At first, Su Liqian thought this would just be a small episode, but unexpectedly, the next day, when Qi Feng led the team to visit the mining area, they saw that same little boy again. 

The boy was still in the ragged clothes from yesterday. He looked thin and frail, crouched not far from the mine, staring inside through a large gate. 

It seemed like he heard the noise, because he turned and looked over. 

His gaze lingered for a long time, and then he blankly turned his head back. 

Even from a distance, Su Liqian could see the yearning in his eyes. 

“Ahem—” 

Qi Feng stood at the front of the group, unusually serious as he introduced the massive crystal mine behind him. 

“We’ll be allowed to go inside and have a look around shortly, but everyone must maintain discipline. No touching anything without permission…” 

When the students, who had never seen crystal mines before, heard they could go in, their curiosity got the best of them, and they eagerly wanted to explore. 

However, once inside, they realized there wasn’t much special about the mine. 

Most of the crystals were buried underground, and they couldn’t go near the mining area. They could only watch as trucks loaded with crystals passed by them. 

“Crystals aren’t just used for energy; they can also be made into valuable crystal cards. The real place we’re visiting is up ahead.” 

Qi Feng pointed toward a large factory in the distance and led the group over. 

It was a crystal processing plant. 

Su Liqian cautiously stepped inside, her eyes curious as she looked around. 

The place was full of giant machinery, but there weren’t many workers. 

“Hello, I’m your guide today, Nini.” 

A robot appeared from around the corner and waved its mechanical arm to greet the students. 

“This is the initial processing area. The machines will do simple processing on the mined crystals. If you keep walking, you’ll reach the sorting area.” 

As the little robot spoke, it guided everyone further into the factory. 

“Some crystals are used for energy, while others are sent inside to be made into cards. Don’t be fooled by how small the crystal cards are. The process to make them is quite complex and delicate!” 

The robot’s explanations were lively, covering everything from crystal processing to how they eventually become the thin, precious cards. 

Though they couldn’t access the room where the final card-making process took place, they still learned a lot. When they left, the robot gave each of them a small crystal as a souvenir. 

“I heard that our school has some connection to the district leader of the First Star District, which is why we got to visit here!” 

Sen Ya was fiddling with the small crystal in her hand while gossiping. 

Su Liqian looked at the small crystal in her hand, but her mind wandered to the image of the boy from yesterday. 

“Wait for me.” 

Taking advantage of the brief free time before leaving, Su Liqian hurried to the spot where she had seen the boy, and sure enough, he hadn’t left. 

When the boy saw a neatly-dressed girl approaching, he instinctively took a few steps back. 

“Hello.” 

“Uh… hi.” 

Chi Yan wasn’t used to talking to people and seemed a little awkward. 

“Do you collect crystals here?” 

“Huh?” 

Chi Yan froze for a moment, glancing at the beautiful little stone in the girl’s hand. 

“I… I don’t have any money.” 

“It’s okay, you can trade it for one of those.” 

Su Liqian pointed to the pile of crystal shards stacked behind him. 

“No, no!” 

Chi Yan shook his head. 

“These aren’t worth anything. I can’t trade them.” 

“Isn’t a trade about exchanging what you want for what you need? I think those have more collectible value.” 

Chi Yan hesitated as he looked at her. 

After a long pause, he took a card out of his pocket that was covered in dust. 

“I found this in the mine before. You’re probably a card master, right? Maybe this would be more useful to you.” 

Chi Yan gathered his courage to meet Su Liqian’s gaze and handed her the card. 

He had found this card a long time ago and had been happy about it for a long time. 

He had always admired card masters—they were such a shining profession. 

Sometimes, when he passed by a store window and saw card battles playing on the screen inside, he would stop and watch for ages, even if it was pouring rain outside. 

He loved walking the street where the card shop was, just to steal a glance at the display case with all those shining cards.  

They were things he could never afford. 

So when he found this card, he had been thrilled for several days. 

Even though it didn’t look like the cards in the display. Even though it was damaged. Even though, like him, it had been abandoned… 

He had never thought of selling it, not even during his toughest times. 

And now, he had nothing else to trade. 

The small crystal in Su Liqian’s hand could feed him for a whole month. 

He couldn’t help but envy those students who got to learn freely and interact with cards as part of their daily lives. 

Chi Yan watched as Su Liqian took the card, feeling both reluctant and relieved. 

But then, he realized it had never truly belonged to him anyway. 

“Alright, I’ll take it.” 

Su Liqian looked at the card in her hand, the patterns nearly indistinguishable now. She knew it must have been a big decision for the boy. 

“If you really want to become a card master, take this. There’s still time to register.” 

Su Liqian took out a transparent card and handed it to him. 

The First Star District’s preliminaries weren’t over yet; there was still one more week of extra matches. If he was lucky, he might even make it to the finals. 

Of course, all of this depended on whether he had the chance to become a card master. 

“But…” 

“If you make it to the Star World Competition, remember to give it back to me.” 

“W-Wait, wait a second. What’s your name?” 

“Su Liqian.” 

“My name is Chi Yan.” 

Su Liqian nodded and smiled before turning to leave without saying much more. 

She didn’t think she had done much—she just wanted to offer him a possible choice. 

But that path was still tough, and no one knew if there was any chance of success. 

After all, the future would still depend on him. 

Su Liqian quickly returned to her group, and it wasn’t until she got back to her room in the evening that she took the card out again. 

It was an ordinary—or rather, a very worn-out—card. The text on the back was blurry, and the front was covered in a layer of dust that couldn’t be wiped off. 

Normally, cards made from crystal materials are highly advanced and have a long lifespan, so it’s rare for one to be in such condition. 

Su Liqian had never seen a card so damaged before. 

She tried to channel her spiritual strength into it, but the card didn’t respond, almost as if it had lost its spirit. 

“How strange, could it be that it’s not usable anymore?” 

She mumbled to herself, then didn’t think too much about it. She decided it was just a broken card and casually tossed it into her Star Moon Stone belt. 

The next day, they visited the famous Card Exhibition Hall in the First Star District. There were many cards here that had been used by celebrities, as well as some extremely rare ones. 

The moment Su Liqian entered, she felt surrounded by the spiritual energy emanating from all directions. 

This was her first time seeing so many cards, and nearly every exhibit seemed to have a story behind it. Not only were they highly collectible, but they were also extremely valuable. 

Su Liqian was more interested in the Illusion Worlds. Many of the card types here were ones she had never seen before in the Sixth Star District. 

“Dreams…” 

Su Liqian suddenly noticed a card. 

The name of this Illusion World was quite unusual. She had never heard of a card with such an abstract name. 

It was an extremely rare S-level card. 

Su Liqian looked at the description below. 

It said that this was the winning card used by Yan Shuiyue in the Interstellar Card Championship, and it was the only card from the Illusion World “Dream.” 

“Yan Shuiyue…” 

Su Liqian recalled the powerful card master she had seen in the video earlier, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect for this card. 

Just as Su Liqian was about to move on to the next exhibit, her communicator suddenly buzzed. 

NotChangingMyNameUnlessIWIn: Hi, is the B-level card from The Starry Sky She Watches Over still available? 

It was a notification about the card she had listed on the trading site. 

Su Liqian quickly logged into her trading account. 

Qian Qian Smile: Yes, it’s still available. 

NotChangingMyNameUnlessIWIn: Can I get a discount if I buy two? 

Qian Qian Smile: I can give you 10% off. 

NotChangingMyNameUnlessIWIn: Alright, thanks so much! I’ll place the order right now! 

Not long after, the website showed that two cards had been purchased. 

This was Su Liqian’s first sale. 

After selling the two B-level cards, her account balance grew. 

Before leaving, Su Liqian decided to check out the department store. 

There were many types of simulation balls here, and the cards were cheaper than in the Sixth Star District, so she couldn’t miss this opportunity. 

After making a small profit from selling cards, she had some funds available. So, Su Liqian decided to splurge a little. She bought a simulation ball she’d had her eye on for a while and also picked up two cards she hadn’t seen in the Sixth Star District. 

When she got back to the dorm, she couldn’t wait to take out the simulation ball. 

The Illustrated World was an Illusion World with a fairly large scope, and because of that, it was also quite expensive. Though Su Liqian had been interested in it before, she hadn’t bought it until now. 

But this study trip had yielded quite a lot of rewards. 

Su Liqian placed the simulation ball on the table and slowly released her spiritual strength into it. 

What she saw was a colorful, vibrant world, almost as if it had a dreamy filter. 

A young boy, looking around ten years old, stood on top of a hill. He held a blue paintbrush in his hand, and its tip danced in the air. Before long, he had sketched a vivid picture. 

He passed by a stream, moved through forests, entered cities, and returned to nature… 

Along the way, he used that one brush to draw many things. 

Eventually, he had seen all there was to see in the world and began drawing the things that lived in his heart. 

The creatures he painted began to come to life, and he created a new world of his own…