Wu Yi’s steps faltered as he was about to leave. He turned back to glance at Su Liqian, who had barely made an impression. Holding back his frustration, he asked, “What else do you want?!” 

Su Liqian stepped forward, her sharp gaze sweeping over Wu Yi and the others, making him shiver. “You think you can just come and go as you please? Things don’t work like that.” 

“I’ve put up with you for long enough.” 

“Tch, what does a little girl like you think you’re going to do?” 

Wu Yi sneered, not taking the young-looking girl, who appeared no older than a high school freshman, seriously at all. 

“I heard you’re quite impressive? You look down on us rookie tournament players?” 

Wu Yi furrowed his brows. Something about her words felt off, but his ego was still pleased by the praise, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. 

“Hahaha, not that impressive, but I can easily handle people like you.” 

“Then why not have a friendly match at this event? The whole point of this exchange meeting is to let players like us spar. Us rookies are really eager to see what the top players are like.” 

The crowd around them joined in, mocking Wu Yi while also encouraging him to accept the challenge. 

With the atmosphere escalating, Wu Yi had no choice but to pretend to clear his throat. 

“Ahem, so you want to challenge me?” 

“Of course not me.” 

Su Liqian flashed a sweet, innocent smile. 

“I’m just a freshman who’s just started competing, there’s no way I could beat a senior like you. But this guy beside me is also a rookie player who made it through, and he’s been wanting to learn from you. You wouldn’t turn him down, would you?” 

Wu Yi’s gaze stiffened as it shifted to Ji Yanxi, who was standing beside her, swallowing hard. 

No way! Fight Ji Yanxi? 

Even though Ji Yanxi had been demoted to the Star District competition and had to fight his way back up, his strength was undeniable! If they fought, Wu Yi had no confidence in winning. 

After all, he was one of the guest players at this exchange meeting—if he lost, he’d be embarrassed for sure! O’Neill would definitely be upset! 

“No…” 

“Then we’ll be counting on your guidance, senior.” 

Just as Wu Yi was about to refuse, Su Liqian cut him off, constantly calling him “senior” and trapping him. 

“Hey, a match already? Who’s fighting who?” 

“It’s Wu Yi and Ji Yanxi! This will be interesting!” 

“Wu Yi? He’s a direct qualifier for the Star Realm competition. He shouldn’t lose, right?” 

“Please, Ji Yanxi isn’t bad either. Who knows how this will go?” 

“I bet Ji Yanxi will win.” 

“I bet on Wu Yi!” 

The chatter and cheering around them grew louder, and Wu Yi found himself stuck in the spotlight, unsure of how to back out now. 

“Ahem, well… okay then.” 

In the end, his vanity won over his fear, and Wu Yi nodded, trying to remain calm. 

He wasn’t necessarily going to lose, so why be scared? 

Ji Yanxi had been in the rookie tournament for so long, mixing with a bunch of amateurs—he probably regressed a lot. Wu Yi wasn’t worse than him, and he’d been training non-stop, so he wasn’t the same Wu Yi who used to follow behind Ji Yanxi, always getting beaten! 

Maybe he’d win! 

With that thought, Wu Yi gained more confidence and even started looking forward to the match. 

Since the players were all gathered in one place, word spread quickly about what had just happened. The match naturally became the main event of the exchange meeting. 

Before that, however, a big guest would be arriving to give a speech—the one and only O’Neill. 

“Thank you.” 

Ji Yanxi’s voice was soft, but Su Liqian caught it sharply. 

“No problem. But I took the liberty of arranging a match for you. Are you okay with that?” 

Ji Yanxi’s frown disappeared as he smiled. “Of course. To be honest, I’ve wanted to beat him up for a while, but couldn’t find the right opportunity. Thanks to you, I’ve got this match now, or who knows how long I’d have to wait!” 

“But, do you really trust me that much?” 

Ji Yanxi looked at Su Liqian. 

“Of course, I know your strength. After all, you’ve beaten me before, so I know you’re not bad.” 

Su Liqian smiled, half-joking, bringing the atmosphere back to a lighter mood. 

Ji Yanxi paused for a moment, let out a sigh of relief, and then said again, “Thanks.” 

Su Liqian understood his meaning and silently accepted his gratitude. 

Not long after, the noise by the entrance grew louder again, and Su Liqian turned to look. 

Through the crowd, a man with brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in a luxurious outfit, walked in. 

That was probably O’Neill. 

As a star card master, many people were excited to see him, shouting and trying to get closer to the card master they usually only saw on livestreams. 

O’Neill maintained a polite smile, occasionally waving to the “fans” on either side. 

What was supposed to be a contestant exchange meeting had turned into a fan meet-and-greet. 

Su Liqian had learned a bit about O’Neill before. 

His best achievement was making it to the finals of the Star Realm Tournament. Though he didn’t win, he became famous. After the incident with Ji Yanxi’s friend, he used the publicity to boost his profile, and with his solid skills, he became quite popular. 

Su Liqian wasn’t fond of people like him, and because of his connection to Ji Yanxi, she felt even more annoyed by O’Neill. 

The two of them didn’t approach but watched as O’Neill, surrounded by bodyguards, stepped onto the platform at the front of the hall. He adjusted his sleeves, waved his hand, and gestured for everyone to quiet down. 

Since they were all elite players, the noise soon died down. 

“Greetings to all elite contestants of the Card Tournament. I am Card Master O’Neil.”

Applause and cheers followed his pause, and O’Neill smiled contentedly, continuing, “I’m really happy to be here at the Zhouyi Star Realm exchange event. It’s a pleasure to be here with all you talented young players. I was once like you, so I understand exactly what you’re going through. I believe that in the future, many of you will become excellent card masters and achieve even greater things than I have…” 

O’Neill’s words were smooth, stirring the emotions of many young players. 

His gaze slowly swept the room and seemed to linger a moment longer on Ji Yanxi. 

“I’m sure you’ve all had moments of doubt and confusion on your journey. Don’t hesitate to speak up now, maybe I can help with some answers.” 

Then came the usual guest Q&A session, and Su Liqian glanced over at Ji Yanxi. 

He hadn’t said a word since earlier. 

“Don’t worry about me.” 

Ji Yanxi seemed to notice her gaze and smiled to reassure her. 

Su Liqian shifted her gaze back to the platform, where many card masters were eager to ask questions. 

After all, it was a rare opportunity to get answers from a card master of such a high level in person. Everyone hoped to have a face-to-face exchange with O’Neill. 

Su Liqian wasn’t interested in asking any questions. She simply stood there, listening to the others. 

O’Neill’s answers were always filled with flattering words, with only a few useful bits of information mixed in. After a while, Su Liqian lost interest. 

Her first impression of O’Neill was that he was a hypocrite and fond of using flowery words.

The Q&A session was extended due to the enthusiastic questions from the crowd, and it didn’t wrap up until close to noon. 

“O’Neill is even more approachable than I imagined!” 

“Yeah, he seems pretty easygoing, doesn’t act all high and mighty.” 

“Of course! O’Neill is not only a good person, but he’s also really powerful. Maybe you should consider joining his fan club?” 

“…” 

The guest lecture session ended, and everyone had positive opinions about O’Neill. The strange looks directed at Ji Yanxi had only increased. 

“He’s the one who’s been secretly getting back at O’Neill because of personal grudges!” 

“Really? He looks so good, how could his character be so bad?” 

“How could someone like him, an ordinary player, defeat O’Neill? O’Neill must have refrained from fighting back!” 

“…” 

It seemed Ji Yanxi had long been accustomed to such rumors, and at least on the surface, they didn’t seem to affect him. 

The exchange event would last the whole day. After the guest talks, a variety of lunch options would be available in the hall, and the afternoon was mainly free time for the contestant to interact with each other. There would also be platforms available for them to spar and practice. 

After the lecture, O’Neill didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he made his way to a lounge, where Wu Yi and Chen Lin were waiting. 

“Master, master, you have to help me.” 

As soon as O’Neill entered the room, his ever-present elegant smile disappeared, and he glanced at Wu Yi impatiently. “What now?” 

“Master, it’s Ji Yanxi.” 

Upon hearing this name, O’Neill’s eyelid twitched, and his previously lazy attitude changed instantly. 

“Him? What happened?” 

“Ji Yanxi heard that I have a good relationship with you, and now he’s insisting on challenging me! Isn’t he challenging your authority? It must be because the previous punishment wasn’t enough, this Ji Yanxi has forgotten the pain after the scar healed!” 

O’Neill listened quietly to Wu Yi’s complaints. He didn’t fully believe all the exaggerations, but one thing was certain. 

“You’re going to fight with Ji Yanxi this afternoon?” 

“Yes! master, although Ji Yanxi isn’t much of a threat, I still want to be cautious…” 

Wu Yi carefully glanced at O’Neill. 

O’Neill understood what he meant and snorted. He casually took a card from his wrist and handed it over. 

“Take it. Don’t let me down.” 

“Yes, master! This time, I’ll make sure Ji Yanxi is crushed under my feet in front of everyone.” 

Wu Yi’s eyes gleamed with anticipation and malice. 

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