I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 568: Why am I such a waste

Jia Nan’s Sharira, like a dragon sucking water, rapidly absorbed the Diamond Seal that encased the evil spirit’s Primordial Spirit. When the last trace of golden light was absorbed by the Sharira, it momentarily transformed into a piece of dazzling gold. At that instant, Wang Lan pressed his hands together and formed nine Swastika Buddha Seals.

"Seal!"

A thunderous roar echoed through the heavens, and the world trembled at the sound.

Wang Lan extended his hand and called. The golden Sharira fell into his palm. Then, with a lift of his hand, the Sharira was sent into the Void Storing.

With the evil spirit sealed, everyone let out a long sigh of relief. Even the evil spirit’s body, which had been squirming in the Samadhi True Fire, seemed to have suffered a heavy blow and became half-dead.

The evil spirit’s Primordial Spirit was sealed; this body should be destroyed. Perhaps the White Lotus Sect didn’t destroy it 3,000 years ago because too many lives were hidden within the evil spirit’s body. If its body were destroyed, there might not be many living people left in the Cloud Sea area.

But now, 3,000 years later, those whose lives the evil spirit controlled had long since perished. This was the best opportunity to destroy its body.

The Samadhi True Fire would continue to Scorch its target until completely consumed. This clump of Samadhi True Fire burned for an entire night. The temperature in the entire canyon rose to over sixty degrees Celsius.

Only after the evil spirit’s body was completely turned to ashes did Wang Lan truly relax, the worry in his heart finally easing.

"Success in sealing the ancient evil demon’s Primordial Spirit and annihilating the evil spirit’s body, averting a catastrophe. Reward: 70,000,000 experience points, 5,000,000 skill points..."

The system notification sounded, completely calming Wang Lan’s heart. His current level as a Star Martial Warrior was Star Sea Stage four, and his experience points instantly peaked. He spent 20,000,000 to break through to Star Sea Stage five. The remaining 50,000,000 experience points then filled his experience bar to eighty percent.

Leveling up at the Star Sea Stage is extremely difficult. Yet, the experience points earned from resolving this catastrophe were only enough for Wang Lan to advance one level.

With everything settled, Wang Lan and his companions bade farewell to Che Pure and immediately headed to the Capital to report to Mr. Jin.

Mr. Jin chuckled, looking at Wang Lan’s final report in his hand. He smiled broadly. "I knew that if I entrusted this matter to you, Wang Lan, you would handle it beautifully."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Jin."

"So, with the evil spirit’s Primordial Spirit sealed once again, is there any chance it could break free?"

"Theoretically, yes, but practically, it’s nearly impossible. It’s not only sealed by the Diamond Seal but also tossed by me into the Void Storing. In the Void Storing, it itself acts as a seal. My personal space has no time or space; it’s just nothingness. Inside, it won’t even be able to form thoughts, so how could it possibly break out of the seal? Unless... I actively let it out."

"I see... then I can rest easy. As for your commendation... well, we’ll take care of it ourselves. You probably don’t even care about the awards you get anymore."

"No way! Tell me about it, make me happy!"

"Aren’t you about to take the International Security Council’s exam soon? After you return from the assessment, you’ll probably have another star on your shoulder. Go on. It took me decades to earn two stars, and here you are, barely twenty years old, already about to be on equal footing with me."

"That’s different. You truly deserve your rank, while mine is more like encouragement."

"Enough of that. If there’s nothing else, go do whatever you want. Last time I interrupted your date with your girlfriend, go back and keep her company to make up for it. Consider it officially sanctioned leisure time."

"Oh? Then I’m off?" Wang Lan saluted and took his leave.

As for the "officially sanctioned leisure time," Wang Lan took it as a joke. Could such a thing be reimbursed? I’d be too embarrassed to submit such an expense report. Besides, he wasn’t short of money.

After returning to Suzhou City with Jiang Xinyu, they calculated there was about half a month left until the International Security Council’s selection exam, and the New Year was also just a few days away. When Wang Lan called Xu Xiangwen and the others, he found out they were all coming back for the holiday, so there was no rush to go to Modu City.

The climate in Jiangnan was truly unique, with sudden drops in temperature followed by abrupt rises. Sometimes the difference could be more than ten degrees. The day before New Year’s Day, the temperature plummeted to three degrees Celsius. Amazingly, on New Year’s Day itself, it rose back up to fifteen degrees.

On January 1st, 5023, the somber weather of the previous day vanished, replaced by bright sunshine that bathed the earth.

Green Sea Amusement Park in Suzhou City is a plant-themed park where famous and magical plants from all over the world can be found.

Wang Lan’s group, which included Xu Xiangwen’s girlfriend and Gong Feiyu’s girlfriend—a total of seven people—gathered at Green Sea Amusement Park. They strolled, paused, and ate and drank along the way.

The splendid weather and comfortable temperature allowed the group, for the first time in many years, to once again experience the carefree days of their student lives. Back in school, they had always lamented those tough days, wondering when they would ever end.

Looking back now, that period was the happiest time in life. Jiang Xinyu and Xie Sisi held hands, creating joyful memories at every scenic spot.

That day, Wang Lan found himself relegated to the role of designated photographer for them.

Ever since the battle in the Northwestern Pioneer Space, Wang Lan had been quite worried that Xie Sisi might retain some psychological scars. For a while, Wang Lan called her almost every day to offer support, even teleporting to her side in the middle of the night to comfort her.

Thanks to Wang Lan’s relentless efforts, Xie Sisi had completely overcome her trauma and became even more affectionate with Jiang Xinyu than before.

Wandering all day certainly wouldn’t tire out Star Martial Warriors. That evening, the seven of them went to a popular revolving restaurant in the center of Suzhou City to eat and drink.

"I’m laying it down today: one bottle per person, and no one’s leaving until they’re empty. Don’t even think about taking it home to ’feed the fish’!" Wang Lan declared.

"Oh, if anyone else said that, I’d have to think twice," Xu Xiangwen teased, "but Lanzi, when you say it, why does it sound like a joke? Have you forgotten you’re a one-cup wonder?"

"Xiangwen, what are you blabbering about?" Gong Feiyu interjected. "Since Lanzi’s so confident, we should just take him up on it. Besides, with Xinyu here, we don’t have to worry about him not finding his way home."

"Come on, Lanzi, let’s go!"

After three rounds of drinks and numerous dishes, Xu Xiangwen smacked his lips. "Lanzi, does your school organize participation in the International Security Council selection exams?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"I heard the last exam is a team event. I wanted to ask if your school has any reliable people. If so, could you introduce us when the time comes so we can form a team in advance? You know Sisi’s and my strength; we guarantee we won’t be a drag."

"Both of you are participating?" Jiang Xinyu looked at Xie Sisi and Xu Xiangwen in surprise.

"Yeah, all the top domestic universities received invitations. It seems this recruitment by the International Security Council is to address the increasingly severe global situation."

"Well, that’s great. As for reliable teammates... there are two," Wang Lan said thoughtfully, glass in hand, "right at this table."

"You? Xinyu?" Xu Xiangwen asked, his glass pausing halfway to his mouth.

"Not drunk yet, huh? Quick on the uptake," Wang Lan smirked.

"No, I mean, you two are participating too?"

"Yep!"

"You’ve got to be joking!" Xu Xiangwen exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise. "With your skills, do you even need to go through selection? If you announced yourselves, you could be our instructors right off the bat!"

"It’s different. Even if you achieve great things in Jade Country, it’s not necessarily recognized internationally. And even if it is, you still have to go through the proper procedures."

"Lanzi, enough said! Come on, let’s drink to that! With you guys joining, I’ve got nothing to worry about. This’ll be an easy win for me!"

Xie Sisi also picked up her glass and clinked it against Wang Lan’s. "The five of us are going to venture out together again!"

Everyone turned to look at Gong Feiyu, who slowly set his glass down. He forced a smile and silently shook his head. "I won’t be participating."

"Why? It’s such a great opportunity! With Lanzi and Xinyu covering for you, it would be a walk in the park."

"No thanks. I’ve already planned my future; I intend to rise through the military ranks. You guys go. I wish you fame and glory. Cheers!"

The atmosphere livened up again. Everyone was smiling, teasing each other in harmonious camaraderie. But Wang Lan quietly noticed that Gong Feiyu was drinking more than usual in the second half of the evening, one glass after another.

As the night deepened, the guests began to leave.

Neither Xu Xiangwen’s nor Gong Feiyu’s girlfriend had been drinking, so they were responsible for driving their respective men home. Although Wang Lan had planned to walk back, Jiang Xinyu insisted on getting him into the car.

Xie Sisi had a few drinks, but her alcohol tolerance might have been the highest in their group. Sisi was seated in the back; they would drop her home first.

"Did you notice?" Jiang Xinyu asked in a low voice once she had fastened her seatbelt.

"What?"

"Gong Feiyu is acting odd. He’s deliberately distancing himself from us."

"It’s obvious," Wang Lan sighed. "But what can we do? We’ve never looked down on him or Xiangwen in the slightest, but he’s the one looking down on himself. In our hearts, he’ll always be a good brother."

"I don’t understand what’s going on with Gong Feiyu... Why is he still at the peak of the Star Cloud Stage? Doesn’t Zezhou Star Martial Academy have resources? But that can’t be right; Jin City Star Martial Academy is no better."

"It’s a personal issue," Wang Lan said, shaking his head slightly. "Xiangwen is a Yang Attribute Star Martial Warrior and possesses the Talented Skill ’Heavenly Eye.’ Sisi, on the other hand, has exceptional control over Star Power and an innate talent for fighting. They both have their own unique and top-tier Talented Skills. But what about Feiyu? Among many Star Martial Warriors, Feiyu is indeed outstanding. However, when compared to the supremely talented geniuses we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, Feiyu’s talents seem quite average. Being with us puts a lot of pressure on him."

Meanwhile, Gong Feiyu sat in the passenger seat. His girlfriend didn’t immediately start the car but instead turned to look silently at him.

"When Wang Lan asked you to join the International Security Council selection assessment, why did you refuse? You should know that passing the assessment can only be beneficial for you, without any downsides."

"Participate? What ability do I have to participate? I’m only at the Star Cloud Stage! In the International Security Council’s assessments, even those at the peak of the Galaxy Stage have an eighty percent dropout rate."

"But you have Wang Lan and the others..."

"You mean rely on them to cheat? Yes, I could do that, and they definitely wouldn’t look down on me for it. But... I would look down on myself!"

Gong Feiyu suddenly turned, staring with bloodshot eyes at his girlfriend’s delicate makeup.

"Xu Xiangwen, my brother, once on par with me, is now in the late Galaxy Stage. Xie Sisi, my high school class president... I used to be able to beat her with a single finger, but now she could defeat me with one. Jiang Xinyu and Wang Lan, my best friends, now stand at the pinnacle of the world. Meanwhile I, their once close companion, am so ordinary I can’t even make a ripple in a crowd. Guess how the world sees me? I didn’t want this! I also want to venture across the world with them... but... why am I so worthless? Why?!"