Chapter 886: Ninth Tier S-Class Combat Power

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!

Above the neon city, rain poured down in torrents.

The entire sky was split in two by green and black lightning.

Within that sea of thunder, two figures—one black, one green—like embodiments of lightning itself, fought fiercely.

A single stray bolt of lightning splashing down could obliterate a stretch of the city spanning kilometers, even over ten kilometers.

Finally, after an unknown length of time,

the downpour ceased, and the thunder vanished.

Xu Jingming's towering figure, wreathed in black lightning, hovered midair, aided by the Thunder Dragon Wings.

"Still failed."

Xu Jingming frowned, gazing toward the distant sky.

There, standing in the sky, was a thunderous shadow over ten meters tall, radiating overwhelming pressure.

This was the opponent Xu Jingming created based on Su Qingli's S-Class ability: "Jade Pure Divine Thunder."

Rank: Ninth Tier Lower, also a Law Saint proficient in ranged spells.

At first, the battle went well; Xu Jingming could trade blows evenly with the opponent.

But once the opponent entered elemental form, his power surged instantly.

Even when Xu Jingming activated his Thunderstorm State and unleashed every technique, he could only achieve a stalemate—unable to kill.

"S-Class abilities are truly formidable. I'll need to strengthen further before I can defeat a Ninth Tier S-Class like Teacher Su."

Xu Jingming thought silently.

When I break through to Eighth Tier Mid, or advance my Body Tempering or Spirit Refinement to the next level, it should be enough.

BOOM!!

At that moment, the massive thunder shadow in the sky vanished instantly, transforming into the figure of Eva, a little girl with twin pigtails.

She flashed away from her spot and reappeared before Xu Jingming, hands on hips, chin raised, smugly declaring:

"S-Class? In raw power, you're still lacking!"

As a virtual world AI sprite, Eva could directly control the arena's virtual characters.

With her control, she could fully unleash the complete power of an S-Class Law Saint.

"Only in the virtual world, though."

Xu Jingming flicked her white forehead, "Outside the virtual world, you don't even have a physical form—only a holographic projection."

"Ow!"

Eva rubbed her head, grumbling discontentedly:

"I clearly remember I used to be strong—like, I could slice a planet in half with one sword."

"Too many electronic fantasies, huh?"

"Once you get a real body, tell me that story about slicing a planet again."

"I'll definitely give you the loudest applause then."

Xu Jingming grinned.

"S-Class! You're being too mean! I'm going to fight you!"

Eva's face flushed bright red as she charged forward to attack.

But at barely one meter fifty tall, she was easily pinned by Xu Jingming's towering one-meter-ninety frame.

No matter how hard she swung her fists, she couldn't land a single hit.

Seeing this, Xu Jingming nearly burst out laughing. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly sensed something and smiled:

"Enough fooling around. Someone's here."

With that, he ruffled her small head as Eva pouted in annoyance.

He then removed the neural headset and exited the virtual world.

His gaze swept across—and sure enough, the monitor by the door showed Fu Xingye waiting respectfully outside.

The neural headset provided immersive experience; once inside the virtual world, all perception was replaced by its simulation.

But that was for ordinary people. For Xu Jingming, multitasking was simple.

Even within the virtual world, he could still perceive events in reality and sense Fu Xingye's arrival.

"Come in."

The villa's front door opened automatically.

Fu Xingye stepped forward to Xu Jingming and bowed respectfully:

"Congratulations, Inspector, on defeating Meng Ke and winning the Seventh Tier Challenge Rankings."

Indeed, his intuition at noon had been correct—Xu Jingming had broken through to Eighth Tier!

An Eighth Tier Grand Master under twenty-one? The thought alone was terrifying.

Thinking of this, Fu Xingye's reverence deepened further.

"Hmm. Have you finished the matter in Suzhou-Hangzhou Province?"

Xu Jingming nodded slightly and asked.

"Inspector, your foresight astounds me."

Fu Xingye flattered him, then turned serious:

"According to my investigation, Li Gang, Regional Chairman of Suzhou-Hangzhou, lost a batch of warehouse resources worth three hundred million Daya currency—and concealed it entirely. Per Thunder Martial Hall regulations, this constitutes grave dereliction of duty and warrants immediate dismissal."

He then respectfully offered five space rings.

Xu Jingming scanned them with his spiritual force and immediately found neatly stored rare herbs, pills, equipment, and other resources within the five rings.

This must be the three-billion-credit warehouse inventory Fu Xingye mentioned.

"Well done." Xu Jingming nodded with a smile.

To conceal the loss of resources? Li Gang has already sealed his own death warrant.

"It's all thanks to your guidance, Inspector!" Fu Xingye hurriedly said.

"Alright, I understand. You may leave."

Only then did Fu Xingye bow respectfully and withdraw.

"So, how's it feel, wielding real power?"

"How's it feeling, holding great power?"

A space flicker, and Ling Shuang appeared out of thin air, clad in a tight combat suit.

She sat down on the sofa, her rounded, firm hips settling, her delicate face—marked by a tear-shaped mole—glancing over with curious interest.

Xu Jingming hadn't blocked his surroundings with spiritual force; she could easily sense events in the living room from the training room.

"Not bad. I've got an Eighth Tier Grand Master constantly praising me."

Xu Jingming smiled, casually wrapping his arm around Ling Shuang's slender, elastic waist, "But flattery means nothing to me—it's all about actual ability."

"If he hadn't completed the task I gave him, no amount of praise would matter."

"True. You've always been a pragmatist."

Feeling the warm hand on her body, Ling Shuang gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, suppressing the sudden heat rising within her after a month apart, and asked:

"So, what will you do about Suzhou-Hangzhou? Removing Li Gang means openly opposing the Li family—no chance of reconciliation left."

"Didn't I already stand against the Li family long ago?"

Xu Jingming smiled, "Tomorrow, we go to Suzhou-Hangzhou. First, remove Li Gang, install a replacement, then slowly purge the rest of the Li family members there."

Xu Jingming smiled, "Tomorrow we'll go to Suzhou-Hangzhou Province, first remove Li Gang, replace him with someone else, then slowly purge the rest of the Li family from Suzhou-Hangzhou."

"By the way, did that Li Hao come to see you again?" Xu Jingming asked.

"By the way, did that Li Hao come to see you again after that?" Xu Jingming asked.

Ling Shuang shook her head, "Since you beat him up last time, he's gone quiet. I haven't heard anything about him since."

Ling Shuang shook her head. "Since you beat him up that time, he's gone quiet—hardly any news about him since."

Xu Jingming nodded, his gaze turning cold:

"If he dares bother you again, it won't just be a beating this time."

"Yes, yes, yes—our Inspector Xu is the greatest!"

Ling Shuang's supple body pressed against him, her beautiful eyes, brimming with warmth, gazing up:

"It's getting late. Should I tell Qiu Yun and the others to stop training and rest?"

"It's getting late—should I have Qiuyun and the others stop training and rest?"

Xu Jingming, having spent over a month in the Great Ocean Continent's wilderness, naturally didn't refuse.

Xu Jingming, who had already spent over a month in the wilderness of Dayangzhou, naturally did not refuse.