Magic Card Era: Infinite Deck Enhancement — Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Liu Yanran

Behind Principal Gu and the other academy heads, the chosen participants for the exchange competition exchanged nervous glances. This was the first time they had seen their usually composed principals looking so grim.

At the front of the student formation stood Luke, Wang Ping, and Bei Hanyun. The gap in strength between this trio and the rest of the roster was painfully obvious.

Although Luke had dominated the unified exam and his live-broadcasted matches were the talk of the city, many of the students present were seeing him in the flesh for the first time. Eyes darted toward him, filled with a mix of awe and curiosity.

For Wang Ping and Bei Hanyun, Luke’s sudden rise had completely eclipsed their own stellar performances. They had still secured their spots to enter the Demon Spirit Home, but the prestige attached to it felt entirely different now. Having witnessed the overwhelming might of the Dark Magician Girl, even top-tier talents like Wang Ping and Bei Hanyun felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Four-Star and Six-Star Magic Cards both fell under the intermediate category, but one was a mere entry point while the other sat at the absolute apex. The gulf between them was massive.

“Luke. When the college entrance exams roll around, I’m going to catch up to you,” Wang Ping declared, his fists clenched tight. His eyes burned with unyielding fighting spirit. He might be outclassed today, but that didn’t mean he would stay at the bottom forever. Given enough time and his innate talent, he was certain he could forge a Six-Star Magic Card of his own.

“Don’t count me out, either,” Bei Hanyun chimed in, refusing to be left behind. While she wasn’t a peerless beauty, she was still undeniably pretty. Her current serious, determined expression gave her a sharp, captivating charm.

Faced with their declarations of rivalry, Luke simply gave a silent nod. He wasn’t paying much attention to them. His mind was elsewhere.

The simulated construction progress for the Red-Eyes Meteor Dragon had just crossed the fifty percent mark. If it weren’t for this sudden exchange competition with Cang Yue City, he would have finished crafting the Magic Card with just one more day of work. He could have given this visiting delegation a truly terrifying surprise.

‘What a shame,’ Luke thought, a fleeting trace of regret crossing his features.

A short distance away, Lin Heling, the City Lord of Cang Yue City, was exchanging words with Cang Fenghua. Behind her stood the visiting exchange students, their chins held high.

“Whoa, look at her…” a student from the Second High School muttered under his breath. The hushed exclamation immediately drew the attention of the crowd.

A girl stood among the visiting ranks, draped in a pale yellow, form-fitting dress that accentuated an almost flawless figure. She carried a unique allure—a delicate blend of youthful innocence and mature elegance. Her ethereal presence was anchored by refined features and a pair of bright, expressive eyes that seemed to pull in everyone’s gaze.

Bei Hanyun was already considered a rare beauty in Cangling City, but placed next to this girl from Cang Yue, the local prodigy clearly fell short.

Even Luke spared her a second glance. Her striking looks were genuinely on par with Mana’s.

“The facilities here are absolute garbage compared to our academy,” one of the Cang Yue exchange students scoffed. Many of them were visiting Cangling City and its Third High School for the first time, their initial curiosity quickly souring into open disdain.

Disappointment painted their faces. The environmental gap between Cangling Third High School and the elite academies of Cang Yue City was staggering. It looked even worse than Cangyang City, the district they had just crushed. To them, poor facilities meant weak students.

While teaching equipment didn’t strictly dictate a Magic Card Master’s potential, it was a clear indicator of daily training intensity. And Cangling City was clearly lagging behind.

“Looks like this is going to be another effortless sweep.”

“Obviously. Cang Yue City has held a top-three ranking for years. The gap between us and this backwater isn’t something they can close in a day or two.”

“Honestly, I bet Senior Sister Liu Yanran won’t even need to lift a finger. The rest of us are more than enough to wipe the floor with Cangling.”

Liu Yanran—the girl whose beauty rivaled the Dark Magician Girl—merely offered a faint, polite smile at the flattery.

The Cangling City students, however, were boiling with anger. The Third High School students took it the hardest; this was their home turf. Liu Yanran might have been gorgeous, but right now, she was the enemy. This visiting delegation had come with clear malicious intent, aiming to trample their pride into the dirt.

“Damn it! These Cang Yue snobs are way too arrogant!”

“Right? They’re just coasting on better funding. Put us in the same training environment and we’d see who the real trash is.”

“Don’t forget, we have Luke. He’s going to give them a massive reality check.”

“Luke?” Liu Yanran’s previously indifferent gaze flickered. She hadn’t been paying attention to the local chatter, but the sheer reverence in the Cangling students’ voices caught her ear. They clearly placed all their hopes on this one Magic Card Master.

Yet, after a brief, sweeping glance over the Cangling lineup, Liu Yanran looked away. She didn’t know which one was Luke, nor did she care. She was absolutely confident in her own deck. If this local ace actually had any skill, they would meet in the arena soon enough.

“Cang Fenghua. It has been a while,” Lin Heling said. Her voice was frigid, radiating a distant aura that practically froze the air around her.

A while? I’d rather it had been never, Cang Fenghua grumbled internally. On the outside, however, he maintained a flawless, diplomatic smile. “Indeed, it has been quite some time. Would your delegation like to rest before we begin?”

“Unnecessary.” Lin Heling waved her hand, instantly shutting down the courtesy. “My students rested perfectly well during the flight over on the Cold Cloud Sparrow. If there are no administrative delays, I want to start the matches immediately.”

Just as Cang Fenghua had warned, Lin Heling was a pure battle maniac. She despised wasting time on pleasantries.

“Then let us begin,” Cang Fenghua said, exchanging a brief, resigned look with Principal Gu. Both men nodded. What was coming couldn’t be avoided; they might as well face the storm head-on.

They had overheard the arrogant sneers of the Cang Yue students, but given their age and status, they kept their expressions perfectly placid. Deep down, however, a quiet fury simmered. Principal Gu, in particular, was deeply offended. He had poured his blood, sweat, and tears into elevating the Third High School’s standards. Hearing it mocked by a bunch of entitled teenagers stung bitterly.

Even Zhao Chengyuan and Da Baiman—principals of the rival First and Second High Schools—set aside their usual bickering. Right now, they stood firmly united behind Principal Gu.

“Cang Yue City, Luo Danhan!”

A boy vaulted into the center of the battle arena, immediately snapping a Magic Card between his fingers. A burst of light erupted as a massive, armored reptilian Magic Card Spirit materialized on the arena floor, snapping its heavy jaws. “Which one of you locals is stepping up first?”

“A Three-Star Rare grade… Land Crocodile!” The Cangling City students grimaced. Despite their anger at the trash talk, seeing the very first vanguard summon a Three-Star Rare Magic Card sent a ripple of anxiety through their ranks.

“What’s wrong? Nobody wants to play?” Luo Danhan laughed, his voice dripping with provocation. “Didn’t you just say you were going to teach us a lesson? Why are you all hiding like cowards now?”

Talk was cheap. In the arena, the harsh reality of the power gap between the two major cities was about to be laid bare.