Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
Chronicle's mind swiftly conjured the image of a dude over 195cm tall, with shoulder-length hair and two muscular arms exposed. He couldn't help but stroke his chin.
"He does look like a master, but seems a bit dim-witted."
"In this treacherous world, full of scoundrels, such a lad can easily be exploited by the wicked."
With a shake of his head, Chronicle sat cross-legged on the living room sofa, flipping out two cards with blue borders.
【Red and White Collision】and【Death of Daiyu】.
The former was arguably the strongest card in his hand.
Once the Extermination Flow was unleashed, none could contend.
The latter was a bug card he had recently crafted.
A simple test of its power had already demonstrated its impressive practical effectiveness.
"It's a pity that the N-T-R effect of 【Death of Daiyu】can't be manifested on this guy."
"According to the data, in the past month, he has only shown cards like 【One-Eyed Rusty Butcher】, 【Straw Hat Frozen Fish Assassin】, and 【Scarred Body Prisoner】, none of which meet the strong requisition conditions of 【Death of Daiyu】."
Chronicle sighed with regret at the thought.
Fortunately, the opponent's cards were all genuine male spirits, which would be suppressed by the Grand View Garden during combat.
But considering the opponent's field might also have corresponding enemy-weakening and ally-strengthening effects,
The net effect was minimal at best.
"Ah, let's not worry about it for now, let's merge these two cards first."
Chronicle thought to himself, using his mental power to guide the two cards slowly together.
A crackling sound ensued, with dark red and blue-black arcs flickering between the cards.
"Boom!"
A tremendous roar echoed in Chronicle's mind.
In an instant, his sea of consciousness surged, raising two layers of mist, one red and one white.
A sharp and deep suona sound filled his ears, and a chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
Chronicle took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the cold with his formidable will.
Then, with a flip of his hand, he summoned the 【Tai Guan County Yin Musician】given to him by the head of the "Qu Ge Yao" family, along with some miscellaneous material cards he had collected recently.
Now he had the suona band, the banners for the White Fiend, and the maids for the Red Fiend's "marriage."
Plus a few trinkets to add detail:
Like the ghost bride's exclusive makeup (gifted by Youyou), the low-distortion, waterproof phonograph (gifted by Yao Yuan), the enhanced version of the replaceable paper effigies (gifted by Bai Ziliang), the urn with a hidden mouse (courtesy of "Yan Lou"), the emaciated black cat (courtesy of "Yu Anran")…
With his good connections, he had gathered quite a collection of items to enhance "the flavor."
Now, he threw them all in without reservation.
The card, now truly named 【Red and White Collision·Death of Daiyu】, shone even brighter.
It almost shifted from deep blue to light purple.
But in the end, it didn't succeed.
Chronicle knew that the reason it didn't progress further was that his mental power level was still slightly lacking.
"I'm already at ninety-nine, just one shiver away from a breakthrough!"
With this thought, Chronicle's eyes gleamed.
In reality, this so-called "experience bar" was just his way of quantifying his cultivation progress.
While previous numbers were somewhat accurate, describing his current state as "ninety-nine" was a bit off as the breakthrough approached.
If he had to use numbers, it would be "one hundred" or "zero."
In essence, his sea of consciousness was full, and to store more "water," he needed a catalyst to widen the edges and break the barriers.
A larger "pond" would hold more "water."
And this catalyst wasn't hard to find; a hearty battle would be enough to break through the silver rank.
After advancing, he could use the vast expanse of his sea of consciousness as a canvas, the materials as ink, to create various landscapes and environments suitable for the cultivation of card spirits.
And he himself could "bind" with a card spirit.
As long as this card spirit diligently cultivated, it would continuously provide him with physical feedback.
This was the first step of "mighty power returning to oneself."
When he broke through the gold rank, he would awaken a "Card Master Skill" and copy some abilities and traits from the bound card spirit.
By then, even without using template cards and 【Pretend God】cards, he would possess a certain strength.
Though he wouldn't be as powerful as Xiao Zhi, who could stand toe-to-toe with his generals and held the esteemed status of "Human Sovereign," he wouldn't be the weakest link in the team either.
"Hiss, so does that mean Brother Ziliang, who has already broken through to gold, is a tough guy who can take on low-rank card spirits?"
Chronicle took a slurp of the cold noodles that "Little Nanny" Ying Tai had just prepared, exclaiming, "Terrifying indeed."
"It's just a shame that Ying Tai and Daiyu don't have much talent in cooking."
"After all, it's a creative endeavor, and with their current level of spirit, being able to help with instant noodles or boil a couple of eggs is pretty good."
"No matter how much effort they put into learning, they can't reach the level of an ordinary diner's chef."
"Maybe later, when resources are more abundant, I'll get a resource card or a 'Chef' summoning card."
"Expecting these two ladies, who have never touched spring water, to learn cooking is simply impractical."
Chronicle mused, taking another slurp of the cold noodles, then summoned the plump golden silkworm.
"?"
The little golden silkworm tilted its head, its negligible spirit unable to fathom even a fraction of Chronicle's complex thoughts.
"Clean up the room."
Chronicle pulled out a tissue, wiped his mouth, and tossed it onto the coffee table.
The fastidious little golden silkworm immediately wriggled, transforming into a wisp of white smoke that swept through the room.
Trash was picked up, stains wiped away, pillows straightened, and the quilt neatly folded.
After all this, it transformed into a child in red, carrying a black trash bag, and headed downstairs.
In no time, it returned to the room, looking relaxed.
"It's cleaner than what Ying Tai would do."
Chronicle nodded in satisfaction and collected the little golden silkworm with a wave of his hand.
"But I wonder… could the Scenic Poison help this little guy level up?"
Lying back on the sofa after a satisfying meal, Chronicle couldn't help but speculate.
But he immediately shook his head:
Although called a poison, Scenic Poison is essentially a curse from the residual will of the great world.
If Blue Star card masters are likened to "computer viruses," then "Scenic Poison" is like antivirus software, marking and clearing "trojans" that damage "data."
It's incredibly abstract.
Though it appears as "black lines," it lacks a "physical form" and is more of an "idealistic" thing.
So far, the only known way to remove "Scenic Poison" is to counter it with equally abstract things like emotions or beliefs.
"If the little golden silkworm could really feed on such a thing to enhance its strength, I'd end up as either a card-making machine or a savior-like figure."
"But the former is more likely."
With that thought, Chronicle shook his head.
Even if the little golden silkworm could feed on "Scenic Poison," that would be far in the future.
With its current tiny form, even multiplied by dozens, it might not withstand the Scenic Poison that could grind down diamond-level card masters.
"Let's not think too much about it for now. It's already two in the morning, a new day, and the semi-finals are tomorrow. Better rest early and aim for a breakthrough."
With that, Chronicle returned to his room.
Unbeknownst to him, this night was destined to be sleepless for many.
***
On the day of the competition, Chronicle woke from his sleep, yanked open the curtains, and was dazzled by the white light.
He focused and saw snowflakes, crystal clear, drifting down from the sky, the hotel's artificial lake frozen over, the whole earth covered in snow, looking like a world of glazed glass.
Seeing this beautiful scene, Chronicle couldn't help but frown.
When he first arrived in the province-city, it was October, and now, after several rounds of competition, it was already November.
For a city with distinct seasons, snow in November was quite normal for Qing Shan.
But the problem was, it was raining just two days ago, so why the sudden snow?
Even the slowest would realize something was amiss.
After pondering for a moment, Chronicle shook his head and went back inside.
—The semi-finals were about to start, and he had no time for these distractions.
After a quick wash, he rode the Nian Beast straight to the venue at the edge of the inner city.
This time, he chose to have Seven Brothers float by his side as a guard.
With the situation in Qing Shan unclear, it was better to have a bodyguard.
Thus, he arrived at the Battle Card Arena without incident.
The referee for the semi-finals was an old man in a standard Town Abyss Army uniform.
His gaze lingered on Chronicle for a moment before moving away.
Chronicle wasn't very familiar with the ranks within the Town Abyss Army, but he could tell from the "flowers" on the elder's shoulder that this was a person of importance.
The old man waved his hand, scarred and knobby, and the vast arena was instantly split in two, separated by a bright orange energy wall.
Unlike the previous flashy competition events, the semi-final rules were straightforward, as reflected in the name.
【Field Card Clash】
Without needing the elder to say much, Chronicle and Ren Wang took their places on the marked circles, facing each other from a distance.
"Chronicle, bullying the weak isn't fun. If you're capable, pick on me!" Ren Wang challenged through mental transmission, full of fighting spirit.
"Uh," Chronicle paused, deflating him with a single retort: "Are you sure Yu Anran and Yan Lou aren't your match?"
Stunned by the question, Ren Wang awkwardly smacked his lips and then activated a blue-grade field card without a word—a rather unsportsmanlike fellow.
Before he summoned his card, Chronicle, who had already tucked the card between his fingers upon entering, activated his card, beating Ren Wang by two seconds.
The arena's airspace rippled like the tide, and the Grand View Garden in the snowy night instantly expanded.
Amid the vast garden, the suona's indistinguishable sounds of joy and mourning began to play, and Chronicle vanished from sight.
At that moment, Ren Wang's field was also activated, forcibly dragging the Grand View Garden, which should have been in "Imperial Capital," into a desolate wilderness strewn with tombs and fluttering white shrouds.
The next chapter will continue in the late night.