There were more than 1,400 candidates participating in the Jiangcheng Martial Arts College Entrance Exam. Ranking fluctuations were completely normal.
However, sudden jumps of more than ten positions—either upward or downward—usually only happened among the lower-ranked candidates.
Those candidates had similar strength levels, so even small score changes could cause their rankings to shift dramatically.
But candidates who entered the Top 50 were all powerful, and the score differences between them were usually quite large.
Even when rankings changed, it was normally by just one or two positions.
A sudden rise of more than ten ranks at once like this was extremely rare.
Because of this, not only did Chen Fan notice the change—other teachers from Jiangcheng Second High School also discovered it and began discussing among themselves.
"Hey, Xu Jingming's ranking went up! He's already reached 25th place!"
"No way?! 25th place? Seriously?"
"We only went to eat lunch and came back—how did the rankings change this dramatically?"
"He's really from an ordinary class? That's way too fierce!"
"..."
At this moment, on the Jiangcheng Martial Arts College Entrance Exam leaderboard, Second High School had nine students within the Top 50.
Aside from 18th place and 22nd place, the highest-ranked student from Second High School was now:
Xu Jingming — 25th place.
"His ranking jumped directly from 32nd to 25th, and his score increased from 328 to 372 points."
At the front of the spectator stands, Principal Zhao Yao of Second High School narrowed his eyes.
As a Spirit-type C-rank Ability User, although only Tier 1, he possessed excellent memory and could memorize all ranking information displayed on the leaderboard.
Naturally, he paid special attention to the candidates from Second High School.
Xu Jingming's ranking and score changes were clearly visible to him.
Yet even so, he still found it unbelievable.
According to the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam scoring system:
Killing a peak unrated Fierce Beast granted 6–8 points
Killing a lower-tier Tier 1 Fierce Beast granted 14–16 points
The smart watch recorded kill counts at intervals of approximately 4 seconds.
Xu Jingming had suddenly gained 44 points.
That meant—
Within just four seconds, he had either:
Killed five peak unrated Fierce Beasts,
or
Killed three lower-tier Tier 1 Fierce Beasts
Either possibility clearly demonstrated Xu Jingming's terrifying strength.
"This level of strength might not match Zhou Mingyang and the other top-tier candidates, but it's definitely at a Top 10 level."
"When did our school produce such a fierce student?"
Principal Zhao Yao felt slightly bewildered.
According to Great Xia Nation regulations, all principals and education bureau officials must be Tier 1 Ability Users or above.
Although Zhao Yao couldn't see Xu Jingming's battle footage yet, he could estimate Xu Jingming's strength simply based on the ranking fluctuations.
The other principals—and the Director of the Education Bureau—had naturally noticed as well.
"Principal Zhao, it seems your school has produced quite a capable student."
"This Xu Jingming must have been holding back earlier. Now that he's exerting effort, his ranking has immediately surged."
Education Bureau Director Zhang Wenshan nodded slightly.
"Your student likely has strength close to the Top 10."
Principal Liu Hang of Jiangcheng First High School added.
"Oh right—what ability did this student awaken? Why haven't we heard about him before?"
Zhang Wenshan asked with curiosity.
With this level of strength, a student shouldn't remain unknown.
"To be honest, this student Xu Jingming only suddenly exploded in performance during today's exam."
"I'll need to ask his homeroom teacher for the details."
"Teacher Chen, come here for a moment."
In response to Director Zhang Wenshan's inquiry, Zhao Yao immediately called Chen Fan over.
Under the envious gazes of the Second High School teachers, Chen Fan walked forward and sat beside the principal.
For an ordinary homeroom teacher like him, the Education Bureau Director and principals—who were all Ability Users—were absolute big shots.
Facing their attention, Chen Fan naturally felt somewhat restrained.
"Principal, Director—according to what I know, Xu Jingming only awakened an E-rank ability — Weak Electricity."
"E-rank ability?!"
Principal Zhao Yao frowned.
"Teacher Chen, are you sure you didn't remember incorrectly?"
"Principal, I'm certain. Before the exam, I even specifically advised him not to participate in the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam."
Chen Fan replied with a bitter smile.
Truthfully, even he suspected whether there had been an error during the original ability registration.
"With only an E-rank ability and still reaching this level, it seems this Xu Jingming must possess extraordinary strengths in other aspects."
Director Zhang Wenshan said thoughtfully.
"Unfortunately, since he hasn't entered the Top 10 yet, we still can't view his battle footage."
The exam broadcast system operated according to a provincial-level program—even he had no authority to interfere with it.
And attempting to manually locate Xu Jingming among thousands of camera feeds would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.
"Just wait. With his strength, he should enter the Top 10 very soon."
Despite Xu Jingming's unusual situation, Director Zhang Wenshan had the patience to wait.
"That's all we can do."
Principal Zhao Yao nodded.
He then stopped Chen Fan, who was about to return to his seat.
"Teacher Chen, you can sit here as well."
Hearing this, Chen Fan's face lit up with delight.
Not every teacher had the opportunity to sit this close to the Director and principals.
...
Time slowly passed.
The Martial Arts College Entrance Exam rankings continued to shift constantly.
Among the many fluctuating names, however—
There was one name steadily climbing upward.
25th Place — Xu Jingming…
21st Place — Xu Jingming…
16th Place — Xu Jingming…
12th Place — Xu Jingming…
9th Place — Xu Jingming…
In less than one hour, Xu Jingming had charged straight into the Top 10!
"Xu Jingming did it! He really entered the Top 10!"
Chen Fan's face flushed with excitement.
As merely the homeroom teacher of an ordinary class, he had never dreamed that one of his students would reach the Top 10 in Jiangcheng.
"He entered the Top 10!"
Principal Zhao Yao also let out a relieved breath.
Otherwise, being constantly overshadowed by Third High School would have been embarrassing for him as principal.
"Now we can finally see what Xu Jingming relied on to enter the Top 10."
Director Zhang Wenshan stared expectantly into the air.
After a brief wait—
The virtual projection corresponding to 9th place flickered.
Then—
A tall young man appeared on the screen.
He wore a black combat suit.
His expression was resolute, his eyes sharp and steady.
In his hand, he held a black spear approximately 2.1 meters long.
The spearhead was sharp and gleaming.
Fresh crimson blood stained the blade, adding a savage aura to its appearance.
At the young man's feet lay several Fierce Beasts that had already lost their breath.
Not far away, another Fierce Beast shrank back in fear, unwilling to approach.
Black clothing.
Long spear.
Dead beasts.
All these elements combined to form an image radiating sharpness and overwhelming strength.
In the next moment—
The young man moved.
The spear shot forth like a dragon.
In just an instant—
Before the remaining Fierce Beast could even react—
It was pierced straight through by the spear and killed in a single strike.