Although Tang Yueyue was a little mischievous, Tang Jian was ultimately a doting little-sister fanatic. Unable to bear it, he drew a bottle of Nutritional Express for Tang Yueyue to drink and supplement his sister's nutrition.
This naturally earned him another lecture from Chen Lianrong, who worried that Tang Yueyue would hold Tang Jian back. After all, Tang Jian would soon be taking the college entrance exams and really did need those supplies.
However, after Tang Jian persuaded her, Chen Lianrong could only let the matter drop.
"Dad, Mom, I'm going to the city for training tomorrow. I may be staying there for over a month. I have quite a bit of money now, so I'll leave some for you."
Tang Jian calculated the money he currently had. Cash alone already exceeded twenty thousand.
His parents had invested quite a lot in him some time ago, and he did not know how much spare money the family still had. Tang Jian wanted to do his part.
"Don't be ridiculous. Won't you need money in the city? Take it with you. The family doesn't need money for now. Once you get into a good university, become a Card Master, and earn more money, then you can give it to us."
Tang Lin looked at his son with gratification. Though he reprimanded him verbally, he rejected the offer with a smile.
Tang Jian said a few more words, but seeing that his parents firmly refused, he did not continue trying to persuade them.
The family did not currently need a large sum of money, but he really would need money over the next period of time.
Including the money from selling points, he currently had over thirty thousand. If he sold Mosquito's thick gold chain and the White Jade Flying Serpent Card as well, he should be able to scrape together sixty thousand.
"With sixty thousand, I should be able to buy that batch of materials.
Uh... the Green Hat Card is enough for my current vitality level. It's a combat body card that strengthens the body, so it should be enough to explore the dreamscape again.
If I barely manage to gather the materials for a Mad Chainsaw Card too, that'll basically cost more than forty thousand."
Tang Jian calculated in his heart as he went upstairs. With his mother Chen Lianrong's help, he packed his luggage for tomorrow's trip.
Going to Jiangbei University in Jiangbei City for training would also benefit Tang Jian.
He had quite a bit of money on hand now.
Although this money could be used to buy Energy Cards and enhance the Red Card Cheater's energy, compared with such a single-purpose use, Tang Jian wanted to use it to gather the materials and make the first Combination Card Set he had researched and prepared in this life.
Once the Combination Card Set was made, he should be able to clear that dreamscape stage in the Red Card Cheater.
The last time he cleared the dreamscape, his strength in every aspect had improved considerably, and he had also obtained the crafting blueprint for the Gale Card.
The dreamscapes after that would be even more difficult.
If he cleared them, the benefits he gained would definitely be far better than simply stockpiling energy in the Red Card Cheater.
Moreover, Tang Jian had a sense of dangerous urgency.
When the students who attended the training camp in his previous life returned, there had unexpectedly been a traffic accident, with casualties. At the time, he had been unable to learn more details.
But now that he had been reborn, looking at the matter through a reborn person's perspective, Tang Jian vaguely sensed something unusual.
However, he could only keep this matter to himself, or find a suitable opportunity to remind the school leaders and teachers accompanying them to the training camp. He could not possibly skip the training camp just because of a suspicion that might not even be true.
Since he sensed something unusual, he had to prepare for trouble before it came. Once he made the first Combination Card Set, his personal safety would also improve tremendously.
Night fell.
Tang Jian held a palm-sized bottle of Solar Energy Potion, resembling a "little coconut" beverage.
Looking at the crystalline, glimmering, bewitchingly blue liquid inside the bottle, Tang Jian inexplicably felt an urge of craving and swallowed hard.
He had never drunk Solar Energy Potion before.
This bottle was worth thirty-two thousand on the market. Although the school's purchase price would be much lower, using it as a reward for the top five of the Interstellar Tower was indeed extremely generous.
Tang Jian would not be willing to buy it himself.
Thirty-two thousand could raise the Red Card Cheater's energy by thirty thousand points. The personal strength converted from that would be far greater than what this bottle of Solar Energy Potion could provide.
At that moment, he stared at the potion in his hand, hesitating over whether to drink it or sell it.
Drinking it would be too much of a loss.
After doing the math, a bottle of Solar Energy Potion was ineffective on Card Apprentices above three stars, excluding three-star Card Apprentices. The first time someone drank it, it could increase their card energy by roughly five to fifteen points depending on their physique.
The second time, due to drug resistance, its effect would weaken to eighty percent. The third time might weaken to fifty percent, until its effectiveness eventually became negligible.
Taking the highest estimate, if this bottle of Solar Energy Potion could raise Tang Jian's card energy by fifteen points, his vitality would correspondingly increase by at least one point.
"If I convert that into improvements using the Red Card Cheater's energy consumption, then raising card energy would require 1,500 energy points.
The energy consumed fifteen times would be energy = 300 + 20 * (15 - 1), which means consuming 6,600 energy points.
Calculated this way, using the Red Card Cheater to raise my vitality by one point and my card energy by fifteen points currently requires 8,100 energy points. Compared to directly selling the Solar Energy Potion for at least twenty thousand, I'd lose about ten thousand energy points."
Tang Jian let out a long breath and looked at the Solar Energy Potion in his hand. "And that's under the best-case scenario, where I gain one point of vitality and fifteen points of card energy. Conservatively speaking, I'd lose fifteen thousand."
"Forget it." Tang Jian gave up on drinking it.
Although medicine like Solar Energy Potion was extremely difficult to sell through ordinary channels.
Unlike cards or gold chains, medicine was strictly regulated in the country. Selling it privately could even constitute a crime.
But he could choose to sell the Solar Energy Potion to trustworthy friends around him, such as Yang Mao, Liu Kun, and Gao Yang. They also needed Solar Energy Potion.
Especially Yang Mao. His family had money. If Tang Jian sold it to him for twenty thousand, Yang Mao might not be unwilling to accept. This potion was worth more than thirty thousand on the market.
Tang Jian felt that he truly had the potential to become a profiteer. After putting away the Solar Energy Potion, he took out two bottles of Low-Grade Nutrient Solution from another box.
He had exchanged the Low-Grade Nutrient Solution using the two points left after transferring points to He Chong and the others. The nutrients in such Low-Grade Nutrient Solution were about equal to a bottle of Nutritional Express.
Tang Jian directly gulped down both bottles of nutrient solution. They tasted like Telunsu milk.
Pure and smooth.
So good!
Whether it was an illusion or the effects had truly begun kicking in, Tang Jian felt a little heated after drinking the two bottles of nutrient solution. No, not heated—he had a fever. In no time, sweat appeared on his forehead and his pores slightly opened.
He immediately focused his mind and looked at the Attribute Template.
Owner: Tang Jian. Card Energy: 84/84+ Mental Strength: 7/9+ Vitality: 8.5+ Special Effects: 1, ???(???) 2, Dreamscape.(???) Current Energy: 12960+
"Strengthen and upgrade!"
Tang Jian focused his consciousness on the "+" behind vitality and pressed it once.
The energy fluctuated.
Current Energy: 12660+ Vitality: 8.6+
He felt something faintly. His body seemed to have grown stronger? His little brother seemed eager to make a move.
Keep pressing!
Current Energy: 12340+ Current Energy: 12000+
He pressed it five times in succession.
Tang Jian then felt his body becoming increasingly sore and painful. Almost every time his vitality increased by 0.1, his pores secreted a mass of fine sweat mixed with sour-smelling fluid.
It was as though his body were an iron ingot, repeatedly turned over and hammered in a furnace. Soreness, pain, bitterness, numbness—ecstasy at its peak, soaring into the clouds.
Thanks to reader Gentle Brother, "Blood Clan Night Blade," and "God of the Casket" for the tips!
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