Wang Lan brushed the matter aside, leaving his achievements and fame deeply hidden. Yet, the countless people who watched the match via livestream were already seething with excitement, unable to remain seated. This was especially true for those of the Flame Emperor lineage who knew Wang Lan's true identity; they were all contacting each other, making inquiries.

"DINGLINGLING—"

In Wang Qianfeng's office, the telephone rang.

"Hello, it's me! Director!" Wang Qianfeng suddenly snapped to attention, his expression respectful.

"Wang Qianfeng, where did Wang Lan get that Star Palace Artifact? Do you know?"

"I don't. I was also shocked when I saw Wang Lan take out the Star Palace Artifact this afternoon. But it must be something Lord Flame Emperor left for Wang Lan, right? Lord Flame Emperor's signature technique is the Phoenix Form, and that armor is shaped exactly like a phoenix. I assumed there had to be a connection. Furthermore, we had no prior knowledge that Lord Flame Emperor would pass the Phoenix Form to Wang Lan, so I surmise it might have been given to him along with the Phoenix Form."

"Although that's the only reasonable explanation, Lord Flame Emperor never produced that Star Palace Artifact before she left. If it belonged to her, why has she never used it?"

"Director, He MingXue and I have discussed this. We believe that while the Phoenix Armor is powerful, it probably serves only as protective gear. With Lord Flame Emperor's strength, would she really need to wear armor for protection?"

"Hmm... that makes sense. I've heard the Demon Clan intends to cause trouble at Jiang Province's provincial competition? Eld Di is coming to Jiang Province tomorrow. Are there any problems on your end?"

"All combat units of the Tianjian Bureau have returned and are on standby. If those Demon Clan brats dare to cause trouble in Suzhou City, none of them will make it back."

"Good! That puts my mind at ease. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up..."

The headmaster approached Jiang Xinyu with a smile. "Jiang Xinyu, I heard you and Wang Lan have known each other since childhood?"

"Yes, since we were very young. If his mother was busy with work and didn't have time to care for him, she would ask my mother to look after him," Jiang Xinyu said thoughtfully.

"Then, is Wang Lan the heir to some prominent Star Martial family? Are you clear about his background?"

"I know some things, but I can't say. Wang Lan's background is very significant, and it's completely logical for him to possess a Star Palace Artifact."

"I see. In that case, I won't pry any further," the headmaster said.

If Wang Lan knew the outside world unanimously deemed it logical for him to possess a Star Palace Artifact, he would probably scoff internally. Turning the virtual into reality through item sacrifices—what part of that is logical?

However, at that moment, Wang Lan was oblivious and indifferent to the outside world's speculation. His current concern was that he had finally amassed two thousand skill points, allowing him to freely link four Star Martial Skills.

Sitting cross-legged, he focused his mind, opened the system, and called up the Star Martial Skill interface. The four Star Martial Skills on the interface seemed to beckon temptingly to Wang Lan.

Add points, quickly add points...

Two thousand skill points were fed into the system. The instant the last point was entered, the four skill icons blazed with dazzling light. Four streams of information surged directly into Wang Lan's mind; his eyes immediately became vacant, while his mind painted a different scene.

It might have been an eon, like seas turning into mulberry fields, or perhaps it was but the blink of an eye.

When Wang Lan's awareness returned, he had changed. He was still the same person, yet he had shed some of his youthful frivolity, gaining a measure of the profound gravity of Mount Tai.

The experience and comprehension required for chaining four Star Martial Skills were on a completely different level compared to chaining just two. Previously, he couldn't use dynamic vision in his Thunder Snake state. Now, however, he could, and he could also instinctively shoot Crescent Arrows simultaneously.

At this moment, Wang Lan truly understood the sheer magnitude of improvement that a single advancement, a single leap, could bring to his strength.

Even though his Star Power level hadn't changed, and his skills hadn't upgraded to Gold or Silver Rank Nine, his past self seemed utterly powerless before his current self.

Crescent Arrow could now activate Thunder Snake, and Star Cloud Thunder Snake could execute Flame Sword. Even more devastatingly, he could combine dynamic vision with Thunder Activity and Thunder Afterimage, and then add Flame Sword. He wondered how his past self could possibly have withstood such a high-attack, high-agility, high-damage-output move. Factoring in the defensive boost from the Phoenix Armor, Wang Lan felt that, in this state, the championship was no longer just a dream.

An unstoppable smile spread across his face. He tried to prevent his grin from widening further, but his body seemed to have a mind of its own.

"DADADA—" There was a knock on the door. "Lanzi, what are you doing holed up in there? It's not a bathroom! Come out, the live draw for pairings is about to start."

"Oh..."

Wang Lan opened the door. Xu Xiangwen looked at him, puzzled. "What's up? Did you secretly eat something delicious? You look so happy."

"Have I?"

"Your mouth is split as wide as a gourd dipper."

"Nothing. It just seems I've gained some insights from this match." Wang Lan walked into the living room, where Jiang Xinyu and Xie Sisi were also present. On the screen, the drawing for the tournament bracket was already underway. This time, Suzhou City had three representatives who made it into the top thirty-three. Of the thirteen cities in Jiang Province, four had their teams completely wiped out, while another two cities only had one participant advance. Suzhou City's strength was average within Jiang Province, so having three participants advance was a decent result.

Soon, Wang Lan's portrait was drawn, and his opponent's also appeared on the screen.

"It's him!" Upon seeing the opponent, everyone first looked at Wang Lan in surprise, then their expressions turned peculiar.

Wang Lan muttered to himself, "Lei Tianxu... captain of the Lian City representative team. Why is it another captain?"

"You realize it's another captain, huh? But this Lei Tianxu isn't just any ordinary captain; he's a formidable figure, reputed to be able to take on an entire team by himself."

"Anyone can brag," Wang Lan laughed. "Our captain could also take on their entire team alone."

"Wang Lan, don't take this lightly. Lei Tianxu is a descendant of an old Star Martial clan. Seventy years ago, the Berserker Clan shed their blood for Jade Country. After the victory, Jade Country mobilized all its resources to find these meritorious clans, but they had all vanished without a trace.

The Berserker Clan was among those that disappeared. It was thought that they had been wiped out. That is, until Lei Tianxu awakened the Berserker Bloodline. DNA matching later confirmed he was indeed a descendant of one of those meritorious clans.

Given the Berserker Clan's formidable reputation seventy years ago, I was fortunate enough to access some information about them. Their Inborn Talent of the Bloodline can be summed up in two words: sheer dominance."

"Dominance? How so?"

"Once their bloodline is activated, their eyes turn red, and their skin turns brown. They lose all sensation of pain and fatigue, become extremely agitated, and their physical capabilities triple under the surge of Berserker blood. They also gain superior intuition and innate combat instincts."

"So, in other words, they go berserk?"

"More or less. But it's only their body that goes berserk, not their mind."

"Alright then." The disdain on Wang Lan's face gradually faded.

「Late that night,」

Across from the Grand Hyatt Hotel, a convoy of cars pulled up slowly to the entrance of the Yalan Hotel. A group of people, who had been waiting at the hotel entrance for hours, eagerly hurried forward to greet them.

Among them were the mayor, the heads of various sectors in Suzhou City, the chief of police, and officers from the Tianjian Bureau.

"Welcome to Suzhou City, Eld Di."

"Welcome, Eld Di."

A car door opened, and a tall young man quickly stepped out. He then opened another door and helped a slender, white-haired old man out of the car.

"You've all worked hard, waiting up so late for an old man like me. You should get some rest..."

"It's no trouble at all! It's been many years since you last visited Suzhou City, Eld Di."

"It has been about seven or eight years... Suzhou City has changed dramatically. Coming here, I observed it's almost indistinguishable from Modu City now. Mayor Qiu, you've done excellent work."

"It's all thanks to everyone's hard work."

"Now that you've arrived safely, Eld Di, we can finally relax. It's quite late; you should get some rest. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask the hotel staff."

"Hmm, you should also go back and rest early. Don't worry about this old fellow; I can manage on my own. You should all head back now."

「The next day,」

The sports stadium was adorned with vibrant, fluttering banners. As the provincial martial arts competition entered its third round, the matches reached their most exciting stage. Although many rounds remained before the championship battle, the thirty-three contestants who had advanced were largely top-tier. Any match now had the potential to showcase championship-level quality.

For the countless citizens watching the provincial competition live stream, this was a sumptuous feast.

In a secluded section of the arena's stands, a mysterious old man appeared silently. No one knew when he had arrived; it was as if he had been there all along.

Had Lu Zhao, the director of Suzhou City's Tianjian Bureau, not been sitting beside the old man, Wang Lan wouldn't have paid him any mind.

"What are you looking at?" Jiang Xinyu asked curiously, following Wang Lan's gaze. "Is there something unusual about that old man?"

"Nothing! It's just that this old man might have an extraordinary identity. When it's your turn, try to perform at your best."

"What do you mean? You think I'm going to lose?"

"Even if you win, make it an impressive victory." Wang Lan wasn't certain of his guess, so he said it casually.

"The quality of students from Jiang Province this year seems better than in previous years," Eld Di remarked from the stands. His sunglasses hid his eyes, so Lu Zhao couldn't tell where he was looking.

"It's not just Jiang Province. Nationwide, the emergence of new Star Martial Warriors is experiencing a boom, just as our predecessors predicted."

"Great calamity is always followed by rebirth. The war seventy years ago depleted nearly a century of the world's accumulated strength. Star Martial Warriors were decimated, with fewer than one in ten surviving, and most of those were old, weak, or disabled. After seventy years of recovery and the passing of four generations, we are finally seeing the first major resurgence. It's a bit late, though."

"Yes, and more critically, the Demon Clan is stirring once more. Given current global capabilities, it would be difficult to withstand a demonic invasion on the scale of a century ago. Fortunately, human technology has advanced significantly. If the Demon Clan attempts an invasion as they did before, we'll let them taste the power of our missiles."

"The use of conventional weapons is a last resort, only to be employed when sacrificing a city becomes unavoidable. While they would inflict damage on the Demon Clan, our own people would suffer as well. It's akin to chemotherapy. We must continue to develop Star Martial Warriors and bolster their power," Eld Di stated incisively.

"You're right, Eld Di. However, there's something I've never understood," Lu Zhao said.

"Go on."

"Why broadcast this year's provincial competition nationwide? Aren't we exposing our future talents to Demon Clan spies?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.