Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Originally, everyone had already been extremely interested in Card-Making class. Now they were even more curious.

Someone even secretly pulled out their phone and made a post on the school forum—

Shock! Ancient God Card Master boldly claims she can create a three-star “Spirit Energy Card” on the spot!

As soon as the post was published, students without class immediately flooded in.

The freshmen didn’t really understand and asked, “She’s already an Ancient God Card Master, so making a three-star card shouldn’t be hard, right?”

Older students immediately came in to explain: “Holy shit, ignorance really is fearless! I’m a fourth-year old Aries student, and this year’s Card-Making graduation assignment is to create a three-star ‘Spirit Energy Card’!”

“Ah, it’s that hard?”

“But three-star ‘Spirit Energy Cards’ aren’t that expensive...”

“Three thousand for one card still isn’t expensive?”

“Uh... I’ve seen some three-star spell cards costing over ten thousand...”

“‘Spirit Energy Cards’ are one-time consumable cards!”

“If you compare it to Pure Human society, that’s like only eating Michelin meals and only drinking top-tier Moutai liquor!”

The thread grew rapidly. On one hand, the freshmen were too ignorant. On the other hand, the older students were too shocked, all personally coming forward to explain just how difficult it was to make a three-star “Spirit Energy Card.”

“Spirit Energy Cards” differed from other cards in one aspect:

Below four stars, the materials were exactly the same.

With completely identical materials, one could create one-star through four-star “Spirit Energy Cards,” and that depended entirely on the Card Maker’s skill level.

The materials for “Spirit Energy Cards” weren’t expensive either, only around one hundred yuan.

One had to know that for other three-star cards, such as a three-star “Flame Card,” just one strand of the “Fire Dragon Whisker,” one of its materials, already cost two thousand yuan.

The cost difference was worlds apart, so one couldn’t judge only by the selling price of the cards.

The older students passionately explained things in the thread, and some freshmen who had already attended one Card-Making class also jumped in to complain tearfully:

“The first class was already about ‘Spirit Energy Cards.’ It’s super hard! I understood every single word the teacher said, but when they were put together I genuinely couldn’t understand anything! And those spirit patterns are especially complicated. The card-drawing pen is ridiculously hard to use. Forget drawing the required spirit patterns — I can’t even leave ink marks on the card paper!”

The freshmen who hadn’t attended class finally understood, and they immediately became curious again: “Can the Ancient God Card Master really make a three-star ‘Spirit Energy Card’?”

“No idea!”

“I think she’s kind of dumb. That ‘Colored Pen’ guy was obviously deliberately stirring up trouble. Why does she need to prove herself to him!”

“So she got baited?”

“How should I put it... she acted a little too impulsively...”

“I’m at the scene. Colored Pen is hateful as hell! The Ancient God Card Master is still too young. Even if she really makes a three-star ‘Spirit Energy Card,’ so what? That damn Colored Pen will still feel smug about himself.”

“Speaking of which, what’s this Colored Pen guy’s background? His grandfather is on the school board?”

“Surname Cai?”

“Yeah!”

“So it’s their family. Their ‘Pet Card’ chain stores are in Spirit Vein locations all over the country. They’ve made a ton of money over the years off those flashy but useless things... tch, so what if they’ve got some stinking money.”

“Guy above, you forgot to post anonymously.”

“Shit! Delete the thread, delete the thread!”

Three minutes later, the entire thread was reported and deleted because it involved personal attacks.

Someone else started a new discussion thread. This time, everyone switched to code names, and even the commenters carefully chose to post anonymously.

Jiang Binglun’s Card-Making class was dry and boring.

His tone when speaking was completely flat, like an emotionless robot.

What he taught was actually very interesting, especially for freshmen who knew absolutely nothing.

But his voice was simply too steady and monotonous, making even interesting material feel sleep-inducing.

“Spirit Energy Cards” were beginner-level cards and also almost every Card Master’s very first card creation.

Its creation process was not complicated, and the materials were also very common. One only needed spirit pattern paper and Moonlight Ink, along with specialized Card-Making tools.

After Jiang Binglun briefly explained the Card-Making process, he directly used his fingers to draw on the light board behind him.

He was very tall, and his entire body gave people a feeling of length — long torso, long face, long arms and legs, even his fingers were somewhat longer than those of ordinary people.

His fingers were pale and straight, flowing across the light board like drifting clouds and running water as he drew the spirit pattern corresponding to the “Spirit Energy Card.”

The pattern was enlarged tenfold. The depth and shading of every single line were displayed with complete clarity, including the order of the strokes, all individually marked out. At the same time, several spots where freshmen were likely to make mistakes were specially highlighted.

The freshmen had been listening to the lecture drowsily, but after seeing him smoothly complete the entire pattern in one stroke, they couldn’t help revealing looks of amazement.

So impressive. As expected of the head of the Libra Department!

Even Bai Ze said, “He’s got some skill at least.”

Ning Zhu stared at the pattern on the light board and silently asked, “Is it 7 and 8?”

Bai Ze replied, “That’s right, but it’s not that simple... Listen to my commands when you start drawing. The amount of ink is extremely important. It has to be done so nobody can notice...”

Ning Zhu solemnly said, “Understood.”

While Jiang Binglun was lecturing, nobody was allowed to touch the Card-Making materials or tools. Only after he finished explaining everything and thoroughly analyzed the key points of the spirit pattern did he finally say, “Next, you may begin drawing your cards.”

After speaking, the corner of his eyes glanced toward Ning Zhu, though it was only a casual, indifferent glance without any emotion revealed.

The freshmen were absentminded. None of them rushed to draw cards. This wasn’t something they could learn instantly. Jiang Binglun finishing his explanation didn’t mean they understood it, especially those complicated spirit patterns. Without long-term practice, they simply couldn’t draw them.

A few preparatory class students could actually already make one-star “Spirit Energy Cards.”

At this moment, however, none of them moved. Instead, they curiously looked toward the third row.

Ning Zhu and Cai Xinji were seated at the same table, sharing one set of Card-Making materials. For example, the spirit pattern paper came as one large rolled-up sheet that needed to be cut to the appropriate size and flattened before drawing. The ink needed for drawing was contained in the inkstone placed between them.

Some card creations required assistance from others, but “Spirit Energy Cards” could be completed alone.

Ning Zhu also didn’t waste time. She picked up the cutter and cut an appropriately sized sheet of spirit pattern paper...

Once she began moving, the freshmen couldn’t help secretly glancing over.

Jiang Binglun said, “One hour from now, any student unable to complete the drawing will copy it ten extra times after class.”

As soon as those words came out, the students collectively sucked in cold breaths and hurriedly focused on drawing the spirit patterns.

Cai Xinji wasn’t anxious. It was only drawing, after all. He could finish in at most half an hour.

He really wanted to see how Ning Zhu, this country bumpkin from a Pure Human background, was supposedly going to make a three-star “Spirit Energy Card”!

Ning Zhu had a great talent for drawing.

It was as though she had been born holding a pen. Every time her little uncle came to play with her, he would hold her hand and doodle together with her across huge sheets of white paper.

Colorful lines intertwined chaotically, and every single time, her little uncle would praise her for being amazing.

At the time, Ning Zhu had only thought it was fun. But now, when she recalled it, her feelings became incredibly complicated.

She had probably drawn a little alpaca when she was only two or three years old.

Not a simple doodle either, but a drawing with clear fur textures and strong sketching fundamentals.

Miao Yun had been utterly astonished at the time and repeatedly said, “Miao Feng, you really didn’t draw this for her?”

Miao Feng smiled and said, “Sis, Little Zhu is extraordinarily gifted. We have to nurture her properly!”

Before she turned six, Miao Yun had devotedly nurtured her daughter’s artistic talent.

After she turned six, however, Miao Yun canceled all of Ning Zhu’s art classes. She even personally went to the teachers at school to request leave from art lessons, painstakingly taking her out and then bringing her back once class ended.

Ning Zhu herself didn’t think much of it and had even been happy because she got to skip one class.

She couldn’t really say she liked drawing, nor could she say she disliked it. It was simply that once she picked up a pen, lines would steadily flow from her fingertips, allowing her to draw whatever she wanted.

The spirit patterns of the “Spirit Energy Card” were extremely complicated.

But the first time Bai Ze taught her, she had drawn it with complete ease.

The only difference was that the card-drawing pen was unlike an ordinary pen. At appropriate moments, a trace amount of spirit energy needed to be infused into it, and mastering that required constant experimentation. Thus, Ning Zhu had also practiced dozens of times before she could steadily draw the spirit pattern of a three-star “Spirit Energy Card.”

Under circumstances where the Card-Making materials were identical, the determining factor between different star levels of “Spirit Energy Cards” was the spirit pattern.

The clarity and completeness of the spirit pattern were both important indicators, and at the same time, the appropriate amount of spirit energy also needed to be infused at the correct places.

Of course, the required amount of spirit energy was very small. Compared to a three-star “Spirit Energy Card,” it was hardly worth mentioning.

When Ning Zhu began drawing, Cai Xinji was dismissive.

Moonlight Ink flowed from the tip of the card-drawing pen. After leaving clear ink traces on the card paper, his expression gradually became serious.

The surrounding people also curiously looked over.

Especially the freshmen who had never touched Card-Making before. They couldn’t help craning their necks to peek.

Someone softly exclaimed, “So smooth!”

“Is she trying to finish it in one stroke?”

“With such a complicated pattern, she doesn’t even need to pause?”

Some preparatory class students had already seen through what was happening:

“No way, she really can make a three-star ‘Spirit Energy Card’!”

“With this kind of pen control and smoothness, it’s at least two-star!”

Cai Xinji was the closest and saw everything most clearly.

He wasn’t some ignorant Pure Human. Ever since childhood, he had constantly watched people make cards, so he understood this level of spirit pattern drawing extremely well.

Could she really make a three-star “Spirit Energy Card”?

Cai Xinji panicked and raised his hand, wanting to touch her.

Card-Making feared interference more than anything.

As long as he touched her, her hand would definitely shake, and then the entire spirit pattern would drop in quality...

A hand pulled Cai Xinji away.

Cai Xinji staggered. When he looked up, he saw Jiang Binglun’s expressionless face.

Jiang Binglun said nothing, but deep mockery was visible in those black eyes. Clearly, he had seen exactly what Cai Xinji was trying to do.

And he would not allow it.

Ning Zhu noticed absolutely nothing.

Every time she drew cards, she completely immersed herself in it. The feeling was hard to describe. If she absolutely had to compare it to something, it was like becoming totally absorbed in a game, novel, or television drama.

It was as if she entered another world where she could neither hear surrounding sounds nor sense anything around her. She simply immersed herself in the flow of pen and ink until the intricate and mysterious spirit pattern was completely formed upon the card.

“Perfect!” When Bai Ze guided her in drawing, its voice sounded directly inside her heart.

However, after she stopped drawing the card, Bai Ze’s voice sounded beside her ears again.

Ning Zhu let out a sigh of relief, knowing there was no problem with the card now.

Card-Making was an obscure and difficult field of study.

One could already glimpse this from the theoretical books as thick as bricks.

Ning Zhu couldn’t possibly finish reading so many books, but Bai Ze knew too much. It was like a walking encyclopedia capable of accurately providing any information Ning Zhu wanted.

For example, this “Spirit Energy Card.”

It possessed a perfect three-star rating while simultaneously causing the user unbearable pain.

This pain would last for half an hour, yet afterward it would leave no harm whatsoever to the body, nor any side effects at all.

It was simply pure pain, similar to the agony of having every bone in one’s body broken.

Ning Zhu looked toward Jiang Binglun and calmly said, “Professor Jiang, please inspect it.”

She disliked Jiang Binglun, and without question, Jiang Binglun also disliked her.

But he was the director of the Libra Department, the “Justice” of Libra Sequence Two.

He would deliver a perfectly fair conclusion.

Because no matter how the card was inspected, it was still a qualified three-star “Spirit Energy Card.”