135: The highest-end hunters often...

Chapter 135: The Most Advanced Hunter Often…

“Heh, it seems you haven’t learned the humility in Xia Kingdom culture.”

Liuli smiled.

“No, no, not at all.”

Shi Li immediately showed her humility.

Liuli’s main job was a member of the Banlan Tribe’s Foreign Affairs Combat Team.

Applying to become a hunter in this session was purely out of a hobby: playing with prey.

She liked to play with her prey first, and then give the opponent a surprise.

That look of confusion was often delightful.

She originally thought that by transforming into a ghost person, another foreign race in this session, she could lower this Blue Star person’s guard.

But she didn't expect to be seen through immediately.

However, since the other party offered themselves up, she could only accept with a smile.

“Lay out your cards.”

Liuli didn't have much patience and was already thinking about finding her next prey.

“Hmm?”

As soon as she laid down her deck, she immediately noticed something was wrong.

Her original 6+1 deck had actually become *5+1?

“What did you do to me?”

Liuli realized that the light beam the other party had just played was problematic.

She heard that some item cards could temporarily lower an opponent’s rank!

“No, no, not at all.”

However, Shi Li would not answer the other party.

This phenomenon was actually due to the item card he obtained in 【Mecha Genesis】.

【Pulse Suppression】: Using this card can reduce the rank of a card player who is no more than 3 ranks below or equal to your own by 1 rank for this game (7/10, Rechargeable, Bound).

When item cards can take effect, it has a good restraining effect against ranks below 【Platinum 10】.

However, once the opponent exceeds 【Platinum 10】, the significance is not great.

Because, for example, if 【Platinum 11】 is reduced to 【Platinum 10】, it is still a 9+1 deck, with no change.

Shi Li had previously experimented with this item card, and Charge 1 slot required 1000 cubic coins.

And depending on the opponent’s rank, the energy slots consumed also varied.

As seen, reducing Liuli from 【Platinum 7】 to 【Platinum 6】 required consuming 3 slots.

He would ask Big Brother Huo for reimbursement later.

“You cannot use such methods against other contestants in card game competitions.”

Liuli said in a deep voice.

“So, I can only use it on hunters.”

Shi Li spread his hands.

“Hmph, even so, I still have 1 more card than you.”

Liuli quickly arranged her deck.

But Shi Li was faster than her, and the card game between them began.

Immediately, Liuli revealed her two first-row cards.

2 Wise cards.

There are many types of first-reveal tactics in cubic cards.

The more mainstream ones are divided into three types.

The damage-absorbing flow, which focuses on survival; the hard-control flow, which focuses on control; and the strong-attack flow, which focuses on high burst.

Among the three, there is generally a certain counter-cycle.

Damage-absorbing flow → Rush-attack flow → Hard-control flow → Damage-absorbing flow.

Liuli’s current tactic is an opening strong-attack flow with high burst, sometimes called a rush-attack flow.

It mainly uses berserk and Wise character cards to gain an early advantage and seize the initiative.

But it can only be said that she ran into a problem this time.

What Shi Li revealed was 【Tiao Tiao Guard】 + 【white mountain】.

A typical damage-absorbing flow.

【Tiao Tiao Guard】 carried 【Stasis】 + 【Taunt】 + 【Little Tiao Tiao】.

【white mountain】 carried 【Shield】 + 【Barrier】.

When Shi Li first obtained 【Tiao Tiao Guard】 and 【white mountain】, he had considered adding damage reduction modifiers to them.

But perhaps due to balance, while Unique Character Cards enjoyed high-intensity exclusive modifiers, some common modifiers were not very compatible with them.

This led to a significant increase in card-making difficulty, and even direct incompatibility with some conventional modifiers.

It could only be said that perhaps his card-making skill was not yet sufficient, or the quality of the material cards provided was not good enough.

“Two 【Characteristic】 cards—as expected of the representative chosen by Xia Kingdom.”

Liuli’s expression became slightly more serious, but then she changed the subject: “But relying solely on these two cards, I’m afraid it’s not enough to make up for the difference in our card count.”

“Don’t rush, there’s more.”

As Shi Li spoke, he revealed 【cloud river】.

【cloud river】 carried 【Linked Reveal】 + 【Quantum Entanglement】 + 【Revival】.

“What?! There’s more?!”

When the 3 【Characteristic】 character cards were revealed, Liuli was finally moved.

Only now was the card reveal complete, and the action phase arrived.

“【LV2 Recovery】: Makes 1 card recover 20 health for 3 consecutive rounds. (T1)”

Shi Li directly played 1 recovery-type hand card on 【white mountain】.

Coupled with 【Shield】 + 【Barrier】, it made it as tough as overcooked beef.

Watch me heal you to death.

His own survival ability was extremely strong, so there was no need for active Defense.

Shi Li directly went all in and traded blows with the opponent.

In the second round, Liuli adopted a remedial mode.

She played a three-star recovery-type character card to make up for her own health loss.

What Shi Li revealed was 【Cicada Wing Patrol】.

It carried 【Momentum】 + 【Blessing】, two modifiers.

“Wait a minute, 4 【Characteristic】 character cards, and 3 of them are three-star?!”

This time, Liuli was completely shocked.

“I absolutely cannot let you win—”

Her expression immediately became serious.

If this guy was allowed to enter the next stage, he would undoubtedly become a huge obstacle for their Banlan Tribe geniuses.

However, things are easier said than done.

Shi Li directly gave the permanent 10 attack from 【Blessing】 to 【white mountain】, immediately making it a very troublesome existence.

If you don't hit it, it deals 40 attack every round.

If you hit it, it Charges and gives itself a 【Barrier】.

No, even if you don’t hit it, 【cloud river】 is also helping it Charge!

So, with the addition of various survival effects, this thing was incredibly tough.

When Liuli revealed her 4th regular card in the current round, one of her first-row cards had already been knocked out.

This meant it was again 3 cards on the field against 4 cards.

Even if she revealed 1 more regular card in the next-next round, it would at most be 4 cards against 4 cards!

“Do you know where you lost?”

As the situation completely turned in his favor, Shi Li raised three fingers: “There are three points in total.”

“First, you underestimated my deck.”

“Second, my deck is larger than yours.”

“Third, my deck is very strong.”

“...I feel like you’re saying the same thing for all three points.”

Although extremely annoyed, Liuli had to admit that she truly couldn’t salvage the situation.

The opponent had crushed her entire deck without even revealing his ace card.

As the Barrier of the symbolic card game faded, Liuli felt as if she had been drained, slumping to the ground.

Opening her personal panel, her 【Stamina】 and 【Spirit】 were almost at rock bottom.

To make the other party “quiet,” Shi Li added an extra card game will.

“You…” She struggled to lift her head and looked at the Blue Star youth.

“Remember, the most advanced hunter often only needs the simplest cooking method.”

“That’s not how the saying goes.”

“You ignore me, but I won’t ignore you.”

“...”

Leaving the exhausted Liuli behind, Shi Li swaggered away with 10 points.

Satisfying.

So, in the following days, he embarked on a unique hunt.

After encountering a participant, he would first take 2 points.

Then he would track the opponent, using them as bait to lure other hunters.

When the bait and a hunter had a card game, he would hide nearby and observe in secret.

If he was confident he could defeat the opponent, he would wait for the card game to end and then ambush them.

If it was a tough opponent, he would slip away to find the next bait.

This method caused Shi Li’s points to soar, reaching over 300 points and firmly securing a spot in the top 40.

At this stage, his point accumulation rate suddenly dropped.

Because there were no more hunters.

Shi Li had noticed that he had encountered 28 hunters in total; he chose to avoid 9 of them, and he had swept through all the others.

But this was good enough; ensuring he could advance was the main thing.

Low-key, low-key.

Besides himself, Shi Li saw that Chang Zhun and Jiang Xiaoxiao’s points were also quite good on the leaderboard.

The former was exactly at 64th place, and the latter was at 55th place.

He had originally thought that if he found them, he could lend a hand.

However, it seemed now that everyone had their own opportunities.

“Hmm? Isn’t that so-and-so?”

As he walked, Shi Li suddenly saw someone standing blankly ahead.

It was the Mohawk he had encountered when he first landed.

“Brother.”

He generously stepped forward to greet him.

Since they had already dueled, there was no longer any competition between them.

However, the other party did not respond, only standing with his back to him. Shi Li walked around to the front and saw that the Mohawk’s eyes were vacant, just staring at the valley ahead.

Thick fog permeated the valley, obscuring what was inside.

“Hey.”

He lightly poked the other's shoulder with his finger, and the person immediately fell straight down.

"Dead?"

He checked for breathing, but it was surprisingly steady.

Normally, when encountering such a situation without medical knowledge, it's best not to move the person.

But Shi Li was different; he had a unique secret technique.

He straddled the Mohawk man, uttering an ancient and archaic incantation.

"Wake the hell up!"

Then he slapped him.

Smack!

"Ah!"

The Mohawk man suddenly woke up and sat upright.

Card Players have strong physiques; they cannot be judged by conventional standards.

"I—what happened to me?"

"I don't know, maybe a stroke, or perhaps you got too high."

"No, why does my face feel so hot—"

"I saved you."

"Really? Thank you!"

After thanking him, the Mohawk man, still concerned about the competition, covered his face and quickly left.

What Shi Li didn't see was a flash of black light in the other's eyes the moment he turned around.

"This valley seems a bit strange."

He seemed to hear a summoning sound coming from within.

But it was faint and subtle, so soft that he wasn't sure if it was an illusion.

After a moment of thought, Shi Li turned and left.

The first stage was about to end; it was best not to cause any trouble.

"He wasn't affected—"

After Shi Li had gone far, two figures emerged from the dense fog.

They were the group of hunters who had set up here early.

What they didn't know was that Shi Li's stats far exceeded those of ordinary Card Players, and he didn't just have Stamina and Energy.

Instead, he was comprehensively superior, which also included Resistance.

"It doesn't matter; anyway, no outsider has ever made it into the top three in previous Torch Raising Ceremonies."

"That's right, if you're not in the top three, you're not qualified to enter the Sacred Fire Hall."

Leaving these words, the two figures once again disappeared into the fog.

Finally, on the last day of the first stage of the Torch Raising Ceremony, the battle became quite chaotic.

Lower-ranked players with insufficient points frantically sought out opponents for duels everywhere.

And higher-ranked players, worried about being pushed out of their positions, could only speed up.

Especially in the last half-day, the intensity grew even fiercer.

Some even desperately challenged hunters, though most naturally ended in failure.

By the time it ended, Shi Li's ranking was fixed at 48th place.

As for Lanxing's two teammates, Jiang Xiaoxiao was quite unfortunate.

Originally, her highest rank even reached 53rd, but she then continuously encountered strong enemies, leading to point deductions.

She ultimately dropped to 69th place, missing out on the next stage.

However, Chang Zhun, that guy, had firmly held his position at 64th place ever since he reached it.

Even when the entire environment was in turmoil and everyone was fighting with bloodshot eyes, his ranking remained unchanged.

To achieve such a degree, if one doesn't have enough luck, they need sufficient strength.

Based on his impression of this guy, Shi Li believed he was absolutely deliberately manipulating his points.

And the reason might not even be for strategic low-keyness.

Rather, he was a psychopath.

Besides this, the most surprising thing was that a total of 3 Gold Card Players broke into the top 64.

Theoretically, there was no problem with this, because as long as one reached Gold 5 or above, they could deploy the same 4+1 deck as Platinum 15.

With the same number of cards in their deck, Gold still had a good chance of winning.

What surprised Shi Li slightly was that among the list of these 3 Gold players, he saw the name of the Mohawk man.

He had fought him once, and although he was Gold 8, he didn't seem like someone who could contend with Platinum Card Players.

Someone like that actually defeated many opponents and secured a ticket to the top 64?

It was a bit strange; one could only say he was perhaps too lucky.

Upon returning to his residence, Shi Li received warm congratulations from Huo Guang.

It should be known that although previous Torch Raising Ceremonies had a different mechanism from New Fire, entering the top 64 was still an achievement worth being proud of.

Although the Banlan Tribe might have had some suspicion of xenophobia and internal protection during the first stage.

At least in terms of rewards, they were treated equally.

All players who entered the top 64 received a reward of 50,000 cubic coins.

Then Jiang Sansheng also had another reward, also 50,000 cubic coins.

After applying, the Charge fees for the Characteristic Cards he spent on those hunters were actually reimbursed.

In total, Shi Li now held 150,000 cubic coins.

However, he had nowhere to spend this money.

It wasn't that he had nowhere to spend it; the Tiao Tiao Guard was in need of refresh fees.

But based on his experience with the Crimson Trial, he felt that 150,000 might still not be enough.

As the royal capital of the Banlan Tribe, Blueberry City naturally had abundant trading resources.

With ten days remaining until the next stage, Shi Li took advantage of his free time to visit several large trading houses here.

He then discovered that it was indeed worthy of being a tribal capital; all Star Ascension tokens for Unique Character Cards were available for sale.

Star Ascension tokens for all seven systems were available, and aside from the Balance system being about 5% cheaper, the prices for the other six systems were similar.

The price for a unique Card's second-to-third Star Ascension token fluctuated around 100,000.

This was almost double the 60,000 for a regular second-to-third Star Ascension token.

However, he didn't plan to buy it, because even if he did, he should buy it through the Card Hall's internal system.

It would definitely be cheaper than buying it outside.

In addition, Shi Li also saw a direct Star Ascension token for a Break system unique Card from two to three stars.

It was selling for an astonishingly high price of 2,000,000, which was simply jaw-dropping.

Because unlike the Will of Yu Yu'an and Clouds and Mountains he had previously obtained, those only targeted a single specific card.

This Perfect Break (Two to Three Stars) was for all two-star Break system Character Cards.

2,000,000; Shi Li couldn't even dream of it.

"Principal, why isn't the three-to-four Star Ascension token for Unique Character Cards as expensive as I imagined?"

When they reached the four-star area, he asked Principal Su, who was with him.

A regular two-to-three Star Ascension was 60,000, and a three-to-four Star Ascension was 400,000.

It had multiplied by more than 6 times.

However, a unique two-to-three Star Ascension was 100,000, but a three-to-four Star Ascension was only 300,000.

It only multiplied by 3 times, and the price was even lower than that of a regular Character Card's three-to-four Star Ascension.

"The three-to-four Star Ascension for Unique Character Cards is harder than you think."

Today, Principal Su had specially painted a blue nose for himself, making him look no different from the Banlan Tribe.

"The difficulty of the three-to-four Star Ascension mission for unique Cards isn't actually a big leap compared to the two-to-three Star Ascension.

But the problem is, completing the three-to-four Star Ascension mission is only the first step in Star Ascension.

The real difficulty lies in the subsequent stages."

"You still can't Star Ascension after completing the simulated mission? There's more?"

"That's right. Depending on the Character Card, completing the Star Ascension simulation mission usually results in one of two outcomes:

A Recipe Card or a Mission Card."

"And then?"

"A Recipe Card tells you the materials needed for that Character Card's Star Ascension. After collecting the materials, you personally complete the Star Ascension through card crafting.

A Mission Card, I believe you are already familiar with it. You just need to complete the corresponding mission to complete the Star Ascension, such as killing certain demons or reaching a certain number of trial tower levels.

In short, because the difficulty is not high, and there is this extra two-stage step compared to ordinary cards.

That's why the three-to-four Star Ascension token for unique Cards isn't that expensive."

After listening to Principal Su's explanation, Shi Li understood.

"But even so, besides their powerful combat strength, Emerald Card Players favor Unique Character Cards for another reason.

That is, based on most known situations, only Unique Character Cards can be promoted to five-star Character Cards."

"I see."

This point involved too high a level, and Shi Li had not known about it before.

"Work hard; your path is still long and full of hope."

Principal Su encouraged him.

"Thank you, Principal. It's because of your good teaching."

Shi Li lowered his eyes respectfully.

Just then, his wristband chimed with a communication.

After connecting, the person on the other end was surprisingly Director Hou.

Why had he also come to Gan Territory?

After receiving Director Hou's call, Shi Li immediately left Blueberry City.

He drove all the way to the entrance and exit of the Space-Time Teleportation Gate.

After returning to the small town base, he saw Director Hou in the lobby.

"Brother Hou, what's so urgent that you called me?"

The other party claimed it couldn't be explained over the phone and asked him to return immediately.

"Ah, I just received the notification myself.

Let's go; we'll talk on the way."

Director Hou motioned for him to follow.

"Where to?"

"Huadu."