53: Jiangcheng Newcomer Competition, 10 million Star Coins!

Next up was the breaking-in period.

He began to command the Hellhound to perform the most basic movements.

Standing, running, pouncing, Bite… Each command was accompanied by Source Power guidance and mental communication.

Under three times gravity, the Hellhound's movements seemed a bit slow and strenuous, but its sense of power and explosive force were still astonishing.

Especially the two large mouths full of fangs, the "crunch" sound they made when tearing at the specially made alloy dummy target, and the deep teeth marks left behind, made Lu Yuan quite satisfied.

It can fight, it can tank, it’s fierce enough!

Just as Lu Yuan was immersed in breaking in his new card.

Outside the thick observation window of the gravity room, several Honor Class students had gathered at some point.

They had originally come to cultivate, but their attention was drawn by the two-headed Hellhound, which they had never seen before and which exuded a powerful aura, inside the gravity room.

“Is that… Lu Yuan?”

“Is he taming a beast?”

“Look at the summoned beast he has! A two-headed dog? It looks so fierce!”

“Hiss… This aura, it’s at least blue high-star, right?” a student with a bit more knowledge whispered.

“Damn it, one gold card isn't enough, and now he has a blue card of this level… How are others supposed to live?”

“Monster! He’s really a monster!”

The discussions, separated by the thick glass, could not reach the gravity room.

Lu Yuan was completely unaware of this.

All his attention was focused on breaking in with the Hellhound.

An hour later.

The Hellhound was already able to execute his commands relatively smoothly, although it occasionally still showed untamed wildness.

But it was much better than before; with a few more taming sessions, it would basically be complete.

Letting the Hellhound rest for a while, Lu Yuan took out the source core fragment from his pocket again.

A warm sensation came through.

At the same time, his consciousness sank into the original card slot, gently touching the sleeping Raging Waves Sea Soul and Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon.

Buzz… The fragment vibrated slightly again.

This time, without the urgency of battle, Lu Yuan could feel more clearly… a faint trace of aquamarine energy overflowing from the Raging Waves Sea Soul.

A similarly faint trace of gold lightning energy overflowed from the Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon.

Two completely different, even somewhat opposing energies, guided by the source core fragment, carefully approached, touched, and converged… There was no conflict or annihilation as imagined.

Instead, a strange, pulsating sensation, like gears meshing, was produced.

Water aids thunder’s might, thunder enhances water’s power.

The resonant pulsation felt was much clearer and more stable than when forcibly guided during the previous battle!

This magical little thing was the great hero who helped him kill the enemy yesterday!

To this day, he still doesn't understand its origin.

Just as Lu Yuan was immersed in this wonderful exploration.

The door of the cultivation room was gently knocked.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes, dispersed the Source Power guidance in his hand, and the fragment returned to its simple, unadorned appearance.

“Please come in.”

The door opened.

Yao Xiao walked in, carrying a small insulated box.

“Seeing that you came directly to the cultivation room, I guessed you would definitely need this.” She placed the insulated box on the floor and opened it.

Inside were several vials of potions emitting a soft glow.

“High-grade Source Power recovery potions, and some mental tranquilizers,” Yao Xiao explained.

Lu Yuan’s heart warmed.

“Thanks.”

“Why are you being so polite with me? My dad gave them, and by rights, I still got a huge advantage from you.” Yao Xiao glared at him playfully.

“Hehe… How could I be so shameless?”

Yao Xiao looked at him, seeming to want to say something, hesitated for a moment, then spoke: “Lu Yuan, are you… really going to sell a gold card?”

“That’s a gold card! Something countless people dream of but can’t get!”

“If you regret it now, or have any difficulties, I can… I can go talk to my dad and see if there’s another way…”

In her opinion, exchanging a gold card with infinite potential for protection and five million star coins was a losing deal no matter how you looked at it.

Lu Yuan looked at her sincere eyes, smiled, and shook his head.

“No need.”

“Words spoken are like water spilled.”

“A promise is a promise.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t know the value of a gold card, but he knew even more clearly that if Yao Tianxiao hadn’t intervened in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

A debt of gratitude is the hardest to repay.

Moreover, this was not just a favor, but a life-saving grace.

From his perspective, this transaction was not a loss.

And it’s good to lean on a big tree for shade; temporarily joining the Yao Family meant he wouldn't have to worry about minor troubles.

Seeing Lu Yuan’s firm attitude, Yao Xiao no longer tried to persuade him.

She changed the subject.

“Oh, there’s another thing.”

“Jiangcheng’s annual Card Master Rookie Competition will begin registration next week.”

“Rookie Competition?” Lu Yuan became interested. “Tell me more.”

“Yes, this is an event our Jiangcheng official holds every year, open to all young Card Masters under twenty years old and not exceeding Rank Three,” Yao Xiao explained. “It’s an important way to discover and cultivate local talents.”

“The competition is divided into preliminaries, knockouts, and finals. The competition is fierce, and many dark horses emerge every year.”

“What about the rewards?” Lu Yuan went straight to the point.

“The rewards are very generous!” Yao Xiao’s eyes lit up. “The top ten all receive a large amount of star coins, rare cards, and cultivation resources as rewards.”

“The top three, moreover, get the qualification to enter the City Resource Secret Vault and choose one item!”

“City Resource Secret Vault?” Lu Yuan repeated. The name sounded extraordinary.

“Yes!” Yao Xiao nodded. “That is one of the highest-level resource libraries in our Jiangcheng City, not open to the public, only for military and political exchange. It contains countless precious cards, materials, equipment, and so on.”

“It is said that someone once directly picked a damaged gold skill card from inside!”

“Sounds pretty good.”

“What about the champion? What special rewards does the champion get?” Lu Yuan pressed.

“The champion…” Yao Xiao’s tone carried a hint of longing. “Besides the resource vault qualification, there’s also a prize of up to ten million star coins, and a spot to represent Jiangcheng in the provincial Prodigy Competition!”

Ten million star coins!

A flicker of heat flashed in Lu Yuan’s eyes.

He must participate in this Rookie Competition!

And, there was only one goal—champion!

Seeming to notice Lu Yuan’s excitement, Yao Xiao smiled and added: “With your current strength, as long as those two gold cards… uh, as long as you perform normally, getting a good ranking shouldn’t be difficult.”

“And if you accept our Yao Family’s sponsorship then, that’s another few million star coins in advertising fees.”

Lu Yuan smiled and didn’t respond.

He glanced at the Hellhound lying on the ground beside him, and his heart stirred.

“Oh, right, let me show you a new partner.”

With a slight movement of his consciousness, he commanded the Hellhound to stand up.

“Roar!”

The Hellhound let out a low growl, and the eerie green flames on its two heads flickered.

Yao Xiao curiously examined the fierce summoned beast: “Is this the summoned beast you were just taming? Such a strong sense of oppression, is it a Hellhound?”

“Yes, a blue five-star Hellhound,” Lu Yuan nodded. “Black Crow gave it to me, and I’m still breaking it in.”

Yao Xiao teased, “Good luck, it’s very suitable for your current stage.”

“Want to try its ability?” A smile played on Lu Yuan’s lips.

He raised his hand and gave a command through his consciousness.

“Eerie Flame, condense, spray!”

One of the Hellhound’s heads suddenly opened its large mouth!

Whoosh—!

A stream of eerie green flame, carrying the scent of sulfur, condensed into a fire line and shot out!

A fully automatic flamethrower!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The fire line accurately hit the alloy dummy target in the distance!

The high temperature instantly burned the surface of the target red, emitting a harsh sound.

Moreover, the flame’s penetrating power and adhesion were extremely strong; in a short while, the dummy began to melt, with drops of molten iron dripping down.

Yao Xiao clicked her tongue from the side, and the Hellhound worked even harder.

Suddenly!

Lu Yuan’s expression changed, as if he had thought of something.

“Damn it!”

“I forgot this is the school training room!”

“Stop it, you dead dog!”

“Quick!”