Both Advance

Su Li first took [Lost Little Fox] in his hand.

Light gleamed in his pupils, and an image appeared: amid ice and snow, a little white fox shivered beneath a rock.

This card could be strengthened. Choose one:

① A family of little foxes was driven from the forest by Bully Mantis and forced into the snowy plains. The blizzard was so fierce that the little fox became separated from its parents. Only by finding them could it survive in such a harsh environment.

Like [Destitute Girl], this White Card had only one strengthening option.

A card master's body was strong, but braving such brutal weather without proper gear was surely no way to go. Su Li immediately placed an order for a set of winter clothes.

Balance: 198.

Su Li was troubled. After strengthening the little fox, he would have to find a way to make money. He was also starting to venture into the advanced field of card strengthening.

Messenger Bird soon delivered the winter clothes. Su Li put on a thick military overcoat and snow boots, then entered the card world of [Lost Little Fox].

The cold was bitter. Even with a card master's strong physique, Su Li could feel it. He wrapped his coat tightly around himself and spotted the little fox beneath a rock not far away.

The snow-white fox noticed Su Li, too. It was timid, but its limbs were stiff from the cold. It tried to flee from beneath the rock, only to tuck its head back in when the icy wind hit it.

"Snarl!" The little fox bared its teeth at Su Li.

This little thing's pretty fierce.

Su Li smiled, grabbed the little White Fox by the scruff, and lifted it up. Then he wrapped it in his thick overcoat and held it close.

The little White Fox's fur immediately bristled. It shot its head out of Su Li's coat and snapped at the arm he was using to hold it closed.

Quick as a flash, Su Li packed some snow hard with his other hand and stuffed the snowball into the little White Fox's mouth, plugging it shut.

"Snarl!" The little fox was stumped. With its mouth firmly plugged by the snowball, its wild instincts kicked in, and it thrashed all four paws against his chest.

Su Li was speechless. The little fox in this world was nothing like the one he had summoned; it was an entirely independent creature. Was this some kind of alternate dimension?

Su Li didn't know much about his own ability, either. Much of what he knew simply surfaced in his mind.

He held the little White Fox close and gently rubbed beneath its chin with his other hand.

The little fox gradually stopped struggling and narrowed its eyes in contentment. It felt the warmth in his arms and the kindness radiating from Su Li.

Su Li smiled, pinched the snowball in the little fox's mouth apart with two fingers, and flicked the pieces away in opposite directions.

"Don't be afraid. I'll help you find your parents." Su Li stroked the little White Fox's head, his voice gentle.

The little White Fox was still a bit wary, but it no longer resisted. It snuggled closer into Su Li's arms.

Su Li took out Su Miaohan's card and summoned her.

Card characters and their masters were connected by a shared understanding. Shadow spread beneath Su Miaohan's feet, and she disappeared from sight.

Su Li didn't sit idle, either. Holding the little White Fox, he searched the areas Su Miaohan hadn't covered.

It was bound to be a long search. The snowy plains stretched far and wide, the blizzard raged without pause, and the landscape was a vast expanse of white. Searching was incredibly difficult.

After a full day and night, Su Li was exhausted. The snacks he'd brought had run out after he shared them with the little White Fox.

Meanwhile, the Spirit Jade in his mind had dimmed completely. He'd kept Su Miaohan summoned for too long. Even without any intense battles, he'd nearly exhausted his mental strength.

His temples throbbed with pain.

Panting, Su Li exhaled a cloud of white breath and sank down beneath a massive boulder.

"Yiya." The little White Fox poked its head out from Su Li's arms, hopped onto his shoulder, and gently licked the ice crystals on his face.

"Awooo!" Suddenly, a long howl rang out in the distance.

The little White Fox's snowy fur trembled, and joy lit its eyes. It answered with an "Awooo!"

Dawn spilled across the snow like scattered gold. Two White Foxes raced across the plains, their bodies wreathed in a crystalline glow, leaving a brilliant trail behind them.

Su Miaohan returned without a sound, turned into a card, and fell into Su Li's hand.

The little White Fox shook the snow from its fur and ran excitedly toward the two foxes. It affectionately rubbed against their legs, chirping, "Yiya, yiya."

The White Foxes licked the little White Fox's fur and let out soft cries.

They spoke to each other in the language of beasts. The little White Fox bounced about, overjoyed. At last, it led the two White Foxes to the rock, only to find that Su Li had long since disappeared.

"Yiya! Yiya!" The little White Fox cried out anxiously, darting back and forth, but Su Li was nowhere to be seen.

The two White Foxes gazed into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Su Li left the card world and nearly passed out. His mental strength was completely drained. Thankfully, Su Miaohan had found the White Foxes and brought them over; otherwise, this strengthening attempt would have failed.

He forced himself to stay upright and took [Lost Little Fox] in his hand.

The card world began to evolve. The little White Fox kept searching the surrounding area for Su Li for three days, then finally left in disappointment. But under its parents' protection, it made it out of the snowy plains and reached a flower-filled forest alive and well.

But one day, Bully Mantis invaded again. The Fox Father died fighting the Bully Mantis to protect the Fox Mother and the little White Fox.

The little White Fox and its mother were forced to flee from place to place, pursued by Bully Mantis's underlings.

The card's image froze on the little White Fox's escape.

[One-Tailed White Fox]

Tier: Bronze Tier Three

Type: Animal

Skills:

① Bewitchment: A natural talent of the Fox Clan. It lures enemies in and leaves them entranced.

② Windstep: Tread upon the breeze to greatly increase your speed.

③ Needle Barrage: Fires the hairs from its tail, each as sharp as a needle.

④ Tail Drop: The tail is a White Fox's finest weapon. Infuse it with energy and unleash a mighty strike!

Overview: Bully Mantis, its lifelong nemesis.

"Poor little fox." Su Li fell silent. After all, he'd held the little thing for a whole day. It was adorable and easy to love.

Can I interfere with the card world as it evolves? An idea came to Su Li. If he entered the card world and killed Bully Mantis before it could kill the Fox Father, wouldn't that avert the tragedy?

Somehow, Su Li knew the answer: he could.

But he'd been in terrible shape then, and Bully Mantis was powerful. With only Su Miaohan and [Black Mist], he'd probably have been killed instantly.

As the card world evolved, Su Li had also gained an understanding of the Fox Father's strength. He was at least Bronze Tier Eight, yet still no match for Bully Mantis.

He had no time to dwell on it. The energy returned by the strengthened card surged into his mind.

The dried-up Spirit Jade gradually began to glow. By the time Su Li finally opened his eyes, patches of silver had appeared.

Nine percent.

His powerful mental strength let Su Li calculate his progress in an instant. Strengthening the card had turned nine percent of his Spirit Jade silver.

By that measure, he had reached the peak of Bronze Tier One.

Su Li had suddenly pulled ahead of every other card master at Liang City No. 3 High School.

After more than a decade of meditation, card apprentices experienced a rapid surge in mental strength when they became card masters. But only half a month had passed. Reaching five or six percent would already be impressive.

Su Li could feel his Spirit Jade on the verge of its first minor transformation: the leap from Bronze Tier One to Bronze Tier Two. It was also a small threshold; he had to cross it to reach ten percent.

The Mystery Energy is still overflowing. I can ride this momentum and cross this threshold in one go. Su Li made his decision at once and continued meditating.

Finally, three hours later, he succeeded. The silver coverage reached ten percent, and he leapt up to become a Bronze Tier Two card master.

All of Su Li's fatigue vanished.

Time to strengthen another card!

He studied [Shadow Sting—Su Miaohan] and saw that it had gained another strengthening option.

This card could be strengthened. Choose one:

① A killer lurking in the shadows. After receiving support from the Ability School, Su Miaohan still needed a sharp enough dagger.

② Assassins walked alone, but who could turn down a suitable partner?

③ Fuse with [Black Mist] to gain a new power.

④ If you had enough cards, perhaps a miracle could happen.

As the fourth option suggested, acquiring [Black Mist] had caused a new choice to appear for Su Li.

Card fusion was a standard method used by card-strengthening masters. Even ordinary card masters could fuse two cards.

But fusion wasn't something to attempt blindly. It required guidance from a card-strengthening master. Even two cards with similar affinities weren't guaranteed to fuse successfully.

If the fusion failed, the strengthening materials would be wasted, and the card being strengthened might be damaged, too.

Su Li's ability made this fusion different from an ordinary one. On the wall appeared the black-haired girl training diligently in her ability. Su Li snapped his fingers, and [Black Mist] flew out, merging into the card world.

The card world continued to evolve.

With her B-rank ability, Su Miaohan never slacked off. Her strength advanced by leaps and bounds, and she eventually won the title of the greatest young genius in her city.

At the same time, the kind-hearted black-haired girl caught the attention of a powerful figure from the Ability School. Impressed by her, he took her in as his disciple and taught her the Dark-Type Ability Shadow Gate.

Su Miaohan never lost sight of who she was. She trained hard, gradually mastering Shadow Gate as her strength continued to grow.

At last, the card world's evolution was complete.

[Shadow Sting—Su Miaohan]

Tier: Bronze Tier Five

Type: Character

Skills:

① Dark Affinity: Awakened to a Dark-Type Ability, she has powerful control over dark energy.

② Shadow Gate: By consuming dark energy, she can open a Shadow Gate anywhere within fifty meters of herself, creating Black Mist and shadows to form a field of darkness.

③ Shadow Sneak: She can merge into shadows without making a sound.

④ Shadow Assassination: She uses dark energy to enhance her strength and deliver a lethal strike.

Overview: A genius girl! Onward to greater strength!

Damn! Su Li gaped. A character card could actually create a domain of its own.

It was only Bronze Tier Five, but any card-strengthening master would judge its potential for growth to be extremely high!

The Shadow Cover skill had disappeared, but Shadow Gate had directly gained its properties.

The fused card had granted Su Miaohan a new ability through an unexpected encounter, which surprised Su Li, too.

But although she'd gone from Bronze Tier Three to Bronze Tier Five, the Mystery Energy returned this time was very little—only two percent.

Su Li had a vague idea why.