Su Liqian’s eyes sharpened, and vivid scenes from Mecha Storm surged through her mind. In that moment, she felt completely immersed in the world of the story, like she was living through it with the characters—sharing in their joy, pain, and triumphs. 

Explosions echoed, cannon fire roared, and everything was soaked in passion, glory, emotion, and redemption… 

She couldn’t quite put her feelings into words. It was like she had suddenly become part of that world, fully experiencing the rush of complex emotions the characters went through. 

Her spiritual strength kept pouring in, and the card in front of her spun faster and faster. 

But this time, something was different. The card’s back wasn’t the usual black and gold—it shimmered silver, streaked with lightning-like patterns that crackled faintly with energy. 

The title Mecha Storm blazed across it in bold, powerful characters, with tiny mecha designs surrounding it. 

Slowly, the front of the card revealed itself. Against a blue background was an intricate, high-tech mecha battle suit—the same one worn by Jia Yi, one of the main characters from Mecha Storm. 

The card drifted down from mid-air into Su Liqian’s hand. A faint pulse of energy still lingered on it. She stared blankly at the card labeled with an “A,” flipping it over again and again in disbelief. 

She’d actually crafted an A-level card! 

She clearly remembered her teacher saying that most people could only start making A-level cards by the end of high school or even college. And yet… she had just succeeded—just like that? 

After a short break, she tried again with a few blank cards. But after managing only a single B-level utility card, she ran out of spiritual strength. 

“One step at a time,” she told herself. 

She stored both cards in her Star Moon Stone Belt and used a spiritual energy recovery card before finally calling it a day. 

She had originally planned to try recreating more cards from her past life, but clearly, that would have to wait—at least for a few days. After all, she had just gotten into high school, and her spiritual strength wasn’t exactly limitless. 

The next day, Sen Ya’s matches resulted in one loss and one win—not a bad outcome overall. 

When she got back to school, Su Liqian dove right back into study mode to prepare for exams. 

At first, she hadn’t been all that interested in joining the Special Class. But the more she explored card crafting and participated in matches, the more she realized—she genuinely liked it. 

She wanted to get stronger. She wanted to go further. 

And for now, the best thing she could do was ace this placement exam. 

Ever since the practical training class, the mood in the dorm had become a little… off. 

When Ren Yi came back from class and happened to run into Su Liqian returning from the other side, she quickly averted her gaze and walked straight back to her seat as if she hadn’t seen anything. 

Su Liqian had tried to ease the awkwardness between them, but deep down she knew—she and Ren Yi were never the kind of people who clicked easily. Some things just can’t be forced. 

With a cup of freshly poured water, she sat down in front of her smart computer, rubbed her sore neck, and decided to take a short break from all the studying. 

Card competitions were still trending all over the Star Net. As she scrolled, her eyes caught on a familiar name in one of the popular threads: 

[Ranking the Most Powerful and Gorgeous Card Goddesses: Who’s #1—Mu Xixi or Piaolian?] 

The moment she saw that name, the Illusion World she’d spotted earlier at the mall came to mind. 

Curious, she clicked into the thread. 

Chasing Starlight: Back when Xixi became famous, Piaolian wasn’t even on the map. 

Someday I’ll Succeed: Mu Xixi’s performance has been declining these past few years. Now she’s just riding on her old glory to stay relevant. 

One Shot Kill: Piaolian is on the rise, sure—but calling her the top goddess? That’s still a stretch. 

Good Luck Xingqi: There haven’t been many breakout newcomers in recent years. Piaolian’s one of the few who stands out. But in terms of fame, she’s nowhere near Mu Xixi yet. 

Card Crafting Addict: Both of them are stunning, no doubt. But in terms of skill, if Mu Xixi fought Piaolian now, it’s hard to say who’d win. 

Promotion Match Sucks: Are you serious? Mu Xixi at least made top ten in the Interstellar Card Tournament. What’s Piaolian got? 

Passerby Gossip Lover: People have been hyping up that top-ten spot forever. If you ask me, neither of them is the card goddess. It has to be Yan Shuiyue. 

Secretly Slacking: I almost forgot about her! Yan Shuiyue bulldozed her way to the championship in her debut year! Even my mom’s a fan. It’s a shame she disappeared after the competition. Otherwise, none of these new goddesses would even have a shot. 

Wishful Thinking: Who’s Yan Shuiyue? Can someone explain? 

KaKaYaYaYa: Yan Shuiyue—a legendary figure. Rumor says she’s a Dream Caster. A lot of the Illusion World card set she used in competitions are now collector’s items. 

Fruity Fruit: Hmm… but didn’t she never show her face? What if she’s not even good-looking? 

Grill Master: No way! Watch just one of her matches and you’ll get it. Her aura is unmatched—decisive, sharp, cold-blooded beauty vibes! If she’d shown her face, she would’ve taken the whole star system by storm! 

Saving Up For Cards: Maybe this year another dark horse will appear. 

… 

Su Liqian scrolled for a while, growing more curious about the names people kept mentioning. She started looking up profiles and battle clips on the Star Net. 

Mu Xixi, Sen Ya’s idol, was expected, and so was Piaolian, given her recent rise. But Yan Shuiyue… she stood out as someone different. 

Compared to the others, there was very little info about her online. 

Su Liqian randomly clicked on one of the battle videos. A woman in a simple, form-fitting outfit appeared, wearing a deep blue patterned mask. Her long hair flowed as she made sharp, decisive moves. 

Even from a short video, she could already feel her quiet dominance and sheer presence. 

For the first time, Su Liqian truly felt the intensity of a real high-level duel. In a blur of movement and flashing light, beautiful cards clashed and exploded with raw energy. 

Although it was just a brief moment of “entertainment” during her tense review session, Su Liqian was completely hooked on the video. She even took the chance to pick up a few battle techniques while watching. 

Though the long-anticipated placement exam was next week, Su Liqian did not dare slack off during this week’s card competition. 

By coincidence, as soon as Su Liqian entered the spectator stands of the competition venue, she spotted Ren Yi sitting there early from a distance. 

However, Su Liqian didn’t go over to greet her. Just as she was about to find a seat, she heard a voice nearby. 

“Um… Su Liqian?” 

Hearing her name, Su Liqian instinctively looked in the direction the voice came from. 

“Hey!” 

Standing out from the crowd, Ji Yanxi gave her a big wave. Tall and broad-shouldered, he was hard to miss—and he was definitely drawing some attention. 

“Wanna sit here?” 

He motioned to the empty seat beside him with a bright smile. 

Su Liqian didn’t have a good reason to say no, so she walked over and sat down. 

It was only after sitting that she noticed someone else next to Ji Yanxi— a tall, thin guy with smart glasses. 

“This is my friend Ning Yishi, a teacher at Xingqi University,” Ji Yanxi said, introducing him like they were old friends. He then patted Ning Yishi on the shoulder and added with a proud grin, “And this is the little sister I told you about—the one who beat me in the prelims.” 

“Hi, I’m Ning Yishi.” 

Ning Yishi habitually pushed his glasses up on his nose and extended his hand to greet Su Liqian politely. 

“I’m Su Liqian.” 

“I watched the video of your match. You’re a very promising card master.” 

Despite his serious appearance, Ning Yishi’s friendly smile made him feel pretty approachable. 

Still, Su Liqian couldn’t shake the odd feeling from the way he looked at her. It was like he wanted to say something but held back. 

“Do you have a match today?” 

Su Liqian asked curiously. 

She had looked at the schedule for today’s matches, and there didn’t seem to be any for Ji Yanxi. 

“Oh, no, it’s just that Ning Yishi insisted on dragging me along…” 

Cough cough. 

“…dragging me to join the fun, haha. I’m always idle at school, so I thought I’d come and watch the competition, learn some techniques. If I lose again, my instructor will definitely eat me alive.” 

“You’re not wrong,” Ning Yishi chimed in from the side, casually roasting him. 

“Anyway, you’ve got a match today, right? Perfect timing—we’re here to cheer you on! I mean, you did beat me, so you can’t let your energy drop now, right? Back me up, Old Ning!” 

“I told you not to call me that.” 

Ning Yishi gave Ji Yanxi a helpless look, then turned to Su Liqian. “Good luck with your match.” 

“Mm, thank you.” 

Su Liqian wasn’t particularly familiar with Ji Yanxi and mostly watched him trying to liven up the atmosphere. She exchanged a few words with Ning Yishi now and then. 

Looking ahead toward the center of the arena, Su Liqian’s eyes drifted to Ren Yi sitting a few rows ahead. 

Today, they weren’t classmates or roommates—they were opponents. 

Even though Ren Yi hadn’t performed well during that last training match, Su Liqian wasn’t about to underestimate her. 

As she walked out from the slightly dark corridor, Su Liqian heard a loud cheer behind her. 

She felt a moment of awkwardness—but it passed quickly. 

Su Liqian met Ren Yi’s gaze. Her expression was indifferent but carried a hint of anger. 

“This time, I’m not letting you win,” Ren Yi said flatly. “Let’s see how good you are without Ye Zilan backing you up.” 

As soon as the match officially started, Ren Yi pulled out a card. 

A flash of light passed by, and without hesitation, Ren Yi charged straight toward Su Liqian.