After a long while, the electric arcs dissipated. Wang Lan remained standing, but Jiang Wanzhou had fallen. His body was charred black, emitting wisps of faint blue smoke, especially his elegant flowing hair, which was now standing on end.

"Wang Lan versus Jiang Wanzhou, Wang Lan wins, successfully advancing to the second round."

"Successfully advancing to the second round of the provincial martial arts competition, reward: 5,000 experience points and 200 skill points." The system notification sounded, and Wang Lan's lips curved into a slight smile.

Before the competition, his skill points had accumulated to 1,600. The first round gave me 200 skill points, so now I only need 200 more [for my next upgrade/goal]. If I advance another round, the reward definitely won't be just 200; it should be at least 300.

Feeling absolutely delighted, Wang Lan stepped back to the grandstand with a swagger that seemed liberated after being isolated, unaware that the online world outside was exploding over his drift-like sharp turn of events.

If it were a typical comeback victory, it wouldn't have seemed so unbelievable. But Wang Lan's victory was further highlighted by Jiang Wanzhou's utter foolishness.

Among the dozens who fought earlier, who was as much of a loudmouth as Jiang Wanzhou? It was one thing to bluster about Wang Lan being last year's Wolf King, but to make such a cringeworthy, middle-schooler-like victory declaration before actually winning?

"Talk the toughest, get hit the hardest"—that must be what this was, right?

"My level is higher than yours, my attribute counters yours, and my Innate Ability crushes yours. I'm better than you in every way, how can you possibly win against me?" Just three seconds after his words landed, he was the one twitching on the ground.

"PFFT—HAHAHA... Is this guy here for comic relief?"

"This is the funniest thing I've seen all year! The way he was posturing, I almost believed he was actually a king."

"To the commenter above, can I just say, Jiang Wanzhou *is* actually very capable? His abilities are genuinely strong. I dare say that ninety percent of Star Martial Warriors at the same level couldn't beat him."

"Look, an honest person! Everyone, come and tease him!"

"Jiang Wanzhou is strong, but he shouldn't have encountered the Wolf King, let alone try to act tough in front of the Wolf King. All that posturing? The Wolf King did it all last year, and not once did it end up a total disaster!"

"Exactly! 'How can you win against me?' That's so lame compared to last year's Wolf King saying, 'I'm in a hurry.' Just pathetic."

At this moment, the viewership for the live broadcast of the Jiang Province provincial martial arts competition surged from its original national eighth place, jumping three spots to fifth nationwide.

Upon returning to the stands, Wang Lan immediately felt eight or nine sharp gazes on him. Even Jiang Xinyu and Xu Xiangwen were staring at him with expressions that clearly spelled trouble.

"Um..." Feeling the atmosphere grow somewhat tense, Wang Lan swallowed nervously and forced a strained smile. "Do you have any questions? I can... explain."

"When did you learn Thunder Attribute Star Martial Skills?" Jiang Xinyu asked eagerly.

"About... half a month ago, I think..." Wang Lan pondered for a moment.

"No, Lanzi, I remember... you don't have a Thunder Attribute talent, do you? How did you learn Thunder Attribute Star Martial Skills?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I not only have a Thunder Attribute talent, I have full attribute talents," Wang Lan said, immediately putting on an expression that suggested they knew nothing about the real him, and spread his hands.

I'm done pretending; I'm laying my cards on the table. I'll have to reveal it sooner or later, so I might as well do it now. I am a genius, the legendary one-in-ten-thousand Star Martial Warrior with full attribute talents.

"Wang Lan, when you applied for your Star Martial Badge, I went with you. Seventy percent of your Star Martial Attributes were Fire, and thirty percent were Yang. Where did Thunder come from?" Jiang Xinyu's voice was like a piercing north wind.

"Perhaps my physique is rather special, and other attributes can't be detected by the instruments. I guess my Star Martial Attributes only manifest after I learn Star Martial Skills of that attribute. Xinyu, at the time of the test, I had only mastered one Star Martial Skill, you understand."

Jiang Xinyu's pupils contracted slightly. She remembered that Wang Lan had later displayed a terrifying phoenix-form Star Martial Skill in the training field. But... is that even possible? Is he joking?

Star Martial Warriors could only cultivate Star Martial Skills of an attribute if they possessed the corresponding talent. There was no such thing as gaining an attribute talent *because* one cultivated a Star Martial Skill of that attribute. The logic was completely backward.

But then... Wang Lan clearly only had the Fire Attribute, yet now he successfully used a Thunder Attribute skill, and its power was so formidable?

Jiang Xinyu hadn't ruled out the possibility of him cultivating a second attribute. But cultivating a second attribute was only possible at the Galaxy Stage. Every Star Martial Warrior realm had hurdles that must be overcome and goals that must be achieved.

The Starlight Stage marked the transition from an ordinary person to a superhuman. The task of the Star Shine Stage was to reach the standard of a qualified warrior—combat skills, combat awareness, combat mentality, and so forth.

At the Star Cloud Stage, the main focus was on Star Martial Skills; one had to cultivate at least four or five Star Martial Skills to perfection. Control over Star Power and proficiency in releasing Star Martial Skills both had to be honed to a certain level, to exert the greatest power with the least consumption of Star Power.

And at the Galaxy Stage, strength underwent a qualitative change. Before the Galaxy Stage, disparities in realm could still be compensated for by numbers, attribute counters, or specific strategies. But at the Galaxy Stage and beyond, the gaps in strength would become increasingly vast.

In the Galaxy Stage, Star Power would undergo a transformation. This transformation would trigger an opportunity, breaking the boundaries of Star Power attributes. The seven basic attributes could then give rise to another attribute.

Thus, almost all Star Martial Warriors at the Galaxy Stage possessed dual or multiple attributes. Multiple attributes helped avoid the disadvantage of being countered, and once one's understanding of Star Martial Skills reached a certain height, they could attempt to use composite Star Martial Skills.

The power of composite Star Martial Skills was absolutely not a simple one-plus-one addition. It was an upgrade at a fundamental level. Among Galaxy Stage warriors of the same rank, those who had mastered composite Star Martial Skills were undoubtedly among the most outstanding elite.

This was also why Wang Lan being able to use composite Star Martial Skills had caused such widespread disbelief.

But now, even more shocking than Wang Lan's ability to use composite Star Martial Skills was the fact that he had an additional Thunder Attribute.

The audience began to buzz with discussion, but no one yet knew that Wang Lan inherently only had the Fire Attribute. They assumed he had mastered the Thunder Attribute Star Martial Skill long ago and had kept it hidden as a trump card.

Even so, Wang Lan was indeed dazzlingly impressive, perhaps excessively so. He was only at the Star Shine Stage! Could someone at the Star Shine Stage truly master so many advanced Star Martial Skills? The question is, where did they come from? Where did he get so many A-grade Star Martial Skills? It's enough to make anyone green with envy!

This match was the first climax of the provincial tournament's opening round and perhaps also the turning point that marked the beginning of Suzhou City's team's Waterloo. Following Wang Lan, Mu Shaoyun and Gong Feiyu successively defeated their respective opponents.

The first round achieved the expected pass rate of fifty percent. With two contestants remaining, their wins or losses were no longer critical, and the Head of Teaching's expression had visibly brightened.

The first day of the competition ended at 5:50 p.m., but online, the fallout from the day's live-streamed matches was just beginning to gather steam.

As the most captivating match of the first round, imaginative netizens began to showcase their talents freely. The dialogue between Jiang Wanzhou and Wang Lan was turned into memes.

"You're at a lower level than me, your attributes are countered by mine, your specialty is suppressed by me, how can you possibly win against me?"

"SIZZLE—"

"Just like that, I win."

The chibi-style memes spread like a virus through major forums and chat groups. Many witty netizens, not wanting to miss out, quickly flooded the screens with fresh jokes.

"What? Your level isn't as high as mine, your equipment isn't as good as mine, how can we even fight? I surrender, I surrender! We Jiang family members know when not to pick a fight!"

Although struck by Wang Lan's thunderous electrocution, Wang Lan had held back. The blow only caused Jiang Wanzhou to lose consciousness and sustain injuries; there were no life-threatening dangers or risks of lasting complications.

After receiving treatment from the medical Star Martial Warriors, Jiang Wanzhou slowly opened his eyes in the middle of the night.

When he saw the snow-white ceiling, Jiang Wanzhou thought, Have I arrived in heaven?

"Wanzhou, how are you feeling? Any discomfort?" A voice suddenly reached Jiang Wanzhou's ear.

Jiang Wanzhou hurriedly turned his head. "Mr. Qin... is this... a hospital?"

"Yes, you were injured in today's match. Are you feeling any better now?"

Only then did Jiang Wanzhou remember he was here for the provincial tournament. Today was supposed to be my first glorious battle in the tournament! He sat up abruptly, grabbed Mr. Qin's hand, and asked excitedly, "Mr. Qin, did I win?"

The strange look in Mr. Qin's eyes made Jiang Wanzhou extremely uncomfortable. Mr. Qin reached out and patted Jiang Wanzhou's head. "Silly boy, you were beaten until you blacked out. How could you have won?"

Jiang Wanzhou's eyes instantly widened, disbelief plastered all over his face.

I lost? Impossible... Wasn't my opponent... very weak? How could I, a Star Cloud Stage warrior, lose to someone at the Star Shine Stage?

"Rest well. Victory and defeat are common in battle. If you lose once, there's always a next time. Your excellence is the result of your consistent hard work; don't let one defeat negate all of that. I believe in you!"

With that, Mr. Qin left the hospital room, a smile on his face. But the moment the door closed, he let out a long sigh.

Victory and defeat are indeed common in warfare. Yet, some victories, no matter how many, can't offset a single crucial defeat; and some defeats, no matter how numerous, can't diminish a single crucial victory. A single loss might mean another chance elsewhere, but in the provincial tournament, there is no next time. This defeat... it's for life...

I lost? Jiang Wanzhou picked up the cellphone by his bed. Although I blacked out, my mind is still working. Even if I can't remember, I need to find out how I lost.

But as soon as he logged onto the forum, a title caught his eye. As if compelled by an unseen force, he clicked on it, and a GIF loaded on the screen.

"My Star Martial level is higher than yours, my Star Martial Attributes counter yours, my secret techniques completely suppress you, how can you possibly win against me?"

The next second, the GIF showed Wang Lan wreathed in electric arcs, while he himself lay on the ground like a dead dog, convulsing. The shame he felt seeing this was as intense as the smugness he'd felt while boasting.

So I... lost like... this?

The more I think about it, the angrier and more embarrassed I become! Reading the replies from netizens below, Jiang Wanzhou felt as if countless people were rushing at him, slapping his face relentlessly.

Suddenly, his blood pressure surged. He felt dizzy, his eyes rolled back, and Jiang Wanzhou once again passed out spectacularly.

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