"Fake, right? He can make a One-Star Blank Energy Card in four minutes? What a braggart."
"Exactly. I heard that Mo Dong, the card-making genius from Class One, needs six minutes to make a One-Star Blank Card, and that's for the relatively simple support-type Illumination Card."
"Let's see how he embarrasses himself when he gets on stage!"
"Since he said it, he must be confident. Do you really think that little bastard would dare make a fool of the instructor?"
Amid the crowd's hushed whispers, Tang Jian picked up his Sketching Pen and was about to head to the platform.
"Alright. Since Tang Jian, you really can make a One-Star Blank Energy Card in one go, I'll believe you. You don't need to demonstrate it for me now. Step out of the line."
Sun Yiying glanced at Tang Jian as she spoke.
Quite a few students in the class were immediately disappointed upon hearing that.
Shi Lei, Xu Fei, and the others familiar with Tang Jian in particular wore complicated, doubtful expressions. They still could not believe or accept that Tang Jian had already caught up to them and was even better than them.
If Yang Mao had outperformed them, they could have understood.
After all, Yang Mao had decent talent to begin with, and his family was well-off. They had even prepared Solar Energy Potions to improve his strength. It was only natural for him to be stronger than them.
But what about Tang Jian? His family circumstances were even worse than some of theirs, and his talent could only be considered average.
Yet now, he had actually caught up?
Such an enormous gap left Xu Fei and the others in turmoil.
At that moment, Tang Jian followed Sun Yiying's instructions. He casually tucked the Sketching Pen into his pocket, walked to the right side of the platform, and stood beside Yang Mao.
"Hey! Bastard, you weren't fooling the instructor, were you? You can make a One-Star Blank Energy Card in four minutes?
"I was the one who taught you the basics of card-making. Even when I go all out, I can only make two-thirds of a One-Star Blank Energy Card in ten minutes, and that uses up all my card energy."
Yang Mao shot Tang Jian a strange look. His expression seemed to say, You've got some nerve, kid. You even dare fool the instructor and boast about finishing in four minutes? If you can handle the instructor in four minutes, I'll admit you're something else.
Tang Jian chuckled and gave him a knowing look. Bro, you don't take on porcelain work without diamond tools. Since I stepped up here, I obviously have the real skills.
Yang Mao waggled his brows. "Fine, we'll see. I want to see how you finish it in four minutes."
Under the gazes of the entire class—some envious, some conflicted, some despondent—Tang Jian and the other six followed their instructor, Sun Yiying, out of the classroom toward her office.
"I'm so jealous of them. They were born with such great talent for becoming card cultivators. I'm no good—I only have 14 points of card energy even now. Sigh."
Wang Xue, the class study representative, sighed and shook her head slightly.
"Xue'er, you shouldn't think that way. Some people are born to be card cultivators, while others are born to become physicists or chemists. Aren't you exactly that kind of talent? Haven't you always dreamed of getting into a prestigious liberal arts university?" a classmate beside her comforted her.
Wang Xue's gaze fell upon her books, and she looked somewhat dazed.
If they had a choice, if they could become card cultivators, who would be willing to pursue the liberal arts instead?
Many students who graduated from liberal arts universities never had the chance to leave Earth Star for the rest of their lives and could not become Interstellar Citizens. How tragic was that?
Yet many people simply did not possess much talent for card cultivation. Perhaps they would never reach the level of a Five-Star Card Apprentice in their entire lives, much less become Card Masters.
With Tang Jian and the others selected, quite a few people in the class were now wallowing in self-pity and feeling somewhat dejected.
Still, after sighing, some became even more interested in Tang Jian, who had suddenly emerged from nowhere. They were all guessing whether his claim that he could make a One-Star Blank Energy Card in four minutes was an exaggeration or whether he truly possessed such skill.
At that moment, it was not only the students who had failed to be selected who were curious about Tang Jian.
Even Liu Kun and the others who had been selected kept glancing at Tang Jian as they walked beside him.
Wang Lele could not help asking, "Tang Jian, can you really make a One-Star Blank Energy Card in four minutes? That's amazing. If it's true, can you teach me card-making in the future?"
Tang Jian glanced at Wang Lele. This slightly baby-faced girl was actually quite pleasing to look at, and she had developed far too quickly. She bounced noticeably with every step.
"Well, I don't have that much time to tutor you," Tang Jian said hesitantly.
"It won't take much time. You can tutor me after class every day. As long as my card-making ability improves, I can ask my dad to pay you," Wang Lele said, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Yang Mao could not help interjecting, "Lele, I'm the one who taught him card-making. If you want tutoring, just come to me. We can have a proper discussion after school."
"You?" Wang Lele looked at Yang Mao skeptically.
Sun Yiying, walking ahead of them, turned back and said, "Since you were selected, you are all outstanding students with your own strengths. You indeed need to exchange ideas and learn from one another so you can improve together. Alright, come in!"
Sun Yiying opened the office door.
Tang Jian and the others filed inside.
"This training will focus on different areas. I will personally lead and train you. Whether your specialty is card-making or you possess exceptionally strong card energy, I will personally design training plans and push you to your limits. If any of you perform well, I will recommend you to challenge the Interstellar Tower."
As soon as Sun Yiying entered the office, she sat down and got straight to the point, decisive and efficient.
"Challenge the Interstellar Tower!?"
Yang Mao, Tang Jian, and the rest all perked up at the news.
"Tang Jian." Her gaze fell on Tang Jian.
"Teacher." Tang Jian hurriedly stepped forward.
"You said you can make a One-Star Blank Energy Card within four minutes. Now make one in front of me. If you can make this card within four minutes, I'll reward you with a Green Grade Sketching Pen. If you can't—"
"I definitely can!" Tang Jian said confidently, feeling quite delighted.
A Green Grade Sketching Pen was worth eight hundred credits. It was a decent reward.
"Good. Begin." As Sun Yiying spoke, she took an ordinary blank card from her desk drawer and tossed it onto the tabletop. She then opened the Energy Ink beside her and personally ground the ink for Tang Jian.
Under Yang Mao and the others' uncertain, startled gazes, Tang Jian immediately walked over and sat opposite Sun Yiying, taking his own White Grade Sketching Pen from his pocket.
After straightening the Blank Card, his gaze sharpened slightly. He dipped the Sketching Pen into the ink and drew it out after absorbing enough, then lightly touched its tip to the card on the table.
His wrist moved with flexibility and steadiness. The Sketching Pen's tip traveled beneath his hand like a precision instrument along a predetermined path. It was neither fast nor slow, but above all, it was stable.
He gathered his card energy, using it to mobilize the energy within the Energy Ink squeezed from the pen tip, causing the energy within the black lines formed by the ink to merge perfectly into the card itself.
Yang Mao and the others' expressions turned solemn.
When an expert made a move, it was immediately clear whether he had the real thing.
Just from Tang Jian's card-making posture, they could see the depth of his skill.
Stable.
Precise and flawless.
Seemingly slow, yet truly fast!
Sun Yiying saw far more than Yang Mao and the others.
The instant Tang Jian mobilized his card energy, she sensed the total amount of card energy within him. Her eyes flickered, and she was inwardly astonished.
"More than 40 card energy? This kid!"
Before you continue