Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In Qing Ming City.
At the shop.
Lu Ming's communication device suddenly began to vibrate.
Buzz—
Buzz—
Buzz—
Lu Ming glanced at it, wanting to see who had sent him a message. The device actually crashed. He did not come to his senses for a long time. The most terrifying thing was that the wristband was still vibrating.
This was shocking!
What was happening?
Lu Ming was dumbstruck for a long time.
You're a wristband and you're not cylinder-shaped. Why are you vibrating for no reason?!
However…
Although his communication device had crashed, there was still Xiaobai's. Lu Ming borrowed Xiaobai's communication device and went online. He then saw a ma.s.sive number of messages about the dissemination of an article!
The topic was “The Death of a Genius Energy Warrior With Humble Origins”!
“Tsk tsk. The media nowadays is becoming more and more h.o.m.ogenous.”
Lu Ming heaved continuous sighs.
Ever since he used similar headlines in the forum to stun many people, these headlines had become more prevalent. Although it was very fake, it could certainly attract the attention of many people.
Well…
Look.
Humble origins… Energy Warrior… Genius…
These were trending keywords!
Humble origins… This phrase would resonate with countless people… As the vocation with the most number of inc.u.mbents, the term Energy Warrior could also attract the attention of many people…
Another genius… was dead again.
Tsk tsk.
It was just one topic and it could already cause a sensation on the Internet!
As for the content…
Lu Ming took a glance.
Oh.
First, it described a genius from a poor family who was determined and persistent… He cultivated constantly and diligently… He encountered many difficulties in his life…
The writing style resembled those sensational topics that Lu Ming was familiar with.
Anyway…
The content had to be something that everyone could relate to. It had to make everyone feel for this genius and then…
The genius became more and more powerful and finally attained success and recognition, progressing to five-star!
Five-star.
To many people, this level was already considered a genius.
Afterward…
He died.
Yes.
He was killed easily…
This was because of the appearance of a three-star Card Creator. He created a magical card that could destroy Energy Warriors. Therefore, the genius died…
This ending was very abrupt.
It was also very shocking.
Therefore…
This article had caused a huge uproar since it was published!
They had read about the male protagonist's tough life, difficulties, cultivation, the many awards he received and finally, his attainment of fame and success. Just when there was an improvement in his life…
d.a.m.n. He was killed by a three-star?
And the killer was a Card Creator?
What did five-star mean?
How could a five-star die that easily?
Energy Warriors were strong forces in this world. It was also the most common vocation! If a card targeting any vocation appeared…
Furthermore, it was a card that could easily kill someone two levels above within seconds!
The Energy Warrior vocation would become useless?!
It was a terrifying thought!
Hence…
People were frantic.
Everyone spread the article enthusiastically.
Everyone was discussing this fervently.
The heated discussions caused by this article was beyond one's imagination. Even the writer of this article did not expect this…
“c.r.a.p. I seem to have blown up the situation.”
At this very moment…
Lu Ming had not come to his senses for a long time.
At the beginning, he was happy reading it but towards the end, he came to his senses when he read how that so-called five-star died…
c.r.a.p!
Could they be referring to the Stealing Card?!
Lu Ming was not surprised by the discovery of the Stealing Card. It could not be hidden. It would be exposed as soon as it was used.
Lu Ming had long prepared a corresponding response.
It was just that…
What the h.e.l.l was this article about?!
Three-star fighting a five-star head-on?!
First of all.
This card was a four-star card!
Furthermore, it was a top-notch card that could surmount the four-star level. It thus possessed a surmounting ability and could fight a beginner five-star directly. Wasn't this normal?
Well…
Which vocation did not have some surmounting or advancing abilities?
What was there to be frantic about?
Unfortunately, the article's sensationalizing influence and those hot-selling keywords had caused it to go viral on the Internet!
No one was able to block it!
Furthermore…
Although the article did not point out who this Card Creator was…
Given the Internet community's powerful human search engine, it was really too easy to find someone. They would definitely find their way to him.
He had to think of a way.
Lu Ming took a deep breath. It seemed that he had to make some preparations.
Furthermore…
The writing style of this article…
The more Lu Ming looked at it, the more familiar it was. This familiar style… He used Xiaobai's communication device and called Zhang Yang directly.
“President. Did you write that hot article?” Lu Ming asked.
Zhang Yang was somewhat surprised. “Lu Ming?”
“Did you write it?”
Lu Ming repeated his words.
“Yes.”
Zhang Yang was also very vexed. “One of my juniors requested my help to write this. She says that it will be evaluated internally for a graduation project. I just penned it casually. I didn't expect something to happen.”
Lu Ming was speechless.
‘Penned casually'?
You almost collapsed the entire Energy Warrior vocation!
“That three-star…”
Zhang Yang asked gingerly, “Is it you? I sent you a message earlier but you didn't reply to me…”
Message?
Lu Ming was stunned for a moment. He then glanced at his communication device, which was still vibrating.
This looks…
Who the h.e.l.l could receive something on it?!
“My communication device crashed.”
Lu Ming smiled bitterly.
“Hold it first,” he reminded him. “I'll get someone to delete the article. The popularity should fade away gradually. When the storm is over, we can talk again.”
“Okay.”
Lu Ming nodded.
He hoped that it would die down.
However…
What made him speechless was that… along with the deletion of the article by Zhang Yang, the news of the Energy Warrior's death became even more popular, gaining a new high in popularity!
“Wow, it was actually deleted.”
“In fact, it was quite fake. I didn't believe it initially. But now that it was deleted… Uh… Don't tell me it's true?”
“What are you guys talking about?”
Everyone was talking about it.
Too many people knew about it and it was impossible to conceal.
Through word of mouth, many people had already taken a screenshot or recorded it. The article was still transmitted through other channels.
Its popularity rose again.
No one was able to block it!
Even a hot topic such as ‘Kun's unique basketball playing' was subdued…
At this very moment…
Somewhere.
Two shadows were dumbstruck as they looked at the exploding popularity online.
“We… Has it gone viral?!”
The voluptuous shadow was suddenly excited.
“Yes?”
The other shadow was silent.
Logically, such theories would not typically gain attention but the effect of this article seemed entirely different…
The popularity exploded.
“In that case, when I'm hospitalized next time due to a finger injury, or if a cultivator persists in cultivating despite having a 98 Fahrenheit fever, will there also be fans tipping me?” the voluptuous shadow said excitedly.
The other shadow was speechless.
The dream of this cla.s.smate of his was very down-to-earth.
However…
If it really went viral…
A small flame also appeared in his heart.
At this moment.
Whoos.h.!.+
Darkness fell before their eyes. Seemingly, something landed near to them. Before they could react in time, they had been captured and tucked into sacks. Someone was carrying them somewhere…
“Who is that?!”
Terrified, he wanted to escape, only to discover that he felt weak all over.
The person who struck was far more powerful than them…
d.a.m.n it!
At this very moment…
Somewhere.
Li Haoran had just finished studying a part of his dyeing experiment. He glanced at the teenager in black who had just entered the room. “When did you go out…”
“A while ago.”
“Is there anything wrong?”
“Yes, there was a small mission.”
Li Haoran's expression suddenly turned serious. “Did you go and kill someone?”
“No.”
The teenager was somewhat disappointed. “No one asked me to kill people.”
“That's good.”
Li Haoran glanced at him. “What was the mission this time?”
“Beat someone up.”
The teenager in black pursed his lips.
“Have you completed it?”
Li Haoran felt more at ease.
Beat someone up…
That's fine.
The teenager in black was very familiar with such matters.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Zhang Yang.”
“Huh?”
Li Haoran's body froze.
Zhang Yang?
Zhang Yang, again?!
“c.r.a.p.”
“Did you beat him up again?”
Li Haoran was shocked. Oh my goodness, can't you beat up someone else?
“Uh—”
The teenager in black scratched his head. “I found it odd too. The mission is from higher-up. They instructed me to beat him up. Also, I can't reject orders from the mission department. I could only give him a round of bas.h.i.+ngs.”
“Who published that mission?”
Li Haoran thought it seemed suspicious.
There was actually a mission that the teenager could not reject?
“The Card Creators a.s.sociation,” the teenager in black said.
“Which branch?”
Li Haoran furrowed his brows.
Could it be that Chong Yang City was beginning to mess around again?
“The headquarters,” the teenager in black said honestly.
Shus.h.!.+
There was suddenly silence in the room.
Li Haoran did not come to his senses for a long time.
What? The headquarters!
That was the sacred place of Card Creators. The headquarters of the a.s.sociation actually published a mission to get people to beat Zhang Yang up?
He looked at the mission notice. d.a.m.n it. It was real!
This…
He had cultivated for so many years and had never seen or heard of such a thing!
“How detestable did he have to be…” Li Haoran muttered to himself.
“Yes.”
The teenager in black heaved continuous sighs.
It seemed that…
This matter had been blown out of proportion.
At this very moment…
At the Energy Warriors a.s.sociation.
As big shots of the a.s.sociation, they were extremely frantic now. Even the president, who was in seclusion to cultivate, flew into a rage. He wanted to investigate this matter personally.
“Is the source of the news trustworthy?”
“Yes.”
“Is there any video?”
“No. But we have already restrained the person who published the news. Should we interrogate them strictly or something…”
“No need.”
The president's expression was austere. “Find out the location. That will do.”
“They have already told us that.”
“Leave the remaining matters to me.”
“Huh?”
On the day itself.
A vice president of the Elementalist a.s.sociation personally took action. He entered Qing Ming City and arrived at the place mentioned by the duo.
“Is this the place?” the vice president asked softly.
“Yes,” the Energy Warrior said respectfully.
He had thought that Energy Warriors and Elementalists did not have a good relations.h.i.+p. Unexpectedly, the president actually knew people from the Elementalist a.s.sociation, and the was vice president nonetheless!
However…
What was the use of the Elementalist coming here?
Especially…
This vice president seemed to be an Earth Elementalist.
In his impression, an Earth Elementalist was more inclined towards defense?
And right then.
That person struck.
Buzz—
Dust and soil flew in the air.
The dust and soil on the ground had been swept up meters away, forming many dynamic figures in the air. Those figures were suspended in the air and beginning to reenact what happened at that time.
Whoosh…
A group of cultivators formed out of sandy soil appeared… Two five-star Energy Warriors… The rest were four-star cultivators… Although he could not tell their exact abilities, the reenactment with the soil was enough for him to decipher most of what happened. Very soon, during the last stages of the condensation…
A three-star Card Creator formed out of sandy soil appeared!
“It's actually true!”
The Energy Warrior's heart trembled.
A three-star Card Creator!
There it was!
Swoos.h.!.+
The vice president waved his hands.
The cultivators formed out of sandy soil actually turned alive.
They reenacted the past.
Finally.
They saw the scene that they wanted.
Shus.h.!.+
The three-star Card Creator struck and killed the five-star Energy Warrior in seconds!
Although… they were different from the article, the scenes recalled by the soil seemed even more shocking. Therefore, the reenacted scenes froze at a particular moment.
The three-star Card Creator raised one hand.
Freeze.
He threw out a card from his hands. The card danced in the sky towards the target.
Freeze!
In front of him…
The five-star Energy Warrior dashed towards Lu Ming…
Freeze.
As to what happened afterward, they had already seen it earlier.
He was very clear that in the next moment, one of the legs of this Energy Warrior would be cut off.
In that case…
Without energy…
Without a disruption…
With only pure soil characters reenacting the scenes, it was even clearer.
“Save this scene,” the vice president said.
“Yes.”
That Energy Warrior recorded this scene. He was the only one who knew how much commotion this scene would cause in their a.s.sociation!
The contents of the article did not fully match reality?
This was no longer important!
The most important thing was, what exactly was that card?!!!
“This child… He's called Lu Ming, right?”
“Yes.”
“Since we're already in Qing Ming City, let's go and pay him a visit.”
“Yes.”
Right then…
It was not only the Energy Warrior a.s.sociation, even the Card Creators a.s.sociation was now working hard to find the secret behind that mysterious card!
What card?
What was the star rating?
All of this was very important.
“Have you confirmed the person?”
“Yes.”
“Hurry!”
“Find him now! Be it his ident.i.ty or powers, if he can really create a card that can destroy the Energy Warrior vocation, perhaps…
All our cultivators will have to start afres.h.!.+”
What did the card mean?
Anyone could use it!
Yes.
This was the greatest source of the Energy Warrior's panic.
It was very normal to restrain a vocation. However, if this was made into a card, it would mean that any vocation could utilize it!
All vocations!
As long as one of these cards was prepared, they would be destroyed!
Energy Warrior… would become the greatest joke ever!
Therefore…
Everyone was panicking.
In the cultivation forums, the panels for Energy Warrior were already swamped.
Vaguely.
The last time this happened was because of “Leviathan”, which caused the Summoner panels to crash completely. However, it was obvious that Summoners were not physically strong enough…
But Energy Warriors…
There were too many!
“ah… Begging for pointers from big shots!”
“I am just preparing to cultivate and the Energy Warrior is going to be removed?”
“I'm a five-star. Is it too late to re-cultivate now?”
“What card is that exactly? Is there any chance of cracking it?”
“Does anyone know who he is?”
One by one, Energy Warriors were seeking help.
Very soon.
Someone exposed who the card belonged to — Lu Ming!
“I heard that it's a card created by Lu Ming.”
“Lu Ming… Wait a minute. Is he the creator of the Leviathan Card?”
“c.r.a.p, is that true? I heard that he almost destroyed the entire Summoner vocation. Why is he targeting the Energy Warriors now?”
“c.r.a.p, if it's really him… Don't tell me it's a new card?”
“He's preparing to sell a new card?”
Everyone was panicking.
Just at this moment, a row of neat replies suddenly popped up.
“Sit there and wait for Lu Ming to blast your a.s.sholes — Three-star Summoner.”
“Sit there and wait for Lu Ming to blast your a.s.sholes — Three-star Summoner.”
“Haha, when something happened to the Summoners the last time, you mocked us. Continue doing that! Why aren't you that smug now? Haha, it's ludicrous!”
“Exactly!”
The Summoners were delighted to watch this happening.
Finally…
Another vocation was sharing their woes.
Although the “Leviathan” matter happened a long time ago, the appearance of “Leviathan” at that time impacted the entire industry greatly. They still had not even come to their senses even now…
This was despite the fact that “Leviathan” was a pseudo-Summon Card!
In essence, “Leviathan” was considered a pet that could be reared. This point alone had deterred the group of people who wanted to become a Summoner for the sake of ‘rearing a pet'!
As such…
Due to the publis.h.i.+ng of the Leviathan Card, the increase in the number of people taking up the Summoner vocation had reduced by ten percent in a month.
It was very tragic!
At that time, the Energy Warriors ridiculed them, saying that their vocation was small and unreasonable… Look… It was now the Energy Warrior's turn?
“You guys had a lot of people…
What was the use of that?!
Hahaha!
Get lost! Return to your panel!”
The Energy Warriors were enraged.
Hence…
The cultivators from the two vocations were at odds with each other again.
Public opinion… was getting more and more heated.
Lu Ming's ident.i.ty had been completely exposed.
Furthermore…
Based on the response in the forums, linking it to the sale the last time, and the same modus operandi…
They had a reason to believe that the new card created by Lu Ming would be on sale again. And this time, Lu Ming had targeted the Energy Warrior vocation who had the highest number of inc.u.mbents!
Hence…
Various major media had already begun to publicize this.
“Awaiting the Sale of a New Card. Lu Ming vs. Energy Warrior – Who will be the Victor?!”
“Basted the Summoner's a.s.sholes the Last Time, Targeting at Energy Warrior This Time, Which Vocation is the Next One?”
“The Birth of a New Vocation, the Vocation Destructor — Lu Ming!”
“What Exactly is this New Mysterious Card?”
At this very moment…
Lu Ming was dumbstruck as he watched the situation evolve.
Seriously…
He did not do anything…
The previous matter regarding the Summoner he had secretly planned. He activated the Water Army to market the card. However, the matter regarding Energy Warrior did not have anything to do with him!!!
Who did he provoke or offend?!
He merely killed two robbers, and then…
Things turned upside down!
Look, he was even being labelled Vocation Destructor. Was this reasonable?
Was he that kind of person?!
However…
Come to think of it…
Such high popularity…
Oh.
Should he really create something?