The Card Apprentice

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

His words, though said lightly, were like a typhoon blowing through everyone's hearts.

All noise ceased; the already quiet audience became dead silent. The silence was stifling, but the crowd paid no mind to that.

The pure white mask made of silver, with its two curved black lines, revealed his cold and calm gaze. He simply stood there, without any pomp or ceremony, without any words or actions, yet it gave people the impression that he was calmly evaluating his team.

"He… he… he said he is the White… White Commander."

Someone stuttered out, triggering an outburst.

Boom!

The commotion sounded like the crash after a massive ball of water freefell thousands of meters and spread in all directions. The sound waves rolled across the entire venue, and sensitive card artisans could even see the ripples in the air caused by the intense sound waves.

He is the White Commander…

He is the White Commander!

This guy is the White Commander!

That White Commander who was the student of Caesar, God of Slaughter; builder of the Wood Battalion; annihilator of the Cang Jiang Military Force; raider of Borman City!

"God, spare me please, my heart cannot take it!"

The reporters' faces turned red, and they trembled with over-excitement, causing the frame to shake.

Damn! Why would the frame shake now? White Commander, ah, White Commander, Chen Mu is the White Commander…

They rambled incoherently, not even sure of what they were saying. After a whole two minutes, they finally managed to quieten down, though everybody's faces were still unnaturally red. Without prompting, all the cameras were directed at this legendary influential figure.

His battle prowess might not be comparable to his master Caesar who can look in disdain at the Heavenly Federation, but this did not stop people from madly worshipping him. He built the Wood Battalion singlehandedly, and to date has not lost a single battle. He is extraordinary, mysterious, with amazing capabilities, and is the new star of the Heavenly Federation. The cards he made, the numerical series cards, fetch astronomical prices.

However, nobody expected the White Commander to be so young.

Seeing the glassy stares of his subordinates, the agitated Jie Sen resorted to violence, kicking the guy who was in his way and pushing his way to the front with the camera.

"Hello, dear viewers, I hope you are currently watching our program. If not, you are about to miss out on the story of the year, no, the story of the century! We do not know what the Green Mark is. We also do not know who the ugly lady is, nor do we know the capabilities of the guy who threatened Cang Lan. But we may find out soon, so stay tuned!

This is Greenfield Broadcasting Station broadcasting to you live at the Elite Competition taking place at the Heavenly Drum Village District.

Let's turn our gazes, once again, to the venue. Wow, what an impressive line-up! But, without question, the most striking celebrity is Chen Mu. Yes, in terms of prestige, Baiyue, who is the student of Moon Frost Island's current principal and the most likely candidate for the next head of Moon Frost Island, and Qing Qing, the genius who is the only person to have graduated from Star Academy in fifty years, were on par with the White Commander, or rather, Chen Mu.

But, do not forget, apart from being an excellent card artisan, Chen Mu is also an extraordinary commander and a renowned card master.

Also, just a reminder, Cang Lan's Cang Jiang Military Force and Yan Yu, all perished at Chen Mu's hand. We cannot help but exclaim at how destiny brought the two mortal enemies together today." Mobley's face paled from the shock.

He was well and truly shocked. Chen Mu was the White Commander! His legs felt weak, but looking at the excited crowd around him, he felt like he was doused with icy water.

Conspiracy! This must be a conspiracy!

He wanted to shout out loud that the fellow wearing the mask is the team leader of the Snow Worm Card Artisan Team.

But he dared not. If it were only the Snow Worm Card Artisan Team, he would not be so afraid. But the fellow wearing the mask actually had another source of power up his sleeve. This fellow who previously had to kowtow to them for survival actually had such terrifying power. Mobley shuddered.

The Snow Worm Card Artisan Team and Wood Battalion were collectively known as the 'Heavenly Drum's Duo". Damn, what a joke!

No, this is a conspiracy. Mobley firmly believed this was a conspiracy.

He was seized with an impulse to tell his beloved Miss Qing Qing this information.

But when his gaze fell on the mask, all his courage evaporated, his legs went limp, and he fell onto a chair.

Cang Lan suddenly laughed.

"Haha! This is a godsend! I've been trying so hard to find the White Commander, but who knew I'd meet him here." His tone suddenly turned cold, and he bit out, "You have guts, revealing your identity in front of me!"

As if he did not hear those words, Chen Mu still stared at the Demonic Woman silently.

The Demonic Woman stared at Chen Mu's mask for a long time and suddenly stood up, "I've heard of him. Okay, deal."

She suddenly reappeared at Chen Mu's left, facing the other four.

The Demonic Woman to his left, Wei-ah to his right, with Chen Mu in the middle.

Qing Qing's expression changed, and she arched her brow, stared directly at Cang Lan, and said, "I heard that Mr. Cang Lan is very learned, and I've always been at awe of Mr. Cang Lan. I'd like to take advantage of this fortuitous encounter to get some pointers from Mr. Cang Lan."

The audience was in an uproar. Qing Qing can be said to be a representative of the Star Academy, so this move could possibly represent the Star Academy's stance.

Anger flashed across Cang Lan's face, but he was extremely calculating, and he turned to Jia Yingxia with a smile, "Principal Jia, my guess was correct. This White Commander must have something valuable or based on the Star Academy's style, they would not continue to protect him at this stage."

Jia Yingxia's bottomless eyes were fixed on Chen Mu.

She had not forgotten that Tan Yumin's four notebooks were still with Caesar. Who else could Caesar give them to? Of course, he must have given them to the White Commander. Even if the White Commander did not have the notebooks, if he were captured, Caesar would definitely not be able to stand by and do nothing.

She raised her right hand and suddenly shouted, "The Heavenly Drum Village District Alliance's pride will not be trampled on like this. These people have seriously disrupted the competition. Capture them!"

Moon Frost Island's card artisans seemed to awaken from their daze, and they simultaneously moved forward. Moon Frost Island had long anticipated that the Elite Competition would not proceed without a hitch, and they had prepared plenty of forces for any accidents.

Three hundred over card artisans floated in the air, tightly surrounding the competition venue. These card artisans were the elite forces of Moon Frost Island, and each was highly trained. They braced themselves for a great battle, and on Jia Yingxia's command, they would capture these people.

The sudden turn of events stunned everybody.

Nobody would have expected Jia Yingxia to turn hostile so suddenly.

At that moment, a clear voice rang out, "Haha, Principal Jia, don't be so hasty."

A mighty figure arrived in a flash of fiery red.

Jiao Si! Origins Academy's Principal Jiao Si!

"Mr. Chen, long time no see. How are you?" He greeted Chen Mu with a smile.

Chen Mu greeted him back, "How do you do, Principal Jiao? Ru Qiu told me that if I was to meet Principal Jiao, I was to tell you and vice principal that she misses you both very much."

The firm Jiao Si could not hold back his tears; Ru Qiu was always his favorite student.

"That's good, that's good, that's good," he said repeatedly.

Witnessing this scene, Jia Yingxia furrowed her brows. Jiao Si was extremely powerful, and not to be messed with. She said coldly, "What is the meaning of this, Principal Jiao Si?"

Jiao Si turned around and laughed. He proclaimed proudly, "Origins Academy has long had an alliance with Mr. Chen Mu. I am merely fulfilling my duties as his ally."

Chen Mu looked at Jiao Si, astonished. Jiao Si was incredibly sly, and he did not understand why Jiao Si would publicly announce his stance right now. This would mean a permanent falling out between Origins Academy and Moon Frost Island.

As if sensing Chen Mu's bewilderment, Jiao Si winked, and said in a low voice, "I am betting all my cards on you."

Jia Yingxia's expression was grim.

She suddenly realized that they were not at an advantage in terms of experts. Qing Qing and Baiyue were on par with each other, Cang Lan was Jiao Si's match, but she would be the only one left on her side, while there were still two people left on the other side whose power was unpredictable. She calculated that White Commander should be on par with Baiyue.

"Uncle, let's go in," Qiu Shanyu said coldly, her gaze never leaving the Demonic Woman.

"Yes, miss!" Fang Shi, who was wearing a bronze mask, carried Qiu Shanyu and flew into the venue. Ever since the advertising program spread to Faya, Fang Shi had been in hiding at Qianhu.

The card artisans on guard were suddenly on the alert.

"Who?""Stop him!"

Beneath the impassive bronze mask, a quiet dream-like hum emerged, "Flower World!"

Countless pink petals suddenly appeared, dancing in the air, like a mystical dream; a beautiful but deadly trap. The petals were very sharp, and they easily pierced through the power shields of the Moon Frost Island card artisans, penetrating the card artisans' bodies. The warm red blood and peach pink petals forming a terrible and beautiful scene.

As if taking a quiet stroll, Fang Shi carried Qiu Shanyu and walked nonchalantly to Chen Mu's side.

Chen Mu was not surprised. He did not overly restrict Qiu Shanyu, and it was not surprising that she managed to contact Fang Shi.

Jia Yingxia's expression soured. She thought with apprehension that the person who just arrived was very powerful.

"You are?"

Qiu Shanyu said arrogantly, "Madam Faya!"

Jia Yingxia's expression changed slightly. She did not expect Faya to also interfere. She immediately guessed the identity of the Bronze Masked Man, "Then you must be Mr. Fang Shi."

The Bronze Masked Man said with a slight smile, "I didn't think Principal Jia would know my name. Nice to meet you!"

Then he ignored Jia Yingxia, and directly walked to Wei-ah and bowed earnestly. "Thank you for helping me break my shackles that day!"

The audience's heart stopped once more.

Wei-ah was like a statue, expressionless and silent as if he had not heard those words.

Fang Shi was not bothered, and he merely walked back to Qiu Shanyu's side.

"Faya also intends to become Moon Frost Island's enemy?" Jia Yingxia said coldly.

Qiu Shanyu smiled, "That would depend on the White Commander."

The crowd was again in an uproar.

Faya did not have a good reputation, but its power was indisputable. Fang Shi was so powerful, yet his position in Faya was merely Madam Faya's guard, so Madam Faya's status could clearly be guessed.

Nobody doubted that she could represent Faya, but now she is saying that it is up to the White Commander!

This was preposterous!

At that moment, an incredibly violent murderous aura suddenly enveloped the entire venue. The undisguised murderous aura was thick like fresh blood and caused all everyone to shudder involuntarily.

Everybody's expression turned serious. Everybody knew who had come.

A short figure stepped towards the venue.

The card artisans along the way naturally made a path. None of them dared stand in his way.

In the eyes of the public, this figure symbolized slaughter itself.

The world lost all sound, and everybody's gazes were locked on this normal-looking figure. Their gazes were filled with awe.

This man is death incarnate!

Caesar, the God of Slaughter!

"It certainly is lively today!" Such a casual sentence, coming from Caesar's mouth, became filled with murderous intent.

He walked to Chen Mu's side and casually tossed him a few notebooks, "Boy, this is for you."

Cang Lan stared at the notebooks in Chen Mu's lap, greed in his gaze. On the other hand, Jia Yingxia resumed her placid expression.

At this moment, a few people suddenly flew towards them at high speed.

The card artisans of Frost Moon Island were about to stop them, when Jia Yingxia said, "Let them in."

These people were Qianhu's representatives of the Central Repository of the Classics, and while they were not major players, there must have been some situation for them to rush over at this time.

They had just landed when their leader bowed at Jia Yingxia, "Principal Jia!"

"Who are you?" Jia Yingxia straightaway asked.

Their leader said politely, "I just received directions from my principal that the Central Repository of the Classics is to protect Mr. Chen Mu at all costs! I hope Principal Jia would let them go." His words were polite, but his tone resolute.

Everyone was stunned.

While they had all been cautious, they suddenly realized that they had seriously underestimated the reach of the White Commander's influence.

Such a young card artisan, yet he had such terrifying might.

The White Commander's indifferent figure no longer seemed weak to the audience. He bowed his head in thought.

When he raised his head again, everybody, including Jia Yingxia, unconsciously held their breaths.