Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

In the school conference room.

Several professors from Spirit Card Academy were staring at the large screen.

The situation in every split-screen was roughly the same. Even with preparatory students present, none of them realized this was the “First Lesson of the School Year.”

Because in nearly a hundred years, Spirit Card Academy had never done anything like this before.

Li Suwen watched the students who had been “killed.” She knew they were merely under an illusion inside the 【Scene Card】 and wouldn’t suffer any real harm. Those students who had fallen would wake up once they left the 【Scene Card】.

Still, Li Suwen looked deeply worried. “They’re still so young and haven’t received any training. Facing death directly like this… won’t it leave psychological scars?”

Jiang Binglun said coldly, “If they can’t even handle this, they should just go home.”

Li Suwen disagreed, but before she could speak, a vice professor beside her interrupted excitedly, “Look at this kid! Using her head as a weapon? That works too!”

On window No. 66, a tall girl whose features still carried clear childishness charged head-first into a role card after casting an 【Armor Card】 on herself.

“She’s quite strong!”

“It’s not just strength—she triggered a ‘rebound’.”

“Using an 【Armor Card】 to rebound damage? That’s not easy to pull off!”

“Indeed. She needs to precisely time the role card’s attack and have the 【Armor Card】’s defense perfectly offset it. Only then can the damage rebound to the role card when the 【Armor Card】 explodes.”

While the professors were discussing, Jiang Binglun recognized her at a glance. “Just a coincidence.”

Li Suwen also recognized her and said with pleasant surprise, “It’s her!”

Yang Huai Zhou nodded slightly.

Excitement shone in Li Suwen’s eyes. “Even if it was a coincidence, her courage and boldness are undeniable.”

Jiang Binglun added, “Courage without a brain is nothing but reckless impulse.”

Li Suwen glared at him. Jiang Binglun continued, “In Group 66, Ye Jianrong performed better. After entering the 【Scene Card】, she didn’t rashly join the fight. Instead, she observed her surroundings, found a suitable weapon, and only then joined the battle.”

Although Li Suwen and Jiang Binglun didn’t get along, she had a good temper and valued talent. She still acknowledged, “Xiao Ye is very outstanding. She performed excellently in the preparatory class too.”

These ninety-plus screens represented nearly ten thousand first-year students.

Most of their performances were similar — either fleeing in panic or being executed by the 【Role Cards】 for running too slowly.

The few preparatory students wanted to fight, but they had been forbidden from bringing combat-type cards on board, so they had no proper weapons. At most, they carried a few 【Armor Cards】.

On the other hand, Lu Xianyue from Group 66 managed to bring her 【Somersault Cloud Express】 because her 【Bow and Arrow Card】 was so poorly made that even the security system missed it.

Not to mention the ordinary “pure human” freshmen — even compared to the preparatory students, Ning Zhu’s performance was exceptionally outstanding.

Her 【Armor Card】 release was very good. Even though the card ring wasn’t fully compatible, she still brought out over 70% of the card’s effect.

It should be noted that the maximum efficiency for non-self-made cards was usually only 80%.

“Is she going to take down the 【Gunner】?” Li Suwen’s eyes lit up.

Everyone saw it — she stacked six 【Armor Cards】 on herself in quick succession.

Jiang Binglun sneered, “As expected, she doesn’t know what a ‘rebound’ is.” With so many 【Armor Cards】, the defense was too high to precisely offset the Gunner’s attack, so rebound was impossible.

Yang Huai Zhou suddenly said, “She’s left-handed.”

As soon as he spoke, the girl on screen fearlessly charged forward. The bullets couldn’t penetrate the 【Armor Card】, but their deterrent power remained. Charging straight into flying bullets without slowing down was not something an ordinary person could do.

The 【Gunner】 aimed at her right arm.

There was no 【Armor Card】 there, so she was bound to get hit.

If her right arm was shot, she wouldn’t be able to swing the meteor hammer.

However, this was all part of her “plan.” Even if she got shot, it didn’t matter — because she was left-handed.

With a sharp *whoosh*, Ning Zhu’s right arm was hit.

Behind her came the freshmen’s screams. The girl she had saved gripped her large blade with both hands and charged forward furiously.

Ning Zhu had mentally prepared herself. She knew being shot would hurt, possibly to the point where she couldn’t think or move, and even her left hand might lose strength.

What surprised her was…

The shot right arm didn’t hurt at all.

She didn’t have time to wonder. She quickly grabbed the meteor hammer with her left hand and smashed it heavily toward the 【Gunner】.

The 【Gunner】 had low defense and was even frailer than the 【Warrior】.

The meteor hammer smashed it into pieces!

Normally, such a small fight wouldn’t mean much to the professors in the conference room.

But at this moment, they were all watching with great interest. Especially Li Suwen, who looked provocatively at Jiang Binglun and said, “See that? She has both courage and strategy!”

【Armor Cards】 could protect vital parts of the body but weren’t enough to also protect the arms.

The 【Gunner】 would definitely attack the hand holding the weapon, so Ning Zhu deliberately held the meteor hammer in her right hand while charging, baiting the Gunner into targeting her right arm.

Her dominant hand was actually her left, which was stronger.

By the time she was shot, Ning Zhu had already reached the 【Gunner】. She then grabbed the meteor hammer with her left hand and smashed it down, killing the Gunner.

The whole sequence of movements was clean, decisive, and smooth.

It sounded simple, but in actual combat, under such high-pressure and tense conditions, making such a judgment and executing it accurately was extremely difficult.

Yang Huai Zhou smiled as he looked at Jiang Binglun. “I gave her two admission letters.”

Li Suwen exclaimed, “Principal! She belongs in the Aries Department! She should be our Aries student!”

Jiang Binglun was silent for a moment, then arrogantly lifted his chin. “The Libra Department is not short of geniuses.”

Li Suwen pressed on, “Then don’t take her!”

Jiang Binglun: “……”

Li Suwen: “Great, Director Jiang has forfeited. Ning Zhu is ours for the Aries Department!”

“Alright,” Yang Huai Zhou said. “She has the right to choose.”

In the past century, Spirit Card Academy would encounter students suitable for both departments every few years.

This year was special — there were two such students.

One was Ning Zhu, the other was Ye Jianrong.

As for which department they would choose, even the professors present didn’t know.

After Ning Zhu took down the 【Gunner】, Ye Jianrong in the distance also eliminated a 【Warrior】. Seeing Ning Zhu’s “battle record,” she paused for a moment, then sheathed her long blade and charged toward a distant 【Mage】.

The 【Mage】 didn’t have high attack power, but its freezing spells were very troublesome.

Ye Jianrong moved extremely fast. It was as if she had predicted the landing spots of the ice spells and always dodged them one step ahead. The ice smashed into the grass, turning it into frozen blades, but she had already closed in on the 【Mage】.

Unlike the 【Warrior】, once a 【Mage】 was approached at close range, it was easy to take down.

**Bang! Bang! Bang!**

Ye Jianrong’s blade strikes were fierce and powerful. She split the stone statue straight down from the head.

Of the four 【Role Cards】, Ning Zhu had taken down the 【Warrior】 and 【Gunner】, while Ye Jianrong had taken down the 【Warrior】 and 【Mage】. Their strength was indeed among the best of the freshmen.

After the battle ended, the thick smell of blood still lingered inside the 【Scene Card】. The freshmen who had fought felt deeply exhausted.

Especially the girl holding the blade with both hands — her wrists were swollen.

“My name is Ning Zhu. What’s yours?”

“I’m Lin Ting.”

“Listening?”

“It’s Lin, the double-wood Lin.”

“Ohhh, what a pretty name.”

“…Thank you.” Lin Ting quickly added, “Your name sounds nice too.”

Ning Zhu gave her a bright smile, then raised her voice and asked, “Divine Archer, what’s your name?”

The girl with the bow jumped, blinked, and pointed at her own nose. “Me?”

“Who else? There’s no second bow here.”

“I-I’m Lu Xianyue!” She scratched her head awkwardly, looking frustrated. “I haven’t practiced in a long time, so my aim is pretty bad.”

“Your first shot was because you were nervous, right? But you hit several times after that.”

“You saw?”

“Everyone saw.”

Lin Ting hadn’t actually seen it, but she quickly chimed in, “Mm! We saw it!”

Lu Xianyue immediately beamed with joy, eyes curving into crescents.

Ye Jianrong was not far from them but showed no intention of joining the conversation.

Ning Zhu introduced herself on her behalf.

Ye Jianrong looked at her and asked, “You brought a 【Hemostasis Card】?”

Ning Zhu’s arm had stopped bleeding. She had clearly been shot, yet there was no pain and no bleeding.

To be honest, Ning Zhu herself found it strange, but considering the special nature of the 【Star God Card】, she suspected she had been blessed again. It wasn’t convenient to explain, so she simply replied, “Mm.”

Lu Xianyue and Lin Ting hadn’t seen her get shot. Only now did they notice the bloodstains on her sleeve and asked worriedly, “You’re injured?”

“It’s fine, just a small wound.” Ning Zhu reminded them seriously, “We can’t let our guard down. We don’t know what’s happening outside. There might be more enemies coming in. We need to keep our weapons ready… Also, take out the 【Refreshment Card】 and 【Snack Card】 and use them.”

As she spoke, Ning Zhu stood up and encouraged more people to find weapons. She also told them to drink water and eat to restore their strength, and asked if anyone had brought common medicine.

Their 【Luggage Cards】 were still in their hands and could be opened.

Ning Zhu had brought quite a few common medicines, mostly for stomach issues and colds, which weren’t useful right now.

Seeing that this side had calmed down, the students who had run far away gradually came closer.

Ning Zhu didn’t hold it against them. She simply instructed, “Everyone, keep your weapons ready and restore your strength as much as possible!”

This scene also fell into the eyes of the professors.

The more Li Suwen watched, the more she liked her. “She has courage, strategy, and coordination ability. Not only is she unafraid of trouble, she can also take charge… Given time, she has the potential to inherit 【Aries】!”

She paused, then smiled bitterly, “No, that’s not right. She’s already a ‘Star God Card Master’.”

The moment these four words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment.

The Star God Card had appeared in the world.

Even though it had already been confirmed, it still left people with complicated feelings.

A century of peace had been broken.

This girl was born at the end of the century and would eventually stir up the new century.

Yang Huai Zhou said, “If possible, I actually hope she inherits 【Aries】.”

---

The survivors were still shaken.

They had stayed inside the 【Scene Card】 for a full twenty minutes.

Suddenly, the sky cracked open like a broken mirror, revealing black fissures.

Ye Jianrong said, “The 【Scene Card】 is ending.”

Ning Zhu raised her voice, “Everyone, keep your weapons ready and stay alert!”

The Somersault Cloud Express might not be safe. The moment they left the 【Scene Card】, they could very well face real, vicious enemies.

People from the Zodiac Society were far more brutal than these 【Role Cards】.

The sky disappeared. The grassland disappeared…

Their vision suddenly brightened. They were now standing inside a magnificent auditorium.

Not only Ning Zhu’s group looked bewildered — all the freshmen had similar expressions.

Their school uniforms were dirty, their hair messy. Some had mud on their faces. Those who had “died and revived” were screaming in joy, “I’m not dead! I’m not dead!”

Ning Zhu’s sharp eyes spotted the freshmen who had died under the role cards earlier.

Especially the student who had been shot in the forehead right in front of her — he was now standing there perfectly fine, face full of joy.

This…

What was going on?

The auditorium they were in was extremely grand. It could easily accommodate nearly ten thousand people without feeling crowded.

The ceiling was very high, displaying a brilliant starry sky. On the left was the outline of Aries, on the right was Libra. Several white stone pillars supported the magnificent dome.

The auditorium was divided into two sections: one with dark red cushions, the other with deep blue cushions, both embroidered with the department emblems of Aries and Libra.

The freshmen looked around in confusion, clearly unable to tell what was real and what wasn’t.

On the high platform at the front of the auditorium stood a “youth” wearing a dark red robe, about 1.7 meters tall, with handsome features and a bright smile:

“Hello everyone. I am Yang Huai Zhou, the 78th Principal of Spirit Card Academy.”

The entire venue fell silent.

Countless freshmen had disbelief written all over their faces.

This was the principal of Spirit Card Academy?

But he clearly looked only fifteen or sixteen years old!

“I know you’re doubting my age…” Yang Huai Zhou smiled gently, his voice clear and bright. “After this winter, I will turn 150 years old. Even for a Card Master, that is considered a long life.”

150 years old?

Someone couldn’t help blurting out, “You mean 15, right?!”

“My appearance is not intentional. It’s due to a small accident. I could have used some tricks to disguise myself, but I prefer to face you sincerely. At the same time, I hope this serves as a reminder to all of you,” Yang Huai Zhou paused and emphasized, “What you see may not be the truth. Please feel it with your hearts.”

He lightly tapped his finger. A curtain of light slid out from his slender fingertip and expanded into a giant circular screen.

On the screen were over ninety small windows, each showing similar yet completely different scenes.

The attacked 【Somersault Cloud Express】.

The chaotic 【Scene Card】.

The freshmen fleeing in panic, and the freshmen bravely fighting back.

Everyone watched in stunned silence. The auditorium was deathly quiet.

When the footage ended, the ninety-plus small windows froze at the same time, showing close-ups of the ninety-plus freshmen holding weapons and bravely resisting the 【Role Cards】.

On every young face — whether beautiful or ordinary, firm or gentle — there was courage and determination, along with the fearless spirit of seizing a chance of survival in desperate situations.

A line of large text appeared on the screen along with Principal Yang’s voice:

“Welcome to Spirit Card Academy. This was your ‘First Lesson of the School Year’.”

The entire venue erupted. Someone shouted, “What does this mean?!”

It was a venue for ten thousand people, and after experiencing such a brutal event, the freshmen’s impression of Spirit Card Academy was extremely poor. They no longer had any reverence and started yelling:

“You played us!”

“What kind of first lesson is this?!”

“People died! You… you killed people!”

Many freshmen hadn’t seen their “revived” classmates and thought those who died were really dead.

Some had seen it, but had no mood to explain. They were thinking: “Was this a test? Did I perform too poorly?”

“It’s over. I’m definitely eliminated.”

Of course, even more people found it ridiculous. They stood up and said, “Who would want to study in a school like this? I want to go home!”

“I thought Card Masters just made cards…”

“If it’s this dangerous, who wants to learn it?”

“Silence.”

Yang Huai Zhou only said this one word lightly, and the venue of ten thousand people instantly fell quiet.

No one saw what he did, but everyone’s voices were erased. They opened their mouths but no sound came out.

Bai Ze glanced over and said, “Five-star 【Silence Card】.”

Ning Zhu also couldn’t speak.

Bai Ze added, “100% effect. As expected of the principal of Spirit Card Academy.”

Yang Huai Zhou said, “Please rest assured. No one was injured or killed inside the 【Scene Card】. Those who were hurt should have already noticed that they have no wounds.”

Ning Zhu looked at her own arm. Not even the “bloodstains” remained.

She really hadn’t been shot.

Yang Huai Zhou continued, “This was only ‘one lesson,’ not an entrance exam. All freshmen who received admission letters may study at Spirit Card Academy. Of course, those who do not wish to enroll may leave after using a 【Memory Erase Card】. We will safely send you home.”

“I know everyone has many questions about this lesson. I will answer them one by one next.”

Yang Huai Zhou tapped his finger lightly, and the 【Silence Card】 covering ten thousand people was lifted. Everyone could speak again.

However, no one said anything.

The 【Silence Card】 from earlier had made them realize the massive gap between themselves and this seemingly young principal.

Only when Yang Huai Zhou spoke again did someone finally ask boldly, “Why arrange such a first lesson? Even if no one really died, it was too terrifying!”

Yang Huai Zhou looked at everyone and said seriously, “This is the future, and I do not wish to deceive you.”