After seeing off Ni Yushu and her daughter, Wang Lan returned to his room, holding the mid-grade Soul Bead. They sure don't hesitate to splurge, handing over an A-grade Star Martial Skill just like that.

This wasn't just any ordinary A-grade Star Martial Skill either; it was a particularly powerful one within its grade, likely selling for around eight million.

The moment he absorbed the Soul Bead, a stream of information, accompanied by the Star Power within the bead, surged straight into his mind. The Star Power was stored in his Star palace, while the information flowed into his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness. "Learnable Star Martial Skill detected. Spend 100 skill points to learn?"

Wang Lan had just earned 600 skill points. Combined with the 200 he'd saved previously, he now had a solid 800 skill points, so he wasn't short on them at all. After spending 100 skill points, a shiny silver skill icon immediately appeared on the Star Martial Skill panel.

Phantom Tracer, Silver LV1 (0/100)

The moment the skill icon lit up, a sense of enlightenment rushed into his mind. Closing his eyes, his vision was no longer pitch black; instead, an indescribable sensation washed over him. In the distance, there was a shore, and it felt as if I only needed to take one step to reach it.

Wang Lan tentatively took a step.

BOOM!

A loud crash startled everyone in the living room watching TV. They jumped up and rushed toward Wang Lan's bedroom door.

"DAMN IT!"

From inside the room came Wang Lan's agonized cry. Xu Xiangwen kicked the door open, only to see Wang Lan splayed out against the wall, stuck fast like a gecko.

The wall was covered in cracks. Wang Lan peeled off the wall like a playing card and landed steadily on the bed. His nose was crooked, and tears streamed down his face. But in that instant, his healing skill automatically activated, and his face returned to normal in moments.

Xu Xiangwen glanced at the human-shaped imprint on the wall, then at Wang Lan on the bed, who looked like he was questioning all his life choices. "Lanzi, if something's bothering you, talk to us. There's no need to resort to banging your head against the wall, is there?"

"Damn, that hurt! A miscalculation..." Wang Lan mumbled, clutching his already healed nose, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"I was just trying out Phantom Tracer, experimenting a little. I didn't expect the room to be so small; it sent me straight into the wall... Damn, that really hurt."

"PFFT— Lanzi, you're truly one of a kind... Wait a minute..."

Suddenly, the world became utterly silent... The atmosphere grew incredibly tense. Xu Xiangwen's expression flickered rapidly as he finally fixed an intense stare on Wang Lan.

Seeing the fervent gazes of the four, Wang Lan felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt.

"What did you just say? You wanted to test the Phantom Tracer you just learned? And you ended up plastered to the wall?"

"Ah—what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Xu Xiangwen grabbed Wang Lan's collar, shaking him back and forth. "That's an A-grade Star Martial Skill! A-grade! You learned it in less than ten minutes, and you're telling me you've already got it? It takes at least a week of practice just to get the hang of an A-grade Star Martial Skill, and you're saying you've learned it? Are you even human? Are you?!"

Wang Lan wrenched himself free from Xu Xiangwen's clutches. "I'm not!"

Wang Lan declared decisively, without a shred of hesitation.

"Is this the first day you've known me? I stopped being human a long time ago. It's just an A-grade Star Martial Skill, isn't it? Of all the A-grade Star Martial Skills I know, which one didn't I master in under a minute?"

Overcome by Wang Lan's shamelessness, Xu Xiangwen clasped his fists. "When it comes to being shameless, I, Xu Xiangwen, concede that you are the strongest."

「Meanwhile, in the elevator.」

Despite her injuries being healed and her strength restored to its peak, Xu Ruo wore a frown.

"What's wrong?" Ni Yushu asked, wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulder.

"Exchanging Phantom Tracer for my treatment... that price is too high," she responded.

"Too high? If you can achieve a good result in the provincial tournament, no price is too high."

"But... if Wang Lan learns Phantom Tracer and shores up his weakness, it won't be easy for Jin City to win the championship."

"Silly child, that's an A-grade Star Martial Skill. What are you even thinking? For him to master it, at least a month of dedicated study is necessary. A month from now, not only will the provincial tournament be over, but even the college entrance exams will have concluded."

"But... even so, it's Phantom Tracer we're talking about."

"You're reluctant?"

"Mm, I haven't even learned it myself..."

"You're a Flame Attribute Star Martial Warrior, destined for the Mage path. The maximum range of Phantom Tracer is twenty meters, while your Flame Burning has a kill radius of thirty meters. What use would you have for it? Remember, there are countless powerful Star Martial Skills in the world, but not every one is suitable for every Star Martial Warrior. Only when a Star Martial Warrior accurately understands their own strengths and path can they truly begin their journey to power. Phantom Tracer suits Wang Lan, but not you. Besides, using Phantom Tracer to foster a good relationship with him is beneficial for you. No one knows how far Wang Lan will go in the future. You need to work hard and ensure you're not left too far behind by your peers."

Him? Xu Ruo tilted her head up proudly. Although Wang Lan's talent is exceptional, making him a remarkable genius, who here isn't a genius in their own right? Who's afraid of whom?

"I can assure you, if nothing unexpected happens, Wang Lan will become a leader-level figure in the future. If you get the chance, try to stay close to him."

"Understood!"

Just as Xu Xiangwen and the others were in the room, urging Wang Lan to quickly demonstrate Phantom Tracer, the television outside suddenly announced a preview for the drawing of matchups for the round of sixteen to eight.

The group hastily exited the room and settled on the sofa.

The character portraits on the screen flashed rapidly. The first one to stop was Wang Lan's.

Huh, am I in the first match-up?

Soon, the portrait on the right also stopped, revealing Zhang Yu from the Jin City team. Seeing this, Wang Lan was momentarily speechless. Does it have to be this coincidental? It feels completely orchestrated.

I just mastered Phantom Tracer, and now I'm supposed to have an instant-kill showdown with an expert in it? Seeing this matchup, Xu Xiangwen gently patted Wang Lan's shoulder.

"So, it's a battle of the Phantoms, eh? Good luck."

"Your tone tells me you don't really mean that."

"Not at all! I actually have a lot of confidence in you, really, I do!" Xu Xiangwen winked at Wang Lan, but his teasing smile completely betrayed him.

Indeed, even though I've learned Phantom Tracer, I'm only a beginner. Compared to Zhang Yu, who can instantly shift positions four times, I'm not even in the same league. But who said I was going to compete with him using Phantom Tracer anyway?

Next, Suzhou City's second representative to be drawn was Mu Shaoyun. His opponent was also extremely formidable. However, the Suzhou City team wasn't worried about Mu Shaoyun; his performance was incredibly stable, as reliable as ever. His stability wasn't about explosive power; it was more like the assuredness of an overwhelmingly superior attack.

It was as if his opponents collapsed before they even had a chance to exert their full strength. This kind of performance baffled many, including some of the observing teachers, who began to feel confused.

Finally, it was time for Jiang Xinyu's opponent to be revealed. They say fate enjoys playing tricks; whatever you don't want to face, fate ensures you do. Jiang Xinyu was matched against Xu Ruo—the only contestant among all those Jiang Xinyu had studied whom she felt unsure about defeating.

Gazing at the finalized matchup chart, Wang Lan turned his stiff neck slightly. "Regretting it?"

Jiang Xinyu shot Wang Lan a look, then lightly brushed her hand over her snow-white thigh as she gracefully stood up. "Sisi, let's go."

"Ah? Xinyu, are you... angry?"

"Going back to sleep, to conserve my energy."

"Oh!"

The drawing of the matchups concluded. Wang Lan and the other two dispersed to their respective rooms to rest. Although it was still early, resting up for the next day's competitions was essential.

Back in his room, Wang Lan opened the system again. He had accidentally slammed into the wall earlier, so the subsequent upgrade for Phantom Tracer hadn't been processed by the system. Crashing into the wall during his first attempt right after learning it was entirely his own doing. It makes sense; having just learned it, the skill is obviously still at the novice stage.

In terms of proficiency, I'm only just barely able to execute it. Mastery is still a long way off. Opening the system, he added the skill points. The previously vague, indistinct sense of space gradually became clear and vivid.

After all 800 skill points were added, Phantom Tracer finally upgraded to Silver LV7. Wang Lan stood in the center of the room. With a flicker, he appeared right in front of the wall, less than five centimeters away. This time, his control over the teleportation was precise to within ten centimeters.

Wang Lan flickered again. Three afterimages appeared in mid-air before he returned to his original spot. Three flickers, executed with consummate skill. At this stage, his Phantom Tracer could be considered cultivated to a profound level.

Although it's still a bit weaker than Zhang Yu's four consecutive shifts, I'm not solely relying on Phantom Tracer to win anyway. Against Zhang Yu, I reckon I have about a seventy percent chance of victory.

Content, he went to sleep. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. In a daze, Wang Lan fumbled for his phone and glanced at the screen. Even a hazy look at the message was enough to jolt him wide awake.

He scrambled out of bed and dressed with lightning speed. The moment he opened the window, Wang Lan's figure vanished.

The phone's vibration was an urgent summons from the Tianjian Bureau. The target location was less than three kilometers from Wang Lan. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet; if not for the competition, Wang Lan wouldn't have been asleep at this hour.

As he flitted between buildings, his feet barely touching down, a powerful aura suddenly locked onto him. Twisting mid-air, Wang Lan used the Phantom Tracer movement technique to appear on a nearby rooftop. Just as he landed, a bright light shone in his face.

"Who dares cause trouble at the Provincial Martial Arts Competition venue?"

"Sir, I'm one of the competing students. I have urgent official business to attend to." Wang Lan quickly presented his Tianjian Bureau credentials. The person took the credentials, eyeing Wang Lan skeptically. If Tianjian Bureau credentials weren't impossible to forge, they would never have believed a student could already be a captain in the Tianjian Bureau.

After receiving approval from the provincial martial arts competition security personnel, Wang Lan once again sped towards the target location. When he arrived, the smoke of battle hadn't yet dispersed, but the fight itself seemed to be over.

This was a small alley in the Ancient City District. Slumped against a collapsed wall, a figure hung lifelessly amidst the rubble. As Wang Lan approached, his expression turned strange. "Captain Ma?"

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