi Dongxia glanced between Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chuxuan.

One with jet-black, alluring beauty; the other with snow-white, cold elegance—both top-tier even in Shanghai's sea of beauties.

And now they'd both chosen the same boyfriend...

Even as a girl herself, Qi Dongxia couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

"Satisfied, satisfied—General Qi, we're going to eat—want to join us?" Xu Jingming replied with a smile.

"Nah, I don't want to be your third wheel—especially not a three-phase one."

Qi Dongxia muttered under her breath and waved them off:

"Have fun, but remember to come back tonight—don't let this guy get too many advantages."

As she spoke, her gaze flicked toward Xu Jingming.

That made him raise an eyebrow.

Seriously? Am I that eager?

"Got it."

Song Qiuyun didn't mind, giggling merrily.

Although their relationship had been officially confirmed, Xu Jingming's life seemed no different from before.

Every day, besides participating in team training, he trained alone.

The only difference was that previously, Xu Jingming trained entirely by himself.

Now, either Song Qiuyun or Jiang Chuxuan, or sometimes both, accompanied him.

Thus, after training,

Xu Jingming would set aside half an hour to bond with the two women, doing intimate gestures common among couples.

Every day passed fully fulfilled.

Thus, days passed one after another, and the teammates' coordination gradually reached a good level.

On March 4th, Xu Jingming requested three days off from Yang Zhentian, preparing to enter the Yuan Shui Wilderness Zone to harvest Ability Points.

If a regular team member had requested leave, Yang Zhentian might have hesitated.

But as team captain, Xu Jingming was the exception—Yang Zhentian approved without the slightest hesitation.

Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chuxuan had wanted to accompany him, but Xu Jingming refused.

Going to the Wilderness Zone was not a vacation.

He needed to kill as many ferocious beasts as possible in the shortest time possible, so he naturally wouldn't bring the two women and slow himself down.

March 4th, 1:00 PM.

In the square in front of the Yuan Shui Supply Base.

"Sparking Squad needs one brute damage dealer—either Enhancement or Elemental type, rank required: Upper First Tier."

"Freshly harvested Class-C rare herbs and flowers—come take a look if you're interested."

"Upper Second Tier ferocious beast assault team—requires at least three squads to participate; interested parties may join directly."

"......"

More than six months had passed since the rat swarm ravaged the area.

Due to the ferocious beasts' rapid reproduction rate, the ecosystem of the Yuan Shui Wilderness Zone had fully recovered.

The square in front of the supply base was now crowded with many Ability Users.

Some were recruiting members, others selling resources, and still others forming assault teams—the entire square was bustling.

Of course,

these were all informal channels; though most Ability Users genuinely recruited members or sold resources,

some malicious individuals mixed among them, requiring Ability Users to discern for themselves.

Boom~~~

At that moment, accompanied by a low rumbling sound,

a sports car with a streamlined body and ice-blue paint job drove in from afar.

"Damn! Isn't that the latest Mercedes S-80?"

"Tsk tsk, which big shot has come to our place?"

"Something's off—I feel this color scheme and license plate look familiar?"

"......"

The Mercedes S-80 had an official retail price of 12 million.

Its outstanding engine power, flashy exterior, and global limited release

made it truly worth the price.

But for Ability Users, it was unquestionably a vehicle with abysmal value for money.

With that money, you could buy a military-grade off-road vehicle capable of entering the Wilderness Zone with strong defenses—for less than six million.

Of course,

although its value for money was low, that didn't stop them from admiring this rare sight.

Yet some Ability Users noticed the car seemed familiar.

"Damn! Isn't that Jiang's Goddess's car? Has she finally come back to the Wilderness Zone?"

Finally, a voice from somewhere made everyone realize.

Immediately followed by a wave of excited discussion.

"I remember now—this is definitely her car! Jiang's Goddess has returned to our Yuan Shui Wilderness Zone!"

"The last time Jiang's Goddess came here was half a year ago, wasn't it?"

"Yes! It's been too hard to wait."

"Is Jiang's Goddess planning to film an old-school video? I fully support it!"

"......"

Since half a year ago, when Jiang Chuxuan was rescued by Xu Jingming,

her online videos had shifted from killing ferocious beasts to pill refining.

After that, though she lost some fans, her following rebounded—and even grew significantly!

Many found this unbelievable; others considered it perfectly natural.

After all, they didn't watch Jiang Chuxuan just for her killing ferocious beasts—what mattered most was the person herself!

As long as she remained unchanged, her old fans wouldn't leave easily.

Moreover, many preferred the quiet serenity of pill refining over bloody battles.

That was why this outcome had occurred.

As Jiang Chuxuan's usual hunting ground, the Yuan Shui Supply Base had many fans among its Ability Users.

They had long given up hope of ever seeing another video of Jiang Chuxuan killing ferocious beasts.

But this suddenly appearing ice-blue sports car made them all excited, eagerly turning to look.

"What are they looking at? Why so excited?"

In the square,

four fully armed girls who had just arrived also turned curiously to look.

These four girls were all around twenty-something, the very Wang Qian and her team who had kindly warned Xu Jingming at the supply base.

As senior students at Linjiang Psychic University, their classes weren't heavy.

So they occasionally came to the Yuan Shui Wasteland to hunt ferocious beasts, gaining combat experience while earning extra money.

"That sports car seems to belong to the million-follower blogger from Metropolis Psychic University."

One of the girls listened for a while before finally understanding the full story.

They knew a little about that blogger.

After all, that signature silver-white long hair and near-perfect exquisite face.

Just one glance left an unforgettable impression...

"Metropolis Psychic University?"

Hearing the name of that school, Wang Qian couldn't help recalling the tall, swift-progressing young man she'd met half a year ago.

"What? Thinking of that guy from Metropolis again?"

Yao Muxi, the tall team leader, instantly saw what Wang Qian was thinking.

"I can't help it—if you hadn't stopped me back then, I would've gone up to try."

Even if I couldn't get him to join the team, at least getting his name would've been worth it."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be in this situation—not even knowing his name."

Wang Qian shrugged helplessly.

"Oh? You're blaming me now?"

Yao Muxi's eyebrows lifted, and she stepped forward, tickling Wang Qian's waist and abdomen.

"L-Lieutenant, spare me! I—I was just joking!"

Under Yao Muxi's tickling assault, Wang Qian quickly gave in, begging for mercy.

"Hmph, now that's more like it."

Yao Muxi finally retracted her wicked hands.

But thinking of the astonishingly talented young man she'd met half a year ago, she couldn't help murmuring:

"He really was a prodigy. When we first met, we were both just High Rank One."

But a month later when we met again, he was already High Rank Two—his advancement speed wasn't ordinary."

Now another half-year has passed—he's probably already entered Rank Three."

After the rat swarm ended, her team had come to the Yuan Shui Wasteland more than once.

But afterward, they never encountered that unforgettable young man again.

"Rank Three? No way—could he advance that fast?"

Wang Qian blinked, hesitating slightly.

Their team's leader, Yao Muxi, had the highest talent.

Yet even she had been stuck at High Rank Two for over a year.

Even now, she hadn't broken through—she'd likely need at least another half-year to reach Rank Three.

Though that guy from Metropolis advanced quickly, he couldn't possibly be this absurdly fast.

"Who knows? After all, he's that much of a prodigy." Yao Muxi shook her head.

At that moment, the square stirred again.

Unlike the earlier excited murmurs, this time the sounds were ones of shock and disbelief.

"No way! The woman getting out of the car isn't Sister Jiang!"

"Sister Jiang! Where did my Sister Jiang go?"

"Big news! Is this guy Sister Jiang's boyfriend?"

"......"

The topic still revolved around the online blogger, but the tone had completely changed.

This made Wang Qian and the others instinctively glance toward the sports car.

They didn't realize it until they looked.

Beside the ice-blue sports car stood a tall, stern-faced, unmistakably familiar young man.

It was Xu Jingming—the very one they'd just been discussing!

"Him?!!"

Everyone exclaimed in shock, stunned by the coincidence.

"We were just talking about him, and now he shows up."

Yao Muxi shook her head, her spiritual energy surging to sense Xu Jingming's aura.

She was curious—after half a year, how much had he improved?

Under her sensing, the aura emanating from Xu Jingming was more than dozens of times stronger than her own!

"Such a formidable aura! He must be at least High Rank Three!"

Yao Muxi's pupils shrank involuntarily as she gasped in shock.

"High Rank Three? That fast?"

Wang Qian lightly covered her mouth and quickly focused her senses.

After confirming the captain hadn't misread the aura, she spoke with a complex expression:

"It's truly a Third-Stage Upper Realm! In just half a year, she's advanced this much—what kind of monster is this?"

"What? Now you don't want to ask for her name or exchange contact details?"

Captain Yao Muxi took a deep breath, slightly calming herself, then teased.

"No, I'm heartbroken."

Wang Qian weakly waved her hand.

Such a monster is far beyond anything she could ever reach.

The only thing she could do, perhaps, was stand at a distance, gazing far off at his brilliant radiance...