Chapter 48: Peak Punch Power! Breaking the Record!

“How about it? Not bad, right?”

Liu Wentao asked with a smiling face.

“It’s indeed impressive,” Xu Jingming did not deny.

Whether in physique or appearance, this girl was far superior to the internet celebrities filtered by beauty apps from his past life.

“But aren’t you the guy who claims to know everything? Do you know who she is?”

Xu Jingming teased Liu Wentao with his nickname “Know-It-All,” not expecting him to actually know.

But to his surprise, Liu Wentao puffed out his chest proudly and said:

“Of course I know—her name is Song Qiuyun, a top-tier first-rank cultivator with an A-class natural light-type ability.”

“Oh, not bad.”

Xu Jingming was slightly surprised.

It seemed Liu Wentao’s self-proclaimed “Know-It-All” title wasn’t all bluff.

“Of course—Song Qiuyun is from Sichuan Province.

This year’s Gaokao score was over nine thousand points—she’s the provincial top scorer!”

Liu Wentao replied with a grin.

In fact, even before the Wu Ke entrance exam, Song Qiuyun had already gained minor fame in Rongcheng, the provincial capital of Sichuan, thanks to her stunning looks, figure, and formidable strength.

He was already somewhat famous in Rongcheng, the capital of Sichuan Province.

On the other side, Song Qiuyun suddenly stopped walking as she strolled with her friends.

Her A-class natural light ability, called Dawnlight, granted her not only strong offensive power

but also an exceptionally sharp sensory perception.

It was precisely this perception that allowed her to avoid areas teeming with dangerous beasts during the Wu Ke exam.

Just now, she had sensed a terrifying gaze, akin to that of a beast.

The gaze carried no malice, yet it was overwhelmingly oppressive.

It came swiftly and vanished just as quickly.

Still, Song Qiuyun sharply identified its source: a slightly tall figure not far ahead.

“How could a human emit a beast-like aura?”

Song Qiuyun furrowed her brows, puzzled.

In the end, she could only blame it on her imagination.

Yet the tall figure ahead—Xu Jingming—left a faint impression in her mind.

The Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym serves over a million residents of Jiangcheng.

The Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym at the Magic Capital Energy University needs to serve only around ten thousand faculty and students.

Yet this Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym’s scale is even larger than the one in Jiangcheng!

Across from the Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym lies the Bear Fury Martial Arts Gym, also six or seven stories high, crouching like a giant beast.

“I have to say, the Magic Capital Energy University has pushed facility construction to the extreme.”

With a sigh of admiration, Xu Jingming and Liu Wentao stepped into the Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym.

The first floor of the Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym was a spacious lobby, with a reception desk at the front.

Around it were several sofas for resting; now, people who had finished training sat on them drinking beverages and chatting.

“Welcome to Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym! How may I assist you two students?”

A female attendant in a short skirt greeted them warmly.

“We’re looking for a training room with a strength-testing device.”

Xu Jingming replied.

The Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym is free only for high school students; college students must pay a membership fee.

The membership fee, like that of the Bear Fury Martial Arts Gym, is 100,000 Daxia Coins per year.

However, the Magic Capital Energy University pays the membership fee for all students annually.

Thus, for them, all gym facilities are free to use.

“The training rooms are on the third floor. Please follow me.”

The staff smiled sweetly and led the way; Xu Jingming and Liu Wentao followed behind.

The Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym treats every guest with such warmth.

You may accept or decline.

Since this was their first time at the Magic Capital Energy University’s gym and they didn’t know the layout, Xu Jingming chose to let her guide them.

“Ding dong~~, third floor arrived.”

With a pleasant chime, the elevator doors opened.

Before them stretched a spacious hall.

The hall was crowded, but most people looked bizarre.

Some emitted flames from their bodies, others stood two or three meters tall, and some had limbs transformed into animal forms.

Accompanying them were various noisy shouts:

“Haha, I’ve finally mastered my C-class technique, Yangji Flame!”

“Heh, so what if you mastered it? Still can’t break through my metalized skin.”

“You’re all garbage! My Triple Gigantification can slap you all against the wall with one swipe!”

"You're all trash! My triple enlargement can slam all of you against the wall with one slap!"

These people seemed to be training, and those who knew each other occasionally exchanged taunts.

“This is our public training hall, capable of accommodating three hundred people simultaneously.”

“The entire hall is constructed from C-class alloy mixed with memory metal—no need to worry about damage from abilities or techniques.”

“Of course, if you find it too noisy, you may choose a private training room.”

The staff explained.

Xu Jingming wasn’t particularly surprised upon hearing this.

The public training hall existed in the Lei Ting Martial Arts Gym in Jiangcheng too.

The atmosphere in a public hall is better—when so many others are training, you won’t slack off.

Many people with poor self-discipline choose to train in public halls.

Also, when someone masters a technique, the cheers from those around them bring a strong sense of accomplishment.

But the downside is that your techniques and progress become known to others.

“Alright, we’ll stay here.”

Xu Jingming had originally planned to book a private room, but since his roommate was nearby, he chose the public hall instead.

Xu Jingming had originally planned to go to a private training room, but since he had a roommate nearby, he chose the public training room instead.

The staff led the two into the hall.

Almost everyone admitted to the Magic Capital Energy University is an ability user.

Thus, as they moved through the hall, they constantly felt powerful energy fluctuations from others testing their techniques.

“Damn, are these guys competing to see who’s stronger? Each one’s more explosive than the last.”

Liu Wentao, feeling the floor shake beneath his feet, muttered.

As a mental-type ability user, he couldn’t generate such commotion.

Meanwhile, Xu Jingming’s attention was drawn to five pillars standing in the center of the hall.

Each pillar was covered with countless names, followed by numbers.

The top three names on each pillar were the largest, glowing golden, and extremely eye-catching.

“These are our Punch Power Challenge Leaderboards—five lists, corresponding to ability users from first to fifth rank.”

“Would you two like to try? Enter the top three thousand, and you’ll earn 50 academic credits.”

The staff smiled warmly.

“Top three thousand gets a reward? That’s easy?”

Liu Wentao immediately became interested.

After all, the Magic Capital Energy University had only around four thousand students.

“Just swipe your student ID on the pillar’s sensor to begin. But no abilities or techniques allowed—otherwise it’s a violation.”

“Alright, I’ll go first, Ming. Wait here.”

Liu Wentao nodded and strode into the center of the hall.

He swiped his student ID against the sensor on the first pillar.

“Welcome! Student ID: Liu Wentao, initiating Punch Power Challenge! Everyone, cheer for him!”

As if flipping a switch, a loud announcer’s voice echoed through the entire hall.

Then, spotlights shone down on Liu Wentao.

Everyone in the hall turned their attention, instinctively glancing over.

“Oh, someone’s starting a Punch Power Challenge!”

“Haha, feels like a first-rank mid-tier—probably a freshman.”

“Heh, this’ll be fun to watch.”

"Hehe, now there's something entertaining to watch."

「......」

In the hall, many upperclassmen and upperclasswomen glanced with glee at the figure standing at the very center.

Liu Wentao, at the center, was utterly stunned—he never expected the commotion of initiating the challenge would be this big!

But now that he’d come this far, retreating was impossible.

So he took a deep breath, mobilized all his strength, and slammed his fist with full force against the target before him!

Thud!

The target emitted a muffled boom, then shook violently back and forth.

“Huuu—”

Liu Wentao slowly exhaled a long breath of stale air; he was fairly satisfied with that punch.

Making it into the top three thousand should be no problem.

“Punch strength: 476 kilograms. Excellent performance.”

The voice sounded again, first announcing the power with high enthusiasm, then lowering its tone slightly:

“However, regrettably, your punch strength ranks below 100,000th place.”

“10... 100,000th place?”

Liu Wentao was stunned—didn’t the entire Metropolis Psychic University have only around four thousand students?

But he quickly realized—the punch strength leaderboard included not just current students, but all alumni as well!

The Metropolis Psychic University had been established for over a century, admitting over a thousand students each year.

Accumulated over time, that easily added up to over a hundred thousand students!

“What a scam! No wonder everyone was staring at me—they were just waiting to laugh!”

Only now did Liu Wentao realize, his cheeks burning hot; he quickly slunk away in shame.

“Below 100,000th? That’s hilarious—I didn’t score this low when I was a freshman!”

“Look at the kid’s face—he’s as red as a monkey’s butt. Definitely a freshman.”

«......»

The entire training hall erupted into a chorus of amused chatter because of Liu Wentao’s performance.

“Ah Ming, are you going to try it? You’ll definitely do better than me.”

Unable to bear the ridicule, Liu Wentao quickly urged Xu Jingming beside him.

Two people looking foolish was better than one, wasn’t it?

“Fine, I’ll give it a try too.”

Xu Jingming didn’t refuse upon hearing this.

His original purpose in coming here was to test his physical strength—punch power was part of that.

Moreover, he wanted to see:

With his current strength, where would he rank among all the geniuses who had ever attended the Metropolis Psychic University since its founding?

“Welcome! Student ID Xu Jingming has initiated the punch strength challenge! Everyone, cheer for him!”

When Xu Jingming swiped his student card, the same high-pitched voice rang out again.

“Huh? Someone else is starting a challenge?”

“Looks like the guy’s companion from just now.”

“Tsk. This one’s even weaker—seems to be only First Tier Lower Rank.”

“First Tier Lower Rank? He probably can’t even hit 400 kilograms.”

«......»

Unsurprisingly, the audience had no confidence in Xu Jingming, who was only First Tier Lower Rank.

Yet Xu Jingming himself remained completely unfazed; he took a deep breath.

Then, every drop of his blood and qi surged to its limit!

He stood straight, engaged his waist, and twisted his arms with its power.

With that force, his fist shot forward like a released arrow, becoming a black blur as it slammed violently into the target.

THOOM!!

A deafening crash, like a sledgehammer striking, exploded through the hall—followed immediately by a roar of ecstatic cheers:

“Punch strength: 4,589 kilograms! Peak punch strength! Congratulations—you’ve broken the record!”