After the teacher's final two heartfelt words, the school was closed once again.
There was still no official deadline. They said they would notify students at any time, so everyone was told to stay alert and monitor the updates in the class group.
As Jiang Ming walked home, he opened the Card Master APP.
He suspected that this was the real reason Xie Jun had come to the school. The earlier confrontation was likely just a warning, aimed at him and the others.
The app displayed several options:
[Forum] [Strategy] [Points] [My]
The forum worked much like the old message boards, where users could post freely and discuss topics.
The strategy section mostly contained guides written by officials from the Card Master Management Bureau. If an individual wanted to upload their own, it had to go through a review process before being made public. However, successfully published guides earned the contributor 10 points.
Points could be exchanged for items, although the redemption section was currently empty. Most likely, things would be added later.
Jiang Ming browsed the strategy guides first and was surprised to find a detailed catalog of exotic beasts.
Clicking in, he couldn't help but marvel at the Federation's speed.
The servers had only been live for two days, yet dozens of exotic beasts had already been classified, many with clearly documented weaknesses. Each entry was accompanied by an incredibly realistic portrait.
He quickly spotted the [Sharp-Toothed Rabbit], but found no mention of the [Two-Headed Snake].
It seemed the two-headed snake was still considered a rare or unconfirmed species.
Jiang Ming noted this down mentally as he walked.
Before he realized it, he was already at his front door.
"Jiang Ming."
A deep male voice called out.
Startled, Jiang Ming looked up. "Teacher Qin?"
Qin Guangjin raised a hand full of bags, smiling as he patted Jiang Ming's shoulder. "Surprised to see me?"
Jiang Ming opened the door and welcomed him inside with a grin. "I wouldn't mind more surprises like this."
Qin Guangjin had been Jiang Ming's physical education teacher back in junior high. They had been quite close at the time, as Jiang Ming was an exceptional runner. Qin had frequently tried to recruit him for school competitions, but Jiang Ming had been more focused on academics back then and showed little interest.
Over time, Qin learned about his family situation and began visiting more often.
Once inside, Jiang Ming started to prepare dinner.
"Don't bother," Qin said, waving him off. "I'm not here to eat. I just want to ask you something, then I'll go."
Jiang Ming took off his apron, wiped his hands, and sat across from him on the sofa. "Go ahead, teacher."
Qin's expression turned serious. "Let's say, hypothetically, the education system starts dividing Card Masters into martial and liberal arts divisions. Which one would you choose?"
"Martial, no question," Jiang Ming answered without hesitation.
Qin's face relaxed, a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Good. Remember what you said. I'll be going now."
Jiang Ming stood up, a little stunned. "You're leaving already? Won't you stay for dinner?"
"No, something urgent came up." Qin walked to the door but turned back. "By the way, what's the quality of your natal card?"
Jiang Ming scratched his head. "Ordinary."
Qin blinked. "You awakened an ordinary card and still want to pursue the martial division?"
"Yes. I think my Classic of Mountains and Seas is strong."
Qin gave a helpless smile. "Alright. As long as it's your own choice."
After seeing him out, Jiang Ming returned to the kitchen to finish cooking.
Tonight's meal was simple: a bowl of mashed potatoes, a heap of rice, and thanks to Qin Guangjin's visit, some ready-to-eat fish to upgrade the flavor.
The dining table still faced the neon-drenched skyline, where Sanjiang City's most prosperous district stood.
Since renting this apartment, Jiang Ming had enjoyed that night view every evening. It was part of why he chose this place.
Prosperity could corrupt, but it could also inspire.
After finishing his meal, he sat down to memorize the details in the exotic beast catalog. Dozens more had just been added by the Card Master Management Bureau.
For Jiang Ming, this was no problem. He had memorized far more complex material during his high school years.
At around eight, a message popped up.
"Brother Ming, team up with me tonight, okay? Don't forget!"
It was from Fan Huai.
"Got it."
Jiang Ming gave a simple reply, then opened the forum section of the app.
There wasn't much news about supernatural powers yet.
Most of the discussions were about dungeon content—encountering new exotic beasts, how to defeat them, or clarifying map features.
There was still no consensus on the size of the dungeon.
Jiang Ming had scrolled the in-game map yesterday and couldn't even locate himself. The place was absurdly massive.
He continued reading until midnight.
"Do you want to enter the game?"
"Yes."
As soon as Jiang Ming opened his eyes in the game, he instinctively hurled the wooden stick in his hand.
A shriek echoed through the air—partly from the Sharp-Toothed Rabbit, partly from his own throat.
He had overexerted himself, pulling painfully on the still-healing rib in his chest.
Fortunately, his strike landed true. Another beast, felled.
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Ming breathed through the pain and quickly sent his area code and region number to Fan Huai.
He sat on the forest floor to rest, staying alert in case of another ambush.
Once the sharp ache in his chest dulled, he stood and resumed his hunt for more Sharp-Toothed Rabbits.
Just then, a message appeared.
"It's over, Brother Ming. I'm so far away from you."
Fan Huai's area was number 69. Jiang Ming's was 123.
Dozens of grid spaces separated them.
Jiang Ming thought for a moment before replying, "Be careful. Move slowly toward me. I'll meet you halfway."
"Wuwuwu, I knew Brother Ming wouldn't abandon me..."
Jiang Ming closed the message window before Fan Huai could get emotional.
He refocused on the hunt.
Despite the lingering pain, his physical attributes had been steadily rising with each point earned.
According to the forums, if 1.0 was the limit for an average adult, then all of Jiang Ming's stats—except strength—had already surpassed that mark. Agility, endurance, perception, even reflexes had climbed.
Which meant taking down fanged rabbits was now far easier than before, even while injured.
He approached the final rabbit.
Moving with calculated precision, Jiang Ming lunged straight at the beast.
The rabbit didn't flee. Like the others, it charged straight toward him with reckless aggression.
They collided.
The wooden spike found its mark.
In a fluid motion honed through repetition, Jiang Ming thrust the spike into its gaping mouth, twisting it to disable the creature. Then, to ensure no further resistance, he used a second spike to end its life cleanly.
"Congratulations on killing the Sharp-Toothed Rabbit. You have gained 10 experience points. Your level has increased to Apprentice Lv.3. All attributes increased by 0.01. Spiritual power increased by 1."
Leveling up came with modest attribute improvements, but Jiang Ming's eyes were fixed on something else—the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
In the bottom left corner of his interface, the stat read: [Spirituality: 1]
He made his way back to a safe zone deeper in the woods, found a secluded nook, and placed his final point of spirituality into the page associated with [Si].