Chapter 98: 1 VS 102! How Will You Turn the Tide?

BOOM!!

The aura of a Second-Stage Upper-tier adept erupted across the spacious arena.

The intense pressure caused every fighter on the arena to freeze mid-motion.

“Is that... the aura of a Second-Stage Upper-tier adept?!”

One of the freshmen swallowed hard, instinctively turning toward the source of the aura.

There, he saw Xu Jingming—holding a dark-gold spear, lightning swirling around his body, standing like a Thunder God!

“It’s Xu Jingming! He’s a Second-Stage Upper-tier adept?!”

At that moment,

every freshman on the arena was stunned.

After all, Li Chengzhi’s Second-Stage Lower-tier power had already been astonishing.

Yet now, another even more monstrous Second-Stage Upper-tier adept had appeared!

How could anyone else compete?!

Among them, several freshmen who were only First-Stage Mid-tier began questioning their very lives:

“Am I even taking part in the Freshman Competition?”

We’re all freshmen—how come you’re more than one full stage above me?!

Due to Xu Jingming’s sudden outburst of aura,

the freshmen who had been fiercely battling moments ago now all fell into existential doubt.

In fact, it wasn’t just the freshmen on the arena— even the upperclassmen in the stands were bewildered.

“What the hell?! Second-Stage Upper-tier? Is that really what a freshman should have?!”

“I can accept Second-Stage Lower-tier, but now a Second-Stage Upper-tier shows up?!”

“Are you kidding me? I’m a third-year who just reached Second-Stage Upper-tier—how am I supposed to feel?!”

“......”

Especially those upperclassmen who had spent two or three years just to reach Second-Stage Upper-tier were nearly in tears.

It felt like all those years had been wasted...

“Second-Stage Upper-tier?”

Meteor Society.

The girl who had spoken earlier was stunned, then immediately turned to her leader, Wu Yuan:

“Leader, you knew this already, didn’t you?”

“Sort of.”

Wu Yuan nodded, smiling: “Now do you see Xu Jingming’s potential?”

“Yes! Xu Jingming remains our top recruitment target—follow the original plan to recruit him after the Freshman Competition!”

The girl nodded firmly.

In a corner of the spectator stands,

the white-haired girl Jiang Chu gazed at the tall figure on the arena, her beautiful eyes brightening:

“It really is you, Senior! No—wait, I should call you Junior!”

“You fooled me for so long—no good, I have to find him after this.”

Thinking she’d see Xu Jingming again soon, Jiang Chu’s face lit up with a lovely smile.

“Second-Stage Upper-tier!”

Watching the tall figure gripping the spear on the arena, Li Chengzhi’s face darkened.

He had planned to crush Xu Jingming with his own Second-Stage Lower-tier power,

then ride the fame of defeating an S-rank adept to make his name known across the entire school.

Perhaps even earn an S-rank access level from the school.

But now, Xu Jingming’s displayed power had shattered that dream completely.

Yet, as he spotted a slender figure on the arena, Li Chengzhi’s eyes suddenly lit up:

“Xu Jingming, Xu Jingming—if this were any other round, you’d have won for sure.

But that guy just happens to be in the second round too. Let’s see how you handle this!”

A relaxed, almost smug smile spread across Li Chengzhi’s face—as if the presence of that one person guaranteed Xu Jingming’s defeat.

“Including me, there are 103 freshmen this round. Then I’ll just push through them all.”

On the arena, Xu Jingming gripped his spear, ready to charge.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out across the arena:

“Everyone, Xu Jingming is a Second-Stage Upper-tier adept—and he possesses an S-rank ability!

If he takes on each of us one by one, we’ll all be eliminated!

So why not unite and eliminate Xu Jingming first?”

It was a deep, magnetic male voice, its origin unclear.

The voice carried strong hypnotic power, and its suggestion instantly sparked interest in the dazed freshmen, their eyes glinting with eagerness.

“That voice has strong hypnotic power—could he be a mental-type adept?”

Xu Jingming frowned, instantly sensing something unnatural about the voice.

At that moment, the male voice spoke again:

“There are 103 of us here. Excluding Xu Jingming, we still have 102.

Even if he’s a Second-Stage Upper-tier adept, 102 against 1—we can wear him down until he collapses!

Also, I’m Shi Liao. I possess an A-rank mental-type ability, and I’ve already gathered nearly twenty people.

If the rest of you follow my orders, I guarantee we’ll take down Xu Jingming with the least possible cost.

Think carefully—chances to defeat an S-rank adept don’t come twice in a lifetime.”

As he finished speaking, Xu Jingming clearly noticed the freshmen around him growing red-eyed.

Their gazes toward him now burned with fierce combat intent!

“If I don’t fight, I’m getting kicked out anyway—might as well go for it! Screw it, I’m in!”

“Defeating an S-rank adept—this might be my only chance in life! I’m in too!”

“Shi Liao, tell us what to do!”

“......”

Under Shi Liao’s hypnotic voice,

every freshman on the arena—except Xu Jingming—had united as one!

“Huh, Shi Liao’s got some real talent—he actually got all the freshmen to unite!”

“Xu Jingming’s in trouble now—this round might be his downfall.”

“I remember Shi Liao is Long Ke’s disciple—no wonder he’s so capable.”

“......”

On the main stage, the instructors were all surprised.

They had assumed Xu Jingming, as a Second-Stage Upper-tier adept, would breeze through the first stage—yet this unexpected twist had occurred.

Many instructors also looked enviously toward a middle-aged man.

That man was Long Ke, Dean of the Tactics Academy—Shi Liao was his newly recruited disciple.

“Xiao Liao’s just lucky—it’s nothing special.”

Dean Long Ke smiled.

The remark was half humility, half truth—Shi Liao had indeed been lucky.

Had Xu Jingming not been an S-rank adept, had he not revealed his Second-Stage Upper-tier aura,

Shi Liao could never have so easily rallied the other freshmen to his side.

“Luck is part of strength too—but Xu Jingming’s in deep trouble now.”

“If an S-rank adept can’t even pass the first stage of the Freshman Competition, that’d be a joke too far.”

One instructor hesitated.

If the arena held just over a hundred beasts, it’d be easy to handle.

But now, the arena held over a hundred adepts!

Enhancement, elemental, support, mental—every type of ability was represented!

And these were all prodigies from across the land!

Now united, with Shi Liao as their commander, they formed a near-perfect miniature battle unit.

Such a hundred-man force could easily overwhelm a Second-Stage Upper-tier adept.

Of course, Xu Jingming wasn’t an ordinary Second-Stage Upper-tier adept.

Now, it was a battle of which side proved superior.

While the deans and instructors on the main stage debated,

Xu Jingming had used his powerful mental energy to locate the voice’s source from hundreds of meters away.

It was a slender boy, under 1.7 meters tall, with a delicate, refined face.

He wore a black combat suit and carried no weapon.

Yet around him stood over a dozen powerful figures—men and women alike—guarding him closely.

"Shi Liao, an A-rank mental ability user—interesting."

Xu Jingming narrowed his eyes.

To gather all the other newcomers so swiftly, Shi Liao is no ordinary person.

"Xu Jingming, if you had found me and killed me before I finished my second sentence, you might still have broken the deadlock."

"But now everyone has decided to follow my orders—you have no chance left!"

As if noticing Xu Jingming’s gaze, Shi Liao slightly lifted his head, a faint smile appearing on his refined face:

"One against a hundred and two—how do you plan to turn the tide?"

"Turn the tide? On what grounds do you think you have the advantage?"

Xu Jingming raised his swordlike brows, a smile curling at his lips.

The Dark Cloud Gale Spear lightly plunged into the ground; his strong right hand then gripped the empty air:

"Lei Mao!"

Endless blue-purple lightning converged toward his palm, gradually forming the shape of a lightning spear.