Chapter 79: 0079 This Red Cotton Seed really knows how to sow_1
"What is she thinking? The Red Cotton Seed might be powerful, but it’s not something just anyone can control."
"The operational difficulty is top-tier; if Wei Shen uses an Assassin Card, she’s done for."
"She couldn’t possibly believe that A-Level and B-Level are the same, just child’s play, right? We said it’s not suitable for solo fights, and we meant it."
"Ha, using a Red Cotton Seed for a one-on-one match? Does she really think she can plant seeds all over the arena that her opponent won’t be able to shake off?"
As one Spirit Card Master finished speaking, the surrounding crowd suddenly turned their gaze towards him. His laughter stopped abruptly, tinged with embarrassment. After all, what if she really did that?
Seeing Wen Jiang bring out the Red Cotton Seed, Wei Shen took a deep breath. He didn’t get overconfident, instead choosing an Assassin Card that could target the Red Cotton Seed—Thornblade Grass.
The main body of Thornblade Grass resembled a dagger, its Card Spirit able to cling to the ground and move rapidly. Along its blade edge grew small thorns which, upon attack, could transform into numerous mini-daggers that rushed toward the target, inflicting damage.
In this situation as well, one had to rely on evasion and other cards for defense.
The problem was, the Red Cotton Seed wouldn’t move. Unless it could summon seeds to protect the areas where it might be pierced. The seeds had a thin membrane inside that could mitigate the attack power of such piercing attacks to some extent. But what ordinary Spirit Card Master possessed that kind of reaction speed?
Seeing Wei Shen choose Thornblade Grass, many Spirit Card Masters sighed, thinking Wei Shen was too timid for using such a card to overwhelm the Red Cotton Seed.
Wei Shen nervously glanced at Tang Qian, only to see her expression remain calm, seemingly unconcerned about Wei Shen’s apparently ’excessive’ move. She simply said, "Start when you’re ready."
Wei Shen’s heart sank. Even holding a card he felt confident about, he couldn’t control his accelerating heartbeat.
He looked far off at Wen Jiang. The venue was large, and Spirit Card Masters were spaced far apart, but his keen eyesight allowed him to see her faint smile and casually raised eyebrow; she showed no sign of panic. She must have anticipated various scenarios by choosing the Red Cotton Seed.
Chen Runyu, on the other hand, was quite looking forward to it. "Thornblade Grass versus Red Cotton Seed, how will she counter it?" He didn’t seem to think Wen Jiang would lose.
Dou Yuan, who specialized in control strategies, could hardly believe it. "The Red Cotton Seed... against Thornblade Grass, it’s almost..." A visibly unwinnable matchup. Wei Shen only needed to land a few attacks, and the Red Cotton Seed would essentially lose its combat effectiveness.
Just as the match was about to start, important figures from the Mount Flower Association arrived.
Hua Zhuo sat in her wheelchair, pushed by the Butler of the Jimo Family, while the usually elusive leaders of Mount Flower lined up to welcome her.
Hua Zhuo, not fond of such grand displays, emanated a natural aura of superiority. Waving her hand dismissively, she said, "I’m just here to take a look around. Don’t follow me; I don’t like to be disturbed."
With her speaking so bluntly, of course, no one dared to object. After instructing those nearby to be observant, they allowed Hua Zhuo to visit the contestants’ training grounds on her own.
Hua Zhuo first visited the R-Rank and B-Level venues, where everyone was training.
When she arrived at the A-Level floor, she was surprised to find it empty. "Is there a match today? Why isn’t there a single A-Level Spirit Card Master in sight?"
The Butler took out an earpiece to contact Mount Flower’s higher-ups in real-time, and they quickly responded.
The Butler lowered his head and said, "They report that there’s a match today at A-Level involving a newcomer. The previous A-Level Team One replaced a player with someone named Wen Jiang. The benched player, Wei Shen, feels it’s unfair she was parachuted in and is dueling her today."
Hearing this, Hua Zhuo showed a rare flicker of interest. "A-Level, huh..." She seemed to be reminiscing about something, then said, "Push me over there. I want to see how strong these youngsters are nowadays. I wonder if they can match up to us from back in the day."
By the time Hua Zhuo arrived, the competition had reached a fever pitch. She and the Butler witnessed the unfolding scene, both thinking the same thing: Damn!
The moment the match began, Wei Shen, according to his plan, aimed for a swift victory. Once the Red Cotton Seed’s seeds exploded, they would scatter everywhere. Assassins feared attrition and would be forced onto the defensive, trying to evade. He definitely couldn’t afford to delay.
In an instant, Thornblade Grass grew in size and moved rapidly through the ground, aiming to get close to the Red Cotton Seed to ensure its attack couldn’t be dodged.
Taking this opportunity, Wen Jiang had the Red Cotton Seed scatter ten seeds around itself. That was precisely the maximum number of attacks Thornblade Grass could unleash in a single volley.
The ten seeds exploded instantly. Due to the sheer size of the A-Rank Card, human-high red cotton puffs fluttered into the air. The scene was dreamlike, resembling dandelions in all but their color. However, the blood-red color of these cotton puffs made them look both enchanting and eerie.
Wei Shen realized he couldn’t get any closer. Seizing the opportunity, Thornblade Grass emerged, its main blade moved. PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!...
Dozens of whooshing sounds followed—the sound of numerous small daggers slicing through the air.
There was no doubt that the small daggers were faster than the red cotton puffs. But the good news was, since the two sides were quite far apart and the cotton seeds had exploded right beside the Red Cotton Seed’s Card Spirit, when the small daggers approached, all everyone could see were the red cotton puffs, fluttering lightly like frail blossoms, steadily intercepting the path of Thornblade Grass’s attack.
PFFT—
The ten attacks were all blocked.
However, the defensive strength of the red cotton puffs was limited. The daggers pierced through their thin membranes, inevitably injuring the Red Cotton Seed’s main Card Spirit.
The giant Red Cotton Seed trembled as if agitated, and suddenly dropped even more seeds.
"Holy shit!"
"It blocked that too?"
"Damn, I haven’t seen a play like that in years!"
"If that were me, I’d have been done for. Wen Jiang’s reaction speed is incredible!"
"Hey, wait, isn’t she dropping seeds too quickly?!"
The crowd was shocked as the Red Cotton Seed swiftly dropped at least thirty more seeds. Some seeds rolled near Thornblade Grass, while others promptly exploded. Wei Shen knew that if his initial attacks weren’t decisive, he’d be done for. He immediately moved to evade the rolling seeds while launching another attack.
Then he discovered that Wen Jiang controlled ten cotton puffs to intercept his attack again, while the remaining twenty seeds approached Thornblade Grass swiftly and exploded with a BANG!, sending a cluster of red cotton puffs toward Thornblade Grass.
Wei Shen had intended to launch a third attack, but upon seeing this, his pupils shrank. He immediately retreated to avoid the red cotton puffs. Then, to his despair, he realized that the Red Cotton Seed on the other side was still rapidly dropping seeds—the field wouldn’t be able to withstand such a deluge of seeds.
Seeds could be dropped easily enough, but not every resulting puff could be controlled with such precision. Wei Shen refused to believe this unorthodox tactic would work. He hesitated briefly, controlling Thornblade Grass to retreat, intending to wait for this wave of Wen Jiang’s seeds to pass.
But with that retreat, he never got another opportunity.
Hundreds of seeds rained down. Dozens remained to guard the Red Cotton Seed itself, while forty sped towards Thornblade Grass. After ensuring complete 360-degree coverage with no blind spots, the forty seeds exploded simultaneously.
BANG!
When Hua Zhuo and the Butler arrived, what they saw was Thornblade Grass surrounded by red cotton puffs, its feeble form trembling.