Sen Ya’s final match was scheduled for the next morning. After Ye Zilan easily wrapped up his own match, he returned to find Sen Ya arriving late with two very noticeable dark circles under her eyes. 

“What happened? Didn’t sleep well last night? Don’t worry too much… what if you end up… winning?” 

His voice got quieter the more he spoke, but he still gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 

“Aiya, Qian Qian’s already given me a whole pep talk just now. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best.” 

Su Liqian noticed the troubled look on Sen Ya’s face and still wasn’t fully at ease. “Yeah, just do your best. It’s okay whether you win or not.” 

Although Su Liqian said it casually, Sen Ya was stunned when she heard it. 

It’s okay whether I win or not…? 

Up until now, both of them always emphasized that she had to move on to the next round. But today, their attitude had totally shifted. 

Had they noticed something was off with her? 

Sen Ya didn’t have the energy to dwell on it. Right now, she had one thing on her mind—get through this match. 

Today’s opponent was strong. Really strong. Honestly, she didn’t think she stood a chance at winning. 

In fact, this might very well be her last match in the Interstellar Card Tournament. 

And just like that, “last match” suddenly took on a whole new meaning… 

After her last match yesterday, she found herself—almost against her own will—looking up info on her opponent, Zhang Shu. She ended up staying up all night watching his past matches. 

From a young rookie full of promise to a middle-aged man with lines etched into his face, the one thing that never changed was the unwavering determination in his eyes, and his borderline-obsessive respect and passion for every match he played. 

After learning his story, Sen Ya’s mind was in chaos. 

Just like he said—she had decent talent, sure, but nowhere near his level of hard work. He made it this far running on pure passion. So what about her? 

What was she fighting for? 

Even as she stood on the battlefield, that question kept circling in her mind. 

She didn’t have the answer yet, but what she did know was that she couldn’t keep treating matches like some casual competition. 

Some people saw this as more important than life itself—what right did she have to treat it like just another competition she could win or lose? 

Her opponent might be too strong to beat but if she didn’t hold out till the very end, how would she ever know what could’ve happened? 

At the very least, she needed to go in with a winning mindset. That’s what Zhang Shu had taught her. 

She saw miracles happen in him—so why couldn’t she create one, too? 

Hoo… 

Sen Ya inhaled, and everything around her seemed to quiet down. In the distance, she could almost hear her friends cheering for her. 

They were still waiting for her good news. She couldn’t just give up like this. 

When she opened her eyes again, it was like she’d become a whole new person. The fatigue and hesitation were gone, and in her eyes, a small but steady flame had started to burn. 

“Unlock.” 

“Unlock.” 

The two of them launched their attacks almost simultaneously. As sparks flew, an intense showdown began. 

“This Cheng Ming is really experienced…” Ye Zilan said with a serious expression as he kept a close eye on the match. 

“Yeah, it’s hard to find any openings,” Su Liqian nodded. “But I think we’ve got to give Sen Ya some credit, too.” 

She smiled and looked down at the match, just like Ye Zilan. 

“Don’t you think Sen Ya’s a little different today?” 

“Different?” 

Ye Zilan looked a little closer—and sure enough, there was something different about how she was moving. 

The three of them had trained together a lot. They were all familiar with each other’s styles. So when Ye Zilan took a closer look, the change was obvious. 

“She’s more decisive than before.” 

He watched for a while and finally put it into words. 

“Yeah… maybe she really has a chance to win this one.” 

Su Liqian felt genuinely happy for her friend’s growth and couldn’t help feeling a little anticipation for the outcome. 

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, both players had very different things on their minds. 

Sen Ya was focused entirely on doing her best. 

Cheng Ming, on the other hand, who had entered the match full of confidence, was now slightly surprised after a few rounds of back-and-forth. He realized he needed to reassess his opponent. 

Whoosh.

In Sen Ya’s hand was an A-level weapon card from Mecha Storm—Blue Lightning Whip. The whip crackled with electricity and sliced through the air with a sharp, fierce sound. 

In Cheng Ming’s hand was an A-level weapon card from Shelter—the Sonic Electric Guitar. The guitar, a flashy blend of red and black, could unleash a powerful ultrasonic wave with just a flick, disrupting the opponent’s movements. 

Crack!

Sen Ya swung her whip fiercely, trying to disarm Cheng Ming and stop him from launching further attacks. 

But Cheng Ming had another card up his sleeve—another A-level weapon card from Shelter: Sonic-Speed Shoes. These lightning-emblazoned shoes gave him a huge speed boost, making him almost impossible to catch. 

After a few failed attempts to land a hit, Sen Ya made a quick decision and slapped a speed-boost card onto her weapon, trying to match Cheng Ming’s pace with her now-enhanced whip. 

That move had some effect—but with Cheng Ming’s experience, dodging Sen Ya’s still-unpolished attacks wasn’t all that difficult. 

Crack! Crack! Crack! 

The whip lashed against the ground, producing ear-piercing sounds. 

Meanwhile, Cheng Ming weaved through the attacks while casually strumming his guitar, sending wave after wave of high-frequency sonic blasts toward Sen Ya. 

These wide-area attacks were tough to block. Sen Ya had no choice but to throw up a temporary shield to absorb the impact. 

But the shield couldn’t fully block out the sound. Even dulled, the sonic waves still rattled her senses and threw her off. 

The guitar’s attack was a type of mental assault. If she couldn’t find a counter soon, she could end up getting knocked out without even realizing it.

Shaking her head to clear the fog, Sen Ya tried to focus.

Wait. She had seen Cheng Ming’s past matches. Su Liqian and Ye Zilan had even helped her analyze his strategies.

Yes, this was a move he’d used before!

Her eyes lit up as the realization hit. She looked up sharply and pulled a transparent card from her belt.

“Sen Ya has chosen to craft a card on the spot! Let’s see if this card can turn things around for her!” 

The commentator was on the edge of their seat. 

“Whoa! It worked! That’s a B-level summoning card from Mecha Storm—the Supersonic Jet!” 

“That jet can deploy a soundproof field—perfect for countering sonic attacks. But I think what Sen Ya was really hoping for was the A-level weapon card: the Sound Breaker Rifle.” 

“I agree. It looks like her card draw luck wasn’t great this time. Still, even though it’s not the specific card she aimed for, if she uses it well, she might still be able to break out of this deadlock!” 

“Yeah, this match is far from over. Let’s see what she does next!”

Sen Ya didn’t seem too disappointed. She knew the odds of pulling a specific card were around one in five. It wasn’t the exact card she’d aimed for, but it was close enough—the Supersonic Jet could still help her out of her current predicament. 

“Activate Supersonic Field.” 

She issued the command, and the jet zipped over to hover above her. A translucent sound-dampening field expanded downward, surrounding her completely. 

The shield not only blocked out sonic waves but also moved with her, keeping her protected as she repositioned. It wouldn’t hold forever—especially with the level difference—but it bought her valuable time. 

Cheng Ming saw the change and immediately switched tactics. He put away his ultrasonic guitar and pulled out a new card—another A-level gear card from Shelter. 

This was the situational awareness of an experienced player. The moment he realized a certain attack method wasn’t working, he didn’t hesitate to switch tactics, always keeping the initiative in his hands. 

With a flash of light, his casual clothes morphed into a white t-shirt and brown overalls—an outfit belonging to Shelter’s legendary weapons master, Porter. 

It looked harmless, even plain—but those overalls were full of hidden weapons. Even the shirt had a few surprises. 

As part of the Shelter Illusion World card set, this Illusion gear card gave a 5% attack bonus when using weapons. 

Cheng Ming reached into one of the oversized pockets and pulled out a sleek, high-tech bow. 

It didn’t come with arrows—but when he pulled the string, a glowing green arrow of energy appeared, ready to fire. 

Sen Ya quickly responded, commanding the Supersonic Jet to disrupt him while she cracked the Blue Lightning Whip again. 

The whip struck down the dense barrage of arrows, and the clash between lightning and energy sparked a series of small explosions. 

While Sen Ya focused on defense, Cheng Ming seized the moment. Using the arrow storm as cover, he dashed forward. 

He grabbed the front end of his bow and twisted—revealing a sharp, curved blade hidden inside. 

Rip!

The sound of fabric tearing. 

Though the Supersonic Jet’s sensors helped her detect Cheng Ming’s move just in time, he still managed to leave a long gash on her. 

He was fast. 

Still, she wasn’t done. As Cheng Ming lunged in for another strike, Sen Ya adjusted the whip’s length with a swift spin and lashed it straight at him. 

CRACK! 

She thought she caught a whiff of burning skin. 

And when she looked up—yes. A burnt streak now marked Cheng Ming’s side. 

She’d landed a solid hit. There was hope! 

Not giving him a chance to recover, Sen Ya pressed her attack, keeping the pressure up. 

Cheng Ming, having suffered once, didn’t dare get careless again. He quickly pulled out another card—an A-level weapon Card from Star Sea Odyssey—Phantom Cube. 

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