Should he keep refining the existing cards, or advance and strengthen them?
Lin Chen had to plan everything carefully, but the mental exhaustion after creating the card left him too drained to think much. Under the lingering scent of incense, he sank into sleep.
Chen Xiao Diao, on the other hand, was so excited that she could not sleep at all!
She hurried to the Security Bureau, where there was a special battle room for the Card Masters employed there.
Like a child clutching a beloved toy she had just bought, Chen Xiao Diao absolutely had to put this card through its paces!
A Card Master's proficiency with their cards was extremely important. Practice made perfect; only by using a card often could one use it well.
Besides, the more a card was used, the more its star-level spirituality would rise.
Ordinary Card Masters did not have the conditions to practice their cards frequently, because every use consumed spiritual power. Frequent use meant spending money at card shops to replenish that power.
But Card Masters employed by the Security Bureau all received official subsidies. Within a certain limit, replenishing spiritual power was completely free;
the Bureau also provided special battle rooms, along with countless powerful colleagues who could spar with them.
The Security Bureau also imposed requirements on its employed Card Masters. They had to complete a certain number of matches each month, and rankings were maintained to urge them to keep improving their strength.
Therefore, whenever they had free time, Card Masters who had joined the Security Bureau would come to the battle room to practice.
By the time Chen Xiao Diao arrived at the battle room, many Card Masters were already there;
"Well, well, if it isn't Chen Xiao Diao, who's five feet tall and ranked dead last!"
Seeing Chen Xiao Diao arrive, the Card Masters from the Patrol Team naturally began teasing her.
Chen Xiao Diao's face flushed as she argued:
"What do you mean, five feet! I'm five foot one... And I'm ranked last because I had a Green Card material sitting unused in my hands before..."
Then came remarks like, "Great ambition has nothing to do with height," and "Never bully the poor young,"
which drew raucous laughter from everyone. The battle room was filled with a lively, gleeful atmosphere.
Chen Xiao Diao really had always ranked last in the Security Bureau's battle matches. One reason was that she was young and lacked combat experience as a newcomer, charging ahead recklessly with a single-minded stubbornness;
another was that the Fist Fighter was an extremely specialized butcher's blade of a card. Its physical attacks were formidable, but it had zero magical resistance, making it easy to kill instantly when facing mental or spell-based skills;
and the Card Masters in the Security Bureau were all elite talents selected from the best of the best.
All these factors had left Chen Xiao Diao at the bottom of the Bureau's battle rankings.
As a result, many Card Masters liked to use this to tease and belittle her.
The atmosphere among the Security Bureau's Card Masters was, in a sense, no different from that of an army. They lived with their heads hung from their belts, and the psychological pressure was far from small.
Teasing and belittling the weak was one way to release that pressure.
But no matter how innocent Chen Xiao Diao was, she still had a temper. She did not want to remain everyone's punching bag forever.
Why else would Chen Xiao Diao have rushed around everywhere, so desperate to create an advanced card, if not to win back some pride?
Now that she had a Blue Card and had acknowledged an exceptionally powerful genius Card Master as her big brother, Chen Xiao Diao felt that it was time for her to stand tall!
"Has the bottom-ranked Great King come to boost our confidence again?"
"I heard you went out to deal with an 'Anomaly Level' evil spirit, and still needed a passerby Card Master to step in?"
"Your strength is still at the bottom even outside the Security Bureau? Chen Xiao Diao, you..."
She had heard these taunts far too many times. Looking at the Card Masters before her, who continued mocking her without pause, Chen Xiao Diao decided that this time she would not endure it any longer!
"Who are you calling short!? I hate it most when people look down on me!"
Chen Xiao Diao pointed at the Card Master whose laughter was the loudest, her eyes filled with determination.
The Card Master she pointed at was named Li Jingde. He ranked eleventh in the entire Security Bureau and was accustomed to holding himself above others.
He only felt that the natural order had been turned upside down. How dare a new recruit ranked dead last call him out in public?!
In the world of Card Masters, strength was supreme.
To reclaim his dignity, he spoke with anger in his voice. "Are you a little confused about your place? I was just joking with you, and you took it seriously?"
"Here we go again."
Chen Xiao Diao felt like laughing. The resentment she had held in for so long began to pour out:
"You can joke about me, sure; but when I get angry, I'm being overly serious, I can't take a joke!
"But when it's my turn to say something about you, how come you explode at the slightest touch?"
Li Jingde exploded exactly as promised and began cursing. "Have you had enough of running your mouth? You dead-last piece of trash! Let's just fight!"
He walked onto the battle arena and continued talking tough. "Let me see whether your 'strength' is as hard as your mouth!"
Chen Xiao Diao tightly gripped the Xiangguo Temple Mad Zen Demon Monk, Lu Zhishen, which she had been clutching for a long time. As if responding to her fury, it trembled angrily in her hand.
It was as if endless energy had accumulated within the girl's small body. She raised her head and declared:
"Come fight!"
The author has brought Chen Xiao Diao here to ask for follows and votes!
During the new book's launch period, follow-up reading data is extremely important. Please keep up with the updates!
Chen Xiao Diao declared righteously, "Today's chapter, read today; all I ask is that we read it together, at the same time!"
Lu Zhishen VS Black and White Twin Dogs!
Li Jingde of Patrol Team 1, a veteran who had cleared three instances.
He challenged Chen Xiao Diao, who ranked dead last in the Security Bureau's battles.
The two had made quite a scene, and the Bureau's Card Masters all gathered around to watch the match and enjoy the spectacle.
"Chen Xiao Diao actually dared to challenge Li Jingde!"
"Li Jingde ranks eleventh in the entire Bureau! Chen Xiao Diao is the perennial last place. She's just going up there to get beaten!"
"Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. If you're bullied, you have to fight even if you can't win."
"Having a temper is fine, but only if you have the strength to back it up."
Chen Xiao Diao heard all of their discussion, but since she had already chosen to accept the challenge, her blood was burning fiercely!
She and Li Jingde stood in the battle arena. A spiritual barrier rose around them, both to mark off the area and to prevent outside interference.
Li Jingde announced the battle rules. "The usual rules. At most two main cards may enter the battle at the same time. Equipment and Spell Cards are unrestricted."
These were the standard rules for Card Master battles. Allowing two main cards to enter simultaneously enriched the battle's scenarios and tactics instead of limiting it to a one-on-one duel;
controlling two cards at once also tested a Card Master's spiritual power, determining who could multitask better and issue commands more effectively.
Before the battle began, Li Jingde intended to reclaim his dignity and thoroughly crush Chen Xiao Diao's spirit.
He said, "Since we're challenging each other, how can there be no wager? Do you dare accept?"
Chen Xiao Diao was fearless. "I accept! Name whatever you want!"
Li Jingde said, "If you lose, you'll be my lackey for a week. You'll serve me tea, fetch water, come whenever I call, and bow and scrape whenever you see me."
Chen Xiao Diao did not hesitate for even a moment. "Fine! If you lose, you have to apologize to me in front of everyone!"
Li Jingde sneered. "You said it yourself. Now that the wager's set, there's no backing out!"
The Card Masters watching the match began clutching their foreheads:
"That girl got carried away and backed herself into a corner. She shouldn't have added a wager."
"She's really foolish. The wager isn't fair at all! She'll lose even if she wins."
"She just wanted to win back some pride. She didn't think that far ahead."
"She's still too young and impulsive."
"It doesn't matter. There's no way Chen Xiao Diao can win anyway..."
"I'm actually starting to feel sorry for her..."
No matter how much the others doubted her, Chen Xiao Diao remained full of confidence because she had a card made with Lin Chen's help.
She knew Lin Chen's strength. She believed this card could help her win!
The Card Master battle began!
Li Jingde slapped down two cards with emerald-green borders, and two giant dogs landed inside the arena.
One was the silver-white, metal-bodied Mecha Pursuit Dog; the other was an imposing black dog, its entire body as dark as ink.
Card Name: DS-V3 Mecha Pursuit Dog Type: Hunter / Canine Mecha Quality: Excellent Grade · Emerald-Green Trim · Two Stars Traits: Intelligent Scent: The DS-V3 is equipped with the Intelligent Computing Power Model and Biological Pheromone Collection System. It automatically collects and analyzes the pheromones of nearby organisms and issues warnings. Protect the Master: According to the Three Laws of Mecha, the Mecha will protect its master unconditionally. Skills: Intelligent Hunt: The DS-V3 uses the biological pheromones collected by Intelligent Scent to conduct targeted computing analysis and intelligently deduce a pursuit and attack plan. Electronic Pulse: The DS-V3 releases high-frequency Electromagnetic Waves through a resonator installed in its mouth, dealing area damage. Bond: Dog Pack: Dogs are pack animals. When multiple canines are present in the team, they cooperate tacitly to hunt down their opponent together, increasing their attack momentum and coordinated pursuit ability. Card Name: Yin Mountain Fiend-Breaking Black Dog Type: Spirit Beast / Canine / Hunter Quality: Excellent Grade · Emerald-Green Trim · Two Stars Traits: Black Blood Wards Off Evil: The blood of the Yin Mountain Fiend-Breaking Black Dog contains extremely potent yang energy. It possesses the power to ward off evil and can intimidate wicked spirits. Yin-Yang Eyes: The Yin Mountain Fiend-Breaking Black Dog possesses a pair of Yin-Yang Eyes, allowing it to discern yin and yang and detect wicked spirits.
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