“Whoa, it looks like Su Liqian has crafted another card from Journey to the West! I wonder what strange thing it is this time?” 

“I’m really becoming more and more curious about this Illusion World called Journey to the West! Every time Su Liqian pulls out a card from this Illusion World, it’s always so unexpected!” 

“Wait… it’s just a tiny bottle?” 

“Hey, don’t be fooled! I’ve been following Su Liqian’s matches for a while now—this definitely isn’t an ordinary little bottle!” 

“Exactly! Every time I doubt a card Su Liqian brings out, I end up getting slapped in the face! This weapon is definitely not simple!” 

“I’m already curious about what kind of surprise this little bottle will bring us!” 

The two commentators had covered plenty of matches before, but Su Liqian had definitely made a lasting impression. She stood out among the other competitors, turning every round into something unforgettable. 

Right now, just like the fans in the audience seats, they couldn’t take their eyes off the small, elegant bottle she’d just drawn—a new weapon card made from some kind of special material. 

Meanwhile, the livestream chat was going crazy, with the screen almost completely flooded by comments: 

【I bet ten star coins that Su Liqian will win.】 

【Is it Journey to the West again? What kind of story is this? How does she always pull out such strange yet powerful cards? 】 

【First time watching this person named Su Liqian. Can someone explain what this Illusion World in her hands is?】 

【Go, Ling Xiang! I bet on you!】 

【 Please, oh please, reveal the story of Journey to the West someday! Even though I’ve only seen a few of the cards, I really like them! Mysterious and powerful! This is my dream card! 】 

【Why are so many people supporting that girl? The Sun Star Messenger is at least a top-tier Illusion Card, but how can a bottle possibly fight??】 

【Su Liqian, go!!! I’ve been a fan for so long!】 

【 The ones doubting probably haven’t seen Su Liqian’s matches. She’s already slapped so many doubters in the face… 】 

【Move aside, let me explain! The female contestant on the right side of the competition is Su Liqian, the youngest Dream Caster ever announced by the official website recently! The card in her hand is from her original Illusion World Journey to the West, which is said to be based on the legendary stories of ancient Chinese civilization!】 

【Su Liqian’s fighting style is all about surprise!】 

【 Wow, she really is a Dream Caster! She’s so young, yet her strength is terrifying! 】 

【I was originally rooting for Ling Xiang, but after reading the comments, I’m starting to doubt a bit.】 

【 Tch, no way she’s that powerful. Maybe she’ll fail this time. Look at her expression—looks like she didn’t get the card she wanted. 】 

【 Although… I still don’t believe it. What can a little bottle possibly do? Maybe pouring water could extinguish the Sun Star Messenger flames? 】 

【You know, don’t say that. I still remember the last match where she used a small container to trap Falxius…】 

【 Come on, stop hyping her up. How powerful can this little girl really be? Don’t get slapped in the face later. 】 

【… 】 

On the battlefield, Su Liqian stepped back to gain some distance. In one hand, she held the pristine white jade bottle. With the other, she grasped a branch of willow from inside it and suddenly flicked it in Ling Xiang’s direction. 

Zzzhhh!”

The water flowed from the swinging willow branch and landed on Ling Xiang’s flaming clothes, instantly extinguishing the flames. 

Ling Xiang was stunned for a few seconds before reigniting the flames on his body and charging towards Su Liqian. 

This time, the heat around him grew even more intense, almost distorting the air around him. 

But Su Liqian barely moved. She simply dipped the willow branch back into the bottle and flicked it again. Another fine stream of water sprayed out—and extinguished the roaring flames just like that. 

“!!!” 

The temperature around Ling Xiang dropped. No matter how many times he reignited, the fire was put out immediately. 

Although he had already mentally prepared for Su Liqian’s ability to craft powerful cards in the middle of a match after watching her previous battles, he couldn’t help but feel flustered when it actually happened.

That tiny little bottle in her hand seemed to hold endless water, and with just a few drops, it could completely extinguish the Sun Star Messenger’s flame. 

This wasn’t easy to deal with… 

Ling Xiang stopped his useless attacks and took a moment to think. He rapidly scanned through his mind for cards that might counter hers. 

He considered crafting a card on the spot, but there was one huge problem—he had no idea what all that bottle could do. Without knowing its full abilities, he couldn’t figure out how to counter it. 

So far, all Su Liqian had done was use its water to put out his fire. 

But… was that all it could do? 

That seemed unlikely. 

He guessed it had to be at least an A-level card. Otherwise, it couldn’t possibly extinguish an A-level flame like his. 

And if that was true… then there was no way its only function was putting out fire. 

The tide was shifting fast. Su Liqian had taken full control of the match and could attack again at any moment. She wasn’t going to give Ling Xiang the time to figure things out. 

He watched as the small girl calmly put the bottle away—and drew her long sword again, lunging straight toward him. 

“!!!” 

With the boost from her Azure Lineage mecha suit, Su Liqian moved incredibly fast. She instantly caught that brief moment of distraction from Ling Xiang. 

Swish.

It was the sound of a sword slicing through fabric. 

Even though the Sun Star Messenger cape had some level of defense, it was no match for the Frost Piercer Sword—it tore a gash right through it.

But Ling Xiang wasn’t easy to deal with either. The moment Su Liqian put away her bottle, Ling Xiang quickly backed off and pulled out a transparent card, ready to craft a new one. 

His Blue Electric Light Wheel was only barely matching up to the Frost Piercer Sword. He needed something stronger. 

Ling Xiang was a seasoned fighter. Crafting a card only took a few seconds. In the next moment, a new card appeared in his hand. 

“Unlock.” 

Both of them began drawing card after card, the battle climbing toward its peak. The commentators were getting excited too. 

“Wow! What a match! Looks like Ling Xiang isn’t backing down—he’s crafting a new card on the spot to deal with the current situation!” 

“No way—is that Hacker’s Code!?” 

One of the commentators raised his voice in surprise upon seeing the card. 

“I can’t believe we’re seeing this card in a challenge match! Looks like Ling Xiang came well-prepared!” 

It wasn’t surprising the commentators were so shocked. Hacker’s Code came from a very niche Illusion World—very few people used it. In fact, many in the audience probably hadn’t even seen it before. 

“The card in Ling Xiang’s hand is an A-level function card from Hacker’s Code—Hacker Infiltration! This card is the perfect counter to Su Liqian’s mecha suit!” 

As predicted, Ling Xiang immediately used the function card to hack into Su Liqian’s mecha suit, disabling most of its systems. 

Without its AI, the mecha suit was practically crippled. It couldn’t use weapons or its onboard intelligence systems, and was left with only minimal defense and its passive stat boosts. 

It was an Illusion world Su Liqian wasn’t familiar with, and just like that, one of her A-level cards was rendered useless. 

Su Liqian withdrew the mecha suit, and the two locked eyes once again. 

They had been fighting for over ten minutes now. Both were clearly tired, but neither dared let their guard down. 

In a fight like this, even one slip could mean defeat. 

Ling Xiang was still in his illusion gear. Now that Su Liqian had deactivated her card, he had to press the advantage. 

“Unlock.” 

A flash of card light landed in his palm, and Ling Xiang pulled out a rapid-fire gun, unleashing a barrage toward Su Liqian. 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

Su Liqian blocked the shots with her Frost Piercer Sword, then quickly used a teleportation card to vanish—only to reappear right behind Ling Xiang. 

“!” 

Ling Xiang felt a sudden chill at his back. The next thing he knew, something icy cold and sharp was at his neck. 

The Frost Piercer Sword had stopped just a centimeter from his throat. 

He swallowed hard. After a few seconds of silence, he let out a breath. 

“I lost.” 

He had gotten overconfident. After gaining the upper hand, he’d rushed to finish the fight—and completely forgot that Su Liqian might still have one last trick up her sleeve. 

He’d been fighting for too long. His normally sharp instincts were dulled by his desperation to win. That was a mistake no experienced fighter should make. 

“Wooooaaahhh!!” 

The moment Su Liqian was declared the winner, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. 

She smoothly put away the Frost Piercer Sword, which turned back into a card and was stored in her Star Moon Stone belt. 

Under the spotlight, she walked off the field and headed into the rest area. Closing her eyes, she tried to catch a few minutes of sleep—to recover her energy and spiritual strength. 

After all, she still had an even more important match coming up—a match she absolutely couldn’t afford to lose. 

There were still two more matches before her showdown with Ding Tong, which gave her less than an hour to rest. 

“Su Liqian, it’s almost time. Please get ready.” 

She didn’t know how much time had passed when a small robot from the resting area poked Su Liqian’s shoulder with its mechanical arm to remind her the match was starting soon. 

Su Liqian slowly opened her eyes, stretched lazily, and stood up. The fatigue in her eyes was completely gone. 

She was ready to face the next battle.

“Let’s welcome Ding Tong from Chenya High School! And Su Liqian from Lanxi High School!” 

The sound from the arena echoed through the corridor into Su Liqian’s ears as she slowly stepped into the familiar battleground. 

“Su Liqian?” 

Ding Tong’s condescending gaze landed on Su Liqian, her mocking tone full of provocation. 

It had been a long time since they last saw each other, but Ding Tong hadn’t changed at all from how Su Liqian remembered. 

“Today, I’ll represent Chenya… and crush you into the dirt.” 

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