"Discovering learnable Star Martial Skill... Host does not meet learning requirements... Switching to forced loading mode... Forced loading failed... Missing forced loading conditions..."

As the prompt sounded, a sharp pain pierced his head, as if it were being pricked by needles. Wang Lan's eyebrows furrowed sharply, and his body subconsciously recoiled, moving away from Gong Jian's finger, which had been pointed at his brow.

"How is it?" Gong Jian asked anxiously.

"Can't learn it."

Despite the disheartening reply, an expression of relief subconsciously appeared on Gong Jian's face, as if a weight had been lifted. If Wang Lan could really learn an S-grade Star Martial Skill at the Star Shine Stage, that would be too monstrous, too unsettling for anyone to accept.

"If you can't learn it, then so be it. You want an A-grade Thunder Attribute Star Martial Skill, right? Okay, I'll report it. I'll notify you when something suitable becomes available."

"Thank you!"

Though he hadn't obtained a suitable Star Martial Skill, Wang Lan's trip wasn't in vain. At least the electrical energy output lying dormant in the system proved my guess: I'm not just Fire Attribute; I'm All Attributes!

Anyone else learning they were an All Attributes Star Martial Warrior would be over the moon. What kind of Attribute Star Martial Skills? Of course, they'd want one of each!

But Wang Lan didn't let the elation go to his head. The more attributes I can learn, the better, but upgrading Star Martial Skills requires skill points. Over the New Year, skill points had been plentiful, almost making me believe earning them was easy. However, skill points were actually depleted very quickly. Upgrading one skill to Silver Stage, level nine, costs a thousand points. If I really learned skills for all attributes, that would require at least ten thousand skill points. Are skill points truly that easy to earn? Wasn't every instance of earning a large number of skill points accompanied by danger? And with every danger, didn't I need to use my Phoenix form? The Phoenix form causes massive internal consumption, while Star Martial Skills are a voracious drain externally. The skill points I accumulate will never keep up with this rate of consumption. And this is just the Silver Stage. What about when I break through to the Star Cloud Stage and need to upgrade my skills to the Gold level? From Gold level one to Gold level nine, a full ten thousand skill points are needed for each skill. Besides the three Star Martial Skills, there are also five Basic Skills. How many skill points will I need then? Even if I were lucky enough to amass nearly seventy or eighty thousand skill points by then, what about the later Galaxy Stage? And skills at the Platinum level? Will I want those too?

So Wang Lan's choice of the Thunder Attribute wasn't a whim; it was a carefully considered decision.

Among the seven fundamental attributes, Thunder boasts top-tier attack power and speed. If not for its vulnerability to the Wind Attribute, it arguably shouldn't even be classified as a fundamental attribute. Other attributes, aside from those they are weak against, usually have one or two others they struggle to overcome. Thunder, however, can dominate all except Wind. And Wind, conveniently, is countered by my Fire Attribute. Thus, by combining Heavenly Thunder and Earthly Fire... I could be virtually unstoppable!

Upon leaving the Star Martial Hall, Wang Lan hadn't driven that day and needed to walk to the bus station.

The morning rush hour had passed, and there were few pedestrians on the street. A sanitation worker in a yellow vest was diligently sweeping the street.

"CRACK—" A crisp sound suddenly shattered the quiet.

The sanitation workers sweeping the street all paused, looking perplexed towards the distance. Wang Lan, who had been walking slowly down the street, also vanished in a flash after a brief moment of surprise.

The moment Wang Lan's figure vanished, several more faint pops sounded in quick succession.

"That sounded like gunshots, didn't it?"

"Old Liu, you watch too much TV! Gunshots? You think this is a movie set? It's probably just a nearby construction site."

"No, I was a soldier. That really could be gunfire... Quick, let's call the police!"

"Old Liu, don't make a scene. This is Suzhou City; how could there be guns?"

Wang Lan transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the source of the gunshots—a nearby Agricultural Bank—at a speed of one hundred meters in five seconds. Once he saw it was the Agricultural Bank, Wang Lan was almost certain it was gunfire.

Bank robberies are usually the stuff of movies; such events rarely happen, perhaps once in decades in real life. Yet, one was unfolding right before his eyes.

As Wang Lan neared the bank, about a hundred meters away, he activated his dynamic vision.

His right eye magnified the distant scene. Through the bank's thick glass, Wang Lan clearly saw three individuals in black masks and classic bank robber attire.

But their current objective wasn't robbery; it was murder. Each had a submachine gun slung around their neck and brandished a handgun, firing wildly at the panicked, fleeing people.

The bank doors were locked from the inside. Pedestrians on the street ran in terror, fumbling with their smartphones to call the police.

Such brazen killing, with no attempt at concealment. This isn't a bank robbery; it's an act of terror!

Seeing this, Wang Lan didn't hesitate. He immediately raised his hand, launching a Fire Arrow.

The three robbers stood exposed in the middle of the bank, recklessly firing at the people inside. Wang Lan instantly fired three arrows. They shot into the bank as if piercing a water curtain, each one precisely striking a robber between the eyes.

The arrows dissipated, but flames remained, instantly engulfing the three robbers, turning them into human torches.

This sudden, horrific change halted the fleeing people in their tracks. It wasn't that they were foolish or unaware they should flee. Firstly, the doors were locked, leaving them no escape. Secondly, the sudden turn of events was too bizarre, too unbelievable. Even movies wouldn't dare film a scene like this.

"Inch Strength—"

BOOM—

With a loud CRASH, Wang Lan, already outside, punched through the tempered glass door.

Glass rained down like powder as Wang Lan flashed into the bank.

"Everyone, don't panic! I'm an agent from the Tianjian Bureau! I'm here to save you!" Wang Lan shouted, displaying his badge.

"Is the bank manager alive? Were there only three assailants? Is anyone else involved?"

"There... there are..." a female bank employee suddenly shrieked, emerging from the back. "Three more! They took the money and drove off! The car... the car..."

Suddenly, the bank clerk pointed in panic at a black armored car that had just driven onto a nearby overpass.

"That's the armored car that came to our bank for a cash pickup... That's it!"

Bank robbers? Using the bank's own armored car? Are there really criminals like this? They didn't bring their own vehicle but used the bank's? Were they not planning to escape, or what? But looking at the three charred corpses, I suddenly felt they might not have come to rob the bank at all, but simply to kill, using the robbery as a cover.

Without hesitation, Wang Lan rushed out of the bank. He glanced up at the bank building's height, then headed back inside.

"Take me to the rooftop."

"Okay... okay!"

Using the elevator, Wang Lan went straight to the top floor of the bank building. The armored car was still racing along the elevated expressway, which snaked through several large roundabouts. Although two minutes had passed, they hadn't gotten far.

Wang Lan rushed to the rooftop and instantly leaped towards the roof of the opposite building.

Like a nimble monkey darting through a forest, Wang Lan leaped rapidly between rooftops, closing in on the escaping vehicle as it climbed higher, navigating the spiraling ramps of the interchange.

In five seconds, they'll exit the interchange and hit the express overpass. The speed limit there is one hundred, but they'll surely push it to two hundred. In that case, I won't be able to catch them.

Wang Lan had just landed on a rooftop when he launched himself forward again. Like a meteorite, he plummeted from the sky, landing squarely on the overpass below.

"BEEP BEEP—" Several cars zoomed past, drivers yanking their steering wheels in fright. A person had suddenly appeared on the third-level overpass, a spot tens of meters above the ground. Forget what this guy is doing up here—how the hell did he even get up here alive?!

Unfazed, Wang Lan coldly stared at the black armored car hurtling towards him. Through its windshield, he clearly saw three masked criminals inside.

Definitely them!

Wang Lan shifted slightly, raised his hand, his right eye flashing gold. Instantly, a Crescent Arrow shot towards the oncoming vehicle.

SMASH—

The armored car's glass was bulletproof, but its resistance depended on the type. It might stop regular firearms, but against a Crescent Arrow—with killing power comparable to a sniper rifle—it was utterly useless.

The glass instantly shattered, and the arrow struck one of the men inside, killing him on the spot.

Normally, such an attack would make robbers lose all hope and obediently pull over. But the driver, seemingly unfazed and utterly unflappable, actually accelerated, charging straight at Wang Lan.

WHOOSH—

The second arrow instantly shredded the armored car's front left tire. The vehicle lost balance and veered sharply, crashing into the side guardrail.

BOOM— The armored car smashed through the guardrail, spinning and tumbling spectacularly through the air.

BOOM—

Another loud CRASH, and the armored car landed upside down in the oncoming lane, skidding for tens of meters.

Distant cars screeched to a halt. A few drivers, not even caring that they were driving into oncoming traffic, immediately U-turned and fled for their lives.

In a flash, Wang Lan was beside the overturned armored car. His Flame Sword ignited, and he sliced open the car door. The three robbers inside were slumped over, all unconscious.

One was obviously dead, pierced through the chest by Wang Lan's arrow—deader than dead. Wang Lan felt for a pulse in the carotid arteries of the other two, only to find they were also dead.

Wang Lan opened the back of the armored car. Inside were five or six large bags, and unzipping them revealed stacks of cash. However, these weren't new, consecutively numbered bills, but old, circulated currency.

Wang Lan's brows furrowed, and he sank into thought.

Were these six really here to rob the bank? Their actions looked like a robbery, but it felt more like they were seeking death. Those three in the bank, recklessly shooting and killing... if I hadn't intervened, they would have been gunned down by security once they arrived. And these three, driving a special armored car all over the city? Did they think the Jade Country's road surveillance system was just for show or something? I'd bet that within twenty minutes, the police would have cast a Sky Net, making their escape impossible.

WEE-OOO WEE-OOO—

Wang Lan's thoughts had barely settled when the piercing wail of police sirens reached his ears.

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