The Card Apprentice

“Is Brother Jie interested in the numbered card series too?” Zu Ning’s face had a look that was harmless to man and animal. “If your little brother has remembered correctly, the Central Repository of the Classics has quite a few famous card masters. Could you have had to seek assistance from outside these last two years?”

Jie Yanbai had dark skin, big eyes, and bushy eyebrows, which gave him the rough look of some farmer who often worked in his fields. All of his clothes were very simple. He had a clear gaze and a magnanimous expression, which gave a feeling of upright resolution.

He grinned to show a row of snow-white teeth. “The Central Repository of the Classics certainly doesn’t have such deep pockets as your honorable school, where anything can be bought.”

Among the Big Six, the wealth of the Federation Comprehensive Academy took the crown, while the time since its establishment was the shortest. On top of that, they had always liked to pave the way with money, so they were sarcastically considered the “provincial landlord” by the students of the other five.

“Oh, so Brother Jie has come here to distract himself?” Zu Ning said with a sneer. Without waiting for Jie Yanbai to respond, his gaze fell onto the woman who was accompanying him. “How impolite of me! I still haven’t requested the sweet name of this madam, if you please.” Zu Ning gracefully bowed in apology.

“Young Zu is so polite.” The lady smiled lightly and said, “I am Zhi Lian.”

“Madam Zhi Lian!”

Zu Ning’s expression changed as he called out involuntarily. To his side, Bei Dong’s expression also changed, which made him look even gloomier.

Madam Zhi Lian smiled. “I wouldn’t have thought young Zu would know about me. I am honored.”

Zu Ning rushed to salute again and said with an expression of respect, “My elder must be teasing. Your name has spread throughout the Heavenly Federation. How could this child compare?” He had been quite shocked, never thinking the Central Repository of the Classics would actually send out Madam Zhi Lian. He was already surprised when his administration had sent out Professor Bei Dong. As he saw it, even though those three-star cards had outstanding performance, that certainly wouldn’t attract so much attention from the administration.

Surprisingly, the Central Repository of the Classics had gone so far as to send someone even more heavyweight.

Madam Zhi Lian deflected her smile. “I have had the pleasure of reading Professor Bei Dong’s ‘Theory of Cuneiform Compositions.’ It truly is a treasure. When Professor Bei has a chance, perhaps we could exchange our views in more detail.”

The gloomy look on Bei Dong’s face dissolved, and he became excited. He clasped his hand to fist and said with a proper face, “I dare not accept the Madam’s extravagant praise. If Madam has any questions, your humble servant won’t hold anything back!” He had mixed feelings to get such a compliment from someone of the stature of Madam Zhi Lian, and he was moved. However, his “Theory of Cuneiform Compositions” wasn’t so highly regarded at the Federation Comprehensive Academy, where there was little interest. He couldn’t even compete for funding to experiment.

Zu Ning was surprised. Not only did Madam Zhi Lian recognize Professor Bei Dong at a glance, but she’d also been blown away by his writing. It was clear how much importance she gave him. But, although Professor Bei Dong was pretty well-known at the Federation Comprehensive Academy, to be treated so well by Madam Zhi Lian still really surprised him.

He was afraid it was Professor Bei Dong’s temperament that sadly kept him from achieving his ambitions. Zu Ning kept carefully in mind that the Federation Comprehensive Academy was also full of factions, where infighting was rampant. For him not to achieve his ambitions at that time would provide a good opportunity for someone to woo him. But he knew he was too much of a lightweight, and such matters had to turned over to those above. He only needed to report what he’d learned that day, and he believed those above would certainly make the right choice.

“Please don’t inconvenience yourselves; we’ll just stroll.” Madam Zhi Lian slightly nodded to the two of them.

“Enjoy yourself, Madam!””Enjoy yourselves, my elders!” Zu Ning and Bei Dong hastened to return the courtesy.

The two of them watched Madam Zhi Lian and Jie Yanbai disappear into the crowd. Jie Yanbai looked like a conscientious bodyguard as he carefully and alertly stood guard at Madam Zhi Lian’s side.

“I never would have thought she’d come!” Zu Ning said with feeling, and Bei Dong couldn’t help but sneer either. “It looks like we’ve run into trouble this time!”

Madam Zhi Lian was one of the iconic figures of the Central Repository of the Classics. She was its third-ranking person and was in charge of the card making division. She was herself a grand-master-level card master; the famous coil of smoke card was her creation.

That famous five-star card was now in the hands of the head of the Third Legion, Huang Fuxing. The coil of smoke card’s appearance had given the Central Repository of the Classics yet another legacy. It was their first time in the past 50 years.

The academies’ legacies were their biggest advantage.

For example, the Star Academy president had the widely famous star lure card. It came from Heiner Van Sant and had been passed down across several hundred years. Across that time, the card’s theory and experience would be passed along to every generation of card artisan. Following generation after generation of continuous succession, it had become a rigorous subject of study.

Another example was the sectional succession card in Zu Ning’s hands. It had the same kind of well-developed academic discipline in its background. The way to make the sectional succession card was recorded inside the Federation Comprehensive Academy, which the students in the card making department could study after going through an assessment. After being passed down for generation after generation, remarkable improvements had been made in the current sectional succession card in comparison with its original form.

For example, those who wanted to elect that card needed to first learn the Sectional Training Method, which was the proven and best way to train perception. It was most conducive to deploying the sectional succession card. Other handling tips and energy forms, as well as tactical knowledge and so forth, were all touched upon.

The most essential were the accompanying perceptual training methods.

The school wouldn’t impart the perceptual methods to the students all at once, but rather bit by bit, starting from the shallow and moving to the deep. Only after passing the assessment would they get the most advanced perceptual training. If the student had outstanding talent and was extremely diligent, they could take an additional extremely rigorous card bestowal exam. They would then be awarded the actual card, by which their power would surge.

Before that, they would use the simplified version of the same card. Every legacy among the Big Six would have that same kind of valuable card. That way, even if they weren’t granted a card, by having used the same kind of simplified card, their battle strength would be far beyond that of an ordinary card artisan.

In an ordinary school, such legacy cards wouldn’t be so complex.

In the Big Six, every legacy was a powerful card that had gone through the test of history. Only such behemoths as the Big Six would be able to get sufficient capital to make those rare cards continuously. The materials required by the sectional succession card were hard to collect even by the Federation Comprehensive Academy, never mind the ordinary schools and institutions. In the hands of the ordinary academies, such technologies would hardly escape extinction in the end.

Being able to form a legacy was the greatest affirmation of a card master. It was obvious how resplendent Madam Zhi Lian’s power was.

It surprised the two of them that such a famous and eminent person in the card making world across the federation would come to that out-of-the-way place. They couldn’t help but worry. Madam Zhi Lian’s appearance showed how determined the Central Repository of the Classics must be.

Zu Ning didn’t dare expect their school’s administration to allow them to utilize funding to compare with Madam Zhi Lian. Although the Federation Comprehensive Academy did have money, the other five weren’t exactly vegetarians. Even the Bitter Solitude Temple, which had never enjoyed the spotlight, absolutely wouldn’t be far off from the Federation Comprehensive Academy when it came to money.

Madam Zhi Lian’s name really was big!

Within a short time, quite a few people recognized Madam Zhi Lian, and the news abruptly spread across the entire auction hall. Some were cursing silently about how the Big Six had inserted themselves. Auction-goers who had been holding out for their luck now had to adjust their attitudes. But most people became more excited. Any card Madam Zhi Lian was interested in would nix any injustice in their coming!

* * *

“It is Madam Zhi Lian, after all!” Hugo said coldly from the corner. “It looks as though we’ll have a fine show today.”

Butchie looked eager as she said in a low voice, “Do you want me to…” She clandestinely made the gesture of slitting her throat. Madam Zhi Lian only had Jie Yanbai alone by her side; if it were planned well, they may have had some hope to succeed. Madam Zhi Lian was famous everywhere for her card making, but everyone knew she didn’t have any ability to defend herself.

What happened last time had utterly cemented the enmity between Faya and the Central Repository of the Classics. While others were terrified of the Big Six, neither Hugo nor Butchie were afraid. To be able to kill such a heavyweight was a temptation they yearned for.

Hugo thought about it and shook his head. “It’s important that the business be proper, and we don’t want to complicate the issue. Humph. Still, it wouldn’t be bad to make them bleed a little this time!” He then said in a low voice, “What’s happening at 8 o’clock?”

There was a faint voice like a mosquito in the corner beside him. “Someone is secretly protecting her. Two of them. Strong.” The voice was erratic and made it impossible to guess where it was coming from. There was clearly nobody there beside Hugo and Butchie.

Butchie couldn’t help but show a hint of disgust as she shifted to the side.

The hall gradually quieted down as the time for the auction arrived.

A middle-aged auctioneer dressed in tails walked up to the auction podium. When he got there, he gave a low bow to those below. He was rather handsome, and his tails set him off to be still more perfectly dashing. His elegant manners and warm tone were rather infectious.

“Welcome, everyone, to today’s auction. The numbered series of cards have already given us many pleasant surprises. The six that have already appeared, 001 to 006, were all fine goods worth walking a thousand miles for. Due to strict secrecy, even I don’t know the specific parameters of today’s card, though I am just as curious as each of you. I believe this will be an evening not to be forgotten. Even to be able to host such an auction is the greatest honor of my life. Now, let’s witness the miracle together! The parameters of Card 007 are in this small box in front of me.”

Countless people’s gazes were focused on the small box placed in front of the auctioneer. Quite a few of them couldn’t help but stretch their necks, as if that would enable them to see what was inside the box.

The auctioneer carefully opened the box as the entire hall went silent.

He pulled a small piece of paper from the box, on which was recorded the detailed parameters of Card 007.

Staring at the paper in his hand, the auctioneer’s face suddenly flushed red!