After two days of competition, the first round of the Provincial Martial Arts Meet had ended. Following Gong Feiyu, another contestant successfully made it into the second round's top sixty-five. With six people from Suzhou City advancing, the results weren't great, but they met the passing standard.

The end of the first round immediately led to the drawing for the second round's matchups. The big screen flashed rapidly with rows of avatars. Since there were two hours of spare time after the first round, this time the drawing was done in a one-on-one format, with avatars displayed on the left and right sides respectively.

After a patient wait of ten minutes, the first contestant from the Suzhou City delegation appeared—Gong Feiyu would be pitted against a chubby contender from Xu City. Seeing this matchup, the smile on the Dean of Instruction's face grew.

"Feiyu, Sun Xin is an Earth Attribute Star Martial Warrior, just like you. His Star Power is more substantial than an average person's, and his mastery of Star Martial Skills is also noteworthy. But don't worry. His weakness is quite obvious: his close-quarters combat strength is mediocre. As long as you get close to him, winning against him shouldn't be difficult."

"Got it," Gong Feiyu replied curtly.

Soon enough, Xu Xiangwen's opponent also appeared: a contestant from Jin City. Upon seeing Xu Xiangwen's opponent, the Dean of Instruction's face suddenly took a grim turn.

Although the contestant from Jin City was neither a team captain nor a seeded player, there were no weak players in the Jin City delegation. Anyone among them could potentially knock Jiang Xinyu out of the competition; they were all forces to be reckoned with.

"Xiangwen, don't focus on winning against him; focus on showing your best self as much as possible. The teachers from the Star Martial Academies in the audience don't only pay attention to the victors. Even if you fail, as long as you perform well, they will take note and score you accordingly. Show them the best you have to offer. Of course, winning would naturally be the best outcome."

"Understood!" As the drawing continued, the Dean of Instruction's expression grew increasingly worried.

Those progressing to the second round naturally had a much higher average strength than those in the first. Aside from the four regular powerhouse cities, the other cities only managed to retain their captains or seeded players for the second round. There was no chance of getting lucky; it all came down to the solidity of their basic skills and control over the rhythm of battle. In the eyes of the Dean of Instruction, the contestants from Suzhou City were quite good in these aspects. In his opinion, the chances of victory were fifty-fifty.

"Match twenty-two, Mu Shaoyun versus Gong Qilin."

At this, the Dean of Instruction lost his composure, springing up from his chair with a SWOOSH.

"How could this happen... How could he face this person..." The Dean of Instruction stared at the matchup in disbelief, then turned to look at Mu Shaoyun, his face full of sorrow.

"This look in your eyes, Dean of Instruction... it's really unsettling," Mu Shaoyun said lightly, wiping his tactical dagger.

"Gong Qilin is the captain of Tong City. He is also a direct descendant of the Yang Fire Clan and a Sun Law Bloodline Talent with mid-Star Cloud Stage strength. He is a strong contender for champion of this Provincial Martial Arts Meet. Shaoyun, while you are strong and exceptional, the gap between you and those outstanding scions of the Star Martial families is quite evident. Like Xiangwen, your objective should be to showcase yourself at your best."

Mu Shaoyun's expression remained calm as he acknowledged with a nonchalant 'Hmm.' Soon after, a new avatar appeared on the matchup screen—a man with waist-length hair who looked unmistakably masculine.

On his chest, he bore an impressive golden tattoo. His bare upper body was covered with sleek muscular lines—an Adonis who would make most girls scream. However, for some reason, this person left a bad first impression on Wang Lan.

Wang Lan could swear by his handsome face it wasn't because the other guy was better looking. It was the guy's arrogant expression and the provocative look in his eyes, piercing through the screen. He was practically asking for a sign to hang by his side: "I'm not targeting anyone in particular. What I mean to say is, everyone present is trash."

Suddenly, the avatar on the right lit up, revealing Wang Lan's pleasantly sweet smile.

Seeing his own smile, Wang Lan nodded in satisfaction. Now that was the proper way for a handsome guy to appear...

"Wang Lan, are you going to fight this guy?" a shocked voice rang in his ear, snapping Wang Lan out of his narcissism. He turned his head, looking at Xu Xiangwen's incredulous expression with a hint of confusion.

"Damn, Lanzi, your opponent is Yang Tianyi!"

"Yang Tianyi? The name sounds somewhat familiar..." Wang Lan murmured, then recalled, "Oh, right, he's the one with the Star Palace Artifact, isn't he?"

"Exactly, that game-breaker." Xu Xiangwen patted Wang Lan's shoulder sympathetically. "You missed his last battle because you were in the bathroom. It was brutal. His opponent clearly had mid-Star Cloud Stage strength and an Ice Attribute that countered Yang Tianyi's Thunder Attribute, but... Yang Tianyi didn't even lift a finger. He just unleashed his Star Palace Artifact and roasted him. The poor guy only lasted ten seconds before giving in. Thirty percent of his body was burned. If it weren't for the three medical Star Martial Warriors on the scene, he might have been done for. When you face him tomorrow, if you can't handle it, surrender early. His True Sunfire isn't something to trifle with."

"I can already use purple flames; why should I be afraid of his golden flames?" Wang Lan retorted.

"It's not the same. His Sun Wheel has a locking feature, imbued with a spirit imprint left by a Star Soul master. Under the Sun Wheel, even those at the Galaxy Stage would struggle to escape." The Dean of Instruction sighed, looking dejected. "I had hoped that with your strength, you could advance a few more rounds. It's unfortunate to hit this barrier in the second round. Take Xu Xiangwen's advice—don't push yourself too hard tomorrow. Preserve your strength; if the other contestants get injured, they'll still need you to heal them."

Wang Lan pursed his lips. So, in the Dean of Instruction's eyes, my only value is as a medic for our allies, huh?

Although everyone knew the Provincial Martial Arts Tournament was a gathering of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and although everyone knew that Suzhou City would inevitably face a round of desperate adversity, no one expected it to come so swiftly.

Six individuals made it into the second round, but one setback after another followed as the round began.

First was Gong Feiyu. What was thought to be an evenly matched battle turned out to be one where the opponent had been hiding their true strength all along. When their strength erupted, Gong Feiyu was utterly overwhelmed and knocked out of the ring. The seemingly easy-to-bully fatty possessed Star Power far beyond that of a normal person, so when faced with the wide-ranging Star Martial Skills, Gong Feiyu's pinpoint Star Martial Skills were simply no match. Before he could even understand what happened, he was already out of the competition.

Then, another defeat for Suzhou City followed. Later, when Xu Xiangwen entered the fray with his Pure Yang Skill, he was on the verge of a miraculous turnaround victory but lost due to exhausting his Star Power. The Dean of Instruction beat his chest in frustration; this had been Suzhou City's closest brush with victory.

"Xinyu, it's all up to you now…" Before Jiang Xinyu entered the stage, the Dean of Instruction looked almost on the verge of tears.

The scenario of six soldiers going to battle and only one returning was unfolding for the Suzhou City team. With the three who carried their hopes all crushed and defeated, if only Jiang Xinyu advanced to the third round, then Suzhou City would truly become a laughingstock. This year's team was the best Suzhou City had seen in ten years. To get the worst results in ten years... that was unthinkable.

At this moment, the internet also exploded.

"Is it really that exciting? Is this year's team just not up to par, or is each year's team getting worse than the last? Wasn't it said that this year's Suzhou City team is the strongest in history?"

"Boasting is easy. The strongest in history? They haven't even made it to the third round, and they've been whittled down to a lone fighter."

"That's not entirely true; it's obvious this year's team is stronger than those from the past. Suzhou City's team has five members at the Star Cloud Stage! In the past, having two was enough to be called the Gemini Stars, and with three, they could dream of the championship."

"Right, five Star Cloud Stage members, and one didn't even make it past the first round. I suspect that particular Star Cloud Stage member just snuck in."

"Let's be rational and analyze the problem objectively. This year's Suzhou City team is indeed strong. If this Suzhou City team had participated in last year's Provincial Martial Arts Meet, they might really have had a shot at the championship. It's just bad luck this year. While the Suzhou City team grew stronger, other city teams strengthened as well. Moreover, their improvement outpaced Suzhou's, naturally making them look like weaklings."

"Quick, look! The captain of the Suzhou City team is up."

"If they lose this match, then it's truly over."

Under the weight of high expectations, the match began. Jiang Xinyu's tactics perfectly embodied her usual style: reckless! One after another, she used Ice Attribute, Wind Attribute, and Water Attribute Star Martial Skills. She had Ice Slide Techniques to restrict the opponent's movement, Wind Cutting for penetrating defense, Water Impact to push the enemy back, and plenty of Ice Attribute skills for crowd control and damage output.

The opponent, who was just at the early Star Cloud Stage with Thunder and Fire Dual Attributes, was completely baffled by Jiang Xinyu's barrage. In less than a minute, they raised the flag to surrender.

Jiang Xinyu walked back with firm steps. Although it was a splendid victory, the gloom hanging over the Suzhou City team did not dissipate because the next two matches were against opponents who were almost impossible for them to beat.

Upon reaching the stands, the Dean of Instruction hurriedly welcomed her with enthusiasm.

Being whittled down to one person was bad enough, but at least there was still one left. Getting completely wiped out would have been truly disgraceful.

"How's the arm?" Wang Lan asked softly, sitting down next to Jiang Xinyu.

"It's nothing." She let Wang Lan hold her arm. Soon, a warm current flowed through it, quickly dispelling the burning pain.

It appeared that Jiang Xinyu had dominated her opponent. However, the opponent wasn't to be underestimated; their counterattack upon facing defeat had even crippled one of Jiang Xinyu's arms. But for the Suzhou City team, with Wang Lan, their healing Star Martial Warrior, such a wound was trivial.

"Next match: Mu Shaoyun against Gong Qilin."

Mu Shaoyun slowly stood and walked calmly to the battle arena.

"Let the match begin—"

The moment the words fell, Gong Qilin suddenly extended his arms, pointing towards Mu Shaoyun from afar. Instantaneously, a white light flared in his palm, and a beam shot out.

At that distance, with that firing velocity, even Wang Lan couldn't help but look astonished. The distance between Mu Shaoyun and Gong Qilin was at least fifty meters, and Gong Qilin's Star Martial Skill launched in less than half a second. The moment the light beam fired, it had already hit Mu Shaoyun.

It was like firing a sniper rifle from fifty meters away: as soon as the sniper pulled the trigger, the target was hit. This Star Martial Skill, in terms of both casting speed and attack velocity, was unavoidable. At least, Wang Lan wasn't sure he could dodge it in time with his Star Cloud Sword Dance.

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