Chapter 4: Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym, Cousin Tang Qi

Facing the firefighters who had arrived on the scene, Xu Jingming explained that he possessed a lightning ability and had already contained the fire.

This group hurriedly inspected the entire house, confirmed no lingering safety hazards remained, and then left without further delay.

Just before departing, they not only repaired the front door, but the team leader also slipped Xu Jingming a business card.

It indicated that his lightning ability was highly suitable for controlling fire and explosions in electronic equipment facilities.

After graduating from university, he could directly go to the Jiangcheng Fire Bureau to seek him out for job placement.

Keep in mind that

The fire bureau is a government-affiliated institution, and it employs awakened individuals who control water and fire abilities, so there's no need to worry about life-threatening dangers during firefighting.

To ordinary people, it's also considered a very decent job.

Of course,

But for Xu Jingming right now, it held not the slightest appeal.

He casually shoved the business card into the bedside drawer of his bedroom, picked up the long spear leaning against the wall, and left the room.

"Xiaoming, are you okay after that fire?"

"I'm fine, Uncle Yang, it's already under control."

"Good to hear. Judging by your look, you're heading to the martial arts gym?"

"Yeah, going to train a bit."

"So diligent—even tomorrow's the college entrance exam and you're still training. Nothing like my damn son."

"......"

Mingyue Community is where Xu Jingming had lived for eighteen years, and all the neighbors were familiar faces.

And Xu Jingming's gentle personality made him a favorite among the aunts and uncles.

Seeing him come down the building, some aunts and uncles walking below with their young grandchildren eagerly asked after him.

Xu Jingming politely responded to each one in turn.

Then, shouldering his long spear, he left the community, took the bus, and transferred once on the subway.

Finally, he arrived before a modern high-rise building.

The building stood over twenty meters tall, its exterior finished in silver-white, looking extremely sleek.

Its footprint was enormous, like a colossal beast crouched there.

On the side of the building, four bold characters were painted in swirling strokes: "Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym."

Under the sunlight, those four characters shimmered brilliantly.

Awakened individuals seeking to advance to the rank of Ability User must train their physique and spirit to enhance their ability's power.

Yet not every family can afford a private training room.

Thus, martial arts gyms offering training facilities and instruction emerged.

Across the entire Xia Nation, the two most renowned gyms are Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym and Bearstorm Martial Arts Gym.

Both gyms have opened branches in every city of the Xia Nation.

Even Jiangcheng, located in the remote reaches of Jiangnan Province, has one.

Of course,

Besides Lei Ting and Bearstorm Martial Arts Gyms, Jiangcheng has over a hundred smaller private martial arts gyms.

But only Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym offers free access to high school students.

Therefore, Xu Jingming has always trained at Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym.

He came now to test how much his strength had improved after obtaining Purple Thunder Divine Lightning and boosting his base attributes.

At this moment, outside Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym, besides Xu Jingming, there were other awakened individuals—and even Ability Users—arriving with weapons in hand.

"Luo Heng, the ninth-rank Ability User who founded Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym, also possesses an S-class lightning ability."

"I wonder if one day I'll be able to establish my own martial arts gym..."

With this thought, Xu Jingming entered the gym.

Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym has six floors, each spanning tens of thousands of square meters.

The second and third floors are exclusively reserved for free use by high school students.

After entering the gym, Xu Jingming headed straight to the third floor, his usual spot.

Since today is Wednesday, all Gao San students had already been dismissed early; the remaining Gao Yi and Gao Er students were still at school.

Most Gao San students were now at home, making final preparations for the college entrance exam.

Thus, the third floor, usually bustling, now felt unusually quiet.

The main hall held only a dozen or so people.

Yet, upon entering the hall, Xu Jingming spotted a familiar figure among them.

She was a girl about one meter seventy tall, with refined, icy beauty.

She carried no weapon, dressed casually, her long, straight legs gleaming blindingly white against her blue denim shorts.

Around her stood several other youths and young women, dressed in stylish, elegant attire.

"Qi-jie, you're also here at Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym?"

Xu Jingming smiled and greeted the tall girl.

Tang Qi, daughter of his aunt, was also in Gao San, though she was a few months older than him.

Since Xu Jingming lost both parents young, during holidays his aunt in Jiangcheng sometimes came to visit him.

This cousin would sometimes come along.

But their relationship wasn't close—just acquaintances.

As for why? It was simple.

His former self was introverted and rarely spoke, and due to the gap in family background, the two had little in common.

Two years ago, after his cousin Tang Qi awakened a B-rank ability while he only awakened an E-rank ability, their common ground shrank even further.

Tang Qi hadn't expected to run into Xu Jingming at Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym; after a brief pause, she nodded slightly: "Mm, I came here with a friend."

No wonder...

Hearing this, Xu Jingming suddenly understood.

His aunt's family had better conditions; Tang Qi usually went to the Bearstorm Martial Arts Gym, which charged a hundred thousand yuan per year in membership fees.

As for Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym, he rarely came here.

"Alright then, Cousin Qi, you two go ahead—I'm heading to the training room."

Xu Jingming didn't engage in further conversation; he greeted them briefly, then walked away directly.

"QiQi, who's that? He looks pretty handsome."

After Xu Jingming left, a cute girl beside Tang Qi, equally tall but wearing a dress, asked.

In her clear, large eyes lingered a faint hint of curiosity.

"Xu Jingming. My cousin."

"He's in Gao San too—tomorrow he's taking the Wu Ke Gaokao."

Watching Xu Jingming's figure recede into the distance, Tang Qi's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Her cousin Xu Jingming seemed different from before...

She couldn't quite say exactly how.

But in the past, even when they met by chance, he never initiated conversation.

Yet this time, he had unusually been the first to greet her.

"Why are you asking so many questions, Xiao Ya? Are you falling for someone?"

A young man in white casual wear smiled beside her.

Yet, unfazed by the teasing, the girl named Xiao Ya openly admitted:

"So what? Why not? With this face, as long as his ability isn't too weak, having him as a boyfriend would look good in public."

"I'm afraid your hopes for my cousin will be disappointed—he only awakened an E-rank ability."

Tang Qi shook her head, already anticipating Xiao Ya's reaction.

Sure enough, upon hearing Xu Jingming was merely an E-rank ability awakener, the curiosity in Xiao Ya's eyes instantly dimmed, and she sighed listlessly:

"Just an E-rank ability? What a shame."

Everyone has their own circle; people within the same circle usually share similar family backgrounds and compatible personalities.

Her group not only came from wealthy families, but all had awakened B-rank or C-rank abilities.

As for Xu Jingming, his clothing made it clear his family conditions were probably not good.

Added to that, he had awakened only an E-rank ability—even if Xiao Ya was a looker, she lost all interest.

"An E-rank ability dares to take the Wu Ke Gaokao? At least he's got courage."

A young man with an earring joked.

"Courageous, sure—but the risk is too great! I'd rather he didn't take the Wu Ke Gaokao," Tang Qi sighed.

In the Wu Ke Gaokao, the most deaths occur among those with abilities below D-rank.

If Xu Jingming had awakened even a D-rank ability, she wouldn't have objected.

But an E-rank ability is far too weak—entering the Wu Ke Gaokao is nearly suicide.

Someone with an E-rank ability should calmly take the Literature Gaokao.

After graduation, work as a white-collar in a company, avoid fighting beasts, no life-threatening danger—wouldn't that be fine too?

It wouldn't make her mother worry every day.

"Alright, alright, let's drop this. Weren't we here to tour Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym?"

"True. I've spent almost all three years of high school at Bearstorm Martial Arts Gym—this is my first time at Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym."

"Relaxing before the Gaokao is good for mental and physical health."

Seeing Tang Qi's mood had soured, the group quickly ended the topic and began wandering casually.