The warm May breeze rustled the green willows, and white clouds like beautiful cotton tufts dotted the blue canvas of the sky. Yang Tianyi, wearing a pale gold trench coat, walked step by step towards Wang Lan.

His full head of hair, lifted by the breeze, seemed to drift as if in water.

Wang Lan stood quietly ten meters opposite Yang Tianyi, his body surrounded by surging Star Power.

"Student Wang Lan, Student Yang Tianyi, are you ready?"

"Ready, teacher," Wang Lan replied calmly.

"Hmm," Yang Tianyi hummed softly.

"Good, then... the match begins!"

BEEP—

The instant the whistle pierced the air, Wang Lan moved. His body suddenly seemed to explode, splitting into over a dozen silhouettes, much like Mu Shaoyun's The Skill of Duplicates. This scene caused many contestants from outside Suzhou City in the audience to stare in disbelief.

"Another use of The Skill of Duplicates? Do all the students from Suzhou City specialize in this?"

"Splitting into over a dozen illusory duplicates in an instant? Even more impressive than Mu Shaoyun? And he's only at the Star Shine Stage!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding teachers from various Star Martial Academies furrowed their brows. They coldly turned to look at the speaking student. Upon seeing it was an already eliminated contestant, their reaction was understandable.

"Shut up, don't embarrass yourself. Can't you even tell if it's The Skill of Duplicates or not? Even if you can't, shouldn't you have read the information on the Suzhou City contestants? What kind of The Skill of Duplicates is this? This is simply Wang Lan's Star Cloud Dance. It's just that the afterimages linger longer."

Although its appearance was similar to The Skill of Duplicates, its essence was entirely different. At the very least, The Skill of Duplicates could act independently, while the Star Cloud Dance could not. It merely served to confuse the opponent and conceal the user's true body.

Yang Tianyi's lips curled slightly upwards, and the Star Power around his body surged. In a flash, an Array of Star Power condensed before him. He brought a clenched fist to his mouth.

"Great Fireball Skill."

BOOM—

A blaze erupted from Yang Tianyi's mouth, instantly transforming into a massive fireball over ten meters in diameter. The fireball rolled like a heavy truck, barreling towards Wang Lan. The Great Fireball Skill was a Star Martial Skill that fell between single-target attacks and area-of-effect damage.

Even with Wang Lan's exquisite Star Cloud Dance and swift evasion, if the entire area was under attack, he could only retreat. The moment he retreated, a Purple Flame Arrow instantly shot out from his wrist.

BOOM—

The fireball exploded, flames spreading outward in all directions. It was as if the ground, doused in alcohol, had suddenly been set ablaze. The match had started with such an explosive Star Martial Skill that many contestants in the stands were struggling to keep up.

Wang Lan had already retreated to the edge of the arena, his mind analyzing his opponent's tactical psychology. First, the opponent is definitely underestimating me; otherwise, he wouldn't be so unconcerned about draining his Star Power. The Great Fireball Skill might not sound impressive, but it's a genuine A-grade Star Martial Skill, balancing both range and destructive power.

Wang Lan had researched this Star Martial Skill when selecting his own. It had excellent practical effects but consumed a significant amount of Star Power. At the Star Shine Stage, even with full Star Power, Wang Lan could only use it once.

Moreover, this Star Martial Skill wasn't suited for close-quarters combat. It was fast to activate, with subtle Star Energy Fluctuation, making it suitable for the battlefield or for stealth attacks. Unless the opponent was exceptionally arrogant, he wouldn't use this Star Martial Skill under these circumstances.

Perhaps the Star Shine Stage of my Star Martial Art gave him too much confidence.

The corner of Wang Lan's mouth ticked up, and his figure flashed. Once again, his body crackled with fine electric arcs. The electric arcs grew brighter until, in a blink, Wang Lan appeared cloaked in a mantle of lightning.

"Is this... thunder-element combat?"

"What Star Martial Skill is this? Does anyone know?"

Although Wang Lan hadn't yet demonstrated the power of this state, the light and shadow effects were incredibly striking. It was like the glowing aura of a Saiyan after transforming, but Wang Lan was enveloped in crackling lightning.

Not only did the contestants present not recognize this Star Martial Skill, but even the teachers from the various Star Martial Academies were clueless. They had never seen such a Star Martial Skill; it resembled Thunder Armor but lacked its distinct structure.

The seemingly uncontrollable lightning flowed like water, enveloping Wang Lan and the shortsword in his hand.

In Wang Qianfeng's office at the Tianjian Bureau, He MingXue frowned deeply. What is this...? he wondered.

If others didn't know what Star Martial Skill Wang Lan was using, it might be excusable. But for a high-ranking member of the Tianjian Bureau like himself not to even have an inkling was deeply unsettling.

"Old Wang," He MingXue asked, "is it from the Vermilion Bird Squad? Do you know?"

"If even you don't know, how could I? Just observe the form of this Star Martial Skill, and you'll understand," Wang Qianfeng replied.

On the live broadcast, Wang Lan shot forward instantly, his speed several times greater than before. Having mastered Thunder Activity, this was the first time he had demonstrated the power of this move.

Opposite him, Yang Tianyi immediately dropped his contemptuous expression. Thunder Activity, huh? I originally thought he was just a lucky guy who made it to the top sixty-five. But now it seems he does have some skill. Being able to master Thunder Activity at the Star Shine Stage was enough to make him take Wang Lan seriously.

Yang Tianyi's Star Power surged once more, coalescing into tangible flames that burned around his body. His hands crossed, and his body bent slightly.

Seeing this, all the teachers' eyes suddenly lit up, their faces filled with anticipation for Yang Tianyi's next move.

"Feather Ascent—"

Indeed!

All the teachers' eyes shone even brighter. He had truly mastered Feather Ascent. Feather Ascent was an A-grade Star Martial Skill, but its power could rival some weaker S-grade skills.

With a wave of his hands, he unleashed a dense swarm of flame birds that descended upon his opponent like locusts.

Similarly, the more powerful the Star Martial Skill, the more difficult it was to cultivate. Based on Yang Tianyi's previous performances, many teachers had a low opinion of him, believing he relied solely on the Sun Wheel and would be nothing without it.

But now, the strength Yang Tianyi displayed had won the recognition of most teachers. Having mastered two A-grade Star Martial Skills and reached the Star Cloud Stage, he certainly deserved to be called a genius. Coupled with his Star Martial family background and the Sun Wheel's support, their initially poor impression of him was instantly overturned.

The flame birds were incredibly dense, their speed like lightning. Using his Thunder Activity-enhanced movement technique, Wang Lan danced among them like a butterfly flitting through a storm of petals.

As the saying goes, comparisons can be brutal. Feather Ascent was already stunningly magnificent, but when compared to Wang Lan dancing through it with such effortless grace, the difference in skill was stark.

"A thunder-element Star Martial Skill, Thor's Armor movement technique... How did he achieve such perfect control?"

"This student must possess extraordinary talent in Star Power control to manage even the most volatile thunder-element Star Martial Skill to such a degree... It's simply... unbelievable!"

"Our Jin City Star Warrior Academy wants this student!"

"Our Southeast Star Martial Academy wants him too! Why did I say 'too'?"

Many observing teachers from the Star Martial Academies quietly marked 'Excellent' on Wang Lan's evaluation form, and some even wrote 'Exceptionally Excellent.'

At the Tianjian Bureau, Wang Qianfeng and He MingXue were in a state of shock. They stared blankly as Wang Lan conjured one Thunder Illusion after another, his movements as dazzling as the Flash in slow motion. They remained silent for a long time.

Others might not know what Wang Lan's Star Martial Skill is, but how could we not? This is clearly a Star Martial Skill combining Thunder Snake and Star Cloud Sword Dance, isn't it? Not a simultaneous release, but a perfectly merged composite Star Martial Skill!

Damn it! He MingXue vaguely remembered Wang Lan mastering Thunder Activity right under his nose, and it seemed like just yesterday. How long has it been? He can already perform a composite Star Martial Skill? And a perfectly combined one at that!

"Old Wang, why do I feel somewhat guilty?" He MingXue asked.

"What have you done to wrong me?" Wang Qianfeng retorted.

"Get lost! I'm talking about Wang Lan. I taught him the Flame Sword and guided his cultivation of thunder-element Star Martial Skills. But who would believe me if I said that? Am I even qualified to guide Wang Lan? Do you think that one day, people might believe *he* was the one who taught *us*?"

"You have the nerve to say that? Isn't it true? Where did you learn your Flame Saber Fluid Technique? Don't think I don't know who was secretly practicing the vertical Flame Sword at home, relying on the Solar Wheel!"

"I..." He MingXue chuckled coldly. "And what about you? Don't you see how strong the composite Star Martial Skill combining the Thunder Attribute and Star Cloud Sword Dance is? Why don't you learn it?"

"I don't have the Thunder Attribute."

"But you have the Wind Attribute—"

"Look quickly, Wang Lan is approaching!"

Just as they spoke, Wang Lan closed in to within three meters of Yang Tianyi. At this distance, the Thunder Snake Sword Dance was most powerful.

Wang Lan's figure instantly split into seven lightning illusions as he fiercely swung the Sword of Thor at Yang Tianyi.

Yang Tianyi's face turned deathly pale in an instant, experiencing such intense, real killing intent for the first time.

It was also at this moment that some of the more insightful teachers in the stands stood up. They now realized that Wang Lan's move was not just a simple Star Martial Skill, but a composite Star Martial Skill.

If Wang Lan hadn't previously displayed the Star Cloud Sword Dance, they wouldn't have been so certain.

Now, enveloped in lightning, Wang Lan once again executed the same lightning afterimage technique. This was definitely not a coincidence.

"To combine a thunder-element Star Martial Skill with Star Cloud Sword Dance and perfectly retain the strengths of both... this boy can no longer be described as merely a genius."

"To master a composite Star Martial Skill at the Star Shine Stage—something only those at the Galaxy Stage should be capable of—and to fuse them so perfectly that even we almost couldn't tell."

I finally understand why Wang Lan is only at the Star Shine Stage! With such terrifying talent, he must have spent a lot of time improving his combat skills.

Suddenly, many teachers picked up Wang Lan's evaluation form, erasing the 'Excellent' and 'Exceptionally Excellent' assessments. Then, swiftly, with strokes like a darting dragon, they wrote 'Perfect.'

Given the terrifying talent Wang Lan had displayed, he truly deserved the 'Perfect' assessment. This was a horrifying level of talent, not inferior to that of the Five Emperors!

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