64: Instant kill, the power of a gold card!

The Jiangcheng Card Master Rookie Tournament arrived as scheduled.

On this day, Jiangcheng Central Plaza was completely transformed.

A massive open-air battle arena stood in the center, a light blue energy shield like an inverted giant bowl, covering all directions, with visible energy ripples flowing across it.

Outside the shield were layers of packed, standing-room-only spectator stands.

The crowd was immense, and the sound waves surged.

Countless media hover cameras buzzed like a swarm of bees, circling in mid-air, capturing every corner.

The VIP section was located in the best viewing position, facing due north.

The Mayor of Jiangcheng, card Association President Lin Haige, Yao Family Patriarch Yao Tianxiao, and other prominent figures from all walks of life in Jiangcheng were all present.

The atmosphere was enthusiastic and solemn.

Exactly nine o'clock in the morning.

Accompanied by rousing music, the entrance for contestants slowly opened.

Young talents from various universities, Card Master families, and private clubs in Jiangcheng, dressed in colorful team uniforms, entered the venue one by one.

They held their heads high, their faces filled with confidence and anticipation.

Their gazes were sharp, sweeping across this battlefield that symbolized their future.

When the Qingteng High School team appeared, a considerable stir arose in the venue.

Lu Yuan walked in the middle of the team, his expression the calmest;

Yao Xiao was right next to him, her small face slightly flushed with excitement, occasionally pointing at the advertisements on her clothes and waving her small fist.

Lin Dong lagged half a step behind them, his chin slightly raised, trying hard to appear arrogant and disdainful, but always seemed out of place.

The appearance of the three undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention.

Especially Lu Yuan.

The talented young man who was the only one with a gold card, first place in the inter-school competition, a distinguished guest of the Yao Family… these various labels combined to make him one of the most anticipated contestants in this tournament.

In the VIP section.

Yao Tianxiao and Mother Yao had gentle smiles on their faces, and seeing Lu Yuan and Yao Xiao look over, Yao Tianxiao nodded slightly, his eyes filled with encouragement.

Mother Yao showed a bit more maternal affection.

Not far away, Lin Haige nodded to his son, his gaze briefly lingering on Lu Yuan, a flash of greed passing through his eyes.

And in a relatively inconspicuous corner.

Qingteng High School Dean of Students Sun Libang sat upright, silently observing everything in the arena.

Next to him sat a mysterious spectator in a black robe.

Ever since Lu Yuan entered the venue, his gaze had not moved.

The opening ceremony was lengthy and official.

The Mayor's speech, the President's address, the sponsor representative's speech... It wasn't until close to ten o'clock that the tournament's chief referee finally walked to the center of the arena.

This was a Fourth-Tier Card Master with an extraordinary aura, his voice spreading throughout the venue via the amplification equipment.

"Silence!"

The noisy plaza instantly fell silent.

"The Jiangcheng Card Master Rookie Tournament now begins!"

"The preliminary stage of this tournament will adopt a round-robin points system."

"All participating contestants will engage in multiple rounds of battles through drawing lots. Winners will receive 3 points, draws will receive 1 point, and losers will receive 0 points."

"After the preliminary stage, the top sixty-four ranked contestants will advance to the knockout stage!"

The referee's voice paused, and he looked around the venue, his tone becoming serious.

"card battles are for exchange, learning, and mutual progress."

"In principle, know when to stop."

"But..."

"Source Power surges, cards have no eyes, and on the battlefield, things change in an instant..."

"Accidents are always unavoidable!"

"All contestants, while giving your all, must also be prepared to bear all consequences!"

These words instantly tightened the atmosphere in the arena.

Many contestants' eyes flashed with solemnity, and even ferocity.

The Rookie Tournament was not just a battle for resources, but also a fight for their future, and even... a struggle for life and death!

"Now, let the first round of drawing lots begin!"

The large screen in the center of the arena lit up, and countless contestants' names and avatars scrolled rapidly.

A moment later, it froze!

A dense list of matchups was clearly displayed.

Lu Yuan's name appeared in the first batch of matchups.

Moreover, whether by intentional arrangement or sheer luck, Lu Yuan drew the first battle.

His opponent —

Fierce Fire Martial Arts Hall, Zhang Meng!

"Oh? The first match is that Lu Yuan? Good, good, the organizers have taste."

"Zhang Meng from Fierce Fire Martial Arts Hall, I heard he's also a formidable character, quite good with fire-element cards."

"Heh, this is going to be interesting! I wonder how strong the gold card holder really is?"

The audience seats were abuzz with discussion.

Soon, the first batch of contestants walked onto their respective battle arenas.

Across from Lu Yuan was a short but well-built young man, who grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, exuding an undisguised arrogance.

It was Zhang Meng.

He sized up Lu Yuan, pointed at the martial arts hall logo printed on his competition uniform, and immediately began to mock.

After all, black and red are still red, and for him, the heat of the battle was far more important than the outcome.

"You're Lu Yuan?"

"I heard you got lucky and snagged a gold card?"

"Kid, don't think having a gold card means you can swagger around!"

"The world of Card Masters relies on experience and skill!"

"Today, let Brother Meng teach you what it means to..."

Before he could finish his sentence!

Buzz —!

Lu Yuan didn't even bother to look at him, simply calmly raised his right hand.

A dazzling, golden electric light suddenly erupted from his fingertips!

The air seemed to ignite instantly!

Screech —!!!

A sharp, ear-splitting eagle cry echoed through the clouds!

Accompanied by violent thunderous power!

A majestic Light Falcon with a wingspan exceeding five meters, covered entirely in gold feathers, with fine electric arcs dancing along the edges of its feathers, appeared out of thin air!

Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon!

gold! Three-star!

A terrifying aura instantly enveloped the entire venue!

Its sharp eagle eyes locked onto Zhang Meng across from him!

"Wh-...? !"

The arrogance on Zhang Meng's face instantly froze; he felt an unprecedented sense of danger!

Almost instinctively, he was about to activate his card!

However... it was too late!

The moment the Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon appeared, it had already launched its attack!

Screech—!

A condensed, golden lightning claw phantom, tearing through the air with a destructive aura, arrived in an instant at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye!

The card in Zhang Meng's hand had barely lit up halfway!

It was a blue Flame Lizard card.

Bang!!!

A dull explosion!

The lightning claw precisely struck the card phantom that had not yet fully formed!

The card's light shattered like fragile glass!

A violent energy shockwave slammed into Zhang Meng!

"Pfft!"

Zhang Meng spat out a mouthful of blood, his body like a kite with a broken string, directly sent flying!

He didn't even have time to scream!

His body traced a parabola in the air, crashing heavily onto the ground a dozen meters away, twitching twice, then completely losing consciousness.

The victor was decided!

From Lu Yuan raising his hand, to the summoning of the Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon, to the end of the attack.

The entire process was fluid and incredibly fast!

Not even three seconds!

Some people hadn't even reacted, some had just opened their phones to record... After a brief silence.

Boom—!!!

Like a volcanic eruption!

Earth-shattering exclamations, gasps of awe, and incredulous discussions instantly swept through the entire Central Plaza!

"Holy crap!!!"

"K-Killed in an instant?!"

"What just happened?! Did my eyes deceive me?!"

"Too fast! Couldn't see it clearly at all! Just a flash of gold light!"

"Is that... the power of a gold card?!"

"Crushing! It was a complete crush! That Zhang Meng didn't even summon his card!"

"My god... this Lu Yuan from Qingteng High School... is he a monster?!"

He remained silent, then astonished everyone with his brilliance.

The other contestants, who were also participating, all turned pale.

"How the heck are we supposed to fight this?!"

In the VIP section.

Yao Tianxiao was the first to stand and applaud.

"Excellent, excellent, quite the demeanor of my younger days!"

Mother Yao quickly pulled him back, afraid he would say something outrageous again.

On the other side, Lin Haige's expression was complex, first gloomy, then bursting with uncontrollable joy.

"Good, good, the stronger the better, the stronger the better. In the end... it's all mine!"

In the corner, Sun Libang and the mysterious spectator next to him both had flickering eyes, wondering what they were thinking.

In the contestant rest area.

"Wow! Lu Yuan is amazing!"

Yao Xiao jumped up in excitement, vigorously waving her fists and cheering for Lu Yuan.

Beside her, Lin Dong's face was ashen, staring intently at the figure in the arena and the circling Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon.

The flames of jealousy burned fiercely!

Lu Yuan!

You just wait for me!

The Rookie Tournament... will be your demise!

...