56: Poker Family

Although he cleared the level on his first attempt, Shi Li underestimated the difficulty of this Star Ascension mission.

It wasn't that the Red Blade Maiden's inclusion was useless; rather, the BOSS battle mode wasn't conducive to her strengths.

This mode, which limits rounds and requires a certain number of enemies to be eliminated, demands AOE damage, not her high single-target damage.

Specifically, it needed skills like [Penetration], [Full Penetration], and [Diffusion], which can attack multiple targets simultaneously and deal high area-of-effect damage.

So, later on, he even gave up using the Red Blade Maiden, focusing solely on collecting AOE characters and buffs.

"Damn it, with about three more chances, I should be able to achieve a perfect clear!"

Shi Li felt he had already touched the threshold of 100% completion.

But his money ran out.

Time was also not on his side, as tomorrow was the gathering for the Jiangnan University tryouts.

Participants from Durian City needed to depart a day in advance.

Early in the morning, Shi Li arrived at the station for the assembly.

All 16 qualifiers from the city's mock unified exam were present, including Gong Ping.

Soon, they boarded the maglev train under the guidance of their lead teacher.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was quite harmonious; the small tray tables were filled with snacks and drinks everyone had brought, and they chatted and laughed.

Because those who came for the tryouts generally had good academic records, even if they simply took the college entrance exam, they would likely be admitted to the provincial Jiangnan University.

So, for them, this trip was more of an experience.

With this mindset, everyone was relaxed, looking like they were on a sightseeing trip.

"Anyone want to play Werewolf?"

As soon as the train started, Gong Ping suggested.

"Me, me, me!"

"Count me in."

"I want to play Werewolf too."

Unexpectedly, quite a few people responded.

But some reacted coolly, like Fang Jinghai.

"Hmph, a bunch of overgrown kids."

He remained in his seat, watching the gathered crowd and couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head to himself.

"I won't participate in such a childish game, but I can reluctantly act as the judge."

Shi Li's refusal earned Fang Jinghai's approval.

As expected, he was the only Card Player among the top 8 whom he truly admired.

Shi Li: "Night falls, please close your eyes."

Fang Jinghai: "..."

The result was that he watched Shi Li rapidly devour the snacks on the table while others had their eyes closed.

And so, everyone enjoyed a pleasant train journey.

The train's speed was very high, and two hours later, they arrived at their destination.

The location of this tryout was not Jiangdu City, where Jiangnan University is located, but Muhua City.

Muhua City, a third-tier city on par with Durian City.

However, because it was located in the most remote part of the province, it was considered a backwater.

Due to the vast surrounding land, many monster breeding grounds had emerged.

Jiangnan University's training base was located in this city.

The content of this tryout was mainly divided into three parts.

The first item was a written exam on theoretical knowledge.

The content tested was basically what they had learned in high school.

But it was said that in previous years' exams, there would always be a few questions that were beyond the syllabus.

The second item was practical card making.

It was said that this assessment was not conducted on a card-making simulator, but involved actual card crafting on site with real cards.

The competition was about who could complete the tasks set by the school in the shortest time.

The third item was monster hunting.

This item would be conducted in the wild.

It primarily tested wilderness search skills and survival abilities.

Of course, the most important factor was the Card Player's strength.

In short, Jiangnan University would evaluate and score them based on their final performance in these three items.

The item with the highest score weighting was the third item, monster hunting.

"I heard that there will also be an inspection team from the Four Famous Universities visiting this time, and if someone performs exceptionally well, they might even receive an invitation from them."

Stepping off the train, Gong Ping's face showed a hint of longing.

However, after saying this, he noticed that the atmosphere seemed to have changed.

Because everyone's gaze was directed towards the other side of the platform, where another maglev train had just stopped.

A group of spirited young men and women descended from that train's door.

"It's the students from Jiangdu City."

"No way, are they also participating in the tryouts?"

Someone identified them by their school uniforms.

As the provincial capital, Jiangdu City had better educational resources than other prefecture-level cities in the province.

Moreover, due to their proximity and Jiangnan University's preferential treatment of local students, they generally wouldn't participate in tryouts.

It seemed they were here for the inspection by the Four Famous Universities.

Scanning with the Card Player system, most were Gold 4 and Gold 5, with only a few being Gold 3.

Even three people had reached Platinum 1 or 2.

The appearance of such powerful competitors made the faces of the Durian City group turn serious, dispelling their previous relaxed mood.

After getting off the train, the group from Jiangdu City did not leave, but tacitly chose to wait in place.

After about ten seconds, the figure of a young man appeared at the train door.

The unique Platinum 3 rank made him the most eye-catching presence among all the students present.

"Fang Jinghai, you really came too."

The young man spotted Fang Jinghai from afar.

"Long time no see."

Fang Jinghai returned a polite smile.

"I'm in a hurry, I'll go first."

The young man did not approach, but waved and hurried away.

Whether he was truly in a hurry or not, this person did not spare a glance for the other people from Durian City from beginning to end.

And as he took his first step, the other students from Jiangdu City also followed.

There was a subtle sense of him being their leader.

"Who is that guy? He's quite arrogant."

Gong Ping muttered softly, watching the retreating figure.

"That guy is Ouyang Huan, a B-rank contractor of Jiangdu City's Li Card Hall."

Fang Jinghai revealed the other's background.

To be fair, he certainly had the capital to be arrogant.

He himself had received a cultivation contract from Li Card Hall very early on, so he had once traveled to Jiangdu City to participate in contractor activities.

That was when he met Ouyang Huan.

"Wait a minute, surname Ouyang?"

At this, Liang Dan's expression hardened.

Because some Talents are passed down through bloodlines, over time, the circle developed the existence of Card Player families.

The most famous Card Player family was the Xiu family, owners of the Show Card Hall, one of the Five Great Card Halls.

The Ouyang family was the most famous and strongest family in Jiangnan Province.

"For this tryout, don't worry about him.

We just need to do our best."

Fang Jinghai's subtext was very clear.

As a descendant of a Card Player family, he naturally received more resources for card cultivation.

Such a monster, who had already reached Platinum 3, was simply not in the same league as them to be compared.

...