In the end, the matter was resolved quickly, with the card test results showing no issues. Bai Yu and Hao Lin became somewhat famous in the hospital, but the whole thing wrapped up rather hastily. 

Before leaving, Su Liqian caught a glimpse of Hao Lin’s frustrated and embarrassed expression, and somehow, all the stress weighing her down lifted a little. 

Now, it was time for her to focus on preparing for the next match. 

During the few days leading up to the match, Su Liqian took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the new simulation sphere she had bought and tried to craft some cards. 

She ended up with two A-level function cards—Weapon Deconstruction from Shelter, and Perfect Pitch from Echo of Hope. 

Su Liqian couldn’t decide whether she was lucky or unlucky. 

Both cards were pretty rare. On one hand, the drop rate for these was low, so pulling them wasn’t easy. But on the other hand, they weren’t particularly useful for her right now. 

The Weapon Deconstruction card wasn’t bad. You could attach it to a weapon and then, when that weapon made contact with an opponent’s weapon, it would slowly break it down or weaken it. If used right, it could be really effective. 

But the Perfect Pitch card… felt kind of useless. 

After all, what use would perfect pitch have in a battle? 

Still, she tucked the cards away and hopped on Star Net to look up info about her next opponent. 

“Chu Yunxuan…” 

She murmured the name, finding it oddly familiar. As she scrolled through his match records, it suddenly clicked—she had faced this guy before. 

A wave of memories rushed back. Yeah, Chu Yunxuan had really left an impression. 

His fighting style was ruthless—relentless, even a bit reckless. She hadn’t seen anyone else quite like him since. 

She’d only barely scraped out a win last time thanks to catching him off guard and having higher-grade cards. But if they fought again… 

She watched all of his matches from the prelims onward, and the more she watched, the more surprised—and nervous—she became. 

This guy had improved just as fast as she had. Maybe even faster. 

Back when they first met, he was mostly using lower-grade C-level cards, yet still managed to throw off opponents who had way better sets. And in the matches that followed, he just kept proving how dangerous he really was. 

Now that he was using A-level cards too, the gap between him and the rest of the competitors had only grown wider. 

His plain and unadorned fighting style, combined with his relentless determination, had carried him to the finals. From a preliminary round with more losses than wins, to now, where he had won every match. 

It was actually kind of terrifying. 

Su Liqian had a gut feeling that Chu Yunxuan was going to be her toughest opponent yet in the finals. 

Strangely enough, she wasn’t afraid. In fact… she looked forward to it. Facing someone like him thrilled her.

She shook herself out of those thoughts and stepped away from the video replays. 

Apparently, Chu Yunxuan was also from Lanxi, just like her. But she couldn’t remember ever seeing him around school. 

Weird, considering someone with his skills should’ve been on the school’s radar. 

Definitely a mysterious one. 

A few days later, the much-anticipated match finally arrived—and as soon as Su Liqian stepped out the door, she ran into a familiar face. 

“Officer Chen?” 

She looked around curiously before her gaze landed on the young investigator. 

“Captain Gu had something come up last minute, so I’m here to handle your security today.” 

Chen Si gave her a polite smile. 

“The danger hasn’t passed yet?” 

Things had been so quiet lately that she almost forgot she was still in a risky situation. 

“Of course not. Once those people have their sights on someone, it’s not easy to shake them off.” 

Su Liqian nodded. 

Although Gu Nianye hadn’t appeared in recent days, Su Liqian suspected that the “investigation team” members had been monitoring her movements from the shadows. On one hand, they were protecting her, and on the other, they were hoping to use her to uncover clues about the mysterious organization. 

Honestly, this kind of mutual monitoring wasn’t a bad setup. Until she could handle the danger on her own, she was fine accepting the protection. 

“Thank you for your hard work.” 

“Just doing my job.” 

After a few polite exchanges, Chen Si didn’t walk right beside her; instead, he kept a consistent, subtle distance—just like before. 

Su Liqian was used to this by now. She walked her usual route and made her way to the arena.

Her match was scheduled for the afternoon, so she had lunch at home first. After waiting a bit in the audience section, it was finally time. 

“Next, let’s welcome two new star players from Lanxi High School—one is Chu Yunxuan, who has cut through every opponent and consistently displays amazing combat power in dire situations; the other is Su Liqian, the rising star of the Sixth Star District, a new fan favorite!” 

Cheers exploded from the crowd as the match began. 

Su Liqian stepped into the arena, her eyes locking onto Chu Yunxuan. 

He looked a little taller than last time, and his long bangs were trimmed short, revealing a pair of clear gray eyes. 

Chu Yunxuan wore a black and white faux two-piece top with black casual pants. His quiet, reserved demeanor gave off a refreshing yet melancholic vibe. 

Though he still had an “approach with caution” look, he seemed slightly different from before. 

He glanced at her, then looked away. His calm presence clashed with the noisy surroundings. 

But of course, that calm? Just a front. 

Su Liqian knew that, in a sense, he was a “warrior” at heart. He loved the battlefield and cherished combat. 

Facing him, Su Liqian would have to give her all. 

“Let the match begin!” 

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

In just a few seconds, both sides had fully armed themselves. 

As usual, Su Liqian wore her mecha suit and held her Frost Piercer Sword. 

Meanwhile, Chu Yunxuan pulled out an A-level Illusion gear card—Battle Until Dawn—which transformed him into the form of the boxer Lennox, and an A-level function card—Attack Power Enhancement. 

With the boost from the Illusion Card, Chu Yunxuan’s body became larger and more muscular. Red boxing gloves appeared on his hands, and with the additional attack power, even a casual punch from him became something not to be underestimated. 

Su Liqian knew better than to face him head-on. 

When she finally went up against Chu Yunxuan in battle, she quickly understood what made him so special. He was like a combat fanatic who never seemed to run out of energy, relentlessly throwing punch after punch. 

The sound of fists cutting through the air was intense. Su Liqian couldn’t even imagine what would happen if one of those punches landed on her. She might not be able to get up again. 

If it weren’t for her speed enhancement card, combined with the Swift Clouds Swordplay, Su Liqian probably would have been covered in wounds by now. 

“Whoo—whoo—” 

Chu Yunxuan’s attacks were extremely dense and powerful. 

Su Liqian had studied Chu Yunxuan’s fighting style in videos before, but experiencing it firsthand was a whole different level. 

Chu Yunxuan’s eyes were sharp and focused, his attacks quick and precise. It was clear he had a lot of real combat experience. Su Liqian immediately switched her Frost Piercer Sword for another weapon card—an A-level weapon card from Journey to the West, the Mixed Heaven Silk. 

Whoosh~ 

Su Liqian retreated several steps, and the red ribbon shot out, quickly wrapping around Chu Yunxuan’s arm, restricting his next move. 

Chu Yunxuan frowned slightly and tried to break free, but the ribbon wouldn’t snap, and it could tighten on its own. 

But Chu Yunxuan wasn’t helpless. He twisted his trapped wrist, grabbed the red silk, and yanked it hard, making Su Liqian on the other end stumble from the force. 

Before she could react, Chu Yunxuan grabbed the ribbon with his other hand, tightening it further, trying to pull her in and take control. 

Su Liqian wasn’t about to sit still. She quickly reeled the ribbon back in. 

That guy didn’t seem to be afraid of being bound by the ribbon. Even when she tried to tighten it around his body, Chu Yunxuan acted as though he didn’t feel any pain. 

What a tough opponent. Just one Illusion Card and he could unleash this much power, and he hadn’t even pulled out his weapon yet. 

Su Liqian didn’t make any rash moves. She needed to come up with a plan. 

“Su Liqian pulls out the Frost Piercer Sword again! She’s using it to fly into the air! How will Chu Yunxuan respond?” 

Whoosh~ 

Su Liqian stood mid-air on her sword, sending sword illusions toward Chu Yunxuan, but he showed no sign of fear. He raised his head and threw a punch directly toward the Frost Piercer Sword. 

Crack! 

When his fist collided with the sword tip, they were locked in a brief stalemate before the sword shattered into fragments. 

“Chu Yunxuan has also pulled out a card! It’s an A-level function card from Endless Abyss—Bloodlust Attachment!” 

“It’s from a less common Illusion World. Bloodlust Attachment allows for long-range attacks! It looks like Chu Yunxuan already has a countermeasure.” 

As the commentator spoke, Chu Yunxuan swung his fist again—now wearing blood-red boxing gloves—and a red punch shadow flew swiftly toward Su Liqian, carried by a strong gust of wind. 

“!” 

Su Liqian quickly used her sword to swerve aside, dodging the blow and landing on the ground.

With another thought, Su Liqian’s hand revealed a transparent card. 

“Here it comes! Is Su Liqian finally going to unleash her ultimate move?!” 

The commentator and the audience focused their gaze on the transparent card in Su Liqian’s hand. 

---

You can grab the full book now on my Ko-fi page, available in both PDF and EPUB formats! 🖤
📎 Here’s the link to the full novel