I Have Infinite Skill Points

"Director Wang, when you lured me into joining the Tianjian Bureau, you didn't pitch it to me like this, did you?" Wang Lan felt it was necessary to make one more effort, his face full of grievance.

"You said I was a student, but first and foremost, a warrior…"

"Didn't you just say I lured you?" Wang Qianfeng looked at Wang Lan with surprise, his eyes expressing disbelief at Wang Lan's naiveté. "Now that you're in my clutches, of course, the story changes."

"So you've completely dropped all pretense?" Wang Lan stared at Wang Qianfeng, his face like stone.

"What are you still doing here? Tomorrow is Monday, don't you have school? The competition is over, and so is the mischief! Go back, sleep. Do what a student should do."

Wang Qianfeng chased him back from the suburbs, and by this time, the internet had already exploded.

The audience who watched the entire Star Martial Art Supremacy Competition final was ecstatic. The unexpected twists and turns in the finals far outshone the excitement of the competition itself.

Everyone had thought Xing Feng's forfeit would be the climax, only to discover it was merely a prelude. In the end, Chang Shuangyue transformed into a giant beetle and soared into the sky, completely shattering the audience's understanding of the world.

"Star Martial Warriors can transform like that?"

"Then, what about the other Star Martial Warriors? What are their transformed forms? Are there any roaring evil dragons? Any Angel forms?"

"The user above is way too into anime! Transformation, my ass! It's obvious Chang Shuangyue has issues. If there was nothing wrong with his transformation, why the hell would he run? Why would the Wolf King chase him?"

"Could that Chang Shuangyue… be a member of the legendary Demon Clan?"

"The Wolf King seemed to say something at the end, but it was too noisy to hear clearly. But it's certain that the Wolf King said something that made Chang Shuangyue choose to flee. Damn it, why did the Wolf King wear a mask? Even if we wanted to lip-read, we couldn't."

"Wait for the official announcement! Leave messages for the officials!"

"Official announcements are crap! Look, they just declared Wolf the champion of the Star Martial Art Supremacy Competition and didn't say a single word about Chang Shuangyue. They must have been issued a gag order."

"We want to know the truth!"

"Citizens of Jade Country have the right to know the truth—"

In contrast to the netizens howling online, major media outlets in Suzhou City took direct action, scrambling with cameras and rushing to the Suzhou City TV Station in their news vans.

What? Suzhou City TV is the big boss of Suzhou media? So what? Careful about being blacklisted? Blacklist my ass! Fortune favors the bold; the timid starve. Whoever snags the first news scoop, even if they get blacklisted, it's worth it!

Outside the Suzhou City TV Station, dozens of media outlets had gathered. These included reporters chasing headlines for various platforms, news websites, and even live streamers from different broadcasting sites.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please, quiet down! Regarding the incident during tonight's Star Martial Art Supremacy Competition, we are also unaware of the full details and are currently investigating. Please remain calm and exercise restraint. We will make a public announcement to the entire city once the investigation is clear…"

"I call bullshit! You think we're greenhorns? We used to pull the same stunts on the public!"

"Exactly! Did you know about this beforehand? Was Chang Shuangyue using banned substances?"

"With such a major incident happening in plain sight, you have to give us some explanation, right?"

Amid the noisy commotion, a black sedan pulled up outside the TV station.

Wang Qianfeng stepped out of the car. He frowned slightly, looking at the besieged TV station. "Call their superiors. Within ten minutes, I don't want to see anyone still asking about this."

"Yes, sir!"

The Tianjian Bureau was an enigmatic department in the eyes of the public, yet it wielded absolute power within its jurisdiction. Directly subordinate to the Ministry of Defense, it didn't fall under local government control. Sometimes, local governments even had to cooperate unconditionally with the Bureau's operations.

This night was lively; for many, it was a sleepless one. Work tomorrow? Screw work! With the fires of gossip burning so fiercely, who could think about work now?

"Fuck, my post was deleted!"

"Fuck, the authorities have stepped in."

"Damn it, I've been warned! One more post, and they'll 'check my water meter'... Wait, the 'water meter reader' is here. I'm going to open the door. Brothers-in-arms, remember to send me food in prison!"

"Farewell, brother upstairs! Huh? Who's knocking so late?"

"A moment of silence for our two fallen comrades upstairs."

"..."

Wang Lan had a good night's sleep. He woke up refreshed, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and got ready for school.

The Star Martial Art Supremacy Competition had concluded. This competition, which lasted nearly half a month, had allowed Wang Lan to gain a character level and earn just over a thousand skill points. He spent four hundred skill points to improve his Flame Sword and used the remaining six hundred to enhance his Basic Combat, Basic Body Skill, Basic Swordsmanship, and the Star Cloud Sword Dance.

His strength had greatly increased, but skill points were still incredibly scarce.

Now, Wang Lan's desire for skill points far outweighed his desire for character levels. Back then, it had only taken him half a month to advance from an awakened Star Martial Warrior to the Star Shine Stage. Yet now, two months had passed, and he still hadn't broken through from the Star Shine Stage to the Star Cloud Stage.

Am I becoming too complacent?

Wang Lan reflected, staring at himself in the mirror while brushing his teeth.

"Do you think I can break through to the Star Cloud Stage before the end of this semester?"

CRACK—

With a crisp sound, the perfectly fine mirror suddenly fractured. Wang Lan stared at it in astonishment.

It must be the sudden cold snap—the mirror couldn't withstand the thermal expansion and contraction...

「Monday」

The bus was packed again.

Wang Lan walked to school, carrying his shoulder bag. When he returned to his classroom, it was in an uproar, with students clustered in groups, engaged in heated discussions.

"Lanzi, Lanzi, did you watch yesterday's Star Martial Art Supremacy Competition?" Xu Xiangwen asked excitedly, throwing an arm around Wang Lan's shoulder.

"Watched... watched a bit."

"Don't you think Chang Shuangyue's transformation at the end felt kind of familiar?"

Wang Lan certainly understood Xu Xiangwen's meaning and nodded immediately.

"It's like that person we encountered in the trial grounds during summer vacation. They're probably the same type of Star Martial Warrior."

"See? I wasn't talking nonsense! This Chang Shuangyue is definitely a Body Mutation Type Star Martial Warrior. If Body Mutation Types can transform into a Beastman Form, why can't they transform into an insectoid form? Chang Shuangyue isn't the first, nor is he the only one."

"Impossible! Beastification has occurred many times among Star Martial Warriors throughout history, but they've always turned into wolves, leopards, and the like—never insects. There must be something wrong with Chang Shuangyue's mutation; otherwise, why would he run? And why would the Wolf King give chase?"

Only then did Wang Lan understand what his classmates were arguing about.

"Wang Lan, why don't you explain it?" Jiang Xinyu suddenly asked, looking up. Her tone implied Wang Lan knew the real story.

"Well... I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, so it's hard to say definitively, but we can analyze it.

"What's the principle behind human Star Martial Warrior mutations? Essentially, it's the presence of animal genes in their genetic code. Take humans and mice, for example. Despite their vastly different appearances, their genes are about ninety percent similar. This is a prerequisite.

"Insects already existed when human ancestors were still fish. By that calculation, humans and insects are genetically separated by the evolutionary distance equivalent to that of fish. In other words, humans and insects have been distinct species since the Cambrian explosion.

"We're people of a new age; we must believe in science. It would be easier for us to mutate into a fish than an insect. If a human possesses insect genetic codes, I'd say that person isn't entirely human."

"Is that so?" Xu Xiangwen looked unconvinced. "But isn't it said that all life originates from a single point?"

"Correct. All life originates from a single point—organic matter. That's why all living things decompose into organic matter after death. But humans and insects diverged very early on.

"If you trace our lineage back, all Gnathostomata Mammals belong to one family, all amniotes share a common ancestor, and all terrestrial vertebrates evolved from a fish that first ventured onto land.

"Insects, however, are arthropods... For a human to mutate into an insect would mean crossing the boundaries of dozens of biological classes. Based on the principle of mutating towards the closest genetic match, human Star Martial Warrior mutations generally don't extend beyond Gnathostomata Mammals.

"Exceeding that is an aberration! Jumping dozens of classes? That's pure fantasy."

"But back at the trial grounds, that's not what you said, was it?" Xu Xiangwen looked confused. Though reluctant to agree, Wang Lan's reputation as an academic prodigy, coupled with his logical arguments, made him hard to refute.

"Hmm, after we got back, I thought it was suspicious, so I looked into it. Anyway, theoretically, humans can't exhibit arthropod mutation traits. There's definitely something wrong with this Chang Shuangyue."

As the class bell rang, the discussion came to an end.

「At noon」

The four of them gathered on the rooftop.

Wang Lan took out his Tianjian Bureau phone to check the latest on the investigation into Magical Martial Artists. As a registered member of the Tianjian Bureau, Wang Lan had access to information within his clearance level.

The file on Chang Shuangyue stated that he had once been involved in pioneering efforts in the Northwest. He returned to Suzhou City two years ago and subsequently opened a martial arts school to teach students. He wasn't particularly prominent, and the general impression among his students and their parents was that he had a mild temperament.

Mild-tempered? Do these students and parents have a different definition of 'mild'? Casually crushing legs and twisting people into pretzels—is that their idea of a loving touch?

Chang Shuangyue had a sister, Chang Yu, an ordinary person working as a nurse at Ren'ai Hospital. Last night, his sister was on the night shift. The Tianjian Bureau's investigation determined that Chang Yu was unaware of the changes in Chang Shuangyue. She also revealed that her brother's personality had begun to turn strange and irritable about six months ago.

Furthermore, they had been in less frequent contact. The Tianjian Bureau concluded that Chang Shuangyue's Demonization began about six months ago. His social circle was relatively simple, consisting of a few friends, his students, and their parents.

In short, all leads for tracing Chang Shuangyue... had dried up!

Dried up?

Wang Lan found it hard to believe the conclusion posted on the Tianjian Bureau's information bulletin. This is the Tianjian Bureau, for crying out loud! Even if you can't divine heavenly secrets with a snap of your fingers, you're giving up after just one night? Can't you even try to investigate further?

"So... what's really going on with Chang Shuangyue? It was too crowded and noisy in the classroom, so I didn't ask then," Jiang Xinyu finally asked.

"It's nothing much," Wang Lan replied.

"Then why did you chase after him?" Jiang Xinyu pressed.

"Hmm... It's better if you don't know," Wang Lan said, looking up at Jiang Xinyu's profile.

"Alright, I understand," Jiang Xinyu replied.

"Feiyu, what do you think Lanzi and Jiang Xinyu are whispering about?" Xu Xiangwen asked.

"If I were you, I wouldn't look, and I certainly wouldn't ask," Gong Feiyu replied.

"But I'm curious! Aren't you? Do you think those two... Ouch, why is my butt so cold?" Xu Xiangwen exclaimed.

"It's frozen," Gong Feiyu said nonchalantly, glancing over.