Stone Skin Card

Click—

A One-Star Blank Energy Card was inserted into the slot of the Gauge in his hand. Immediately, the rectangular Gauge's surface lit up with glowing, conductive lines.

This was a common piece of equipment for Card Cultivators, a special device that connected Energy Cards with other Cards. Its purpose was to use the Energy Card to provide energy to activate and use other Cards, thus not depleting the Card Cultivator's own Card Energy.

Without a Gauge, a Card Cultivator would have to use their own Card Energy to activate Cards.

The Gauge in Tang Jian's hand was just a common two-slot model.

He quickly picked up the other Energy Card and Card he'd obtained after killing someone. As for the Gauge the opponent dropped, he swiftly grabbed it and attached it to his other arm.

At this moment, other students in the distance had also received their initial items. They were warily keeping their distance from each other while examining the item Cards they had acquired.

Tang Jian was no exception.

There wasn't much to observe about the One-Star Blank Energy Card. Tang Jian was more interested in the other two Cards he'd received.

One was his initial Card, and the other was the initial Card of the person he had killed.

Both Cards had white surfaces.

This white wasn't the color of the material itself, but a color bestowed after being recognized by the laws of the four supreme stars, indicating that they were white-quality Cards.

One of the Cards had a gray texture inside, and the Card patterns on its surface looked stiff and rugged, not smooth, but full of a hard-edged beauty, forming a pattern resembling a stone golem.

Tang Jian recognized it at a glance: this was a combat-type physical series Card—the Stone Skin Card.

The stiff lines on the Card's surface weren't due to the creator's clumsy technique; rather, stiff lines were an essential element in the composition of this type of Card.

The crafting techniques used for Cards were not rigid.

Nor was it true that smoother lines were always better.

Different types of Cards required different drawing techniques.

Stone Skin Cards varied in grade, ranging from the lowest white-quality three-star to green-quality one-star, with different grades naturally possessing different power.

Tang Jian felt helpless to receive such a "brute force" Card as his initial Card.

It wasn't a ranged combat Card, meaning he would have to engage in close-quarters combat, which carried a higher risk.

However, since he got a combat Card, he was still relatively satisfied.

He examined the other Card.

This Card had a transparent inner color, and the lines of its surface pattern were extremely soft, almost as fine as silkworm threads. It looked like wisps of spring rain, and the pattern formed resembled a shower of spring rain.

It was a support-type healing series Card—the Rejuvenation Card.

This was also a Card that varied in grade, ranging from the lowest white-quality two-star to the highest green-quality one-star, with different qualities having different powers.

Tang Jian was very quick at observing and identifying Cards. He merely glanced at them and had already determined their grade, function, and nature.

He was equally fast at equipping Cards. He simply saw both arms moving simultaneously, and all the Cards were instantly equipped to his other arm.

Two Gauges, each with a One-Star Blank Energy Card and an "Effect Card."

"Effect Card" was a professional term, referring to the four main categories of Cards that interact with Energy Cards.

As Tang Jian equipped the Cards, his body was already sprinting towards the students not far away, his target clear.

Meanwhile, names began to appear on the scoreboard above, with some even having already gained three points.

Tang Jian looked up and saw that the one with three points was none other than Wu Chun from Class One.

Besides Wu Chun, other top students from the school, like Wang Ba, also began to appear on the scoreboard.

Among his own class, Class Three-Twelve, he was the only one on the board, and he had gradually dropped to over twenty-something.

The entire scoreboard only displayed the top thirty names.

He didn't know if this meant that qualifying required entering the top thirty in this stage, or if it meant something else.

In any case, Tang Jian was determined to stay within the top thirty.

As he sprinted towards one of the students, the other person quickly reacted.

"Let's team up and take him down!"

Near that student, a girl with a ponytail immediately ran over, speaking decisively, her Gauge already glowing.

Clearly, these two knew each other and had sensed Tang Jian's threat. Their eyes were eager to team up and take Tang Jian down first.

Whoosh—

The Gauge in the ponytail girl's hand flashed, and a sharp whooshing sound cut through the air. Instantly, a faint green energy bullet ripped through the air and shot towards Tang Jian.

"Air Bullet Card. The green energy bullet indicates a grade no higher than white-quality three-star. Standard firing rate is 1.1 times/second. Its destructive power can penetrate one-inch thick wood but not one-inch thick stone."

The moment that faint green energy bullet shot towards him, information about the Card flashed through Tang Jian's mind.

His movement speed didn't change at all; he continued straight ahead.

The faint green beam passed directly a foot away from him, posing no threat whatsoever.

"Hurry up! My Card is a support-type Water Wave Shield Card; I can give you a shield!"

Seeing Tang Jian charging directly at them with such fierce momentum, the two opponents immediately panicked. The young-looking boy immediately cast a shield on the ponytail girl.

His Gauge lit up, and a cool aura instantly enveloped the ponytailed girl, causing a ripple of water to circle around her, forming a water wave shield.

During this time, the ponytailed girl continuously fired air bullets, but her aim was so poor that Tang Jian easily predicted and dodged them, quickly closing the distance.

"Cover me!" the ponytailed girl shrieked, rapidly retreating to put more space between herself and Tang Jian.

The boy gritted his teeth, cast a water wave shield on himself, and charged directly at Tang Jian.

"Take out the support first, the other one will be much easier to deal with," Tang Jian said, making no move to pursue the ponytailed girl.

Her shooting accuracy was truly horrendous.

In battle, one had to adapt on the fly. If the opponent were a sharpshooter, Tang Jian would naturally choose to stick close and neutralize the threat.

But in the current situation, the girl with the Air Bullet Card posed little threat. It was the boy, constantly able to apply water wave shields, who was troublesome. Only by dealing with him first could he break through their defensive capabilities.

Break the defense first, then kill.

Tang Jian was decisive. The moment he engaged the boy, his Stone Skin Card activated. He felt a pungent, lime-like smell emanate from his body, and then his limbs became somewhat stiff and clumsy. Yet, a powerful strength and a sense of solidity burst forth from within him.

He spread his five fingers wide, then clenched his fist!

As Tang Jian closed in, he threw a punch. His fist, now the size of a large bowl and a bluish-black color, rapidly expanded in the opponent's terrified eyes.

Bang—

The water wave shield rippled violently and intensely.

Tang Jian, seemingly carelessly, exposed most of his body.

"Now!"

The girl, who had been nervously aiming from a distance, unhesitatingly activated her Air Bullet Card to its maximum power.

Whoosh—

A pale green air bullet rapidly bore down on him.