Chapter 264: Xu Jingming from Mo Da! You

"Pain! So much pain!"

Ke Liang, vice-captain of the Bai Shan representative team, fell to the ground, letting out continuous cries of agony.

Logically, as a third-rank peak ability user with a B-class enhancement ability,

his robust physique should not have suffered such severe injuries from just a slap and a knee strike.

Yet he felt as if his face and abdomen had been doused in potent chili oil—burning fiercely!

In fact, this was no illusion.

When Xu Jingming struck, his SS-class ability, Dou Tian Shen Lei, was simultaneously released, lingering on Ke Liang even after he withdrew.

It was precisely because Dou Tian Shen Lei was continuously consuming Ke Liang's flesh and blood that he felt such excruciating pain.

Of course,

this was also the result of Xu Jingming holding back.

Otherwise, that first slap wouldn't have merely swollen his face.

It would have shattered his entire skull.

Although Xu Jingming had immediately knocked Ke Liang down upon appearing,

the remaining members of the Bai Shan Ability University representative team dared not move.

The reason was simple: Xu Jingming wore the uniform of the Mo Du Ability University representative team.

Moreover, they recognized his identity—he was the S-class ability awakenee who had enrolled at Mo Da just last year!

Although all competing universities were uncertain about this S-class ability awakenee's strength,

it was still very easy for him to handle their several third-rank upper and third-rank peak members.

Thus, the entire scene fell into an eerie silence.

The situation from earlier seemed to have been replayed.

But this time, it was the Bai Shan Ability University representative team who had to swallow their anger due to power disparity.

"That's Mo Da's uniform!"

"I know who he is! He's Xu Jingming from Mo Da! The 'Lei Di'!"

"Lei Di? What a commanding title—it's surprisingly fitting."

"......"

Among the onlookers, some had also recognized Xu Jingming's identity.

For this S-class ability awakenee—the first in Daxia in three years, who had advanced to third-rank upper within less than a year of enrollment—

many had already paid special attention before the National University League began, and this was their first time seeing him in person!

They couldn't help whispering excitedly among themselves.

Some live-streaming internet influencers also sensed the hotspot.

They changed their livestream titles to flashy hooks like: "Daxia's S-Class, First Direct Encounter!" and "Powerful S-Class, Instantly Beats Bai Shan's Vice-Captain!"

"Xu Jingming from Mo Da! We didn't provoke you—why did you attack our vice-captain?!"

At this moment, the Bai Shan Ability University representative team members seemed to have agreed on a response.

One man pulled Ke Liang up from the ground and handed him to a support-class ability user for treatment; another stepped forward to demand an explanation.

"You didn't provoke me, but unfortunately, you provoked my cousin and my friend."

Xu Jingming shook his head.

Cousin?!

The Bai Shan team members froze slightly, instinctively glancing at Tang Qi standing beside Xu Jingming.

Only then did they notice the tall-legged beauty's facial features bore a resemblance to Xu Jingming's.

Instantly, they felt deep misfortune in their hearts.

Who could have imagined such luck—that a random passerby was connected to Xu Jingming?

Now that they understood the cause, the Bai Shan team members immediately felt the situation was extremely troublesome.

If they pursued it, they were clearly in the wrong to begin with.

But if they didn't pursue it, wouldn't their vice-captain have been beaten senselessly for nothing?

"What's going on?"

Just as they were unsure how to handle it, several more people stepped out from the tavern behind them.

The tall, slender young man leading them frowned as he asked.

"Captain, you finally came out."

Seeing the tall, slender youth, the others all sighed in relief, as if finding their anchor.

They immediately swarmed around him, recounting the entire sequence of events.

Had this involved ordinary people, they might have embellished the story.

But since it involved Mo Da, they dared not distort facts—only described the original sequence.

"You managed to cause this much trouble just by going to pay the bill?"

The tall, slender youth first scolded them, then turned his hawk-like eyes toward Xu Jingming:

"Xu Jingming from Mo Da, I know who you are.

This matter was indeed our fault to begin with, but we're all competing teams in the league.

Did you really have to go this far?"

Upon hearing this, the Bai Shan team members no longer looked timid—they all turned their gazes toward Xu Jingming at once.

Xu Jingming, however, was slightly surprised by their words.

"You're also a competing team? Which university's representative team are you?"

You see,

The thing ability-users fear most is a clouded consciousness.

Even when they drink, they keep it strictly in check and would never let themselves get drunk.

This goes double for the representative teams of universities about to compete in the National University League.

His teacher Yang Zhentian had specifically warned him before departure not to drink.

The vast majority of participating teams follow the same rule.

So when Xu Jingming saw them reeking of alcohol in broad daylight,

he had assumed they were ability-users from the streets — never expecting them to be a competing team as well.

"You don't know who we are?"

The tall, thin youth was instantly taken aback, a surge of fury rising unbidden in his chest.

I can recognize you at a single glance, yet you don't even know which university we're from?

He couldn't help feeling he had been slighted to the extreme.

After drawing a deep breath, the tall, thin youth steadied himself and said in a low voice:

"We are the representative team of Baishan Ability University. I am the team captain, Ji Hui.

According to the rules of the University League, all participating teams are strictly forbidden from fighting in private.

Once discovered, serious offenders can even be disqualified from the competition.

Xu Jingming, if you don't apologize to my vice-captain, then don't blame me for reporting this to the Education Bureau."

Since its founding, the National University League has been around for well over a hundred years.

In the early years, in the scramble for higher rankings,

some universities even came up with all sorts of schemes to cripple the core members of rival teams so they couldn't compete.

And so the rule banning participating teams from fighting in private came into being.

Yet, faced with Ji Hui's threat, Xu Jingming merely shrugged indifferently:

"Report me? Sure, go right ahead and report me."

"You—!"

Ji Hui's face instantly flushed the color of liver, and only after a long pause did he say coldly:

"Mo Da's Xu Jingming, you're ruthless! Let's go."

With that, Ji Hui led his team members and turned to leave.

As for that vice-captain, he had to be supported just to walk, and didn't even dare lift his head to look at Xu Jingming again.

"Jingming, is this going to cause trouble?"

After Ji Hui and the others had walked off, cousin Tang Qi couldn't help knitting her brows slightly and asked with some worry.

If her own affairs caused her cousin to lose his eligibility to compete, that joke would have gone too far.

"It's fine. This whole thing started because of them in the first place — even if they report it, we're in the right.

Besides, the League wouldn't strip me of my eligibility over such a trivial matter."

Xu Jingming shook his head, not taking Ji Hui's threat to heart in the slightest.

In fact, this was the first time he had even heard of a university called Baishan Ability University.

Which was proof enough that it wasn't a school that regularly made the top ten of the National University League.

A school like that, facing the behemoth that was Mo Da, had a say that — well, it wasn't none, but it was next to nothing.

"That's good then."

Cousin Tang Qi let out a breath of relief, then swept her gaze around Xu Jingming. Not seeing anyone else, she asked in some puzzlement:

"Huh? You didn't bring your girlfriend?"

She had only heard Xu Jingming mention it over the phone last time and hadn't met the girl in person yet.

"She's taking the high-speed rail and arrives a little later than you. We'll have to wait here a bit." Xu Jingming replied with a smile.