The Card Apprentice

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Since it was a tournament, it would logically not be carried out in the corridor pavilion. Luckily, Tai-shu Zheng had prepared a place earlier.

In front of everyone was an advanced arena specially designed for matches. Being about 200 meters long and 100 meters wide, it was massive. An enormous energy shield started rising up, so the people could see the match clearly without worrying about their safety. The protective ability of the energy shield for that type of arena was usually unbelievably strong. Except when masters like Tang Hanpei went all-out or with the use of war cards, ordinary card artisans couldn't even budge the shield by a bit. Using the card was quite costly, however, as it consumed a six-star power card every three hours.

Nowadays, an ordinary person couldn't even afford a five-star power card, let alone a six-star! Only the wealthy families could get their hands on them. The military was bound to also have some. Some card appliances required six-star power cards to operate, and seven-star power cards were needed for the top card appliances. However, those were all rumors; no one had actually seen those cards before.

With Tai-shu Zheng's assets, the use of a six-star power card for the night would cost him a heartache for long time. There were only a few of those power cards left in the Tai-shu family, most of them inherited from the ancestors. They had collected a few six-star power cards during their glory days. What was left were not many to count. Every head of the family was trying their best to accumulate the six-star power cards. But, even if they used all the sources they had, they could only obtain of a few.

The rising of the transparent energy shield caught the guests by surprise. All of them knew how magnificent the scene was, and such a large expenditure wasn't seen every day.

"Big brother seems to have put in a lot of effort for today." Tai-shu Cheng was a little bewildered. Among the three of them, Tai-shu Cheng was the best money-maker, so he could naturally identify the grade of goods. In his heart, he was quite shocked since he knew only his old man had six-star power cards. What he was truly curious about was when and where Tai-shu Zheng had gotten his from.

Tai-shu Zheng laughed and said, "It is rare to get ahold of Miss Tan Yumin, so how dare I be neglectful?" A look of pride flashed across his face, and his heart filled with satisfaction when both the guests and his youngest brother gasped in surprise.

The guests sat in the tall grandstand, where they could easily overlook the whole arena. Meanwhile, the dexterous servants served foods and beverages on the stand. There were a lot of available seats and no specific seating arrangements. The guests gathered around, wine glasses in hand, as they discussed enthusiastically, eagerly anticipating the match.

Although there were only a few people on Chen Mu's team, his group was the most obvious one, consisting of Tan Yumin, Rong Ming, Jiang Yu, and Luo De, plus himself and Xu Jia.

All three Tai-shu brothers assembled together. From the perspective of an outsider, they seemed to be getting along quite well. If someone had overheard their conversations, however, that thought would never have crossed their mind.

"Big brother has made thorough preparations. It seems like the bracelet is definitely yours to take," Tai-shu Shen said coldly.

Tai-shu Zheng didn't deny that. Instead, he answered, "Not necessarily. Don't forget that the Jiang family and the Luo family also sent their representatives. Moreover, second brother's follower, Ba Luojia, will also be competing." He turned his head and asked Tai-shu Cheng, "Isn't third brother also interested in this bracelet?"

Tai-shu Cheng shrugged his shoulders. "If big brother and second brother are participating, will I even stand a chance?" He smiled bitterly. Although the White Commander was his follower, he wasn't confident about him!

At that moment, a servant presented a list of contestants. Tai-shu Zheng skimmed through it and smiled. "Third brother couldn't hold back, either! I always thought you didn't have the slightest interest in Miss Tan! Second brother, we can now finally know why the White Commander was favored by Rong Ming."

Tai-shu Shen grunted coldly.

Tai-shu Cheng was startled. Did the White Commander also participate? He shifted his gaze to Chen Mu but doubted he would be interested in the bracelet. Was it for his own pride, then? He immediately dismissed that unrealistic thought.

He had a feeling the White Commander didn't acknowledge his existence. The White Commander would never have spoken a word to him if it wasn't for his wanting to meet the old man. That made Tai-shu Cheng feel discouraged since the White Commander wouldn't even give a thought about the third young master of the Tai-shu family.

However, in the eyes of the public, the White Commander was still his subordinate. Whether he would be victorious or defeated, it would have great impact on him. Worst of all, he hadn't even bothered to discuss his plan with him first. Damn! He wanted to confront the White Commander but hesitated as he thought about the rumors of how ruthless the White Commander was.

He glanced at the name list in Tai-shu Zheng's hand from the corner of his eye. Tai-shu Cheng was disheartened. It was too late to go back on his words. If he withdrew now, he would be the laughing stock of everyone, not to mention his two brothers, who wouldn't mind him making a fool of himself! His fingers grasped the wine glass harder as he felt his body heating up.

Xu Jia looked at Chen Mu puzzledly and couldn't help but also glance at Tan Yumin. She had an uncanny feeling deep in her heart. The White Commander was known to be cold, yet he also showed interest in the bracelet. She had to admit Tan Yumin had tremendous charisma. However, the White Commander was just sitting there meditating with his eyes shut, not even glancing at Tan Yumin, who was just two seats away from him. That made Xu Jia feel like her prediction was nothing but nonsense.

More and more guests surrounded Tan Yumin. Most of them were there to chat with her or to get an autograph. The surrounding commotion caused Chen Mu to force his eyes open. He got up and walked to a corner helplessly. Among the crowd, Tan Yumin realized Chen Mu was walking away with an unusual expression on his face. But, in a split second, she smiled again and continued entertaining the other guests, acting like nothing had happened. Jiang Yu stuck to Tan Yumin like bubble gum. Luo De took a brief glance at Chen Mu and decided to stay put with Jiang Yu. Rong Ming courageously walked to Chen Mu's side.

There was some time left before the match started. Because of the large number of participants, the match had to be arranged properly.

"Young master brought you here just in case anything happened. Instead, you took the initiative and signed up for the match," Xu Jia complained pretentiously. "It's just a bracelet. Why do you have to make a fuss about it? What if we lose?"

Rong Ming laughed and said, "Miss Xu, you worry too much. I have full confidence in the White Commander!"

Rong Ming didn't seem to have made a polite remark. Xu Jia looked at him suspiciously. She peeked at Chen Mu, who was meditating, and said, "We'll talk when you get your hands on the bracelet."

Rong Ming laughed without explaining. Even Chen Mu himself was shocked by the confidence Rong Ming had in him. However, his eyes stayed closed. He knew that even if he asked, Rong Ming wouldn't give him the answer.

The match was officially scheduled. First Round: The White Commander vs. Ba Luojia!

Tai-shu Shen had a nasty expression. He looked at Tai-shu Zheng resentfully and said coldly, "Wow! This arrangement is such a coincidence. Never would I have thought I would go against my third brother first."

Tai-shu Zheng laughed. "Ha ha! This solely depends on luck!"

Actually, Tai-shu Cheng was not bothered about the identity of his opponent. But it wasn't totally true to say he wasn't the slightest bit agitated! Not holding back, he couldn't help but chug a whole mouthful of red wine to relieve his dry throat.

Before that, he would never attend banquets like those, especially events organized by his two elder brothers. Ma Hu, that rubbish guy, only dared to act recklessly in front of him. He was useless once he came across critical situations and only knew how to become a laughing stock. He was still weak in his skills, and everyone was already used to it. But, since the White Commander had come along with another three guys, he had hope again. That night was the night to verify his hope.

Upon hearing his name, Chen Mu opened his eyes and stood up. As soon as he stood up, all of the guests stopped discussing. They shifted their focus onto the arena. They had roughly heard about Ba Luojia's strength but not that of the mysterious White Commander, who had appeared out of the blue. He had also sat beside Rong Ming earlier that day, which proved he was an extraordinary and honorable man.

The first match was such a heavyweight confrontation that it immediately boosted everyone's interest. Tan Yumin couldn't move her beautiful eyes away from Chen Mu.

Ba Luojia was a blur when he appeared in the arena. His speed was as fast as lightning; only a few seated guests could see his movements clearly. That skill was not easy to perform at all! They showed dignified expressions, and some guests even cheered for him. Compared to Ba Luojia, Chen Mu was inferior. He flew into the arena lightly, slowly, and without much elegance—nothing special there. Most of the guests who had initially had high expectations for Chen Mu were rather disappointed.

Once Chen Mu touched the ground, the energy shield rose up, covering the whole arena. Both of them were vastly different in body size. Ba Luojia's body was sturdy like a small mountain compared to Chen Mu's puny body.

Ba Luojia finally opened his half-closed eyes and glared murderously with his big, round eyes. "Ba Luojia greets Brother White!" he groaned.

Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, Chen Mu made the first move! He didn't care about the match etiquette at all. He was experienced in battle and knew the importance to be first and fast.

Suddenly, he squatted down and stayed close to the ground. He twisted his body as if there were no bones restraining him and acted as fast as a flash. Before the crowd could even respond, he had already appeared by Ba Luojia's side. Green ball of energy in hand, he aimed at Ba Luojia's throat, focusing on the target.

The sudden turn of events was too much for the crowd!

Watching the green energy sphere almost slicing his neck, Ba Luojia shrieked as blue veins started appearing on his forehead.

Bang! Crack! In no time, the green energy sphere in Chen Mu's hand shattered into pieces. His vision became blurry as if his head had been struck by a hammer. In his sensory world, the sound wave spread, and the surrounding air vibrated uncontrollably. That vibration spread to his body, skin, muscles and blood vessels. Even his blood seemed to be trembling strongly.

Confused! Stunned! His body lost its control for a moment! In a battle, there was nothing scarier than losing control over one's body.

Now, Ba Luojia just had to hit him lightly, and Chen Mu would be dealt with easily.

It was just the beginning of the match. Chen Mu had never thought he would be at risk!