Chapter 180: 180 S Rank Dong Shao injured_1
"Perhaps one day, Xu Dongcheng will come to meet you."
Unlike others who felt honored to meet a UR-Rank Spirit Card Master, Hua Zhuo did not think Wen Jiang would consider it an honor. Hua Zhuo could only remind her, "It is still better not to offend a UR-Rank Spirit Card Master for the time being."
Wen Jiang shook her head and chuckled lightly. "As long as he is not here to cause trouble for the Qiao Family, why would I offend him for no reason?"
"Xu Dongcheng is mild-tempered. He does not get involved in the Qiao Family’s affairs, so there will not be any conflicts with you. As for Peng Fenglai, as long as she does not come looking for you, you can just pretend you do not know anything."
"All right."
「But no one expected that on the very next day, a mishap would occur during the S Rank Group competition of the Mount Flower Association.」
The A-Rank Group’s competition seemed to have no suspense, but the S Rank competition was filled with uncertainty.
Wen Jiang, since revealing her identity, had not interfered with S Rank matters. After all, professionals were involved, and there was no need for an A-Level like her to give orders.
Up to now, she and Sheng Hongying had not formally met, nor had Du Zhaiyue and the others.
But unexpectedly, right under their noses, an incident occurred at the Mount Flower Association.
The news arrived at noon. Wen Jiang was in her room diligently compiling information on Divine Beasts when Zero Egg urgently notified her.
’Host, Dong Shao, an S-level Player from your Mount Flower Association, has had an accident.’
Wen Jiang immediately looked up, and Zero Egg promptly sent the news to her.
In the competition video, a Card Spirit even more terrifying than an A-Rank Card nearly dominated half the arena. The S Rank competition was truly earthshaking. The flower Card Spirit controlled by Dong Shao was coldly trampled underfoot by an angel that occupied half the sky. When the angel’s sword, glowing with golden light, pierced down, the Card Spirit wailed and disintegrated. Dong Shao, who was controlling the Card Spirit, suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood and immediately passed out.
This unexpected turn of events left Sheng Hongying and the others somewhat astonished. Despite their vast experience, it was extremely rare for a Spirit Card Master to be in trouble when a Card Spirit collapsed. This twist caught them off guard. The opposing association, the top one in the Sanctuary Empire, ruthlessly exploited this vulnerability with coordinated and rapid attacks that nearly rendered Mount Flower defenseless, ultimately resulting in their loss.
Although they knew this match would be tough, they never expected the loss to be so swift and—brutal.
Wen Jiang could almost see Sheng Hongying’s pale, bloodless face as she went to help Dong Shao.
For such a major blunder to occur in the first international competition, especially with newcomers involved, made Du Zhaiyue and the Song Family twins look particularly grim-faced.
The live broadcast continued, but Mount Flower’s defeat was already sealed.
That angelic Card Spirit caught Wen Jiang’s attention more than anything else.
It clearly possessed its own consciousness, holding a golden sword before it. In its downcast eyes, there was a hint of pity, yet deep within that pity, a trace of disdain seemed to lurk.
This Card Spirit was distinctly different from other SSR Cards, no matter how one looked at it.
The Spirit Card Master controlling it was also unforgettable.
He had dazzling golden hair and flawless, perfect features. Dressed in a white silk shirt, he moved with the grace of royalty.
That innate elegance was something no other disposition could achieve.
This was a Spirit Card Master who inspired awe at first glance.
Zero Egg said, ’This person is named Clarence, the young master of the Louis Family from the Sanctuary Empire. He is a genius Spirit Card Master who emerged this year. He is very strong; it is quite clear he is not on the same level as the others.’
Zero Egg had been watching the matches for quite a while and could analyze the Spirit Card Masters’ skill levels. "The card he is controlling is the SSR Archangel Judgment, also a new card released this year. It feels... stronger than Bi Fang, and he did not go all out."
Wen Jiang narrowed her eyes. "Did he intentionally target Dong Shao?"
A Spirit Card Master of that level could make subtle moves without anyone noticing.
「Following Dong Shao of the Mount Flower Association’s accident and this devastating failure, the barrage of online comments turned overwhelmingly negative.」
It has always been said that, apart from loyal fans, failures like these are almost impossible for the general public to accept.
Whether you can fight or not, losing means facing criticism, and even the largest associations cannot avoid it.
"Is Dong Shao okay?"
"Damn! Dong Shao, that weakling, was a transfer from another association, and he is still this pathetic?"
"What kind of Spirit Card Master gets injured like that during a match? It is obviously Clarence’s doing!"
"Do you have any f*cking evidence that my husband did it? Losing the match is losing the match! And you still will not admit it? Mount Flower is just a second-tier association; is it not normal for them to be unable to defeat Sanctuary, the strongest association?"
"It is so hopeless, really. This year, Yunxia has not seen any super rookies. Du Zhaiyue, who arrived in Yunxia with such fanfare, ended up like this. Seeing the monstrous rookies from Sanctuary and Frost Moon just slams me back to reality. It is so painful. Do we really not have any hope at all?"
"To be fair, Du Zhaiyue reacted pretty quickly. Dong Shao’s sudden incident obviously scared her. She does not have much experience in major competitions; that is normal, right?"
"Sheng Hongying and a few others performed quite normally. At the start, they could even hold off Clarence. But this Dong Shao... It is really hard to comment..."
"He is already injured! Can some of you in the comments stop being so heartless? Who would want to see something like this happen?"
"This new Clarence who appeared is so strong it is despairing, not to mention there is also a monstrous rookie over at Frost Moon!"
"Mount Flower has been quite arrogant from last year until now, with smooth sailing in the A-Rank Group. But stepping into S Rank just plummeted me back to reality!"
"Hilarious! The whole world respects S Rank, so what is A-Level supposed to be? Those matches are just so-so. What a pity, Mount Flower still cannot change its downward spiral. I have always said Sheng Hongying is the problem. Did you really think her previous four teammates ostracizing her was their fault? See? Anyone associated with her is jinxed!"
The noisy barrage of comments, a battle between fans and haters, made Wen Jiang recall last year. When that competition had just ended, the Mountain Ghost Association took third place and was still criticized to hell and back.
That was the kind of scene she had seen on the forums.
How lively, and how laughable, she mused.
However, Dong Shao’s injury was a serious matter. Wen Jiang also felt that Dong Shao should not have been injured. Through the screen, it was impossible to determine if there was an issue with an SSR Card. Wen Jiang glanced at the screen, where Clarence was flashing a faint smile and elegantly waving like a prince, then turned to head toward the hospital.
If Dong Shao could not continue to compete due to his injury, the upcoming matches were surely doomed.
Dong Shao was, after all, a veteran temporarily brought in from another association. It was not that he lacked skill, but if this incident had too great an impact, he might very well retire. This would make the S Rank journey for Mount Flower even more difficult, and the reactions of the other three new members would also have to be observed.
Wen Jiang informed Tang Qian, ascertained the likely hospital where Dong Shao might have been taken, and then went straight there to visit him.