155: Advance to [Platinum 7], new [Mascot]

Chapter 155: Advancing to Platinum 7, A New Mascot

Upon arriving at the Card Hall, Shi Li didn't immediately go to find Xiu Qingshan.

Shi Li collected the welfare cards that had accumulated during this period, and then headed to the consignment area.

Consignment takes time, so the earlier the better.

The B+ level contract treatment meant no commission or handling fees. The combined estimated value of the two three-star character token cards was 180,000 cubic coins.

The one obtained from the Abyss was of higher quality, estimated at 100,000 cubic coins.

A pile of three-star material cards was estimated at 120,000 cubic coins, which was also slightly higher than Shi Li's expectation.

Unexpectedly, after merely finalizing the appraisal and listing them for sale, the staff immediately transferred the money to his account.

“This is—”

Shi Li, seeing his balance rise to 550,000 cubic coins, expressed his confusion.

“This was specifically instructed by Director Hou. Student Shi Li’s consignment can be advanced, with any difference to be settled later.”

The staff member smiled.

“Then I thank you.”

Shi Li was very grateful to Director Hou in his heart.

With this money, he had a good chance of completing the Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter's Star Ascension mission.

So he immediately went to purchase the corresponding Star Ascension token cards.

The price of Wise-type token cards was relatively expensive among the seven types.

Even with some discounts, it still cost him 100,000 cubic coins.

Now he had 450,000 cubic coins left.

After completing these tasks, Shi Li finally arrived at Xiu Qingshan's office.

“Hello, teacher.”

“Come in.”

“How have you been with the books I gave you?”

As soon as Shi Li entered, Xiu Qingshan tested him.

“Teacher, your complexion is slightly dull, which might be caused by the accumulation of toxins in the large intestine, leading to dark skin.

Additionally, there is slight puffiness in your eyelids, possibly due to abnormal water metabolism causing soft tissue swelling around the eyes.

So you've probably been—constipated—lately.”

Shi Li calmly delivered his analysis.

“Good analysis, but don't analyze it again next time.

Alright, just let me know you're studying diligently.”

Xiu Qingshan waved his hand repeatedly, not wanting to discuss his excretory issues with a student.

At the same time, he was secretly a little puzzled, wondering if the books he gave contained any content about these things.

“Thank you, teacher. It’s because you teach so well.”

Shi Li lowered his gaze respectfully.

“I heard you went to the new Abyss. How is your progress now?”

“I just cleared the 4-evolution stage.”

“Hmm, very good, very good.”

Xiu Qingshan was slightly surprised internally, but on the surface, he looked as if it was only natural: “As expected of my student, I truly teach well.”

“Given this, I think you might actually have a chance this time.”

He nodded and continued, “Originally, based on the timing, this month’s contract assessment should have started already.

But the arrival of this Abyss disrupted the Card Hall’s work deployment plan.

So, the curators of our Jiangnan Province discussed it and decided to seize the opportunity to change the contract assessment content to Abyss challenges.”

“That’s quite good.”

Shi Li expressed his approval.

After a successful challenge, a record would be kept in the card player system.

Only this record needed to be provided for score verification.

Challenging the Abyss was relatively free; there was no need for a crowd of people to gather, which was quite convenient.

“Since you have already passed the 3-evolution stage, that means the B-level contract assessment is considered passed.”

“That certainly saves a lot of trouble.”

“If you can pass the 6-evolution stage, then you will have completed the A-level contract assessment.”

“6-evolution—”

Hearing this standard, Shi Li hesitated slightly.

After all, he hadn't even passed the 5-evolution stage yet.

“Let me put it this way, I actually believe that even if actual A-level contractors participate in the 6-evolution stage, the pass rate would probably only be around 60-70%.

So you don't need to push yourself too hard.”

Xiu Qingshan said.

For the standard of an A-level contractor, 5-evolution was slightly low, but 6-evolution was slightly high.

However, considering that these young geniuses might be the main force in challenging the Abyss in the future, everyone agreed to set the standard higher.

“I understand, I will give it a try.”

Shi Li nodded.

“Achieving an A-level contract comes with a 50,000 cubic coins monthly stipend.”

“I'll be the first to fight, and I'll complete the mission.”

Xiu Qingshan understood his student’s personality and nodded in satisfaction.

Actually, he didn't necessarily require Shi Li to meet the A-level contract standard, but having some motivation was better than none.

After a few more casual remarks, Xiu Qingshan told Shi Li he could leave.

“Teacher, is there nothing else?”

“No.”

“Usually, you don't need to personally inform me about such matters, do you?”

Shi Li was a bit puzzled; hadn't Director Hou always been the one to handle contract exams with him?

“What do you think of Hou Waida?”

Xiu Qingshan countered with a question instead of answering.

This question made Shi Li frown slightly.

“Who is Hou Waida?”

—“Director Hou.”

“Oh, oh.”

For some reason, past memories suddenly flashed through Shi Li's mind.

“Director Hou is very responsible in his work and also loves Show Card Hall very much.”

He blurted it out instinctively.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Teacher—could it be that you are not constipated but have a terminal illness?”

Shi Li suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, like a TV drama character about to go offline.

There was a strong sense of farewell about Xiu Qingshan.

“Get out.”

Xiu Qingshan cursed with a laugh, casually throwing an ashtray.

Bang!

Shi Li quickly closed the door, and the ashtray smashed against it.

Leaving the Show Card Hall, Shi Li returned home.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed he hadn't been home for a while.

However, the house was empty.

“Shi Yuan, that kid is always so carefree. He probably ran off to go wild somewhere again, taking advantage of the summer vacation.”

Shaking his head helplessly, Shi Li returned to his room.

He opened his card library and took out the two-star to three-star token card.

Then he took out the Baimo Magician and clicked to use it.

“The name of this mission is: Magic Resistance Chronicle. (Star Ascension)”

“Through the guidance of the Magus Nian and A Liu’s diligent cultivation.”

“Her strength entered a new stage, and she finally defeated that powerful enforcer.”

“Unexpectedly, she obtained clues about her family's vendetta from him.”

“A Liu followed the clues and investigated all the way, only to find that they ultimately pointed directly to her mentor—Nian.”

“This left her struggling for a while.”

“The last fierce battle with the enforcer ended with A Liu suffering heavy injuries and fleeing.”

“Please help her make a choice.”

“A. Confront her directly.”

“With A Liu’s current strength, she is absolutely no match for Nian. If Nian turns hostile, A Liu will likely be in great danger.”

“B. Remain suspicious and continue to investigate deeper.”

“Subconsciously, A Liu still doesn't believe Nian is one of the murderers from back then.”

“C. Secretly investigate Nian.”

“Nian’s talking little bear looks very weak. If it is kidnapped, perhaps some information can be obtained.”

“I knew it; Nian’s dialogue seemed off since the last mission.”

Shi Li thought for a moment and chose C.

Start with the harmless little bear.

30 minutes later.

“Unfortunately, this mission failed.”

“Do you want to reset this mission by consuming 20,000 cubic coins? (Yes/No)”

“Damn it.”

Shi Li looked at the mission failed panel, a bit speechless.

Who would have thought that the final BOSS of this mission was Nian’s little bear?

In the final battle, this guy became incredibly huge.

“Borgus”

“Balance, Attack 100, 1000/1000”

“Fairy Tale Giant - Passive: Borgus occupies 44 card slots and is immune to all attack damage.”

“Little Bear Punch - Passive: Borgus can attack 22 targets, with a 1/3 Stun effect.”

“Big Bear Punch - Passive: Borgus can attack 33 targets, with a 20-point Ignite effect.”

“Beary Angry - Passive: When Borgus attacks a Stun or Ignite target, its attack power +50.”

Its stat panel was definitely not outstanding among final BOSSes, but its mechanism was extremely brutal.

1/3 Stun is a relatively rare effect in character cards, mostly found in Balance cards.

It means that each attack accumulates 1/3, and when fully accumulated, it becomes Stun.

In other words, a target hit by three Little Bear Punches will be afflicted with Stun.

However, with its attack power, not many cards could withstand three punches.

Moreover, Stun wasn't the main point; the key was that this thing was immune to all attack damage.

This immunity mechanism had just been tested, and it was superior to Red Blade Maiden’s Fixed Damage and True Damage.

That is to say, these two effects still couldn't cause damage, and mission BOSSes were sometimes just that unreasonable.

How was one supposed to fight it?

This meant that only non-attack damage like Poisoned, Ignite, Bleed, Quantum Entanglement, and Pierce could cause effective damage to it.

However, the damage from Poisoned, Ignite, and Bleed was usually only 10 or 20 points.

How long would it take for this kind of DoT to chip away at a 1000 HP BOSS?

And then Pierce and Full Pierce were even more ridiculous.

Their initial attack target is attack-type damage, and only the damage that overflows past the target is non-attack-type damage.

However, 【Boggs】 has no subordinates, just itself.

In other words, for pierce-type damage to be effective against it, Shi Li would have to use his own cards as a springboard for output, performing a 'hitting a bull across the mountain' maneuver.

None of that is realistic.

Therefore, Shi Li's final choice could only be 【Quantum Entanglement】.

He would integrate cloud river into his simulated mission deck, relying on it as the main damage output for the final BOSS battle.

Accumulate 100 Energy over 5 rounds, then unleash 100 points of 【Quantum Entanglement】 on the 6th round.

The BOSS could be defeated in 60 rounds, provided his deck wasn't destroyed before then.

Finally, after three and a half days of refreshing, Shi Li spent 400,000 cubic coins in refresh fees and finally got the desired outcome.

Although it cost 40,000 more than the last time Flower Cudgel Leader Star Ascension to three stars, that was because the unit price was different; the actual number of uses was exactly the same.

【You have completed this simulation, completion rate 100%.】

【You can obtain 1 character card 【Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter (Three Stars)】.】

【You can obtain 1 hand card 【Counter (LV3)】.】

【You can obtain 1 item card 【Forbidden Bloodline】.

【Consume 20,000 cubic coins to reset this mission? Yes/No.】

“Wait a minute, a three-star mission can also yield a LV3 hand card?”

This truly surprised Shi Li.

In the common knowledge he had learned, only four-star missions would offer a small number of LV3 hand cards.

Could it be due to the unique card combined with A Liu's special background story?

In any case, getting this hand card was definitely a good thing.

Even with the single-hand-card rule, he would have one more 【Counter】 available than most card players.

So Shi Li clicked “No.”

“Comfortable.”

A warm current washed over his body, and his stat panel was enhanced once again.

【Rank】: Platinum 6 → Platinum 7

【Stamina】: 333 / 333 (4.0 ↑) → 345 / 345 (4.1 ↑)

【Energy】: 348 / 348 (2.6 ↑) + 360 / 360 (2.7 ↑)

In addition, his Resonance also changed.

【Wise Resonance】: 40% → 60%

“Suddenly I realized, it seems my Momentum and Listen to the Wind Resonance are a bit lacking.”

Shi Li noticed the problem.

Flower Cudgel Leader and cloud river were originally two-star, so they skipped the one-star to two-star process during their upgrade.

This resulted in Momentum and Listen to the Wind Resonance still being at 40%, even lower than the later addition, Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter.

But no matter what, let's look at the card first.

【Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter】

Wise, 30 points, Three-star Attack 30, 100/100, 40/40

【Fallen Demon - Characteristic】: Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter has 【Magic Immunity】 effect 【Source Intercept - Passive】: When Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter reveals a card, it can prevent 1 target from Restoring Energy this round 【Mana Corruption - Passive】: Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter's attacks come with 10 points of 【Quantum Entanglement】

【Conditional Counter-Curse - 10 Energy】: Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter automatically initiates 10 points of 【Echo】

【Eradicate Evil - 10 Energy】: Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter automatically initiates 10 points of 【Finishing Blow】

【Anti-Magic Markings - 10 Energy】: Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter makes allies immune to enemy hand cards this round (T0)

(【Magic Immunity】: Immune to non-control negative effects)

(【Echo】: When an enemy target uses a skill, immediately launch 1 attack)

(【Finishing Blow】: When an enemy target's HP first drops to or below 50%, immediately launch 1 attack)

“Comfortable.”

This card face definitely deserved a “comfortable.”

The two-star to three-star Star Ascension of Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter could be said to have received a significant boost.

First, the Energy cap increased from 30 points to 40 points.

Although among three-star Wise cards, 40 points definitely belonged to the lower end of Energy.

But this was very significant, meaning it could automatically cast 【Anti-Magic Markings】 up to 4 times.

Then, two new entries were added, and the mechanics of these two entries were quite fitting for the name Fallen Demon.

【Conditional Counter-Curse】 provided another type of pursuit effect.

Finally, attacks naturally came with 【Quantum Entanglement】.

Shi Li briefly tested it on the simulated card table and found that it was indeed as he had imagined.

【Finishing Blow】 and 【Echo】 were also considered 1 attack in their definitions—key point, attack.

Therefore, they could also trigger 10 points of 【Quantum Entanglement】, which was equivalent to a significant increase in damage.

“It's clearly a Wise card, yet it only has one active skill, and it's an anti-magic type skill.

The name of this card really isn't wrong.”

Shi Li commented, then took out the 【Forbidden Bloodline】.

This was the exclusive mission for Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter's destined hand card.

There was no usage threshold; he could use it now.

“Forget it.”

After thinking about it, he still put the card down for now.

He had just finished the Star Ascension mission, and he was tired.

Moreover, he only had 50,000 cubic coins in hand, which was not enough for refreshing.

Shi Li decided to rest for a night, and then challenge the Abyss again.

The excitement of having just acquired a new card made it difficult for him to fall asleep for a while.

“There are about ten more days until Qingchuan University starts.”

“I've also achieved my goal, reaching 【Platinum 7】 before school starts.”

“And for the next 5 evolution challenges, I should have a good chance.”

“Now, not only do I have an additional three-star Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter, but more importantly, by advancing to 【Platinum 7】, I've gained another card slot.

A 6+1 three-star unique card lineup is definitely considered luxurious.”

The next morning, Shi Li once again arrived at the Abyss under Director Hou's arrangement.

However, unlike last time, his rank had changed.

【Platinum 10】—this was Shi Li's current label.

It came from the new 【Rank Disguise】 given by Xiu Qingshan, which could always disguise his rank as 【Platinum 10】.

Not only that, this card also came with an appearance disguise function.

After Shi Li activated it, he turned into a round-faced Chengdu man.

Wang Defa, who had consecutively cleared 4 stages with 【Platinum 6】 a few days ago, was already widely known within the Abyss.

Many interested individuals were paying attention to the comings and goings at the stone tablet portal, but unfortunately, they had not seen the figure of that 【Platinum 6】.

What they didn't know was that Shi Li had actually slipped into the 5-evolution stages right under their noses.

“Let me see what kind of guy this will be.”

Just as Shi Li was rolling up his sleeves, he noticed something unusual.

In the 4th stage, the Abyssal Kind there was no longer a lump of flesh, but had already begun to take shape.

And with each evolution, its form became more balanced and refined.

But the thing standing in front of him now—

It was simply a half-human-tall giant mushroom, with a red, spotted cap, short arms, and tiny feet that you wouldn't notice if you weren't paying attention.

“What is this thing?”

The Abyssal Kind he remembered were all primarily purple-black and bloody.

But the art style of this mushroom person was completely out of place with the Abyss.

【Gugu Da~!】

The mushroom person even actively waved at him in greeting, behaving like an optimistically foolish creature.

“Never mind.”

Just as Shi Li was about to throw out his cursor, the mushroom person opened its mouth.

Light was rapidly brewing inside its mouth.

“?”

Before he could react, a cursor shot out from the mushroom person's mouth.

Buzz—

A blue-lit card table was immediately constructed between the two.

“No, this guy doesn't seem to be an Abyssal Kind.”

It was only at this moment that Shi Li finally understood.

Firstly, the Abyssal Kind here had no sentience; it was impossible for them to greet or actively attack.

Secondly, wasn't the format of this card game a genuine PVP card game?

This guy was an alien card player!

But why didn't it show a rank?

Without time to think much, Shi Li quickly arranged his deck before the time limit ended.

After arranging his cards, he realized that the opponent's card slots were the same as his, both 6+2 card slots.

This meant that this guy was at most a 【Platinum 7】 card player, like himself, with a 6+1 deck.

He glanced at the player panel; the Abyss's one-click 【Disengage】 had already dimmed and was unusable.

“Since I'm already here.”

Given the situation, Shi Li could only proceed.

At the start, he immediately revealed 3 cards.

【Bouncing Guard】 + 【bo shan】 + 【cloud river】.

As a result, the opponent also started with 3 cards.

【Liu Dagu】 + 【Guan Ergou】 + 【Zhang Sangu】.

What is this thing?

■ insideg01g

angg■