Chapter 559

When Xu Jingming revealed his sixth-rank Qi aura.

Everyone knew this battle was already decided—Xu Jingming would surely win.

But Ross possessed an S-rank ability, sixth-rank mid-level, making him arguably the strongest man on Heizhou.

Everyone expected the fight to drag on for a while before ending.

Yet no one anticipated that Xu Jingming's Heavenly Thunder Art instantly executed a one-hit kill.

"What the..."

In the entire stadium, over a hundred million spectators stared in stunned silence at the charred corpse on the ground.

"Contestant Ross has lost all life signs. The winner of this match is Xu Jingming!"

As the announcer declared the result, the audience finally snapped out of their shock—the previously silent stadium erupted instantly.

"Holy shit! That was an instant kill?!"

"Ross's Black Gold Enhancement is an SS-rank combat technique—how did it not even block Xu Jingming's S-rank Heavenly Thunder Art?!"

"This is the SS-rank Supreme Heavenly Thunder of a sixth-rank cultivator? The suppression is overwhelming—Ross couldn't even resist!"

"..."

Towering and imposing, Xu Jingming stood straight at the center of the arena, golden lightning swirling around him.

Countless eyes from the audience fixed on him, filled with shock and disbelief.

Lightning.

Focused on offense.

It was the most damaging type among elemental abilities.

But no one had expected Xu Jingming's power after reaching sixth rank to be this monstrous.

"Wait, Ming-ge was only fifth-rank low when we went to Myanmar together."

It's been less than four months—how is he already sixth-rank low?!"

In the Thunder Martial Arts Gym's spectator seats, Lin Hui swallowed hard.

He knew Xu Jingming was a genius, but this advancement speed was too monstrous.

After his astonishment, Lin Hui smirked with delight:

"Those guys in the training camp always claim Wang Dong is stronger than Xu Jingming."

After this match, they'll never say that again."

"True," added Xia Lan, smiling beside Du Wan, who wore a cartoon hairpin nearby.

Wang Dong, who had held the title of strongest in the prodigy training camp for over a year or two,

had many supporters throughout the camp.

Even after Xu Jingming effortlessly defeated a seventh-rank master in Myanmar, people still believed his strength fell short of Wang Dong's.

But even his most loyal fans would be left speechless after this match.

"Come to think of it, Wang Dong still has some hidden cards."

But with Xu Jingming's performance now, even those cards won't matter."

In Xia Lan's sapphire eyes glimmered a touch of mischief.

Too bad the spectators couldn't see the preparation zone—she'd really love to see Wang Dong's expression right now.

It must be incredibly frustrating.

As Xia Lan predicted, when Wang Dong in the preparation zone saw Ross get one-shot by Xu Jingming's Heavenly Thunder Art,

He froze.

I've been holding my breath, waiting to prove in the next match that I'm stronger than you.

Now you one-shot an S-rank, sixth-rank mid-level opponent who's even higher than me?

What the hell am I even supposed to do now?!

Are you seriously that fucking talented?!

Wang Dong, usually calm and composed as if he controlled everything, finally cursed aloud.

The breath he'd been holding grew even more suffocating.

No—it wasn't suffocation anymore; it was completely gone.

Without doubt, from now on, Xu Jingming would almost certainly remain stronger than him.

"Interesting—Xu Jingming has already advanced to sixth rank," said Su Yu beside him, equally surprised.

He had assumed that after this prodigy tournament, his reputation would fully surpass Xu Jingming's!

But given the current situation, it seemed far from easy...

This day's prodigy tournament wouldn't end until the final four contestants were selected.

Thus, the victorious Xu Jingming wasn't teleported back to the spectator seats—he returned directly to the preparation zone.

As expected, the moment he returned, he was met with the stares of numerous contestants.

Their expressions were filled with wariness.

Because they knew Xu Jingming, now at sixth rank, had every right to enter the top four.

Time flew swiftly—the 32 to 16 round ended quickly.

On the Great Xia side, Lü Liang faced America's Catherine and was unfortunately eliminated.

The remaining four, including Wang Dong, advanced to the top 16.

As for Sakura Nation's Sakuragi Rin, who was only fifth-rank high,

She too was eliminated in this round, stopping at the top 32.

The competition grew fiercer—the second round, 16 to 8.

Xu Jingming's opponent was India's top contender, a sixth-rank mid-level adept with an S-rank enhancement ability.

Yet he too was obliterated by Xu Jingming's Thunder Extreme State.

A few hours later, the 8 to 4 round concluded.

On the Great Xia side, Liu Ran failed to advance; Xu Jingming, Su Yu, and Wang Dong all secured spots in the top eight.

Of the top eight prodigies, three were from Great Xia—Great Xia's dominance was undeniable.

America wasn't far behind—besides Catherine, another S-rank adept also advanced to the top eight.

The 8 to 4 round began immediately—Xu Jingming's opponent was the EU's top contender, Ailin!

Ailin was a white woman, tall and slender, with pale skin and dark brown hair.

Her ability was a special S-rank: "Plant Revival."

It allowed her to rapidly grow plants and command them to attack.

It was a somewhat unconventional form of mass-attack ability.

In previous matches, after every fight, the entire arena became overgrown with vegetation, like a primeval forest.

"Next match: Xu Jingming from Great Xia versus Ailin from the EU!"

Amid the announcer's loud voice, Xu Jingming and Ailin rose simultaneously from the preparation zone and walked toward the arena.

"Lei Di! Lei Di!"

"Ailin! Ailin!"

"..."

The shouts from the spectator seats nearly tore the stadium apart.

Yet on the arena, both Xu Jingming and Ailin remained expressionless.

The former, confident in his strength; the latter, cold and detached, like a plant.

No matter how powerful the opponent, her emotions would never waver.

"Contestants, prepare! The match begins soon!"

"Three... two... one... Begin!"

As the announcer finished speaking, Ailin erupted in a surge of green light!

Simultaneously, a handful of seeds scattered from her hands like blossoms in the wind.

"Plant Revival! Ultra-Growth!!"

With a sharp cry, the emerald glow on her body flared violently, radiating across the entire arena.

The seeds bathed in green light instantly began to grow!

At first, they were mere sprouts—but in the blink of an eye, they became towering trees.

Their thick roots plunged deep into the ground, tearing through hardened alloy to absorb nutrients.

Within a few breaths, the entire alloy arena was completely covered in green vegetation.