Su Liqian won, and the school forum exploded once again. 

If one win could be attributed to luck, what about two in a row? And both times, she beat top-ranked students from Chenya? 

What excuse could Chenya possibly come up with now? 

After the match, Lanxi students were busy celebrating while Chenya students were busy logging off. 

Sure, there were still a few stubborn ones hiding behind the ‘Best High School in the Sixth Star District’ title, refusing to back down. They insisted Lanxi’s wins were just lucky breaks. 

But this time, it wasn’t just Lanxi students clapping back—even random onlookers were stepping in. 

Any thread related to the match was blowing up, and the comment sections were pure chaos: 

【 Su Liqian is a beast! Lanxi is crushing it!】 

【 Hahaha, this cracked me up. Did anyone see the latest comment under Ding Tong’s post declaring war? The face slap came too suddenly, hahaha. 】 

【 Chenya’s teachers must be fuming—two of their star students lost to their rival school. Imagine trying to brag at the next district education summit now. 】 

【 I graduated from Chenya too… why do the students seem worse every year? 】 

【 It’s not that Lanxi’s stronger or Chenya’s weaker… Su Liqian’s just insane. Have y’all noticed how fast she’s grown since her first match? No matter where she goes, she’s gonna shine. 】 

【 Heh, they’re hyping her up just because she won two matches. Do they really think she’s the next Zi Lian?】 

【 Wait, what? I was offline for a few days and now you’re telling me Ke Xu lost… to a Lanxi freshman?! 】 

【 Brother, you’ve been living under a rock. Chenya is getting roasted all over the place. 】 

【 Come on, Chenya’s still Chenya. One genius doesn’t represent the whole school. Just because Su Liqian wins doesn’t mean Lanxi is better. 】 

【 I don’t know about other things, but Ke Xu and Ding Tong really represent the arrogance of Chenya. 】 

【 Can the trash from Lanxi stop stirring things up? Just because they won a few rounds, do they think they’re number one now? 】 

【 Okay, I actually knew Su Liqian back in middle school. She was barely passing. No clue what happened in high school—feels suspicious if you ask me. 】 

【 Wow, the jealousy is so strong I can smell it through my screen… Su Liqian’s just too good, and some people can’t handle it. 】 

【 To be honest, Chenya’s results are still decent, but their school culture’s been off lately. Who are they even recruiting? 】 

【 Two people got slapped in the face by the same person. Don’t they ever learn? Are the people from Chenya really this arrogant? 】 

【 Mark my words, after this year’s competition, Lanxi is gonna outrank Chenya. 】 

【 … 】 

The forum was blowing up with debates, but Su Liqian had already logged out and hopped over to her Star Art account—only to find a new section on her profile: “Su Liqian Fan Club.” 

“Huh?” 

She clicked in, confused. 

The fan club’s profile picture was a screenshot from one of her competitions. In the photo, Su Liqian’s long hair was lifted by a light breeze, revealing half her face. Though still slightly youthful, her determined and resolute gaze lit up the entire image. 

She was holding her card between two fingers, calm and confident. 

It was a great candid photo, but seeing it made her feel kind of awkward. 

Below the profile picture was a brief introduction about her, and when she glanced to the side, she saw that the fan club had already surpassed ten thousand members. 

Staring at this unexpected corner of the internet devoted to her, her eyes paused on a familiar name. 

Fan Club President: Qi Xixi. 

Wait… she wasn’t kidding last time? 

Su Liqian was stunned at how fast Qi Xi had moved. Then she spotted a few pinned posts at the top— 

📍 Records of every match Su Liqian has participated in. 

📍Records of all the original cards Su Liqian has used. 

◇◆◇ 

Each one had hundreds of comments. 

Su Liqian blinked in disbelief. 

Since the Star District qualifiers, her fan count had been gradually increasing, but it didn’t feel real until she saw so many fans supporting her. Seeing all these fans following her, cheering for her, it stirred something in her chest. 

As for her “fan club president” Qi Xi, she had already followed Su Liqian and sent her a ton of messages: 

“Idol!! Congrats on your win!! That match was SO satisfying omg hahahaha!!” 

“Ding Tong’s face was priceless 😂 This is the revenge arc I needed. Let’s see if Chenya dares talk big again.” 

“Alsooo, you’ve had over 10k fans for a while now! All the top players have fan clubs, so of course you needed one!” 

“Don’t worry, I got this! I’m good at this kinda stuff—it won’t bother you at all!” 

“…” 

“Okay, it’s all set up! Idol, you have so many fans! The fan club is so lively! Lucky I moved fast, otherwise the president’s position would be gone!” 

“…” 

Su Liqian sighed and laughed, rubbing her forehead. She finally gave in and sent a reply: 

“Thanks for setting it up.” 

Unexpectedly, right after Su Liqian sent the message, Qi Xi replied instantly: 

“!!! OMG IDOL YOU ACTUALLY REPLIED!!! 😭😭😭” 

“You’re welcome!!! Seriously, if you need anything, just sent me a message—I’m a pro at this!” 

Su Liqian chuckled and replied with a simple “Okay” before closing the app. 

The tournament wasn’t over yet, but with two wins under her belt, she pretty much had one foot in the finals already. 

She logged into the official Card Tournament site to check her ranking. 

Both of her opponents in the challenge matches had a record of three wins and one loss, meaning she would earn fifteen points per match. 

After finishing the challenge matches, she had accumulated sixty points, which, based on previous experience, was enough to confirm her entry into the Star District Finals. 

With this weight off her shoulders, Su Liqian relaxed completely and decided to go cheer for her friend’s competition in the afternoon. 

Sen Ya currently had two wins and one loss, so the pressure to advance was intense. 

Her upcoming opponents were one with three wins and one loss, and another with two wins and two losses. 

If Sen Ya wanted to secure her spot in the finals, she had to win both of these matches. 

“Aiya, don’t be so serious, you two! It’s already pretty amazing I made it this far. Every extra match I get to play is a bonus!” 

Sen Ya herself wasn’t particularly nervous. She honestly hadn’t expected to make it all the way to the Star District Semifinals, so even being part of this challenge match was a pleasant surprise. 

With the mindset of “every win is a bonus,” she didn’t feel much pressure. 

But her two friends? They were dead serious about the whole thing. Even while preparing for their own matches, they didn’t forget to constantly check in on her progress and remind her to study her opponents. 

“Did you watch the videos?” Su Liqian asked. 

“Mmhmm. Don’t worry, with you two breathing down my neck 800 times a day, how could I not?” 

Ye Zilan joked along, “You do realize we care about this match more than you do, right?” 

“Aiya, I know, I know. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best!” 

Sen Ya patted both of their shoulders and quickly ran down from the audience seats, finding an excuse to head to the preparation area. 

Who knew having chatterbox friends would feel like this? 

Even though she was super grateful to Su Liqian and Ye Zilan for all their support—and she really did want to win both matches—still… 

Sen Ya thought back to the videos she’d watched of her upcoming opponents. 

The one with two wins and two losses? That one might be winnable. But the other opponent, the one with three wins and only one loss, was seriously strong—way out of her league. 

Looking at her own record, even if she won the first match, there was no guarantee she’d advance. 

Sen Ya really wanted to keep moving forward with her friends, but unfortunately… she had excellent taste in friends. 

Every single one of them was a genius. They didn’t even seem to consider how regular people might feel! 

Do they really think getting into the finals is just that easy?” 

Sen Ya felt like crying. 

“Next up, contestant Sen Ya, please get ready!” 

The little robot’s voice snapped her back to reality. She nodded and made her way toward the contestant tunnel. 

Not far ahead, the light sliced diagonally through the corridor, dividing shadow and brightness into two distinct worlds. 

Standing just one step away from the arena, Sen Ya clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and stepped into the light. 

Her opponent was an older-looking man—definitely not his first time in a card tournament. 

Zhang Shu stared intently at the young girl in front of him, his weathered face full of seriousness and focus. 

A young girl, he thought, letting out a small sigh. 

Times had changed. He had once been that young too. Now, this new generation was already reaching arenas it had taken him years to step into… 

“Let the match begin!” 

There was no time for extra thoughts. In battle, even a moment of hesitation could be fatal. 

Zhang Shu wasn’t exactly blessed with talent as a card master, but what he did have was real battle experience. 

“Unlock.” 

Zhang Shu was the first to play a card—an A-rank weapon card from Mecha Storm—and immediately launched an attack aimed at Sen Ya. 

But Sen Ya had done her homework. She reacted quickly, drawing her cards to block and counter. 

She might not have the raw talent of Su Liqian or Ye Zilan, but she was still part of Lanxi’s elite class. And with her two friends constantly encouraging her through lots of practice, her skills weren’t top-tier, but she was still among the best of her peers. 

Zhang Shu, on the other hand, had tons of battle experience and a wide selection of cards—but most of them were lower-tier B-level ones. His natural limits held him back, but he refused to give in to fate. 

Ever since he was young, his dream had been to become a great card master, someone who could one day stand on the dazzling stage of the Interstellar Card Tournament and fight like the legendary card masters. 

But reality was harsh. After more than ten years of effort, he’d watched others in his generation either rise to the top or quit altogether, leaving him behind—still clinging to a fading dream and stubbornly circling the Star District matches. 

No one could understand just how much envy he felt the moment he saw Sen Ya. 

She was born with the kind of talent he could only dream of. 

---

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