"Wow—"

Above the stands, almost everyone stood up. The scene before their eyes was a reversal that was too unexpected. Mu Shaoyun, previously in his Invincible Form, had left everyone with the impression of being unbeatable.

But in just one second, to be so suddenly defeated? Hadn't it been agreed that Star Martial Skills were ineffective against Mu Shaoyun? Why had they suddenly become effective? Could it be that Mu Shaoyun's Star Power was exhausted? It didn't seem like it.

Mu Shaoyun, who had been thrown out of the ring, quickly got up. When he saw the yellow boundary of the field half a meter in front of him, his face instantly turned pitch black, and his ferocious eyes stared at Wang Lan unwillingly.

"The last move you used was not a Star Martial Skill! What is it?"

Wang Lan was breathing heavily, large beads of sweat continuously sliding down his cheeks. The desperate gamble had indeed paid off in the end. Wang Lan's last move was indeed not a Star Martial Skill, but merely Inch Strength Fist upgraded to Gold level.

Inch Strength Fist, having reached the Gold level, could create a powerful shockwave by striking the air. Under Inch Strength Triple Force, the concentrated punch power formed a columnar air bullet.

The appearance of the blue wolf head shape was nothing but an outer shell simulated by Wang Lan's use of Flame Sword—an empty shell with no core.

The Black Emperor form could devour Star Power and all Star Martial Skills, but it could not devour pure air. If Mu Shaoyun had understood the deceptive nature of this move beforehand, it would have been easy for him to dodge.

And if this were a life-or-death battle, Wang Lan's move would have been meaningless. However, this was a provincial martial arts competition with rules. Using the rules, Wang Lan successfully pushed Mu Shaoyun out of the ring.

"Cheating—"

"Staged fight!"

Suddenly, an uproar arose from the stands, with countless voices of doubt coming one after another.

This scene was too strange, too incomprehensible, so for many, the last act seemed like a farce. Mu Shaoyun was not supposed to lose; Wang Lan was not supposed to win.

Adding to this, both competitors were from the Suzhou City team, which fueled suspicions of a fixed fight.

Wang Lan's last Star Martial Skill clearly wasn't strong, so why couldn't Mu Shaoyun absorb it? This was illogical, and the masses needed an explanation. Moreover, who among all present were mere bystanders?

The noise swelled in waves, and the referee paused abruptly as he was about to announce the result. The organizers huddled together, discussing what to do.

"Hello Wang Lan, I am a recruiting officer from Huadong Star Martial Academy. Could you explain the reason behind your last-moment comeback? I can't see anything special in the Star Martial Skills you displayed." A middle-aged teacher suddenly stood up from the stands, his voice spreading like a gentle breeze throughout the entire arena.

"There's nothing much to explain." Suddenly, a voice rose from a corner of the venue. Instantly, everyone turned their heads; it was a skinny old man with sunglasses and silver-white hair.

The old man was slightly hunched, his sunglasses obscuring his expression.

But all the teachers who saw the old man stood up excitedly.

"Eld Di?"

"Eld Di!"

"So Eld Di has already arrived… Wasn't it said that Eld Di would only come on the day of the finals?"

"If you cannot see the subtlety in it, it only proves your level is not high enough. Go back and study the relevant knowledge. I think you haven't participated in actual combat for a long time.

This move Wang Lan used was not any Star Martial Skill, but an ancient martial art. If I am not mistaken, it should be Inch Strength Fist. Inch Strength Fist, although executed from a very short distance, starts by bending the body from the legs, waist, and arms into the Strong Bow State. Tense muscles are like a fully drawn strong bow.

Even an ordinary person, with years of training, could punch through walls and break tree trunks.

Almost all of you have placed your focus on Star Martial Skills and neglected ancient martial arts, considering them inferior for ordinary people's cultivation and not comparable to Star Martial Skills.

Indeed, ancient martial arts are hard to cultivate. They require cumulative effort to be effective, and their power is not as strong as that of Star Martial Skills. However, ancient martial arts have an advantage that all Star Martial Skills cannot match: ancient martial arts do not require Star Power to be activated, or if they do, it's merely as a boost without consuming Star Power.

Ordinary people practicing ancient martial arts can never reach the heights of Star Martial Skills, but it's not because ancient martial arts are inferior; rather, it's due to the physical limitations of ordinary people.

Star Martial Warriors possess physiological qualities far beyond ordinary people, and there is no upper limit to these qualities. Star Martial Warriors practicing ancient martial arts can still display power not inferior to Star Martial Skills.

Wang Lan's punch just now proves that. He unleashed Inch Strength Fist with the power of Split Air Fist, compressing the air and forming an air bullet that hit Mu Shaoyun.

Although Mu Shaoyun has the ability to absorb all Star Martial Skills, he could not absorb the impact of the air bullet. Being pushed out of the ring was not any kind of match-rigging."

With Eld Di's explanation, all the students understood and, showing expressions of realization, sat down.

Many lower-level Star Martial Warriors who heard this explanation through the live television broadcast felt the flames in their hearts suddenly soar.

They were Star Martial Warriors of the lowest rank, some having even resigned themselves to their low status, lacking resources, wealth, or family background.

To them, everything a Star Martial Warrior needed had to be fought for with their lives on the line. Soul Beads, Star Martial Skills—all were so precious.

Eld Di's words were like a lighthouse in an ocean, illuminating their world. Star Martial Skills were expensive and scarce, beyond their reach. But ancient martial arts skills weren't costly.

Because ancient martial arts were considered weaker, many schools even offered to teach their skills for free.

In the hands of ordinary people, these are a waste of heavenly treasures! Damn it, only in our hands as Star Martial Warriors can they be fully utilized!

At this moment, numerous Star Martial Warriors desperate for Star Martial Skills had eyes that shone red with passion, utterly forgetting the key points Eld Di had made during his commentary.

Ancient martial arts skills weren't something that could be mastered overnight; they required consistent, long-term cultivation to grow stronger. To replace Star Martial Skills with ancient ones, one either had to be a cheat like Wang Lan or be born for it—possessing an extraordinary constitution, a martial talent one in ten thousand.

Upon hearing the explanation, many people sat down, but the teacher from Huadong Star Martial Academy was still unwilling to give up.

"Eld Di, although your explanation makes sense, the move Wang Lan just performed had very obvious characteristics of a Star Martial Skill, even displaying Star Energy Fluctuation."

Hearing that the teacher was still not enlightened, Eld Di sighed and shook his head. "This teacher, can't you even recognize a Star Power simulation? Wang Lan used the Flame Sword to simulate the appearance of the Flame Wolf Head, which is why the Star Energy Fluctuation was observed.

Wang Lan used form transformation to simulate a Star Martial Skill to deceive his opponent, but the real core was that punch—the Split Air Fist."

With that explanation, the teacher's face instantly changed color. Although he now understood the reason, it seemed that, in Eld Di's eyes, he had equated himself with foolishness.

"BEEP—"

"Mu Shaoyun versus Wang Lan—Wang Lan wins!" After Eld Di's perfect explanation, the referee felt no pressure and directly declared the outcome of the match.

As the referee's announcement settled, the system notification in his mind also rang out, "Congratulations to the host for entering the top four of the provincial tournament and advancing to the semifinals. Rewarded with 10,000 experience points and 1,000 skill points."

Advancing to the top four directly rewarded 1,000 skill points. The total skill points from becoming the Champion of the Star Martial Clash didn't even add up to 1,000.

"The limitation of the competition arena is an illogical setting," Mu Shaoyun snorted, dissatisfied, seeing that the dust had settled and there was no turning back.

Wang Lan smiled softly. "By that logic, the limitation against killing is also illogical."

Wang Lan didn't enter into an endless debate with Mu Shaoyun. If their roles were reversed, he would have been just as dissatisfied. Mu Shaoyun's strength had been overwhelming, almost rendering Wang Lan immobile. Moreover, at that time, Wang Lan's Star Power was nearly depleted; there should have been no chance for a comeback. But a momentary lapse allowed Wang Lan to pull a fast one and knock him out of the ring. He'd eat his hat if Mu Shaoyun felt okay with that. To have victory snatched away when it had seemed so assured—that frustration could even make someone hang themselves in sheer vexation.

As Wang Lan secured his victory, another person in the arena heaved a long sigh of relief: Xiao Zi.

"It seems the championship is still up for grabs," Xiao Zi commented to Ni Yushu, who was beside her.

"Indeed, you'd stand no chance against Mu Shaoyun. His Inborn Talent of the Bloodline is at an insurmountable level for you now. However, you mustn't take anything for granted; this Wang Lan absolutely defies conventional judgment."

"Indeed. If it wasn't for Wang Lan's use of ancient martial skills at the last moment, who would have known he had such a move hidden? He's like a bag of myriad treasures; you never know what he might pull out next.

Even a situation where Mu Shaoyun was sure to win was turned on its head. It seems I need to be even more cautious and serious."

"Your tactics remain unchanged: crush with absolute power, and never give Wang Lan any exploitable opening. Remember not to get entangled; your advantage lies in your Star Power."

"Mm!"

Two more high-quality duels followed, each more spectacular than the previous round of sixteen matches. But perhaps due to the dazzling performance by Wang Lan and Mu Shaoyun beforehand, the subsequent matches seemed rather lackluster in comparison.

The afternoon battles raged fiercely, and the internet was already abuzz.

"Your daddy is still your daddy, and the Wolf King is still the Wolf King. Even in such a situation, he managed a comeback from the brink. Is there any opponent he cannot defeat?"

"Indeed. Although it seemed like a fluke, looking back at the Wolf King's combat record, in which battle did he not emerge victorious through trials and tribulations? Once is luck, twice is luck, but is it always just luck?"

"Beneath the Wolf King's feet lie five seeded players, each with the potential to be champion. Whoever says the Wolf King relies on luck clearly doesn't see his strength."

"Don't know if you've all noticed, but it seems like the Wolf King has a new trick up his sleeve for every match. In the first match, the Wolf King's public info was that he was Fire attribute. So some idiot remarked, 'My Star Power crushes yours, my attribute counters yours, how could I lose?'

But lo and behold, the Wolf King pulled out a Thunder Attribute Star Martial Skill and scored an instant kill. Then in the second match, the opponent's Star Palace Artifact was seemingly invincible, but who knew the Wolf King would also bring out a Star Palace Artifact for a perfect, decisive kill.

In the third match, an opponent immune to pain encountered a support who could heal himself; the Wolf King stubbornly traded blow for blow, exhausting a berserker until he was completely spent. Our great Wolf King is truly mighty and domineering!"

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