"Wow!"
Everyone in the stands of the entire field was stunned. The power of Duan Ziqi’s move had just been displayed half an hour ago.
With one move, he had defeated Xu Xiangwen of the Thousand Hands Buddha soundly. Everyone thought that when Duan Ziqi used this move, Wang Lan could only respond with an even stronger technique. No matter how earth-shattering it was, one of them would fall after this move.
But no one expected Wang Lan to just casually shoot an arrow.
Although this arrow burned with fla, its montum and impact could not compare to the move unleashed by Duan Ziqi.
"This is a bit incomprehensible. Could the elental counter really be this significant? Such a powerful wind blade attack, yet it can’t withstand a single Fire Arrow?"
"Are you kidding ? Did Duan Ziqi chicken out or what?" Murmurs of discussion could vaguely be heard from the stands.
"Teacher Liu Jie, you don’t seem very surprised, huh? Do you know what’s going on? Wang Lan’s Star Martial Skill... I don’t think I’ve seen it before," a female Star Martial teacher said softly as she approached Liu Jie.
"Wang Lan’s arrow might seem ordinary, but if you truly understand what it represents, you’ll realize it’s only natural. You recognized the Fla Sword Wang Lan used against Duan Ziqi earlier, right?"
"The signature skill of the Wolf King, last year’s Star Martial Competition champion. Wang Lan is Wolf, right? But even if he is Wolf, Duan Ziqi’s move is definitely not comparable to those Star Shine Stage Star Martial Warriors from the Star Martial Competition."
"Correct. But you must rember what that purple fla is. Purple fla, with a temperature close to ten thousand degrees, is acclaid as the limit of colored flas. Beyond that lies pure light and heat. Purple fla is already one of the highest temperatures a fire-elent Star Martial Warrior can control. For example, the Fire Emperor’s Purple Sea Surge creates a purple sea of fla covering a hundred ters. All Exotic Beasts within this area are annihilated by this move. Even the Fire Emperor uses purple fla. Wang Lan might not be able to use purple fla over a large area, but the quality of his fla has reached the Fire Emperor’s level. It’s a miracle that Wang Lan can use purple fla at his current stage, and yet he managed to shoot it as an arrow. Don’t you understand the mystery behind it now?"
"A compound Star Martial Skill?" the female teacher asked in astonishnt, taking a deep breath.
"Precisely! A compound Star Martial Skill. Fire overcos wind, and purple fla perfectly counters wind. However, if they had been closer, even the purple fla wouldn’t have been able to instantly lt the wind blade. Wang Lan could still have been defeated. But a distance of several dozen ters is enough for the purple fla to completely engulf the wind blades. In this duel, from elent to form, Wang Lan perfectly countered Duan Ziqi. This outco was to be expected."
"BOOM—"
Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted in the air.
It blossod like fireworks in the sky.
Amidst the fireworks, Duan Ziqi’s body fell, trailing a plu of pitch-black smoke, and smashed fiercely onto the field.
Duan Ziqi looked pitiful, as if he had just been dug out of a coal mine. His clothes were still smoldering with tiny sparks.
"Duan Ziqi! Wang Lan, quickly treat Duan Ziqi!"
"Teacher, please announce the result."
"Alright, I hereby announce—"
"Wait!" Suddenly, a grim shout rang out. Duan Ziqi, who had seed to be in a coma, stirred. Slowly, almost eerily, he propped himself up from the ground.
"I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine!" Duan Ziqi stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and gently wiped his face. "That was exhilarating! Fighting you is the best thing that’s happened to in three years."
Engulfed by the purple fla, yet Duan Ziqi only appeared superficially charred and was otherwise unhard? Wang Lan was secretly shocked but showed no sign of it on his face.
"I thought encountering would be your misfortune. At least, with around, you can forget about participating in the provincial Martial Arts Competition."
"Hahaha..." Duan Ziqi laughed loudly, looking towards the sky. "You don’t think this is all the strength I have, do you?"
"BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—" Suddenly, an irritating noise arose. Wang Lan furrowed his brows sharply. Opposite him, Duan Ziqi’s expression changed drastically, shifting from unwillingness to pain, then anger... and finally, to helplessness.
"I concede!" Duan Ziqi suddenly said, raising his hand.
"What?"
"I concede!"
Duan Ziqi uttered those two words, then turned. He glanced reluctantly at the preparation stage, at the seat he had just occupied and which had yet to warm, before walking towards the edge of the field.
"Duan Ziqi concedes. Wang Lan wins the challenge. Please proceed to the preparation area."
Wang Lan watched Duan Ziqi’s retreating figure, his thoughts churning. Duan Ziqi definitely hadn’t seed like he was going to concede earlier. He must have had other moves prepared, and his fighting spirit wasn’t faked. So why did he suddenly give in? Did he receive so instruction at that mont? Was that sudden buzzing sound just an illusion, or sothing else?
"DING DING DING—"
Wang Lan’s cell phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was a call from Xu Shiyun.
"Hello, Xu."
"Did you hear a buzzing noise at the school just now?"
"Just now? Yes, I heard it. What was that?"
"Demon Sound! It’s the ultrasonic communication language of the Demon Clan. In the past, the Demon Clan often used Demon Sound for short-distance communication. After we decrypted it thirty years ago, they stopped using this type of communication. Unless it’s an ergency, the Demon Clan definitely wouldn’t use it. The communications team just notified that they detected Demon Sound. After they provided a rough range, the first place I thought of was your area."
"Demon Sound? Then it’s almost certain," Wang Lan muttered, moving to a corner.
"Certain about what?"
"Certain that Duan Ziqi is a spy for the Demon Clan, or, more accurately, a human traitor. I was just battling Duan Ziqi when the Demon Sound occurred, and he suddenly conceded. He must have received an order through the Demon Sound. It’s almost certain Duan Ziqi is compromised. Do you want to make an arrest?"
"I’ll ask Director Wang."
"Alright!"
Wang Lan returned to the preparation area. The challenge matches continued unabated, with Xie Sisi watching the field, a tense expression on her face. Every new challenger made her heart pound.
She had already used her one challenge opportunity. If she were challenged and defeated now, she would be completely out of the running for the provincial Martial Arts Competition. Never having the opportunity wasn’t so bad, but watching it slip away when it was within reach... that was a hard pill to swallow.
Strangely, even after Xu Xiangwen returned to the preparation area, no one challenged Xie Sisi.
The challengers weren’t fools. It was clear Xie Sisi was protected by the four top contenders; Duan Ziqi’s fate was a harsh lesson. Wang Lan had already had his match. If they challenged Sisi, Jiang Xinyu was another of her powerful protectors they might have to face.
"Are there any more challengers? If not, then the Suzhou City team representing Jiang Province in the provincial Martial Arts Competition will be set..."
"Wait a mont!"
Suddenly, a voice, as if carried on a distant breeze, reached everyone’s ears. Upon hearing it, the Dean of Instruction, who had seed sowhat displeased throughout the event, imdiately stood up, his face breaking into an excited smile.
"And !"
A gust of Speedy Wind blew, and a shadowy figure gradually materialized on the competition field.
"Mu Shaoyun?"
"Mu Shaoyun!"
"Mu Shaoyun! He’s finally here! I knew he could pull himself together."
Mu Shaoyun had always been a formidable rival to Jiang Xinyu. Academically, Jiang Xinyu held a slight edge over Mu Shaoyun. However, in actual combat results, she had lost to him more often than she had won. Even though Jiang Xinyu always believed she would win in a true life-or-death battle, Mu Shaoyun was definitely a competitor she acknowledged and took seriously.
He had disappeared for nearly a month and missed even the preliminary contest. Everyone thought Mu Shaoyun would miss the provincial Martial Arts Competition, yet unexpectedly, he appeared at the very last mont of the challenge matches.
"I registered for the provincial Martial Arts Competition. Due to so personal matters, I was unable to participate in the school selections, which I understand counts as a forfeiture. But according to the rules, I should still be able to take part in these challenge matches, right?"
"Indeed. Mu Shaoyun, whom do you wish to challenge?"
"Qian Yufei."
"Alright. Qian Yufei, please co to the stage."
"No need. I concede!" Qian Yufei declared, giving up promptly and decisively. There was no chance of victory against Mu Shaoyun. Qian Yufei was a proud individual. Even if he didn’t participate in the provincial Martial Arts Competition, he was confident he could be admitted to a top Star Martial Academy on his strength alone.
"School selection contest completed. Successfully chosen for the city representative team. Reward: 8,000 experience points, 300 skill points."
As the Dean of Instruction announced the confird mbers of Suzhou City’s team for the provincial Martial Arts Competition, Wang Lan also heard the task completion reward in his mind.
The reward was less than I expected, but then again, this was just a city-wide selection—or to be more precise, a school-wide selection.
The ten-person team had no internal ranking, but a captain still needed to be determined. On any other city’s team, filled with spirited young n and won in the throes of adolescence, this would be a contentious issue. The thod of choosing a captain was obvious—it would be fought out. The captain of a city team at the provincial level virtually represented the strongest combatant among that city’s high school seniors. This was an incredibly important credential for a resu.
"Why do you think you are qualified to study at our academy?"
"I once represented my city’s high school seniors in the provincial Martial Arts Competition."
"Participated in the provincial Martial Arts Competition? You’re the seventh one today."
"I was the captain!"
"A true master indeed!"
That was the difference! A very realistic disparity.
This ti, however, the usually fierce fight for captaincy was t with a long silence. Everyone looked at one another. The ten-person team consisted of: Jiang Xinyu’s group of five; Zhuang Haotian and his three companions; Mu Shaoyun, on his own; and Ma Chengcheng, a dark horse who didn’t usually stand out but had shown tenacious strength to secure his spot.
The Suzhou City team, with five mbers at the Star Cloud realm and five at the Star Shine Stage, boasted an extraordinarily strong lineup compared to previous years. However, when looking at Jiang Province as a whole this year, they were still only considered middle-tier.
In the end, almost everyone agreed with Xu Xiangwen’s suggestion.
"Alright everyone, now that the fighting’s done, we’re all brothers in the sa trench. After school, it’s my treat—how about we all go for barbecue? As for choosing a captain... what’s there to really choose? Only three people are truly qualified for consideration. Jiang Xinyu, Mu Shaoyun, and Zhuang Haotian. As for the rest of us, I guess none of us are really qualified to contend for it, right?"
"Cut it out, Xu Xiangwen, are you trying to make fun of ?" Zhuang Haotian imdiately waved his hands dismissively. "You all saw my performance during the selections. If I were captain, I’d bring sha to us across the entire province."
"I’m not interested in being captain either," Mu Shaoyun added. "Let Jiang Xinyu take the role. In terms of strength and reputation, she’s well-suited to represent Suzhou City."
And just like that, with a few sentences, the matter was pleasantly decided.
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