This absorption in his reading made Wang Lan forget the time. When he finally looked up again, the sky had already darkened.

High-level Star Power isn't about the advanced utilization of Star Power. Regardless of how Star Power is applied, such uses are considered low-level. High-level Star Power is about tracing the origin of Star Power to fundamentally understand how it is generated.

In high school textbooks, Star Power is described as being generated by the human body itself, with all the cells in a person's body containing Star Power. Through special methods, Star Power is extracted from these cells. However, cells that lose Star Power age more quickly and can even die.

But this leads to a paradox: if Star Power is energy extracted from human cells, then the amount of Star Power each Star Martial Warrior possesses should fluctuate within a certain average. It would be absolutely impossible for the current situation to exist, where some individuals have vast amounts of Star Power while others are severely lacking.

Of course, some might mention Soul Beads, as those with strong Star Power have absorbed a large number of them. Breaking the shackles of the Star Palace's limit also requires the absorption of Soul Beads.

But the Soul Bead is merely the key to unlocking this limit; the amount of Star Power absorbed to achieve this is incomparable to the amount gained *after* breaking through to a higher Star Power level.

It's like pouring water into a cup. Even if the cup bursts and the water enters a larger cup, the amount of water remains the same. It's not possible for the water to instantly fill the larger container just because the original cup burst and spilled into it.

Therefore, the true source of Star Power is definitely not human cells. What high school textbooks describe is merely the initial source of Star Power for Star Martial Warriors, not the actual origin of Star Power.

So, if Star Power does not come from the body, where does it come from? Some believe it comes from the universe, as it has been proven that the universe is filled with a massive amount of Star Power.

But this enormous amount of Star Power cannot be used by Star Martial Warriors, nor can it be collected. The Star Power in the universe is like an exquisite woman in a painting: she is right before your eyes, you can see her but never possess her. You can fantasize about her, but she will never become pregnant or bear children.

Therefore, a hypothesis exists: the X gene of Star Martial Warriors must possess the function to absorb and convert the universal Star Power, but we just haven't found it yet. If this hypothesis holds true, it would perfectly explain why Star Martial Warriors have Star Power and ordinary people do not. It would also explain the source of Star Power, and even why some people have more and some have less.

It's a matter of conversion efficiency, then.

But a hypothesis is just a hypothesis, especially one as vague as this. Despite the many unresolved mysteries, the realm of higher Star Power still lured Wang Lan like the Sea Demon's song. He wanted to know the truth more than anyone. What was the actual physical manifestation of the skill points in his body? What on earth were 'experience points'?

Wang Lan didn't attempt to scientifically explain the existence of the system, but he at least needed to know if the power he now possessed belonged to him or to the system. If the system was just a form of expression, that would be fine. But if the system was the essence, then Wang Lan might truly panic.

Closing the book, he returned it to the shelf. Wang Lan stood up and left the library. Since school hadn't started yet, there were very few people around. It wasn't until he reached the outer areas of the library that he saw a few scattered students.

Back in the dormitory, Xiao Ai's work was finished. Looking at the file rack on the table, Wang Lan opened it but paused.

"Is there only a student status form?"

"Inside the school's system, there's only one student status form."

"'Ma Chuchu, female, from Long City, Sichuan Province, enrolled in the year 5016,'" Wang Lan read, continuing with the student's related information. "'The final record is filed as: Deceased. Student status canceled.' And shockingly, the cause of death listed was 'suicide.'"

After reviewing the information, Wang Lan fell silent. For Modu Star Martial Academy to cover up this matter so thoroughly... things definitely weren't as simple as they seemed.

As Wang Lan was speculating, He Jing and Ming Guodong returned to the dormitory. Those two still had some conscience; they had actually remembered to bring food back for Wang Lan.

"Wang Lan, guess what I found out?"

"What?"

"Damn it, we're really living in a haunted house!" Ming Guodong sighed with despair. "It turns out that the senior student who lived here before was named Ma Chuchu, from the class of 2016. In her sophomore year, it seems she started dating a freshman from a Star Martial family."

"But, as fate would have it, his family forbade the relationship and forced them to break up. The guy from the Star Martial family broke up with Senior Ma. Heartbroken, she committed suicide in the dorm using a weapon her boyfriend had given her."

"It caused a huge sensation at the time; nearly all the juniors and seniors knew about it. Afterward, that dormitory became reputed to be haunted. Since then, no one has stayed in that room. And that room is the very one we're living in now! Damn it!"

"Wait, isn't this a boys' dormitory?"

"It used to be a girls' dormitory. But after ghost rumors spread in 2018 – apparently, boys have stronger yang energy or something – they swapped dormitories with the girls. This room, in particular, has been vacant ever since. No wonder! I found stockings and women's underwear when cleaning and thought the previous guy who lived here was some kind of pervert. ARGH!"

"So what do we do now?"

"What else can we do? We'll ask to change rooms. If they don't let us, we'll... we'll rent a place outside. Even though rent in Modu City is expensive, we can still afford something for around ten thousand yuan."

"Hold on, you're talking about renting a dorm room for ten thousand yuan? You're planning to rent a whole apartment suite, right?"

"Yeah, what else would I rent if not an apartment suite? A single room?"

"Wang Lan, why don't you give the internal affairs office a call?" He Jing leaned in and whispered.

"Why me?"

"You're our leader, who else would it be?"

"Wait a minute! When did I become your leader? Are you guys abandoning all principles just to push me into this?"

"From the moment you entered this dormitory, you were!"

"From the time we were assigned to this dorm, you became the dorm chief!"

Seeing the two so unwaveringly form a strategic alliance, it was clear they had already discussed this before returning. Although Wang Lan wasn't particularly afraid of ghosts—especially after becoming a Star Martial Warrior, his courage had expanded boundlessly—he also didn't want to be halfway through a good night's sleep only to suddenly find a blood-soaked woman standing by his bed.

Wang Lan wasn't afraid; he was concerned about disrupting his sleep.

After brief consideration, Wang Lan finally nodded. "Alright then."

The phone call went smoothly, so smoothly that Wang Lan almost couldn't believe it was real. Almost immediately after Wang Lan stated his request, the person on the other end agreed and said they would come over to change the dormitory nameplate and keys.

This efficiency was as if they were just waiting for Wang Lan to ask for a dormitory change.

They had only moved in the day before and didn't have much luggage, so it took just one trip for the three of them to move everything. The new dormitory was on the sixth floor, meaning they had to climb stairs every day. But for Star Martial Warriors, this wasn't an issue at all; the amount of exercise wouldn't even cause their breathing to change.

"Finally, I can get a good night's sleep. Wang Lan, let me tell you, I didn't sleep a wink last night."

"I was fine. I didn't see anything... unsettling after that."

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Suddenly, Wang Lan's phone rang. The moment he saw the screen, his expression changed drastically; a red dot pulsed incessantly on the map.

"Huh? Wang Lan, that phone model of yours looks really fami...liar!"

Ming Guodong looked at the open window and the empty bed, the last word unspoken.

"What's going on?" He Jing was just coming over to visit. The door had just opened when a figure flashed past and disappeared in an instant.

"I thought Wang Lan was just starting to take off, but now I realize he's already flown much farther than us," Ming Guodong said, slowly closing the window as he looked at it.

"What are you talking about? Also, what's going on with Wang Lan?"

"He's on a mission."

"Mission? What mission?"

"How would I know? I'm not from the Tianjian Bureau."

"Wait, you mean... aside from being our roommate and a student at Modu Star Martial Academy, Wang Lan is also..."

"I didn't know at first, but that knockoff phone he just pulled out? I happen to recognize it. That must be it!"

After Wang Lan dashed out of the dormitory, he transformed into a streak of light and sped away. With his speed fully unleashed, the school, which usually felt vast, now didn't seem so large.

"Stop!"

Just as he was about to reach the school gate, a voice boomed into Wang Lan's ears like thunder, the sound causing a momentary paralysis in his body.

An old man wearing a sanitation worker's hat and an orange vest was leaning on a broom, looking at Wang Lan.

"What are you doing? Going out so late?"

Wang Lan didn't have time to consider just how many hidden masters there might be at Modu Star Martial Academy—perhaps even a random auntie cleaning the toilets could be an extraordinary expert. He pulled out a red ID booklet from his pocket.

"Go on, go on!" The old man didn't even bother to take it to check, waving his hand impatiently. "Be careful. If there's trouble, ask the school for help. Although classes haven't started yet, there are still a few old-timers around."

Wang Lan nodded in acknowledgment and, with a flash, disappeared again.

The distress signal was less than three kilometers from Wang Lan, but it was three kilometers away in the direction opposite the prosperous area. At Wang Lan's full speed, it would take him at most ten minutes to get there.

Like a ghost of the night, Wang Lan reached the interior of a park with a few flashes. Once there, the reverberations of the battle were as distinct in the darkness as a beacon.

Wang Lan hurried over, only to see two dark figures engaging in fierce combat in the night. One of them, wearing a black baseball cap, clutched his chest with one hand while desperately using his weapon to block the attacks from the opposing Star Martial Warrior.

The opposing Star Martial Warrior moved like a ghost, their movements completely unpredictable. If not for the man in the baseball cap relying on his exquisite Earth Attribute Star Martial Skill to alter the terrain and execute complex, coordinated defenses, he would have already been killed by the opponent.

The comrade calling for help must be one of them, but since neither was wearing a uniform, Wang Lan couldn't be sure. In an instant, Wang Lan appeared in the sky and, pointing towards the two combatants, fired a Crescent Arrow.

WHOOSH!

The sudden attack caused both to pause their movements abruptly, and they separated in an instant.

The man in the baseball cap suddenly coughed violently, clutching his chest and swaying, on the verge of collapse.

The opposing shadow hesitated for a moment, then flashed and vanished into the night.

"Are you a comrade from the Bureau?" the man in the baseball cap called out warily.

"Are you from the Tianjian Bureau?" Rustling footsteps sounded as Wang Lan emerged from the darkness.

"Modu City Intelligence Section field agent Cai Jianjun. You look unfamiliar, kid; I haven't seen you at the Bureau before."

"Suzhou City Tianjian Bureau Intelligence Section special agent Wang Lan, currently studying at Modu Star Martial Academy," Wang Lan said, pulling out his ID as he walked over slowly. The other man was slightly taken aback; he had never encountered such an introduction method before but quickly produced his own ID as well.

After verifying each other's IDs, their wariness relaxed.

"You're hurt? Here, let me treat you."

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