"Let's go!" Gong Feiyu beckoned to Xu Xiangwen. "Lanzi, stop packing. Grab your belongings, and let's go."

Wang Lan exchanged a curious glance with Xu Xiangwen. Pulling his suitcase, he followed Gong Feiyu out the door and into the elevator, heading straight to the top floor.

"Three luxury suites are reserved on the top floor, each with four rooms. Sisi and Xinyu get one suite, the teachers another, and the remaining one is for the three of us."

"Wait a minute, isn't the Grand Hyatt Hotel's room allocation managed by the Suzhou City organizers? Shouldn't the suites on the top floor be reserved for the higher-ups? How did you get one?" Xu Xiangwen had barely finished speaking when his expression twisted, and he began gnashing his teeth.

"The Grand Hyatt Hotel is yours?"

"It was a gift from my cousin on my tenth birthday. I almost freaking forgot about it. If Manager Xu hadn't called me about the bid this time, I wouldn't have known."

"Wow—" Xu Xiangwen let out a strange yell as he rushed into a room and slammed the door shut.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, just feeling the sting."

In the Suzhou City Gymnasium, balloons floated into the sky and colorful flags fluttered in the breeze. Amidst lively pop music, the opening ceremony of the 53rd Jiang Province Martial Arts Tournament officially began.

Dozens of news media outlets, representatives of Star Martial Warriors from all quarters, and leaders of schools from various cities converged at the gymnasium.

There were speeches from leaders, a talk from the head of the Suzhou City Star Martial Hall, and more from various other dignitaries. An entire morning passed with nothing but speeches.

The 130 contestants from across the province sat yawning in the stands. It wasn't until around 10:00 a.m. that the various speeches and mutual adulation finally concluded. When it was time for the cultural performances, having already endured nearly two hours of what felt like monotonous chanting, the contestants finally showed a flicker of interest.

The grand opening ceremony, filled with cultural performances interspersed with announcements and declarations, continued until 3:00 p.m.

"Next, we will proceed with the draw for the first round of the provincial tournament battles. Starting tomorrow, there will be 65 matches in the first round. This is what all the participants are concerned about, anxiously waiting to know who their opponents will be.

So, let's begin the draw for the battle roster. Please look at the big screen—"

On the big screen, two rows of names rapidly scrolled.

"Although we are using an electronic draw, its calculation method is completely random. There will definitely be no intentional interference. This is the first live broadcast of the provincial tournament, guaranteeing fairness and impartiality. Alright, the matchup list for the first group of 20 people is out."

The names of Xu Xiangwen and Xie Sisi were conspicuously listed among the first 10 matchups.

After taking screenshots of the battle roster, the drawing continued.

Soon, the names of Zhuang Haotian, Mu Shaoyun, Jiang Xinyu, Gong Feiyu, and others appeared.

"Wang Lan, your name's up!" Xu Xiangwen suddenly shouted. At that moment, the big screen froze just as Xu Xiangwen finished speaking.

Wang Lan vs. Jiang Wanzhou.

"Jiang Wanzhou?" Wang Lan mused over the name. "That sounds kind of familiar..."

"Of course it does." Xu Xiangwen turned to Wang Lan with a sympathetic expression. "If I were you, I'd be reflecting right now on what the heck I've been doing all year."

"Uh... it's not that guy from Chang City, is it?" Zhuang Haotian suddenly exclaimed with alarm.

"Yep, that's the one." A smile of schadenfreude touched Gong Feiyu's lips. "Lanzi, out of 130 people, you've drawn the one who completely counters you. Less than a 1% chance, and you still managed to hit it. I'm impressed."

Wang Lan's mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

"Jiang Wanzhou, a Star Cloud Stage Star Martial Warrior with dual water and earth Star Martial Attributes... Chang City team, contestant number three," Xu Xiangwen murmured to himself.

"But even if he has dual attributes, even if he is a Star Cloud Stage Star Martial Warrior, he won't necessarily beat Wang Lan, right?" Zhuang Haotian tried to offer comfort, albeit hesitantly.

"Wang Lan is no ordinary Star Cloud Stage warrior. Even Xinyu wouldn't dare say she could win for sure. I can't believe Jiang Wanzhou could be more formidable than Xinyu."

"But have you forgotten about elemental counters?"

"Doesn't Xinyu's attribute also counter Wang Lan's? Yet Wang Lan can fight back with the Star Cloud Sword Dance and Crescent Arrows, can't he?"

"But Jiang Wanzhou is different. He has mastered a Hydrometamorphosis Secret Skill. Under the effects of this secret technique, his body becomes immune to all physical attacks. Even if he's reduced to dust, he will reappear unharmed as water.

The only way to counter such a technique is with an Elemental Attack. But an Elemental Attack... Wang Lan's fire attribute against the Hydrometamorphosis Secret Skill? Don't make me laugh."

Hearing this, Zhuang Haotian found himself unable to come up with any other reasons for Wang Lan to win.

Outclassed in Star Martial level, completely countered in Star Martial Attributes. Even setting those aside, Wang Lan excelled in all aspects; his Basic Skills and Form Changing Star Martial Skills were outstanding. Yet, this particular secret technique could nullify most physical attacks.

It felt like Wang Lan was about to be pinned under the Five-Finger Mountain for five hundred years.

The matchup draw concluded, and the opening day ended. The real competition would only start the following day.

"Now that you all know your respective opponents, don't just focus on having fun when you get back. Study your opponents carefully and figure out how to win. As you study your opponents, they are also studying you. You can't afford to be careless, and more importantly, don't underestimate any of your opponents.

Our luck isn't bad this time. Xinyu, Shaoyun, and Haotian all have a solid chance of advancing. Xiangwen, Feiyu, as long as you're careful, you shouldn't have any problems. In the first round, 130 contestants will be reduced to 65. As long as our team's elimination rate is below 50%, we'll have met our expectations."

The head of instruction, acting as their team leader this time, gave guidance and reminders to Wang Lan and the others. Finally, he looked at Xie Sisi, Ma Chengcheng, and Wang Lan, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke words of comfort.

"Your opponents are much stronger than you. During your matches, don't push yourselves too hard. Just do your best and know when to stop. The provincial martial arts tournament is just one stage in your lives, certainly not the only one.

Being able to represent Suzhou City in this competition already proves your excellence. So, don't feel any psychological burden. If your opponent is too strong, concede in a timely manner. There's no shame in that!"

What else could Wang Lan say? Of course, the director was right; his words were sensible.

All the competitors, including their supervising teachers, ate in the hotel's ground-floor main dining hall. They could order from a menu or choose the buffet.

The hotel was aware of the appetites of Star Martial Warriors, so every waiter in the restaurant was bustling about, sweating profusely. Although everyone ate with gusto, the dining hall remained relatively quiet.

This was especially true for the students from other cities, who were still in their adjustment period in an unfamiliar place and seemed quite reserved.

Wang Lan was currently devouring a large, square steak. From time to time, he would spread black pepper sauce on a freshly cut surface before quickly popping it into his mouth, swallowing it almost as fast as one might eat a piece of bread.

Sitting opposite Wang Lan was Jiang Xinyu. She stirred her coffee, her eyes occasionally drifting to Wang Lan as he ate. Watching him made her feel hungry again, even though she had just finished her meal.

"Are you really not worried at all? Or have you already thought of a plan?" Jiang Xinyu suddenly asked, her tone indifferent.

"Worried about what? What plan?"

"That Jiang Wanzhou you're fighting... his abilities strongly counter yours. If it were me, I could easily handle him. If he dared to use his Hydrometamorphosis Secret Skill in front of me, I could freeze him into an ice sculpture instantly. What about you? What will you do?"

"What else can I do? Just burn him dry, and that'll be that," Wang Lan said with a smile. Since I've mastered Thunder Snake, why would I be afraid of your Hydrometamorphosis? I'll electrolyze you directly. This Hydrometamorphosis Secret Skill is powerful, but it also has major flaws. Whether it can unleash its full potential depends entirely on who is using it.

"Accompany me to the mall later," Jiang Xinyu suddenly said.

"To the mall? What for?"

"To buy some toiletries."

"Doesn't the hotel provide those?"

PFFT! The moment Wang Lan finished speaking, a girl with a short Sassoon haircut at the next table suddenly snickered. Seeing Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu look over, the girl quickly waved her hands in apology.

"Sorry, sorry... I didn't mean to... It's just that when I heard your boyfriend's reaction, it was exactly like what people say online... I couldn't help but laugh."

The girl stood up, came over, and sat next to Jiang Xinyu. "Chang City team, Yu Zhisha. You must be Jiang Xinyu from the Suzhou City team, right?"

"Yu Zhisha? Captain of the Chang City team? The successor to the Shadow Assassination Technique... A pleasure to meet you!"

"Not at all, you're the amazing one, Jiang Xinyu. An Ice, Wind, and Water tripartite Star Martial Warrior, mid-stage Star Cloud Stage, comprehensively skilled."

"Stop flattering each other, it's awkward to listen to. By the way, what reaction online were you talking about?" Wang Lan asked curiously.

"Online, they say all men are like pig's trotters; their minds ignore all the details and only retain a general outcome. For example, when you talk about lipstick color, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?"

"Red, right? It's called lipstick, so it couldn't be green, could it?"

"So, what color lipstick would you buy for a girl?"

"Red, I guess? Or maybe pink?"

"So, you see... There are so many shades of red, each for different occasions, matching different temperaments. If you had to choose carefully, which one would you give your girlfriend?"

"Is it that complicated? Why not just buy one of each kind?"

Yu Zhisha gave Wang Lan a thumbs-up. "Buddy, that's a very standard answer. But if your girlfriend just wants to pick a fight, she'll still say, 'You don't understand me at all.' Buying one of each kind is like buying a piece of clothing in every size. What's the difference?

"Getting back to toiletries, girls have specific brands, scents, and even packaging they prefer for their bath products. What the hotel provides might not be what we like. I don't like the hotel's toiletries either. Shall we go together later? I want to buy some too."

"Sure!"

"Xinyu, since someone is going with you, I don't need to come along, right? You guys go ahead."

Yu Zhisha stared at Wang Lan in shock. Was this guy fearless, or was he just digging his own grave?

"Do you have plans tonight?"

"Not really. I can't do combat training anyway. But I promised Xiangwen earlier we'd team up for some games later."

"You play games?"

"Not really, but Xiangwen, Feiyu, and Ma Chengcheng said they'd carry me and help me rank up." Wang Lan's smile was gentle and amiable.

"Accompany me to the mall. Help me carry my things," the queen commanded decisively.

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