Magic Card Era: Infinite Deck Enhancement — Chapter 24

Chapter 24: They’re All Veteran Actors

“Damn it! This is Cangling City! This is our home turf, not Cang Yue City!”

The frustration boiling in the stands finally reached its breaking point. Unable to stomach the humiliation a second longer, Wang Ping vaulted onto the battle arena. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he threw out a Magic Card.

“Get lost.”

Flames erupted from the card’s surface, swirling into a fiery vortex before condensing into the imposing figure of an Inferno Knight. Answering Wang Ping’s call, the armored warrior immediately charged at the opposing Land Crocodile. A massive spear of condensed fire materialized in its grasp, transforming into a blazing arrow that shot forward with blinding speed. The projectile slammed into the Land Crocodile, launching the heavy beast backward.

Unable to withstand the super-heated erosion of the flaming spear mid-flight, the Land Crocodile’s armor melted away. It let out a final, distorted roar before shattering into countless points of light.

“Good!” The Cangling City crowd erupted into deafening cheers, venting their pent-up anxiety. “See that? That’s our real strength!”

“Interesting. A four-star, Legacy-grade Inferno Knight?”

Stepping up to replace the defeated Luo Danhan, Li Yu casually licked his lips. His eyes gleamed with a predatory amusement. With a dismissive wave of his hand, the ambient temperature in the arena violently spiked. The air warped with heat haze as a second Inferno Knight materialized on the field. However, the sheer density of the flames and the towering, heavily armored frame made it blatantly obvious—this knight was significantly stronger than Wang Ping’s.

“Your Magic Card is an Inferno Knight too?” Wang Ping’s expression darkened, his previous confidence evaporating.

The absolute worst-case scenario for any Magic Card Master was facing an opponent wielding the exact same card. When the Magic Card Elves were identical, the battle stripped away all elemental advantages and strategic matchups. It became a brutal, transparent measure of raw card-making talent.

“Yes, but there are Inferno Knights, and then there are Inferno Knights.” Li Yu chuckled, utterly unbothered by the escalating tension. With a lazy flick of his finger, he ordered his knight forward.

“Go!” Wang Ping snapped, stung by the sheer indifference in Li Yu’s tone. As a creator of the Inferno Knight himself, his pride refused to let him admit his talent was inferior.

The two armored giants collided in the center of the arena. Blazing broadswords clashed against fiery shields, sending violent showers of sparks and blinding flashes of light rippling across the stadium. The kinetic shockwaves of their blows rattled the protective barriers.

“Who do you think has a better chance of winning?” Bei Hanyun stood close to Luke, her voice lowered as she kept her eyes glued to the brutal melee.

Battles between identical Magic Card Elves almost always devolved into a battle of attrition, frequently ending in mutual destruction. If Wang Ping lost this clash, she would be the only viable candidate left to step into the ring. The rest of their classmates simply lacked the firepower.

By now, Bei Hanyun had seen through the opposing team’s strategy. They had been deliberately led by the nose through Cang Yue City’s provocations from the very start. It was an open scheme, a harsh reflection of the sheer disparity in foundational strength between the two academies.

“Wang Ping’s Inferno Knight is a bit weaker,” Luke replied, shaking his head slightly. His tone was calm, completely devoid of the panic gripping the rest of the students.

The greatest advantage of breaking through to the Battle General Realm wasn’t just the additional Magic Card summoning slot. A Battle General’s five senses were fundamentally elevated, far surpassing those of a Soldier Realm Magic Card Master. Through Luke’s enhanced perception, the minute details of the fight were painfully clear. Every swing, parry, and thrust from Li Yu’s Inferno Knight carried a fraction more speed and ferocity than Wang Ping’s.

While the advantage wasn’t overwhelming at a glance, in a prolonged war of attrition, Wang Ping’s defeat was a mathematical certainty.

Just as Luke predicted, the tide of the battle shifted. Wang Ping’s Inferno Knight was forced onto the defensive, its armor cracking under the relentless, heavy strikes. Finally, Li Yu’s knight unleashed a roaring, spiraling dragon of pure fire that engulfed its opponent, blowing Wang Ping’s knight apart in a spectacular explosion of embers.

“My Inferno Knight… actually lost?” Wang Ping stood frozen, his mind blanking as he felt his Magic Card Elf slip into a dormant slumber within his soul.

Watching his own creation be destroyed by its signature skill was a bitter, ironic pill to swallow. He could have accepted losing to a five-star Wood Spirit Vine—the gap in level and elemental cooperation would have been a valid excuse. But losing a mirror match to Li Yu’s Inferno Knight shattered his pride.

It was obvious proof that his card-making talent was simply inferior.

“Sure enough, Brother Li’s Inferno Knight is in a league of its own. Look at him, he’s completely dumbfounded!”

“That Wang Ping’s knight might be Legacy-grade, but Li Yu pushed his quality all the way to Collection-grade.”

“When the levels are identical, the quality dictates the ceiling of their potential and raw power. Wang Ping was destined to lose the moment he stepped up.”

The Cang Yue City students jeered from the sidelines, their voices dripping with superiority.

“So, is this the so-called strength you were bragging about?” Li Yu threw Cangling City’s earlier words right back at them, a mocking smirk touching his lips. He crossed his arms. “Who else?”

Naturally rebellious and arrogant, Li Yu had zero intention of showing basic courtesy to the weak.

“Damn it! This is going too far!” The Cangling City students ground their teeth in fury, but their feet remained glued to the floor. If their strongest vanguard, Wang Ping, had been dismantled so easily, going up themselves would just be volunteering for a public beating.

Up on the high platform, Principal Gu and the other academy heads frowned deeply. They had watched the entire exchange with critical eyes.

The difference in card quality wasn’t just a matter of combat strength; it was a glaring spotlight on the gap in talent between Li Yu and Wang Ping. There was a very good reason why Cang Yue City consistently held its position in the top three among the Twelve Cities of Cang Capital.

Beside Cang Fenghua, Lin Heling maintained a serene, unreadable expression. However, Yu Chengye, who had accompanied her, wore a thoroughly satisfied smile.

“This child, Li Yu, has far too strong a desire to win,” Yu Chengye sighed, feigning a tone of reprimand. “Among our academies back in Cang Yue City, he always strives to be first. Unfortunately, his temperament just isn’t quite stable enough, so he barely manages to scrape into the top five.” He turned toward the local hosts with an apologetic bow. “Principal Zhao Chengyuan, I’m afraid you’ve had to watch a joke today. I will be sure to properly lecture him when we return.”

“Heh heh. Principal Yu, your Cang Yue City certainly maintains its usual… assertiveness.” Zhao Chengyuan forced a polite smile, though his eyes were cold. The other Cangling City officials shared his subtle displeasure.

This wasn’t an apology; it was Yu Chengye directly stepping on their faces.

“Luck, it’s just luck,” Yu Chengye replied, though the smugness radiating from him was practically blinding. “Perhaps the senior brothers and sisters from the previous generation simply set a good example. This current generation of students in our Cang Yue City all hope to push their limits even further.” He paused, his smile widening into something far more predatory. “Since it is so rare to have this opportunity to gather, Principals… I wonder if you might be interested in a small wager?”

From the very beginning, Yu Chengye had viewed this exchange competition as a mere formality. The disparity in strength between the two cities was an established fact. Having recently swept Cangyang City—a region slightly stronger than Cangling City—his students’ morale was at an all-time high. To them, Cangling City wasn’t even a stumbling block; it was just a pebble to be kicked aside on their campaign to dominate the twelve cities.

Hearing the proposal, Principal Gu and the others exchanged sharp glances. They knew it. Yu Chengye had come with ill intentions.

As old rivals who had clashed for years, they were intimately familiar with Yu Chengye’s cunning nature. But backing down now would be a catastrophic loss of face. They could afford to lose a match, but they could never afford to lose their dignity.

“What kind of wager?” Principal Gu asked, his voice deadpan and steady.

Deep down, Gu remained entirely unbothered. Their greatest advantage—the absolute trump card they had placed all their hopes on—was currently standing quietly in the crowd, watching the matches with mild amusement. Luke hadn’t even stepped onto the arena yet.

Whatever trap Yu Chengye thought he was springing, it was destined to shatter against a wall of pure, overwhelming force.

The outcome of this day was far from decided.