CHAPTER 26: 026 LACKING OUTPUT? NO PROBLEM, BAMBOO DEMON WILL STEAL _1.

Zero Egg was curious, "Do you want to go see?"

It was already evening, and Wen Jiang, having ordered takeout, replied in passing, "Of course, we’re going. Check if there are any tickets left, and buy one."

Without watching the matches, how could she understand the pace of card battles in this world and create better cards?

She had fully grasped this concept; making cards was just like cultivating—the more she understood, the more it benefited her.

The atmosphere at the venue was different from watching a live broadcast online.

And... she was quite interested in the matches; who knew, she might join in and compete someday?

Now that she had money, buying cards was not an issue. She purchased three of the best-selling B-Level Combat Cards.

She tested the combat power of these Combat Cards.

When Wen Jiang summoned three Card Spirits at the same time, Zero Egg looked on, already speechless.

It had become numb.

It knew something was off with Wen Jiang. Typically, the limit for people in this world was to summon two Card Spirits. The human brain’s spiritual power is like an individual will; your own will can merge with one Card Spirit to achieve a state of unity, but merging with two effectively splits your consciousness, forcing you to multitask...

It was barely doable, but rare.

Let alone multitasking with three...

Regardless of whether one’s spiritual power was sufficient for the demand, it was typically one’s willpower that would collapse first.

But looking at Wen Jiang, the three Card Spirits obediently stayed still under her summoning. They showed no signs of the chaos and breakdown that typically occurred when a Spirit Card Master’s spiritual power was in disarray, which would cause the Card Spirits to collapse as well.

Zero Egg didn’t realize that externalizing one’s form and splintering one’s consciousness were fundamental skills for cultivators.

Not to mention three cards, she could summon one hundred without even getting winded.

Of course, it indeed consumed the spiritual energy inside her.

Not only could she utilize Card Spirits, but her own spiritual energy was also gradually recovering; she could fight even without the need for Card Spirits.

The people of this world seemed to only be able to use Card Spirits.

Cards spun and leapt at Wen Jiang’s fingertips; she tapped her finger, and the three Card Spirits vanished simultaneously.

Zero Egg asked anxiously, "How is it, does your head not hurt? I saw online that when Spirit Card Masters try to summon two Card Spirits for battle, even if they manage, they soon appear to be in great pain."

"It doesn’t hurt."

Wen Jiang then casually placed an order online for one hundred Combat Cards.

Even at B-Level, powerful Combat Cards were scarce, and her order included dozens of duplicates.

Zero Egg panicked when it saw Wen Jiang buying so many cards. "Why are you buying so many Combat Cards? I can understand getting one of each to learn about them, but buying this many is just wasting money!"

That was several million! What a spendthrift!

The fifty million she had just acquired hadn’t even warmed her pockets, and now it was almost gone.

Wen Jiang replied nonchalantly, "The level is too low; I don’t feel safe. When there’s not enough quality, rely on quantity."

She refused to believe that if anything were to happen, she couldn’t defeat opponents above her level by summoning one hundred Card Spirits at once.

Zero Egg was perplexed. I don’t quite understand, but I feel like you’re really awesome.

One week later, the Yunxia Empire Spirit Card Master Imperial City Pear Blossom Cup tournament began.

The Pear Blossom Cup was a small-scale event, only open to B-Level Spirit Card Masters. Although it wasn’t as spectacular as higher-level matches, it was very popular. As long as it was on site, it was usually a full house.

The reason was simple: large-scale events could only be watched via live stream.

The higher the rank of the Card Spirits, the more earth-shaking their battles. SSR-Rank Card Spirits in action were comparable to a nuclear explosion, and no venue could withstand it.

Therefore, every year’s high-level tournaments were broadcast live from uninhabited areas by the alliance of the three great empires to audiences worldwide.

Since B-Level matches offered the novel experience of watching live and in person, their popularity was naturally high.

"Do you think that Card Maker will show up?"

Chen Xiaotu joined her brother, Chen Runyu, for the excitement. She also knew her brother had given an entrance ticket to the Spirit Card Master who created the Rabbit Demon Card. Although even she thought it was unlikely that person would show up.

"Not sure."

Spirit Card Masters possessed strong spiritual power, allowing them to clearly see every face in a venue capable of holding hundreds of thousands. Despite this, he still couldn’t be certain which one was the Card Maker.

"I hope she does."

Chen Xiaotu did not quite understand why her brother was so eager to meet the other party. She asked very honestly, "Brother, I know this Card Maker is powerful, but if she is just a B-Level Spirit Card Master, wouldn’t she be of little use to you guys?"

Chen Runyu rolled his eyes. "I always tell you to read more. Did all that knowledge go in one ear and out the other? What’s wrong with being a B-Level Spirit Card Master? Spirit Card Masters can level up. Even if she’s just B-Level now, what about the future? With such high card-making talent, leveling up is a sure thing."

"Many Spirit Card Masters advance not through combat but by creating new cards. While UR is a distant dream, if she maintains this level of card-making, becoming an S Rank Spirit Card Master in the future isn’t impossible for her."

Even so, they still didn’t understand the principle behind it.

Chen Xiaotu tilted her head. "Then why are some people born S Rank?"

Chen Runyu was speechless. How would he know?

He waved his hand impatiently. "Stop asking silly questions, just watch the match."

Within the crowd, Wen Jiang, wearing sunglasses, arrived at her seat and waited for the match to start.

The match venue was surrounded by a sea of seats packed with people. A significant distance was maintained from the central competition area to prevent Card Spirits from accidentally harming spectators. The central competition area itself was encased in a transparent dome.

The match had already begun.

Aside from the competitors, no unauthorized individuals were in the center of the field. Two hosts, who also served as commentators, sat on the highest tier of seats, providing a live broadcast to the audience.

Ten competitors had already taken their positions.

"This match is between Mount Flower Association and Seven Stars Association. Mount Flower Association, after all, is an established major association and not to be underestimated. However, our Seven Stars Association has also been a dark horse in the B-Level circuit in recent years, boasting an impressive winning streak. It’s hard to say who will emerge victorious."

"We’re now entering the Ban phase. As expected, Seven Stars Association secured the first ban. They immediately targeted Mount Flower Association’s ’Strangle Vine’. This card is a core offensive powerhouse in Mount Flower Association’s classic Poison Plant Card Set. It’s very powerful, and banning it practically halves the card set’s combat effectiveness. No surprises there—it’s a must-ban card whenever it appears in B-Level matches."

"Hmm, Seven Stars Association also had their core offensive card banned. Clearly, both sides prioritized banning offensive cards..."

With their three bans, Seven Stars Association neutralized two of Mount Flower Association’s famously powerful offensive cards and one Control Card.

Mount Flower Association also banned notable cards from their opponent. Seven Stars Association, known for their control-oriented playstyle, had two of their Control Cards banned.

Next was the stage where they publicly revealed their chosen Combat Cards. Seven Stars Association had clearly done their homework on Mount Flower Association, as their card choices were strategically targeted.

Mount Flower Association, on the other hand, had shown signs of weakening in recent years, and their cards had been thoroughly researched by opponents.

At that moment, the five Spirit Card Masters of Mount Flower Association exchanged smiles, then each revealed the card they intended to use.

The female host immediately commented, "Just as predicted, despite having two offensive cards banned, Mount Flower Association still opted for their familiar poison-stacking strategy. But let’s see... ’Peach Blossom Barrier’—a Control Card with poison; ’Rolling Grass’—control; ’Incense Fruit’—a Support Card with poison; ’Poisonous Vinegrass’—a core Poison Card, providing some offensive capability, huh? Hey, they’re lacking offensive power! How can they proceed with only stacking poison if they don’t have a main damage-dealing card? Wait a minute! Mount Flower Association has brought out a new card to fill the gap—Bamboo Demon?! Such a beautiful young lady! What kind of card is this?!"

Mount Flower Association had indeed introduced a new card.

When Bamboo Demon’s beautiful and shy face appeared on the large screen, the entire audience gasped.

"WHOA, what a beautiful lady!"

"Huh? I thought they were going to use all new cards," Zero Egg exclaimed in surprise.

"Only a fool would use five new cards right away," Wen Jiang replied.

Zero Egg was speechless. So I’m the fool then, huh? Boo-hoo.

Just as Wen Jiang had expected, her five Dual-Change Cards were trump cards, powerful even when used individually within other card sets.It wasn’t even the finals yet; why would they reveal all five at once?

Especially Bamboo Demon, a Support Card.

Lacking offensive power?

No problem. They can just steal it from the opponent.