Chapter 616: Return! Mie Die Jiao!

"Seventh-rank mid-level power? That means even Lord Norton couldn't be sure he could fully block that move—he instinctively boosted his strength?!"

"Terrifying, utterly terrifying—this is definitely an SS-rank gun technique, right?"

"This is Lei Di, the number one genius of the Talent Competition! Same seventh-rank mid-level, yet he's far stronger than us!"

"......"

When Norton voluntarily conceded, every competitor in the arena erupted in shock.

No one expected the battle to end so quickly—Xu Jingming had only used one move!

"This..." Katherine's pale, beautiful face was equally stunned.

But while others were shocked by Xu Jingming's speed of victory, she was amazed by how fast he learned the technique.

That gun technique just now was definitely SS-rank!

More importantly, Xu Jingming had never used it during the Talent Competition!

That means Xu Jingming learned an SS-rank technique in just over a month!

"What kind of monster is this?"

Katherine couldn't help murmuring under her breath.

Even with her mother, a supreme powerhouse, personally instructing her, it took her at least three months to master an SS-rank technique!

"I knew it—Xu Jingming isn't even human!" Su Yu had already given up entirely.

In just over a month, he already felt the gap between himself and Xu Jingming had widened further.

"Thank you, Lord Norton, for holding back." Xu Jingming smiled as he retracted the Molten Ash Obsidian Spear.

Under normal circumstances, he and Norton would have fought for several minutes before determining a winner.

But he was too lazy to continue, so he immediately unleashed his strongest gun technique.

Caught off guard, Norton had no time to counter with a high-rank technique—he could only rely on raw power to absorb the blow.

"I didn't hold back."

Norton shook his head, flipped his right hand, and handed over an exquisite wooden box:

"You defeated me. This is the SSS-rank resource reward."

SSS-rank resource!

Every competitor in the arena cast envious glances toward him.

SSS-rank resources were on an entirely different level from SS-rank ones!

Even the worst SSS-rank resource was far superior to an SS+ resource!

Most people present had never even used an SSS-rank resource.

"This is the Black Phoenix Fruit. Consuming it greatly enhances physique and spirit."

"But at your current level, you can't fully absorb its energy."

"I suggest you wait until you reach seventh rank before eating it."

His face was filled with reluctance.

The maximum challenge reward was only SS+ rank.

This SSS-rank resource was his own personal promise.

In other words, he paid for it out of his own pocket.

"Careless."

Norton muttered inwardly, feeling as if his heart was bleeding.

He never imagined someone in this year's competition could actually defeat him.

Fortunately, he could keep the SS+ resource originally meant for Xu Jingming.

Otherwise, he'd have been truly screwed.

"Understood." Xu Jingming smiled as he took the small wooden box.

The rarer the heavenly treasure, the higher the user's requirements.

Heavenly treasures that require seventh rank to fully activate were manageable.

Some heavenly treasures were like poison to low-rank adepts—eat one, die instantly.

In the early days of Yuan energy revival, people died from consuming heavenly treasures all the time...

With Xu Jingming's challenge complete, the Qingfeng Secret Realm officially ended.

Under Norton's leadership, everyone left the Qingfeng Secret Realm.

As before, the top 32 had private aircraft directly to their destination.

The rest had to return on military aircraft.

Xu Jingming was surprised: when they came from Dayangzhou, the aircraft had only twelve people, including him.

Now, on the return flight, there were seventeen!

More than half of the top 32—Ailin was one of the new additions.

After boarding, Katherine deliberately sat beside Xu Jingming and stared at him constantly.

"What? Do I have flowers on my face? Why are you staring?" Xu Jingming said coolly.

"Nothing."

Katherine finally looked away, sniffing:

"Don't forget to take me out to dinner after we get back to Dayangzhou."

She wanted to see what made Xu Jingming different from ordinary adepts—why his technique-learning speed was so fast.

But after watching him for so long, she saw nothing special about him.

"Don't worry, I won't forget." Xu Jingming closed his eyes and leaned back comfortably.

Though he'd slept ten hours, he hadn't fully recovered—he might as well nap a bit longer.

As Xu Jingming departed from Maidan and flew back to Dayangzhou,

in Dayangzhou, the metropolis Mocheng, in the headquarters office of the Lei Wu Gym.

Ling Shuang was listening to a woman's report.

"Chief, we've gathered all the data on the Mie Die Jiao, but their leader has never shown himself.

You may need to go personally to drag him out."

The woman, dressed in an OL suit, bowed respectfully.

Since Xu Jingming replaced Wang Chun as head coach of the Elite Training Camp,

Many people within the gym who had been watching began approaching Ling Shuang.

This woman, Liang Ya, was a sixth-rank mid-level adept and a minor supervisor at the Lei Wu Gym.

Now she was one of Ling Shuang's staunch supporters, always handling tasks for her.

"Where might the Mie Die Jiao leader appear?" Ling Shuang's red lips moved softly.

The Mie Die Jiao was one of many cult factions in Dayangzhou.

It worshipped lust, with a doctrine of indulging in pleasure and placing carnal desire above all else.

If limited to that, it might not qualify as a cult.

But its followers often used psychic manipulation to bewitch women for their own use.

This violated Mocheng's city regulations.

Thus, Mocheng's high command assigned the task of handling the Mie Die Jiao to the Lei Wu Gym.

And Director Liu Shan passed it down to Ling Shuang to handle.

The other followers were unremarkable—it was the leader who was deeply mysterious.

Aside from knowing he was an eighth-rank Grand Master adept, all other information was unknown.

"According to our intelligence, the Mie Die Jiao leader may appear at the gathering two days from now."

"I've obtained the tickets, but attendance requires a couple or married pair."

"And the verification process is extremely strict."

Liang Ya replied, "If you need to attend, I can find you a male companion."

"A couple-only gathering?" Ling Shuang's elegant brows furrowed.

The Mie Die Jiao leader might not even show up at the gathering.

If she recklessly used her spatial power, she'd easily alarm him.

So she had to enter the gathering first, confirm his presence, then strike.

But the requirement for a male companion was already problematic.

She disliked having men too close to her.

"Today is January 13th. By now, Jingming should be done."

"I'll wait for Jingming to return, then ask him to accompany me."

Ling Shuang thought silently.