Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Qing Ming City.

In the shop.

Lu Ming was enjoying a peaceful life when he received news from the a.s.sociation — They had finis.h.i.+ng demolis.h.i.+ng the five-star beast that he carried back the last time!

Lu Ming was given the freedom to choose the reward.

1. A large number of a.s.sociation points.

2. Raw materials of the beast itself.

Materials…

Lu Ming pondered for a long time. In the end, he decided to opt for the points because he had no use for the raw materials.

Hence…

He received a huge sum!

A hundred thousand points!

Lu Ming felt dazed. The points of the a.s.sociation were extremely precious. Usually, everyone could only acc.u.mulate dozens of points from time to time. This time, they actually approved a hundred thousand points?!

“Was there a mistake?”

Lu Ming gave Zhang Yang a call and asked.

In his mind… Zhang Yang was very stingy…

“It's correct.”

Zhang Yang smiled faintly. “For Qing Ming City or the entire branch, materials of five-star beasts are extremely precious items… Of course, most importantly, your huge contribution in getting rid of the beast tides. Therefore, after discussion, the a.s.sociation decided to give you all its remaining quota for the year!”

Lu Ming was speechless.

All its quota!

They were that generous!

“What about the rest of the people in the a.s.sociation then?!”

Lu Ming asked.

“We will, of course, request more from the higher-ups.”

Zhang Yang was grateful and happy. “You have contributed greatly. Of course, we have to fight for greater interests.”

“Oh.”

Lu Ming understood right away.

“Have you thought of how to use these points?” Zhang Yang asked.

“Okay.”

Lu Ming nodded slightly.

Previously, he had not expected to receive that many points. Nevertheless, this was good too. It would help him to achieve the thing that he wanted to do perfectly!

“I wish to learn from the seniors of the a.s.sociation,” Lu Ming said sincerely.

Shus.h.!.+

Zhang Yang's expression changed drastically.

Learn…

He suddenly remembered a certain night…

That night, this child also had such a huge thirst for… learning… His decades of acc.u.mulating knowledge… had been ‘hollowed out' in one night…

“Is it too late for me to take back the points now?” Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

Lu Ming's face instantly darkened.

What did he mean?!

Did he look down on him that much?!

Last time, it was because seniors like yourself had a weak physique!

Zhang Yang was silent.

Actually…

The a.s.sociation was already closed at night and no one was around. When Lu Ming inquired, it was daytime and then from day time… he inquired till the next morning!

That was right!

He cultivated overnight, alright!

Those problems…

Their heads ached badly even at the sight of them. However, they had to explain them clearly!

One question, one deduction. You have to resolve it before you sleep, right? As soon as Lu Ming posed a question, their brains would start to swirl and think of how to solve it…

Even if Lu Ming allowed them to go home, they would not!

Otherwise, their brains would be active and filled with formulas the entire night!

Immediately after they had solved the question, another related set of lines would appear and another question would be thrown out and the process repeated itself.

Those kinds of feelings… It was akin to ‘I'll play one more round of game before I sleep' and then it was morning before they knew it.

Therefore…

Unknowingly…

They became like that afterward!

That night.

Dozens of Card Creators and Lu Ming engaged in in-depth exchanges without any rest and sleep…

He was messing around!

At the thought of it, he felt his liver hurting!

“In that case.”

Zhang Yang pondered deeply for a moment. “I'll recommend some seniors to you that are more skilled. How about that?”

“Huh?”

Lu Ming was surprised.

Were there teachers that were more formidable than those from the Card Creators a.s.sociation in Qing Ming City?

“The Chong Yang branch also has some veterans who are more experienced…” Zhang Yang recommended earnestly.

Lu Ming was speechless.

What did this mean?!

He actually referred him to the opposing a.s.sociation!

“Don't look down on others.”

Zhang Yang reminded, “Although you beat Li Haoran, the Chong Yang branch obviously has a strong heritage as they were able to subdue us the last time! Among the few cities nearby, the Chong Yang branch should be the strongest city with the most powerful heritage, especially their Card Creators a.s.sociation…”

“This does not have anything to do with me.”

“The Card Creators from our side… Actually, you have already learned from most of them.”

Even if you continue…

How much more can you learn?!

For example, a card. You've already learned most of the information about cards from the Qing Ming branch. If you learn it again, you'll at most pick up the last remaining bits… But, the Chong Yang branch? It's unknown to you. Their research on four-star cards is quite different from ours. If you learn from them… You will benefit a lot!” Zhang Yang said in a deep voice.

“Can the a.s.sociation points be used too?”

Lu Ming was surprised.

“Of course.”

Zhang Yang nodded slightly. “Every point and quota of the a.s.sociation is approved by the higher-ups. Therefore, they can be used universally! If you can use them in Qing Ming, you can also use them in Chong Yang.”

“Oh.”

Lu Ming pondered for a moment. “But I still want to learn that remaining bit.”

Zhang Yang looked dumbstruck.

Therefore, he had wasted all his breath?!

“This child…”

Zhang Yang did not know whether to laugh or cry. “You don't trust me that much?”

He had really spoken from his heart earlier.

Although the Qing Ming branch won this time, it was mostly due to Lu Ming…

Actually…

They still had a significant gap with the Chong Yang branch. If Lu Ming really wanted to learn, naturally, learning from that side was better… He would be wasting his points completely at their end!

“I trust you,” Lu Ming said earnestly.

“Yet, you still want to waste your points here?”

Zhang Yang was speechless.

“But… I have a lot of points this time!”

Lu Ming glanced at the number of points. “I can learn from Qing Ming City first before going to Chong Yang, and then pick up everything that I don't know…”

Zhang Yang suddenly fell silent.

Oh.

c.r.a.p!

He had forgotten about this…

They had given Lu Ming too many points this time!

“I understand now.”

Zhang Yang smiled. “It seems that I have misunderstood. You can make the arrangements.”

“Sure.”

Lu Ming understood.

Hence…

After lunch, he decided to study. He logged into the Card Creators a.s.sociation system and decided to purchase the teaching services of one of the senior Card Creators.

“Ding—”

“h.e.l.lo, the Card Creator that you've selected is on a vacation. You can choose to make an appointment or change to another Card Creator.”

He went on a holiday?

Lu Ming scratched his head.

Alright.

Since this Card Creator was on leave, he would find another one then.

Hence…

He changed again.

“Ding—”

“h.e.l.lo, the Card Creator that you've selected is on a vacation. You can choose to make an appointment or change to another Card Creator.”

Lu Ming was a little puzzled.

Not around again?

Hence…

He changed again.

“Ding—”

“h.e.l.lo, the Card Creator that you've selected is on a vacation. You can choose to make an appointment or change to another Card Creator.”

Lu Ming turned silent.

Suddenly, he had a bad premonition.

Hence…

After selecting a few Card Creators one after the other, a row of ‘Dings' popped up.

Lu Ming was speechless.

Pausing for a moment, he simply chose Zhang Yang!

As the president of the Card Creators a.s.sociation, Zhang Yang's price was naturally much higher than other people but Lu Ming selected him without any reservation. The outcome…

Hehe.

“This shameless guy.”

Lu Ming felt very helpless.

They clearly agreed harmoniously over the phone a while ago…

Forget it.

He would go to Chong Yang City first.

After thinking, Lu Ming switched to the Chong Yang City system and then purchased a range of services. He then took transportation and arrived at the Chong Yang Branch.

“Lu Ming?!”

The Chong Yang branch behaved as if a huge enemy was approaching.

This name was deeply etched in their minds…

According to the rumors, this was the abhorrent guy that defeated their branch during the exchange match. He also wrecked Li Haoran's academic exchange!

As such…

Huge changes had also taken place at the Chong Yang branch!

“I enrolled in the Card Creator course,” Lu Ming said calmly.

He came here to learn this time. Naturally, he had to keep a low profile.

“Please come with me.”

The young lady at the receptionist counter stood up.

“Okay.”

Lu Ming smiled faintly.

Countless pairs of eyes were staring at Lu Ming secretly…

“He's the one who defeated Li Haoran?”

“It seems that he's only two-star! Shall we teach him a lesson and seek revenge for Li Haoran? Also, clearly, he beat us and yet, he came here?”

“Exactly. It's because our branch president has changed…”

Some people felt very aggrieved.

Look, forget it that they lost the match earlier. Other people were knocking on their doors now. Anyone who has a bit of backbone would initiate a challenge, right?!

This was too much!

“If I were you guys, I would shut up now,” the young female Card Creator said calmly.

“What do you mean?”

The rest of them were unhappy.

“Didn't you follow the School Champions.h.i.+p Compet.i.tion? Lu Ming led the crossroad college into the top hundred,” the young female Card Creator said.

“Uh—”

The Card Creators were dazed.

Their usual routine was to create cards and create cards. Occasionally, they were aware of some big news but this was news that had nothing to do with them. Therefore, they had never paid attention to them!

Lu Ming…

Lu Ming was actually that amazing?

“But he can't be that arrogant too!”

One of them sneered coldly. “This is not Qing Ming City. This is our territory. He may be beaten up if he is too arrogant… Some of the seniors from other a.s.sociations.”

“Hehe.”

The young female Card Creator only smiled and said faintly, “In the compet.i.tion, Lu Ming beat a team of four-star cultivators… Recently, there was a five-star spirit body in Qing Ming City and Lu Ming killed it with one hand in seconds. Another six-star spirit body appeared afterward and Lu Ming easily killed it in seconds…”

Everyone felt their scalp turn numb when they heard this.

Four-star, five-star, and six-star…

They did not even encounter these at normal times, alright?!

Forget about the compet.i.tion.

They had heard about the appearance of the two spirit bodies in the past few days. However, they only knew that two powerful spirit bodies had appeared but did not hear that it was actually Lu Ming's doing!

It was terrifying!

Lu Ming…

He had actually reached such a level!

“Otherwise, how would he dare to come here alone?”

The young female Card Creator smiled. “Because he is fearless!”

Everyone was silent.

“How did you know all of this?”

One of the Card Creators was curious.

“Because I am a ‘Bright Moon Army member'!” the young female Card Creator said proudly.

Everyone looked dumbstruck. “W-what is bright moon?”

“Humph!

The young female Card Creator pursed her lips. “Homebodies like you guys are really ignorant. You don't even know Bright Moon? We are quite famous now!”

Upon finis.h.i.+ng his words…

The young lady left.

Everyone glanced at one another blankly. The searched the web and instantly felt more dumbstruck.

Bright Moon Army is a polysemous word. Please select and browse from the list of options below (Total of seven meanings) — They already saw one of the terms before they scrolled down.

Bright Moon Army — The name of Lu Ming's fan club.

Lu Ming, f-fan club?!

They took a closer look and was instantly stupefied. There was dense and detailed information, describing Lu Ming's splendorous combat achievements right from the beginning and the formation of the fan club…

There was even a forum created by his fans.

Trembling, they clicked into the forum.

Shus.h.!.+

They were bombarded by das.h.i.+ng photos of Lu Ming, and every topic had a prefix in front of it, ‘Looks Fans', ‘Ability Fans', ‘Character Fans', ‘Talent Fans'…

“Are they crazy?!”

The Card Creators were shocked.

h.e.l.l… what kind of world was this?!

Wasn't Lu Ming a Card Creator?

Didn't Lu Ming only partic.i.p.ate in a compet.i.tion?

He actually shot to fame?!

They knew some cultivators who were noticeable from a young age and had become role models for countless people and they held the special roles of celebrity cultivators!

However…

They had never thought that Lu Ming could actually make his way into this group!

This vocation…

Weren't all of them super-geniuses?

Those guys were already four-star at this age?!

Lu Ming was only two-star, okay!

How exactly did he break into this circle?

Could it be that…

One could really rely on looks to survive?!

At this very moment…

That young female Card Creator who approached them logged into the forum excitedly and disseminated the news of Lu Ming coming to the Chong Yang branch. She also contacted the administrator.

“Sister Yuanyuan, there are some naysayers here. Do we need to activate the water army?”

“No need. Our ‘Bright Moon Army' needs to maintain a low profile and avoid stirring up trouble for the boss. When boss is in trouble, we will take action then!”

“Sure!”

At this very moment…

The receptionist had already led Lu Ming to the president's office.

“I don't think I registered for the president.”

Lu Ming gave a deep sigh.

“Of course not!”

The president of Chong Yang smiled. “I'm the one who asked her to bring you here.”

“For revenge?”

Lu Ming sighed.

“Of course not!”

The president of Chong Yang smiled and said, “That guy has already relinquished his role. I'm the new president of the Chong Yang branch. Of course, this is all thanks to you.”

Lu Ming broke out in a sweat.

“Anyway… You can ask me directly if you have any questions. The Chong Yang branch has been fooling around too much previously. Since I'm in control this time, such matters won't happen again.”

The president of the Chong Yang branch said seriously, “Please feel free to pose any questions that you have to the teachers or me. We'll definitely help you solve them.”

“Really?”

Lu Ming was overjoyed.

This was the president, indeed!

Look at how magnanimous he was!

“Can I choose to pose you a question?”

Lu Ming was full of antic.i.p.ation.

“Sure.”

The president of Chong Yang smiled faintly.

This child…

He was really not bad.

Humble, keen to learn, and did not hold any prejudice arising from differences between factions.

Very well.

A few hours later.

The a.s.sistant's phone suddenly rang.

“G-get… Old Zhang to come over.”

The president of the Chong Yang branch sounded a little weak and desperate.

“Okay.”

The a.s.sistant hurriedly summoned for the vice president.

After a few hours.

“G-get… four-star Card Creators to come over here.”

Old Zhang's voice also sounded very feeble.

“Huh?”

The a.s.sistant looked dumbstruck.

What exactly are you guys doing in there?!

Right then.

Many Card Creators were still paying attention to Lu Ming's movements.

After all, Lu Ming was quite famous in Chong Yang. Naturally, he had attracted countless gazes. Nevertheless, what was surprising and strange was that Lu Ming did not come out since he went in.

Afternoon, he didn't come out.

At night, he didn't come out.

Late at night, he didn't come out.

The next day, he didn't come out.

On the third day.

When he came to work again, they then saw Lu Ming leaving satisfactorily…

“What is happening?”

“I don't know.”

“Forget it. Let's get to work first. We're almost late…”

Hence…

The Card Creators stepped into the a.s.sociation.

At the doorstep.

The main doors of the a.s.sociation which were supposed to be opened was actually closed at the moment, and there was notice pasted on top of it — Due to inexorable circ.u.mstances, the Chong Yang branch would be closed for three days.

Huh?

The Card Creators had blank looks on their faces.

Rest…

Three days?!

d.a.m.n it!

What exactly did this Lu Ming guy do?!

Everyone was quite fearful.

Could Lu Ming have drugged the Card Creators?!

At this very moment…

Inside the Chong Yang a.s.sociation.

Four Card Creators were ghastly pale at this moment, looking as if their bodies had been hollowed out.

Two days!

Two consecutive days!

They had been studying lines fervently!

The complicated lines provided by Lu Ming were intriguing and they could not stop themselves. Even though they knew that they could not make up the real lines!

After all, Lu Ming only picked certain parts of the lines to inquire!

But even if that was the case…

Those lines were enough to seduce them.

And…

Crazy!

In the end…

All the Card Creators had overused their brains and almost suffered from hypovolaemic shock. Their livers were also hurting badly…

“Rest for a few days.”

One of the Card Creator's face was as white as a sheet. “I don't want to use my brains for three days now.”

“Me too.”

Everyone else agreed.

“It's not the right time.”

The president of the Chong Yang branch gritted his teeth. “Ultimately, there are some things that we must do.”

“What do you want to do?!”

The vice president was alarmed.

“Do what I should be doing.”

The president of the Chong Yang branch struggled to get up. “Zhang Yang, that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, has been stirring up troubles everyday. I'm sure that he is the one who makes Lu Ming come here…”

“However. It's fine. I ensured that he stole a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it!”

“Humph!

“Did he really think that I'm as easy to bully as the previous president?!

It's just nice…

I also want to have a direct confrontation with Zhang Yang!”

The president of the Chong Yang branch had a grave look in his eyes.

“Don't tell me you're going to…”

The vice president's heart trembled.

“Isn't that good?”

The other vice president had a grave tone. He had a feeling that this was not appropriate and it not too good. Their Chong Yang branch had never done such a thing before!

“What?”

“Why is it that Zhang Yang can do it and I can't?”

The president of the Chong Yang branch sneered coldly. “I heard that Qing Ming City's performance has been increasing tremendously. Aren't you envious?!”

“Alright,” the vice presidents relented.

Hence…

The president of the Chong Yang branch took a deep breath and opened the forum. With a wave of hands, he published an article. A familiar tone and a familiar style —

“Stunning News! Qing Ming Branch's Standards Are Too Poor! Lu Ming Has No Choice But to Come to the Chong Yang Branch to Learn New Techniques!”