The Card Apprentice

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

Chen Mu appeared indifferent. "It's just that those whose courses are different cannot lay plans for one another."

"Those whose courses are different cannot lay plans for one another…" The old man was startled as he repeated the words to himself. Suddenly, he laughed. "Ha ha! What you say is true! Those whose courses are different cannot lay plans for one another!" There was a clear hint of appreciation in the way he looked at Chen Mu. "I did not expect such a young guy like you to see things so clearly." The eyes behind the mask squinted suddenly, and the look in his eyes turned as sharp as a sword. "Kid, what do you seek?"

The murderous look in his eyes stunned Chen Mu. The master in front of him was definitely not the so-called Master Academism. He seemed to be able to smell the faint scent of blood in the air. Such a scent of bloodlust could not be formed without years of killing. That mysterious card artisan also had a weird temper; thus, civilized discussion was meaningless to him.

But, at that point, Chen Mu could only answer unwillingly. "To survive, live well, and do things that interest me."

The earlier unhindered bloodlust disappeared suddenly. The old man was silenced. Chen Mu's words seemed to have touched upon his thoughts, and the look in his eyes was abruptly empty.

Chen Mu did not dare to act recklessly because the difference in strength between them was immense. The overwhelming feeling that mysterious person gave him was so strong that he almost thought he was facing Wei-ah. It was just that that mysterious person's aura was more bloodthirsty and abnormal and gave out a greater sense of danger.

"Hmph! Daydreaming! If those dogs from the Federation Comprehensive Academy have their eyes on you, the only thing waiting for you is death!" The mysterious person's gaze softened as he snorted. Chen Mu felt as if his body had lightened, and the murderous aura that had been pressing down on him suddenly disappeared.

Chen Mu was dumbstruck. Just the fact that the old man had the ability to control his own aura freely showed that his capability must be on par with the top aces of the federation! The only people Chen Mu had met who could do that were Wei-ah, the demonic woman, Tang Hanpei, Qing Qing, Qiao Yuan, and Jiao Si. The background of Wei-ah and the demonic woman was unclear, but weren't the others top-level card artisans of the federation?

Chen Mu did not know whether it was lucky or unlucky for him to have been noticed by such a high-level card artisan. He still could not understand the intention of that mysterious person, though he did not seem to have bad intentions.

What he had said puzzled Chen Mu more. "The Federation Comprehensive Academy has its eye on me? Why would it?"

The mysterious man said impatiently, "How would I know? If the Federation Comprehensive Academy didn't have its eye on you, why would Constellation come after you?"

Chen Mu was even more stunned. "Constellation is supported by the Federation Comprehensive Academy?" He understood why Constellation was harassing him. After all, he had killed a few of their leaders; it would have been odd if they did not harass him! However, the fact that Constellation turned out to be supported by the Federation Comprehensive Academy was surprising news to him.

He had discussed the issue with Bogner and Xi Ping beforehand. They had thought the actions carried out by Constellation were slightly illogical. Now that he knew Constellation was supported by the Federation Comprehensive Academy, everything made sense. His train of thought became clearer. He had heard about what Moon Frost Island was planning. Faya, the Federation Comprehensive Academy, and other forces planned to stop Moon Frost Island. He instantly understood what he had not back then.

"Kid, let me see your emitted perception." The mysterious man was not intrigued by why Constellation had its eye on Chen Mu but instead focused on another question.

Perception? Chen Mu shuddered but still obediently released his perception.

"As expected!" Happiness was obvious in the old man's voice. Suddenly, he furrowed his brows. "No. There are still some differences." After saying that, he appeared to be pondering again.

Is something wrong with my perception? Chen Mu was instantly nervous. His perception training had always been self-taught. Thus, even now, he didn't understand if there was a problem with his perception. Seeing the old man furrow his brows had given him a bad feeling.

After a long time, the mysterious person resurfaced from his thoughts. He shook his head while mumbling to himself, "There are some similarities, but they are still not the same."

When it came to his perception, the ever-calm Chen Mu could not hold himself back. He asked carefully, "Master, is there a problem with my perception?"

"Problem?" The mysterious one recovered and suddenly gave a cold smile. "Of course there is a problem! I don't know where you learned this training method, but there are a lot of problems. Your perception is still weak and unfeeling. When your perception becomes stronger, even regrets will come too late."

Just when Chen Mu was about to ask for more guidance, the dissatisfaction in the old man's tone became heavier. "Hmph! Those two weak card artisans beat you up so terribly? What a waste of perception! Useless!"

Although he was scolded viciously, Chen Mu was not frustrated. He smiled bitterly in his mind, for even the fact that he could win despite fighting alone against two men was a miracle to him. Now, someone had actually called him useless. However, he cared more about what was said by the mysterious person regarding the hidden danger of his perception's existence. That scared him. Card artisans were not afraid of injuries but rather problems with their perception. Once there was a problem with their perception, it could be a fatal blow to them! Worst of all, ordinary card artisans did not know the untold secrets of perception. Only a few people in the federation could be said to be extremely proficient in that regard. It was harder to ask those people for help than to win the lottery.

An opportunity to meet a master that could solve his problems was precious. Moreover, the master appeared to be willing to teach him; how could Chen Mu miss that chance? He said respectfully, "Master, I trained this perception through trial and error. I plead for you to not refuse to offer your kind advice!"

The mysterious man snorted. "Advise you? What qualification do I have to advise you?"

Chen Mu was speechless. Why would you follow me for thousands of kilometers, then? Are you that bored? Of course, he could not say that. He could only respectfully ask, "If you have any commands, you can ask me to carry them out!"

The mysterious man seemed to be content with Chen Mu's appropriate actions. "You are a smart kid indeed. It is not difficult for me to solve your problem. Other than that, I can also teach some of my techniques to you. However, you are not getting them for free."

Chen Mu became vigilant. Since he had raised his price, the thing he was asking for could certainly not be something trivial. Chen Mu maintained his composure. "Master, pray tell."

"Not bad. Despite your young age, you are able to maintain your composure." The mysterious one nodded. He paused before proceeding to throw out the next sentence. "It is not a huge matter. I just want you to defeat someone."

"Defeat someone? Whom?" Chen Mu inquired curiously.

"Tang Hanpei!"

The first thing Chen Mu thought was that the old man was crazy. The second was that he himself was crazy. The third was that the whole world was crazy!

What kind of joke was that? Tang Hanpei? Who was he? He was the number-one card artisan in the world! The federation's best! He was called the peerless card artisan who could change the whole federation all by himself! He was the first to break the federation's record as the youngest person to achieve level-four perception! The child of good fortune who never lost! The helm of the Federation Comprehensive Academy! Be it strategy or capability, he was strong in every aspect to the point that he was basically inhuman. Could anyone in the whole world defeat him? Maybe, but it was definitely not him! That guy was even acknowledged as a powerhouse by Wei-ah!

Who was Chen Mu? A person who had been so poor a few years ago that he could only rely on making one-star power cards to survive! Even now, he was a card master and concurrently a card artisan who had never learned to do things the proper way!

The mysterious person had asked Chen Mu to challenge—no, defeat—the number-one person every card artisan worshipped. How can that be anything but a joke? Chen Mu didn't even bother to respond. The price was too high. He had never seen such a high asking price! How could he pay back something like that?

"What? You thought I was kidding?" The mysterious man raised the corner of his eyes. The murderous aura overwhelmed Chen Mu again, causing him to stiffen. Chen Mu decided to just shut his mouth and to try his best to resist that sort of murderous aura.

"Tang Hanpei is a genius!" Surprisingly, the mysterious man was not angry. He looked at Chen Mu and took away his murderous aura before saying calmly, "The proudest thing in Pavchek's life had been taking in a student like that. However, he had probably never thought that one day, the student he had trained so wholeheartedly was going to take away the position of headmaster!"

Chen Mu remained silent. The old man's tone was calm, but the words he uttered had a slightly scary scent.

"Pavchek was also quite a character. Compared to Tang Hanpei, though, he was lacking too much." The mysterious one shook his head and sighed. The look in his eyes showed that he recalling something, and his voice turned serious. "Do not presume that I am joking. Tang Hanpei is very strong. But if it was two years ago, hmph! Why would I come to you?" The last sentence was full of dissatisfaction and outrage!

"Do you hold grudges against the Federation Comprehensive Academy?" Chen Mu could not help but ask. The hatred for the academy was obvious based on the mysterious man's utterances.

"Grudges? Ha ha ha ha!" The old man laughed like a maniac before suddenly stopping his laughter short. He lowered his head and directed an awe-inspiring smile at Chen Mu. "My name is Caesar!"

Caesar! That name is quite familiar! Chen Mu was certain he had heard that name before but could not recall it at the moment.

Caesar… Caesar…

Caesar! The Materials Refinement Code! It was as if Chen Mu's mind was brightened by a divine light as he remembered that name, which was filled with atrocity! He understood immediately. No wonder the mysterious man hated the Federation Comprehensive Academy so much. He was actually Caesar, the legendary card artisan who was always accompanied by murder! He was also the card artisan from the academy who had ultimately become its most feared foe!

Chen Mu finally knew why the other had such a violent and bloodthirsty murderous aura. He also finally knew why the other had proposed such an absurd condition. However, wasn't it rumored that Caesar was dead?

Chen Mu would not have known the name Caesar if he had not been misidentified to have studied the Materials Refinement Code. Although the name was unfamiliar, Caesar's glorious battle results were enough to express the strength of his capabilities.

A man that strong had trailed him for thousands of kilometers for no reason just to give him so many benefits? Chen Mu was in disbelief!