The Card Apprentice

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

Chen Mu's expression was that of indifference. In a second, he had completed the swapping of cards. His perception had already discovered the card artisans approaching rapidly in his direction. He knew he only had one opportunity to attack. Regardless of the success or failure of that attack, he had to depart!

Suddenly, two fist-sized energy balls, one black and one white, appeared beside Chen Mu.

What's this? Jin Yin was somewhat puzzled but nonetheless showed signs of being cautious. Though he desperately wanted a breakthrough, he didn't wish to lose his life for it.

A pop sounded softly. The black and white energy balls exploded simultaneously, and countless little energy beads burst forth, flying in all directions.

Jin Yin was startled, but he reacted swiftly. Nimbly dodging aside, he was unharmed. Though each of the energy beads was only the size of a thumb, who could tell whether something lethal was hidden inside? He wasn't bold enough to have an intimate encounter with those seemingly adorable black and white energy beads.

Despite his slight bafflement over that maneuver, Jin Yin felt a bit more reassured at heart. As the energy fluctuations of that move were far stronger than those of the adversary's silent attacks a moment ago, he could detect them easily.

As long as there were energy fluctuations, all was easy! The battle had returned to a mode he was familiar with, which increased Jin Yin's confidence by a little more. But he was still somewhat worried the signs of his breaking through would thus be gone due to the battle.

Precisely at that moment, an abrupt change occurred. The black and white energy beads bursting forth unexpectedly halted in midair, giving one the strong illusion that time had stopped at that instant.

Such a change caused alarm in Jin Yin's heart. He was immediately much more alert, observing every trace of change in energy with caution. He had initially thought the energy beads contained nothing more than the likes of explosive energy, but the change before him far exceeded his expectations. Jin Yin knew well that unexpected change more often than not marked the coming of danger.

The sense of danger grew stronger and stronger, and he activated the energy cloak card without hesitation! A red ellipsoid energy cloak covered him up. If one had looked closely, one would have realized the red energy cloak had been spinning continually at an astounding speed since its appearance.

Tornado was the name of that energy cloak card, and it had an excellent defense capability. The rapid rotations allowed it to eliminate many attacks, and its energy use was quite low. The appearance of the energy cloak allowed Jin Yin to heave a small sigh of relief. He couldn't help but look at the energy beads with curiosity.

Each energy bead was completely smooth and round and either black or white. Roughly counting, they numbered in the hundreds. He suddenly found something not quite right.

The energy beads hanging in midair were exceedingly regular in arrangement. The bead beside every white energy bead was a black one and vice versa. The neatly arranged energy beads looked very much like a square matrix. Both he and Chen Mu were within it.

If Jin Yin had seen the video of Jiao Si's demonstration of Card 007, the scene before him definitely wouldn't have seemed strange. It was just that 007 had released 60 black and white energy balls to form a spherical shape. Before him now was a square matrix formed from hundreds of energy beads.

Black and white energy beads seemed like black and white stones, mutually pestering and mutually attractive.

Inside the matrix, Jin Yin felt himself inwardly trembling, and the heart that had just relaxed was suddenly filled with anxiety once more. Some black and white energy beads were floating somewhere not far from him, but he dared not to act precipitously. The scene before him was far beyond his imagination.

Chen Mu's expression was solemn. His right hand was outstretched, and the fingers were slightly curved as though to grasp something. The energy beads emitted a soft light all at once. In the night, those energy beads giving off a hazy glow each seemed like a firefly stopping in midair.

Jin Yin's face finally changed! A peculiarly strong sense of danger swiftly loomed over him! The perception dispersed could detect the strong bout of energy fluctuation, but he found with horror that his perception was actually somewhat uncontrollable! A certain bizarre magnetic field seemed to exist between the plain-looking black and white energy beads, and the magnetic field could affect his perception!

Heavens! How can this be? Blood drained completely from Jin Yin's face, and the fanaticism and humble devotion in his eyes was replaced by incomparable shock and fright!

Capable of affecting perception—what concept is this? As long as he was using cards, he had to prompt his perception to exert control. Perception control was incredibly delicate, and any distortion to perception was extremely likely to lead to an entirely different result.

There are actually cards in this world that can affect one's perception!

Those thoughts flashed into Jin Yin's mind with lightning speed. Having experienced the initial fright, he had completely calmed down by that moment. He had landed himself in such a desperate situation because all he had in mind earlier had been breaking through. If the adversary were allowed to attack without hindrance, perhaps he would have to die there that day!

Ruthlessness flashed through Jin Yin's eyes. It was then that people were reminded of his identity as the captain of the seventh team in Constellation! He lunged fiercely at Chen Mu. As his perception was uncontrollable due to the influence, he didn't choose the jet stream card. Like a cornered wild beast, his eyes were savage and crazed.

His speed wasn't fast, or at least it wasn't so in Chen Mu's eyes. Being accustomed to fighting with Wei-ah, such speed could hardly impress him, but he didn't dismiss it in the slightest. In the battle with the Downstream Alliance, that card artisan's self-explosion had gravely injured him and had left him an extremely deep impression.

The capability of the guy before him was many times stronger than that of the card artisan who had self-exploded. The power unleashed by his self-explosion would likewise have to be much stronger!

Chen Mu noticed almost all the card artisans were hurrying in that direction! The energy fluctuations of the attack from the Bipolar Thunderball were way too strong. They were like a full moon in the dark night, pointing the way for all the card artisans.

I have to finish the battle as soon as possible! Chen Mu's eyes were glimmering with a cold light, and the outstretched fingers suddenly closed together!

Go Cage of One Thousand Cuts!

All the energy beads were instantly far more brilliant. Between every black energy bead and another, a fine line the thickness of a finger beamed out. Likewise, between any white energy bead and another, a straight white line was beamed out. Those black and white energy strands immediately turned the square matrix into a real cage and mincing machine!

Jin Yin felt joy instead of shock at the very moment Chen Mu launched it! He sensed that the instant the adversary launched the attack, the magnetic field that had affected his perception suddenly vanished!

Without hesitating, he prompted his perception madly! It was his last chance, even if it was a slim one! He knew what came next would undoubtedly be a gigantic storm that had been brewing for a long time, but he was a pirate—a pirate who could kill without batting an eye and who had the guts even to smash a storm to bits!

A layer of ocean-blue energy enveloped Jin Yin's body and made him look like a flat swordfish. He jumped deftly into midair. Just within that short moment, the energy body on the exterior of his body had become so dense that his face couldn't be seen clearly, making him look strikingly like a blue swordfish. The red energy cloak was still rotating at an insanely high speed. The vivid red and the blue as pure as the ocean mixed together, giving one a sense of bloodthirsty coldness.

Looking at the criss-crossing black and white energy strands in front of him, the sense of danger he felt was like the dark clouds before a downpour, so heavy it was impossible to dissipate.

Jin Yin suddenly felt a revelation dawn upon him. With no hesitation, he plunged in among the lethal and criss-crossing energy strands. His direction was actually toward Chen Mu's position!

Chen Mu didn't seem to have moved at all as he looked expressionlessly at the rapidly approaching Jin Yin. However, the black and white strands filling the sky abruptly drew closer, like a huge net suddenly closing in!

In fact, Chen Mu hadn't been very composed; he had been rather surprised by the adversary's will and endurance in battle, which were rarely seen! However, maneuvering required his full attention and prompting from all of his perception to barely retain some control. Presently, he had no time to respond. All he could do was finish using his move!

In midair, Jin Yin's body was supremely flexible, like a real swordfish nimbly and gracefully swaying about. The battle tactic he was using was exactly the one Chen Mu had used to free himself of the beasts' pursuit—wave-shaped, high-frequency evasion!

The popping sound from exploding air was clear and high in frequency; thus, one could see how it was so possessed of explosive power! If it had been any other time, Jin Yin would have been absolutely thrilled to have accomplished the move to such perfection. Yet, at present, all of his attention was focused on the energy strands so densely arranged like a spider's web!

Every bit of space was especially precious to him. In the blink of an eye, he had evaded seven or eight energy strands. That startled Chen Mu a little. In such a chaotic and complex environment, the adversary could still remain so cool-headed. An ace indeed! The capability of the enemy before him was so strong that it was not inferior to Mo Lei's. But how could the Go Cage of One Thousand Cuts be so easily breached?

The energy web's rapid shrinking caused the gaps between the strands to get smaller and smaller. At that instant, Jin Yin finally made contact with the first energy strand. It was a white energy strand, as clean and white as the clouds, giving off a milky brilliance.

Pop!

Sounding like a dancing spark, the red energy cloak shook violently while Jin Yin, who had been as slick as a fish, suddenly faltered too. At the instant of that faltering, another few energy strands approached to entangle him!

At that moment, Jin Yin was but ten meters from Chen Mu.

Ping! The explosion sounded crisp and clear, and the rapidly spinning energy cloak abruptly shattered! Chen Mu was glad for an instant, but what ensued turned his expression serious again.

Jin Yin's energy cloak didn't shatter into countless fragments of light like other energy cloaks; it formed into dozens of smaller pieces. Due to the momentum from the rapid spinning, the eggshell-like energy pieces were fired all around.

Pop, pop, pop! A string of explosions sounded so close that one could hardly breathe, and the broken pieces of the energy cloak collided with the surrounding energy strands. Even the energy web was being propped open a little!

Jin Yin's eyes were bloodshot, and his veins were protruding as he bellowed, "Die!"

The figure, nimble as swordfish a moment ago, stopped all swaying, but its speed increased swiftly! If he had previously been like a swordfish swimming in the ocean, he was now like an arrow shot by the god of the sea!

No change at all! Only speed! Only the will to press forward!

A strong sense of danger abruptly arose in Chen Mu's heart. Almost at the same time, his gaze intensified! With no concern, he prompted his perception with all his might, and the energy from the power card surged toward the Bipolar Thunderball like a flood.

Energy beads were no longer discernible, and all that could be seen were the criss-crossing black and white energy strands, which filled the whole sky. The brilliance and energy fluctuations given off by the web of light were unprecedentedly strong!

Both Bao Le's and Jeremy's expressions changed! Other card artisans stopped one by one. Their terrified gazes were cast in the direction of where Chen Mu and Jin Yin were fighting. All of them could sense that frighteningly strong energy fluctuations were spreading out in all directions, dispersing the residual power!

"W-what is that?" a card artisan asked, stammering. He had subconsciously slowed his speed.

"Don't know. Amazing!" Another card artisan was swallowing hard, looking terror-stricken. He too had subconsciously followed suit in slowing his speed.

The steps of almost all the card artisans became hesitant. Though they were extremely vicious, they were still fearful. The bout of energy fluctuations was so intense it could almost make one tremble!

It's not possible to win against such an enemy! Many card artisans had that thought emerge in their minds.

Bao Le and Jeremy also decreased their speed. Both were watching in that direction attentively with shock and terror. That was where Jin Yin was. The two exchanged a glance and stopped in sync. In terms of capability, Jin Yin was stronger than the pair of them. If even Jin Yin couldn't settle something, they would also be going in vain. Their own lives were valuable!

Blood seeped from the corner of Chen Mu's mouth. The web of light before him was already dazzlingly bright and impossible to look at in close range. His gaze was firmly fixed on the dazzling web of light, and he did not dare to relax in the slightest. Having overexerted his perception, he had already suffered significant internal injuries. He hadn't expected the adversary to be so intractable. The adversary's lightning-quick surprise attack had actually almost allowed him to break out.

Fortunately, he had known the situation to be dire and had prompted his perception with no reserve, thus narrowly controlling the situation. He probably would never have guessed the adversary would make a breakthrough at that moment!

The light surrounding the adversary dimmed substantially. In contrast, the energy strands were even more brilliant! However, if Jin Yin had noticed the fresh blood at the corner of Chen Mu's mouth at that moment, he would have realized immediately that the adversary was past his prime and close to the end.

Jin Yin was still charging forward, and every step was so tough! The short few meters seemed so close yet worlds away, like it wouldn't come to an end no matter what.

Who could have known the time of my breakthrough would also be the day of my death? Jin Yin was sad, and a trace of pity flashed across in his eyes. Swiftly, however, that trace of pity turned into a resolution. The intention to kill from that huge web formed by tightly packed energy strands was awe-inspiring.

Jin Yin took in a deep breath and let out an astounding bellow of rage. He mustered all of his remaining strength, plunging forward head-first!

Three meters!

Two meters!

Bam!

Everything brightened, and all that could be seen was an expanse of white. Chen Mu couldn't respond in time and was hit by Jin Yin, who had been flying straight at him. He landed some meters away.

Splat! Chen Mu involuntarily spurted out another mouthful of blood. The light rays that had filled the sky vanished.

He glanced at Jin Yin, who was on the ground. Jin Yin was covered in blood and had more than 100 cuts criss-crossed on his body, looking exceedingly terrifying. There was no sign of life.

Chen Mu suppressed the feeling of exhaustion with great difficulty and moved unsteadily in the direction of Zargan.