96: Retreat Results

On the afternoon of the final, the stadium was already packed with people.

After all, this was their first city-wide showdown, and they all wanted to see who would ultimately claim first place.

The next time would be the college entrance exam, and by then, most people probably wouldn't have the luxury of caring about others' results.

"Shi Li, are you ready?"

Principal Su pushed open the door and saw Shi Li lying on the sofa, reading a book.

The book was titled "Sorry, I Never Rely on Luck When Playing Cards," a classic novel widely circulated among card players.

It was essentially a must-read for any card enthusiast aspiring to become a master.

"I'm ready, Principal," Shi Li said, getting up from the sofa.

"Hmm?"

But Principal Su quickly noticed that Shi Li's rank hadn't changed from two days ago.

It was still [Gold 8].

"Why hasn't your rank changed? Did you fail all the simulation missions?"

His brow furrowed slightly but quickly relaxed.

It made sense, he thought; it seemed he had overestimated him.

After all, only two days had passed, and the time left for Shi Li was too short; it was indeed a bit much to ask.

To clear the simulation missions in just two days, even someone with a [Talent] would need luck.

Now, he could only hope that Principal Chen's cramming plan also failed.

"Principal, it's not about the quantity of cards, but their quality," Shi Li said with a smile.

"?"

Principal Su was almost fooled by that confident tone.

"Boy, do you even hear yourself?"

After sending Shi Li to the preparation area, Principal Su called in the grade directors from first to third year high school.

"Principal, how is Shi Li's preparation going?" the first-year grade director asked with concern.

"I don't know," Principal Su replied, annoyed.

That guy had been the most anxious earlier, constantly hinting for his token cards.

Yes, although all the faculty and staff of Twenty-sixth High School had offered their respective token cards.

And Principal Su had also promised that for any card Shi Li used, he would fully reimburse it.

But there were still some who weren't entirely willing to cooperate.

"Alright, you guys count these cards and take them back," he said, pointing to the table.

The piles of token cards had been neatly stacked by Shi Li according to one-star, two-star, and three-star ratings.

"Okay, I'll help the third-year teachers take theirs back first."

The third-year grade director pulled out a form and began counting the three-star token cards one by one.

"[Blood Sorrow Valley], three-star token card, Teacher Li."

"[Broken Iron Paradise], three-star token card, Teacher Li."

"[Threshold Stone Theft Case], three-star token card, Teacher Li."

There were only nine three-star token cards in total, and Teacher Li alone had contributed three.

It was clear that, as Shi Li's homeroom teacher, he had held nothing back.

In a short while, the third-year grade director finished counting.

"Uh..."

But after double-checking, he said with a slight hesitation, "I haven't lost any cards on my end."

"I haven't lost any either," the second-year grade director replied, reaching the same conclusion.

"I'm missing five cards, five one-star token cards."

"One-star token cards?" Principal Su's expression froze at the words.

No wonder Shi Li's rank hadn't increased, but did he even succeed in his simulation missions?

Even if he succeeded, what good would one-star token cards do?

...

At this moment, Shi Li had already arrived at the individual preparation area.

Actually, he had his own ideas about the token cards supported by the entire school's teachers.

First, he never intended to touch the three-star token cards.

After all, the refresh cost for those would surely not be cheap, not something he could easily afford right now.

Secondly, two days truly weren't enough. Even if he could hastily obtain three-star character cards, they probably wouldn't be good cards with high completion rates.

That would also cause him to be promoted to [Platinum] rank, hindering his entry into the 異域.

Two-star character cards also presented a time issue.

With his current [Stamina], he couldn't endlessly refresh two-star simulation missions.

He would need a lot of rest time in between, and the refresh cost wasn't low either.

However, one-star simulation missions were simple, refreshing them didn't consume as much [Stamina], and the cost was relatively low.

The most crucial point was that 100% completion guaranteed one LV1 hand card.

"[Next, let's welcome the two students participating in the final!]

[From Twenty-sixth High School, with a rank of [Gold 8]... Student Shi Li!]"

Amidst the host's passionate cheers, Shi Li walked out of the preparation area and onto the center of the stadium.

"[From Second High School, with a rank of [Platinum 2]... No! Student Fang Jinghai has actually advanced again in just two days!]"

At this moment, Fang Jinghai exuded confidence, with a shining label above his head.

[Platinum 3]

Immediately, the audience began to buzz with discussion.

"[Platinum 3]! That means he can use 3 three-star character cards in his 4+1 deck!"

"[Platinum 2] was already strong enough; this guy actually advanced another minor rank."

"It's over. [Gold 8] against [Platinum 3], Shi Li's deck strength is at an absolute disadvantage."

"Could it be that the highly anticipated final will end up being a crushing defeat?"

Clearly, most people favored Fang Jinghai.

After all, the rank difference was evident.

In the VIP box, Principal Chen finally stopped hiding his feelings.

"Hahahaha, sorry, Old Su, it looks like our Second High School is going to win."

He clapped Principal Su vigorously on the shoulder, showing off his triumph.

"Don't think I don't know, you old fox, you've been cramming your students, haven't you?" Principal Su said, annoyed.

"Alright, Old Su, neither of us should call the other dirty.

Even if I provided resources, the student still needs to be capable.

His successful promotion is entirely due to his own efforts." Principal Chen's tone was teasing.

Such a big move as collecting token cards from all the school's teachers naturally couldn't escape his notice.

"Hmph, it's still too early to say who will win or lose."

With his Taunt, Principal Su's momentum was already on the decline.

At this time, the other principals watched the two bicker, uncharacteristically refraining from fanning the flames.

Because at this point, getting involved would inevitably seem like kicking someone when they're down.

In fact, they believed that everyone, including Principal Su, already had a more favored side in their hearts, and that was Fang Jinghai.

After all, the deck strength difference was simply too obvious.

While the two principals above were bickering, the two players on stage were not idle either.

"It seems our Second High School is still more reliable than your Twenty-sixth High School."

Seeing that Shi Li's rank hadn't changed, Fang Jinghai smiled slightly: "My rank is so much higher than yours, how will you even play?"

"Then why don't we just stop playing cards in the future, and whoever has a higher rank automatically wins? How about that?" Shi Li retorted.

"Hmph, I'll make you face reality."

"Look at you, planting a flag so early."

Amidst the verbal sparring of both sides, the card game officially began.

After the preset decks were laid out, the reveal phase of the first round arrived.

Fang Jinghai was the first to reveal his card.

...

...