CHAPTER 153: CHAPTER 153 STAR MARTIAL SKILL CRESCENT ARROW

"Respected Mr. Wang Lan, the Star Martial Skill you requested has been found by Star Martial Hall, with a match rate of 99%. Please come to Star Martial Hall to purchase it as soon as you see this notification. If you’re late, someone else might get it first!" The message even ended with a playful little text emoticon. Star Martial Hall’s usual style was quite solemn and old-fashioned, so Wang Lan was surprised their automated message could be so informal.

However, this wasn’t a detail he should be dwelling on. He got up, dressed, and within just five minutes, was already in the underground garage. He didn’t even take the time to see what the Star Martial Skill was.

What did a 99% match rate mean? It meant that the requirements Wang Lan had submitted were nearly 100% satisfied. He still remembered his demands: long-range, A-grade; just the grade of the Star Martial Skill itself was definitely the kind where if you were quick, you got it, and if not, you missed out. Wang Lan had already figured out Star Martial Hall’s typical antics; even their posted missions were fiercely competed over. An A-grade Star Martial Skill going on the market? Wouldn’t they go crazy competing for it?

He started the engine and engaged the gears. Time to show off some real skills!

VROOOM—

The giant off-road vehicle roared like a wild beast, charging out of the underground garage towards Star Martial Hall with an air of "death to those who stand in my way."

Luckily, it was only the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, so not many people were returning to Suzhou City yet. Star Martial Warriors, in particular, mostly waited until after the Lantern Festival to come back. The journey was smooth, taking only fifteen minutes to reach Star Martial Hall.

Wang Lan jumped out of the car and headed straight for the Star Martial Skill purchasing area.

"Sir, hello, what kind of Star Martial Skill do you need?" an attendant asked.

"My matched Star Martial Skill has arrived; I’m just buying this one," Wang Lan said, opening the Star Martial Skill store on his device. There, in the A-grade section, the Star Martial Skill that perfectly matched his requirements shimmered with a faint light. The number displayed above the Star Martial Skill was seventy-six. This didn’t mean there were seventy-six copies; rather, seventy-six people had already added it to their shopping carts, just one tap of the ’buy’ button away from owning it. Once pressed, the Star Martial Skill would belong to that single person.

Seeing this, Wang Lan didn’t dare hesitate and quickly added the Star Martial Skill to his cart.

Crescent Arrow, 78.

"Damn it, why can’t I buy it? What’s going on?" Wang Lan exclaimed, frustrated. "Attendant, take a look at this for me! Why isn’t there any response when I click the buy button?"

"Certainly, sir," the attendant replied. "The tablet seems to be lagging, sir. Probably due to heavy traffic recently."

"Heavy traffic, my ass! What kind of traffic is there during the New Year? Hurry and get me another tablet; I want this Star Martial Skill!"

"Crap, mine’s not working either!" another customer shouted.

"Damn, is it really stuck?" someone else muttered.

DING-DONG— "Congratulations on successfully purchasing the A-grade Star Martial Skill, Crescent Arrow."

Suddenly, a notification chimed from the tablet in Wang Lan’s hands. At that instant, the entire Star Martial Skill purchasing hall of Star Martial Hall fell into an unexpected, deathly silence.

"It wasn’t stuck?" Wang Lan looked up, puzzled, and immediately sensed something was wrong. A dozen or so pairs of eyes, blazing with fury as if ready to kill, shot towards him.

The attendant stammered, "Maybe the network just recovered... Congratulations to this gentleman for successfully purchasing an A-grade Star Martial Skill."

"What kind of joke is this!" a man roared. "I made dozens of phone calls to scrape together eight million, and just like that, I can’t buy it? No way! Star Martial Hall must give us an explanation!"

"That’s right! Your network lagged; you should take responsibility!" another chimed in.

"According to you all, should our hall hand out an A-grade Star Martial Skill to every single person here?" Suddenly, a voice cut through the noise, instantly putting Wang Lan on alert.

The man’s voice was soft, like someone muttering to themselves, yet it clearly reached everyone’s ears without the aid of a microphone. Moreover, Wang Lan hadn’t felt even the slightest Star Energy Fluctuation. The person speaking was an expert.

As if confirming Wang Lan’s thoughts, the moment that voice sounded, the group of Star Martial Warriors who had been causing a commotion sat down obediently, like well-behaved children.

The side door opposite opened, and a man in his thirties, wearing a suit and glasses, walked over slowly.

"Good afternoon, Manager."

"Manager!"

"Manager..."

As he walked by, every attendant bowed and greeted the middle-aged man.

"Take him to complete the transaction," the manager said, gesturing towards Wang Lan.

An attendant approached Wang Lan. "This way, sir, please."

Puzzled, Wang Lan stood up. He quickly pieced together the truth of what had just transpired.

Star Martial Hall was doing this deliberately! The so-called lag others were experiencing was definitely due to deliberate interference. If that was the case, then the appearance of this A-grade Star Martial Skill might have even been orchestrated by someone. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? He’d submitted his request only a few days ago; all told, it hadn’t even been ten days, right? Finding a 99% match for a Star Martial Skill in just ten days? If it wasn’t due to his own outrageous luck, then someone must have specifically searched for this Star Martial Skill for him immediately after receiving his request. That was the only way it made sense. If that were the case, it would be utterly absurd if those other people managed to buy the Star Martial Skill. Realizing this, Wang Lan looked at the man with glasses, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"You’re Wang Lan?" the man suddenly asked as Wang Lan passed by him.

"Yes."

"Do you recognize me?" The man’s gaze was incredibly sharp, like the edge of an arrow. The instant the man’s gaze met Wang Lan’s, Wang Lan felt as if an arrow had shot him in the face.

"No, I don’t."

"My name is Gong Jian. Gong as in ’Dragon Gong,’ Jian as in ’sword.’ I’m the manager of the Star Martial Skill Trading House here. If you need to buy Star Martial Skills in the future, you can contact me." Saying this, he took out a business card and gently placed it in Wang Lan’s jacket pocket.

"Thank you!" Wang Lan replied. He didn’t know the man’s background, and it was clear Gong Jian wasn’t about to reveal it. So, Wang Lan simply thanked him politely and followed the attendant into the trading area.

To Wang Lan, this scene felt very common—wasn’t a manager giving a customer his business card a normal part of business interactions? But to the Star Martial Warriors present, it was astonishing. Wang Lan might not know Gong Jian, but how could they not?

Gong Jian had been transferred to the Star Martial Hall in Suzhou City five years ago, serving as the manager of the Star Martial Skill Trading House. He was incredibly strong and ruthless in his methods.

There were two places within Star Martial Hall that definitely required a powerful figure to maintain order: the Soul Bead trading area and the Star Martial Skill trading area. In other places, having someone at the Galaxy Stage to keep order would have been sufficient. Generally, those who needed to purchase Soul Beads or Star Martial Skills through Star Martial Hall were Star Martial Warriors without backing, their strength peaking at the Star Cloud Stage.

But no one had expected Suzhou City to get someone at the Star Sea Stage to maintain order. For such a harmonious city as Suzhou, was it really necessary to bring out such a heavyweight?

It was often said that the stronger one’s power, the better their temper. Many high-ranking individuals at the Star Sea Stage were all smiles and extremely good-natured. But Gong Jian was not like that.

When he first arrived in Suzhou City, a few people, seeing that the manager of the Star Martial Skill Trading House had changed, decided to test Gong Jian’s strength. The outcome was clear, and their end was quite tragic. Five Star Cloud Stage teams all had their Star Palaces crippled.

That move had an immediate impact. From that moment on, there were no more disturbances in the Star Martial Skill Trading House. Not just the Star Martial Skill Trading House, but the entire Star Martial Hall remained peaceful. Even the most hot-tempered individuals would speak in hushed tones once inside Star Martial Hall.

Back then, the five from the Star Cloud Stage had been furious and appealed to the Tianjian Bureau for arbitration. They claimed it was just a prank, merely wanting to test Gong Jian’s strength, yet Gong Jian had crippled their Star Palaces, ruining their lives. Such actions were exceedingly brutal.

However, Gong Jian provided only one reason: Star Martial Hall is a national institution. Causing trouble in Star Martial Hall is tantamount to causing trouble for the nation. Tarnishing the reputation of Star Martial Hall is desecrating the country—how could the country tolerate you? It’s like running up to the gates of Tianhe Building in the Imperial Capital and defacing the portrait of the founding emperor; you’d be shot dead by machine guns on the spot. Having your Star Palace crippled would be getting off lightly in comparison.

Such impeccable logic, truly commanding respect. What could the Tianjian Bureau say? That they got what they deserved!

Following the attendant into the trading room, Wang Lan’s mind was still pondering who exactly this Gong Jian was. Suddenly, he recalled what He Jinze had once told him: Eld Di’s faction! His mother was the figurehead of Eld Di’s faction. Because of her presence, Eld Di’s faction had coalesced into a very powerful force. The Five Elders’ factions were likely the same. The Five Elders—any one of them could change the landscape of the Jade Country’s Star Martial Warrior world, and this was no exaggeration. It wasn’t that a single person’s power was so immense, but that a faction’s influence was truly that significant. If he hadn’t awakened his Star Martial Warrior talent, Wang Lan would have been like a chick still in its egg—unknown and insignificant to the world. However, once he awakened his Star Martial Warrior talent, it meant Wang Lan had officially emerged. Whether he liked it or not, or whether he left the "novice village," he had already stepped onto this stage. Every move he made would be watched by countless people. Submitting his request this time had immediately resulted in special treatment. And Gong Jian giving him his business card, along with saying he could be contacted directly for future needs, implied only one thing: ’Whatever Star Martial Skill you want, just say the word, and I can get it for you.’ Maybe I should ask Gong Jian later if there are any S-grade or Super S-grade Star Martial Skills available? Getting me ten or eight of them would be nice, wouldn’t it?

"Sir, the Crescent Arrow is priced at eight million. Would you like to pay by card or scan a code?"

A whole month’s rent, gone just like that.

"By card."

"Very well."

As expected, the Star Martial Skill was indeed a Soul Bead; it seemed the technology of imprinting Star Martial Skills onto Soul Beads had matured. The Soul Bead was about the size of a pigeon’s egg, likely a mid-level Soul Bead. A single mid-level Soul Bead was worth hundreds of thousands! No wonder a Star Martial Skill worth eight million came in such exquisite packaging.

Carrying the Star Martial Skill, Wang Lan drove straight home. Upon arriving, he couldn’t wait to enter his room.

This was the second time he was absorbing a Star Martial Skill from a Soul Bead. Flame Sword and Star Cloud Sword Dance had both been directly instilled into his mind through Spiritual Engraving by those two powerhouses.

Picking up the Soul Bead, he absorbed its energy just as he would Star Power. The Star Power within the bead surged into his body instantaneously, while a spiritual message exploded in his mind.

"Acquirable Star Martial Skill detected. Spend one hundred skill points to learn?"

"Learn!"

Instantly, a new skill icon lit up in Wang Lan’s skill list. The icon depicted a bow formed from a crescent moon, with an arrow nocked upon it.

Profound insights instantly washed over his mind. He mastered the basic application of Crescent Arrow as if he had cultivated it for a very long time.

Crescent Arrow, Silver LV1 (0/100)

Crescent Arrow was a ranged Star Martial Skill and also an advanced application of Star Power form manipulation. In his view, this type of form manipulation was far more challenging than the Star Cloud Sword Dance taught by Wang Qianfeng. Wang Qianfeng’s form manipulation, to put it plainly, merely involved evenly distributing Star Power throughout the body and exquisitely coordinating Star Power with bodily movements to execute Star Martial Skills. But the form manipulation of Crescent Arrow was akin to the internal energy cultivation described in the wuxia novels from his previous life; it followed the body’s meridian pathways.

Using the body’s meridians as the tension of a bowstring, Star Power condensed into an arrow between his fingers. A single shot could reach a range of a hundred meters.