The Card Apprentice

Those card artisans once again retreated into the crowd and disappeared without a trace. Given the power Chen Mu had on hand, which was barely enough to defend the base, they would be overreaching if they wanted to go after the enemy.

Bogner was quite satisfied with their moves. Up until then, they had only had to mobilize the power of those 20-some card artisans. They had gotten through the danger they were then facing, but he was afraid the war was just starting.

The less power deployed, the more help his adversaries would be getting behind the scenes. They undoubtedly knew it would be dangerous to expose all their cards. But what astounded him the most was the boss’s sudden display of power. He had always thought the boss was only a card master. He never thought he was also a card artisan, not to mention a high-grade card artisan. No wonder he was refused when he had hoped the boss would take some bodyguards with him when he went out. When he thought more about it, those card artisans were good, but compared to the boss…

Bogner’s gaze turned toward the boss, and he quickly concluded he had been way off.

His boss was no simple person, after all! He admired him for being so awesome at making cards and now being equally awesome as a card artisan. But Bogner didn’t understand as much about such things as Jiao Si did. He only felt that for Chen Mu to learn them both to such an extent was amazing.

Before he quite came back to his wits, a team of card artisans came flying toward them.

There were about 70 of them, each one looking rather wretched. Their clothes were badly damaged, and some of their faces were covered with mud and grass.

Bogner’s expression changed when he saw the card artisans.

There weren’t so many of them, and they looked wretched, but their spirits were whole and their gazes sharp. Bogner looked closely; their flight demeanor was quite relaxed, and their postures were casual. They didn’t at all look like ordinary card artisans, who would be careful about controlling their bodies.

That group is made up completely of aces! Only aces would be so casual about controlling their bodies.

A layer of fine sweat beaded up on Bogner’s forehead. Any one of those card artisans would be no more than a notch below Jie Yanbai. Bogner then clearly saw the one leading them. He was so shocked he stood right up.

Qiao Yuan. It’s Qiao Yuan!

Qiao Yuan was also a legendary person at the Central Repository of the Classics. He was the great disciple of the lord of Central Repository of the Classics. He was also Mi Xiaqing’s older disciple-brother. If one were to say Jie Yanbai was up and coming, Qiao Yuan had already made a name for himself for many years. He had just turned 45, which was when a card artisan would be at his prime.

A lot of people guessed Qiao Yuan’s power wouldn’t be far beneath that of his teacher, the lord of the Central Repository of the Classics. It had already been 20 years since he’d graduated, and he had never left. He stayed on at the school. The thing people found the strangest was that he had never assumed any duties. He was only bent on training his own power, not paying attention to things outside.

Twenty years of training passed in a day, and no one had a way to know what his actual power was like.

Qiao Yuan’s teacher hadn’t yet taken up his post as lord when Qiao Yuan was his student, so he was meticulous about his instruction. He had a lot to do after he became lord, so he turned over the job of imparting skills to the disciples to Qiao Yuan. They all became that senior classmate’s responsibility. Qiao Yuan was the equivalent of half a teacher for Mi Xiaqing.

Qiao Yuan loved his disciples dearly, which was why he had led that team there himself. He had made the 100 or so card artisans go through a lot of hardship to make that feint of brazenly traversing the jungle.

Those beside him were Central Repository of the Classics card artisans who had undergone meticulous selection, and they were all very powerful. But there were only 72 by the time they got to Pomelo; the others had died in the jungle.

Qiao Yuan was a little surprised to see a new base there, especially when his gaze fell onto the star-shaped firing points staggered around the base. He couldn’t help but sigh.

“What’s the situation, Leader Qiao?” a card artisan to his side asked with curiosity. Qiao Yuan was well-respected at the Central Repository of the Classics, and everyone called him Leader Qiao.

Qiao Yuan had big eyes, thick eyebrows, and a flat-top buzz cut. His face was angular, and his bronzed skin shone to make him look like a metal casting.

His face was full of surprise as he said, pointing to the base below them, “I never thought I would see a Starfish Fort here. The architecture of that kind of firing fortress is extremely secure. It would be difficult to penetrate such a fortress of fire, even with powerful cards.”

“Starfish Fort?” The card artisan who had heard him also looked surprised. “How could this little place have a Starfish Fort?”

“I’m not too clear just yet.” Qiao Yuan looked again at the base and said, “It looks like the one who built this base really does have some power.”

“Why don’t we scout around first?” the card artisan proposed.

Qiao Yuan shook his head. “We don’t have enough time. We have to do what we came for first.” He was a little concerned to see the crowds below, the dark hoard looking utterly spectacular. He could see how desperate the miserable situation had become. That was what concerned him.

Just then, a piece of glass in the base opened up to reveal several people.

Chen Mu, Bogner, Jiao Si…

Too bad Wei-ah wasn’t there; otherwise, from his murderous aura alone, they might have been able to scare the card artisans away. Chen Mu had that sudden notion.

“Headmaster Jiao Si!” Qiao Yuan was slightly taken aback, obviously not knowing quite how to respond. He didn’t know how he would run into Jiao Si at such a place. The Origins Academy was far away, and he had never heard news of Jiao Si being at the base. Still, a Starfish Fort wasn’t so unusual with Jiao Si there.

His full gaze fell onto Jiao Si, who had plenty of reason to enjoy the treatment he was getting. Not only was his battle strength formidable, but he was also the leader of a school; of course Qiao Yuan wouldn’t dare to be rude. The card artisans around him also saluted. They had all heard of the man’s name, which stuck with him like a shadow to a tree.

“Your fine school is awesome, after all!” Jiao Si smiled modestly, returning the courtesy to those card artisans. He said languidly, “I never thought this would be Leader Qiao’s destination. It looks like your fine school is ambitious this time!” He and Qiao Yuan had long known one another, though they had never sparred.

Qiao Yuan’s bronzed face looked alert but showed respect. “President Jiao Si must be joking.” His gaze then fell onto those beside Jiao Si. When it touched Chen Mu, it paused with a slight look of surprise. He quickly retracted his gaze. Beyond just Jiao Si, there was also that youth to his side. Qiao Yuan was unfazed by the others, which allowed him to relax his mind. It made him a little uncomfortable for Jiao Si to appear at such a time.

If that was all the power his counterpart had, it wasn’t going to alter the big picture for just Jiao Si and his student alone to be there. When Qiao Yuan saw Chen Mu standing by Jiao Si’s side, he mistakenly assumed he was Jiao Si’s student.

It looked as though the Origins Academy would have another ace! Qiao Yuan didn’t show anything on his face while he thought about it. That student was so young, but his perceptual power had already reached a rather substantial place far beyond card artisans of the same age. More surprisingly, when he had scanned him with his own perception, Chen Mu had discovered him.

He couldn’t help but carry a note of admiration in his gaze toward Chen Mu. Too bad a youth with such potential belonged to the Origins Academy.

But that doubtlessly wasn’t the time to chat. Qiao Yuan said to Jiao Si with a look of apology, “There is something I need to do. I’ll have to step away, but if there’s a chance later on, I’m hoping the headmaster will give me one or two pointers.”

After Qiao Yuan paid his courtesies to Jiao Si, he led those card artisans rapidly away.

Qiao Yuan was concerned about his younger disciple. His adversary’s blows had started earlier than he’d expected. He hadn’t only come for Mi Xiaqing that time. Another reason was that the technology from the Central Island Firm would be too useful for the Central Repository of the Classics. No matter how, they needed to bring that technology back. Still, in Qiao Yuan’s mind, the safety of his young disciple was still more important than any technology.

The speed with which the gang of card artisans arrived was equaled by the speed of their departure, only they wanted to take a closer look at the base while passing by. Bogner was still a little spooked.

Where had those people come from? All of the routes were under the control of the Federation Comprehensive Academy. When his gaze fell onto those people’s wretched clothes, had a sudden mental flash.

The Outer Reaches! They had just brazenly traversed the jungle from somewhere, taking a long way around to get to Pomelo! The more Bogner thought about it, the more certain he was, especially having seen the weeds on them.

The arrival of that batch of card artisans was going to directly change the battle scene in Pomelo. Aces at that level were basically not to be provoked. Moreover, a team of 70 was sufficient to flatten that base several times over.

Jiao Si sighed. “It looks as though the Federation Comprehensive Academy is going to take a loss this time.” His expression wasn’t very happy. Qiao Yuan’s power was at about the same level as his own, but that wasn’t why he was brooding. It was seeing the Central Repository of the Classics so easily able to draw out such a large batch of powerful card artisans. Even if the Origins Academy were to expend all their power, it would be beyond hard for them to come up with such a fantastic lineup. His eyes were red with envy.

But the Big Six were the Big Six, after all. Their power was beyond compare with other schools.

The battle situation in Pomelo had gotten to its fiercest state. Even Mi Xiaqing had suffered injuries in three places, though he gritted his teeth to hold out. Upon the arrival of Qiao Yuan and the others, it was as Jiao Si thought it would be—it directly changed the battle scene.

When they came flying out of the blue, Zu Ning and the rest never knew where Qiao Yuan and the rest had popped out from.

Of course, the Central Repository of the Classics got a boost to their spirits, but the Federation Comprehensive Academy looked ashen. The power of those card artisans wasn’t just a token higher than the Federation Comprehensive Academy; those 70-plus people rampaging through the battle scene were invincible.

There was no longer any question about who would win that war. It was only a matter of time. By the time Qiao Yuan had led those 70-plus aces flying roundabout through the jungle to arrive in Pomelo, the outcome of the war had already been determined.

However, there was another battle quietly underway at the same time.