Chapter 88: Chapter 88: The Turbulent Night
"What is this?" Shen Sui looked a bit surprised at the stack of documents Xinyuan Tanchun handed over.
"Your potential opponents in the ranking tournament," Xinyuan Tanchun said. "Both fourth-level and fifth-level Life Card Masters. Although the number of Life Card Masters at these levels isn’t small, if you narrow the scope down to Modu, there’s still a rough range."
"Damn, this many?" Shen Sui looked at the data thicker than a dictionary and complained, "Do you think I can finish it in three days?"
"That’s why you need to test your skills in predicting exam questions," Xinyuan Tanchun patted Shen Sui’s shoulder and said, "We all went through it like this."
Shen Sui couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "Can’t you give me an electronic copy? What year is it?"
Xinyuan Tanchun’s face stiffened, evidently not expecting this.
Shen Sui didn’t say anything more.
However, it’s likely that he’ll have to disappoint Xinyuan Tanchun’s good intentions in the coming days.
He glanced down at his dueling device.
Alice’s group was training while moving toward the War God Temple. With Andori’s help, Alice and Hali made remarkable progress in combat, as evidenced by the series of combat Life Cards Alice drew for herself.
It seems that even without causing trouble, Alice is a very reliable Soul Card.
At this moment, Andori was leading Alice to a cave full of deceitful monsters for practical training. This Wood Element Empress was diligently fulfilling the task assigned by Shen Sui.
[This is a cave overrun with deceitful monsters, also a place you are familiar with.]
Of course, Shen Sui was familiar with it because it’s a very stable source of deceitful monster materials. He had conducted farming operations here more than once.
He thought about it for a moment and recalled that there was a storage box of his own at the cave’s entrance. Although he hadn’t visited this low-level cave much after leveling up, the box probably didn’t hold anything valuable, but as a player’s treasure box, it should still have some use for Alice.
For selling, for example.
After obtaining [Sitting on the Ground and Raising the Price], [Toll], and [Give Me Money], Shen Sui felt the need to awaken Alice to her inner merchant traits. There’s nothing more suitable than gems in a storage box to be used as trading assets.
So Shen Sui lowered his head and began to operate the dueling device, guiding Alice to find the storage box he left near the Deceitful Monster Cave.
A thousand years changed everything; this cave wasn’t dangerous and even became a popular destination for adventurers. After years of human development, most landmarks had become different from a thousand years ago, making this search much harder than finding boxes at Paiyiga Lake or Anlud City.
Xinyuan Tanchun drove seriously, a flicker of awareness catching Shen Sui’s movements without surprise. For a Life Card Master, entering a guided Soul Card state anytime and anywhere was completely normal. Some Life Card Masters even interacted with their Soul Cards on the eve of crucial competitions.
Night gradually descended, the red car weaving between the city’s neon lights.
Xinyuan Tanchun was driving toward Tianyi Academy in Modu.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted ahead, followed by an explosive flash and the noise of a crowd.
Sounds of angry shouting, desperate cries for help, and various indistinct voices could faintly be heard.
The cars ahead came to a stop, forcing Xinyuan Tanchun to brake too.
"What’s going on?" Shen Sui’s thoughts were pulled back to reality.
Xinyuan Tanchun was also clueless, checking her phone, presumably for the news.
Shen Sui rolled down the car window and looked outside.
They hadn’t gotten far from the Duel Training Hall; this should be near the Modu Sports Stadium. The stadium hosted many card dueling competitions of city and national significance, creating a whole amusement area themed on spectatorship around it. Many fans of Life Card Duels would gather at nearby bars or cafes on weekend nights, drinking while watching that night’s duel matches.
However, at the moment, this once-flourishing street had fallen into chaos.
"Feng——Lin——Du! WCNM!!"
Shen Sui distinctly heard someone yelling from afar.
Feng Lindu?
Shen Sui was slightly taken aback and then realized.
Tonight was the Silver Moon Infinite Cup final.
Feng Lindu versus Yang Liguang.
"Feng Lindu lost," Xinyuan Tanchun sighed and told Shen Sui the reason for the chaos ahead. "He was defeated by Yang Liguang in a nearly humiliating manner, without any room for retaliation."
Just lost a final....
Shen Sui thought instinctively.
"It’s not just an ordinary final," Xinyuan Tanchun told Shen Sui. "Many people pinned their hopes on Feng Lindu. Those who had lost hope in the domestic competition scene all came to watch this duel, expecting him to inject new vitality into the stagnant high-level domestic dueling events. Yet he lost in such a humiliating fashion, causing some fans to act irrationally under the influence of alcohol and anger."
The flame soared, lighting up half the night sky.
"This can’t just be described as slightly irrational....," Shen Sui worriedly said.
Xinyuan Tanchun also felt a bit disheartened; she was actually hoping Feng Lindu could win.
"Everything should settle by tomorrow," Xinyuan Tanchun said. "I reckon the Life Card Association will have a headache; it’s quite a significant event."
"However, for you, this should be considered a good thing," Xinyuan Tanchun shifted her tone.
"What?" Shen Sui was a bit confused.
"After tonight, Feng Lindu will fall from grace," Xinyuan Tanchun said, "so when the duel footage is released, you won’t have to bear as much pressure as someone who once defeated Feng Lindu."
"I didn’t have much pressure in the first place."
"What you think is no pressure doesn’t mean there’s truly none," Xinyuan Tanchun said. "Competitions are never just about dueling."
Shen Sui was indifferent.
He wasn’t ignorant of these truths.
Having experienced the eSports fandom culture, he’s seen all kinds of bulls and snakes.
The vehicle started moving slowly; it seems someone had come to guide the crowd away.
The remainder of the journey was uneventful as Xinyuan Tanchun dropped Shen Sui off in front of the dormitory building.
"Prepare well," Xinyuan Tanchun poked her head out and said to Shen Sui, "Strive to ascend to level five in one go. I’m looking forward to the day you enter professional competitions."
Shen Sui said nothing, waved, and walked toward the dormitory building.
Just as he opened the dormitory door, the dueling device sounded a frantic alarm.
[Alice, while exploring the Deceitful Monster Cave, ventured into a mysterious tomb, losing contact with everyone, and a mysterious force surged toward her.]
[Alice has suffered spirit contamination.]
[The Star Magic Array triggered, using Absolute Purification on Alice.]
[Alice temporarily escaped contamination, but her situation still seems perilous.]
[In the darkness, something seems to be watching her.]