CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 69 VERTICAL FLAME SWORD

"Mr. Qin means..." Bao Longqing furrowed his brows.

"Because it’s real, because it’s clear! Because this is some of the clearest and most genuine Star Martial Warrior battle footage in recent years. Because the two Star Martial Warriors engaged in the battle were both fighting with the intent to kill the other. I’m not saying they had the intention to murder; I’m describing the authenticity of that battle. So, contestant Wolf became famous overnight, but does this mean that contestant Wolf has the strength to back up his fame? Contestant Wolf is only at the mid-Star Shine stage. Although the Star Shine rank isn’t the absolute standard for measuring strength, it is the most important one."

"Does Mr. Qin mean that contestant Wolf might be at a disadvantage?"

"Correct," Mr. Qin said indifferently as he took a sip of water.

"Then let us wait and see."

"The thirty-third match of the official Star Martial Competition now begins!"

"Please guide me!" Gan Lie said solemnly, slightly cupping his fists.

Wang Lan had learned his lesson. Even though he bowed in return, his eyes remained fixed on Gan Lie’s every move. However, Gan Lie showed no intention of launching a sneak attack. Instead, he slowly tightened the bandages wrapped around his hands.

"Even though I don’t know who you are, your strength is indeed decent. I’m not one of those half-baked braggarts. I’ve been to the battlefield to fight Star Martial Warriors from other countries, and I’ve hunted in barbaric Different Dimensional Spaces. Your practical combat skills are very solid. You became famous in one battle during the preliminary competition, but don’t think you can live up to all that hype. You won because you haven’t met me! In this match, I’ll shatter your myth!"

"Stepping over me to ascend?"

"HUMPH!" As soon as he finished speaking, Gan Lie suddenly leaned forward and rushed at Wang Lan. In an instant, Gan Lie’s figure turned cyan, wind whirling around him, his body seemingly becoming lighter and more agile.

Wind-attribute?

Wang Lan took half a step back as an afterimage nearly grazed his face.

The speed was like that of a high-speed train whisking past one’s cheek.

The Wind attribute has two characteristics: one is terrifying cutting force, and the other is speed. Although not as fast as Thunder Attribute Star Martial Warriors, it still ranks second. Wind-attribute Star Martial Skills involve the dual application of form and attribute; using the Wind attribute to accelerate is an application of form variation.

"In the world of martial arts, nothing is truly indestructible; only speed is unbreakable! Before the velocity of wind, your Sword Qi will be meaningless!"

At that moment, Gan Lie’s body seemed to transform into a whirlwind. His face was the only human aspect visible at the front of the wind mass; the rest of his body appeared to merge into the wind. Suddenly, images of Gan Lie appeared everywhere on the stage.

On the three hundred-square-meter stage, Wang Lan danced in the center, leaving afterimages. Meanwhile, Gan Lie, like a ghostly shadow, appeared in every corner, and only the howling wind could be heard.

If the first match was a collision of muscles, then this third match was a showcase of speed. Wang Lan’s speed was already very fast; his movement technique had reached a level that made uninformed audience members exclaim in disbelief.

However, Wang Lan’s speed, while agile, was still far from true quickness.

So-called quickness completely overrides agility. Even if you see it, know it, and understand it, you are helpless and can only watch in despair as you are crushed by speed. That is true quickness—so quick you’d be left in the dust.

In the arena venue, more than a dozen cameras captured the action, creating highly engaging visuals.

Min Jian stood in the main control room, rapidly issuing commands for camera switches.

"Camera Seven, zoom in for a close-up."

"Camera Eight, tenfold slow-motion replay... no, twelvefold..."

"Camera Nine, bird’s-eye view! Beautiful!"

"The judges, what are the judges doing? Get a shot of the judges! Damn it! Judges, what are you doing? You’re not the audience; you’re seasoned teachers! How can you look so dumbfounded? Start commenting already!"

"COUGH, COUGH... Mr. Xiaobao, did you see that?"

"It’s truly unexpected. I thought contestant Wolf was already one of the strongest contestants in this year’s competition, but who would have thought that contestant Gan Lie’s strength would also be so astonishing."

"A contestant’s strength is relative to their opponent. For example, if a Galaxy Stage Star Martial Warrior is defeated in a single move by a Star Sea warrior, does that mean the Galaxy Stage Star Martial Warrior is weak? Not at all. Contestant Wolf became instantly famous due to his stunning performance in the preliminary competition, but if we look at it rationally, our Star Martial Competition is filled with hidden talents. I’ve always been optimistic about contestant Gan Lie, not only because his Star Martial rank is higher, but also because he has experienced so many brutal battlefields. This shows that contestant Gan Lie is also a battle-hardened warrior. With his rich experience and solid Basic Skills, plus the suppression from his Star Power level—even if contestant Wolf also possesses extensive experience and solid Basic Skills—he will find it difficult to bridge the gap in Star Power. Based on the current state of the battle, my judgment should be sound."

"But Mr. Qin, contestant Wolf’s performance is also very steady. Look, he’s dealing with contestant Gan Lie’s highly aggressive attacks in a calm and collected manner."

"Constant defense without any counterattacks will inevitably lead to defeat."

Wang Lan used Star Cloud Sword Dance to create a flurry of afterimages, effortlessly dodging each of Gan Lie’s Speedy Wind assaults. Although Wang Lan could not match Gan Lie’s speed, the afterimages he created misled Gan Lie into attacking false targets.

It might have seemed like Wang Lan was constantly dodging while Gan Lie increased the pace of his attacks, but so far, Gan Lie had not even touched the hem of Wang Lan’s clothing.

Wang Lan’s brow furrowed. This Gan Lie’s Basic Skills were indeed solid, but he relied too heavily on this one Star Martial Skill. In Wang Lan’s mind, surely the same Star Martial Skill couldn’t be sustained for long? To Wang Lan, Gan Lie’s use of Speedy Wind seemed just like the Flaming Leopard King’s flame acceleration technique. However, the Flaming Leopard King’s version was several times more potent. Even so, when the Flaming Leopard King used such a move, Wang Lan had figured out how to counter it in less than a minute. Where did you get the confidence to think that with one move, you could remain unbeaten?

Wang Lan made up his mind, just as the commentary from the judges’ panel ceased.

"Kid, is dodging all you can do? Come on, use that Butterfly Passing Through Flowers Star Martial Skill from yesterday! Bring it on—" Gan Lie began to verbally taunt Wang Lan. As he spoke, his figure was enveloped by a whirlwind, his body rapidly spinning into a horrifying wind-drill as he charged straight at Wang Lan.

This time, however, Wang Lan stood rooted to his spot, unmoving.

"What’s contestant Wolf trying to do?"

"Get the first aid ready—"

Even Min Jian, watching from backstage and tapping his fingers, suddenly froze mid-tap. He worked in show business; dramatic scenes were fine for the program, but on-screen deaths were an absolute taboo.

Simultaneously, Wang Lan suddenly crossed his hands, and two Flame Swords burst from his palms. The Flame Swords crossed like scissors. Instantly, a vertical blade of fire appeared with Wang Lan, and between his palms, the flames morphed into a massive chainsaw.

This scene made everyone gasp.

Fire counters wind; even a primary school student knows about the restraining relationships between Star Martial Attributes.

So when Wang Lan suddenly utilized a Fire-attribute Star Martial Skill, the stands erupted.

"Damn, how did I not realize Wolf was a Fire-attribute Star Martial Warrior?"

"Don’t say you didn’t realize it; the three judges on stage didn’t realize it either."

"Listen to all the long-winded theories Mr. Qin has been spouting—from Star Martial ranks to Basic Skills to Gan Lie’s combat experience and so on. He analyzed and compared everything, yet damn it, he didn’t consider that Wolf might be a Fire-attribute Star Martial Warrior."

Compared to the audience’s reaction, Gan Lie’s was even more spectacular.

With a ferocious expression and a cruel, sinister smile, accompanied by the shrill howl of the wind, he savagely hurtled towards Wang Lan.

But the moment the Flame Sword ignited, Gan Lie’s expression froze, a look of dumbstruck bewilderment laced with disbelief.

And when the howling drill was effortlessly bisected by the Flame Sword, his face showed deep despair and intense fear.

But he couldn’t stop himself now.

The moment Wang Lan had paused, Gan Lie had already committed to a last-ditch effort.

After nearly three minutes of using Speedy Wind, his Star Power was almost depleted. If he missed this chance to settle the fight, he was destined to lose. Therefore, Gan Lie had resolutely taken action.

But why, just why, was Wang Lan so coincidentally a Fire-attribute Star Martial Warrior? You’re Fire-attribute, so why the hell didn’t you show it earlier? You fought three rounds in the preliminaries and faced Wind-attribute Star Martial Warriors too, right? Why didn’t you use this move back then? If I hadn’t seen that match where you split the wind blade with your Sword Qi and knocked out your opponent with a punch, how could I have ever thought your Star Martial Skill was the Star Cloud Sword Dance? You...

If Wang Lan knew Gan Lie’s thoughts at that moment, he might only be able to spread his hands and think, Blame me, it’s all my fault!

But there were no ’what-ifs.’ Gan Lie, having made his gamble, could not turn back. He couldn’t even stop his momentum, let alone turn back.

With such high-speed inertia, imagine colliding head-on with Wang Lan’s Flame Sword.

It would be like a live pork-cutting demonstration at the Meat Union Factory—a single, clean slice!

So when this scene flashed by, everyone in the audience instinctively closed their eyes.

And in that split second, Wang Lan suddenly withdrew his blade.

The Flame Sword vanished, replaced by Wang Lan’s tightly clenched fist.

BANG!

Gan Lie’s entire face slammed squarely into Wang Lan’s fist. Wang Lan even felt the crisp snap of a nasal bone shattering.

THUD!

Gan Lie crashed heavily to the ground, his body convulsing violently as if electrocuted.

Deathly silence. The arena was utterly silent.

"Damn it, I closed my eyes just now..."

"Me too, I didn’t see it. What happened?"

"Replay! We strongly demand a replay!"

"I... I saw it..." a young man wearing glasses said hoarsely, his face filled with a mixture of shock and regret.

"What did you see?"

"Quick, tell us! How exactly did Gan Lie lose?"

"Wolf put away his Flame Sword, then just extended his fist. Gan Lie ran head-first into Wolf’s fist and then collapsed."

PFFT!

HAHAHA...

"The thirty-third match victor is contestant Wolf! Contestant Wolf has successfully advanced to the top fifty!" The referee’s announcement suddenly rang out.

"First round of the official competition completed. Advancing to the next round. Reward: 2,000 experience points, 100 skill points."

Wang Lan turned and walked away, his footsteps slightly hesitant.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should heal Gan Lie. But he instantly dismissed the impulse. The Medical Star Martial Technique was one of his trump cards, and there was no need to expose it unless absolutely necessary.