The Card Apprentice

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

A dazzling glow tore up the night, and the solid building was as fragile as paper in front of it. The blinding and incandescent light, without roaring, diffused at an alarming rate, and all objects in its path would be silently swallowed up and would vanish instantly.

The energy fluctuation in the air had become so intense that it made people crazy. Everyone in Dongrui was shocked! Numerous colors of light rose in succession from all corners of the city. Tens of thousands of card artisans wore different colors of energy masks and rose to midair, looking in horror at the glittering light in the distance. Even from more than ten kilometers away, it was still easy to see the dazzling white light mass.

The thousands of card artisans floating in midair looked at each other, speechless! The energy fluctuation in the air made each of them feel a deep sense of pressure. The destructive aura seemed to trigger the throbbing and fearfulness in their hearts.

"Sir, th-that seems to be the Tai-shu family's territory…" a guards division card artisan stuttered.

"Yes," Rong Ming answered. His face was sullen, but the suspicion in his eyes revealed his uneasiness. It was hardly necessary to think much to know that the explosion of that magnitude hadn't been caused by ordinary card artisans. In that position, the first thought in his mind was the White Commander. When he thought of the injuries suffered by the White Commander on that day, however, he immediately excluded that possibility.

With his lips tightly pursed, a hint of worry appeared on Rong Ming's originally resolute face. With the increasing number of strong people in Dongrui, there would be more and more unstable factors. It would only take a little carelessness for the scene to get out of control. Among the whole guards division, only one of them could be called a master, but he was a deterrent to that group of master card artisans…

He couldn't stop himself from laughing bitterly. Soon, though, his face regained its solemn expression. Feeling the violent energy fluctuation in the air, he knew the warring card artisan was likely no weaker than himself, and such a terrible explosion hadn't been the result of ordinary cards. Extreme strength, along with the possession of a strong card—that kind of card artisan often had an extraordinary history. Even more disturbing to him was that card artisans seldom acted so recklessly in the city. Who is it?

At the Yuzi Military Force, Mei Ji stood up suddenly and exclaimed softly.

While holding the card artisan assassin in his hands, Fang Shi, who was flying at high-speed, abruptly stopped. He looked at the white light in the distance and showed a thoughtful expression. However, he paused only for a moment, then turning back to leave.

Little Bu Mo stared at the white light not far away, and the shock wave formed by the explosion almost made him unable to stabilize himself. Fortunately, Wei-ah had lifted his neck.

Wei-ah's posture at that time looked spectacular. He held Bu Mo in his left hand and Qiu Shanyu in his right hand, and Chen Mu was held under his armpit.

"Amazing!" Little Bu Mo couldn't help but exclaim as he recovered from the shock.. He looked at the blazing white glow with no fear of it hurting his eyes. Wei-ah's speed was lightning-fast. In an instant, they were 500 meters away from the building. With a flicker in front of little Bu Mo's eyes, he found himself lifted back by Wei-ah.

"Wei-ah, do we still have to retreat?" Bu Mo said strangely. Although he didn't understand, he could feel that the aftermath of the explosion wasn't enough to reach their position.

"The building is going to collapse." Wei-ah looked ahead without any delay in his steps.

Little Bu Mo's expression instantly froze, and he stammered, "Building… The building is going to collapse?" He looked up at the 160-story building, which seemed huge in his eyes.

"Amazing!" The excitement in Bu Mo's eyes jumped like fire. His thoughts were quite simple. He felt that if he wanted to demolish the building, it would be an absolutely impossible task. Now, though, that huge building had been destroyed by others, so he could see how amazing the destruction would be!

Chen Mu was trapped under Wei-ah's armpit, which wasn't an enjoyable thing, but he didn't really care at that point. He appeared sullen. "Xiaobo is injured, yes. Sang Hanshui is all right." Although it was inconvenient for him to move, his perception ability was still there. He suddenly shouted, "Wei-ah, on the right!"

Wei-ah didn't hesitate to turn to the right and run. Between several ups and downs, they saw Xiaobo, who had fainted. He was in a comatose state with blood spilling from his mouth and clothes torn beyond repair.

"Fortunately, there's no big problem." Chen Mu let out a sigh of relief. Xiaobo's breath, though weak, was relatively stable.

Suddenly, he heard Sang Hanshui's surprised voice. "Boss!"

When Chen Mu turned around and saw the people around Sang Hanshui, he was stunned. "Jie Yanbai!" In Pomelo, Jie Yanbai had left a deep impression on him. He had been open and upright, which Chen Mu had appreciated very much, so he recognized him at a glance.

"Didn't think the White Commander would actually recognize me!" Jie Yanbai smiled as he looked at the famous figure. The uncovered skin allowed him to see the wound that had not yet healed. His face couldn't be seen because of the mask, but his eyes were clear and bright, which made Jie Yanbai feel good. But what made him doubt was that the White Commander seemed somewhat familiar.

In order to not cause the other's misunderstanding, Jie Yanbai took the initiative to explain. "My teacher and Caesar used to be good friends. I heard Brother White is a descendant of Caesar, so I ran straight here."

Just then, they heard rumbling as the building began to collapse. All battles had stopped, all ambushing card artisans had disappeared into the darkness, and the others had begun to maintain order. Fortunately, Tai-shu Cheng had allowed all employees to rest; otherwise, it was hard to say how many people would have died in that war.

The 160-story building collapsed spectacularly, raising enough dust to blow up to several kilometers away. Even Chen Mu and the others felt the effects from where they were. They could only stop talking to move to a new location.

At that time, Xiaobo woke up slowly. He immediately sat up, closed his eyes, and began to meditate. That battle had been difficult for everyone, especially little Bu Mo. It had been his first actual battle, and he'd had to face such a strong card artisan as Si Dongkou, putting immense pressure on him. His victory had been very much based on luck. If it hadn't been for Si Dongkou being distracted by energy fluctuations, it would have been a bitter battle. Even so, their whole bodies started to ache terribly once they relaxed.

Sang Hanshui's fatigue was more mental than physical. Facing an extraordinary card artisan like Fang Shi had undoubtedly been a great test of will and spirit. However, the battle was of great benefit to Sang Hanshui. He was hopeful that he would become even stronger after a period of time.

Xiaobo had gained the most. He was not only recovering his senses but also digesting the gains and losses of the battle. He was good at tempering himself in real combat. He used to venture deep into the jungle alone, but even the most powerful beast couldn't contend with a real master. At that level, if one wanted to move forward, one could longer achieve it by relying on training alone.

The day's battle had been full of vigor and vitality. He had exerted all of his abilities, and the strength of the other side had also been rather on par with his own. There was no better opponent than that one!

Those who were resting rested, and those who were thinking were deep in thought. Everyone was casually sitting around, and no one was worried about the issue of safety. Even if Chen Mu was seriously wounded and if Xiaobo, Sang Hanshui, and Bu Mo had no fighting power, Tang Hanpei himself wouldn't try to make a move with Wei-ah and Jie Yanbai there.

Chen Mu and Jie Yanbai talked rather speculatively. Off to the side, Qiu Shanyu remained silent.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be so sure about Brother White's identity if not for what Miss Tan Yumin said personally." Jie Yanbai laughed brightly and said, "Moon Frost Island didn't come in vain to meet Brother White. My teacher received the favor of Caesar, which eventually fell to me. She always wanted to find an opportunity to thank Caesar but unfortunately had no fate to meet him."

Chen Mu was puzzled when he heard that. "Caesar only taught me skills for a short time; he didn't tell me about his past."

Jie Yanbai laughed and said, "I don't know the details. I only know my teacher had once been taught the Rouged Finger by Caesar. Although she was reluctant to practice again, this new practice was handed down to me. To some extent, Brother White and I are half brothers." He said with some regret, "I heard the teacher talk about Caesar once or twice, so I went to the Federation Comprehensive Academy after I got the Rouged Finger. Unfortunately, my abilities were too lacking as compared to Pavchek's, so I was unable to avenge Caesar."

Chen Mu was moved. He had heard of Jie Yanbai's famous battle. He'd previously thought Jie Yanbai held a grudge against Pavchek. Who would have known that was the actual reason? It was amazing how courageous and temperamental he had been to challenge a principal from the Big Six without hesitation just because of the favors he had received.

However, Chen Mu couldn't help but remember his deal with Caesar about challenging Tang Hanpei. That matter had always been a big stone in his heart. Now that he had seen Jie Yanbai's frankness, uprightness, and bravery to challenge such a legendary figure as Pavchek, he really admired him.

Jie Yanbai frowned. "But, Brother White, when did you provoke the Bitter Solitude Temple?"

"Bitter Solitude Temple?" Chen Mu was stunned. Xiaobo suddenly opened his eyes at that moment and said, "I was fighting against a card artisan of the Bitter Solitude Temple?"

"Yes. The card he used was the Gamu Spear, one of the three great inheritances of the West Temple of the Bitter Solitude Temple. The strength of that card artisan should rank first in the West Temple. However, the Bitter Solitude Temple has always been low-key, with most of their aces having less than well-known reputations. As for his name, that is something I don't know." Jie Yanbai glanced at Chen Mu. "Among the Big Six, the Bitter Solitude Temple is the most low-key, so their strength is also the most unpredictable. Even the Federation Comprehensive Academy is reluctant to provoke them." Between his words were some euphemisms of loyalty and persuasion.

Xiaobo's spirit was risen. So, the thin card artisan originated from the Bitter Solitude Temple, and that card was one of the three major inheritances of the Bitter Solitude Temple's West Temple. The fact that he could draw with it greatly increased his confidence!

The Bitter Solitude Temple? When did they begin to focus on me? Chen Mu was puzzled; there was no intersection between himself and the Bitter Solitude Temple.