“I refuse to accept this!
Why does she get to cross the river alone, wearing a conical hat and carrying a longsword, looking all cool and flashy?
And why do I have to hold a skull?
As Shen Ye was thinking this, a small line of text appeared next to Xiao Mengyu:
‘Would you like to send a request to add the other party as a friend?’
You can even add friends?!
Just as this prompt appeared, Xiao Mengyu, standing on the solitary boat, seemed to sense something. She placed her hand on her sword, as if ready to strike at any moment.
Another line of text popped up:
‘The other party has rejected seventeen friend requests in a row. Please act rationally.’
Shen Ye thought for a moment and said, ‘Add.’
A few moments passed.
Xiao Mengyu’s expression changed slightly, as if she had just come to her senses, and she looked toward Shen Ye outside the card.
‘You joined the “Newcomer” deck too?’ she asked.
At the same time, a line of text appeared:
‘The other party has added you as a friend. From now on, by holding the card and calling their name, you can communicate directly.’
Shen Ye smiled. ‘I was a little bored on the shuttle, and a friend happened to teach me, so I picked up this card game.’
‘This is something from the Tarot Tower. Carrying it has some benefits. I was actually planning to tell you about it when you arrived,’ Xiao Mengyu said casually.
Shen Ye raised an eyebrow.
Did you hear that?
For her, a guaranteed admission spot was just “some benefits.”
People really aren’t the same.
‘Well, I had nothing else to say, just wanted to add you,’ Shen Ye said sulkily.
‘The portrait on your card—tsk, it totally looks like a major villain,’ Xiao Mengyu teased.
But thinking back to his performance at the hotel, the card’s depiction of his personality was actually quite accurate.
‘Hey, by the way, can I change my scene to something more poetic, like stepping across the waves under an autumn moon?’ Shen Ye asked.
‘It’s auto-generated. Unless you pay or become an official card, it won’t change.’
‘Oh right, if you have time, I suggest checking the “Newcomer” rankings to get a sense of everyone’s strength—we can discuss more when you get here,’ Xiao Mengyu said.
‘See you later then.’
‘Goodbye.’
After their chat, Xiao Mengyu turned her head back toward the cold river.
Shen Ye watched with envy and couldn’t help but ask, ‘If I’m willing to spend some money, can I change the scene and design of my card?’
A single word appeared on the card: ‘Yes.’
‘What would it change to?’ Shen Ye asked expectantly.
‘Flip it over to preview for 10 seconds.’
Shen Ye immediately turned the card over.
He saw himself standing in a pool of dark red blood, a string of skulls hanging around his neck. His hair was long and unkempt, and his face bore an eerie smile.
Shen Ye was furious.
Damn it.
Isn’t this just the Sand Monk look?
If someone from Blue Star came here and their first words to him were ‘Where’s your Monkey King?’ how was he supposed to live that down?!
—Am I not worthy of a respectable image?
Suppressing his anger, Shen Ye muttered,
‘Show me the ranking of the 54 official cards.’
A long leaderboard immediately appeared on the back of the card.
Huh?
Xiao Mengyu, with her unparalleled swordsmanship, was only ranked fifth?
Shen Ye looked up the list and saw the name at the very top:
Nangong Sirui.
—A woman?
He tapped the name, and the leaderboard vanished, replaced by a new scene on the card’s back.
Peach blossoms were falling.
On a golden throne carved with intricate patterns sat a stunning beauty dressed in white robes, wearing a jade crown.
Shen Ye let out a small snort and muttered,
‘She really is beautiful.’
The person was in traditional attire.
In his past life, ancient-style clothing had been popular.
It was the same in this world, if not more so—
The noble families would wear ancient attire during traditional festivals to honour their ancestors from antiquity.
On the card, the woman held a paper fan, her eyes half-closed as if deep in thought.
Six glowing stars revolved behind her.
Beneath her throne, several beautiful maids knelt—some holding flutes, some playing zithers, some singing softly.
‘Nangong Sirui.’
‘The eldest son of the Nangong family, heir to the ancestral bloodline.’
‘Strength level: Six stars.’
‘—Undisputed number one this year.’
Wait.
Hold on a second.
Shen Ye’s gaze locked onto two words: ‘eldest son.’
—You’re telling me this is a man?!
He took another look at the person and, sure enough, saw an Adam’s apple.
It’s a guy!
Why the hell does a guy look this good?!
And he even wears traditional attire, dressed in white and wielding a fan.
With a bunch of beautiful maids serving him.
Shen Ye flipped his own card over.
Tsk.
Zero stars. Just a preliminary card.
He had a school uniform. The other guy had ancient robes.
He had skeletons. The other guy had beauties.
Nope. Not looking anymore.
He returned to the rankings and continued checking the other competitors, but the more he looked, the worse his expression became.
The only six-star on the entire board was Nangong Sirui.
Besides that, all the five-star and four-star newcomers were from noble families.
Not a single ordinary candidate had even reached three stars.
“Hello, I’m from the Group. Just heard from Yunye that you are too.”
—Someone was greeting him.
Shen Ye instinctively put away his card.
In front of him stood a young man with dyed yellow hair, wearing skinny jeans.
“Ah, yeah, my name is Shen Ye.”
“I’m Zhang Xiaoyi, but everyone calls me Ah Yi,” the blond youth said.
“Nice to meet you,” Shen Ye said.
“—Do you play poker? We’re short one person,” Zhang Xiaoyi asked.
Poker?
It had been years since he last played.
“I’m in!” Shen Ye said enthusiastically.
At that moment, two regional supervisors from the Mortal Martial Group arrived at the venue. From a distance, they spotted Shen Ye, Guo Yunye, Zhang Xiaoyi, and a few other boys sitting on the floor, playing cards.
Some others were testing their jumping height.
They were yelling, cheering, and laughing, looking completely carefree.
“These little punks, instead of resting in their seats, they’re playing cards?”
One of the supervisors muttered in annoyance.
“Let them play,” one of the supervisors sighed. “Once they arrive, they won’t have time to relax like this anymore.”
The other supervisor seemed to recall something, paused for a moment, then shook his head and gave up on scolding the group.
Meanwhile.
In the cafeteria.
“That’s the ‘Rookie’ deck from the Tower of Tarot, right? Brings back memories. One of my students once reached a four-star ‘Hand Blade’ rank in the exam,” Yu Sihai said.
“Don’t even mention it,” Qian Rushan muttered, his gaze unfocused. “I’ve never discovered any promising rookies.”
“Heh, what about this year’s batch?” Yu Sihai asked.
“There’s one with the potential to surpass your student,” Qian Rushan replied.
Yu Sihai simply smiled, unfazed.
Qian Rushan put down his porridge, poured two cups of wine, and placed one in front of Yu Sihai.
They clinked glasses and took a drink.
“By the way, how’s your injury?” Qian Rushan asked.
“I lost too much vitality, so I look older than I should, but I’m recovering,” Yu Sihai replied.
“That’s good to hear,” Qian Rushan said, his expression brightening slightly.
“Never thought someone as lazy as you would take on mentoring rookies,” Yu Sihai remarked.
“Hahaha, at first, I was just completing an assignment. Didn’t expect to come across a decent one,” Qian Rushan admitted.
Then he asked, “You’re bringing quite a few this time. What’s going on?”
“A Class A calamity broke out in the southeastern eight provinces… Many experts died just to barely seal it back up,” Yu Sihai said.
“And these kids…” Qian Rushan muttered.
“Yeah, they’re all children of fallen warriors. They’re strong, so the government is letting them give this a shot. Worst case, they’ll at least be guaranteed a spot in a top provincial school,” Yu Sihai explained.
Neither of them spoke for a while. They poured themselves another drink and downed it.
Shen Ye lifted his blindfold and looked outside.
The sky was a deep blue, with clouds swirling below the shuttle.
His card suddenly vibrated.
He took it out and saw a friend request.
Guo Yunye.
—The guy he had been playing around with earlier.
Shen Ye thought for a moment, then accepted.
Guo Yunye’s avatar appeared on the card.
He was sitting on a dirt mound, wearing a dog-head hat, looking right at Shen Ye.
No stars on his card.
He was just a preliminary member too.
Hah.
At least he’s not doing much better than me.
“Shen Ye, wanna go shopping with us when we land?” Guo Yunye asked excitedly.
Shen Ye could even hear Zhang Xiaoyi’s voice in the background.
—After spending some time together, the guys had already become friends and added each other to their cards.
“I have something to do first, but I’ll catch up later,” Shen Ye replied.
“Alright, don’t forget to hit me up,” Guo Yunye said before ending the call.
Shen Ye put his card away, still feeling a bit annoyed.
Why was he only a preliminary member? Why couldn’t he become an official one?
—It seemed like the card’s ranking was based on evaluation.
Just sitting around, playing cards, or goofing off wasn’t going to raise his evaluation at all.
Evaluation…
I know all about those. I get one every night when I enter the training hall.
That means… I have that incomplete Frost Moon Shocking Heaven technique, don’t I?
What if I try practicing it here?
No sooner thought than done.
He made his way to the bowling alley.
At this point, they were probably close to arriving, so the place was empty.
Shen Ye took a deep breath and started stretching.
A few minutes later, he was fully warmed up.
With a flicker of movement, he activated Shadow Step, projecting an afterimage down the lane before spinning into a flurry of kicks.
Frost Wind!
But he wasn’t done yet.
He sprinted forward in two quick strides, then pushed off the wall lightly, soaring into the air and touching the vent’s edge with one hand.
—Moonlit Deer’s step!
The full sequence was complete—except for Thunder Palm.
Shen Ye landed lightly and stood still.
His pocket suddenly vibrated.
He pulled out his card and saw a message:
“Though incomplete and somewhat uncertain, this technique appears to resemble a long-lost style. If restored, it could introduce significant unpredictability to this exam.”
“You have successfully advanced to one-star.”
“You are now an official deck member.”
“One-star privilege granted: You may reject one challenge per hour.”
On the card.
Shen Ye stood idly, holding a skull in one hand, looking completely unbothered.
Then.
As if suddenly realizing something, he glanced upward.
A single star had appeared above his head.
One-star!
One of the 54 official members of the rookie deck!
Shen Ye pointed at the newly emerged star above his head and let out a wild, cocky grin.
“Hey, can’t we make this look a little more dignified?” he complained.
On the card, his own image burst into laughter, placed the skull on his head, and stuck out his tongue at him.
