Su Liqian felt the intense pressure from the S-level card and adjusted her breathing to calm her overly tense nerves. 

There was a huge gap between A-level and S-level cards. Su Liqian knew that winning this match would be tough unless… she had an S-level card of her own. 

She suddenly remembered the “unfinished” S-level card from before, but quickly dismissed the thought. 

Her spiritual strength was running low, and if she tried to complete the card now, she could easily faint from exhaustion right on the battlefield. 

She couldn’t afford to take that risk. 

She needed to stay calm—there had to be a way out. 

Su Liqian had only a few seconds to come up with a strategy. 

Meanwhile, Chu Yunxuan took out the S-level Illusion  gear card from Starfall Without Light, summoning the armor of the fallen star, Suyin. 

A blinding light enveloped Chu Yunxuan, and when it faded, his slender figure was floating in mid-air. 

He wore a golden and white, ancient Greek-style “holy armor” that draped over his body. His short hair had transformed into waist-length white locks, fluttering behind him. 

Golden patterns flickered faintly on his face, his eyelashes had turned white, and his pale golden eyes were unreadable. 

Star-shaped ornaments hung from his ears, waist, and wrists—he resembled a divine, untouchable figure who had stepped down into the mortal realm. 

He showed no emotion—noble and full of overwhelming presence. 

The light emanating from Chu Yunxuan pushed back the thick fog all around, though the glow was beginning to flicker, and a part of it seemed to be turning faintly transparent. 

Su Liqian’s eyes lit up. 

Her spiritual strength was running low, but how much did Chu Yunxuan have left after using that card? 

Though she hadn’t used an S-level card before, she knew they consumed much more spiritual strength than A-level cards. 

Chu Yunxuan was around her age, so he probably hadn’t used S-level cards many times. His lack of experience and insufficient spiritual strength were his biggest weaknesses! 

In one word: stall! 

If she could just hold out until his spiritual strength was exhausted, she would win. 

But before that, she had to figure out how to survive under the intense assault of his S-level card. 

Chu Yunxuan slowly raised one hand and lightly tapped the air with a finger. A beam of light, carrying immense force, shot straight toward Su Liqian. 

‼︎BANG!!

At the last moment, Su Liqian used a teleportation card to dodge the attack. However, the spot where the beam hit was scorched with a black hole, making a deafening sound. 

This was a specially designed floor for the competition, and ordinary attacks couldn’t leave marks. 

It was clear how powerful that attack had been. 

Su Liqian felt a shiver run down her spine. 

A regular defense card would likely be ineffective against such an attack. 

But after this strike, the light around Chu Yunxuan weakened. She just had to hold out one more time! 

Su Liqian activated her mecha suit’s defense mode, taking out a shield card and a transparent card. 

One shield might not be enough—she needed to craft another one. 

She quickly visualized the world from Oracle’s Legacy as Chu Yunxuan prepared for his next attack. 

The audience held their breath, watching intently.

Could Su Liqian craft her cards in time? Could she block the next strike? 

Would Chu Yunxuan succeed again? How much longer could he last? 

Who would win? 

Bang!!

A violent tremor shook the arena, accompanied by a cloud of white smoke, obscuring everyone’s view. 

When the smoke cleared, the crowd was stunned to find both contestants still standing, unharmed. 

However, a closer look revealed that Chu Yunxuan had dispelled his armor, and his clothes were now torn. 

On the other side, Su Liqian wasn’t doing much better. Her hair was blown into a messy curtain over her shoulders, her clothes were covered in dust, and faint traces of blood were beginning to seep through.

“So… who won?” 

Someone in the audience couldn’t help but voice the question aloud.

In the next moment, Chu Yunxuan, standing on the left, spat out a mouthful of blood and suddenly collapsed to one knee. 

The judge scanned him with something, and the large display screen next to Chu Yunxuan flickered and went dark. 

“It’s Su Liqian! Su Liqian wins!” 

“Su Liqian managed to craft an A-level defense card in the final second. With the three cards combined, she barely managed to block Chu Yunxuan’s strike! That was so close!” 

“Indeed, and Chu Yunxuan eventually lost his ability to fight due to spiritual strength exhaustion—what a shame! But we have to admit, this was an absolutely stunning match! Let’s thank both competitors for giving it their all and treating us to such a visual feast!” 

When the results were announced, the audience was silent for a second before erupting into loud cheers. 

Su Liqian heard her name being called by many people. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and dragged her tired body over to Chu Yunxuan. 

Through his blurred vision, Chu Yunxuan saw a hand appear before him. He looked up to find the person he had longed to defeat standing before him. Her gaze wasn’t one of superiority, but of appreciation. 

But Chu Yunxuan didn’t shake her hand. Instead, he pushed himself up. 

“I’m Su Liqian, a freshman at Lanxi.” 

Chu Yunxuan paused, surprised by her sudden introduction. He opened his mouth and replied, “Chu Yunxuan.” 

“Hmm, hello. By the way, would it be okay to exchange contact information?” 

Chu Yunxuan froze again, then looked up to see Su Liqian’s questioning smile. 

“You’re really amazing. You’re one of the strongest opponents I’ve ever met, so I’d like to add your contact. Of course, if it’s inconvenient, that’s fine…”

Su Liqian noticed his hesitation and realized she might have been too abrupt. 

“…Alright.” 

Chu Yunxuan’s voice was hoarse, but he nodded, took out his communicator, and exchanged contact information with her. 

“You too.” 

“Huh?” 

Su Liqian was confused by his sudden, unfinished sentence. It took her a moment to realize he probably meant, “You’re also one of the strongest opponents I’ve met.”

“Thanks. We’re in the same school, so we should talk more. By the way, there are often practice matches at school. How come I’ve never seen you join?” 

Given Chu Yunxuan’s strength, he should have had no problem getting into the Special Class. However, Su Liqian had never seen him there, and she hadn’t spotted him in any of the special training sessions set up for advanced students either. 

“Hmm… I’ll go later,” Chu Yunxuan said, meeting her gaze with a quiet resolve. 

One day, he would win. 

Su Liqian nodded and noticed the injuries on him. “Are you okay? Let me help you out.” 

Chu Yunxuan didn’t speak, but he limped out on his own. 

Such a stubborn kid. 

Su Liqian chuckled lightly and followed him. 

The cheers around them were still deafening. As she glanced towards the exit, she saw that Chen Si was already waiting there. 

His single lens gave him a somewhat unreadable expression. He noticed her and walked over with a smile. 

He only left after making sure Su Liqian got safely to her doorstep. 

Back in her room, Su Liqian stared out the window, watching his figure disappear as she pondered quietly. 

The Interstellar Tournament was in full swing, and various star districts were discussing their local card masters and the exciting matches. 

Today, Su Liqian and Chu Yunxuan’s match had become quite the hot topic in the Sixth Star District. After all, S-level cards were rare at this stage. 

There was even a real-time popularity ranking and a card player leaderboard on the Star Art website. 

The leaderboard was based on a card master’s past achievements and influence. As for a pure skill ranking, it would be different from the one in the Interstellar Tournament. 

Su Liqian clicked to check it out anyway. The top ten were filled with familiar names, with a card master named Zi Lian currently at number one. 

Mu Xixi was ranked fifth, and Yan Shuiyue, having only participated in one card competition, was just barely at number ten. 

There was also another ranking, which was like the “hot search” for the interstellar world, updating the latest trending news from various districts. 

Su Liqian switched to the hot search list for the Katya Star, which mostly featured topics related to the card competition. 

#ZiLianTour 

#StarRealmTournamentOpeningGuest 

#StarRealmExhibitionMatchCandidates 

#MuXixiFanMeeting 

#DarkHorsePlayersfromEachStarDistrict 

#PiaolianNotAfraidOfNewChallengers 

◇◆◇ 

Opening guest of the Star Realm Tournament? Exhibition match? 

Su Liqian saw some information about the Star Realm Tournament and curiously clicked on it. 

【By the way, which Star Realm is hosting the opening ceremony this year?】

【Last year it was in Zhouyi, so this year it’s probably going to be in Huiyan, Fimu, or Xilin.】

【Does the Asqiuna Star Realm not have the qualifications to host?】

【That place is way too remote to handle such a big event. There’s barely anyone there.】

【The Star Realm Tournament’s opening ceremony is a big deal in the whole of Katya Star. Every Star Realm wants to host it, but I wonder who they’ll get for the exhibition match this year.】

【I’m dreaming of Zi Lian being invited.】

【That’s definitely a dream… Zi Lian never participates in these kinds of tournaments.】

【This Star Realm Tournament has such a grand setup, I envy the players who made it to the finals.】

【Anyone who makes it to the Star Realm Tournament has already passed several rounds of tough elimination. The government is definitely willing to invest. We’ll just watch the livestream and enjoy the show!】

【Pfft, the exhibition match is held in Katya’s largest arena. Even players who made it to the tournament might not get the chance to play there. Might as well seize the opportunity to get a glimpse—it might be the only time!】

【Even before the opening ceremony starts, people are already throwing shade. I bet it’s someone who didn’t even make it past the Star District Finals.】

【…】

The comment section was lively, and Su Liqian quickly got the gist of things. 

Before every Star Realm Tournament begins, there’s a grand opening ceremony. 

Although the tournament is still between the districts of each Star Realm, the players are already elite card masters who’ve passed multiple rounds. 

Once they clear this stage, the competition won’t just be with newcomers. Those who’ve ranked in higher-level tournaments and earned a direct pass to the district finals, the so-called “big shots,” will join in as well. 

So, the Star Realm Tournament is a major turning point. 

The later stages won’t be easier—they’ll be even more brutal. 

But the card tournament officials are always generous when it comes to investing in talented players. The opening ceremony is a major event for every planet, and all the qualified players are invited to Katya’s biggest competition venue, the designated tournament arena, to attend the grand event. 

Even if they don’t make it to the Planetary tournament in the end, at least they’ve been to this dreamlike place. 

On top of that, after the opening ceremony, there’s always a much-anticipated exhibition match, usually featuring well-known card masters who are on the ranking list, giving a stunning performance for the newcomers. 

Su Liqian wasn’t even sure if she’d make it to the tournament, but she was already looking forward to this so-called opening ceremony. 

After checking out the hot topics, Su Liqian laid back on her bed and watched some videos. 

For a long time, she’d mostly been watching matches from the Sixth Star District in preparation for her own competition, so she didn’t know much about tournaments in other districts. She thought she’d spend some time today catching up on the info. 

In the free discussion forum, there were various exciting clips from different tournaments. Su Liqian was enjoying the videos when she suddenly noticed a familiar face. 

Chi Yan? 

It had been ages since she last saw him. 

She knew he had made it past the preliminary rounds of the card tournament, but she hadn’t kept up with his progress. To her surprise, he had made it all the way to the finals. 

Talk about a silent but impressive rise. 

In the video, the young man still looked a bit thin, but he had grown taller. His face, once marked with shyness and insecurity, now carried a determined look. 

This was the kind of image a young person should have. 

Su Liqian smiled with some satisfaction and turned off her communicator after watching the video, falling into a deep sleep. 

With a few days left until her next match, Su Liqian spent her time either in class or training in the special practice room. 

Today, she saw an unexpected figure in the training room—Chu Yunxuan. 

“Hey, isn’t that the guy you played against the other day? Chu Yunxuan, right? Doesn’t he usually skip these training sessions?” 

Sen Ya leaned over to gossip with Su Liqian. 

“I remember when he pulled out an S-level card last time, I was so nervous for you. This Chu Yunxuan seems special. Do you think he’s here because of you?” 

Before Su Liqian could answer, Chu Yunxuan’s gaze landed on her from across the room, and he slowly walked over. 

“Want to train together?” 

He seemed a bit awkward about making such an invitation, his gaze wandering, not daring to look Su Liqian directly in the eyes. 

Su Liqian had originally planned to refuse since she was supposed to practice with Sen Ya, but her partner interrupted. 

“Sure, you two go ahead. I was thinking of taking a break today anyway. You don’t know how tough it is playing against Qian Qian every day! Now with you here, I get to watch an exciting match, hehe.” 

Sen Ya laughed, patting Su Liqian’s shoulder and winking at her. 

Chu Yunxuan nodded but still looked at Su Liqian for her approval. 

“Since it’s like this… fine, you’re indeed a good opponent.” 

Su Liqian shrugged and walked with Chu Yunxuan to one of the practice platforms. 

This time, Chu Yunxuan seemed to have learned from his previous mistake. He was much more cautious, and after several rounds, neither of them gained a clear advantage. 

Though the practice match required seriousness, it was also about keeping things within limits, so Chu Yunxuan didn’t pull out his S-level card. 

However, he seemed to have improved, and after a few more rounds, the match ended in a draw. 

Su Liqian wiped the sweat off her forehead and smiled as she extended her hand to Chu Yunxuan. 

This time, he didn’t refuse. Instead, he shook her hand. 

“Let’s do this again sometime.” 

“Sure.” 

Before they knew it, a crowd had gathered around, drawn in by the excitement of the match. Even after the competition ended, some of them still seemed reluctant to leave. 

“Alright, alright, everyone go back and train. Or… is there anyone who wants to try their hand?” 

Su Liqian had become the undefeated legend in this training room, and the others didn’t want to be “educated” by her, so they quickly dispersed. 

“By the way, has anyone seen Ye Zilan recently?” 

Su Liqian glanced around and asked. 

“Ah, him? I heard he’s been doing devilish training lately. He already lost one match, and if he wants to make it to the next stage, he can’t afford to lose again.” 

Sen Ya was always the most well-informed. 

“What about you?” 

Su Liqian turned to Sen Ya. 

“Ah? Me…?” 

Sen Ya, under Su Liqian’s gaze, suddenly felt a bit nervous and awkwardly chuckled. 

“I… I also lost a match, so making it to the next stage is looking a little uncertain. The competition’s getting tougher… sigh…” 

As she spoke, Sen Ya flopped onto the table and sighed dramatically. 

“I want to make it to the next stage too, but my skills just aren’t there.” 

She looked at Su Liqian with a pitiful gaze, trying to earn some sympathy and shut down any criticism Su Liqian might have. 

In reality, Sen Ya had improved a lot, and Su Liqian often trained with her, intentionally helping her fill gaps and practice specific areas. 

But clearly, it wasn’t enough. 

To make it to the Star Realm competition, everyone had to give 200% effort. 

“Then let’s do devilish training together.” 

“Ah? Again?!” 

Sen Ya sighed dramatically again, glaring at Su Liqian, or rather, at the “devil” in front of her. 

“Don’t want to?” 

Under Su Liqian’s pressuring gaze, Sen Ya shivered, as if rejecting her would lead to her friend’s relentless torture. 

“Of course, I want to! I love training; it makes me happy!” 

Seeing Sen Ya’s expression, Su Liqian couldn’t help but laugh. 

She knew that although Sen Ya looked lazy on the outside, deep down, she really wanted to get stronger and join them in the Star Realm competition. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to this training so easily, and she definitely wouldn’t have kept quiet about the pain after every brutal match. 

She just needed a little push, and Su Liqian was more than happy to be that push. 

The so-called “devilish training” wasn’t anything too special. What Sen Ya lacked most was the ability to adapt to real combat and card crafting. So, Su Liqian increased the intensity of her practical training. 

They practiced mock battles while also running together every morning to build up their physical strength. 

As for card crafting, while Su Liqian seemed quite skilled, there wasn’t much she could teach Sen Ya. 

Building an Illusion World was a mysterious and elusive thing; perhaps it could be considered a kind of innate talent. Some people were simply born with wild and creative ideas. 

And in the relatively unimaginative interstellar age, Sen Ya was already pretty good. 

“Then, let’s take advantage of the time before the competition to practice more. It will also help us accumulate more cards for the tournament.” 

Su Liqian ignored her friend’s complaints and seriously assigned Sen Ya the homework of crafting two cards every day. 

Of course, while giving Sen Ya devilish training, Su Liqian didn’t slack off on her own efforts either. 

Getting familiar with the new simulation sphere, she made it a goal to craft three cards a day. 

During this time, she also secured her fourth victory, bringing her one step closer to that seemingly unreachable goal. 

Perhaps it was because there had been no real danger lately, Gu Nianye and Chen Si stopped shadowing her all the time, leaving only a contact number in case of danger. 

Su Liqian nodded, understanding. 

After all, they still had ongoing investigations. They couldn’t stay in the Sixth Star District forever. 

The Star District Finals had reached the middle stage, and the results were becoming clearer. 

Those who had lost at least one match were already eliminated from the Star Realm Tournament, while those still undefeated became the seed players for the Star Realm competition. 

On the forum, discussions about the advancement list were heating up, with everyone placing bets and predicting how accurate their final predictions would be. 

Of course, there was also conflict between the Star Districts.

People were speculating which star players would emerge from their district this year, and who would stand out in the Star Realm Tournament. 

【This year, our district is definitely first!】 

【That’s b*llshit, we have a really strong player in our district, first place is ours!】 

【…】 

Such debates filled most of the discussion. 

The same thing was happening in the Illusion World forums. 

And this year, the usually quiet Sixth Star District had been unusually active. 

【Hahaha, this year our star district has Ji Yanxi! First place is definitely ours, right? It’s been so many years, and we’re finally going to have our moment!】

【Ha, you guys are acting like one Ji Yanxi is all it takes. Our Fifth Star District has a ton of players just like him!】

【Yeah, keep talking. Besides Piaolian, who else do you even have in the Fifth Star District?】

【Please, Piaolian alone can crush everyone, alright?】

【Piaolian vs Ji Yanxi? They’ve never faced off, right? Honestly, who would win is anyone’s guess.】

【I feel like the Fourth Star District has some strong players too. Heard there’s a ‘Little Zi Lian’ this year.】

【You’re all just talking big. They haven’t even made it to the Star Realm yet and are already hyping up ‘Little Zi Lian.’ Ridiculous.】

【Heh, the Sixth Star District has a Dream Caster this year, and she’s been doing pretty well. She even beat Ji Yanxi before.】

【Come on, everyone knows Ji Yanxi threw that match, right? It’s just some little kid, do you really think they could beat Ji Yanxi and take first place?】

【Alright, alright, stop talking. We don’t even know if these players will make it to the finals yet…】

【”…”】

Su Liqian glanced at her schedule and the live rankings. 

This year’s star district competition will advance 100 players, and if she keeps her winning streak, she’ll likely be in the top 90. 

Which means there are still about ten spots left for players who’ve lost a match to fight for. 

Looking at the situation, it seemed like this year there would likely be a tiebreaker round. 

As the competition neared its end, the tension grew. There were only two more matches left, and if Su Liqian won both, she’d be guaranteed a spot in the Star Realm. 

At this crucial moment, even Bai Yao and Su Mingyang didn’t dare disturb their daughter. They simply focused on preparing her meals and offering the occasional word of encouragement.

Though Su Liqian didn’t need motivation from others, having a quiet, comfortable environment to prepare in was still nice. 

Su Liqian’s opponent in the fifth match was a student from a university in the Sixth Star District. Due to health issues, this player had missed a round of matches and had their previous results wiped, so they had to start from the district competition. 

This situation was somewhat similar to Ji Yanxi’s, but Li Xuexiao, this player’s name, was definitely not on the same level as Ji Yanxi. 

Even so, Su Liqian didn’t dare underestimate her opponent. 

The data showed that Li Xuexiao had an A-level spiritual strength, and her combat ability in previous match videos was decent, though not outstanding. 

Su Liqian also went back and watched videos from the round Li Xuexiao missed. She had been much more energetic back then, with a nimble combat style. 

Now, after years of experience, Li Xuexiao had become more stable, but she lacked some of her previous flair. 

Su Liqian also noticed something: from her outfit, it seemed like Li Xuexiao came from a wealthy family. She often used custom cards targeted at her opponents, probably using her money ability. 

However, Li Xuexiao had a fatal flaw: her card crafting abilities were very limited, likely due to past damage to her spiritual strength or simply a lack of imagination. She rarely crafted cards above B-level by herself. 

Seeing Li Xuexiao pull out A-level cards one after another during the match, Su Liqian couldn’t help but wonder how much money it must have taken to train a card master like her. 

Before the match officially began, Su Liqian didn’t slack off. She completed her card crafting tasks every day and managed to create some great cards recently. 

She had crafted an A-level weapon card, Extreme Freeze Twin Guns, and Void Shield from Shelter; an A-level illusion card, Cheerful Symphony, from Echo of Hope; and an A-level gear card from Oracle’s Legacy.

The A-level card from Oracle’s Legacy was the illusion gear of Elder Leyuan from the Palace of Celestial Serenity. 

As for the other duplicate cards and those not useful in competitions, Su Liqian listed them all for sale on a trading website. 

Preparation time always flew by, and before long, the day of the competition arrived. 

After hearing that her friends Sen Ya and Ye Zilan had already won their matches, Su Liqian felt some of her worries lifted, and she entered the match full of confidence. 

Li Xuexiao approached with a bright smile. 

Though she was a little older than Su Liqian, she came across as innocent and cute. 

“Hi! I’ve been following your matches this whole time. I didn’t expect I’d get to go up against you! Oh, by the way, is it okay if we follow each other on Star Art after the match?”

Her bright smile and hopeful look made Su Liqian hesitate to say no, so she nodded with a smile. 

“Sure.” 

“Thank you! Let’s do our best! Even though you’re amazing, don’t think I’m slacking off!” 

With that, the two exchanged pleasantries, and the match began. 

Li Xuexiao had clearly done her homework on Su Liqian’s fighting style. She immediately pulled out an A-level card from Mecha Storm—Blazing Tempest—along with an A-level weapon card from the same series—the Holo Shield. 

These two cards were no joke. 

Blazing Tempest was designed to counter Su Liqian’s usual card—Azure Lineage—while the Holo Shield provided a 360-degree transparent barrier with no blind spots, constantly revolving around Li Xuexiao. It was perfect for defending against attacks from Su Liqian’s Frost Piercer Sword. 

She was clearly targeting Su Liqian, and her opening move completely countered Su Liqian’s setup. 

However, Su Liqian didn’t panic. Instead, she drew two of her newly crafted cards: an A-level gear card from Oracle’s Legacy and an A-level weapon card from Shelter—the Void Shield.

She wasn’t someone who’d just stay put. 

A flash of light burst forth, and a misty haze seemed to swirl around Su Liqian. In the white fog, a graceful figure like an immortal descended—partially hidden, yet mesmerizing. 

She wore a flowing blue-and-white robe embroidered with cloud patterns. Her long black hair was tied high, with a pale blue ribbon fluttering softly in the breeze. 

The phrase “As gentle as jade, a young noble like no other in the world” couldn’t have described it better. 

Illusion gear cards didn’t directly turn the user into a character from the Illusion World. Instead, they adapted the character’s appearance to fit the user’s attributes. 

In Oracle’s Legacy, Leyuan was a male cultivator. While Su Liqian couldn’t change gender using this card, it did lend her an added air of charisma and elegance. Her youthful face took on a serene, detached aura as if she had transcended worldly concerns. 

Overall, it was the traditional image of an immortal cultivator in Chinese stories. 

But the Interstellar residents had never seen anything like this, and they were all so captivated by this “strange yet somehow beautiful” outfit that they almost forgot they were in a competition. 

【What’s this Illusion gear card? I’ve never seen clothes like this before】 

【Waaa, it’s weird… but SO pretty! I’m a girl and even I feel something stirring in my heart!】 

 【That… long dress? And that super long hair… such a strange combo, but it somehow feels powerful】 

 【!!! What is this outfit?! Can someone explain? I want it so badly!】 

【I literally have no words to describe this look…】 

【Hey! You guys are way off-topic! Shouldn’t we be discussing the card’s effects and strength? Why are you all begging for a link?】 

【I heard it’s based on an ancient civilization’s Illusion World costume】 

【I’m so over the mecha suits and Frost Piercer Sword combo. I declare THIS card the true pairing! So gorgeous I could cry! Su Liqian, I’m your fan forever!】 

 【……】 

Even Li Xuexiao was stunned for a few seconds after the light faded. 

Su Liqian, dressed in a white outfit, was surrounded by an invisible shield, but she didn’t give up her Frost Piercer Sword as her weapon choice. 

Li Xuexiao’s shield might have no blind spots, but it still had a damage threshold. As long as Su Liqian could find a weak point to break through, she could shatter it. 

And the Frost Piercer Sword was perfect for that task. 

On the other side, Li Xuexiao wasn’t falling behind. She pulled out an A-level weapon card Winged Arrow from Shelter.

The green longbow had wings on both sides. Li Xuexiao pulled an arrow from thin air, and three arrows, each with feathered tails, shot out instantly. 

At the same time, the Frost Piercer Sword split into several copies and flew toward Li Xuexiao. 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

The two were in sync, focusing on breaking through each other’s shields first. 

Li Xuexiao kept raining arrows, while Su Liqian controlled the Frost Piercer Sword, constantly searching for a weak spot. But, this alone felt a bit boring. 

A skilled card master wouldn’t waste a second on the battlefield. While using her spiritual strength to control the Frost Piercer Sword, Su Liqian quickly drew a new card. 

An A-level weapon card from Illustrated World Notes—the Flame Rose Vines. 

With a whoosh, thorny rose vines burst forth, wrapping tightly around Li Xuexiao’s egg-shaped shield. 

The thorns of the vines reached inside, pushing against the shield, and the vines kept extending, trying to completely trap Li Xuexiao inside. 

Li Xuexiao had to stop attacking due to the vines blocking her. Gritting her teeth, she activated her mecha suit’s defensive function and summoned a dagger from her wrist, stabbing fiercely at the rose vines. 

Even though the dagger was imbued with the fire element power of Blazing Gale, it wasn’t enough to sever the vine completely. It was only after Li Xuexiao used an attack boost card that she finally managed to cut it through. 

But her actions were too slow. As soon as one vine was cut, another would wrap around her again. 

With the combined pressure of the vines and the Frost Piercer Sword, her shield began to show cracks. 

Li Xuexiao started to panic. She reached into her Star Moon Stone belt and drew an A-level function card from Mecha Storm—Furious Blaze.

Furious Blaze and Blazing Gale were a combo, enhancing each other’s effects. This card maximized the power of Blazing Gale and activated a “Fury” mode, coating Li Xuexiao in flames. 

Wherever her dagger struck, nothing would survive. 

While the Flaming Rose Vines were also fire-based, their flames were no match for the Fury-enhanced Blazing Gale. 

Realizing this, Li Xuexiao began to slash at the vines. Indeed, they recoiled when they encountered the flames surrounding her. 

Before long, the vines, which had once completely cocooned Li Xuexiao, were almost completely cut away. 

But the crisis for Li Xuexiao wasn’t over. 

The cracks in her shield were getting bigger, and Su Liqian immediately noticed. She focused all her attacks on the weakness. 

The next moment, the supposedly invincible shield shattered with a loud bang. 

With her shield gone, Li Xuexiao was instantly at a disadvantage, dodging attack after attack purely by moving around. 

Meanwhile, Su Liqian’s shield remained intact. Even when Li Xuexiao shot flaming Winged Arrows, they couldn’t break her defense. 

Li Xuexiao, an experienced player, quickly decided to stop using this method and withdrew her Winged Arrows. 

“Well, then… let’s try this,” Li Xuexiao muttered. 

She maximized the Fury mode, channeling all the fire’s power into her fists, and with the help of an acceleration card, she charged forward. 

Bang! 

Before her punch could land, Su Liqian couldn’t dodge in time. She raised one hand to block, and her Void Shield instantly appeared in front of her. 

The punch hit the shield, causing ripples to spread like scales. From the side, it looked like Su Liqian casually stopped the punch, even though it was a full-force strike. 

But it wasn’t that simple. 

The Void Shield had its limits, and Li Xuexiao’s punch was indeed powerful. 

Su Liqian retracted her shield and leapt back with her longsword in hand, widening the distance between them. 

A green card flashed between her fingers, and the Swift Clouds Swordplay function card entered her body. The wind surged beneath her feet, and her clothes fluttered as she moved with fluid precision. 

Li Xuexiao grew increasingly anxious. Every strike she threw was gracefully dodged. Her raging flames couldn’t even graze Su Liqian. 

Meanwhile, Su Liqian’s dazzling swordplay made it seem like she was effortlessly finding Li Xuexiao’s weaknesses, landing precise hits every time. 

The tight-fitting mecha suit had been scratched all over, while Su Liqian’s loose robe showed no sign of damage. 

What seemed like a one-sided match was slowly eroding Li Xuexiao’s fighting spirit. 

But all the cards she thought could counter Su Liqian were now useless. What else could she do to turn this around? 

Li Xuexiao frantically thought, but before she could come up with a plan, Su Liqian noticed her brief lapse in concentration and used this opening to teleport right in front of her. 

“!” 

In the next moment, the sword was pressed against Li Xuexiao’s neck. 

The cold touch sent a jolt of fear through Li Xuexiao’s nerves as the fear of death overtook her. 

“I… I surrender,” she stammered, her eyes glued to the sword at her throat, terrified that any sudden movement would cost her life. 

Fortunately, the moment she surrendered, Su Liqian politely withdrew her sword and made a hand gesture Li Xuexiao didn’t understand. 

“Thanks for the match.” 

The match ended with Su Liqian as the winner. 

But Li Xuexiao wasn’t too upset. Once she calmed her nerves, she immediately lit up with a familiar smile and ran up to Su Liqian. 

“Hehe, as expected of my idol! I knew you’d win!” 

As she spoke, she pulled up her communicator. “Idol, can I get an autograph?” 

Su Liqian was momentarily stunned, but gently declined. 

“No need for an autograph. How about we exchange contact info instead?” 

“Really?!” Li Xuexiao almost jumped in excitement. 

Losing the match didn’t feel like a loss at all! 

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