Card Master

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Card Master
Species/Race	Human
Occupation/Role	Wielder, controller, and—in some cases—creator of Cards and Card Spirits
Affiliation	Independent practitioners, the Card Association Security Bureau, research groups, commercial organizations, and rogue factions
First Appearance	1

Card System

Cards are divided by quality into White Common, Green Excellent, Blue Rare, Purple Epic, Gold Legendary, and Color Mythic. Each Card also has a one-to-nine-star rating representing its spiritual essence and developmental level. 1

Rank / Measure	Requirement or Meaning	Notes
Star rating	1–9 stars	Measures a Card’s spiritual essence and growth; frequent use and combat can increase it. 1 17
Beginner Card Master	Limited spiritual-power capacity	Zhong Yueming could sustain one two-star Green Card and two or three White Cards. 1 8
Intermediate Card Master	Possession of a Blue Card	A Blue Card qualifies its owner to apply for intermediate status; Security Bureau department leaders must be intermediate Card Masters with Blue Cards. 15
Advanced Card Master	Possession of a Purple Card	Advanced Card Masters with Purple Cards can become regional rulers. 167

A Card Master’s mental power governs both the number and quality of Cards they can carry into an eerie instance. Successful Card creation and survival in dangerous instances can increase this capacity. 8

Card Types

Card Type	Function	Example
Card Spirit	Summons an intelligent or semi-intelligent entity for combat, support, scouting, production, or command.	Lu Zhishen is a Human/Fighter/Monk Card Spirit. 15
Guardian Card	Protects the Card Master or holds defensive positions.	DS-R1 Mechanical Guardian follows its master-protection directive and can deploy surveillance alarms. 1
Equipment Card	Provides weapons, armor, tools, or body augmentations; generally consumes less spiritual power than a main Card Spirit.	Flying-sword users can control multiple Equipment Cards because their spiritual-power burden is comparatively low. 102
Spell Card	Produces a specialized effect rather than a persistent summoned unit.	[Purification] dispels eerie energy and assists recovery after dungeon exposure. 6
Building / Venue Card	Encapsulates or establishes locations with persistent functions.	Lin Chen plans to turn inherited properties into a Venue Building Card. 43
Material Card	Supplies attributes, symbolism, and physical components for Card creation.	Lu Zhishen was created from two Green and two White material Cards. 15

Card Spirit Cultivation

Card Spirits with high intelligence and spiritual essence can develop rapidly when treated as companions rather than tools. Lin Chen identifies autonomous action, acting according to one’s nature, and receiving things they enjoy as key conditions for star ascension. 21

Autonomous Growth

• Card Spirits grow faster when permitted to make decisions and perform according to their inherent nature in battle. 20 21
• Combat is a major catalyst for advancement, particularly when a Card Spirit’s defining traits are expressed. 20
• Recreating a historical Card Spirit’s formative deeds or “Exclusive Events” can awaken latent traits and guide it toward its complete form. 24
• High-spirituality Cards may develop True Names, unique traits, and exceptional growth potential. 656

Natal Bonds

A Natal Bond is a deep connection between a Card Master and Card Spirit. It normally requires long-term emotional cultivation, though highly spiritual Card Spirits with strong destiny and life-or-death experiences can form one quickly. 221

• A Natal Bond can allow a Card Spirit to identify its master even through advanced mimicry. 221
• It strengthens the Card Master’s physical ability and can share skills suited to the host’s nature. 116
• Chen Xiao Diao’s bond with Lu Zhishen grants her Demon-Subduing Three Fists and reinforces her body for close combat. 116 416

Combat Doctrine

Card Masters are generally physically vulnerable compared with their Card Spirits; Guardian Cards are therefore a core survival measure, particularly against assassins who target the master directly. 139 583

• Guardian-focused combat emphasizes personal protection, formations, interception, and counterattacks. 1 489
• Fighter and close-combat builds rely on aggressive Card Spirits or bodily enhancement; they can reduce dependence on Guardian Cards but require physical training. 416
• Equipment-focused builds can field numerous weapons, such as flying swords, at the cost of requiring substantial financial and crafting support. 102
• Mechanical builds use intelligent machines, exoskeletons, surveillance systems, and modular weapons; official logistics can maintain Bureau-issued Mecha equipment. 1 468
• Daoist Cards are particularly effective against anomalous creatures and malevolent spirits. 127 486

Card Creation

Card creation depends on visualization, appropriate materials, spiritual power, and compatibility between a Card Spirit’s identity and the selected attributes. Lin Chen’s ability to connect historical identities to precise materials substantially improves his success rate. 15 57 163

Principles

• Higher-quality Cards grant greater mental-power feedback to their creator upon successful completion. 8
• Equipment Card creation normally requires visualization of a weapon’s material, structure, craftsmanship, and use; advanced techniques may also imbue it with inner intent. 134
• Historically grounded Card Spirits can be created more reliably when materials, personal items, professions, and symbolic attributes all point to the same identity. 15 163
• Blue Cards are expensive and difficult to produce, with average production costs estimated at 700,000–800,000 yuan after materials, professional fees, and failure risk. 167

Card Maker Roles

• Card creators design and produce Cards.
• Card researchers analyze Card mechanisms and develop specialized series, including Mohist mechanical Cards. 586
• Card merchants distribute Cards through official and private markets; card sales can shape mainstream purchasing trends and public access. 135
• Card Master instructors train users in combat, formations, willpower, and environment-specific survival. 484 486

Organizations and Regulation

The Card Association Security Bureau employs active Card Masters for patrol, containment, training, and emergency response. It provides subsidized spiritual-power replenishment, combat rooms, sparring opportunities, and performance requirements for its personnel. 17

Eerie Dungeon Return Procedures

Card Masters returning from eerie instances may face mandatory containment procedures under the Card Master Association Eerie Dungeon Return Prevention and Control Regulations. 6

• Implantation of a sanity-monitoring chip synchronized with the containment center. 6
• Purification through a Holy Light-element [Purification] Card. 6
• A 108-question Forbidden Association Test; an abnormal-response or error rate over 5% triggers further review. 6

Public Access and Recruitment

Lin Chen proposes expanding Card access through a Daoist sequence and placing Card-wielding security officers in residential communities, reducing the Security Bureau’s burden while enabling local self-defense. 96

The Bureau also uses Cards as a means of identifying suitable recruits. The Ceasefire Wooden Puppet is intended to screen for people who uphold non-aggression, possess integrity and guardianship, or show talent for mechanical creation. 586

Economy and Social Role

Card acquisition is a major economic barrier for lower-tier practitioners. A beginner who survives an eerie instance can potentially gain materials, intelligence, and rewards worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, making instances both deadly risks and routes to rapid advancement. 500

• Mass-produced, low-cost Equipment and survival Cards can be sold to ordinary people or grassroots Card Masters on a far larger scale than high-end Cards. 10 50
• The official online Card shop allows legitimate individual Card Makers and Card Masters to sell Cards, making its rankings a measure of mainstream demand. 135
• Lin Chen’s [Sober Mind Bracelet - Emergency Needle] became the platform’s best-selling Card after official promotion, commercial distribution, and a price subsidy. 135
• Affordable healing and sanity-protection Cards are used to improve survival rates among grassroots Card Masters. 563 914 1005
• Card Masters injured or psychologically harmed by eerie combat can apply for free recuperation at the Security Bureau and Hall of the Judge’s Mind Sanatorium. 591