The Card Apprentice

The bald man was squinting.

This enemy had the face of a demon and the movements of a ghost. He was scared because he knew by heart, the strength of these people who perished—they were clan warriors. Normally, if they were defeated, he wouldn’t have been shocked. However, these remarkable warriors were butchered mercilessly by the enemy.

He hadn’t seen anything like this before. The enemy stood there alone. But somehow, this was enough to send chills down Baldie’s spine. However frightening the enemy was, the bald man still managed to look calm. He was strong, too; the confidence gained from countless battles wouldn’t be taken away so easily. The two of them were confronting each other, surrounded by a deadly silence.

“Andrew!” He said his name out loud while extending his right arm in front of his chest, bowing a little.

Chen Mu stared coldly at the bulky bald man. This opponent was giving out a murderous aura that could only be emitted by someone who had been through a considerable amount of battles. Other than that, Chen Mu’s experience battling against the cardless sects, especially his fight with Wei-ah, allowed him to make a definite conclusion—the baldy was an elite!

Moreover, he could be sure that this bald man was a famous elite in Mohadi Domain because the confident looks on the surrounding soldiers proved his intuition right. However, Chen Mu didn’t have the habit of giving his name before battling opponents. To him, a battle was about survival, not about winning or losing, and it was definitely not about glory.

Chen Mu’s speculation was accurate. Andrew wasn’t just an elite; he was also the strongest and the most loyal warrior under the King of the Mohadi Domain. His mission was to be the King’s bodyguard, but he was taking a day off. Coincidentally, Andrew heard about the appearance of another elite, so he decided to see it for himself. Today he was here to test his skills.

Chen Mu had kept his silence, so Andrew decided not to waste any more time and proudly shouted, “Bring it on!” Before he finished his sentence, he had disappeared from where he was standing. At the same time, Chen Mu vanished as well. The two shadows reappeared suddenly, clashing together fist against fist.

Boom!

The tremendous strength emitted pressed the air until it finally exploded, with the two of them at the center. The shockwave spread outwards crazily. The pain elicited from Chen Mu’s arm made him frown. What immense strength!

Chen Mu was tyrannical. After practicing body strengthening gymnastics using the mystery card, training under Wei-ah’s ways, and quenching the power of the Green Mark—the strength of his body had improved by leaps and bounds. Even the mischievous little Bu Mo wouldn’t stand a chance against him, the only exception being Wei-ah. However, today, he met another anomaly.

Both of them were quick, and they exchanged a dozen blows in a blink of an eye. The terrifying force of his opponent made him experience pain every encounter of the fight.

So enjoyable! Andrew was thrilled, the muscles of his body started to pop while his eyes turned fiery, and the veins on his forehead rose like earthworms. It was the first time he had fought with someone who shared the same level of expertise as him, and it made him more excited with each punch.

“Ahhh!” The lively feeling made Andrew roar like a beast. His physical strength was increasing continuously!

Chen Mu was starting to feel numb on his arms and what’s strange was Foggy Gauze did not affect Andrew at all. So far, the undefeatable Foggy Gauze had never failed him, but right now, it didn’t put this man in a trance for even a second. A sliver of fear appeared. Is it possible that baldy has achieved conciseness of mind?

He changed his tactics on the spot without a second thought. He switched to the combination of State Zero with cardless sects. State Zero is the exclusive technique introduced by Caesar, this newly born technique of Materials Refinement Code had its exquisiteness lay in sensory skills, whereby the level of material sensing was unprecedented. Though Caesar designed it, Chen Mu had his own insights for the technique.

Caesar’s State Zero focused on instinct and intuition. An elite was someone who could turn a dangerous situation advantageous by focusing on sharp intuition, and making the right counterattack using the shortest amount of time—this was the fundamental idea of State Zero.

Chen Mu’s understanding of State Zero was utterly different. Before entering Hundred Depths, though Chen Mu participated in countless battles, Chen Mu’s level of instinct and intuition weren’t comparable even to a speck of the mad warrior’s, Caesar’s, results. This made State Zeros less terrifying after it had now fallen into his hands. However, there was something he was talented at—his calculation!

His outstanding calculating skills were never seen before in card artisans, and he owes this to his other identity of being a card master. When he realized he couldn’t bring out the power of State Zero, he started searching for a method that was suitable for him. That was when Chen Mu’s State Zero begun to take shape.

Amid the intense fight, Chen Mu closed his eyes suddenly. With clamoring world fading away, uncountable tiny white threads were coming together, forming the finest world that could ever be seen. Chen Mu could see the slightest fluctuation in the current, distance, angle, etc. Every change turned itself into a meticulously and dynamically structured world; this was Chen Mu’s State Zero.

The attacks weren’t fast, the routes were apparent, and the strength even weakened a little. However, Andrew felt stress he had never felt before. His opponent closed his eyes, but he felt extremely threatened. If the battle before this moment made him excited and lively, the situation right now made him feel as if he had a bucket of ice water poured over him. It felt as though he was being preyed on by a venomous snake. He could smell death.

No one would ever be happy when facing death, not even him. He felt uneasy with every attack. Although his opponent did not have the same level of strength as him, their difference wasn’t vast because his opponent was able to attack him at the most vulnerable parts of his body. It seemed like his opponent knew him very well and expected his every counterattack, fighting calmly, plotting calmly.

Right, it was the tactics—not an intense fight but more like a chess game.

This was ridiculous, but the feeling was so strong! The attacks weren’t fierce, but they were coming relentlessly, like casting a net in the ocean where he was a fish. The more he fought, the tighter it got. Andrew had experienced a lot of battles, and he knew, if he didn’t make a change now, he would become the fish. He roared. The muscles on his body puffed up while the speed of his hands slowed down. The palms were like a heavy ax, ready to fight back.

Zap!

He swiped the air with his hands, and to everyone’s surprise, the result sounded like thunder!

Chen Mu’s expression changed! Airskill! It was Airskill! He knew this from State Zero because the baldy’s arms were spinning at an astonishing rhythm. For every spin of his arms, these vibrating muscles combined with its own flow.

It was different from the sharp Air Slash of Wei-ah. Andrew’s Air Slash was like an ax, with the front being the blade and the back made up of tiny air current. The slash looked like an electrical snake dancing. The sound of the slash came from the tearing of the air.

It was the first time Chen Mu had seen an Air Slash as stunning as this! Even though he only used one hand, its momentum was comparable with Pointed Cloud Burst!

Wei-ah’s Airskills were never the same. It could be Air Awl, Air Slash, or even Air Pellet. Every joint of his could perform Airskill from any angle, catching his opponents off guard.

However, the opponent in front of Chen Mu had a different style. His Airskill was limited to his two big hands, but the threat elicited seemed like something that couldn’t be defended against.

Chen Mu didn’t dare to resist, because the heavy ax was indeed “heavy”! Inside the Air Axe were countless tiny and disorderly currents. They were like a time bomb, any collision among them, even the smallest one, would cause Air Axe to explode immediately. He could only dodge, but Andrew didn’t care. He raised both of his arms and swiped down as if throwing the axes! It was difficult to imagine someone so large could exercise such graceful Airskill. Chen Mu was in awe.

Air Axe looked like a coarse technique, but in fact, its inner structure was carefully crafted. Hundreds of air currents were wrapped inside, combined with precise balance. To achieve this was extremely difficult. Besides, the blade of the Air Axe was very concisely-structured, and would even make people associate its quality with crystals.

Chen Mu retreated! His demonic face was concealed behind the shadows of ghostly attacks.

Bald Andrew snorted and then powered his legs to launch himself. His body was like a fired bullet, as cracks formed beneath his legs like a spider web. While he was midair, his arms were spinning, and a pair of Air Axes formed with a sizzling sound. The axes were chasing after their opponents like bloodthirsty sharks in the ocean. His was quick, the terrifying amount of power from his legs propelled him like a spring.

However, Chen Mu owned the jet stream card, Big Mud Fish, which was famous for its capability in rapidly changing directions. With the help of both his legs, he was able to move like a ghost and maneuver unpredictably.

If one would describe the two parties, then Andrew was as powerful as an arrow at its full speed, while Chen Mu was as unpredictable as ever-changing smoke.

Andrew quickly realized that if the situation were to go on like this, he would never be able to get to Chen Mu. That was why he decided to stop, limiting Chen Mu’s moves by halting his actions. From what he observed, he couldn’t do anything to turn the tables, but the same was true for Chen Mu. Their distance widened immediately.

Chen Mu noticed the bald man had kept his arms in front of his chest, with the muscles on them vibrating slowly, waiting to be commanded. If he were to get any nearer, he would be greeted with his Air Axes.

Staring at Andrew, who was as calm as the sea after the storm, from a distance, Chen Mu felt impressed. He was the best of the cardless sect he had seen after Wei-ah and Hedrat. This was a cardless sect user who was able to bring out the full potential of the technique. Anyone who dared to enter his battlefield would be treated with the pure and perfect crushing blow. However, Chen Mu was a card artisan!

Chen Mu looked at his opponent from afar with a devilish grin. With his right hand, Chen Mu inserted a card into his meter!