Wang Lan's hands pressed against the ground, and suddenly the earth in front of him turned crimson, as if transforming into surging magma. Without warning, bright red flames burst forth from the ground like an erupting volcano, fiercely scorching everything within thirty meters.

Less than a month had passed since the provincial Star Martial Art competition ended. An S-level Star Martial Skill, learned in such a short time?

It was only when the cigarette burned down to his fingers that Xu Shiyun suddenly realized and hurriedly threw the butt away. Unbeknownst to him, a large group of warriors from the Tianjian Bureau had gathered around Wang Lan.

They seemed fine, simply watching curiously as Wang Lan manipulated the Star Martial Skill, changing the position and shape of the flames.

Not until he felt his Star Power waning did Wang Lan finally stop.

"The furthest I can control it is thirty-five meters; any further and the Star Power won't cover it. Although it's an S-level Star Martial Skill, its power is somewhat disappointing. The enemy won't just stand there; they could escape thirty-five meters in an instant. Could this S-level Star Martial Skill be a fake?"

"Scram!" Xu Shiyun lifted his foot as if to kick.

"Even if it is an S-level Star Martial Skill, you've only just mastered it, alright? To unleash its true power, you need to at least reach the Galaxy Stage. A range of thirty-five meters is already impressive, but you also have to consider the flame temperature. I'm standing behind you and I can feel the intense heatwave. This flame's temperature could instantly kill someone. Moreover, this technique has tremendous potential. You should look to the Fire Emperor for reference. Earth Surge Fire Sea is the Fire Emperor's signature move. It covers a hundred-meter range with purple flames that instantly devour everything. You know, the Fire Emperor once single-handedly flattened an entire Different Dimensional Space, right?"

Wang Lan had just mastered Earth Surge Fire Sea, and he was still at Gold One. Most of his other Star Martial Skills were also at Gold One; only skills like Crescent Arrow and Flame Sword had been upgraded to Gold Two.

Ever since his skills reached the Gold level, skill points were becoming increasingly insufficient. Doing small tasks was utterly useless. Thankfully, once university started, there would be annual real-world internships, which might make earning skill points easier.

There's an old saying: "In the mountains, there's no calendar." This was also true for Wang Lan, who was in the Folding Space. Had Xu Shiyun not informed him, Wang Lan would have been unaware that he had been in the Folding Space for over ten days.

In the Different Dimensional Space, without the distinction of day and night, any sense of time was completely disordered. Wang Lan only knew to rest when he was tired. Once his energy was replenished, he would spar with his teammates. At the Tianjian Bureau, especially in the Folding Space training ground, most were at the Star Cloud Stage, every one of them a battle-hardened veteran.

This suited the current Wang Lan perfectly. Over the past ten days, Wang Lan progressed from occasionally being caught up in the rhythm of his Tianjian Bureau comrades to having virtually no openings. To beat Wang Lan now, one would have to rely on sheer strength to overpower him. This improvement was visibly apparent.

Though his brothers didn't speak of it, deep down they were all genuinely impressed by Wang Lan.

"Brothers, I'm going to step out for a couple of days to rest up, then I'll be back. Don't miss me too much."

"Go ahead, and it'd be better if you don't come back."

"Exactly. There's not much more we can teach you. What's left is improving your own strength; you're not lacking in combat experience anymore," several Red Elites said dismissively, shooing him away with disdain.

Upon leaving the Folding Space and turning on his recently retrieved phone, a barrage of buzzing notifications erupted.

Although he had informed the others that he would be training at the Tianjian Bureau, he hadn't expected to be completely out of touch for ten straight days.

Xu Xiangwen had sent the most messages, each one reeking of his eagerness to show off.

"Lanzi, I scored four hundred and thirty points, hahaha... That's thirty points more than the admission score for Zezhou Star Martial Academy! But I won't list their school as a preference. I'm going to show them. The face I lost, I will personally reclaim."

"Still alive? If you are, give a sign."

"When are you getting out of jail? When you do, your bro's treating you to drinks."

It was almost a message a day. Between the lines, one could detect a single thought: 'Hurry up and come out, I'm dying to show off.'

"I'm out! How's everyone?"

DING DONG! Almost three seconds after the message was sent, Xu Xiangwen replied.

"Lanzi, you're finally back from the dead! I thought you were a goner. Tonight at six, Eastern Heaven Gate, Longmen Inn."

"OK!"

"Lanzi, I scored four hundred and thirty points! One hundred and seventy in theory, two hundred and sixty in combat. In the combat exam, I ranked first in Suzhou City and fourth in Jiang Province. Awesome, right?"

Four hundred and thirty? Is that a lot? Wang Lan felt it necessary to curb his friend's burgeoning arrogance. He was already so arrogant. Who knew what he'd be like at the gathering later?

"First in Suzhou City? That's not bad. I guess those who did better than you must have been recommended for admission, right?"

After sending two messages in a row, there was no reply from the other side. But Gong Feiyu chimed in at just the right moment with a jab.

"Lanzi, don't be harsh. It's rare for the 'mountain' to be without a 'tiger.' Let him play king for a while, even if he's just deceiving himself."

"Just wait, I'll roast you all tonight."

Deep into the night, Wang Lan's steps were slightly unsteady as he ambled towards Xinyu Building, the brilliant lights at his back.

During dinner, everyone had been in high spirits. Overwhelmed by the mood, Wang Lan, who normally didn't drink, broke his routine and had two bottles of beer.

In Xu Xiangwen's opinion, could beer even count as alcohol? It was more like a beverage at most. But for Wang Lan, the difference between two bottles of beer and two bottles of baijiu wasn't significant. After one bottle, Wang Lan's face turned red, and after two, his head felt like it had grown a whole size bigger.

Although he was a bit dizzy, he was still conscious. After declining Jiang Xinyu's offer to see him home, Wang Lan went back by himself.

Just as he arrived at the building's entrance, a warm breeze blew by, and Wang Lan instantly became alert.

He stopped in his tracks, his back tensing. "Who's there?"

"Wang Lan, it's me…" Xie Sisi's voice rang out as she emerged from around a nearby corner. Seeing Xie Sisi, Wang Lan immediately relaxed, a smile spreading across his face at her meticulously dolled-up appearance.

"Sisi, what are you doing here? I invited you to the get-together earlier, why didn't you come?"

The sound of high heels on the tiled floor grew closer, and Wang Lan's expression suddenly became serious. "Is that you? How did you get out? What happened?"

Although the person in front of him was still Xie Sisi, from the look in her eyes, Wang Lan instantly recognized that this was Xie Sisi's second personality—a hidden one that only emerged when Xie Sisi was in danger.

"There's no danger, she's fine!" Xie Sisi came up to Wang Lan, naturally hooking her arm around his, and said gently, "Walk with me."

"Sure!"

The two walked slowly under the streetlights along the internal path.

"She scored 410, ten points above the admission cutoff for Jin City Star Warrior Academy."

"Mm, I heard from Xiangwen. Congratulations. By the way, you *are* her, why do you refer to her as 'she'?"

"I am different from her," Xie Sisi said calmly, "she's very happy. After awakening her Star Martial talent, she has never been this joyful. A few days ago, her parents threw a celebratory feast for her, and all her relatives and friends attended. Thank you. If it weren't for you and Xinyu, she definitely wouldn't have gotten into such a good school. Now that she's admitted to Jin City Star Warrior Academy, she won't need my protection anymore. In the future, she'll become a strong and brave warrior, right?"

"Of course. She's already a strong and brave warrior."

"I have to go," Xie Sisi suddenly stopped and said with a hint of sadness.

"Go?" Wang Lan was taken aback, looking at Xie Sisi. "You mean..."

"I've said before that the day Sisi no longer needs my protection, I'll disappear. My existence is due to her inner fear and weakness. But now, she's no longer afraid or weak, so it's time for me to vanish."

The disappearance of this personality was undoubtedly good for Xie Sisi. A normal person shouldn't have dual personalities. However, Wang Lan felt a strange sense of melancholy welling up from deep within.

Her existence was a mistake, but at the same time, she was so innocent. She had been protecting Xie Sisi from the shadows for many years, and now, no longer needed, she was to vanish like smoke.

From a scientific perspective, an independent personality is, in essence, a separate person. Even though she shared a body with Xie Sisi, she had a life as unique as Xie Sisi's. For this Xie Sisi, disappearing was akin to dying.

"Don't feel sorry for me. It was destined from the moment I came into existence. If I were never to disappear, it would mean she had never overcome her psychological shadows. Today, see me off. I'll buy you a drink," she said, pointing and smiling at the flickering lights of a bar across the street.

A sliver of sunlight came streaming through the gap in the curtains, striking Wang Lan's eyelids directly. He fluttered his eyelids slightly and let out a soft groan.

Slowly opening his eyes, he gently held his forehead.

This feeling was like being in the grips of a severe cold. Sick? Obviously not. Star Martial Warriors rarely get sick, especially not from something like a cold.

Last night, after drinking with Xu Xiangwen and the others, he had left the party and headed home, then encountered... Xie Sisi's second personality. And then, they had gone to a bar... then a toast to the past, a toast to tomorrow, a toast to dreams, a toast to death.

And in the end, he remembered nothing.

Raising his head to survey his surroundings, there was no doubt he was in his own home. Clothes were scattered on the floor, looking almost as if they had been torn off.

Suddenly, Wang Lan's gaze cleared, and he sat up abruptly.

With a stiff neck, he slowly turned his head. A bare, pale form was curled up in the bedding, sleeping soundly.

Could I have behaved like a beast? The words struck his mind like a thunderbolt.

Probably! After drinking himself into a stupor last night, he had likely lost all sense of reason. What occurred afterward seemed to just fall into place. Only... to experience my first time like this, without any recollection? Even if it wasn't my first time in two lifetimes, still...

Wang Lan carefully lifted the blanket, worried he might wake Xie Sisi.

If this were a TV drama, upon waking up and discovering what they had done, there would be an earth-shattering scream, followed by her pointing at him in profound grief.

In that brief moment, Wang Lan had already mentally drafted an apology and a pledge.

Just as he was about to get out of bed, suddenly, a pair of soft, jade-like arms tightly embraced him.

"Wang Lan… I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to scheme against you… Last night I… I drank too much as well… Wang Lan, I didn't intentionally try to come between you two…"

Xie Sisi was already awake. But why wasn't her reaction following the script?

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