Wang Haiping smiled and said, "Everyone, go about your business. Just be casual."
"Yes!"
The city guards returned to their seats and started working. However, with such a master by their side, no one dared to be too casual.
Wang Haiping walked to Xiao Yong's side and asked, "Captain Xiao, how is the situation now? How are the students performing this year?"
Xiao Yong pondered for a moment and then replied truthfully, "Overall, it's not bad, but the disparity between the highs and lows is quite large. The good ones are exceptionally good, while the poor ones are extremely poor."
"That's normal, after all, Star Card Masters rely heavily on talent." Wang Haiping nodded and smiled, "Where are the two seed students? I want to take a look."
Xiao Yong had already guessed that the reason Wang Haiping came in person was because of those two special recruitments. He immediately nodded, "Director Wang, this way please. I've specifically assigned two drones to monitor these two people in real time. Look at these two screens. On the left is Fang Kun from First High, and on the right is Chen Jiujun from Fourth High."
"Well done."
Wang Haiping nodded, observing the situation of the two students with his hands behind his back.
Fang Kun mastered the Power of Fierce Tiger, his saber skills were fierce, and his physique was astonishing. He had already slain five Ninth Stage Star Beasts and countless other Eighth Stage or lower ones. He had now entered the territory of a Bronze-level Star Beast.
Chen Jiujun, on the other hand, was recovering while heading to the next red zone.
Xiao Yong introduced, "Just now, Chen Jiujun had killed an Iron-Backed Ape at the Bronze Early Stage without getting a scratch. The skills he's mastered, apart from the soul skill, are also Lightning Beam, Thunder Strike Array, and Thunder Magnetic Shield."
"Oh? All three are Green Skills?" Wang Haiping smiled somewhat unexpectedly, "He has mastered three green Thunder Skills at the Apprentice Level. His father, Chen Yan Chuan, is really generous."
Chen Yan Chuan was Chen Jiujun's Gold Star Card Master father.
In Guangchuan City, a Gold-level master was indeed renowned, and Wang Haiping naturally knew him.
Wang Haiping looked at Chen Jiujun on the screen and slowly said, "However, he didn't choose any martial arts for close combat. He took a rather retro magician route. Nowadays, at least one close combat skill for self-defense is essential for magicians in their early stages."
Due to different qualifications, the growth of the Star Card Master in strength, agility, and other attributes varied in potency.
To maximize their abilities, Star Card Masters usually chose skills based on their talents and six-dimensional qualifications.
This made every Star Card Master unique, each with their own characteristics.
However, over countless years under human dominion, there have been two main directions: warriors and magicians.
A warrior was a Star Card Master who coordinated their body and Star Power in combat.
A magician was a Star Card Master who relied on Star Power and even spiritual power to fight, without relying on their physical body.
These could be further divided into many branches and schools.
But as of now, more than ninety-nine percent of Star Card Masters were warriors because warriors were more comprehensive and better suited for personal growth.
Magicians, on the other hand, had weaker physical qualities. Their survival ability was low before learning some life-saving skills. This was why many magicians perished before they could grow, leading to fewer and fewer magicians, almost to the point of extinction.
Survival of the fittest.
At this moment, Xiao Yong nodded and said, "Magicians are indeed rare nowadays, especially those who completely abandon close combat martial arts. It's no wonder Wanzhou Academy picked him among many special recruits."
Wang Haiping shifted his gaze to Fang Kun on the left, "How is this Fang Kun performing?"
Xiao Yong looked appreciative, "Also very good. This kid has practiced a white skill, Black Tiger Strong Strike, to the Great Success Stage. His combat style is bold and unrestrained, quite to my taste."
"But compared to Chen Jiujun with his three green skills, Fang Kun only has two, and his Bloodthirsty Battle Intent is just at Entry-level. It seems to be a reward from Shuzhou College's special recruitment."
Wang Haiping nodded, "You're right. I've heard from his teacher at First High that Bloodthirsty Battle Intent was indeed his choice from Shuzhou College."
"Shuzhou College is on a different level from our Guangchuan Education Bureau. This Bloodthirsty Battle Intent can improve recovery ability, enhance attack speed, and movement speed with a considerable range, making it among the finest of the green skills."
Wang Haiping suddenly turned to look at Xiao Yong, asking, "Captain Xiao, who do you think will take first place in the end?"
"Well..."
Xiao Yong thought for a while, then replied, "If it were a one-on-one duel, it's hard to say. But in this point-based trial, as of now, I favor Fang Kun."
"Oh?" Wang Haiping smiled, "Why? Explain."
Xiao Yong looked at the screen where Chen Jiujun was using Lightning Beam to heavily injure an Armored Rhinoceros blocking his path. He slowly said, "In one-on-one combat, there's no need to care too much about consumption. But in this two-day point-based trial, controlling Star Power and stamina is more crucial."
"Chen Jiujun follows the magician route. Although the quality of his skills is higher and their power greater, their consumption is equally high."
"Moreover, compared to white skills, green skills are harder to practice and their levels advance slower."
"Like now, Fang Kun's white skill Black Tiger Strong Strike has reached the Great Success Stage, whereas Chen Jiujun has one skill at Master level and two at Skilled level, none at the Great Success Stage."
"In terms of lethality, Fang Kun is not far behind Chen Jiujun; in terms of combat consumption and flexibility, there's no comparison."
After listening to Xiao Yong's analysis, Wang Haiping looked at him with admiration.
"Captain Xiao, as expected from the elite captain of the City Guard, well said."
"Yes, in terms of consumption and stamina, Fang Kun does have some advantages."
"Embedding green skills at the Star Apprentice Level indeed shows greater potential. There's no need to wait until the Bronze Level to start practicing new green skills, which saves a lot of time to improve skill proficiency."
"But for now, its practicality might not compare to higher-level white skills."
While the two talked, Chen Jiujun had finished off the Armored Rhinoceros and continued on his way. However, after several consecutive battles, his face was noticeably pale.
Wang Haiping slowly said, "Being able to kill a Bronze-level Iron-Backed Ape without a scratch is indeed impressive, but he has consumed a lot in doing so."
"I guess his Star Power is now less than thirty percent. In this rainforest teeming with Star Beasts, he might need to rest for a few hours and recover his Star Power before continuing to fight."
"Otherwise, with little Star Power left, a Star Card Master, especially a magician, in the Secret Realm is at a high risk of failure."
Xiao Yong said, "But after all, he killed a Bronze-level Star Beast. He is now far ahead of most people; resting a bit isn't a problem."
"To kill a Bronze-level Star Beast, which student here doesn't go all out? If the cost is just consuming most of the spiritual power, it's already pretty good..."
Wang Haiping nodded and smiled, "Captain Xiao said…"
"Wow, he actually one-shot killed a Bronze-level Black Shadow Leopard!"
Before Wang Haiping could finish speaking, he was interrupted by an exclamation from behind.