Several days later, the acceptance letter from Modu City Star Martial Academy was in hand. Jiang Xinyu received hers on the same day. Meanwhile, the rest of the classmates were working hard for the college entrance exam.

Apart from Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu, Zhuang Haotian and Gong Feiyu were allotted spots by Zezhou Star Martial Academy. Xu Xiangwen originally wanted to join Gong Feiyu. Unfortunately, Zezhou Star Martial Academy did not extend an invitation to him, so he had no choice but to diligently prepare for the exams.

Regarding this, Xu Xiangwen had something to say.

He and Gong Feiyu were eliminated in the same round, so why did Zezhou Star Martial Academy look down on him? Even Zhuang Haotian got a recommendation despite being knocked out in the first round, yet he didn't.

In response, as a good brother, Wang Lan naturally had to console him properly.

"Xiangwen, don't feel discouraged. Isn't it just a reserved spot? With your strength, getting into a top Star Martial Academy is as easy as turning your hand over. Besides, so what if Zezhou Star Martial Academy doesn't appreciate you? Their lack of interest only proves that they aren't blind. Look, Jin City Star Warrior Academy didn't contact you either."

The first part sounded sincere. However, the latter part provoked Xu Xiangwen, who was standing at the edge of the rooftop, to turn and pounce on Wang Lan.

"Ah, I-I-I— I'm gonna fight it out with you!"

"Relax, Xiangwen, even if you end up in some no-name university, we brothers won't look down on you, and we'll still carry you in the future," Gong Feiyu added insult to injury at just the right moment, scattering a handful of salt on the wound.

"You shouldn't say such things... Xiangwen is already pitiful. Why pour salt on his wounds?" Xie Sisi said softly, feeling somewhat sympathetic.

That remark would have been better left unsaid. As soon as she spoke, Xu Xiangwen retreated into his shell. That kind of comfort was worse than saying nothing at all.

"It's fine, I'm tough as nails; I've got the mental fortitude. So what if Zezhou doesn't appreciate me? I don't give a damn. With my strength, I could pass their exam. I'll exceed their passing score by twenty points and still won't attend their crappy school. I've decided, I'm going for Jin City Star Warrior Academy."

"Jin City? Not coming with me?" Gong Feiyu was slightly taken aback. His ruthless teasing wasn't meant to kick Xu Xiangwen when he was down. With Xu Xiangwen's strength, getting into any top Star Martial Academy was practically a sure thing.

Moreover, there were eight other top-tier second-level Star Martial Academies nationally that weren't inferior to Zezhou Star Martial Academy. Xu Xiangwen would undoubtedly be accepted by one of them. Not receiving a recommendation wasn't necessarily because they looked down on him, but possibly because there were limited slots.

For someone with real strength, direct admission isn't important—they could easily choose where to go even with the college entrance exam. Of course, that excludes the top four Star Martial Academies.

"Psh, why would I bother with them when they're so blind? Don't I have any dignity? Besides, Jin City Star Warrior Academy has always been my goal. If a top-tier Star Martial Academy had offered me a spot, I might've gone, but without one, Jin City is my first choice."

"Sigh— How many Star Martial Academies' recommendations have you refused these days?" Gong Feiyu shook his head and sighed lightly. "Luzhou Star Martial, Wuling Star Martial, these are no worse than Zezhou Star Martial, you know."

"I'm not interested in any that rank beyond the top ten!" Xu Xiangwen declared confidently, waving his hand dismissively.

"Old Xu is mighty."

"Speaking of which, Sisi, which one are you aiming for?"

"Hmm..." Xie Sisi looked down shyly, a bit embarrassed. "Jin City, I guess."

"Eh?" Xu Xiangwen looked at Xie Sisi in surprise. Even Jiang Xinyu turned to look at her curiously.

"I know it's difficult to get into Jin City, and I'm slightly lacking in strength. But… my theoretical grades are decent, plus I have experience participating in the provincial tournament, and I possess an above-average talent for Star Power control. If I perform a little better, I think I can give it a try."

"That's true; if it weren't for Sisi's late development, her potential wouldn't be inferior to Xinyu's or mine."

"Lanzi, what makes you say Sisi developed late? That figure... tsk tsk tsk!" Xu Xiangwen's suggestive comments always hit the mark so precisely.

"Lanzi, from your tone, it seems like you think our talents are no good?" Gong Feiyu asked with a menacing grin.

"Are you trying to deny it?" Wang Lan bluntly rolled his eyes.

In the group of five, if they were to rank innate talents, Wang Lan was practically a cheat, followed by Jiang Xinyu, then Xie Sisi in third place. Xu Xiangwen was fourth due to his Inborn Talent of the Bloodline and great potential, while Gong Feiyu's talent was actually quite average. Of course, this 'average' was in comparison to someone with a specialty like Wang Lan. Gong Feiyu was of the Earth attribute and didn't possess any special Innate Abilities. His fighting style was stable, effective in defense. In Suzhou City, he was considered a top-notch seed, but nationally, there were many better than him.

This was also why Xu Xiangwen said Zezhou Star Martial Academy was blind. In terms of raw power, Xu Xiangwen wasn't necessarily better than Gong Feiyu, but when it came to potential, he was far superior. Xu Xiangwen was bound to be one of the prominent figures in the future.

「In the upcoming days」

Wang Lan's life was simply going to and from school. The pace was slow and the mood, pleasant. Frankly, ever since he awakened that damn system in elementary school, Wang Lan had never been this relaxed.

To activate the system, he had been working hard every day to improve himself; his nerves were always taut. After successfully activating the system, he struggled to keep up with Jiang Xinyu and the others. He went through so much peril to earn skill points and to level up.

Now, finally having been accepted by Modu City Star Martial Academy, one stage of his accomplishment was complete. Though the road ahead was still fraught with thorns, and the threat of the Demon Clan loomed like the sword of Damocles overhead, Wang Lan could truly take a break at this moment. He could rest for at least one summer vacation.

Days without the need to toil passed quickly.

The calendar turned from May to June. June 5th was the day of the college entrance exam for the Star Martial Arts Campus, also the province-wide joint exam. However, Wang Lan wouldn't be partaking in such a grand event.

Xu Xiangwen took the college entrance exam while Wang Lan and others who didn't need to take it went straight on vacation. Once he left school, he completely relaxed.

He didn't feel the pressure of studying while in school. However, seeing his classmates sprinting, Wang Lan also attended classes and practiced questions with them. After the vacation started, Wang Lan turned into a complete slacker. Drinking tea with Jiang Xinyu and playing games with Gong Feiyu, five or six days passed without notice.

Suddenly finding himself completely idle, Wang Lan started to feel unaccustomed. He sensed that his entire being was becoming sluggish. Once he noticed a decline in his physical condition, he became alarmed; even during summer vacation, this was no good.

But the training ground was being renovated, and the practice area at home was too small. Moreover, it felt particularly awkward to hold back during fights after having gone all out during the provincial martial arts competition.

When Wang Lan shared this trouble with Xu Shiyun, Xu Shiyun instantly replied, "Are you just looking for trouble because you're bored? Is it that hard to stay in shape? Come to the Bureau, train every day, and I guarantee you will be in top form every single day."

"Maybe I was just born with a masochistic streak," Wang Lan muttered to himself after driving to the Tianjian Bureau and getting out of his car.

When busy, he complained about how exhausting life was and wished to lie down without a care, perhaps for a lifetime. But after actually lying down for a few days, he felt as if he had lost his soul. He couldn't help running back to the Tianjian Bureau to request more training.

Apart from the internal training ground at the Tianjian Bureau, there was also a massive training ground in a Folding Space. Wang Lan had heard of it but never visited before. It had been a year since he joined the Tianjian Bureau. However, he was either busy studying or busy catching spies, so the time he actually spent at the Tianjian Bureau was indeed very short.

Among the Red Captains, Wang Lan was perhaps the only one who hadn't been to the Folding Space training ground.

Folding Space technology was truly next-level, almost unbelievable tech. It was said to be made from Space Stones, which only come from Different Dimensional Spaces. However, Space Stones are also a nationally banned item. Anyway, the state's control over Space Stones is even stricter than over drugs.

Approaching a huge iron door similar to the ones at the training ground, Xu Shiyun pressed his palm on the door sensor, and the door slowly opened. Blinding white light shone through, completely swallowing their figures.

Entering the Folding Space Training Room, they saw an endless gray land along with an endless pale sky. Far off in the distance, people were chasing and fighting in the vast space.

"This place, is it similar to a Different Dimensional Space?" Wang Lan asked as he looked around.

"It's not just similar, it is one!" Xu Shiyun casually threw his cigarette butt into the space, and it instantly went out.

"See that? The way things burn here is different. Every time I bring a cig in, I have to relight it," Xu Shiyun said as he pulled out another cigarette. "Here, give me a light."

Wang Lan produced a flame from his fingertip to light the boss's cigarette. "Since it's a Different Dimensional Space, how come there are no Exotic Beasts?"

"Killed them all. We used Space Stones to carve out a Different Dimensional Space. Then, we slaughtered all the Exotic Beasts and reinforced the spatial nodes. What's left is a good space for storing supplies or for training."

As he spoke, Xu Shiyun pointed to the distant figures flickering in the space. "Those are brothers from the Bureau. Don't be shy, just go and practice with them. Plus, learning Star Martial Skills here is also a good idea. It seems Lige has been in seclusion here for the last half month."

"Doesn't he need to do missions?"

"He's learning a new Star Martial Skill, so he's in seclusion for training."

"Speaking of which, I also learned a new Star Martial Skill recently. I haven't found the right place to test it out, but it seems like I can do so here."

"You can drop the 'seems.' This place's biggest advantage is you can unleash Star Martial Skills freely." As they spoke, the two walked to a relatively open spot.

"Oh, Captain Wang is here? What a rare guest."

"Seems like the first time I've seen Captain Wang come here."

A few nearby brothers stopped their sparring and called out to Wang Lan. They recognized him, but Wang Lan didn't recognize them, so he could only nod in response.

"Captain Wang, you're super famous now, called the strongest high school student in Jiang Province's history. Also, what was that Star Martial Skill you displayed the other day? It was so powerful."

"If you shouldn't ask, then don't. Why so nosy? Need motivation to train, or should I help you?" Xu Shiyun immediately shouted.

"No need, no need, just taking a short break," the two quickly scattered, apologizing and moving away from Xu Shiyun.

"Wang Lan, what's the new Star Martial Skill you learned? Was it the prize for winning the provincial martial arts competition?"

"Yes, it's a fire-type Star Martial Skill, Earth Surge Fire Sea."

"Which one?" Xu Shiyun suddenly exclaimed beside him.

"Earth Surge Fire Sea. You seem very surprised?"

"That's an S-level Star Martial Skill!"

"Yes, a reward of an S-level Star Martial Skill. Is that surprising?"

Seeing Wang Lan's nonchalant attitude, Xu Shiyun seriously wanted to slap him.

"I don't even have an S-level Star Martial Skill. Also, even Director Wang and the others have at most one S-level Star Martial Skill to their names. And you, a high school student... you already have an S-level Star Martial Skill!"

"I've already graduated," Wang Lan responded coolly, his Star Power suddenly surging around him.

"Wait! What are you doing? Start slow. Don't just go wasting Star Power trying to cast it outright."

"Start slow? Why do it slowly?"

"Don't you need to follow steps when learning a Star Martial Skill?"

"Do you?"

You're putting on an act, pretending! Who learns Star Martial Skills without steps? Heck, even going to the toilet to take a dump has the step of pulling down your pants, right? But just as this thought crossed his mind, the scene before him was so shocking that he was left speechless.

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