Magic Card Era: Infinite Deck Enhancement — Chapter 63

Chapter 63: This Might Be Your Illegitimate Child!

‘May I be so bold as to ask, Chairman Yu…’Miao Ruoling hesitated for a fraction of a second before her curiosity finally overrode her professional restraint. Once she was absolutely certain the Chairman wasn’t playing some elaborate joke, she leaned in slightly.’Is Luke related to you? And a very close relative at that?’Her inner thoughts were practically written across her face: Even if Luke is your illegitimate son, Chairman Yu, you shouldn’t be so blatant about playing favorites!’What exactly goes through that head of yours all day?’Chairman Yu rolled his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. He perfectly understood the unspoken accusation hanging in the air. She was practically screaming the words’illegitimate child’ with her eyes.

If the heavens allowed it, Chairman Yu would have loved to claim such a monstrously talented youth as his own blood. But reality was cruel, and if such a rumor ever reached his home, his wife would bypass her deck entirely and engage him in a real-life PK. No Magic Cards summoned, just pure physical violence.

‘Luke’s situation is highly irregular,’Chairman Yu said, his tone shifting back to a measured, authoritative cadence.’I can only tell you that his current achievements, in my professional estimation, far exceed the standard assessment requirements for an Elite Member promotion.’He paused, deliberately withholding the rest. The existence of an Original Magic Card was a matter of supreme strategic importance. Miao Ruoling was a capable assistant, but her clearance level simply wasn’t high enough to be burdened with that kind of classified intelligence.’Go now. Report Luke’s promotion to the Cang Capital General Association. Do not delay.’Unlike standard admissions, elevating someone to an Elite Member of the Magic Card Association required a formal filing with the twelve main branches to update the national registry. This bureaucratic step was especially critical given that Luke was bypassing the traditional ladder entirely.’In addition, append Luke’s name to the official roster for this year’s Youth Training Competition.’Chairman Yu turned back to his desk, signaling that the conversation was over.’I understand, Chairman Yu.’ Miao Ruoling nodded, her mind spinning. To alter the highly contested Youth Training Competition roster just to accommodate a newcomer… her chest tightened with a dozen unasked questions. But seeing the resolute posture of her superior, she swallowed her curiosity. Pressing the issue now would be a severe overstep of her authority.

Far from the quiet confines of Cangling City stood the Cang Capital Magic Card Association, a towering monolith of influence and one of the twelve main branches governing the Ancient Kingdom.

Inside a sprawling, sunlit office on the highest floor, a secretary carefully approached a massive mahogany desk.

‘Chairman Shangguan, here is the compiled list of Elite Members reported by the various satellite city branches over the past cycle. Please review it at your convenience.”Leave it there. I will process it once I clear my current queue,’ Shangguan Hong replied. He did not lift his head from the glowing holographic documents projected over his desk.

Shangguan Hong was the Chairman of the Cang Capital General Association. More, he was one of the exceedingly rare Immortal Realm Magic Card Masters residing in the capital, possessing a terrifying depth of power second only to Cang Ao, the Lord of Cang Capital himself.

‘Understood.’ The secretary placed the physical dossiers neatly within his reach and retreated with practiced silence, her footsteps making absolutely no sound against the polished floorboards.

Several hours dissolved into the quiet hum of the office before Shangguan Hong finally deactivated his terminal. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes to rest. Despite standing at the pinnacle of the Immortal Realm, a realm where one could easily delegate all mundane tasks, he maintained a strict daily habit of personally overseeing the association’s core operations.

‘Most applicants cleared the assessment with a pass rate hovering above ninety percent. Acceptable.’ He reached for the stack of satellite reports, his eyes scanning the data streams with rapid precision.

A moment later, his gaze froze.

‘Exceptional admission as a standard member… and then, a mere handful of days later, another exceptional promotion directly to Elite Member.’Shangguan Hong leaned back in his leather chair, his brows knitting together.’This does not fit Little Yu’s usual cautious style.’

In all his years presiding over the Cang Capital branch, he had never encountered such a blatant fast-tracking. Even when he and Cang Ao were rising through the ranks in their youth, they had been forced to grind through the standard bureaucratic procedures.

Intrigued, Shangguan Hong tapped a sequence on his desk, initiating a secure encrypted communication line to Cangling City.

A moment later, the air shimmered as Chairman Yu’s holographic projection materialized in the center of the office. The younger chairman looked entirely unbothered.

‘Little Yu, you don’t seem the least bit surprised that I am calling,’Shangguan Hong noted, a faint smile touching his lips. His interest in this’Luke’deepened instantly. He knew Chairman Yu’s conservative nature well; the man never made a move without a solid foundation.’Chairman, I think it would be far stranger if you didn’t call to interrogate me,’ Chairman Yu replied with a casual shrug. Without waiting for Shangguan Hong to demand answers, he began to outline the justification for Luke’s meteoric rise.

This was a matter of protocol. Without a bulletproof reason, Shangguan Hong possessed the full authority to veto the promotion. Chairman Yu could afford to brush off the complaints of local nobles, but he could never ignore the Immortal Realm powerhouse overseeing his region.

However, Chairman Yu was a seasoned tactician. He did not lay all his cards on the table. He revealed the existence of the Dark Magician Girl, knowing full well that Luke had used the card publicly during the unified examination. Anyone with enough resources could dig up that information.

But he kept his mouth firmly shut regarding the Red-Eyes Meteor Dragon, a secret known only to a select few like Cang Fenghua. He also buried the existence of the newly forged Eye of Timaeus, a trump card known only to Yu himself.

The Cang Capital General Association would be fielding their own elite team for the upcoming Youth Training Competition. Chairman Yu was not foolish enough to hand over his star player’s entire deck profile to a direct rival, even if that rival was his superior.

Half an hour of detailed briefing later, Chairman Yu fell silent, waiting for the verdict.

‘An Original Six-Star Magic Card. No wonder you broke protocol. If I were sitting in your chair, I would have done the exact same thing.’ A sharp, predatory glint flashed through Shangguan Hong’s eyes.

If he had been mildly curious before, he now felt a burning desire to meet this Luke in person. Standing at the same heights as Cang Ao, Shangguan Hong was privy to the ancient, blood-soaked legends surrounding Original Magic Card Creators and the Millennial Powerhouses.

‘You handled this perfectly, Little Yu.’Shangguan Hong leaned forward, his tone carrying a rare trace of genuine admiration.’To go from an exceptional admission to an Elite Member in a matter of days… such a terrifying progression speed has never been recorded, not even here at the Main Branch.’For an Original Magic Card Creator, however, the impossible was merely a starting line. Shangguan Hong made the exact same tactical choice as Cang Ao had earlier—he kept the classified lore of the Millennial Powerhouses entirely to himself. Chairman Yu was a formidable Sovereign Realm Magic Card Master, but his cultivation and clearance were still one step too low for that ancient burden.’It is a rare blessing for a place like Cangling City to produce a Magic Card Master with such great potential. We naturally want to pave the smoothest road possible for his advancement,’Chairman Yu replied, offering a faint, polite smile.’Then we will leave the matter settled. I look forward to seeing if this Luke can live up to the stage you have built for him.’ Shangguan Hong severed the connection, the holographic light fading into the quiet air of his office.

Knock, knock, knock!

A gentle rapping at the heavy wooden doors broke the silence. Shangguan Hong glanced at the ornate clock on his wall and chuckled softly. ‘Come in, girl.’

The heavy doors clicked open, revealing a slender, beautiful figure stepping softly into the room.

She wore a sky-blue sleeveless dress that fell just to her knees, the fabric clinging elegantly to her perfectly proportioned figure. Her exposed skin was porcelain fair, dusted with a faint, natural blush. Unlike the sharp, angular beauty popular among the city’s elite, her face retained a trace of soft, adorable baby fat that made one instinctively want to pinch her cheeks.

Framing her bright eyes was a pair of rimless silver glasses, perfectly balancing her inherent cuteness with a sharp, obvious aura of intellectual grace.