Facing the firefighters who had rushed to the scene, Xu Jingming explained that he possessed a lightning-type ability and had already brought the fire under control.
The team quickly inspected the house. After confirming there were no remaining safety hazards, they did not stay long.
However, before leaving, they not only repaired the front door, but their captain also handed Xu Jingming a business card.
He explained that Xu Jingming's lightning-type ability was especially suitable for handling certain electrical fires and explosions.
After graduating from university, he could directly contact him at the Jiangcheng Fire Department, where a job could be arranged for him.
After all, the fire department was a public institution, and with Awakeners capable of controlling water or lightning, firefighting operations became far less dangerous.
In the eyes of ordinary people, this was considered a very good career.
Of course—
For the current Xu Jingming, it held no appeal whatsoever.
He casually placed the business card into the bedside drawer in his bedroom, picked up the spear leaning against the wall, and left the room.
"Jingming, is everything alright after the fire earlier?"
"I'm fine, Uncle Yang. The situation's already under control."
"That's good. Looks like you're heading to the martial arts hall?"
"Yes, I'm going there to train."
"So diligent. The Martial Exam is tomorrow, yet you're still practicing. Unlike my lazy kid."
"..."
Bright Moon Residential Complex was the place Xu Jingming had lived for eighteen years. The surrounding neighbors were all familiar faces.
Because of his gentle temperament, Xu Jingming was well liked by the uncles and aunts in the neighborhood.
As he walked downstairs, several elders who were out walking with their grandchildren asked about his situation with concern.
Xu Jingming responded politely to each of them.
After that, carrying his spear on his back, he left the residential complex.
First, he took a bus, then transferred to the subway.
Eventually—
He arrived before a modern high-rise building.
The building stood about forty meters tall, its exterior decorated in silver-white, giving it an extremely cool appearance.
Its footprint was enormous, resembling a giant beast crouching silently on the ground.
On the side of the building, four large characters were written in bold, elegant script:
Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall
Under the sunlight, the characters gleamed brilliantly.
For an Awakener to grow stronger, they had to continuously train their body and spirit in order to enhance the power of their abilities.
However, not every family could afford a private training facility.
Thus—
Martial arts halls that provided training grounds and professional instruction came into existence.
Across the entire Great Xia Empire, two martial arts halls were the most famous:
Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall
Violent Bear Martial Arts Hall
These two major organizations had branches in nearly every city across Great Xia.
Even in the relatively remote Jiangcheng within Jiangnan Province, both had established locations.
Of course, aside from these two giants, Jiangcheng also had dozens of smaller private martial arts halls.
However—
Only Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall offered free access to high school students.
That was why Xu Jingming had always trained here.
Today, he had come to test how much his strength had improved after obtaining Purple Heavenly Divine Lightning and upgrading his basic attributes.
At this moment, outside the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall, besides Xu Jingming, there were many other Awakeners.
Some were even experienced ability users—
All of them carrying weapons.
"Luo Heng, the founder of Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall, is a Ninth-Rank Ability User."
"He also possesses an S-Class lightning-type ability."
"I wonder… someday in the future, will I be able to establish my own martial arts hall?"
After thinking briefly, Xu Jingming entered the building.
Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall had six floors, each spanning tens of thousands of square meters.
Among them:
Second Floor
Third Floor
were designated exclusively for high school student training, free of charge.
After entering the hall, Xu Jingming went straight to the third floor, the place he visited most often.
Since today was Wednesday, most first- and second-year students were still attending school.
Only third-year students had been dismissed early.
Even so, most graduating seniors were staying at home to prepare for the upcoming exam.
As a result—
The once lively third floor now felt somewhat empty.
There were only about a dozen people inside the training hall.
However—
As soon as Xu Jingming entered, he spotted a familiar figure among the crowd.
It was a girl about 1.7 meters tall, with delicate yet cold beauty.
She carried no weapon.
Dressed casually, her long, slender legs looked especially fair beneath a pair of blue denim shorts.
Several young men and women stood nearby, dressed in stylish and refined clothing.
"Tang Qi, you're here at Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall too?"
Xu Jingming smiled as he greeted the tall girl.
Tang Qi was his cousin, the daughter of his aunt.
She was also a third-year student, slightly older than him by a few months.
Since Xu Jingming's parents had died when he was very young, his aunt—who also lived in Jiangcheng—often visited him.
Tang Qi occasionally accompanied her.
However, his relationship with his cousin had always been neither particularly close nor distant.
The reason was simple.
In the past, Xu Jingming had been introverted and quiet.
Combined with differences in family background, they had very few shared topics.
Two years ago, when Tang Qi awakened a B-Class ability, while he himself awakened only an E-Class ability, the gap between them had widened even further.
Tang Qi clearly hadn't expected to run into Xu Jingming here.
She paused briefly before responding with a small nod.
"Yes. I came with some friends."
"I see…"
Xu Jingming suddenly understood.
His aunt's family had a relatively good financial background.
Tang Qi usually trained at Violent Bear Martial Arts Hall, where the annual membership fee cost 100,000 Great Xia credits.
She rarely visited Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall.
"Alright, you all carry on."
"I'm heading to the training room."
Xu Jingming didn't say much more. After greeting them, he turned and walked away.
"Qiqi, who was that? He's pretty handsome."
After Xu Jingming left, a tall but cute girl wearing a skirt asked curiously.
Her clear, bright eyes flashed with interest.
"Xu Jingming. My cousin."
"He's also a third-year student like us. He'll be taking the Martial Exam tomorrow."
Watching Xu Jingming's departing figure, Tang Qi's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
Her cousin…
Seemed somewhat different from before.
She couldn't quite pinpoint what had changed.
But in the past, even when they happened to meet, he would never take the initiative to greet her.
Yet this time—
He had done so naturally.
"Xiaoya, why are you asking so many questions?"
"Don't tell me you've fallen for him and want to find yourself a boyfriend?"
A young man wearing a white casual shirt smiled teasingly.
However, faced with the teasing, the girl named Xiaoya showed no embarrassment and replied openly:
"Why not? Isn't that allowed?"
"With looks like his, as long as his strength isn't too weak, bringing him out as a boyfriend would look pretty nice."
Tang Qi shook her head.
"My cousin might disappoint you."
"He's only an E-Class Awakener."
As expected—
The moment Xiaoya heard that Xu Jingming possessed only an E-Class ability, the curiosity in her eyes faded noticeably.
"Only E-Class… what a pity."
Everyone had their own social circle.
Most people within the same circle shared:
Similar family backgrounds
Comparable personalities
Not only were these youths from wealthy families—
Most of their awakened abilities were B-Class or C-Class.
As for Xu Jingming—
Judging from his simple clothing, it was obvious that his family's financial condition was not particularly strong.
Combined with his E-Class ability, even his handsome appearance failed to maintain Xiaoya's interest.
"An E-Class ability… and he still dares to take the Martial Exam."
"At least his courage deserves praise."
A young man wearing earrings joked lightly.
"What good is courage?"
"The risk is simply too great. I'd rather he not take the Martial Exam at all."
Tang Qi sighed softly.
In the Martial Exam—
Those with abilities below D-Class had the highest fatality rates.
If Xu Jingming had possessed a D-Class ability, she wouldn't have objected.
But E-Class was simply too weak.
Participating in the Martial Exam under such conditions was nearly suicidal.
An E-Class Awakener should realistically choose the Academic Exam instead.
Graduate…
Find an office job…
Avoid fighting ferocious beasts…
Avoid risking one's life…
Wouldn't that be better?
At the very least—
It would spare her mother from constant worry.
"Alright, alright. Let's drop the topic."
"Didn't we come here to look around Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall?"
"You're right. I've spent nearly all three years at Violent Bear Martial Arts Hall."
"This is actually my first time here."
"Relaxing before the exam is good for both body and mind."
Seeing Tang Qi's mood darken slightly, the group quickly changed the subject and began strolling casually through the hall.