Wang Lan arrived just in time, prompting the audience to stand up as many of the already eliminated competitors cheered and applauded excitedly.

By the fourth round, more than half of the thirteen cities had been completely wiped out. Since there was no longer any competition for them, they naturally watched the matches as regular spectators. The strength displayed by Wang Lan had already convinced them; missing a match due to tardiness would have been a pity.

However, the Tong City team did not see it this way.

"I protest—" a voice bellowed. "I protest against the organizers! You can't allow a murderer to compete! It's unfair to Wan Kui—"

"Mr. Xing, this is an innocence certificate jointly issued by the Suzhou City Tianjian Bureau and the Suzhou City police. There is also a public announcement on the police's official website. If you have any doubts, you can verify with the police and the Tianjian Bureau. But if you accuse me of being a murderer again, I can sue you for defamation."

Mr. Xing, from the Tong City team's stands, looked at Wang Lan with a grim expression. He ultimately did not make another scene and instead hurriedly made a call to the Tong City Tianjian Bureau.

Zhang Yu, standing opposite, smiled at Wang Lan. "Do you need a break? I'm not in a rush."

"Thank you!"

"Speaking of which, I was also surprised when I heard the news of you killing someone yesterday. Although the Tong City team has been clamoring about it, I didn't believe it. Even if you wanted to kill someone, it should be me. Someone who's already been eliminated isn't worth your trouble."

"I'm a law-abiding good student."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Suddenly, Zhang Yu asked with a smile. The question caused Wang Lan's eyes to turn cold. What is Zhang Yu getting at?

"I have," Zhang Yu said abruptly. "In the trial grounds, some people think I'm just a student, and that hunting Exotic Beasts alone is an opportunity for them. But it was them who helped me complete Phantom Tracer."

"Then congratulations to you."

"Are you rested?"

"Ready. Wang Lan of Suzhou City, I look forward to learning from you."

"Zhang Yu of Jin City, please enlighten me."

The moment their words ended, Zhang Yu's figure charged towards Wang Lan. Phantom Tracer had a distance limitation, much like a Mage's range. Wang Lan, who had learned Phantom Tracer, knew this distance was twenty meters.

Wang Lan's figure was suddenly enveloped in lightning as he met Zhang Yu's approach, erupting into seven lightning afterimages. His true body was hidden among these afterimages; no one but he himself knew which one contained the real Wang Lan.

Zhang Yu's figure vanished and instantly reappeared within one of the lightning afterimages, cutting it apart with his blade. But Wang Lan's lightning afterimages were not mere illusions. When Zhang Yu slashed it apart, a piercing arc of electricity instantly brightened.

BOOM—

An explosion rang out, scattering in all directions, while endless arcs of electricity engulfed Zhang Yu's figure. In the stands, everyone held their breath, their expressions filled with astonishment. Without any preliminary scouting or exchanging blows, they went straight into a life-or-death confrontation?

Zhang Yu's Star Martial Skill was somewhat unsolvable for the current students at the Star Cloud Stage, let alone Wang Lan at the Star Shine Stage. Faced with such a difficult Star Martial Skill, shouldn't he first scout and find weaknesses before countering?

On the Tong City stand, Mr. Xing put down his phone, his expression uncertain.

"Teacher, how is it?"

"Wan Kui's death might really have nothing to do with Wang Lan. The Tong City Tianjian Bureau also acknowledges Suzhou City's judgment."

"Then how did Wan Kui die?"

"That's confidential; it's not for us to ask. Just focus on the match. Even if you were to participate, what could you do? You couldn't possibly be Zhang Yu's opponent anyway. Phantom Tracer, even among A-rank Star Martial Skills, is acknowledged as one of the strongest. It's known as an A-rank Skill with S-rank power."

As the electrical arcs dissipated, Zhang Yu's figure was nowhere to be seen. Wang Lan certainly didn't believe his doppelganger bombs could have obliterated Zhang Yu without a trace. The lightning afterimages kept intercrossing, and Wang Lan's true body constantly switched positions among them.

Suddenly, a strong sense of crisis struck from behind. Wang Lan's heartstrings tightened, and his figure instantly flashed into another afterimage. Almost at that same moment, Zhang Yu's blade swept past the afterimage's waist.

Before the afterimage could detonate, Zhang Yu's figure completed a blink, then a second, a third, and a fourth. Zhang Yu instantly carried out four blinks, cutting through four of Wang Lan's Lightning Doppelgangers.

No matter how well Wang Lan could hide, it was of little use against such cheat-like speedy strikes. Zhang Yu's figure vanished once again; the remaining two afterimages naturally couldn't avoid two more high-speed slashes.

SWISH—

Almost instantly, Zhang Yu was in his face. If Phantom Tracer were merely about moving fast or blinking, it wouldn't pose much of a threat to Wang Lan. But Zhang Yu's Phantom Tracer was more than simple blinking; it was his ultra-fast reflexes.

It's like some people can skip rope sixty times a minute, some eighty, some a hundred. But could you imagine doing two or three hundred? That would be beyond most people. Zhang Yu's reflexes, to use an ancient phrase, were astonishing—a sign of extraordinary talent.

To learn sleight of hand, others would need to practice their hand speed for a year or two, but he could skip that entirely. If he were to venture into thievery, he would undoubtedly be unparalleled.

When Zhang Yu appeared in front of you, before you could even react, his knife had already plunged down. Possessing an innately high body activity attribute was simply a cheat. Even with Thunder Activity, Wang Lan could barely keep up with Zhang Yu's speed.

CLANG—

With a light sound, Wang Lan's figure swiftly retreated. In the blink of an eye, he withdrew more than twenty meters. Zhang Yu's knife, could it actually withstand Wang Lan's Flame Sword strike? What kind of divine weapon is this knife?

The Flame Sword, with its nearly ten-thousand-degree temperature plus attribute bonuses from its evolving nature, could instantly slice through a ten-centimeter-thick steel plate. But when it struck the opponent's knife, his knife was completely unharmed.

The tactic of breaking the opponent's knife was thus ruthlessly declared a failure.

Although thousands of thoughts streamed through his mind, Wang Lan's hands didn't pause for a second. The instant he jumped back twenty meters, he raised his hand and shot a Crescent Arrow at Zhang Yu. The arrow, infused with thunder, was more than three times faster. Zhang Yu's figure flashed, and he vanished. The Crescent Arrow flew into empty space, disappearing after exceeding its range.

Zhang Yu reappeared but did not close in on Wang Lan; Phantom Tracer only allowed for twenty meters of movement. Therefore, Wang Lan had ample time to summon his lightning afterimages once more.

CRACKLE— Seven afterimages reappeared.

Frankly, it was quite annoying. Though Phantom Tracer was powerful, it also consumed a terrifying amount of Star Power. Similarly, Wang Lan's Star Power consumption was extremely frightening. If Wang Lan hadn't learned the Solar Seal and upgraded it to silver, allowing him to store twice the Star Power, his reserves would have been depleted during his first use of Lightning Doppelgangers.

A competition of Star Power between someone at the Star Shine Stage and another at the Star Cloud Stage—what a weird and foolish decision.

But Wang Lan's tactic was precisely that foolish decision. Even if Phantom Tracer was a high-consumption Star Martial Skill, the sheer volume of Star Power someone at the Star Cloud Stage possessed was still significant.

CRACKLE—

Zhang Yu's form instantly streaked past four afterimages, flashing four times. He had already moved away before the explosions from the lightning afterimages even had a chance to erupt. You want to wear me down? Then I'll do the same.

At the Tianjian Bureau, a group of executives sat quietly in the conference room watching the live broadcast after their meeting. Eld Di watched the screen intently alongside Lu Zhao. Suddenly, Lu Zhao turned to Wang Qianfeng with a confused expression.

"Is Wang Lan's Star Power exceptionally robust? You never mentioned to me that Wang Lan had such an overwhelming advantage with his Star Power."

They were all colleagues in the office, so there was no need for pretense.

"Wang Lan's Star Power level, when tested, was normal; it wasn't exceptionally abundant. Could it be... has his body undergone some kind of mutation recently?"

"Mutation?" Eld Di frowned. "Has Wang Lan's body undergone mutations before?"

"No... not at all..." Wang Qianfeng blurted out, then immediately corrected himself, realizing his mistake.

"It's just this guy Wang Lan; impossible things always seem to happen with him. For instance, the Phoenix Form, which cannot be learned below the Galaxy Stage, he somehow managed to learn it. Also, despite having no Thunder Attribute talent, he was able to learn Thunder Attribute Star Martial Skills."

"Then, when he was retested after learning Thunder Attribute Star Martial Skills, he suddenly possessed Thunder Attribute talent! We joked, if that's not a mutation, what is?"

"Heh... so there's that too. But Wang Lan's Star Power isn't robust; it's just that he has learned the Solar Seal technique," Eld Di chuckled, then sighed softly to himself, Truly worthy of someone with half-Spirit Realm bloodline.

Zhang Yu once again slashed through the void, breaking through Wang Lan's remaining two afterimages. By now, Wang Lan had been pushed to the edge of the arena. Blocked by Zhang Yu's sharp presence in front and limited by the edge of the field behind, Wang Lan had no choice but to go all out.

Just as Zhang Yu's knife was about to sweep past Wang Lan's throat, Wang Lan suddenly disappeared.

In that split second, Zhang Yu's expression changed. He had assumed Wang Lan couldn't use Phantom Tracer because he hadn't employed it yet. But the instant Wang Lan activated it, Zhang Yu sensed it.

Ghost Wail pierced the void, thrusting towards Zhang Yu's waist. In this critical moment, Zhang Yu, unable to think, vanished in a flash.

The instant Zhang Yu disappeared, so did Wang Lan.

This scene puzzled many viewers; expressions of shock and disbelief spread across countless faces. However, Ni Yushu, the coach of the Jin City team, suddenly stood up, his face full of astonishment as he watched the flickering scene before him.

He learned it? He only spent one night? No, this very night he was embroiled in a murder scandal; he practically had no time at all!

How is that possible?

Since when could Phantom Tracer be learned so casually? One night? Are you joking? Could you even fully grasp the cultivation method in one night?

Zhang Yu had one more flash left, while Wang Lan had two. This was Wang Lan's plan.

When Zhang Yu reappeared, Wang Lan was like a shadow. Faced with Wang Lan's sword, Zhang Yu had no escape. Clenching his teeth, he blocked with his knife. But the slash Wang Lan brought down was merely an afterimage. Or rather, what Zhang Yu saw was just an illusion.

The next instant, Wang Lan's Ghost Wail landed on Zhang Yu's shoulder. Wang Lan himself was just behind him, less than five centimeters away.

"You lost..."

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