"Master Ji, please stop using your divine powers."

 

Offstage, Lu Shiping's face was full of bitterness, almost on the verge of tears. "I've surrendered, isn't that enough? Don't ruin my cards."

 

"Yingtai, stop."

 

Chronicle waved his hand and called out loudly.

 

The obedient girl immediately let go of her hand, but the slight pout on her face clearly indicated that she was not satisfied.

 

"In this match, Land of Peach's Chronicle wins."

 

The big-headed referee said expressionlessly, but his mind was not as calm as it seemed on the surface.

 

He had only been a referee in the provincial competition for a short time, and this kind of one-sided battle scene was the first time he had seen it.

 

He thought that this kind of scene would only appear in battles between gold-level card craftsmen, but he did not expect that these high school seniors had just entered the field and already had such a big gap in strength.

 

As the saying goes in "Breaking the Sky with Cards": truly terrifying!

 

"Wow!" Lu Shiping took a sharp breath.

 

His body trembled and he rushed onto the field. In just a few minutes of battle, Shao Huanian's blood was almost drained, and Bai Man's spiritual body was also smashed to pieces.

 

Although they could recover through mental communication and spiritual nourishment, the consumption was quite significant.

 

He would need at least seven or eight days to recover.

 

During this time, he would experience constant side effects such as headaches and back pain.

 

"I'm sorry, these two cards I made are also new, with average spirituality. I used too much force, I'm really sorry."

 

Chronicle approached with a hint of apology.

 

After all, he was a classmate's cousin, and it wouldn't be good if things got too tense.

 

He still had to maintain a good relationship with the Lu family (flatter them).

 

"It's okay, it's okay." Lu Shiping waved his hand repeatedly. "It's my own lack of skill. If I lose, I can't blame others."

 

Then, after a pause, he added, "I'm Yoyo's cousin. I've heard your name from her. The number one talent in Land of Peach, as expected. You're guaranteed to be in the top three in this competition!"

 

Chronicle smiled at the words and didn't know how to address the other party, so he imitated the way Lu Shiping addressed him and said:

 

"Master Lu, you're too kind. I've come this far thanks to the support of benefactors and luck, plus the ability to come up with some decent stories. If I can't think of any in the future, my momentum will plummet. I can't afford the title of 'number one talent.'"

 

"You're being too modest."

 

Lu Shiping said so, but he had a very good impression of Chronicle.

 

He could feel that the other party really didn't see himself as a genius, and was not just pretending to be humble.

 

Some people around him clearly relied on their elders to help shape their image and worldview, and then created cards that were stronger than most people their age, but they were arrogant and conceited, as if they wanted to stick their noses in the air.

 

On the other hand, Chronicle, from an ordinary family background, without the support of elders or resources, rose step by step through hard work and talent, yet he had no arrogance at all, as if those powerful card stories had nothing to do with him.

 

A humble, capable, and stable person like him was worth getting to know, more so than those so-called scions and young ladies.

 

"Master Lu, let's exchange contact information."

 

Seeing the other party's admiration, Chronicle couldn't help scratching his head.

 

He couldn't help but sigh at the rich imagination of card craftsmen. He just casually humbled himself, and the other party started to imagine things.

 

He probably would be invited to dinner later, and the other party would say something like "let's keep in touch in the future," as if his words were the ultimate truth and law.

 

"Sure, I'll add you on WeChat, Master Ji."

 

Lu Shiping took out his phone from his pocket, scanning the code to add a friend, and said with a smile, "My house is nearby. Master Ji, if you have time, you can come to my house for a meal."

 

"Through this competition, I also realized that I still have a long way to go. I might have to bother Master Ji frequently in the future."

 

"Of course…" As if he had thought of something, he added, "But normal consultations should be paid for. Even close brothers need to settle accounts."

 

Everything developed as Chronicle had guessed.

 

After adding each other on WeChat, they walked out from the two side channels, with many people still lining up behind them.

 

In addition to the provincial capital, Wushuo City, and Chronicle's hometown, Land of Peach City, there were nine other prefecture-level cities in Qingshan Province.

 

In these eleven cities, the comprehensive level of Land of Peach students could probably rank third or fourth.

 

According to Chronicle's understanding, the economic and card strength of Land of Peach, during the crazy "shipment" days in the secret realm several decades ago, could even rank second or first in Qingshan Province.

 

But with the increasing spiritual power of the ghost spirits in the secret realm, it was difficult to "ship" in large quantities as before, gradually falling behind.

 

But even so, with such a solid foundation, it could still nurture a batch of card families and potential card craftsmen.

 

These young people were suppressed by Chronicle in the unified training, but once they entered the competition, they unleashed the accumulated resentment and fought fiercely.

 

Their attacks were ruthless.

 

Under the influence of this strong fighting spirit, most of them successfully advanced.

 

Among them were Chronicle's "old friends": Yanlou, the leader of the First High School's elite class, and Shen Fei and Zhao Wenying from the Second High School.

 

It had to be said that these young people grew up fast.

 

Shen Fei had been forcibly shaved into a "dog-bitten" buzz cut by the "Zong Master" in the Green Zombie state just over a month ago. At the end of the training, his hair was only a thin layer of stubble, but now, just over ten days later, he had grown enough hair to part in the middle.It's truly astonishing how fast hair can grow.

 

Of course, the possibility of him wearing a wig cannot be ruled out.

 

"Chronicle Brother, I just went to check the grouping for the next selection match."

 

Here, Chronicle was motionless, staring at Shen Fei's head, trying to determine whether it was real hair or a wig, making the latter feel a chill down his neck and wrap his hoodie tighter.

 

Ginger Tea approached from the side, loudly saying, "Chronicle Brother, you're grouped with someone from Second High School."

 

"Who?"

 

As fate would have it, Chronicle learned from Ginger Tea that his next opponent was none other than Shen Fei.

 

In Ginger Tea's words, he was "that particularly arrogant redhead who's scared of you."

 

At this moment, Shen Fei, after repeatedly confirming it, accepted the reality that he was about to face "Land of Peach's biggest nightmare," Chronicle.

 

However, the despair on his face gradually dissipated upon learning the rules of the second round of the preliminaries, and he began to shift towards an excited, almost frenzied state.

 

"Yi! I'm going to win!"

 

He rubbed his red hair, his mouth stretching almost to his ears.

 

The second preliminary match would be fought in person by the Card Craftsmen themselves.

 

Armed with one self-made skill card and one self-made equipment card, they would enter the "battle."

 

The one left standing would win.

 

In Shen Fei's eyes, while Chronicle was undoubtedly powerful, he was still a commoner by birth, hadn't consumed any significant supplements, nor had he undergone any physical training. He was likely inexperienced in "real-life PK," and should be at a disadvantage in this regard.

 

Although winning a "card crafting competition" through personal combat might be frowned upon in the Card Craftsman profession, which primarily involves summoning from behind the scenes, the thought of knocking Chronicle, a devil-like figure, off his pedestal was too exciting for Shen Fei to care about such trivialities.

 

"Ten years of free-fighting experience against a 'normal person' with just a physique, the advantage is mine!"

 

He said confidently, no longer fearing Chronicle, even daring to pull down his hoodie and look him in the eye.

 

Chronicle couldn't help but stroke his chin, wondering where the other's confidence came from.

 

If it were a student from another city showing such confidence, he might have been a bit wary.

 

But this red-haired fellow townsman… where did his confidence come from?

 

Forget ten years of physical training; even if he were a martial arts prodigy who started boxing in the womb, it wouldn't be enough to bridge the gap in mental strength and physique between them.

 

After all, with his long period of cultivation, Chronicle was already the top senior in Land of Peach in terms of mental reserves and physical strength.

 

Although his physical combat skills were still somewhat lacking due to only recently starting martial arts training with Grandpa Ba, with his superior cultivation level, watching the top students of Land of Peach with their bronze-level mental strength throw punches was like watching slow motion. Coupled with his overwhelming physique, he could basically knock them down with a single punch.

 

As the old saying goes: "Pure strength can crush all skills."

 

In the face of absolute power, Shen Fei's fancy moves were useless.

 

Not to mention him, even Li Baitian, with his family martial arts and exceptional talent, was often thrown over by Chronicle with one hand during their daily sparring.

 

Even so, Chronicle didn't plan to rely solely on physical combat.

 

They were Card Craftsmen, not berserkers. It would be too embarrassing not to use cards and just throw punches.

 

Besides, in the world of martial arts, stability is key.

 

Who knows if the opponent has created a new card in the past half month that could capsize his ship in the gutter.

 

Rash action would be unwise; it's better to play it safe.

 

Thinking this way, Chronicle summoned the skill card "Colorful Play – Fairy Rope" and transformed the "Mountain Ghost Coin" hanging around his neck back into card form.

 

The former would stun the opponent, allowing him to ascend to the clouds and use the phantom of heavenly soldiers to "Dismember" and strip the opponent, causing social death on the spot, needless to say.

 

The latter, after becoming an independent card, created a synergy with it.

 

Simply put, since the Mountain Ghost had become a real "life," the shadows summoned by the money would no longer be AI-like phantoms, but the will of the little Mountain Ghost made manifest.

 

Although not as formidable as the original, it could still reach the level of a blue one or two-star for a short time.

 

For a Card Craftsman with only mid-level bronze mental strength, it was more than enough.

 

"I hope this doesn't leave you with any psychological shadows," Chronicle said with a compassionate tone, but his face revealed a mischievous smile.

 

Seeing this, Shen Fei couldn't help but swallow his saliva and shudder involuntarily.

 

Then, realizing "I can definitely win," he curled his lips into a crooked smile, gesturing to Chronicle with a beckoning hand and mouthing, "Wait for you to beat me."

 

Chronicle laughed.

 

He was always amenable to such requests.

 

Little brother ate popcorn this afternoon and almost cracked a tooth, nearly didn't make it. Just six thousand words today, I'll make up with ten thousand tomorrow.

 

By the way, I want to tell everyone that on New Year's Day, I'll release a mythological monster vehicle card. You can guess what it is. On New Year's Day, little brother will give out red envelopes to liven things up.