Tang Jian now had six One-Star Blank Energy Cards in hand.
Two of them were made by himself, one was half depleted and taken from the three little thugs, while the other three had been purchased from a card shop.
Early investment was still necessary. Although Tang Jian also wanted to save money by buying materials and making more cards himself,
his personal energy was limited after all. And with the Rocket Class recruitment period drawing near, time was tight. He had no other choice.
When evening self-study ended, Tang Jian walked out with Yang Mao and the others, only to unexpectedly run into Xie Dong.
"Ta-Tang Jian, I have something to say to you."
When Xie Dong saw Tang Jian leave the classroom, he immediately approached him, his flickering eyes seeming somewhat nervous.
"Xie Dong?!" Yang Mao and the others looked at Xie Dong in confusion.
Xie Dong was a student from the neighboring class, so naturally they all knew him.
However, Xie Dong was a loafer who often mixed with idle troublemakers outside school. Yang Mao and the others usually kept out of each other's way and had no dealings with him.
"You guys go on ahead." Tang Jian gave Xie Dong an indifferent look before smiling at Yang Mao and the others.
"Oh, alright. I'll wait for you nearby."
Yang Mao glanced at Tang Jian's calm expression. He seemed to want to say something but stopped himself. After thinking it over, he pulled the others aside without going too far.
Tang Jian felt a little warmth in his heart. When he looked back at Xie Dong, however, his gaze turned cold. "What is it?"
Meeting Tang Jian's eyes only made Xie Dong more uneasy. He nervously said, "Tang Jian, I saw what happened today. I know the guys you taught a lesson to, and I have some friendship with them. They want to make peace with you now. I'm willing to mediate. How about we let this matter go?"
"Let it go?" Tang Jian's eyes held a strange look. "Xie Dong, others may not know you, but I know you very well. You know exactly what role you played in this. Making peace is easy—ten One-Star Blank Energy Cards, and this matter is over."
Since Xie Dong had come to find him now, Tang Jian was naturally certain that, just like in his previous life, this guy had played an unsavory role in the matter. Even if he had not been the instigator, he had definitely been involved.
With that being the case, Tang Jian naturally would not let him off so easily just because of a few words.
"Ten One-Star Blank Energy Cards?!"
Xie Dong's expression turned ugly. "Don't push your luck. Do you know those guys you provoked today were just small fry?
They've all got people behind them. I have people backing me too. I only came to you because I didn't want this to get out of hand!"
Xie Dong glared at him and shouted in a low voice.
Normally, any student who got glared at and threatened by him like this would tremble in fear and only dare to obey. Who would still dare act recklessly?
Even students like Liu Wei, who were already two-star card disciples, did not dare provoke Xie Dong, because he had some backing and a group of brothers.
Tang Jian did not waste words. He looked calmly at Xie Dong until Xie Dong's scalp began to tingle, then said, "I don't want to talk nonsense. You saw today what kind of trash those people you found were. If you have a boss, call him over and let him try.
Ten One-Star Blank Energy Cards, and this matter ends here. Otherwise, today's matter will have to be settled sooner or later."
After saying that, Tang Jian brushed past Xie Dong, too lazy to spare him another glance.
"You bastard, what was that about? Why did Xie Dong come looking for you? And from the looks of it, he seemed pretty scared of you?"
Seeing Tang Jian walk over as if nothing had happened while Xie Dong stood there with an ugly expression, Yang Mao hurried over and asked.
"It was nothing. He caused me a little trouble, so I told him to admit his mistake and apologize. He doesn't seem too willing."
"You told Xie Dong to admit his mistake and apologize? How is that possible? It would already be surprising enough if that guy didn't blow up." Xu Fei looked shocked.
"The college entrance exam is coming up soon. If you have any conflict with Xie Dong, it's better to let it go. That guy knows some lowlifes outside school. It'll be troublesome if you get into a dispute with him," Gu Du, a classmate, advised.
"Yeah, Tang Jian. How about I talk to Liu Wei tomorrow and have him mediate? Xie Dong will definitely stop bothering you for Liu Wei's sake."
Fang Jia, the pretty girl from their class, offered warmly.
Tang Jian was in a rather good mood as he looked at so many classmates concerned for him, but he still shook his head. "Forget it. Don't get involved in this. I'll handle it properly. Xie Dong is a sensible person. He'll apologize."
"You actually said Xie Dong is sensible?"
"This guy must have something wrong with his head."
"Looks like I really need to talk to Liu Wei tomorrow. Tang Jian is too naive."
Amid the chatter of his classmates, Tang Jian left through the school gates and soon spotted his father, Tang Lin, on an electric scooter. He immediately walked over.
"How's your card-making practice going now?" Tang Lin tossed aside the cigarette in his mouth, got on the scooter, and asked casually.
"Not bad. I can make a One-Star Blank Energy Card in one go now. I think I have a good chance of getting into the Rocket Class in eleven days," Tang Jian said honestly.
Tang Lin nearly choked on the smoke he had just inhaled. He coughed and said, "What? You can make a One-Star Blank Energy Card in one go now?"
"Yeah. Before, I could already make two-thirds of one in a single try. Now that I bought a batch of new cards and practiced hard, my card-making ability improved."
These matters had to be revealed sooner or later. Besides, they were not too shocking, since there had been a gradual progression. Tang Jian felt it was time to tell his father a little.
After Tang Lin repeatedly confirmed it with Tang Jian, his expression became extremely delighted, though that delight was mixed with complex regret.
If he had known his son possessed such card-making talent, he should have spent a large sum investing in him much earlier.
Now there were only a little over two months before the college entrance exam. He did not know whether his son could still catch the last train.
Tang Jian did not understand Tang Lin's complicated feelings.
After returning home, he ate his usual late-night snack and quickly went upstairs.
After resting for most of the day, his spiritual power had recovered to its peak. It was time to try whether he could use energy to raise his spiritual power.
Tang Jian closed his bedroom door, sat on the bed, and placed six One-Star Blank Energy Cards before him.
All six cards emitted waves of energy fluctuations. Five contained nearly equal and evenly distributed energy, while the remaining one was noticeably weaker.
Tang Jian focused his thoughts, and the Attribute Template appeared before his eyes.
His consciousness focused on the "+" symbol behind the energy attribute.
The next moment,
the energy value began to change.
As the energy within each card was drained away, the energy value on the Attribute Template rapidly increased.
At last, a string of numbers stabilized.
Energy: 560+
Tang Jian's consciousness then shifted to the "+" symbol behind the spiritual attribute.
On the Attribute Template,
as Tang Jian consciously "pressed" the "+" symbol behind the spiritual attribute,
the value under energy immediately fluctuated.
Energy instantly dropped from 560 to 360.
Two hundred points of energy were consumed.
Tang Jian felt a surge of energy rise into his brain.
His consciousness drifted away, and he felt as if an advertising slogan had come to life: Sprite, cool to the core, heart soaring high.
At that instant, even Tang Jian's thoughts seemed to float away.
When his thoughts settled again,
the data representing spirit on the Attribute Template had changed.
"Spirit: 5/5."
Tang Jian's eyes narrowed into slits, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Then he broke into a grin that kept widening until it spread across his entire face.
Awesome!
He felt so full of energy that he could punch a cow to death!
Energy could actually be converted into spiritual power, and it did not require the three hundred points of energy he had expected. It only needed two hundred.
Tang Jian forcibly suppressed the urge to increase his spirit again. After thinking it over, he pressed the "+" symbol behind the Card Energy attribute.
Immediately, fifty points of energy were consumed, and the Card Energy data changed.
"Card Energy: 34/34."
"Hmm? It only used fifty points of energy? Could it be because I practiced the Three-Point-One-Line Technique for so long during the day, causing my Card Energy to increase a little already, so it consumed less energy?"
Tang Jian made his judgment inwardly. After thinking for a moment, he pressed it again.
The Attribute Template fluctuated.
"Card Energy: 35/35."
This time, one hundred points of energy were consumed, leaving only 210 points in total.
Tang Jian felt as though a wave of heat was rising within his body. Sweat began to seep from his pores, thick and sour-smelling, while his entire body gradually filled with aching soreness.
The increase of two points in Card Energy seemed to have made his physique a little stronger, though there was no obvious change yet.
Physical fitness and Card Energy complemented each other.
Only with sufficiently strong physical fitness could one cultivate more Card Energy.
But Tang Jian had directly raised his Card Energy using energy, causing his physical fitness to struggle to keep up with the rate of growth. His body was under strain.
However, the growth of Card Energy still affected his body in turn, making his physique somewhat stronger.
It was merely treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll run to school and train my physical fitness so that my physique can keep up with the growth of my Card Energy." Tang Jian made up his mind.
The physique was essence, and Card Energy was qi.
Only when essence, qi, and spirit were united without imbalance could one attain true results in cultivation.
Tang Jian understood that principle.
There were still two hundred points of energy left.
Tang Jian tried shifting his consciousness toward the final attribute on the Attribute Template, the one representing "Dream."
His consciousness hovered around the Dream attribute, yet he could not find any way to operate it.
There were no plus or minus signs behind Dream.
He could only use his consciousness to express as strongly as possible that he wanted to inspect the attribute.
Yet after quite a while, there was no response at all.
Tang Jian felt somewhat frustrated and subconsciously called out, "Dream, activate!"
Ineffective.
"Open sesame!"
Ineffective.
"Balala Little Magic Fairy, transform!"
Ineffective.
"Domo Kessala Mo, summon, Light Energy User!"
Still ineffective.
The veins at Tang Jian's temples throbbed slightly. He jumped off the bed, picked up his schoolbag, and walked toward the living room.
In the neighboring room,
Tang Yueyue had her little face pressed against the wall. Only then did she straighten up with a strange yet comical expression, muttering, "Has big brother been under too much study pressure? He's reminiscing about childhood in the middle of the night? He's even watched an ancient cartoon like Light Energy User?"
Naturally, Tang Jian had no idea Tang Yueyue had been listening through the wall.
When he reached the living room, he turned on the small desk lamp and began making cards.
His spirit and Card Energy were both at full value now, so he could easily make two One-Star Blank Energy Cards tonight. That would mean another two points of Card Energy.
One-Star Blank Energy Cards were no challenge at all for Tang Jian now.
Making one such card took at most three minutes.
While Tang Jian focused on making cards, his father Tang Lin and mother Chen Lianrong were quietly talking in the downstairs room.
"Our son has talent for making cards. He can actually make a One-Star Energy Card in one go now. Do you think we held him back before? We didn't even realize we should have spent money cultivating him earlier."
"There's no use saying that now. Since Xiao Jian has this talent, we should make up for it as soon as possible. I still have more than twenty thousand in that card. How about—"
"I have more than thirty thousand in mine too. We should ask Xiao Jian what he thinks first."
Tang Jian had just finished making a One-Star Blank Energy Card when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind him at the moment the lines on the Energy Card solidified.
Turning around, Tang Jian was somewhat surprised.
"Dad? Mom."
Tang Lin and Chen Lianrong approached Tang Jian with smiles on their faces.
"Is this the Energy Card you made?" Tang Lin's gaze fell on the card atop the table before Tang Jian.
The elegant lines on the card and the faint energy fluctuations it emitted were completely identical to the cards sold in card shops.
Even the wrinkled corners of Tang Lin's eyes could not help crinkling into a smile, his face filled with emotion and relief.
His son had achieved so much, so why had he only discovered it now?
He truly had been far too slow to realize it.
"Yeah. I've decided to find Instructor Sun Yiying tomorrow and tell her that I can already quickly make One-Star Blank Energy Cards. I'll ask her to apply to the school for them to train me."
Tang Jian spoke very seriously.
Tang Lin and Chen Lianrong exchanged looks, seeming to make up their minds. Tang Lin said, "I heard that the Solar Energy Potion sold by Yanglong Group costs over thirty thousand a bottle. Xiao Jian, since you have such outstanding talent in card-making, and card-making cannot be separated from Card Energy, we'll buy you a bottle of Solar Energy Potion."
"Mom and Dad are actually going to buy big brother a Solar Energy Potion?" Tang Yueyue widened her eyes from behind her bedroom door, her heart pounding.
That was a potion that cost over thirty thousand yuan. Why were her parents so willing to spend so much on her brother? She really must not be their biological daughter.
Tang Jian was also startled by his parents' sudden words and deeply moved, but he hurriedly waved his hands. "Dad, don't buy the Solar Energy Potion. It's too expensive, and it might not even be useful to me."
"How can we not buy it? The college entrance exam is coming up. Since you have this talent, if you don't make a final push now, when will you?" Tang Lin glared.
"Xiao Jian, it's fine. You don't need to worry about the money. Your father and I want you to get into a good university too," Chen Lianrong earnestly persuaded him from the side.
Tang Jian could not help feeling frustrated.
Over thirty thousand yuan, spent on some damn Solar Energy Potion?
He would have to be sick in the head to waste money like that.
A bottle of Solar Energy Potion supposedly only increased a person's Card Energy by five to fifteen units, yet it cost over thirty thousand yuan.
If that money were used to buy One-Star Blank Energy Cards, he could buy a hundred of them. Using them all would increase his Card Energy by one hundred points.
No matter how he calculated it, that deal was a loss.
They absolutely could not buy the Solar Energy Potion!
But how was he supposed to convince his parents?
"Dad, Mom, listen to me. Good steel should be used on the blade. The Solar Energy Potion would indeed help me a lot, but I don't think this is the time to take it. What I need right now is to continue strengthening my card-making ability.
"Oh, right. I've used up all my Blank Cards and need to buy more. Let's put off the Solar Energy Potion for now. With my current card-making ability, I can absolutely join the Rocket Class.
"You should know that among all the senior students, there are fewer than ten who can make a One-Star Blank Energy Card in one go. I can definitely do it."
"Then if we buy you a Solar Energy Potion now, wouldn't it be perfect for boosting your card energy and making card creation easier?"
"Dad, you don't understand. What I need right now is more practice. While making cards, my card energy keeps getting depleted and restored, so it grows quickly too.
"I'm already at 35 card energy. This is my cultivation plan. If you support me, give me money to keep buying Blank Cards for practice. Don't buy Solar Energy Potions for now."
After Tang Jian's painstaking persuasion, Tang Lin and Chen Lianrong finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.
"Here's fifteen hundred yuan. Xiaojian, take it and use it to buy cards for practice first. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
When Tang Lin personally stuffed the small stack of bills into Tang Jian's hands, Tang Jian felt a sense of guilt, as though he were scamming them out of money.
But then he thought that as long as he quickly improved his strength and got into a good university in the future, that would be repaying his parents. Today's lie was one told with good intentions.
"Brother, why did you refuse just now? A Solar Energy Potion! If you drank it, you'd definitely reach the level of a two-star card disciple. You might even get into a second-tier university in the college entrance exam."
Tang Jian had just sat down beside the living room table when he heard the bedroom door open beside him. Tang Yueyue walked out, pouting as she spoke softly.
Tang Jian turned and pinched Tang Yueyue's tender cheek, grinning. "Solar Energy Potions are too expensive. Besides, my main focus right now is card creation. As long as your brother has enough cards, I can quickly raise my card energy. Whether I have a Solar Energy Potion or not doesn't matter. There's no need to waste money."
"Really?" Tang Yueyue looked deeply skeptical.
"Of course. Your brother is a genius," Tang Jian said as if it were only natural.
"If you're such a genius, why is your card energy still lower than Wang Jun's from our first middle-school class? He already has more than forty card energy," Tang Yueyue said.
Tang Jian: "..."
"Go back to your room and sleep. Wang Jun or Wang Ba, neither of them may amount to as much as your brother in the future."
"Keep comforting yourself, Brother." Tang Yueyue dodged Tang Jian's reaching hand and scampered back into her room.
Tang Jian shook his head with a laugh, tidied the tabletop, then immediately pulled a discarded card from the pencil case in his schoolbag.
This discarded card had already been drawn a third of the way through, but a node in the middle had been ruined, making it unusable.
On the off-white card surface, the ink lines extended halfway before abruptly cutting off. A twisted, uneven dot had appeared, rendering the card completely useless.
Tang Jian could tell at a glance that this was caused by unstable control over card energy.
When making cards, one's card energy had to remain sufficiently stable in order to merge with the material of the card surface.
Once card energy fluctuated, the energy within the Energy Ink would fluctuate as well. When the two conflicted, that state of compatibility would vanish, and the card would fail to be made.
This was only the creation of low-level cards, which merely required one's card energy to be compatible with the Energy Ink.
When creating certain intermediate cards, one needed to use one's card energy to draw in the energy of heaven and earth before combining it with the Energy Ink, achieving a fusion of all three. The difficulty was not as simple as one plus two; it was more than a hundred times more complicated.
Tang Jian opened the bottle of Rare Energy Water and tossed the discarded card into it through the card slot.
Afterward, Tang Jian stopped paying attention to the discarded card and began practicing the Three-Point-One-Line Technique to restore the card energy he had just expended.
An hour later.
Tang Jian opened his eyes, and the Attribute Template appeared before him.
"Card energy: 24/35."
His card energy had recovered by sixty to seventy percent. If he concentrated, he should be able to make another One-Star Blank Energy Card.
Tang Jian immediately used the pusher to push the card out of the bottle of Rare Energy Water.
He held it up for inspection.
The marks that had previously been scribbled across the card's surface had all been washed clean and disappeared, making it look like a brand-new Blank Card.
However, if it were examined with precision equipment, or if one carefully rubbed the surface with a fingertip, one could notice that the card was slightly rough, proving that it had been used before.
The discarded card had now been washed back into a blank card and could be used to make another card.
Though this back-and-forth process took quite a bit of time, it gave Tang Jian a chance to recover his condition, while also saving him six or seven yuan.
After five minutes, Tang Jian carefully made another One-Star Blank Energy Card.
By then, his mental strength had dropped to 1 point. Rubbing his brow and temples, Tang Jian grabbed the two One-Star Blank Energy Cards and returned to his room, too lazy even to clean up the messy table.
"Energy: 210+"
Tang Jian held the two One-Star Blank Energy Cards and focused his consciousness on the "+" sign.
"Add! Add it for me!"
The next instant, two streams of energy shot directly from his hands into his brain, and the data on the Attribute Panel changed.
"Energy: 400+"
"Hm?" Tang Jian froze, then understood. "It seems the One-Star Blank Energy Card made from the discarded card was still somewhat inferior. It probably only contained 90 points of card energy, unlike an Energy Card made from a brand-new card."
With four hundred points of energy, if he used it to increase his card energy, he could directly raise it to 39 points, approaching the major threshold of 40.
Tang Jian hesitated slightly, but in the end, his consciousness could not help turning toward the "Dream" option at the bottom of the Attribute Template.
"Open the door!"
He conveyed that thought, expressing his desire to open the dream.
The next moment, his consciousness became hazy. His perception of the surrounding environment quickly peeled away and weakened, and he felt as if he were sinking into deep sleep and entering a dream.
Sleep, immortal sleep; sleep, immortal sleep. Reclining high upon stone roots, forgetting the years. The three lights sank, and one's nature became whole.
Breath after breath returned to the mystic aperture. Every inhalation followed nature.
In his dazed state, Tang Jian vaguely heard the wind, the water, and even caught the fragrance of flowers and grass.
That blurred consciousness rapidly became incomparably clear, and all his senses began to sharpen.
The next instant, Tang Jian abruptly opened his eyes and discovered that he was standing in a quiet valley. A babbling stream flowed merrily not far away.
The rushing water and the harsh calls of waterfowl circling by the stream made the place feel even more tranquil.
In the distance, the setting sun hung low behind the mountains. Its afterglow was blocked by rocky outcrops, flickering as it shone upon the sheer eastern cliff, then reflected from the cliff onto the river, casting a veil of rosy clouds across it.
Tang Jian stared wide-eyed at the scene before him and the surroundings around him, utterly dumbfounded.
"Where is this? How did I suddenly appear here?"
"No, I clearly activated the dream with energy."
"Could this be the dream? Is this what the dream does?"
Tang Jian stood there blankly with his mouth open. He bent down, snapped off a blade of grass, and could even smell its fresh fragrance, leaving him speechless.
If this was the dream function, it was far too realistic. Even mental Illusion Cards from the combat series would find it extremely difficult to achieve this level of realism.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He saw lines of ants crawling across the ground, forming a line of words beneath his feet.
"Dream (Simple Trial): Wind Valley Cultivation!"
"Cultivation objective: Persist for half an hour!"
"What does that mean?" Tang Jian froze.
The next instant, a fierce gust suddenly whipped his hair and clothes into disarray. The wind rose from all directions, growing stronger and fiercer as it blasted toward him.
Tang Jian lost his footing and nearly got thrown straight to the ground.
Whoosh—
A violent gale suddenly arose in the valley, howling through with brute force. In a grove not far away, every tree was bent into the shape of a hunchbacked old man, unable to straighten its back.
The babbling stream ahead was whipped into huge waves by the wind. Several waterfowl shrieked and flapped into the air, only to be blown wildly about by the gale.
Bang—
Tang Jian felt a sharp pain in his chest. A windblown pebble had struck him, nearly knocking him to the ground.
The wind was too strong. It swept up sand and dust that covered his face. Tang Jian endured the pain and took two steps, feeling as though he was about to be blown away.
In such a terrifying environment, he could only cover his eyes with both hands and barely make out the things around him.
The raging wind tore at everything it touched, stripping dead leaves from branches and flinging them into the air, blasting waterfowl into the rock walls and killing them on impact.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Tang Jian reacted too slowly and was struck by several more pebbles, the pain nearly unbearable.
"Damn! This is the dream? I'm just asking for trouble!"
Tang Jian nearly coughed up blood. In his panic, he barely managed to crawl behind a large boulder for shelter.
There, he could barely resist the gale, but the wind in the valley only grew stronger, almost enough to sweep a person away.
Tang Jian had to use nearly all his strength just to cling to the boulder and avoid being blown off.
The wind roared madly, like countless ghosts and monsters locked in battle.
Sheltering behind the boulder, Tang Jian grew dizzy from the wind, and his body began to weaken. But whenever he felt unable to continue, an inexplicable energy would suddenly rush into his body, filling him with renewed strength.
With the support of that mysterious energy, Tang Jian gritted his teeth and persevered without giving up. He even began practicing the Three-Point-One-Line Technique.
Then, a thunderclap-like explosion suddenly rang out overhead. A massive boulder, half the height of a man, was torn loose by the gale and slammed viciously into Tang Jian.
At that moment, Tang Jian finally understood firsthand what it meant to be crushed to pieces.
However, at the instant his body shattered, a stream of image-based information suddenly appeared in Tang Jian's mind.
"Wind Valley Cultivation passed. Obtained card crafting blueprint—Gale!"
"Ah!!"
Tang Jian cried out and jolted awake from the mysterious dream. The instant he opened his eyes, he felt sticky sweat covering his forehead and body.
His perception of the surrounding environment quickly flooded back.
Faint light filtered through the curtains into the room. It seemed that the night had passed, and it was now around five in the morning.
Tang Jian looked around. He was no longer in that frenzied, terrifying wind valley.
"The dream ended?"
He let out a slight sigh of relief. His throat was so dry it felt as if it were smoking. Moving his body, he sat up from the bed, and that simple motion immediately made him feel an ache throughout his entire body.
The soreness felt as if every inch of his muscles had been stretched and twisted.
The pain made the veins on both arms bulge as he braced himself against the bed.
"Urgh!?" Tang Jian let out a muffled groan, his eyes bulging. Sitting on the bed, even both sides of his buttocks ached terribly, while the muscles throughout his body seemed to be trembling.
Yet despite the intense soreness, Tang Jian could clearly sense immense strength packed beneath his taut muscles.
"What's going on?" Tang Jian instinctively concentrated and summoned the Attribute Template.
Owner: Tang Jian. Card energy: 46/46+ Mental strength: 6/6+ Physique: 6.5+ Special effect functions: 1, ??? (???) 2, Dream. (???) Current energy: 0+
"WHAT!?"
Seeing the Attribute Template appear before him, Tang Jian's eyes bulged, and he nearly jumped off the bed in shock.
What exactly had happened?
Had the Attribute Template bugged out?
"Did I really reach 46 card energy? Why does this feel so unreal?"
Tang Jian frowned.
There were only two ways to prove that all of this was real.
First: use a testing device to examine his body. This method was impossible, because there was no testing equipment at home.
That left only the second option: make cards. If his card energy was real, then 46 points of card energy and 6 points of mental strength were fully enough to make two One-Star Blank Cards.
Although Tang Jian could feel the vigorous card energy within his body, he still did not dare believe it.
He immediately dragged his pain-ridden body, which felt as if it were about to fall apart, into the living room. Gritting his teeth, he took out the Sketching Pen and began preparing to make cards.
The muscles in both arms ached as though they were about to tear apart.
This severely affected his ability to draw lines.
Tang Jian relied entirely on his powerful Willpower to persevere, focusing even more intently to avoid mistakes.
Ten minutes later.
When the second One-Star Blank Energy Card was successfully made, Tang Jian looked at the data currently displayed on the Attribute Template, and a wave of joy gradually surged through his heart.
"Card energy: 0/46."
"Mental strength: 2/6."
After making two One-Star Blank Energy Cards, Tang Jian had exhausted all his card energy, while also using up 4 points of mental strength.
Yet all of those attribute values were real. He was not dreaming, nor had the Attribute Template malfunctioned.
"So, the Dream function can use some kind of stimulation to construct an illusion in the form of a dream, awaken the potential within my body, and let me awaken that potential while sleeping and dreaming. In a short amount of time, it can use an almost hypnotic method to stimulate my potential and rapidly strengthen me?"
Tang Jian quickly grasped several characteristics of the Dream function and reached a conclusion.
According to many scientific studies.
When people dreamed during sleep, it was because a small portion of their brain cells remained active. Stimuli received by those cells would transmit various instructions, which could indeed cause the body to react in different ways and even awaken human potential.
For example, when someone had a nightmare and became too frightened, they might jolt straight awake from sleep.
Likewise, when someone experienced excessive fright or excitement in a dream, dreaming that they were swimming or boxing, for example, if the stimulation was too intense, their body would react as well, and their limbs would move.
Now, in a single night, Tang Jian's card energy had risen by a full 11 points, while his mental strength and physique had both improved.
Such a sudden transformation was simply unbelievable. It could only be attributed to the special Wind Valley dream stimulating his potential, allowing him to accomplish what felt like more than a hundred days of cultivation in the span of a single dream.
"Just four hundred points of energy, and one dream caused such an enormous change in me. Does that mean that as long as I gather another four hundred points of energy, I can have another dream and rapidly improve my strength again?"
"No, that's not right. My body is obviously under an extremely heavy burden right now. It has practically reached its limit. Although my physique was strengthened somewhat during this dream, it is also on the verge of injury."
"In my current state, I need to nurse my body back to health first and let it recover from its extreme condition before considering further improvement. Otherwise, my body won't be able to bear it. The faster my card energy rises, the more likely I'll be injured or even die."
Tang Jian calmed down from his initial excitement and realized that it was not so simple.
Though the Dream function was powerful, it was still limited by his body.
Only if his body itself was strong enough could he continuously use the Dream function to improve.
However, there was also a "+" sign after the Physique option, meaning that physique could likewise be strengthened by consuming energy.
"And there's the Gale card crafting blueprint. I actually comprehended a way to make this kind of Combat Card through the dream?
"This type of card should belong to the magic category. In my previous life, I saw people use Magic Cards like Wind Blade, but I never saw anyone use the Gale type."
As Tang Jian recalled the additional information in his mind, he suddenly noticed that the Attribute Template before his eyes had changed. A card option had appeared at the bottom.
"Card crafting blueprint: Gale—Combat category: Green two-star Magic Card. Card crafting requirements: card made from 30g of tanned Wind Cat Bone, 10 units of wind energy, 10 portions of magic medium crystal powder. Required card energy: 1320. Required mental strength: 50.
Crafting method: "
"This is actually such a detailed crafting blueprint, and it's a Green two-star Magic Card. I rarely even saw this kind of magic card in my previous life. It might be very rare. If I sell it through the Dark Web, its price may be dozens of times higher than the Three-Point-One-Line Technique."
The moment Tang Jian finished reading the information before him, he was so excited he could barely contain himself.
Even though his current strength made it impossible for him to produce a similar card, possessing such a crafting formula was like holding a hen that laid golden eggs. He was going to strike it rich.
Spending four hundred energy points to activate the dream function had been utterly worthwhile.
The mysterious Red Card had brought Tang Jian far too many surprises.
However, Tang Jian quickly restrained the urge to sell the crafting blueprint for quick money. Given his current strength and status, selling the blueprint for this kind of card would not earn him money—it would only bring trouble upon himself.
"Brother, you're up so early? You're really diligent. You're so good at making cards—teach me sometime, okay?"
Just then, the bedroom door beside him opened, and Tang Yueyue emerged in bear pajamas, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Tang Jian turned around, just about to answer, but Tang Yueyue had already slapped downstairs in her slippers. So the girl's words just now had apparently been nothing more than perfunctory flattery?
That morning, after Tang Jian saw Tang Yueyue onto the bus, he slung his backpack over his shoulders and ran toward school.
The distance from home to school was about three kilometers.
Back when his physique had only been 6.0, running there at full speed took him around thirteen minutes. By the time he finished, his legs would be weak and his muscles trembling.
But that had been when his physique was only 6.0.
Now that his physique had risen to 6.5, his entire body still ached terribly, but Tang Jian discovered that as he kept running, the pain gradually faded away, replaced by an incredible sense of exhilaration.
In about ten minutes, Tang Jian arrived at school with his backpack on his back.
When he reached the school gate and slowed down, the pain throughout his body surged back as sweat poured from him, sweeping over him once more.
"Tang Jian, damn? Look at all that sweat. Did you run here from home?"
At the school gate, he happened to run into Yang Mao, who was buying breakfast. Yang Mao stared at Tang Jian in astonishment.
Tang Jian grinned. "Run every day, and your stamina improves faster. Watch out—I might catch up to you."
"Tch." Yang Mao stuffed a soup dumpling into his mouth and said indistinctly, "I've been drinking Solar Energy Potions these past few days. My card energy has already reached forty-four points. You want to catch up to me? Unless you buy Solar Energy Potions too."
"They cost over thirty thousand a bottle. Forget it." Tang Jian shook his head.
Yang Mao turned serious. "It's money well spent. I heard from Lin Yuxuan that the instructor might pick people from the class for special training today. I'll definitely be selected. What about you? Your talent is ordinary, and you refuse to make up your mind and spend money on it. You'll just fall further behind step by step."
Yang Mao's words seemed blunt, but Tang Jian could sense the soft heart beneath his sharp tongue. Yang Mao was genuinely encouraging him, with a hint of frustration that Tang Jian was not living up to expectations rather than mockery.
Tang Jian smiled and shook his head. "There's no need. My family isn't well-off enough for that, and I think the instructor might select me too?"
"Might?" Yang Mao rolled his eyes. "You said 'might,' so you know you're not sure, right? I'm telling you, unless your card energy has already broken through forty, and you can make two-thirds of a blank one-star card before your card energy runs out. Otherwise... sigh."
Before you continue