105: Chapter 105 Excessive Strength Concept

Su Bai's hand, which had been lifting his water glass, froze in mid-air.

"Why is that?"

"The reason is that the National Competition has a tier cap of Tier 5. This means if you enter now, you will most likely be forced to face Tier 5 powerhouses while only at Tier 2."

Special Commissioner Chen Daoxuan said in a deep voice, "Even if you are confident in your own strength, how will you find a partner? That in itself is a difficult problem. Just as a Card Creator has the right to choose a Magic Card Master, the reverse is also true. A Tier 5 Magic Card Master will not seek out a Tier 2... Furthermore, the ones competing are the Magic Card Masters, not the Card Creators, so your odds of winning are actually not high."

Su Bai set the glass back on the table. "But you came anyway..."

"We would naturally not take a recommendation from Her Excellency Qingyue lightly." There was a subtle hint of respect in Special Commissioner Chen Daoxuan's tone. "She is the only Supreme of Time and Space in the Truth Sanctuary—and now, one must add the Law of Causality to that. There are no more than five people in the entire world who have reached the peak of fusing three laws."

"So the association is allowing me to participate..." Su Bai leaned back in his chair. "By the way, there's no life-threatening danger with this thing, right?"

"It is not just permission." Special Commissioner Chen Daoxuan pushed the folder all the way across the table. "It is a formal invitation. In history, no more than thirty Card Creators have received this gold-leaf invitation, and every single one of them has gone on to win at least one championship or runner-up title in the years that followed. Contestants holding a gold-leaf invitation will enter the main tournament directly, without needing to participate in the preliminaries. Additionally, you will enjoy an independent quota of card-creation materials and an exclusive training ground."

"As for life-threatening danger... perhaps there will be, perhaps not. No one can guarantee absolute safety in the card-creation process. In history, there have even been people who were swallowed by the cards they created because they were beyond what they could handle; therefore, the association cannot provide any guarantees."

Zhao Dahai finally swallowed his bread and said in shock, "Wait a minute. Direct entry into the main tournament? Skipping the first dozen elimination rounds?"

"Yes."

"All materials provided separately? No need to spend my own money?"

"Yes."

"An exclusive training ground? No need to crowd into public card-creation rooms with others?"

"Yes."

Zhao Dahai turned his face toward Su Bai. "This seems equivalent to a free pass. Even if you just forfeit after getting in, you could still get a substantial participation bonus."

Su Bai knew that, of course, and couldn't help but nod.

But he didn't say anything to Zhao Dahai; instead, he stared ahead.

The system panel appeared!

There was nothing special on it, just one sentence.

[You have triggered a mission: National Competition. Please participate in the National Competition and obtain the Philosopher's Stone. This reward can double your abilities.]

It can double my abilities...

It looks like I have to go, then!

Su Bai rubbed his hands together.

Lin Xiao did not join in their bickering. She stared at the gold-leaf invitation for a long time, then spoke.

"Special Commissioner Chen Daoxuan. What is the average tier of the seeded contestants from previous years?"

Special Commissioner Chen Daoxuan paused for a beat.

"High Tier 4. Some particularly outstanding ones are at the peak of Tier 4."

"Su Bai only just passed level 20 a few days ago." Lin Xiao's voice was very low. "Low Tier 2. In three months, no matter how fast he levels up, he will at best touch the threshold of Tier 3. And his opponents are all Tier 4 peak or even Tier 5 geniuses—"

"More than that," Special Commissioner Chen Daoxuan said candidly. "Among the contestants this year, there are at least three who have been confirmed to have broken through the peak of Tier 5. This includes the defending champion from the last tournament, two special recruits recommended by the military, and the chief Card Creator of the Imperial Capital's Undying Fortress guild."

The private room was quiet for about three seconds.

Zhao Dahai was the first to break the silence.

"Then what's the point of fighting—"

"Fatty." Lin Xiao glared at him.

"I'm speaking the truth! Tier 3 fighting Tier 5? A two-tier difference? If they throw a Tier 5 S-rank card, what is Su Bai going to use to block it? Kyubey? Kyubey is a contract card, not a defense card—"

"The Magical Girl transformation has Time Stop."

"How many seconds can Time Stop last? It's a continuous gauntlet! What happens after his mana runs out? Take the hit with his face?"

Su Bai suddenly spoke.

"Fatty is right."

Everyone looked at him.

"The gap is indeed very large." Su Bai picked up his water glass and took a sip. "So I need to look up some information first."

"What information?"

"Practical application plans for the Stand Arrow, as well as some theoretical materials; these all require checking for material compatibility. The Truth Sanctuary's database should have them."

Lin Xiao stared at him for three seconds.

"You just said theoretical materials... Do you have a new theory again?"

"Yes."

"No, wait, that space and causality stuff from last time... wasn't that everything? Hold on, this isn't right. Logically speaking, shouldn't a Card Creator spend years, decades, or even centuries researching a single theory? Why can you just pull out a new theory so matter-of-factly!"

"Uh..." Su Bai thought for a moment. "Because I'm a genius?"

"You!"

Lin Xiao felt like she had taken ten thousand points of critical damage.

Special Commissioner Chen Daoxuan coughed lightly.

"Mr. Su Bai. If you can complete a demonstration of your new system at the National Competition—the intelligence departments of all the top guilds in the world will send people to watch the match, and the Abyss side will also watch the live stream. You will become famous in a single battle, without needing to wait for military data or market feedback."

He paused.

"What you are missing right now is exactly this stage."

Su Bai closed the gold-leaf invitation.

"Fine."

A single word.

Special Commissioner Chen Daoxuan stood up and bowed again, deeper than when he had entered.

"Thank you, Mr. Su Bai. With you participating, the value of this tournament will double—that is my personal opinion."

He left behind a participant's guide and an encrypted communication card, then turned and walked out of the private room. His footsteps were still as steady as if measured by a ruler. The sound of the door closing was very soft.

Zhao Dahai was the first to speak.

"Su Bai, are you serious? An entirely new theory? In three months? While you still have to level up and prepare for battle?"

"Check the information first." Su Bai stood up and picked up his coat. "The Truth Sanctuary's database has compatibility data for several special materials. I'm going to make a trip there."

"Now?" Lin Xiao glanced at the sky outside the window, which had already grown dark.

"Now."

"You haven't eaten yet."

"I'll eat when I get back."

Su Bai pushed open the door of the private room and stepped out. Kyubey turned its head from his shoulder, its red glass eyes glancing at Lin Xiao.

"Miss Lin Xiao. Please help pack a steak for him. Medium-well. He will probably forget to eat again tonight."

"...How come you've started managing logistics too?"

"I learned it from Zhao Dahai."

"Hey!" Zhao Dahai's voice chased after him from the private room.

Su Bai had already walked to the stairs.

Night had completely enveloped Jinghai City.

The aurora canopy in the commercial district flowed slowly, dyeing the streets a pale silver.

As he walked, he deduced the circuit architecture of the Substitute Module in his mind—the Law of Causality framework was still needed. The Stand, like the Magical Girl, was an embodiment of rules + causality, and some monstrous Stands could directly affect time and space, which was quite terrifying.

The difference was that the Stand had an extremely important concept: Mental Power.

This thing was very important; the strength of one's Mental Power determined the strength of the Stand, which was the norm in most works. Therefore, a new theory was needed to carry the mapping and conversion of Mental Power to the physical dimension.

The formless spirit sand could theoretically be compatible, but the purity was not enough; it required a higher-level purification process.

The Truth Sanctuary's database should have the relevant parameters.

Furthermore, if he could make the Stand and the Magical Girl be used simultaneously, if they were compatible...

The strength would be unimaginable!

Su Bai started to get excited.