Wang Lan found it really hard to join in the conversation about women's topics.

Jiang Xinyu and Yu Zhisha, however, seemed to hit it off like old friends, chatting about everything from fashion to handbags, from this spring's new arrivals to future trends. Ever since they entered the mall, it was like a rule to go into every shop they came across. The mall, which didn't seem large in Wang Lan's eyes, made him feel as though he had traversed an entire training ground map.

After nearly an hour of shopping, Wang Lan found himself carrying six or seven shopping bags, yet the main purpose of Jiang Xinyu's trip seemed as distant as ever.

"Um, Xinyu, Zhisha, what did we come out here for again?" Wang Lan couldn't help but ask tentatively as they entered a shoe store.

"Shopping," Jiang Xinyu replied.

"No, I mean, didn't we come out to buy bath products?"

"We've still got time; let's get the bath products last," Jiang Xinyu said nonchalantly, apparently missing the point Wang Lan was trying to make.

When it comes to shopping in malls, the potential that women unleash can exhaust a husky into collapse. And the stamina of a female Star Martial Warrior during shopping could tire out ten huskies to the brink of despair.

In any case, during the last half-hour, Wang Lan was surviving purely on willpower. It was only at the very last minute that he, laden with bags both big and small, finally entered the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

"I should have decisively snapped up that handbag just now... I have some regrets," Jiang Xinyu lamented.

"In three months, there will be a large release of new products, and they'll be thirty percent cheaper," Yu Zhisha consoled.

"But they won't have the serial numbers... The first-release models each come with a unique serial number."

"We can go back in a couple of days; the provincial Martial Arts Competition is going to last at least five days anyway."

Inside the elevator, the two women's souls seemed to still be lingering in the mall. The Grand Hyatt Hotel had thirty-two floors, with the first six or seven dedicated to various facilities. It wasn't until the elevator doors opened and someone else entered that the two stopped talking.

DING—

The elevator doors opened again. The two people who had just entered got off on the seventh floor, and suddenly, four teenagers crowded in.

"Captain, what a coincidence!" one of them greeted Yu Zhisha.

"A coincidence indeed. Did you just come from the gym?" Yu Zhisha replied.

"Yeah, we were bored and went to warm up. Captain, the director was just giving us a pep talk; where were you?"

"Me? I went out to buy a few things after lunch. What did the director say?"

"What else could he say? We drew the short straw this time. Except for you and Jiang Wanzhou, who drew weaklings, the rest of us got tough opponents... Sigh, this is going to be a hard fight. If less than fifty percent of us make it through the first round, it'll be a total disgrace."

Wang Lan's mouth twitched slightly as he glanced at the short, chubby boy. It seemed that when he mentioned the "weakling" Jiang Wanzhou had drawn, he was referring to me, right?

"Don't talk nonsense," Yu Zhisha chided. "There isn't a single weakling among those competing in the provincial Martial Arts Competition. You must be humble and never arrogant. If you end up getting beaten like a dog by one of these so-called 'weaklings,' you'll be disgraced across the nation."

The chubby boy felt Wang Lan's gaze, glanced back, and quickly looked away. He seemed to have recognized Wang Lan, as he stuck his tongue out towards the elevator wall.

DING—

The elevator doors opened, and the group hurried out. Yu Zhisha turned to look at Wang Lan. "Sorry about that, they didn't mean any harm..."

"No problem. Strategically underestimating the opponent, eh? I look forward to our meeting on the battlefield."

"We're looking forward to it as well. I'll head back now. See you tomorrow."

Only Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu remained in the elevator. The atmosphere grew somewhat tense. As they neared the top floor, Jiang Xinyu suddenly turned to Wang Lan. "Are you confident?"

"Shouldn't be a big problem. It's not yet certain who the real weakling is, after all."

「The next day,」

The stirring strains of the Star Martial Army's departure song echoed above the Suzhou City Sports Pavilion. Drones, like sprites of spring, fluttered in the sky. Dozens of high-definition cameras positioned throughout the sports pavilion provided unobstructed coverage of every corner of the competition field. The exciting provincial Martial Arts Competition was about to begin, and across the internet, countless eager eyes were locked onto Jiang Province's live-streaming platforms.

Suzhou City had hosted the Star Martial Art Contest for three consecutive years. However, could its significance truly compare to the provincial Martial Arts Competition? Even if the participants in the provincial competition were students, they were city representatives. The quality gap between the provincial Martial Arts Competition and the Star Martial Art Contest was like comparing a national team to a minor league.

"The first round of the provincial Martial Arts Competition is about to start! The three fighting arenas are ready! With that, I now declare the first round of the competition... begins! Please welcome the competitors to the stage!"

"He's coming, he's coming, walking towards the field under the watchful gaze of the expectant crowd..."

"The first match features Ji Qianxi from Salt City! The people of Salt City send their blessings to student Ji Qianxi—"

"The people of Xu City say, 'Best of luck to student Ji Qianxi—'"

"Xu City trash."

"Personal attack plus regional attack! Ban him—"

The competition hadn't even started, but the internet was already ablaze with arguments. Amidst the online chaos and the palpable atmosphere of anticipation and tension on-site, referees in all three competition arenas blew their whistles almost simultaneously.

As expected of the provincial Martial Arts Competition, there wasn't a single weak participant. Even the relatively weaker contenders possessed professional-level practical experience and combat awareness. The Star Martial Art Contest Wang Lan had participated in previously only began to showcase a high concentration of quality around the final fifty contestants. In contrast, the provincial Martial Arts Competition featured high-quality participants from the very beginning.

Contestants moved like lightning, employing countless battle tactics. The sharp close-quarters combat and spectacular displays of Star Martial Skills offered a visual feast for everyone watching the livestream.

"Holy cow, it's so thrilling right from the start! I can only imagine how intense the second and third rounds will be."

"Worth it! This day off is so worth it! Screw work! I need Coke, popcorn, and a recliner..."

"I'm on the night shift. No pressure at all—I can earn money and watch the competition simultaneously."

"Hey, person above, careful you don't suddenly drop dead."

"Jinx! What do you know about youth? For guys like us in our twenties, we're practically all liver; staying up five days and five nights is nothing." This was followed by an emoji of a figure with white hair and a weather-beaten face.

"Aside from their Star Power only being at the Star Shine Stage, they have almost no weaknesses," Wang Lan observed objectively, watching the contestants clash below.

"Indeed. Even if several cities north of the river are relatively weaker in strength, that's only in comparison to powerhouses like Jin City. It's not that they're weak; it's just that those other cities are too freakish."

"Even half a year ago, I wouldn't have been confident of winning," Xu Xiangwen said, his eyes glinting with a warrior's spirit.

"But this isn't half a year ago. They're doomed; they won't make it past the third round."

Matches were short, some lasting ten minutes, others up to half an hour. All three arenas soon concluded their initial bouts. While some venues were just starting their second match, others were already onto their third.

「An hour later,」

Jiang Xinyu stepped onto the stage. Her opponent was an Earth Attribute Star Martial Warrior. He had mastered a precise Earth Movement Skill and a large-range Star Martial Skill capable of altering terrain. His Star Power level was also approaching the mid-Star Cloud Stage.

Clearly, the opponent had studied Jiang Xinyu's strengths and launched a targeted strategy. But Jiang Xinyu was well-rounded, rendering such tailored tactics largely ineffective. Within thirty seconds of the start, her opponent's strategy was thoroughly disrupted.

Subsequently, Jiang Xinyu unleashed a barrage akin to an Ice Snow Gatling gun. From beginning to end, she kept her opponent under pressure. Her opponent, clearly not one to passively await defeat, attempted to close in on Jiang Xinyu for close-quarters combat, hoping for a slim chance of survival.

Unfortunately, before he even got within five meters of Jiang Xinyu, he was frozen into an ice sculpture and eliminated.

Then, Xu Xiangwen took the stage. He used his evasive clone tactics to utterly exhaust his opponent. By the time the opponent was defeated and eliminated, he still hadn't figured out which was the real Xu Xiangwen.

With the first two Suzhou City representatives emerging triumphant, the director of education was beaming like a gourd.

But when Ma Chengcheng entered the fray, her luck turned sour. Her opponent, initially assessed to be on par with Ma Chengcheng, suddenly unleashed a secret technique that stimulated their body's potential, blasting Ma Chengcheng out of the arena. Although her opponent ultimately fainted from overexertion, Ma Chengcheng was defeated first.

Ma Chengcheng's initial loss seemed to open the floodgates for the Suzhou City team's defeats. In the next match, Xie Sisi, after a hard struggle, was knocked out of the arena by an opponent's Star Martial Skill.

Xie Sisi stubbornly glared at the girl opposite her, who was similar in height and build, regretting several mistakes she'd made during the match. Her opponent, however, regarded Xie Sisi with an expression of unexpected seriousness and surprise.

"I didn't expect that with your Star Shine Stage strength, you could fight me to this extent. Throughout Jiang Province, you're likely the strongest at the Star Shine Stage. With your strength, you might have passed the first round if you hadn't faced a Star Cloud Stage opponent. It's a pity you ran into me. What's your name?"

"Xie Sisi!"

"I'll remember you. I believe that one day, your name will resound across the skies. Keep it up!"

"You too! Keep it up!"

Xie Sisi's loss was somewhat expected. However, Zhuang Haotian's unexpected defeat nearly made the director of education lose his composure. Yet, having watched the entire match intently, he couldn't fault Zhuang Haotian. The opponent possessed an ability not covered in the intelligence reports, which put Zhuang Haotian at a complete disadvantage. His elimination cast a gloomy shadow over the Suzhou City team.

"Next, please welcome Wang Lan from the Suzhou City team and Jiang Wanzhou from the Chang City team to the stage!"

Shortly after Zhuang Haotian was eliminated, the announcement for Wang Lan's match resounded from arena number three. Hearing this, the director of education's expression grew even darker. Suzhou City had already suffered three consecutive eliminations. Now it was Wang Lan's turn, which seemed like another inevitable loss. Is Suzhou City heading for a fourth consecutive defeat?

The director quietly turned his head to glance at Principal Zhang, whose face was also grim. He figured he was in for a serious scolding after today's events.

It wasn't just the director who was displeased; the citizens of Suzhou City were also deeply unhappy. While the director could only internalize his dissatisfaction, the netizens of Suzhou City took to the internet to vent their frustrations.

"Trash! Trash! This year's Suzhou City Star Martial Art third-year high school class is all trash!"

"Exactly! Aside from the Ice-Snow Queen and Xu Xiangwen, who are the others? The moment their opponents use a few tricks, they're clueless. Are you telling me only contestants from other cities have secret techniques? Doesn't our great Suzhou City have a single decent Star Martial family?"

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