Luo Sheng spent a month in Dongfang Muqing's ancient cultivation world.
During this time, he used the money Dongfang Muqing earned to purchase a house and a teahouse, which he renovated. The teahouse was designed with a screen partition around the central stage, allowing Dongfang Muqing to perform her songs without being seen, creating a refined and artistic ambiance. This arrangement enabled her to support herself.
It felt like Luo Sheng was constantly worrying about a little kid.
Before leaving the card world, Luo Sheng left behind some beast cores and spirit stones. Dongfang Muqing reluctantly bid him farewell.
As the flow of time resumed, Luo Sheng returned to his room.
Dongfang Muqing's world continued to evolve. Her musical career flourished, attracting countless guests. Scholars and cultured individuals frequently tipped generously, eager to meet Dongfang Muqing in person.
However, she strictly adhered to the rules Luo Sheng set for her:
No public appearances. No private meetings. Always return home after work to avoid trouble.
Even when going out, she ensured she was accompanied by female bodyguards and wore a veil.
During this period, her strength advanced rapidly, thanks to the accumulated spirit stones and beast cores Luo Sheng left her.
One day, Dongfang Muqing learned about an ancient relic related to the Jade Luan Tribe. In her excitement, she forgot Luo Sheng's warnings and met with someone to acquire the relic successfully. However, her youthful and delicate appearance quickly became the talk of the town.
This news reached a prominent cultivation family, whose young master concluded that Dongfang Muqing was from the demon race.
On a seemingly ordinary day, while Dongfang Muqing was practicing her music at the teahouse, the Black Tiger Gang—the city's largest gang—arrived under the young master's orders to capture her as his bride. The chaos in the teahouse became the last scene Luo Sheng saw before a new card materialized in his hands.
[ [Performer - Dongfang Muqing]
Level: Bronze Six-Star
Type: Character
Skills:
Tranquil Melody: Plays a soothing tune that reduces an enemy unit's damage output by 20% with a 25% success rate, lasting 30 seconds.
Moonlit Tides: Plays a melody that gradually restores health to allies within a 20-meter radius over one minute.
Bright Nightfall: Enhances all performances, increasing their effects by 20% for 10 minutes.
Ambush from Ten Sides: Plays a powerful piece, increasing allies' attack and health by 17% for five minutes.
Tree Shift: Opens a portal for instant transportation twice a day.
Harmonic Sharing: Plays a melody that helps recover mental energy, usable once per day.
Description: "I'm not a pet! I'm a performer without emotions!"]
"Great card!" Luo Sheng exclaimed.
The [Performer - Dongfang Muqing] card had extraordinary abilities, despite its not-so-high level. Her buffs could significantly boost team combat power, increasing overall damage by 20%. Plus, she could heal, making her an excellent support.
Just then, another card appeared in Luo Sheng's hand:
[ [Heavenly Oath]
Level: Utility
Type: Rule
Effect: Ensures that any vow or agreement made under its influence must be upheld, or the violator will face punishment. One-day time limit.
Description: "A vow must be kept. You wouldn't want to face divine punishment, would you?"]
"Huh??" Luo Sheng was surprised.
He hadn't expected to bring a card out of the card world.
Inspecting the [Heavenly Oath] card, Luo Sheng deduced it was a one-time-use card, likely due to the lack of a proper medium to contain its effects.
"This crosses into the realm of Card Creators," Luo Sheng thought.
Card Creators, a rare and noble class of card users, could create unique cards. To become one, a card master had to undergo brain domain transformation or mutation using specific materials. However, such transformations were limited. Attempting a second mutation too early would result in failure.
Even though Luo Sheng wasn't a Card Creator, the fact that he could bring a card out of the card world amazed him.
The [Heavenly Oath] card had a crucial condition:
The other party must willingly agree to the terms for the vow to take effect.
"If my terms are unreasonable, the other party could refuse, making the card useless," Luo Sheng mused. "The only way to use it effectively would be through deception."
Stowing the card away, Luo Sheng considered it a potential trump card. He also realized the danger of others using similar cards against him.
The feedback from his card world adventure was significant. His spirit core progressed by 3%, reaching 51%, advancing him to a Bronze Six-Star Card Master.
His main cards now included:
Six-Star [Dongfang Muqing] Seven-Star [Acoley] Eight-Star [Alice] Nine-Star [Bai Moxue] Reserve: [Frost Dragon]
He sold his now-useless Five-Star [Reaper Intern] card for 80,000 coins, bringing his total funds to 820,000 coins.
Browsing the card marketplace, he found a powerful utility card:
[ [Angel's Blessing]
Level: Bronze Seven-Star
Type: Utility
Effect: Grants allies various buffs. Increases defense and agility of six allies by 19%, with a slight boost to evasion. Enhances healing skills by 30% and extends their duration by one-third during battles.
Description: "The angel provides blessings to her people."]
"Amazing card, but... it's pricey."
Despite being Bronze Seven-Star, it cost 400,000 coins, well above the typical price of 250,000. Cards of this type were scarce, though, so Luo Sheng decided to buy it.
Pairing [Angel's Blessing] with Dongfang Muqing would produce exceptional results. Unfortunately, effects could only stack up to three times. Otherwise, even a One-Star card could reach the power of a Ten-Star card.
(End of Chapter)