Zero Egg felt there was an error in the information. It had studied the data provided by its superior for a long time but still hadn't figured out what was wrong. The location was correct, and so was the person. So why was it different from the intelligence report?
Wen Jiang didn't have time to soothe the System's fragile heart. Having just antagonized Song Yingchen, that bastard was likely to rush to the hospital any minute. She hadn't even gone through the discharge procedures; she just slipped away when the nurse wasn't looking. Those brats from the elite school really hit hard; there wasn't a single uninjured spot on Wen Jiang's body now. The only thing she could say was that her limbs were still intact.
Revenge wasn't urgent. She still couldn't find a way to cultivate with her Remnant Soul, which possessed cultivation power, not to mention the existence of Spirit Card Masters.
As she was leaving the hospital, Wen Jiang saw a young girl followed by a startling lion pet. Lions are fierce animals and definitely couldn't be paraded around so openly. Moreover, Wen Jiang sensed a familiar aura emanating from the lion. It also emitted a faint, white glow, clearly different from ordinary lions of the real world.
Suddenly, Zero Egg spoke, "That is a Card Spirit, a combat helper summoned by Spirit Card Masters through cards. This Card Spirit is B-Level. Generally, R-Rank and B-Level Card Spirits are more ornamental than combat-effective."
Although Wen Jiang's data seemed problematic, the System, already bound to her, felt it could only accept its fate and continue assisting. If Wen Jiang didn't complete tasks, it wouldn't obtain energy and would never be free.
Card Spirit. A familiar aura. Wen Jiang narrowed her eyes, a path to cultivation suddenly clear to her. This world was also experiencing a resurgence of Spiritual Energy. Although there were no established cultivation methods, the Spiritual Energy itself was the same. This meant she just needed to find a corresponding way to harness it. Spirit Card Master—that was her clear choice. The energy of all things in the universe shares the same source; it's merely a matter of conversion. No wonder the Card Spirit's aura felt familiar.
She casually ordered the System, "Give me the data on Spirit Card Masters. I want to see what these so-called cards are all about."
Zero Egg was puzzled. "What's the use of looking at that? You can't become a Spirit Card Master. You don't have spiritual power."
Wen Jiang snorted. "As a Drawing System, you can't even make me a Spirit Card Master? It seems your so-called system rank isn't all that great."
Zero Egg, being a novice system, easily fell for her provocation. "I do have a way, but we don't have enough Points! It's like trying to cook without rice—difficult to achieve anything without the necessary resources! Moreover, the Points needed for the Combat Cards required to become a Spirit Card Master are exorbitant; you'll never be able to get them. Listen to me, let's first go and apologize to that bastard Song Yingchen—ugh, I mean, can we first apologize to the male lead, please?"
Apologize my ass. Wen Jiang was rebellious. Without consulting the System, she searched on her phone. Information about Spirit Card Masters was common knowledge, easily found with a simple search. A Spirit Card Master Detector could even be purchased personally.
Spirit Card Masters were divided into five levels: R-Rank, B-Level, A-Level, S Rank, and UR Rank. These corresponded to cards of R, B, A, S, and SSR rarities. The reason the highest levels differ is that UR Rank Spirit Card Masters, with their potent spiritual power, can wield multiple SSR Cards in combat, thus defying simple classification.
... Wen Jiang thought. How was this any different from Zero Egg's Drawing System? It reeked of the pay-to-win, money-grabbing games she used to play.
After the great war, many Combat Cards disappeared. Spirit Card Masters could create their own cards, but it was extremely difficult. SSR Cards were essentially monopolized by the Empire and major families. What circulated in the market were mostly common A-Rank Cards and a few S-Rank Cards. If SSR Cards appeared at all, it was only at auctions. A Spirit Card Master could use cards corresponding to their level, and those capable of using multiple cards were exceedingly rare.
Song Yingchen was an S-Rank Spirit Card Master. With utmost effort, he could barely manage to use SSR Cards. Spirit Card Masters could level up through combat and certain special items, but this process was very arduous.
In other words, is this just another form of cultivation to raise one's level? Wen Jiang mused.
Ordinary people constituted the majority on Blue Star; Spirit Card Masters were rare, and high-level ones even more so. The Yunxia Empire had no more than five UR Rank Spirit Card Masters.
Wen Jiang returned home, still engrossed in thoughts about cards.
Zero Egg couldn't stand it anymore. "Why are you so interested in cards?" it asked. It had thoroughly scanned Wen Jiang's body and was certain she didn't possess an ounce of spiritual power.
Wen Jiang didn't answer. She had discovered something interesting. Many of the Card Spirits described, she had seen similar entities in her own world. She had already realized that Yunxia civilization had experienced a historical discontinuity, but she hadn't expected it to be so severe. The Dragon, a symbol of Yunxia, was nonexistent in their card system. The traditional Four Divine Beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—were not featured in any cards. Yet, Wen Jiang did see Bai Ze and Bi Fang. These two were National Treasure Cards of the Yunxia Empire and belonged to the SSR Rank.
Wen Jiang suddenly found this intriguing. If those two existed, it made no sense for the Four Divine Beasts to be absent, nor for the Phoenix, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and other major Divine Beasts. The Yunxia Empire's renowned card sets always felt like they were missing something crucial, making their overall strength seem inadequate in world-class card tournaments. Western card systems were numerous and powerful, with the most famous being the Angel System, the Fallen Angel System, and the Gods Card Set. An empire's strength was judged by its Spirit Card Masters and the quantity of high-level ones. Yunxia had sacrificed so much to protect the humans of Blue Star years ago, only to become a target of ridicule for Western countries today.
The stronger the card, the harder it was to create. Cards were enigmatic, and it was difficult for Spirit Card Masters to pinpoint the exact element needed to summon a Card Spirit during creation. Currently, card-making Spirit Card Masters were mostly stuck at A-Level or B-Level. If one could produce an original S-Rank Card, that Spirit Card Master would become a highly esteemed guest in any nation. If one didn't have cards, they could purchase those made by others. The world of Spirit Card Masters had little direct connection to ordinary people, though commoners could watch their matches and live streams, enjoying the thrilling combat.
Song Yingchen, an S-Rank Spirit Card Master, never discussed these things with her.
Wen Jiang closed all the tabs and went straight to an online shopping platform, searching for a Spirit Card Master Detector and card-making equipment.
Spirit Card Master Detector: 1,000 Yunxia Currency.
Spirit Card Master Card-making Device: Installation fee of 1,000,000 Yunxia Currency.
Damn, that's expensive?! Wen Jiang exclaimed internally. It seemed she had underestimated just how much money this Spirit Card Master profession consumed and generated.
"Why are you searching for this stuff?" Zero Egg asked, puzzled, but it directly popped up a page for Wen Jiang. "There are free Spirit Card Master testing institutions available. For card-making, specialized institutions offer services, though the latter charges a fee. Besides, I have a ton of cards on me that are much better than anything on the market."
It was quite irritating, as it kept flashing various card faces at Wen Jiang. Despite the speed, she caught glimpses of a few that weren't in the style of her familiar world. It seems there's indeed something fishy about the System's world of origin, she thought.
Wen Jiang asked, "Are you offering them to me for free?"
Zero Egg: "..."