129: Advance to [Platinum 3], three stars jump

Chapter 129: Promotion to Platinum 3, Three-Star Tiao Tiao

Shi Li had spent most of the 120,000 cubic coins from last time, and another 100,000 performance points were temporarily stored in the Dimensional Intervention headquarters account.

After receiving the bonus from the Education Bureau, he now had assets of 150,000 cubic coins.

“The refresh fee for a three-star mission should be 14,000 cubic coins, so I estimate this money will only be enough for 10 refreshes.

If I still can't complete the mission, I'll exchange the performance points as well.”

Since he would be heading to Gan Territory in two weeks, Shi Li definitely needed to quickly improve his deck's strength.

So he started activating the Relic Card.

“The name of this mission is: Dragon Burial Ancient Tomb (Star Ascension).”

“The number of tomb raiders has increased day by day, also activating the awakening of more guards.”

“Under the guards’ resistance, the tomb raiders were repeatedly apprehended.”

“After a period of time, the traces of tomb raiders significantly decreased.”

“But good times didn’t last; one day, an army arrived at the Ancient Tomb.”

“Unlike the sneaky tomb raiders, this group, flying the banner of national restoration, was more like bandits.”

“They openly launched a massive attack on the Ancient Tomb, claiming they wanted to dig out the Dragon Vein Bone.”

“As the commander of the eastern area of the tomb, Tiao Tiao needs to deploy Defenses in advance.”

“Please help him make a choice.”

“A. Ambush the ‘dog hole’ with heavy troops.”

“The small Tiao Tiao's physique is very suitable for combat in narrow spaces. If enemies want to sneak in through the ‘dog hole,’ they will surely suffer a great loss.”

“How is it really about deploying troops? It looks like an option that will give a temporary character card.”

“B. Open the East Gate and confront the enemy head-on.”

“There seems to be an exceptionally powerful presence among the enemies this time. This choice might cause the entire Ancient Tomb's Defense line to collapse starting from the East Gate.”

“If the Defense line collapses at the very beginning, wouldn't Tiao Tiao become a sinner, haha.”

“C. Organize a patrol team to discover situations at any time, with Tiao Tiao stationed in the center, waiting to support his subordinates.”

“Without knowing where the enemy is infiltrating from, this seems like a very reasonable tactic.”

“This option is quite standard, seems relatively stable.”

“D. Let all subordinates act freely, and return to the depths of the Ancient Tomb alone to search various suspicious places.”

“The curious Tiao Tiao also wants to take this opportunity to see what the Dragon Vein Bone actually looks like.”

“Haha, this option is interesting, self-monitoring and self-stealing?”

Since he didn't expect to succeed the first time, Shi Li simply followed his mischievous inclination.

He chose D.

“For a moment, Tiao Tiao admitted that he was indeed swayed by curiosity.”

“However, he still decided to stick to his duty and stay to resist external enemies.”

“Oh~ How boring.”

Shi Li sipped his coffee.

He chose D, but didn't it still lead back to the same result?

However, this D option looked pretty good; it actually let him reach the final BOSS stage on his first attempt.

“Tiao Tiao followed the invaders' tracks all the way and finally discovered their presence in the treasure vault.”

“At this point, the opponent had nowhere to go, and a fierce battle was about to ensue.”

“Click to start the final BOSS battle.”

“Now, the Red Blade Maiden has her destined hand, incredibly powerful.

As long as I reach the final BOSS, I feel there's a high probability I can clear it.”

Shi Li confidently clicked on the stage.

Then he saw the BOSS appear.

It was a general in armor riding a large tiger. Although his posture was tall and straight, his obviously worn armor and faded, frayed cloak still showed his decline.

“Tiger-Subduing General”

Momentum, Attack 100, 1000/1000, 0/100

“[Two-Headed Spear - Passive]: Tiger-Subduing General's attack is divided into 2 segments. [Tiger's Rend - 30 Energy]: Tiger-Subduing General attacks 1 target, with [Penetration] effect. [Inspire the Army - 50 Energy]: Tiger-Subduing General grants all allied cards 50 [Encouragement] this turn (T0).

([Penetration]: When attacking an undefended target, the adjacent target directly behind it takes damage.)”

The BOSS's own card stats weren't too strong, and it had few Characteristics.

But the problem was that this guy was in the 9+1 ace position.

In front of him, there were 9 minion cards.

If it were an ordinary demon card game, with the opponent's ace stats so high, Shi Li definitely wouldn't be able to win.

But in simulation missions, he could get various buff enhancements.

Even with these buff enhancements, he still couldn't win!

“What kind of broken mechanism is this?”

He looked at his own card slots, somewhat speechless.

This was not 9+1 at all.

It wasn't that he had fewer card slots than the opponent, but more, far too many!

His side had a full 15+1 card slots.

These 15+1 card slots were not all for him to place character cards.

The actual character card slots were still 9+1.

The remaining 6 slots were because he had also obtained 6 additional cards.

“Precious Burial Objects”

Balance, 5 points, One-star Attack 0, 50/50

“[Fragile - Passive]: Precious Burial Objects' Attack -5, Max Health -50”

“No, do these 6 pieces of junk really have to take up 30 points of my quota?”

In addition, the card game also specifically highlighted a line of text.

“These are all quite valuable items; it's best not to let them be damaged.”

“If the final burial objects' loss exceeds 3 cards, or their total final health is less than 150 points, this battle will be judged as a failure.”

“So that's what it is; no wonder the BOSS's panel was so weak.

This is a hostage situation.”

A so-called hostage situation is a card game that requires protecting certain target character cards.

These 6 “Precious Burial Objects” could be placed in any card slot, but the opponent, whether BOSS or minion, all came with the [Penetration] Characteristic.

If he was even slightly careless, it could lead to damage to the hostage cards.

In this kind of card game, the Red Blade Maiden's role wasn't as effective.

She could provide offense but couldn't provide protection.

“However, offense is the best Defense. As long as I kill fast enough, they won't threaten the hostages.”

Shi Li laid out his deck.

Ten minutes later, the card game ended.

He lost.

There was nothing he could do; after all, this wasn't a real-life PVE card game.

The enemies here weren't those whose base stats fluctuated around 30 attack and 100 health.

Their stat panels were very high, and it wasn't easy to protect the hostage cards while also defeating them.

Shi Li concluded that the buffs he had collected along the way were simply not right.

“Unfortunately, this mission failed.”

“Consume 14,000 cubic coins to reset this mission? Yes/No.”

The refresh fee was indeed as he estimated.

“Restart.”

However, looking at the empty cup, Shi Li gave an instruction to outside the room.

“Hey, the one, get me a cup of coffee, iced.”

“Coming, coming.”

Shi Yuan walked in, looking unwilling.

“Here, if it weren't for the sake of the provincial college entrance exam champion, you wouldn't be able to order me around.”

Soon, he brought in a cup of coffee.

“Pour it again, you spit in this cup.”

Shi Li didn't even take it.

“What?! You could even discover that?!”

“Don't underestimate the keen perception of a Platinum card player.”

Only after getting the second cup of coffee did Shi Li start the Strategy again.

This time was better; he refreshed 4 times before the prompt for insufficient Energy popped up.

So he lay down in the cubic capsule, resting and entering the virtual space at the same time, which saved a lot of time.

In the Card Hall's internal database, Shi Li looked up some information about the Banlan Tribe and the Torch Raising Ceremony.

Understanding the local customs and traditions would be more beneficial for future actions, and he also checked the surrounding terrain and demon distribution.

Just like that, the rest time quickly passed.

Having learned from the previous few attempts, Shi Li refreshed several more times.

On his ninth attempt, he finally succeeded.

“You have completed this simulation, with a completion rate of 100%.”

“You can obtain Character Card [Jumping Guard (Three-Star)] x1.”

“You can obtain Hand Card [Defense (LV2)] x1, [Counter (LV2)] x1, [Charge (LV2)] x1.”

“You can obtain Item Card [Tiao Tiao Treasure Guardian Squad] x1.”

“Consume 14,000 cubic coins to reset this mission? Yes/No.”

“Comfortable.”

Actually, this Star Ascension mission was no easier than the Red Blade Maiden's Star Ascension mission, but he just had better luck this time.

He achieved 100% completion before running out of cash.

He clicked “No” and got the cards.

“[Persistence Resonance] : 40% → 60%”

A line of text popped up.

Then the cards were in hand, and a Platinum-gold light emanated from his body.

After a warm current swept through his body, his stat panel changed.

“[Rank]: Platinum 2 → Platinum 3”

“[Stamina]: 216/216 (3.3 ↑) → 231/231 (3.5 ↑)”

“[Energy]: 238/238 (2.0 ↑) → 252/252 (2.2 ↑)”

“The most important thing is to look at the card first.”

Shi Li picked up the new card.

The Tiao Tiao in the projection was still the same Tiao Tiao, but the visual effect of its attire had become relatively more high-end.

The talismans pasted everywhere also seemed to have become more advanced.

Unlike the other two cards that Star Ascension to three stars, Tiao Tiao's stat panel changed quite a bit.

【Bouncing Guard】

Persistence, 30 points, three-star attack 30, 50/50+50/50, 0/60

【Multi-Core - Characteristic】: Bouncing Guard's health is divided into 2 segments and is not affected by any external buff effects. 【Taunt - Passive】: In the turn Bouncing Guard is revealed, it can 【Taunt】 1 target (T2).

【Unyielding - Passive】: When Bouncing Guard's health reaches 0, it gains 1 turn of 【Stasis】.

【Stay for Five More - Passive】: Bouncing Guard's 【Stasis】 departure is delayed until the next turn T0.

【Tiao Tiao Awakening - 0 ~ 100% Energy】: Bouncing Guard can summon 1 【Little Tiao Tiao】 for every 10 Energy consumed (T0).

(【Taunt】: Forces the target to attack itself)

(【Stasis】: Delays departure)

【Little Tiao Tiao】

Persistence, 5 points, no-star attack 5, 5/5, 0/10

“Alright, the focus of this three-star upgrade is very clear.”

“It revolves around 【Tiao Tiao Awakening】 as the core.”

Shi Li saw it at a glance.

The Energy cap increased from 40 to 60 points, which makes it easier to release more 【Little Tiao Tiao】.

Then, extending 【Stasis】 until the next turn T0 to depart is actually a very rare and special entry.

Although this T0 has no damage-absorbing effect, it can at least block some T0 negative effects from the opponent for its own cards.

Moreover, it can also perform 【Summon】 in that T0, releasing more 【Little Tiao Tiao】.

“It will be fully Charge with 60 points after being attacked 4 times. Even if others want to kill 【Bouncing Guard】, they will have to attack it 4 times, right?”

“That means it can summon at least 6 【Little Tiao Tiao】.”

“6 cards, that's 30 attack, directly equivalent to 【Bouncing Guard】.”

“This is like its presence is still here, buddy.”

The most criticized aspect of Persistence cards is their generally insufficient output capability.

Now with this move, the threat level of 【Bouncing Guard】 has greatly increased.

However, Shi Li felt that what needed more consideration was whether there were enough 6 card slots for him to summon 【Little Tiao Tiao】.

He could only say he would act according to the situation.

After checking the character cards, it was time to count the hand cards.

He had both LV2 【Defense】 and 【Counter】, but this 【Charge】 was his first card.

【LV2 Charge】: Makes 1 card Recovery 10 Energy for 2 consecutive turns. (T1)

“Among the common LV2 hand cards, 【Charge】 is undoubtedly one of the most effective.”

“It's a pity it's not very useful for me.”

Shi Li was somewhat exasperated.

Among his character cards that needed 【Charge】, like 【Thunderhorn Deer】 and 【Crow Warrior】, both were 0/30.

They themselves had means to actively Recovery Energy, so using LV2 【Charge】 on them would be a waste.

The 0/60 【Bouncing Guard】 had a high enough cap, but this guy didn't take buffs.

The only relatively suitable one seemed to be 【Fluorescent Vine】.

However, this card hadn't had many opportunities to play recently.

Finally, he reviewed the item card.

【Tiao Tiao Treasure Guardian Squad】: Can be used after 【Bouncing Guard】 reaches three stars.

This was a simulated mission token card.

If he guessed correctly, it should be related to 【Bouncing Guard】's destined hand card.

“Anyway, since I'm free, I might as well try it.”

After tasting the sweetness in 【Crimson Trial · True】, Shi Li was full of anticipation for this type of card.

Clicking to open, the text of the simulated mission immediately popped up.

【Given Tiao Tiao's heroic performance last time, he was nominated by the guards and received a glorious job—guarding the treasury.】

“Oh no.”

Seeing the familiar words, Shi Li immediately felt a bit stressed.

【The treasury is the most important place in the ancient tomb. Besides needing to guard against thieves, sometimes it also has to deal with some “regular customers.”】

【Gold-Eating Rat is one of these regular customers of nature.】

【They are omnipresent and especially love to gnaw on treasures.】

【This time, Tiao Tiao's subordinates discovered traces of Gold-Eating Rat.】

【A battle to protect the treasures is about to begin.】

— — —

Immediately after, the card game began to unfold.

Sure enough, several treasure cards were forcibly added to the deck.

“Why is it a hostage game again? I'm almost sick of playing it.”

Shi Li's enthusiasm was halved.

But despite his complaints, he still started playing.

Unlike 【Crimson Trial】, this mission was a series of card games.

And Tiao Tiao itself did not participate, nor could 【Dimensional Intervention】 take effect.

Shi Li needed to use the rewards from battles to form a reasonable deck with his Tiao Tiao army.

To challenge unknown demons one by one.

This mode could not be cleared without sufficient trial-and-error costs.

The 20,000 cubic coins from the Education Bureau's bonus were only enough for one refresh.

After failing two missions in a row, he decided to temporarily lay low.

Because from the current situation and combining his experience from the last 【Crimson Trial】, even if he converted those 100,000 performance points, it probably wouldn't be enough to grind.

It was more practical to first do the task for 【Essence of the Abundant River】.

So, after resting and adjusting for half a day, Shi Li set off for the Card Hall's Monster Training Ground.

It was evening, and there weren't many people at the training field.

Walking into the lobby, he suddenly felt a sense of melancholy about how things had changed.

Just a few months ago, when he first stepped in here, he was merely a 【Silver 3】 card player.

Although there was only a one-word difference with 【Platinum 3】, it was a world apart.

At his current rank, if Director Hou hadn't taken care of him, he wouldn't even be allowed in.

No choice, it was too high.

If he remembered correctly, there were probably 20 to 30 kinds of demons up and down the Monster Training Ground.

Getting one of each kind shouldn't be considered excessive behavior.

“One all-nighter should be enough to get it done.”

Shi Li intended to seize the time.

Because Director Hou had just greeted him, a contract assessment would be held in a few days.

It would be better to rest and adjust properly and treat it seriously.

The time spent was shorter than Shi Li expected.

Because his greatly improved physical fitness after promoting to 【Platinum】 also provided him with a better foundation, allowing him to search faster within the training field.

So he simply contacted Zhong Xin, pulled some strings, and also swept through Li Card Hall.

Looking at the mission progress bar, which was already at 61/300, he felt a bit delighted.

It was just a pity that Star Card Hall had blacklisted him, otherwise it might have even exceeded a hundred.

At the same time, Hua Du City.

In the Xiu family's large mansion, Xiu Qingshan was quietly sitting by the window, looking outside.

The lights inside the house were not on; only the cigarette draped over the ashtray burned a red dot in the night.

“Hmph, it's rare to come back, and no one is home.”

Xiu Qingshan smiled and shook his head.

【Ding-a-ling!】

Just then, his phone received a WeChat message.

Opening it, it was a photo sent by that bald guy, Shen Yuanhu.

The photo showed the back of a woman in an evening gown, standing on the cruise ship deck, looking at the brightly lit shore.

【Thank you for the boat tickets, your sister and I both loved them.】

That disgusting guy even sent a damn heart emoji.

On one side, a couple was enjoying the beautiful night view, while on the other, a lonely man was smoking in silence at home.

6... Xiu Qingshan put down his phone and closed his eyes.

Then, as if having made up his mind, he took a deep drag from his cigarette.

“Hiss — — — Exhale!”

The stinging sensation stimulated his respiratory tract and chest, making him open his eyes.

Putting on gloves, he went to someone's room.

He gently twisted open the door, walked to the safe in the corner, and skillfully entered the wrong password.

After trying several times, he finally succeeded in opening it.

Inside the safe, various cards were densely stacked.

“This guy's strange habit hasn't changed; he likes to put cards inside the safe.”

Xiu Qingshan's mouth curved upwards.

“If I take one card, it probably won't be discovered, right?”

Saying this, he reached out his hand.

Click!

However, just then, the room light turned on.

A woman exuding a sharp aura stood silently at the doorway, looking at Xiu Qingshan.

Behind her, a bald man was faintly visible.

“Is the Curator not here today?”

On the day of the assessment, Shi Li asked Director Hou.

“The Curator messaged me yesterday, saying he had an urgent matter and couldn't move.”

In fact, Director Hou also felt puzzled.

He was the one who instructed Shi Li to come to the Card Hall for the assessment today, yet he himself wasn't present.

“He also told me he would be watching your performance from above, probably on his way back by flying vehicle.”

“Alright then.”