Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Ning Zhu did not say anything further and only said: “Let’s go back to the dormitory first.”

The two girls hurriedly replied: “O-okay…”

The 【Sliding Card】 could not be used on stairs, so they put away their cards, returned them at the nearest station, and only then went upstairs side by side together.

They had only glanced at the contents of the school forum and hadn’t had time to read it carefully yet. At this moment, they were full of questions, planning to go back to the dormitory and take a closer look.

Ning Zhu and the others’ dormitory was on the far left of the sixth floor. Although it was a bit far, the lighting was very good.

Through two large windows, they could just see the landmark building of the Spirit Card Academy.

A huge bronze bell standing on the mountaintop, its entire body gleaming gold.

No one knew how long it had stood there. It seemed like the blazing sun on the horizon itself, eternally brilliant.

There were only three pieces of luggage in the dormitory. Lu Xianle and Lin Ting had not chosen beds yet, planning to wait for Ning Zhu to return so the three of them could decide together.

If there was disagreement, they would draw lots. If not, they would choose their preferred beds.

But at this moment, they had no such thoughts at all—only the school forum filled their minds.

Ning Zhu said: “I’ll check the school forum first.”

Lu Xianle and Lin Ting thought the same. One opened a laptop, the other took out a phone, and after tapping with their student cards, they logged into the school forum.

Ning Zhu did not bother with a laptop and directly logged in on her phone, reading carefully.

Ning Zhu did not know what the school forum had been like before.

At this moment, however, it had been completely flooded.

Every post prominently displayed the three words 【Ancient God Card】, and from time to time, Ning Zhu’s name would pop up.

Ning Zhu searched and sorted by time, finally finding the earliest discussion threads.

As expected, before the principal and Senior Brother Lin Jin used 【Fate Conversion】, people on the forum were already discussing the 【Star God Card】. These posts were not “converted” and still retained their original content.

The origin of these discussions was the sudden ringing of the Destiny Bell.

The Destiny Bell would ring in response to divine techniques.

Registered zodiac cards generally would not trigger it, and the Yellow Path Society had its own countermeasures. Only the vanished 【Star God Card】 had the highest probability of triggering the Destiny Bell.

The Destiny Bell rang twice in succession.

This further confirmed people’s suspicions.

Apart from a Star God Card holder, no Zodiac Card holder could possibly release two divine techniques consecutively.

The forum exploded at that time, with students discussing intensely.

Some were filled with fear.

Because before his death, Star Demon had once said—everyone must die.

If he were to “revive,” it would be a nightmare for the entire world!

Others were optimistic.

They believed that after a hundred years, another powerful Star God Card holder had finally descended.

And the Card Master world already had experience once; this time they would properly guide her or him, and no matter what, they would not let the Star God Card holder repeat the past tragedy.

Ning Zhu scrolled through all the posts about the emergence of the 【Star God Card】 and confirmed that no one knew her name.

However, even though students did not widely know it, the teachers most likely already did.

Li Leyang probably heard it from his mother, who was a librarian at the Spirit Card Academy.

Ning Zhu searched the three words 【Ancient God Card】 again and discovered that before today, not a single post had ever mentioned it.

And then came today’s posts.

The name “Ning Zhu” debuted alone, dominating several hot posts.

The opening class also sparked heated discussion. Senior students were talking intensely, especially when analyzing Group 66 — at first, it wasn’t because of Ning Zhu, but because of Ye Jianrong.

Ye Jianrong’s parents were two extremely outstanding Card Masters.

What was heartbreaking was that both of them died during an operation to hunt down forbidden cards. At that time, Ye Jianrong was only six years old.

Six-year-old Ye Jianrong grew up under the care of her grandmother.

Ye Jianrong’s grandmother was a Pure Human, but she did not, because of her son and daughter-in-law’s deaths, forbid her granddaughter from touching cards.

On the contrary, she carefully handed all the books related to Spirit Cards left behind by her son and daughter-in-law to her granddaughter.

Little Ye Jianrong could not read, so her grandmother read them to her.

And Ye Jianrong truly had extraordinary talent. At the age of seven, she created her first card using her parents’ card-making notes.

The Spirit Card Academy does not admit children under sixteen.

And Ye Jianrong, even in a Pure Human school, performed exceptionally well.

She was first in class, first in grade, first in school…

Until in the preparatory class, she once again took first place in Card Battle!

Such a dazzling rising star naturally made many people curious about her performance in the “Opening First Lesson.”

When everyone was searching the replay of Group 66, they also saw Ning Zhu.

The scene of her smashing her head into a 【Character Card】 shocked quite a few people.

Ning Zhu even gained the nickname “Iron-Headed Goat.”

She had not yet been assigned to a system, but this behavior had already proven her “attribute”—a textbook Aries type.

And then came the six-pillar chart.

Ye Jianrong and Ning Zhu both having full six-pillar charts caused a huge stir on the school forum.

Ye Jianrong specialized in the element “fire” and possessed “explosiveness,” which made sense. What puzzled people was that she actually had the trait “passionate”!

Where was she passionate?

In all the forum snapshots of her, she had a cold, refined little face.

Iron-Headed Goat… cough, Ning Zhu actually having the emotion “calm” also made veteran students drop their jaws in shock.

Calm?

She was so calm she smashed her head into a 【Character Card】?!

In short, this year’s new students were very unusual.

A rare “double yolk egg” situation (two people both having full six-pillar charts), yet their personalities were so different.

Their system choices were not surprising to anyone.

One Aries, one Libra.

Ning Zhu and the “Iron-Headed Goat” nickname were thus firmly and inseparably bound together, as expected.

Up to this point, the posts were still normal.

Until someone suddenly posted a question:

“Who is the Star God Card holder?”

“Is it Ye Jianrong?”

“Holy crap, don’t tell me it’s Iron-Headed Goat! She’s a Pure Human!”

“So what if she’s a Pure Human? Logically speaking, if it were Ye Jianrong, the forum would’ve exploded already! When the Destiny Bell rang, all major families were investigated thoroughly—it’s impossible she was missed.”

“According to insider leaks, the Star God Card holder is indeed a Pure Human!”

“This is confirmed, 100% Iron-Headed Goat!”

After this post, an official post appeared. The author was the administrator of the school forum, who used a very official tone to announce the “fact.”

“After verification, the Destiny Bell did not ring because of the 【Star God Card】.”

“Freshman Year 24 Aries system Ning Zhu is the holder of the 【Ancient God Card】.”

Once this news came out, the school forum was completely flooded.

The 【Star God Card】 disappeared without a trace, and the front page was filled entirely with 【Ancient God Card】.

Some students were very curious—

“What is the 【Ancient God Card】 again? I, a Pure Human, haven’t even remembered the 【Star God Card】 yet, and now there’s another one?”

“I went to ask my mom. My mom doesn’t know either.”

“My grandpa doesn’t know either.”

“Oh, my grandma said it was a mythic card once on the same level as the 【Star God Card】.”

“Mythic card?”

“It’s the kind that was thought to only exist in myths, but turns out it actually exists…”

“I get it! It’s like Sun Wukong suddenly jumping out of a mythological story!”

“Mm… roughly that meaning…”

There were also students who strongly questioned it—

“What 【Ancient God Card】? Never even heard of it. How can it be on the same level as the 【Star God Card】?”

“It’s not like just adding the word ‘god’ makes it a god card. If I make a card and name it 【Ten Thousand Gods Card】, does that make me a big shot too?”

“I have a bold theory… what if the Star God Card holder is in the Yellow Path Society? So the higher-ups got anxious and had to invent an 【Ancient God Card】 to stabilize public opinion…”

“Damn, don’t tell ghost stories like that!”

“That’s actually possible. Think about it carefully—if the 【Ancient God Card】 were really that powerful, how could we have never heard of it? In the past hundred years it’s either been the 【Star God Card】 or the 【Zodiac Cards】—who’s ever heard of the 【Ancient God Card】!”

This last comment made Ning Zhu read it again and again.

She didn’t know much about the Card Master world, but from the school forum, it seemed that most students from Card Master families had also never heard of the 【Ancient God Card】.

Did the 【Ancient God Card】 really exist?

As if knowing what Ning Zhu was thinking, Bai Ze said faintly, “Don’t ask me. I don’t know either.”

Ning Zhu rubbed the cat’s head and said, “Wasted all those years.”

Bai Ze immediately got angry: “So you’ve been treating me like crap, huh!”

Ning Zhu could only silently say with her mouth: “I was talking about my luck, not you…”

Bai Ze said: “I AM your luck! I’m super lucky!”

Ning Zhu couldn’t help but laugh. Thinking about it, it was true—if not for Bai Ze, her father would now… she said softly, “Alright, alright, Bai Bai is a lucky little cat.”

Bai Ze: “Hmph!”

After a moment, it felt something was wrong again, and raised its head proudly: “Address me as the Honorable Card Spirit Lord!”

Ning Zhu continued scrolling through the school forum.

Some parts she could understand, but more doubts arose.

The power of the 【Star God Card】 was beyond question.

Even the full-power 【Fate Conversion】 cast by the Aries Card Master and Libra Card Master could only achieve this extent.

Indeed, no one was questioning whether Ning Zhu was the Star God Card holder anymore.

But everyone was also extremely confused about the existence of the 【Ancient God Card】.

But if the effect of 【Fate Conversion】 were a little stronger, perhaps Ning Zhu could have been turned into a certain Zodiac Card holder, and in that case it wouldn’t have caused so much confusion among people.

Unfortunately, first, all twelve Zodiac Cards were already claimed, and second, the gap between 【Zodiac Cards】 and the 【Star God Card】 was simply too large.

To use an analogy, Ning Zhu is currently a tiger, and 【Fate Conversion】 can barely turn her into a lion, but it cannot turn her into a rabbit.

The good thing is that the Yellow Path Society is only targeting the 【Star God Card】.

As long as everyone is convinced that Ning Zhu is an Ancient God Card holder, that is enough.

Even if people question whether the 【Ancient God Card】 exists, it doesn’t matter.

Ning Zhu didn’t care what kind of card holder she was.

She only wanted to divert the Yellow Path Society’s attention and protect her father and mother.

A post quickly shot to the top, titled—

“You’re just ignorant because you’re trash (click in to see the past and present life of the 【Ancient God Card】).”

The post’s popularity skyrocketed.

First, because the poster was extremely provocative, and second, because there was real substance in it.

When Ning Zhu clicked in, she couldn’t help but keep nodding, almost wanting to say: “So that’s how it is… so that’s how it is…”

The poster first started by explaining “what mythic cards are”—

Simply put, they are equivalent to myths in the Pure Human world.

Then it simulated the “emergence of the 【Star God Card】”—

For nearly a hundred years, the reason people have been promoting the 【Star God Card】 is purely because Star Demon demonstrated the power of that card.

Then it naturally introduced the 【Ancient God Card】, also a mythic card, and gave a detailed explanation of it.

As a mythic card, the 【Ancient God Card】 undoubtedly possesses divine power similar to the 【Star God Card】.

The reason people do not know about the 【Ancient God Card】 is because it has never truly appeared in the world—just like a century ago, people also knew nothing about the 【Star God Card】.

And now, the emergence of the 【Ancient God Card】 signifies the beginning of a new era.

And this new era is no longer shrouded under the shadow of Star Demon, but instead comes from the “history” of Huaxia civilization.

What followed was the most impressive part of the post.

All the records it cited regarding the 【Ancient God Card】 came from ancient Huaxia texts, complete with detailed references.

Argument, evidence, reasoning…

The poster could probably get a perfect score on an academic paper without any effort.

Ning Zhu couldn’t help but look at the poster’s ID.

The ID was so obvious that it was instantly recognizable.

—Joyous Goat.

Without a doubt, this was Li Leyang!

Ning Zhu then checked the posting time, and her heart warmed slightly.

They had just bumped into each other in the corridor, and Li Leyang hadn’t even dared to look at her directly, but once he went upstairs, he immediately posted this thread.

The intention of the post was also very clear.

He was refuting those who doubted the 【Ancient God Card】, and also defending Ning Zhu.

Unfortunately, Ning Zhu didn’t have Li Leyang’s contact information, nor did she know which dormitory building he lived in…

Oh.

She could send him a private message on the school forum.

I’ve translated strictly, kept all dialogue, and rendered all names and terms into English as requested.

She sent a message to Li Le Yang: “Thank you.”

Li Le Yang replied very quickly: “?”

Ning Zhu’s ID was still a string of default characters; she hadn’t had time to change it yet. She just said: “I am Ning Zhu.”

The other side instantly went silent.

In the boys’ dormitory.

Le Zi Yang, who had been passionately arguing on the school forum, staggered and nearly threw his computer out of the window.

“Yang-ge, Yang-ge, what’s wrong with you?”

“Damn! I… ah geez,” Li Le Yang finally recovered, muttering, “I was personally named and thanked by a Primordial God Card holder—will this be written into history books in the future?!”

The roommates: “………………”

Ning Zhu had roughly finished browsing the school forum and now had a clear understanding of her situation.

She looked at Lu Xian Le and Lin Ting and said, “I don’t know why I was recognized as the owner either. I just happened to pick up a card…”

The two girls immediately perked up, looking at her with curiosity.

Ning Zhu actually didn’t have much to say. Let alone understanding the Primordial God Card, she barely even understood the Star God Card.

Lu Xian Le asked again: “Does the Primordial God Card also have divine techniques?”

Ning Zhu wasn’t sure: “Probably.”

Lin Ting said: “Even if it does, it would require a huge amount of spiritual energy to activate it. Ning Zhu definitely can’t use it right now.”

Lu Xian Le asked again: “Then does the Primordial God Card have its own cultivation system? Like the Aries system or the Libra system?”

This really stumped Ning Zhu. She thought for a moment and said: “No.” If there were, Principal Yang would have told her.

Lin Ting suddenly said: “Quick, look at the school forum. There’s a new announcement!”

Lu Xian Le and Ning Zhu also looked over. This time the poster used their real name—it was actually Li Su Wen, the head of the Aries Department.

She posted a pinned thread explaining the Primordial God Card and the Primordial God Card holder to the entire school.

Ning Zhu quickly skimmed it and felt it was basically the same as what Li Le Yang had written, except coming from Li Su Wen it carried more authority.

The key points of the post could be summarized in two sentences:

“The mysteries of the Primordial God Card are still being studied and explored.”

“Although Ning Zhu is a Primordial God Card holder, she is no different from everyone else. She still needs to attend classes properly and improve herself before she can use the Primordial God Card.”

After this post, Ning Zhu immediately felt her pressure greatly reduced.

Being the center of attention didn’t feel good.

However, the Primordial God Card seemed to be more low-profile than the Star God Card. Once this wave of heated discussion passed, things would probably quiet down.

And the heat actually dropped quite quickly.

Because a piece of insider news began spreading through the school forum, attracting even more attention.

“What! The Three Academies are organizing a Card Master Competition?”

“Isn’t the competition held once every four years? This is only the second year, isn’t it still early?!”

“I heard it’s a newly added event, only first-year students can participate.”

“First-years don’t even know anything yet, what’s the point of competing?”

“I heard it’ll be held in winter… called the ‘Freshman Cup.’ It seems the Secret Card Academy proposed it. They really went all out—they’re even using a six-star card ring as the championship prize!”

“Damn, a six-star card ring?!”

“Ahhh why is it only for freshmen, I refuse this!”

“I’m dropping out now and re-enrolling—does that make me a freshman again?”

“Alright, it’s not even certain it’ll be held—it’s just insider gossip…”

Even if it was just insider gossip, it was enough to make the school forum buzz with heated discussion.

The new students were eager to try, while the older students were grinding their teeth with envy.

On top of that, the senior students’ enthusiastic explanations about the six-star card ring had completely pushed the underwhelming Primordial God Card out of everyone’s minds. Now all they cared about was who the six-star card ring would end up with.

Ning Zhu had also been busy these past two days, busy selecting and arranging her courses.

After learning about Ning Zhu’s identity as a “Primordial God Card holder,” Lu Xian Le and Lin Ting had been a little restrained when interacting with her.

However, after chatting the entire night, the three of them had become close again.

Primordial God Card, Star God Card—everyone was equally troubled by course selection.

The Spirit Card Academy used a credit system. On top of required courses and major courses, they also had to choose at least three additional elective courses.

Lu Xian Le almost cried: “I came to Spirit Card Academy, why do I still have to study Chinese, math, and foreign languages?!” Foreign language wasn’t strictly English, but it was still a required course.

Ning Zhu also felt overwhelmed: “We don’t even separate arts and science streams.” History, geography, politics, physics, chemistry, and biology—all of it had to be studied.

Lin Ting said: “Did you read the ‘history book’? It’s not only the five thousand years of Chinese civilization, but also the corresponding five thousand years of Spirit Card history…”

“Chemistry is also related to card material production…”

“What about physics? Why are we even learning physics?!”

“For creating technology cards…”

“Then biology?!”

“Medical cards…”

“Politics—politics is useless, right?!”

“For employment after graduation, civil service exams…”

Lu Xian Le collapsed onto the table: “Is it still time to drop out?”

Lin Ting said gloomily: “If you drop out now, you’ll have to buy a Memory Erasure Card yourself. It’s ten thousand per card, just saying.”

Lu Xian Le burst into tears of poverty.

Ning Zhu was also deeply worried.

Only fellow academic underachievers could understand the pain of academic underachievers.

Forget it. Instead of crying together, she might as well check the school forum to see if there was any course selection guide.

The required courses and major courses couldn’t be avoided—they had to be taken properly. The main focus was the three elective courses. It would be best to pick ones that were easy to earn credits in and wouldn’t waste too much energy…

On the school forum, no one was discussing the Primordial God Card anymore. People were either complaining about the possibly upcoming “Three Academies Freshman Cup,” or crying over their course schedules.

As soon as Ning Zhu entered the forum, she found an unread private message.

She clicked it open.

Sender: Le Zi Yang.

Attachment: Aries Department Best Course Schedule.xlsx