Chapter 158: 158 Even if I have to cheat, I’ll let you win_1
Over there, Wen Jiang and the others had already arrived at Card City.
In the Empire, Yan Moling was wearing a fluffy coat, her phone having received a prompt from the smart Butler. Wen Jiang had submitted a new Chapter for review. It had been half a month since the last submission; her pace wasn’t considered fast.
The Empire had already begun to study the culture of dragons but, unfortunately, they still hadn’t managed to create a corresponding card. Wen Jiang had probably hidden something. There was no specific description of abilities. Merely relying on the image of a dragon churning the clouds, it was hard to imagine what kind of abilities a dragon card would need to conform to the rules.
Wen Jiang’s content this time was quite substantial. Yan Moling quickly flipped through it, her breath catching when she reached the part where over a dozen Divine Beasts appeared one after another.
They... looked similar to Bai Ze and Bi Fang, but each had its own distinct features.
When she reached the final Bai Ze and Bi Fang, Yan Moling’s eyes widened.
She knew that what the Empire wanted to see had appeared.
Unable to contain her excitement, Yan Moling immediately called Di Yantang, and this time she also notified several other UR-Rank Spirit Card Masters within the country.
This was a major event, a very major event!
From the story Wen Jiang told, she discovered that Bai Ze and Bi Fang were merely Divine Beasts that appeared in the Post-Nvwa Era. In terms of rank, not only were they distinct from dragons and phoenixes, but they were also preceded by a whole host of Divine Beasts she had never seen before. All their appearances were exquisitely lifelike. If one were to say that Wen Jiang had fabricated everything, it would be hard to imagine the extent of her imagination.
In Card City, Wen Jiang pushed her suitcase into the bedroom. She didn’t like living with others and had rented a separate suite for herself. Hua Zhuo had come along but kept out of sight the whole time, currently staying in the room above Wen Jiang’s.
"The eldest grandson has also arrived," Zero Egg reported, the news rather unwelcome. "He didn’t come looking for you after you returned to the Jimo Family, but this time he’s a Guiqing S Level member. Do you think you two will meet?"
Without lifting her head as she organized her clothes, Wen Jiang replied, "There are at least ten thousand competitors by now. With several major Empires gathered, it won’t be that easy to run into each other."
Moreover, the hotels where S Rank members stayed were far more luxurious than theirs.
Logically speaking, they wouldn’t run into each other.
"But it is strange," Zero Egg mused. "Why would his father let him join the Guiqing Association? Wasn’t that the association Yu Jian used to be with?"
Wen Jiang replied, "Those things don’t matter."
The hotel facilities weren’t bad. The suite not only had a kitchen and other small amenities but also featured an electronic screen hanging in the living room. It displayed flickering information about the card competitions of the various Empires and their locations. Moreover, it could live-stream competitions of different card ranks.
The SSR Rank card battles took place on other islands, as the sea was considered the area least affected by card-related disturbances.
They had just arrived in Card City, and the official events wouldn’t start for another week. During this period, Card City did not accept training applications, so members of the various associations were free to do as they pleased. Some who were familiar with each other could even plan to go out together.
However, Hua Zhuo didn’t advise Wen Jiang to go out. There wasn’t much upheaval within the Fiend Organization, but according to the international black market, a group of common assassins who were active internationally had also arrived at Card City.
Common assassins were the most deadly. If an assassin were a Spirit Card Master, higher-ranked Spirit Card Masters could react quickly to disturbances in spiritual power. However, a common assassin might find it easier to get close to a Spirit Card Master who wasn’t particularly on guard. Precisely because of this, if a common assassin succeeded, they would surely be unable to escape afterward.
These assassins had almost certainly come with the determination to die.
Card City had strict security forces, but it wasn’t infallible. Once a competitor ran into trouble—they could only consider it their bad luck. With so many competitors, no one could guarantee who the specific target was.
Such malicious incidents were actually quite rare. No one would be foolish enough to risk antagonizing an Empire merely to assassinate a card competitor. Yet, there were always some lunatics who didn’t take such consequences seriously. Over the centuries, there had been a dozen or so such incidents.
Shi Qi and his friends, unaware of this, happily went to find Wen Jiang. They hoped she would join them for a tour of Card City, as it was her first time in the city.
Of course, Wen Jiang agreed.
What Hua Zhuo didn’t know was that common assassins were the least of Wen Jiang’s worries. Card battles might require some effort, but she was protected by Spiritual Energy. Any common assassin who got close would be easily reduced to dust.
"Welcome to Card City! This is the kingdom of your dreams, the place where ideals are realized..."
The architectural style was even more flamboyant than in the Underground City. Skyscrapers soared so high that looking up made one’s neck ache. Shopping malls along the streets were adorned with crisscrossing billboards; one side showcased the splendor of Card City, while the other featured famous competitors from various world associations.
Many live-streamers could also be seen on the streets. At this time in Card City, one could bump into at least an A-Rank Spirit Card Master just about anywhere.
Shi Qi and his friends were, naturally, also discussing competitors from other associations. But they were most curious about the S Rank competitors.
Dou Yuan said admiringly, "We’ll get to see Song Zhi compete this year! She’s the heir to the Song Family and is said to possess her father’s impressive style from his prime. Do you think Broken Heart can win the championship this year?"
The only championship Yunxia had ever won was with the team that Song Ji was on. To outsiders, Song Ji was just as he appeared: a mysterious and unapproachable Family Head of a noble house.
Shi Qi shared a piece of gossip, "I’m actually quite curious about their illegitimate child..."
Chen Runyu suddenly coughed loudly, "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH..."
Shi Qi suddenly realized his gaffe, and everyone instinctively looked towards Wen Jiang.
The fact that Wen Jiang was the heir to the Jimo Family was already public knowledge within Mount Flower. Someone had maliciously spread a rumor that Song Yingchen might have dated Wen Jiang, which is how everyone learned of this particular piece of gossip, though they didn’t normally discuss it. It had been a while since Shi Qi had heard that name, and he hadn’t thought of it at that moment. Chen Runyu’s interruption reminded him that he had spoken out of turn.
Wen Jiang turned her head and said with a smile, "There’s nothing that can’t be discussed. It’s all in the past."
Everyone then laughingly changed the subject. As they passed a betting shop, Wen Jiang took the initiative. "Let’s place some bets. For the A-Level competition this year, let’s bet directly on us to be the champions."
Ruan Chunen and the others were quite apprehensive. "Ah... Are we really that confident already?"
After all, in the A-Level competition, let alone Yunxia as a whole, even Mount Flower had never made it into the top five. Winning the championship was, frankly, a bit of a stretch. Even though Wen Jiang was strong—very strong—they found it incredibly difficult to overcome the metaphorical mountain that had loomed over them ever since cards first appeared.
It seemed to them that defeating the other two Empires was virtually impossible.
Wen Jiang said casually, "We won’t lose. If it comes to it, I’ll even cheat to make us win."
She really had no scruples.
Everyone: "..."
For a moment, they were bewildered. How could one even cheat in this kind of competition?