"Won?"

Suddenly, an incredulous cry of astonishment erupted, as if a fuse had ignited a powder keg.

"Champion? We're the champions?" Xu Xiangwen excitedly jumped up from his seat and shouted loudly.

"CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!—" A teacher took the lead in standing up and applauding, followed by students rising one after another. Soon, almost everyone in the stands had risen to deliver a round of warm applause.

This battle left them in awe. Wang Lan's stunning comeback left them speechless. It wasn't just overwhelming strength that could win people's wholehearted approval. Finding that fleeting chance of victory in adversity was the true spirit of a Star Martial Warrior.

In the fight against the Demon Clan, humanity had always been at a disadvantage. Yet, even in adversity, generation after generation of Star Martial Warriors, with their unyielding belief, had carried human civilization's strong legacy to this day.

This was the truly invaluable quality of a Star Martial Warrior.

So this applause was for Wang Lan, who never gave up in adversity, and for the powerful and unmatched Xiao Zi.

Jiang Xinyu watched Wang Lan in the arena, raising his fist, and her lips broke into a radiant smile. It was at this moment that the man before her had truly won Jiang Xinyu's heartfelt approval.

"You... after all, you won."

Behind Jiang Xinyu, the Dean of Discipline was now too excited to contain himself. Clutching the handrail tightly, his body trembled as old tears streamed down his face.

How many years had it been? Twenty years, or even longer? The Suzhou City representative team had never achieved such outstanding results. The championship, missed for over twenty years, had finally returned to the embrace of Suzhou City.

The applause in the stadium, along with the cheers of the audience watching the live broadcast, erupted. At this moment, a name resounded throughout Jiang Province. The champion of the 5019th Provincial Martial Arts Competition was Wang Lan.

The waves of cheers rolled on, seemingly endless, showing no sign of subsiding. Suddenly, the smartphones of all the Star Martial Warriors in the stadium began to ring simultaneously. Almost in unison, everyone pulled out their phones.

Upon seeing the message, everyone's expression changed drastically.

"Demon Clan spies and terrorist organizations have joined forces to attack the Tianjian Bureau. The Tianjian Bureau urgently requests support. This is an emergency!"

Lu Zhao's face turned deathly pale, his eyes wide with incredulous horror.

The Tianjian Bureau? Why the Tianjian Bureau? Was the Demon Clan's target actually the Tianjian Bureau?

This message had been issued by Li Weixin, who had remained at the bureau. If the situation hadn't been critically urgent, he would never have released it.

All of the Tianjian Bureau's elite were at the gymnasium. Seizing the opportunity while the Tianjian Bureau was vulnerable, the Demon Clan spies struck at its core. At this moment, numerous possibilities flashed through Lu Zhao's mind.

The Demon Clan's true target wasn't Eld Di, nor was it to disrupt this provincial competition. The Demon Clan's target had always been the Tianjian Bureau.

Because the Tianjian Bureau of Suzhou City harbored deep-seated hatred for Demon Clan spies. Over the past year, the Demon Clan spy network connected to Suzhou City's Tianjian Bureau had suffered frequent setbacks. As a result, Suzhou City's Tianjian Bureau had become the exemplar for all such bureaus in the nation.

Assassinate Eld Di? Could the feasibility of assassinating Eld Di be equated with the feasibility of destroying Suzhou City's Tianjian Bureau? Lu Zhao had his answer in an instant.

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!—"

The call connected, and Li Weixin's urgent voice came from the other end.

"Director, it's Wang Mingling! He's leading Demon Clan spies and a large group of human traitors in an assault on the east gate. We definitely can't hold them off in a direct confrontation. I've activated the protective barrier, but... the situation is very grim."

"How many have come?"

"Several hundred. But Wang Mingling alone is as formidable as a thousand men."

"I understand," Lu Zhao replied, quickly sending a message through his phone: "All units, take note! Return and reinforce the Tianjian Bureau immediately!"

After finishing, Lu Zhao looked apologetically at Eld Di. "Eld Di, I must take my leave."

"Go, go. Do you need my help?" Eld Di asked calmly, his tone nonchalant.

"No need. The Tianjian Bureau fears no challenge."

Wang Qianfeng was about to turn around when he saw Wang Lan quickly sprinting out of the arena.

"Wang Lan, where are you going? You're the champion."

Wang Lan stopped in his tracks, looking up at Wang Qianfeng in the stands with confusion. Isn't the Tianjian Bureau in urgent need?

"You stay. We'll handle it," Wang Qianfeng said tersely before his figure shot up into the sky.

Although the others in the venue could only guess what had happened and were discussing it animatedly, an announcement from the organizers soon came over the loudspeakers.

"Due to the special circumstances this morning, the Jiang Province Provincial Martial Arts Competition concluded three hours earlier than in other provinces. Now, let's welcome to the stage our champion, Wang Lan; runner-up, Xiao Zi; and third-place winner, Mu Shaoyun, for the award ceremony!"

The television broadcast continued. The end of the competition wasn't the final curtain call. Only when the trophy was in hand would the dust truly settle.

What if I miss the award ceremony and the reward that's rightfully mine disappears? After defeating Xiao Zi, the system didn't even notify me that I'm the champion.

Wang Lan walked up to the podium at the edge of the field and stood in the center. To his left was Xiao Zi, who had mostly healed after her treatment. To his right was Mu Shaoyun, wearing a duckbill cap, looking as if he were about to go on a trip.

In the midst of the exhilarating music, Eld Di approached the podium, took the championship medal and award from the panel of judges, and came forward solemnly.

Eld Di wasn't tall; he was a very lean old man with a benevolent smile on his face, just like a grandfather in the park. But from Eld Di, Wang Lan sensed a gravitas as profound as a mountain and a breadth as vast as the sea.

And this old man was his mother's mentor, the legendary figure who had nurtured the Flame Emperor of the South.

Eld Di solemnly placed the medal around Wang Lan's neck. "If your mother could see your achievement today, she would be very happy. In the provincial competition, your mother only ranked eighth in the province—that was her lifelong regret. And this regret, you've fulfilled for her."

"Thank you!"

Wang Lan thought he would have a lot to say, but when the moment came, it felt as if a rock were lodged in his chest. The only words he managed to utter were a simple "Thank you!"

"You are excellent, no less so than your mother," Eld Di said before turning towards Xiao Zi.

*[System: Congratulations to the Host for becoming the champion of the Provincial Martial Arts Competition. Reward: 30,000 Experience Points, 1,500 Skill Points.]*

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!—"

Wang Lan's phone suddenly rang at that moment. Knowing that the Tianjian Bureau was facing a crisis, he quickly took out his phone. It was a message from Xu Shiyun.

"'The autopsy results just came out: Zhang Hao and Qiu Tianci have been dead for over eighteen hours.'"

The moment Wang Lan saw the message, his complexion changed drastically. He had already had his suspicions, which was why he had asked Xu Shiyun to look into it. But he never expected... to have actually guessed right.

In that situation, those two wouldn't have killed each other. But that scene truly unfolded before my eyes. If it was artificially manipulated, then the manipulator's purpose was...

Just then, Eld Di had finished presenting the award to Xiao Zi and was heading towards the third-place winner, Mu Shaoyun. At that very instant, Wang Lan's Inch Strength Fist suddenly activated. Without warning, he threw a punch at Mu Shaoyun beside him.

Caught completely off guard, Mu Shaoyun was blasted away by Wang Lan's punch.

This scene was broadcast live on television, reaching thousands of households. Everyone was stunned. On the dais, the leaders from Suzhou City, the host city, instantly leaped to their feet, staring at Wang Lan in utter bewilderment.

"Wang Lan, what are you doing?" Principal Zhang was right beside the podium and, recovering from the shock, burst out thunderously, "This is the award podium, and there's a live TV broadcast! Whatever grudges you have with Mu Shaoyun, you can't settle them at this time!"

Wang Lan looked at Mu Shaoyun, still lying motionless on the ground, his own expression impassive.

"Mu Shaoyun... no, I should call you Wang Mingling. Are you still going to pretend?" Wang Lan said, pulling out his phone to make a call. "Director Wang, the mole has been found. It's Ma Weidong."

"Wang Lan, what on earth is going on? You've completely confused me," Eld Di said, still calm and collected, even managing a chuckle and a smile.

"Just now, my colleague informed me that Zhang Hao and Qiu Tianci's actual time of death was over eighteen hours ago. This means they were murdered last night," Wang Lan explained.

"How could people murdered last night possibly compete today? The only explanation is that their bodies were being controlled by a Star Martial Warrior. And the only person capable of that is Wang Mingling, the Star Martial Warrior traitor from Jade Country.

"But what was Wang Mingling's motive for making Zhang Hao and Qiu Tianci kill each other? The only reason I can think of is that with them dead, you, who would have originally ranked fifth, successfully moved up to third place.

"The top three finishers stand on the podium to receive their awards from Eld Di. Considering the intelligence we previously obtained—that Wang Mingling returned to the country to assassinate Eld Di—it means that you, who shouldn't even be on this podium, are the assassin intending to kill Eld Di. Am I right?"

"Hehehe..." Mu Shaoyun, who had been feigning unconsciousness on the ground, suddenly let out a chilling laugh. He stood up stiffly, his body bent at an eerie angle.

"Although Mu Shaoyun was always considered the best in his year, he was never as overwhelmingly powerful as you've demonstrated. His strength was, at most, a notch above his peers. But you... you're unimaginably strong.

"I suspect that back when Mu Shaoyun's family was assassinated by Hellfire, you had already possessed him. That's why you can only be Wang Mingling. And if Wang Mingling himself made a move, how could Ma Weidong have possibly held out until we arrived? Therefore, he must be the mole within the Tianjian Bureau.

"I believe your plan was twofold. First, you deliberately created the illusion that you were already at the stadium, luring the Tianjian Bureau's top personnel to fortify that location. Meanwhile, you colluded with the Demon Clan to launch a surprise attack on the Tianjian Bureau headquarters.

"Once the Tianjian Bureau recalled its forces to defend the headquarters, you would then have the perfect opportunity for an assassination right here. Killing two birds with one stone! Wang Mingling, I have to admit, even if you are ugly, your scheme was quite ingenious."

"Wang Lan was the biggest variable in our plan," Wang Mingling said, his voice raspy. "As long as he was present, our plan could be disrupted. Dongluo of the Demon Clan stressed this to me repeatedly. Yet, I found it strange. How could a mere Star Shine Stage youngster, a student still in school, make them so wary?

"Ah... I regret not heeding his advice and allowing you to remain. I should have killed you in the previous match."

"Kill me? Do you think you could?"

Wang Mingling slowly straightened up. Pieces of skin on his face began to peel away, and in the blink of an eye, an entirely different face was revealed.

Wang Mingling's gaze shifted to Eld Di. Suddenly, a smile he hadn't worn in a long time appeared on his face. "Teacher, it's been over thirty years. Do you still remember me?"

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