206: Battle for the Abyss

Chapter 206: Abyss Scramble

"Don't say it, you really shouldn't say it."

Shi Li pulled out the Star Ascension formula for the Red Blade Maiden and found that all the required materials were available in the options.

So, without hesitation, he used both the 1,000,000 and 100,000 cubic coins options to exchange for materials, totaling 1,200,000 cubic coins.

The total value of the Red Blade Maiden's Star Ascension formula materials was approximately 1,700,000 cubic coins. With 1,200,000 cubic coins already spent, only 500,000 cubic coins remained, which would be easy to gather.

After collecting these rewards, Shi Li's body flickered, and he appeared at the exit of the foreign realm.

"Junior!"

"You've finally come out."

"You scared us to death."

Shang Haojia and the other senior students from Po Shi Academy gathered around him with concern.

It turned out that Shi Li had stayed inside for an exceptionally long time compared to them.

"Everyone, please open your panel visibility. I need to tally the points for this round."

Then, Shang Haojia said to the others.

"Alas, our team is most likely going to be at the bottom."

Regarding this matter, some people held no hope.

"I heard Lu Zailai had a blast in the last round. He pulled out a Pursuit-type card that would hit anyone who used Defense.

He could rake in even hundreds of points in a few rounds."

"Our team doesn't have as many members as other academies, so it'd be good if we don't come in last."

As they spoke, they all revealed their point panels.

The three senior students each had between 300 and 400 points.

Their accumulated points over these three days were around 200-300, and then they each gained about 100 points in the national battle, which was actually considered quite lucky.

After all, a deck with 1100 HP only yields 11 points if there's no overkill damage.

Shang Haojia was the best performer on the team, with over 600 points, putting her a tier above her teammates.

Finally, it was Shi Li's turn to reveal his points.

"Not bad, Shi, 620 points."

"Our team is relying on you and Shang Haojia."

"Wait, hold on—???"

At first, a few of them were a bit blurry-eyed, but after a closer look, they discovered the truth.

It wasn't 620 points at all, but—6200 points?!

In an instant, they were all shocked.

These few knew that they couldn't make much of a splash in the national battle, so they only cared about themselves.

When AOE attacks were flying everywhere, they didn't bother to trace whose was whose.

Shang Haojia, however, had been paying attention to Shi Li earlier and knew that his points would definitely be exaggerated.

But even though she knew it would be exaggerated, she hadn't expected it to be *this* exaggerated.

"Haha! It seems we're definitely going to win this time!"

A senior student cheered happily.

Shi Li's score alone was clearly enough to rival seven of their teams!

However, Shang Haojia also understood this principle.

In other words, even without their points, Shi Li could still receive the highest reward from the academy.

The academy's efficiency was extremely fast; less than half an hour after Shang Haojia reported the results, the 5,000,000 cubic coins bonus was deposited into each person's account.

There were 5 people, so it was exactly 1,000,000 cubic coins per person.

"Junior, what's your account number?"

The moment the money arrived, Shang Haojia asked in the group: "I'll transfer this money to you."

The others in the group understood and expressed the same intention.

"No need, seniors.

This bonus was originally given to the entire team."

Shi Li, however, had no intention of taking it.

His gains from this trip were already very substantial, and moreover, the academy did indeed give a collective bonus.

It really wasn't necessary to concentrate it all on one person.

However, after some back and forth, Shang Haojia and the others each still gave 500,000 cubic coins to Shi Li.

As a result, the academy bonus Shi Li received this time amounted to 3,000,000 cubic coins.

Coupled with the money he originally had, his assets directly reached 3,500,000 cubic coins.

It was still summer vacation, so he took this money and returned directly to Durian City.

After spending a few days at home with his younger brother, checking his deck situation and study progress, Shi Li began to plan his next itinerary.

"First, my rank cannot be raised for now."

"It's best to clear all 10 floors of Abyss No. 68 before the summer vacation ends."

"But not raising my rank doesn't mean I can't do quests."

"3,500,000 cubic coins, that's enough to do a lot of things."

Shi Li planned to have a sudden surge in rank when school started.

As for now, it was a time for accumulation.

Currently, he had 3 cards that were very close to Star Ascension to four stars.

First was the Red Blade Maiden; 90% of her formula materials had already been collected.

The remaining 10% were just scraps, easily found.

Next was the Withering Dragon; this card's Star Ascension quest was still about 25% incomplete.

He could use the special mechanism of the Abyss to grind it to 49900/50000, and then it would be a matter of his own choosing, ready to be completed at any time.

Then there was the four-star direct promotion token card obtained after the freshman placement match.

He hadn't claimed this from the academy yet, waiting to decide after confirming what system he wanted.

"A three-to-four-star token card for a Unique Character Card only costs about 300,000 cubic coins. If it's a formula of the same price as the Red Blade Maiden, that would be about 1,700,000 cubic coins, adding up to 2,000,000 cubic coins."

"Also, after the Red Blade Maiden's formula is collected, if card crafting fails, it needs to be refreshed, and each refresh costs at least 50,000 cubic coins+.

So I need to set aside about 1,000,000 cubic coins for refreshing."

"So now, my money should be enough to get one more card from three to four stars."

He began to choose from his deck.

After some comparison and considering all aspects, Shi Li finally chose the Jumping Guard.

This card was his second Unique Character Card.

Its excellent damage-absorbing mechanism made it an indispensable member of his deck.

He was quite eager to see what changes this card would undergo when it was promoted to four stars.

So he placed an order through the Card Hall's internal system, and a three-to-four-star token card for a Steadfast System unique Card was delivered to Shi Li.

Upon direct use on the Jumping Guard, lines of text popped up.

"The name of this quest is: Dragon Burial Ancient Tomb (Star Ascension)."

"In the last operation to repel the tomb-raiding legion, Jumping made outstanding contributions."

"He was therefore nominated by the guards, and his position rose steadily."

"And as his position grew higher, Jumping gained access to more and more things."

"The more things he came into contact with, the clearer his lost memories became."

"Vaguely, Jumping recalled that something extraordinary seemed to be buried in this tomb."

"To confirm his thoughts, he decided to do something."

"Please help him make a choice."

"A. Ask other 'same-level' colleagues."

"Perhaps the language barrier exists, but Jumping can gesture to them."

"B. Go to the library, where many books are collected."

"Perhaps illiterate, but Jumping can look at pictures."

"C. Explore some restricted areas."

"There are still many restricted areas in the ancient tomb that Jumping never had a chance to enter before."

"Alright, let's begin."

Shi Li casually chose one.

He finished in less than 30 minutes.

The first attempt was definitely a failure.

Moreover, the simulation quest for three-to-four-star advancement consumed a lot of mental energy.

It was impossible to refresh continuously for long periods.

Ten days later, Shi Li spent 1,000,000 cubic coins to get the result.

"The plan has changed. I forgot this part also costs quite a bit."

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

"You can obtain the hand card [Defense (LV3)] x1."

"You can obtain the item card [Star Ascension Quest] x1."

"Do you wish to reset this quest for 55,000 cubic coins?"

"Hmm?"

This result was a bit unexpected for Shi Li.

Before, when the completion rate hadn't reached 100%, he saw "Star Ascension Formula" displayed.

He hadn't expected it to become "Star Ascension Quest" at 100% completion.

"A quest is good, a quest doesn't cost money."

He looked at the Jumping Guard's Star Ascension quest.

This quest wasn't as difficult as he imagined.

"The Unyielding Guard": Win a PVE card game with the Jumping Guard and it does not retreat, 0 / 1000

This quest requirement was originally difficult.

But in the face of the Abyss, the difficulty, or rather, the time cost, was greatly reduced.

The Abyss was the PVE card game with the most monster types and the least time cost Shi Li had encountered so far.

"From the perspective of a Star Ascension quest rather than a Star Ascension formula, it saved me quite a bit of money."

Shi Li looked at the 1,900,000 cubic coins he had left.

So he decided to get one more.

If the Diner could be upgraded to four stars, it should be of great help for him to continue conquering the Rage Tower.

First, the three-to-four-star token card cost another 300,000 cubic coins.

The simulation quest refresh fee was 1,200,000 cubic coins.

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

"You can obtain the hand card [Recovery (LV3)] x1 [Healing (LV3)] x1."

"You can obtain the item card [The Diner's Lament] x1 [Star Ascension Formula] x1."

"Do you wish to reset this quest for 60,000 cubic coins?"

"The token card for a fated card."

Upon receiving this "The Diner's Lament," Shi Li knew it was no ordinary item.

"The Diner's Lament": Can be used after The Diner reaches four stars.

"It feels like they're just accumulating more and more."

This card made him roll his eyes.

So far, he already had three "can be used after four stars" fated hand card token cards.

The Red Blade Maiden's "Crimson Trial: Extreme."

Flower Cudgel Leader's "Lotus of the Staff."

And now, The Diner's "The Diner's Lament."

But the problem was, he didn't even have a single four-star character card yet.

The Diner's Star Ascension formula was somewhat similar to the Red Blade Maiden's.

Perhaps it was because both were Rage cards and both had the Dragon card tag.

Anyway, he used AI to summarize and collect the prices, and The Diner's Star Ascension formula was relatively cheaper than the Red Blade Maiden's.

It could probably be settled for about 1,300,000 cubic coins.

However, Shi Li now only had 700,000 cubic coins left, so he couldn't get it yet.

"It's also time to go to the Abyss and make some moves."

Shi Li looked at the calendar.

There was still a month until school started, which should be enough time to get things done.

Before setting off, he first went to find Director Hou.

It was both to say hello and to gather some information.

"It seems you're quite confident this time, aren't you?"

Director Hou looked at Shi Li, who had already reached platinum 15, and couldn't help but smile.

"Indeed, I have a bit more confidence."

Shi Li spoke frankly.

"If you can truly succeed in passing the 10th floor this time, our Abyss No. 68 might become the third Abyss in the country to complete the mission."

Director Hou said with a hint of anticipation.

"What happens after a collective mission is completed?"

Shi Li was curious about the other two Abysses that had completed it.

Huadu's Abyss No. 45 and Modu's Abyss No. 56.

"An Abyss that has completed its collective mission will disappear from its original location."

Director Hou spread his hands: "There are no special benefits. If you really have to say, it's that card players originally belonging to that Abyss can regain their authority and choose a new Abyss to enter."

"Oh—"

Shi Li knew that for those with strength, this new authority alone was enticing enough.

Because the rewards given after clearing an Abyss were quite good, especially for first clears of missions.

Plus, there were no substantial threats in the Abyss beyond indulging in hedonism and neglecting one's duties.

A channel with no risk and generous rewards would naturally be popular... That same night, on the helipad of Li Card Hall.

The night wind was cool and strong, making the corners of Hallmaster Xu's trench coat flutter wildly.

But she stood still, her eyes half-closed, not moving a single step.

Clearly, she was waiting for someone.

Someone important.

"Director, it seems they've arrived."

At this moment, the secretary next to her pointed to the sky.

A flying vehicle was rapidly descending.

Originally, its navigation lights looked like a few stars, but in a blink of an eye, the entire outline of the flying vehicle became clearly visible.

When the flying vehicle came to a steady stop, several young men and women disembarked.

Their expressions and demeanor were filled with confidence, and their ranks were uniformly platinum 15.

"Everyone, I've been waiting for a long time. Please come this way."

Hallmaster Xu showed a sincere smile.

Although in terms of position, she was definitely much higher than these young people.

But Hallmaster Xu showed no hint of disdain or neglect.

Because these few were geniuses from Abyss No. 56.

That's right, Abyss No. 56 had already been cleared, so they had regained their freedom.

She had specifically invited these experienced individuals to conquer Abyss No. 68.

After several attempts and trials, Hallmaster Xu already knew that it was impossible to poach Shi Li from Show Card Hall.

But she also didn't want to see Show Card Hall dominate Abyss No. 68.

Others might not know, but she was very clear about the true identity of that "Wang Defa."

So, to counter Shi Li, Hallmaster Xu had invited these experienced individuals.

Among them, the worst performer had cleared the 8th floor.

The best performer had even cleared the 10th floor, although it wasn't a first clear.

"Everyone, I have already prepared a welcoming banquet. Please."

"Let's skip it, Hallmaster Xu. We should hurry."

The leading woman had squinty eyes.

When she spoke, no one else refuted her, clearly indicating she was the one in charge.

"Good, no problem!"

Hallmaster Xu was not annoyed but pleased.

She greatly appreciated their attitude.

"What is the current real-time progress of Abyss No. 68?"

"The number of people who have cleared the 8th floor is 5. As for the 9th floor, no one has cleared it."

In response to their inquiry, Hallmaster Xu truthfully reported.

"That's perfect, there are 5 of us here, just enough to complete the mission."

The squinty-eyed girl nodded.

So Hallmaster Xu personally escorted the five people to the Abyss base.

She believed that with these five, they could definitely complete the conquest before Shi Li.