Of them, Lu Xiaoru, One-Brow, Wu Yu, Chu Le, and Xi Ruiyi made the fastest progress.
Lu Xiaoru in particular had originally been slightly weaker than One-Brow, but ever since Chen Mu explained the intricacies of the [Soundbind Card] to her, her strength had increased most rapidly of all.
She was the only one to receive that treatment. Everyone else had to figure out their cards themselves.
One-Brow was something of an exception. Chen Mu had made few changes to his card, but the fellow was a born fighter through and through. With so many experts to spar with, his skills improved at a tremendous pace. Another important reason, of course, was that Wei'a seemed to have taken a liking to him and occasionally offered him a tiny bit of guidance.
As for Wu Yu and the others, they had already stood head and shoulders above the rest of the group, so their rapid progress was only natural.
The worst off were the three Card Adepts Bagnell had originally intended to assign as Chen Mu's personal bodyguards. Still nursing his resentment, Bagnell wore a dark expression whenever he saw them, and their training load was the heaviest of all.
The two defensive Card Adepts among them had become pure Turtle-Type Card Adepts. Their mastery of Energy Shields bordered on the supernatural, and their outrageously strong defenses were downright terrifying. How could they not be, when their companions bombarded them relentlessly every day? As for the Close-Combat Card Adept of the trio, he was tortured-oh, no, sparred with-until he hovered between heaven and hell.
All twenty-two Card Adepts had climbed a rung or two in strength. Although Bagnell wore a gloomy face every day, inwardly he was blooming with delight.
Jiao Si, who was observing them in secret, was also well