Su Liqian won—and it wasn’t just her who was excited. Countless viewers in front of their screens watching the livestream were just as thrilled. 

At some point, the number of viewers in the stream had surpassed ten thousand. Topics like “Ji Yanxi lost in the preliminary round” and “Falxius vanished on the spot” instantly went viral across the Star Net. 

【???】 

【Wait, what the hell happened?! I only blinked for a second!】 

【 What’s going on? Ji Yanxi actually lost in the first match of the prelims? Am I dreaming? Who was his opponent? 】 

【Damn! What was that little thing Su Liqian had in her hand? That thing’s insane!】 

【Seriously, was that really a district preliminary match?】 

【Come on, Ji Yanxi was clearly holding back. He only used one card. If he had gone all out, the outcome wouldn’t even be in question.】 

【Am I the only one curious about what Journey to the West is?】 

【That was fast. Does anyone know who Su Liqian even is?】 

【Whoa, Lanxi really showed up this year. Chenya must be losing it.】 

【What happened to my mighty Falxius?! That’s one of the top ten magical beasts from The Beast’s Legacy! And now… just gone? Like that?】 

【……】 

Su Liqian had unexpectedly gone a bit viral on the Star Net without even realizing it. Just as she was about to leave the stage and go find Sen Ya, a voice suddenly called out from behind. 

“Wait up.” 

Ji Yanxi hurried over. 

“Su… Su Liqian?” 

“Yeah, that’s me.” 

“Um, what weapon did you just use?” 

“It’s called the Purple Gold Red Gourd.” 

“Oh…” 

Ji Yanxi nodded, not entirely understanding. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “So… is Falxius inside that gourd thing?” 

“Oh, right—I almost forgot.” 

Su Liqian took out the weapon card. “Take out your summoning card.” 

Ji Yanxi did as he was told, and with a flash of light, that weird gourd reappeared right in front of him. 

This time, standing closer, he could see the “weapon” clearly. 

Then he watched as Su Liqian uncorked the bottle, and Falxius form reappeared on the summoning card. 

“Almost lost the card over this…” 

Su Liqian muttered. 

Having witnessed the whole process firsthand, Ji Yanxi was completely stunned. When he looked again at this high school student, who was a few years younger than him, his eyes couldn’t help but show a bit of surprise and respect. 

“…Thanks.” 

Su Liqian smiled and simply waved it off before turning to leave. 

By now, the morning matches were nearly over. Su Liqian headed to the venue entrance where she had agreed to meet Sen Ya. 

“Qian Qian Qian Qian!” 

Sen Ya came running over while calling her nickname repeatedly. 

“You were amazing today! You’re officially my idol now! Come on, come on! I know this hidden gem of a restaurant—my treat! We have to celebrate our first win!” 

Letting Sen Ya drag her along, they hopped into a skycab and arrived at the restaurant. 

“Why are there so many people here today…” 

Sen Ya glanced at the nearly full restaurant and pouted. 

“Let’s check inside anyway.” 

As they weaved through tables full of people, the aroma of the food kept tempting their taste buds. 

Suddenly, a familiar voice caught their ears. 

“You wouldn’t believe it—my opponent was so arrogant today!” 

“Hahaha, didn’t you fight back though? And hey, weren’t you dead set on avoiding Lanxi? Looks like you’re blending in just fine.” 

“Give me a break. That’s a totally different issue. I’m still at odds with that old man!” 

“Alright, alright. So, how’s the first week of school been?” 

“What do you think…” 

The voice was familiar, but the tone didn’t sound like… him? 

“Eh? Ye Zilan?” 

Before Su Liqian could react, Sen Ya had already stepped forward and called out his name. 

Suddenly recognized, Ye Zilan turned around, and a blush instantly appeared on his face. 

Crap. Ran into someone he knew. 

Had they heard what he just said? His image… was it still salvageable? 

Ye Zilan awkwardly lowered his head, trying to avoid this social disaster, but the guy sitting across from him—Meng Qiu—grinned mischievously and said, “You’re Zilan’s friends? Looks like there aren’t any seats left—why not join us?” 

“Really? That’d be great!” 

“Oh, and we all go to Lanxi too. This person next to me is even Ye Zilan’s deskmate!” 

Sen Ya pulled Su Liqian into a seat, and the two quick talkers hit it off instantly. 

“Deskmates?” 

Meng Qiu gave Ye Zilan a teasing glance. 

“Ohh—Zilan hasn’t given you any trouble, has he? He’s kind of shy and doesn’t talk much.” 

“Not talk much? Just now he seemed pretty lively to me.” 

“Hahahahaha! Congrats, you’ve seen the real Ye Zilan!” 

The water Ye Zilan had just sipped almost came spraying out. He glared hard at Meng Qiu, utterly humiliated and wanting to bolt on the spot. 

This Meng Qiu! He totally sold him out! What about his dignity?! 

“Huh? Really? Qian Qian was just telling me Ye Zilan barely talks to anyone at school. I was about to believe it!” 

Cough cough… 

Su Liqian exchanged an awkward glance with Ye Zilan, the kind that said: fellow wanderer, I feel you. 

“Aiya, since you’re Little Ye’s friends, you’re my friends too. This meal’s on me, and please take good care of Little Ye at school!” 

“Of course, of course!” 

Su Liqian thought: My friend is a social butterfly, who understands? 

Ye Zilan sighed: I understand. 

Meng Qiu waved down the server and ordered a few more dishes. From the moment the two girls sat down, Ye Zilan had reverted to his cold, aloof school persona. 

“Do you… have something you want to say?” 

Su Liqian had caught him glancing at her a few times as if he wanted to speak, only to turn away each time—so she finally asked directly. 

Ye Zilan gave an awkward smile. “Actually, I just wanted to ask, what was the card you used in today’s competition?” 

“Oh right, right! I completely forgot until you mentioned it. What card did Qian Qian use today again?” 

“It was called Journey to the West, a story from an ancient civilization that has already been lost.” 

In this future world, Earth—where humans originally lived—was left riddled with scars after a great catastrophe. Over the course of millions of years, many Earth-born civilizations were gradually washed away by time, their mysteries buried deep in history, never to be unveiled again. 

Some of the surviving humans eventually migrated to what is now known as the Leis Star System. Because of the unique environments of different planets, distinct interstellar civilizations began to form. 

For example, the planet Katya, where Su Liqian lives, has vast crystal mines and is widely known as the “energy planet.” Whether it’s due to its magnetic field or not, crystal cards from this planet are generally of high quality—many Dream Casters are even native to Katya. 

As someone who crossed over from Earth and grew up immersed in the Chinese civilization, Su Liqian couldn’t erase the dreamlike memories of her previous life. 

If she could never return to that world, then she would bring that rich and extraordinary history back to life in this futuristic world. 

Su Liqian might not be able to do much, but this part of the past shouldn’t be buried and forgotten. 

Through what she’d learned about this world over time, Su Liqian discovered that while technology had advanced rapidly in the interstellar era, cultural development was relatively slow. 

The appearance of the Illusion World had added many wonderful creations to this world, but the number of Dream Casters was small, and opportunities to create new Illusion Worlds were rare. 

This era was, indeed, Su Liqian’s era. 

“Ancient civilization? Which one?” 

“Chinese civilization.” 

Su Liqian paused after each word and smiled slightly. 

“Chinese?” 

“Never heard of it before.” 

Ye Zilan tilted his head and looked at Su Liqian. There was a question on his mind, but he didn’t ask. 

They finished their meal in a fairly lively atmosphere. Though Su Liqian and Sen Ya didn’t have a match in the afternoon, they still went to the venue to watch for a while. 

When Su Liqian returned home that evening, she was immediately greeted by the rich aroma of food. 

“Xiao Qian, you’re back!” 

Bai Yao quickly came over to greet her. 

“Go wash your hands and get ready to eat! Your dad and I have been watching your match on the light screen all day!” 

Su Liqian was gently pushed to sit at the dinner table. 

“Congratulations to our Xiao Qian on winning her first match!” 

The family raised their glasses of juice and drank in celebration. 

Earlier, Bai Yao and Su Mingyang had been both nervous and excited while watching the livestream. But when they actually saw their daughter’s outstanding performance in the match, they could hardly believe their eyes! 

On the screen, Su Liqian was confident and composed—even when facing a strong opponent, she remained calm under pressure. 

Not too long ago, their daughter had still been someone who struggled to speak up. 

It seemed like ever since that accident, she had become a little different. 

Su Mingyang and Bai Yao didn’t overthink it—they simply assumed it was a part of adolescence, or maybe maturity after recovering from a serious illness. 

In any case, everything was moving in a positive direction now. 

The family spent some time chatting about what had happened at school during the week. Su Liqian also felt she was becoming more and more integrated into this family. 

That night, back in her room, she opened the school forum on the Star Net out of boredom—only to find that her name had suddenly become a hot topic. 

Interstellar Passerby: Did anyone watch today’s star district match? Is our school finally making a name for itself?

Hilarious African: Wow! Ye Zilan looked so cool! I don’t think Chenya can act cocky anymore!

Ka-Ka-Katya Alien: Anyone know who Su Liqian is? What class is she in?

Lianlian’s Fangirl: I think she’s from Class 1, Grade 10. Same class as Ye Zilan.

Future Card Master: What kind of cards did Su Liqian use? Is she some hidden master at school? 

#1 in My Dreams: Yanxi lost? And to a junior from our school???

Addicted to Card Pulling: I know Su Liqian—we went to the same middle school. She used to be at the bottom of the class…

Is There Really an S Card: Whoa, she’s a freshman? Even Chenya’s top student isn’t confident about beating Ji Yanxi.

Studying Late Again: I remember Su Liqian’s family is pretty average. How does she have all those B-level cards?

Need Cards? Contact Me: She ranked first in the entrance exam. I heard her first card crafting was already B-level.” 

Want to See an Interstellar Match Once: Doesn’t matter—I’m already a fan. Su Liqian is my idol now. When school starts, I’m going to ask for her autograph!