CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74: THIS IS A PROVOCATION

Starting from this round, the competition adopted a semi-live broadcast format. It was recorded half an hour in advance, and then the production team would immediately edit the footage, broadcasting it before any spoilers could leak.

The first step was to draw lots for the matchups. Wang Lan’s opponent this time was a Star Martial Warrior with a Gold Attribute.

Seeing the draw results, Wang Lan looked up, only to find his opponent also looking his way, giving him a thumbs up. Just as Wang Lan was about to respond, the opponent suddenly wore a sly smirk and turned his thumb upside down.

Hah... childish!

The Gold Attribute wasn’t particularly rare among Star Martial Warriors, but neither was it common. Its characteristics involved controlling metal and using Star Power to create metal.

Wu Changfeng was a Galaxy Stage expert with the Gold Attribute. Wang Lan had discussed with Wu Changfeng before and learned that the practical applications of the Gold Attribute weren’t as extensive as he had initially thought.

Gold Attribute Star Martial Warriors are not Magneto; that ability belongs to the Magnetic Attribute. The most common application for Gold Attribute Star Martial Warriors is to cover their bodies in metal, increasing their defense. This is different from Wu Changfeng’s Iron Body, which metallizes the entire body—an advanced state rarely achieved. For a typical Gold Attribute Star Martial Warrior, simply being able to cover their body in metal is already commendable. Encased in metal, they become like tanks, bulldozing their opponents.

Perhaps, in the opponent’s eyes, Wang Lan’s Star Cloud Sword Dance and Flame Sword weren’t enough to penetrate his metal armor. Coupled with Wang Lan’s publicly revealed mid-Star Shine Stage, the opponent most likely looked down on Wang Lan and mocked him childishly.

What he didn’t know was that his covert antics backstage were captured by the cameras. Min Jian, stroking his chin, stared at the frozen frame on the screen.

"Director Min, should we cut this out?"

"Movies, TV shows, novels, and so forth all have protagonists. Who is the protagonist of our Star Martial Battle?" Min Jian suddenly turned and asked.

"Obviously, it’s the Star Martial Warriors themselves, with each one being the protagonist in the eyes of their fans."

"No! Not everyone is a protagonist; there is only one. Maybe at the start, anyone could become the protagonist. Throwing them together to compete is to let the real protagonist emerge victorious.

"People’s attention is limited, as is their affection—it can’t be divided so thinly. It’s like a group of people walking down the street; whoever stands out the most, that’s the protagonist.

"Since the third season of the Star Martial Battle began broadcasting, the contestant Wolf has stood out from all the others and become the protagonist. The discussions about him and his popularity tower over all the other contestants."

"Director Min, do you mean..."

"Since we have a protagonist, the others are supporting characters. So, our job is to create controversial topics and let the audience feel the conflict. Since that Jin Cheng contestant provoked the protagonist, instead of cutting it, we might as well give him a close-up. Let the viewers see the protagonist being challenged, thereby heightening their anticipation for the battle."

But... isn’t this bad for Jin Cheng?

"If he cared about his reputation, he wouldn’t have made such a disgraceful gesture backstage."

"Got it, I understand."

「The competition officially began.」

Wang Lan’s match was second to last. He sat quietly backstage, watching the fights on the big screen.

By the fourth round, the battles had become particularly fierce. To outsiders, they appeared incredibly intense. But in Wang Lan’s eyes, they were particularly... superficial, all show and no substance. It was hard to describe. The contestants appeared ferocious, as if nursing deep grudges, and their fights were earth-shattering with dazzling effects, yet many moves were merely flamboyant and unnecessary. Several times, Wang Lan saw a contestant could have easily dodged using a simpler method but chose to block with a Star Martial Skill instead. Often, they could have won by engaging in close combat, yet they insisted on using Star Martial Skills.

Star Martial Skills also have drawbacks. At the very least, they cause Star Energy Fluctuations and are predictable. Punches and kicks are silent and swift. While less powerful, they are more covert and faster. For Star Martial Warriors, close-quarters combat is the most common method of dispatching enemies in actual battles. However, in the previous two matches, hand-to-hand combat was merely an appetizer, with the later stages dominated by exchanges of Star Martial Skills.

The audience was thrilled, watching wide-eyed and slack-jawed in amazement. But to Wang Lan, such theatrics were too fake to bear.

Halfway through the competition, the TV station’s live broadcast began.

While the host fluently rattled off sponsors’ names, several contestants appeared on the TV screen, one after the other.

"Finally, we see Wolf!"

"I’ve been waiting two days. The previous two episodes were exciting, but without Wolf’s matches, something felt missing."

"I feel the same. It’s like switching channels to a different show."

"Is Wolf going to fight this time?"

"He’s here now, might as well finish the matches before leaving."

"They’ve drawn lots. Oh my, he’s up against that tank!"

"I’d say Wolf is more of an agile warrior type, right? I paid close attention to Jin Cheng’s ’tank’ build in the previous episodes. He’s completely encased in a steel frame, possessing seemingly invincible defense—practically unbeatable."

"I watched too. His armor looks as thick as a real tank’s. Unless you hit him with armor-piercing rounds, he could probably stand there all day and you wouldn’t break his defense."

"Is Jin Cheng really that strong?"

"Very strong. If you’re asking that, you definitely haven’t been watching the other matches closely and just focused on Wolf. No one has managed to counter Jin Cheng’s ’tank’ style so far."

"Doesn’t that mean Wolf is in danger?"

"Go Wolf, you can do it!"

"Wolf is invincible!"

"Wait a minute, let me take a screenshot!"

Soon, a screenshot appeared in the comment section below the video player, and new posts with the screenshot also surfaced on forums.

"Just captured this moment, although the camera quickly moved on. But did we see what I think we saw?"

"Jin Cheng actually provoked Wolf?"

"How old is he to be doing such childish things? So arrogant!"

The internet is a magnifying glass. Sometimes it turns a trivial matter, even one that Wang Lan hadn’t taken seriously, into a major event sweeping across the entire net in an instant.

A hot search topic suddenly shot up to tenth place and quickly entered the top six.

"Director Min, the comments online have exploded. Many people are trashing contestant Jin Cheng. Is this... really okay?"

"If he cared about his reputation, he wouldn’t have made such a disgraceful gesture backstage. Besides, we didn’t orchestrate this or deliberately give him a close-up; it just so happened that those two seconds of footage got edited in.

"But in terms of the show’s impact, we’ve succeeded. The groundwork for conflict has been laid, the audience’s emotions are stirred, and now we just wait for Wolf to deliver the satisfying climax of a ’face-slapping’ victory to the audience."

"But what if Wolf loses?" the assistant asked hesitantly.

"Wolf won’t lose."

"Director Min, you’re so certain?"

"I’ve asked the judges, haven’t I?"

"What?" The assistant looked incredulously at Director Min. "Don’t you know that Mr. Xiaobao, Mr. Qin, and the others are known as the ’Strategic Bluffing Trio’? Are their predictions even trustworthy?"

"I didn’t ask them. I asked a real professional Star Martial Warrior master. In his own words, so far, he has not found any weaknesses in Wolf. Even his perceived weaknesses may just be things he hasn’t shown yet.

That Star Martial Warrior master is at the Star Cloud Stage."

"Let’s thank Chang Shuangyue and Long Needle for bringing us a thrilling match! Although Long Needle fought his hardest, he ultimately fell short against the consistently stable Chang Shuangyue.

Now, we’ll ask the Earth Attribute staff to repair the arena. While they’re doing that, let’s go to a commercial break. After the break, it will be our fifth match: Wolf versus Jin Cheng! Audience members, please don’t go anywhere; we’ll be right back after these messages!"

Having said that, the host seemed to deflate, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Only God knew what an ordinary person like him, standing on the host’s platform outside the arena, experienced when watching two powerful Star Martial Warriors clashing with their Star Martial Skills at such close range. His accidental injury insurance was already at ten million, and now it seemed that wasn’t enough; he needed to increase it. Too damn risky!

The arena was quickly repaired, and Wang Lan entered the stage amidst fierce BGM.

Wang Lan arrived at the center of the arena, but Jin Cheng was nowhere to be seen on the opposing walkway.

Just as the audience began to wonder, a slight trembling sound, followed by heavy footsteps, began to resound.

Jin Cheng was bare-chested, his brick-like muscles rippling with each step. On his back, he carried a massive, gleaming black iron pillar, nearly twice his own size.

That thing must weigh several tons, right? Yet Jin Cheng walked onto the platform carrying it on his back without any change in expression.

"Isn’t that way too exaggerated? He’s leaving footprints on concrete!"

"Was the concrete not dry?"

"Dry my ass, those were made by his stomping! Damn, how heavy is that? A dozen tons?"

"Jin Cheng has never carried such a huge thing before. Could it be his weapon? Can he even wield something that heavy?"

"Whether he can wield it or not isn’t my concern; what worries me is whether the protective barriers on the arena can hold. If they break, all of us in the studio could be smashed to death, right?"

"Damn it, I want to sit in the back row."

"Get to the front!"

The commotion in the stands was also precisely captured by the camera, a development that pleased Min Jian immensely. If it were just a stellar performance by Wolf alone, this matchup would fall far short of audience expectations.

A formidable opponent creates more suspense and heightens the audience’s anticipation and tension.

Jin Cheng’s appearance today was a complete departure from his usual light and unburdened style. Carrying such a behemoth, he seemed like an entirely different person from the lightly equipped Jin Cheng of the past—the difference between a man and a monster.

Wang Lan watched Jin Cheng solemnly. There were only two explanations for someone to carry such a weight with ease: either Jin Cheng’s strength had surpassed the limits of a Star Martial Warrior, or he possessed a Star Martial Skill that made lifting heavy objects seem light. If it was just surpassing strength limits, that would be one thing. But if he had a Star Martial Skill to lift weight as if it were light or to alter gravity, then this would be Wang Lan’s second truly challenging battle since the competition began.

WHIRRING—

Tiny drones buzzed, their wings whirring as they circled above the venue. They then found a perfect vantage point and settled, their camera lenses fixed on the two individuals on stage.

「In Suzhou City’s Tianjian Bureau」

Wang Qianfeng hadn’t gone home after work. Instead, he sat in his office, having brewed a cup of fragrant tea, and watched the live feed captured by the drones, sipping contentedly.

TAP TAP TAP! A knock at the door interrupted him.

"Who is it?"

"Me!" He MingXue’s voice rang out from the other side.

"What do you want?"

"You’re not going home after work, so I came to see what mischief you’re up to in your office," He MingXue said as he pushed open the door, his gaze immediately drawn to Wang Qianfeng’s computer screen.

"What are you holding there?" Wang Qianfeng asked with a frown.

"An HD projector. Your computer screen is too small."