The Card Apprentice

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The power of the Federation Comprehensive Academy had suffered a destructive blow from Qiao Yuan and the rest, and there wasn't much left. But because of the shrinking of their defensive zone, they had actually gotten stronger among the local powers.

Still, their situation hadn't actually gotten any better, and a lot of the aces had been wiped out among the card artisan reinforcements that had come later.

Within the current defensive area, only Zu Ning remained among those who could be called aces. But compared to the Central Repository of the Classics, Zu Ning wasn't any more than the level of Mi Xiaqing. If he were to encounter Qiao Yuan, he would die miserably.

Zu Ning was feeling terrible. He had never thought he would fall into such a predicament someday.

The sudden move of the Central Repository of the Classics had been quite awesome, with Qiao Yuan leading the troops himself through the jungle on a circuitous route into Pomelo. It abruptly changed the disposition of the powers within the city. Lao Hao, who was the one behind it all and managing the big picture from afar, had played a beautiful hand.

They had descended into a passive position precisely because of that move. But what calmed him slightly was that there would be a batch of card artisan reinforcements arriving the next day. What made him more excited was that the one leading the troops was the great Tang Hanpei!

There were none in the federation who didn't know or weren't enlightened enough to speak of the great Tang Hanpei. He had established the record for the fastest accomplishment of fourth-level perception at 17 years, 4 months and 15 days of age. Up until that time, no one had ever broken through that. His other record was spoken of with the same relish. From when he embarked on his career right up until then, he had never lost. That made him one of the most top-notch card artisans in the federation.

He had even more prestige than President Pavchek in the Federation Comprehensive Academy. Tang Hanpei had been his idol since before Zu Ning had entered the Federation Comprehensive Academy. To be able to fight alongside his idol was more exciting than anything.

So long as he got through that evening, he wouldn't have to worry about what was to come. Although Qiao Yuan was powerful, he thought he was a little beneath Tang Hanpei.

He wasn't concerned about anything happening that evening. Although the Central Repository of the Classics had taken the lead, they would be exhausted in the long run. They would also need to recuperate from that day's vicious battle.

"It's right here." Chen Mu and Wei-ah were quietly hiding in the shadows. In front of them was the final encampment of the Federation Comprehensive Academy.

The Federation Comprehensive Academy had lost a string of battles during that vicious daytime melee, and they had to retreat to their station. They hadn't been able to do any repairs or rearrangements to the encampment during the flurry.

The two of them arrived at the edge of the encampment, never having run into any patrolling card artisans. That surprised Chen Mu. Apart from some weak fluctuations showing up in the air and some people standing guard, they hadn't seen any other defenses.

The reconnaissance waves emitted by scanning cards were no issue for Chen Mu and Wei-ah. The two of them silently traced the Federation Comprehensive Academy encampment, the entire process as easy as wandering in their own courtyard. Chen Mu was really surprised, never having thought the encampment of the great Federation Comprehensive Academy would be so lax.

Was it still one of the Big Six?

He thought of the Central Repository of the Classics encampment, which was not so heavily guarded either. Could that be the style of the Big Six?

He felt that if Bogner had seen such defenses, he would certainly not have been able to restrain his yelling. If those who had set up those defenses were under him, the only aftermath for them would be dismissal.

But Zu Ning couldn't be blamed for that. Having been soundly defeated during the day, he retreated right when his martial ardor had chilled. That was along with having determined the Central Repository of the Classics wasn't likely to mount any attack just then. So, he could permit those under him to rest.

That had provided Chen Mu with his opportunity.

The scope of the encampment was small, and the two of them quickly found the building where Zu Ning was resting. Compared to the first time Chen Mu had seen Zu Ning so spirited, his face was now full of exhaustion and his eyes devoid of luster.

Zu Ning was idle and full of helplessness. His original plan to take advantage of Jie Yanbai's injuries to suddenly make his move against the Central Island Firm shouldn't have had any issues. But he hadn't considered the situation would develop in unexpected ways. He would have to take most of the responsibility for the situation getting to where it then was. He knew it would have a huge influence on his future in the academy. His future…

A warning suddenly arose in him. Just as he was raising his head, his neck went cold before he could react.

A very fine wavy blade was poised on his neck, and the coolness exuding from that person made his scalp go numb.

Such a fast move! Zu Ning was shocked speechless, and his spirits abruptly plummeted. Could it be someone from the Central Repository of the Classics?

He wasn't just horrified by his situation; he was also horrified by the attacker's skill.

Why hadn't he sensed it? There had been no energy fluctuations from any of the moves his adversary had made. And, he had brought out the fine wavy blade just as his right hand was about to touch his own throat.

What card artisan could accomplish that? He had never heard of such a thing! His adversary looked like an ace from some cardless sect combined with a card artisan. Moreover, his adversary could control a wavy blade in his hand, and he never would have sensed such fine energy fluctuations if he hadn't been so close.

An ace!

Such ability to control perception was simply dumbfounding. Still, how could he have evaded his own perception? Why hadn't he perceived a thing?

The physical skills of the cardless sects and the refinement of their perceptual control, along with their evasion of perceptual scanning, all combined to create a freak…

That impacted Zu Ning as nothing before ever had.

What kind of a person was Zu Ning? He certainly wasn't an ordinary card artisan. He was a well-known figure who had received the highest-level systematic card artisan education from the Federation Comprehensive Academy. He had a far deeper understanding than ordinary card artisans did regarding the optimization of the card artisan system.

He knew clearly what kind of power such a freak represented.

It wasn't unreasonable to call him a freak. The development of the cardless sects had declined to almost nothing, and there were very few of them, with aces being still scarcer. The cardless sects emphasized physical training, and their skills all involved the core of the body.

It was a system that had nothing to do with being a card artisan, and there was no intersection between them. But one thing was certain—the system was huge and meticulous, and it required a large expenditure of time to advance one's professional training.

What about the perceptual control? If one were to say Zu Ning were a complete stranger to the cardless sects yet familiar with the card artisan system, no one would call that into question. The high-grade card artisans from the Big Six would always be familiar with the card artisan system.

He well knew if he wanted to achieve such a level of perceptual control, he would require a lot of hard, long-term training. Card artisans who had gotten to such a level would seldom be seen, even in the Federation Comprehensive Academy.

Everyone knew the training of perception was the hardest skill to accomplish, whether in strength or acuity. But such high ability with perceptual control would sometimes appear in someone who wasn't a pure card artisan.

Zu Ning found it incredible. Did this guy ever sleep? Did he make two days out of one? Is he that gifted?

That was all impossible! He had seen plenty of geniuses. To tell the truth, geniuses were often seen in such a place as the Federation Comprehensive Academy. Geniuses could do things that would be difficult for ordinary people to do, but they had no way to go against the laws of nature. Even Tang Hanpei couldn't get to such a place.

Could the Central Repository of the Classics have cultivated such a freak?

Thinking about that, Zu Ning was taken aback. He couldn't help his reckless thoughts, and he wondered if the attacker was a secret weapon of the Central Repository of the Classics.

Still, apart from the slight shift in Zu Ning's expression, he had immediately returned to normal in Chen Mu's eyes. He was an ace of the Big Six with naturally excellent psychological qualities, so Chen Mu wasn't surprised by that.

Wei-ah was outside standing guard. Chen Mu had originally been concerned about running into powerful obstacles, so he had brought Wei-ah along to back him up. He hadn't thought he would only be used to stand guard. That had left Chen Mu rather speechless.

"Who are you, esteemed sir?" Zu Ning asked coldly, as though he weren't feeling the wavy blade in Chen Mu's hand. His neck was stiff, however, and he didn't dare make a move.

Chen Mu didn't waste any words with him, removing the apparatus from Zu Ning's wrist at the first opportunity. Without his apparatus, Zu Ning's threat would be reduced to its lowest.

Zu Ning obediently let Chen Mu remove his apparatus. He was a smart man who knew when to resist and when to cooperate. By the time Chen Mu had removed his apparatus from his wrist, he mocked himself. "You can relax now, sir. What brings you for so late a visit?"

By then, he could clearly see what kind of a person had snuck up on him. He wore a strange mask with seven drops of brightly colored blood from the forehead and brow over the nose to the chin, dividing the entire mask in two and giving off a strange, demonic feeling. Zu Ning was desperately searching his brain about where such a weird mask might have come from. It was hard to tell.

"Hand over the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus." That deep, hoarse voice wasn't brooking any hesitation.

Zu Ning looked taken aback, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry. From that phrase, he'd determined this adversary wasn't from the Central Repository of the Classics. If they had come looking for him, they certainly wouldn't have come for any gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus. Reasonably speaking, he should be happy, but he couldn't be.

That was because he didn't have the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus on hand.

He could only harden himself. "I am very sorry; I don't have it on hand." Seeing that his adversary was about to make a move, he rushed to say, "If you need some, sir, I would really like to find a way."

Chen Mu stared at Zu Ning, his gaze as sharp as a sword.

Under that sharp gaze, Zu Ning smiled bitterly to say, "If I had some, I would certainly present it to you with both hands. Although those above me did bring up the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus, it is a lot of bother to transport that stuff. Their idea was that if Ren Wenzhou wanted to join the academy, they would send it when the time came. So, I don't have any. That is something the media mistakenly spread."

Having hardened himself to say all of that, Zu Ning felt disturbed not knowing if his adversary would kill him in anger. Seeing that he seemed to be thinking about something, Zu Ning was overjoyed to see a little hope.

"If you need some, sir, I have another idea," he hurried to say.

"Tell." That hoarse and icy voice gave Zu Ning a chill.

Just from the voice, he felt the guy in front of him wearing the mask was certainly shady and shrewd. He still more carefully considered what he said.

"Our Federation Comprehensive Academy belongs to the Big Six, and we have all kinds of rare, strange treasures beyond counting. Our president, Mr. Pavchek, has always sought out an ace such as yourself, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind such a trifle as the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus. The esteemed sir needn't worry about his treatment. No one in the federation would treat you better than the Federation Comprehensive Academy. If there is anywhere the esteemed sir would require the assistance of our power, I believe the president would have sufficient power to fulfill your heart's desire. Moreover, only the Big Six would have the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus. Among those, I don't believe anyone would be more generous in their proposed treatment of you than would the Federation Comprehensive Academy."

Zu Ning was speaking carefully while examining his counterpart's reaction. He certainly didn't want to annoy his adversary with his miserable fate still held in those hands. He responded astutely, realizing an opportunity in his counterpart's desire for the fungus. If he could recruit such an ace, it would be to his great credit. He could atone for certain mistakes he had made in that battle.

The wavy blade that had just been brought out suddenly appeared at his neck. "If that's all you're proposing, I think you have no further value."

The grave voice was emotionless. Chen Mu was feeling irritable, not having thought Zu Ning wouldn't actually have the fungus on hand. That damned gossip from the media!

His mood plunged. The gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus doubtlessly represented hope for him. He hadn't expected his hope to be burst so quickly. He was a youth, after all, and his original extreme expectations had suddenly come up empty. Such frustration messed with his feelings.

What he said in that agitated state became weightier, along with the stinging aura.

Join the Federation Comprehensive Academy? He didn't consider that at all. To tell the truth, the Big Six had made a lousy impression on him. Wasn't he just then struggling against the Big Six and Faya?

Apart from the Desert Camp, Moon Frost Island and the Bitter Solitude Temple—the three he'd had no dealings with—the other three were not good in his eyes.

Zu Ning was stunned. "Take it easy!"

His counterpart stopped what he had been doing. His ruthless and violent gaze made him feel as though he were being stared at by a wolf at the end of the road.

"I have another idea." Seeing Chen Mu's displeased gaze, he spoke as though he were spilling all his beans. "Since the esteemed sir isn't interested in entering the Federation Comprehensive Academy—although that is to my regret—why don't we change the way we cooperate? If the esteemed gentleman could assassinate Qiao Yuan, the conditions of the exchange would be that we would enjoy providing the gentleman with the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus along with some other conditions. What do you think?"

This guy is really nuts! Chen Mu looked at Zu Ning without saying anything. Did he really look like such an idiot? Hadn't he just seen Qiao Yuan that day with his magisterial power? No matter what, Chen Mu didn't want to have the slightest additional conflict with Qiao Yuan. That would be no different than looking to die.

Chen Mu didn't give Zu Ning any further opportunity to open his mouth. The wavy blade in his hand lightly sputtered, and a line of blood appeared on Zu Ning's neck. After a while, the bloody foam was spurting like a fountain.

Although Zu Ning had said straight out that he didn't have the fungus, Chen Mu kept holding onto the slightest hope as he searched desperately through the house and on Zu Ning's body.

He went through all that was there. Afterward, there were too many things, and he simply picked up a backpack to load it all.

There were indeed a lot of nice things on Zu Ning. Chen Mu took the dozens of cards from his body, all of which were four-star and above. Chen Mu couldn't help but marvel that the people from the Big Six were so flowing with riches, after all. The thick stack of money cards dazzled Chen Mu. There were also some rare and strange things Chen Mu didn't recognize, but he packed them up anyway.

The defenses there were too lax. Having just cleaned him out, Chen Mu suddenly felt it was almost not worthwhile since it was so easy to leave. The action of killing Zu Ning was so trivial it hadn't alarmed anyone. No one would ever believe such a large team had no strategic reserves.

Sure enough, Chen Mu and Wei-ah quickly found the storehouse of the encampment. Inside was piled a large quantity of materials. What most attracted Chen Mu's gaze were the power cards piled in the corners.

Oh boy!

The power cards, all of which were four-star, were stacked neatly in three cabinets. Two other cabinets were stacked with some other cards, which were all three-star and above. Even the illumination cards were three-star. Chen Mu marveled at how fabulously wealthy the Federation Comprehensive Academy was. At the same time, he felt ecstatic.

With no hesitation, Chen Mu found two suitcases, each half as tall as a person, and swept all the cards into them. Chen Mu didn't move the materials. While the cards were small enough that one suitcase could hold 700 or 800 of them, if it were packed with materials, it wouldn't hold much.

Each with a suitcase on their back, Chen Mu and Wei-ah thereupon quietly left the Federation Comprehensive Academy encampment.

Blending into the night, they went running at high speed among the ruins of the city. Chen Mu felt as carefree as could be. He had put any regret about the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus far from his mind. He had no idea what so many cards would really be worth, but he knew it would be a lot.

The day had gone so smoothly he couldn't quite believe it. He felt he was in some kind of a dream. He and Wei-ah not only snuck up on Qiao Yuan and Mi Xiaqing, but they also got away safely and succeeded in luring them to where Faya was, forcing Faya into the limelight. They then infiltrated the Federation Comprehensive Academy encampment and killed Zu Ning, wantonly plundering an astonishing harvest. The world had suddenly become unreal.

Qiao Yuan, Mi Xiaqing, Faya, Zu Ning… Who among them hadn't been some lofty creature in his eyes previously? He had never thought he would someday have the ability to turn them into enemies. Moreover, he had never thought he would one day be able to kill Zu Ning.

The blood of youth would rage in the night, and a kind of overconfident temperament would start to gradually appear on their bodies.

* * *

"This girl is gorgeous. Really f**king ripe!"

"You know what? She is Sue Lochiro, a really grand, high-grade medical card artisan. How would such poor card artisans as ourselves bump into her?"

"Yeah, so what kind of high class? Hasn't she fallen into our hands now, brothers? She's so gorgeous my mouth waters just looking at her. It's been a while since I've bumped into a woman!"

"Ha ha, it would be a real bother if she hadn't used up all her perception. For this stupid girl to have wasted her perception on these ordinary people's bodies, tsk tsk, it's really reckless.

"Ha ha, such a high-class girl getting petted by men every day, how could she know the woes of people? Why don't we just give her a lesson?"

"We are so f**king great!"

* * *

The lewd conversation was blown into Chen Mu's ears by the wind, and he suddenly stopped.

Sue Lochiro…

A murderous look flashed through Chen Mu's eyes as he changed the direction of the jet stream beneath his feet. He stuck his whole body to the ground and cut an arc of nearly 30 degrees. Giving Chen Mu a look, Wei-ah followed him without seeming to make any movement.

The two bearded card artisans had just put the girl in their hands on the ground as they laughed wantonly.

It was Sue Lochiro, after all. With a flash in his eyes, Chen Mu now saw more clearly.

Without the slightest hesitation, two tailless shuttles took shape in the blink of any eye and went off from his hand.

"Who?" The two card artisans went cold and suddenly looked up.

Two gorgeous blossoms of blood bloomed in their brows. Their expressions froze on their faces as they fell face-up, never having reacted to incurring the calamity of death.

Sue Lochiro's eyes were tightly closed, and there was a pained look on her face. She had just fallen unconscious.

How could she have gotten into such straits? Chen Mu couldn't quite understand. Reasonably, no one would make a move against a neutral medical card artisan. That was a huge taboo.

Thinking it over, Chen Mu didn't wake her. He instead put her onto his shoulder.

Sue Lochiro was limp, as though she had no bones. Carrying her on his shoulder, the peculiar wafting fragrance of the small girl stimulated Chen Mu, and a kind of feeling he'd never experienced quietly arose from his heart.

Without knowing it, Chen Mu's movements become softer and lighter.

Wei-ah unexpectedly gave Chen Mu a look as though he were strange, but he quickly retracted his gaze.

The two of them were like ghosts in the night as they quietly floated toward their base on the outskirts of the city.