Chapter 438 All Men Are Playboys!

tian du city.

the sword card master a.s.sociation.

staring at the card in his hands, lu ming was deep in his thoughts.

the parts had disappeared…

stealing parts?

lu ming was no stranger to this kind of function. this was a specific characteristic of the stealing card. it was not logical for this function to appear in the meltdown card!

this was not logical!

the meltdown card's main function was melting down!

how could similar functions emerge during the later phases of the two different card series?!

under such circ.u.mstances…

lu ming rummaged through his card bag and looked at the meltdown card and stealing card which had been placed together. after pondering for a long time, he suddenly asked, “xiao-xiaojian, don't you think these two cards are too close to each other?”

xiao-xiaojian looked dumbstruck. what do you mean?

“well…

lu ming contemplated for a moment. “tell me. if the cards are too close to each other… will they?”

xiao-xiaojian was speechless.

“what the c.r.a.p!

“what kind of demon are you?!

“the cards do not have any consciousness. c.r.a.p!”

“a—alright.”

lu ming felt very regretful. it seemed that it was not the situation of the ‘thief next door'…

well….

this card…

lu ming raised his hand, wanting to test it, but hesitated for a moment and eventually did not dare to do so. memories of the first academy's testing area exploding into the sky were still fresh in his mind.

forget it.

he would hold onto it a little further.

he would cast it at his opponents in the future.

lu ming sighed. if this was similar to the stealing card or if it could forcefully meltdown instead of displacing organs… it might be much more powerful!

the stealing card was only a top-notch four-star card.

on the other hand, this was a top-notch five-star card and also an advanced card. it was two grades higher!

hence…

lu ming put the card aside temporarily.

then, someone suddenly came knocking on the doors of the sword card master a.s.sociation.

according to sources, the president of the card creators a.s.sociation of the tian du city branch specially came to visit lu ming. he hoped that lu ming could understand and forgive xiao yuntian's foolishness and deal with him with leniency…

for a long time, lu ming could not figure out what was happening.

after talking to li haoran, he then discovered that the explosion at the first academy had already been transformed into something else.

out of jealousy, xiao yuntian wanted to smear lu ming's reputation through a live broadcast. therefore, he made unauthorized modifications to the machine and eventually caused such a serious consequence.

as for the surveillance cameras…

well….

they had also gone to heaven.

as such, xiao yuntian became the perpetrator who secretly framed lu ming, resulting in the first academy suffering a huge loss and damage. this was a heinous crime and he had been imprisoned directly.

lu ming had become the only victim of this incident.

first, he was framed and despised during the live broadcast. afterward, he was criticized by everyone when the culprit smeared his reputation via the internet. he had suffered huge grievances!!!

how unfair was that?

as such, helpful netizens also aired their grievances for lu ming.

“is that so?”

lu ming exclaimed in amazement.

“d.a.m.n!

“it turns out that i've been that wronged?!

xiao-xiaojian was speechless.

the card creators a.s.sociation came to handle the xiao yuntian's situation. if they could earn lu ming's forgiveness, xiao yuntian would not need to be emprisoned.

after all…

it was too embarra.s.sing for a dignified vice president to be jailed.

“this can be discussed. it can be discussed,” lu ming said with a smile.

after a long while…

the terms had been agreed upon.

as a big-hearted and forgiving individual, how could lu ming possibly do his ‘own people' in?! this was especially since he was a former member of the card creators a.s.sociation!

“my request is very simple.

“i just need the card creators a.s.sociation to provide me with the resources to reach advanced five-star,” lu ming said calmly.

“okay,” the card creators agreed unanimously.

this was because they could tell that lu ming had already reached intermediate five-star. he just needed the energy to attain an advanced five-star breakthrough. how much energy could he consume?

true enough, the seniors were right. he was very kind and upright!

they heard that lu ming had once gone to the card creators a.s.sociation to learn techniques. indeed, this was a sentimental child…

his suggestion of providing resources to advance from intermediate five-star to advanced five-star was basically a way of providing closure. it was to save them some face.

this child… was really too honest.

that night, the card creators a.s.sociation made an announcement and xiao yuntian was released from jail.

“lu ming is extremely crafty!

“he definitely won't give up on such an opportunity!

“tell me.

“what are his conditions?”

xiao yuntian was expressionless. he knew that his entire life had been ruined. he was afraid that he had to use his remaining life to pay his debts and also to make up for the a.s.sociation's ` loss!

shus.h.!.+

the people from the card creators a.s.sociation glanced at him simultaneously, shaking their heads and sighing.

why is there such a huge gap between humans?!

look at lu ming. as the victim, he has not made a single complaint despite being wronged. when the card creators looked for him, he gave them face and provided them with an opportunity to extricate themselves from an awkward situation!

what about xiao yuntian?

in comparison, the difference is too obvious!

well, humans…

“he said we just have to provide him with the resources to attain a small level breakthrough” one card creator said calmly.

“how is that possible?!”

xiao yuntian could not believe it.

a small level breakthrough…

that was it?!

“this is impossible!

“there is something fishy about this!”

xiao yuntian did not believe this.

he felt that lu ming must have been meddling behind his back for what happened at the first academy. he was framed because lu ming exacted revenge on him! this person was extremely cunning and vengeful!

“shut up!” the president yelled furiously. he was very disappointed.

“your role as the vice president…

“we will remove it first,” he said calmly.

“president?!”

xiao yuntian could not believe it.

“let's go.”

sighing, the card creators turned around and left, leaving behind a dazed xiao yuntian.

he could not figure it out.

i was merely testing a card and said a few mocking words to lu ming. how did it turn out like this?! furthermore, why do you guys trust lu ming?!

the next day.

lu ming arrived at the card creators a.s.sociation for his cultivation.

this kind of express breakthrough was normally used on geniuses who were switching their vocation. it could help one attain a rapid breakthrough through pure energy stones!

it was an enormous depletion of energy!

they would normally provide such resources to a disciple who would serve them for life. these services were guaranteed by the a.s.sociation until one became a six-star. it was to aid the person in successfully breaking through to a six-star!

the first academy also used such ways to attract and recruit people.

as such, they could completely accept a small level breakthrough.

furthermore, they also hoped for xiao yuntian's situation to come to an end as soon as possible. as such, they supplied lu ming with the best resources and service!

in the cultivation room, lu ming sat cross-legged.

the energy liquid surrounding him was boiling.

this was the best cultivation environment in tian du city. it was a complete replica of the natural energy spring, and only wealthy and influential card creators a.s.sociation could afford to provide this!

of course, in normal circ.u.mstances, they could only bear to utilize this place when they wanted to attain a breakthrough!

shus.h.!.+

the shadow and the original card emerged.

lu ming divided himself into three and began absorbing the energy fervently.

buzz—

energy surged.

everyone from the card creators a.s.sociations was stunned.

this speed…

this is lu ming, indeed!

it was rumored that lu ming was a super genius. this was indeed the case. his cultivation speed was definitely not something that an ordinary person could contend with. he was the president of the sword card master a.s.sociation, indeed!

“at this speed, he will be able to break through in half an hour!”

“yes.”

“no matter what, he's a genius…”

everyone at the card creators a.s.sociation marveled at his speed.

however, after a long time, their expressions became odd. why was it that he had not attained a breakthrough?!

“how much energy has been used?”

“the amount required for a small level breakthrough.”

“… could it be because he did not absorb it completely?”

“impossible!”

the energy resources department refuted the suggestion immediately. “this cultivation room simulates a natural environment. we spent a bomb constructing it. in theory, the energy can be recycled! the depletion will only occur after lu ming finishes absorbing all the energy! the costs of operating the cultivation room has not even been taken into account!”

“… perhaps it is going to end soon,” one card creator suggested.

this was because lu ming was merely advancing from intermediate five-star to advanced five-star!

this was not a major level breakthrough!

there was nothing else on top of it!

in theory, he should have already reached an advanced level by now!

“well, let's wait a while longer,” the card creators said.

some time later…

the card creators looked puzzled. why hadn't he succeeded?!

“could it be because the settings were incorrect?”

one of the card creators felt doubtful.

“impossible!”

the energy resources department flew into a rage again. “look at the screen at the entrance. it can reflect lu ming's cultivation level in real time. can't you see for yourself?!”

the card creators took a glance.

intermediate five-star!

this was the crux of the problem?!

putting aside the costs of operating the cultivation room, he had already absorbed twice the amount of energy needed. why was lu ming still stuck at intermediate five-star!

they could not figure it out.

they could not understand it at all.

“why don't we wait a while longer,” one of the card creators suggested.

everyone sighed. they could only do that.

they would wait again!

another day pa.s.sed.

even the higher-ups of the card creators a.s.sociation arrived. each of them stared longingly at lu ming, who was in the cultivation room. at one point in time, they even suspected that their cultivation room was no longer working…

“has the efficiency decreased?” someone made a guess.

the energy resources department was speechless.

please don't always doubt us for no reason?!

the energy depletion rate, the estimated time to achieve the target, the amount of energy depleted – aren't the three numbers displayed directly on the screen?

are you guys blind?

the card creators felt very troubled and upset.

the problem was… four times the expected energy had already been depleted!

was it a joke?!

furthermore, this kind of situation…

“is lu ming deliberately stirring up trouble?” someone guessed.

afterward, they specially invited a seven-star senior of the card creators a.s.sociation.

“let me look at it.”

the seven-star senior swept his sense of perception across the cultivation room and also felt somewhat puzzled. “lu ming is advancing in his levels. it's just that the speed is slower and he has not reached the advanced level yet.”

the card creators were speechless.

he was still cultivating!

“perhaps…

“this is the difference between us and the sword card masters,” someone guessed.

that was possible.

what else could they do?

since they had promised lu ming the breakthrough to advanced level, they had to fulfill this promise. since lu ming did not cheat, they could only watch on as lu ming broke through!

they waited again.

another day pa.s.sed again.

the card creators turned pale.

they only used this place when they wanted to attain a breakthrough at the peak level!

it was very expensive!

this had been used to supplement lu ming with energy now. furthermore, most importantly, lu ming was like an endless abyss. no amount of energy could satisfy him!

it was six times the amount now!

how was it possible that he had not attained a breakthrough?!

“no!

“we can't wait any longer!”

one of the senior card creators was infuriated. “open the door and take a look.”

the energy resources department looked at him as if he was an idiot. “the doors can only be opened from the inside for this kind of secluded breakthrough, especially since this is a cultivation room specially used for peak level breakthroughs.”

“s-smash it down then?”

“this cultivation room may be more expensive than our branch. come and smash it yourself.”

the card creator was silent.

“what should we do then?”

“wait!”

“wait until when?”

“until lu ming comes out himself or until the energy is exhausted!”

“when will the energy be used up?”

“a peak six-star has applied to use it for a breakthrough and we have just topped up the energy to its maximum.”

shus.h.!.+

there was dead silence in the a.s.sociation.

everyone was teary-eyed as they looked at the cultivation room. they were bleeding in their heart each minute they saw the energy depleting rapidly on the screen.

another day pa.s.sed.

the card creators were already numb to everything.

however…

besides the higher-ups, the disciples who planned to break through also came!!!

in normal circ.u.mstances, one would be able to attain a breakthrough in one hour's time. therefore, there were people queuing for the cultivation room everyday. but now…

everyone was waiting!

leave?

what if lu ming were to come out?

it was too boring!

feeling helpless…

a few bored card creators began to set up a mahjong table… the few card creators who were not very interested in mahjong started a game…

another day pa.s.sed.

the next day, more card creators joined the game.

the entrance of the cultivation room was already crowded. screams could be heard from time to time. the initially quiet card creators a.s.sociation had become a cardroom.

another day pa.s.sed.

the next day, just as the card creators were already numb to what was happening, the doors of the cultivation room suddenly opened.

shus.h.!.+

there was dead silence in the a.s.sociation.

at that moment, all the card creators were in tears. they looked at the cultivation room which gradually opened as a teenager calmly stepped out of it…

shus.h.!.+

countless senses of perception swept across him.

lu ming: advanced five-star.

after depleting the energy from the a.s.sociation ten times, lu ming had finally reached advanced five-star!

that was right.

they had scanned him…

lu ming's energy was stable at the advanced five-star level, neither more nor less. he really did not waste any of their energy!

d.a.m.n it! why did you cultivate for that long!

the card creators were baffled.

“i'm sorry.”

lu ming felt very ashamed too. “my talent is poor and i delayed everyone.”

the card creators were crying.

‘talent is poor!' what nonsense?!

your cultivation speed is multiple times faster than us, alright! with this kind of cultivation speed, why are you still at advanced five-star now?

where did all the energy go?!

when lu ming came out of ‘seclusion', the media had also swamped the a.s.sociation.

although this event was not really a heated topic, people were still interested in the follow up of “the spiraling of the first academy's testing area into the sky”.

lu ming had successfully attained a breakthrough and this went to say that the issue had come to a close.

as usual, the media reported the outcome.

unexpectedly, the netizens were also displeased with the fact that lu ming took many days to attain a breakthrough.

“the card creators a.s.sociation was not sincere enough!”

“exactly. lu ming gave them a chance to relieve themselves from an awkward situation. why couldn't they reciprocate and allow lu ming to break through rapidly? he actually took that long!”

“haha, they are very petty. it's already not that bad that they don't create hindrances for him secretly.”

“sigh, a.s.sociations nowadays…”

the netizens were filled with emotions.

the card creators a.s.sociation was speechless.

d.a.m.n! does this make any sense?!

do you know how many resources lu ming consumed over the past few days?!

they very much wanted to make those details public. however, if they were to really do that, the nature of the deal would be changed. the compensation they originally agreed upon would also be deemed void.

after all, it was true that the other party had only advanced by a small level!

this was attested by a big shot of the card creators a.s.sociation. this went to say that lu ming's talent was mostly focused on comprehension. his cultivation speed was really average…

“is that true?”

“that must be the case. it seems that lu ming also handled his four-star breakthrough at the energy warrior a.s.sociation.”

the card creators a.s.sociation clenched their teeth.

they had to put up with it!

lu ming had already depleted their resources. why would they make things difficult for themselves again? they would send him off properly. that was a better solution!

“look!

“i was right!”

xiao yuntian felt energized now. “this person is very insidious and cunning. definitely…”

“get lost!”

the president immediately kicked him. “this situation would not have come about if not for you! go into seclusion. don't come out again unless you break through to seven-star.”

xiao yuntian was speechless.

at this very moment… lu ming returned to the a.s.sociation satisfactorily.

“master~”

xiaobai hugged lu ming happily.

“good.”

lu ming sensed the softness in his arms. “come down.”

“okay.”

xiaobai slid down obediently.

fortunately, she was not stuck.

“master, you're already an advanced five-star.”

li haoran was both happy and unhappy. “humph, those people at the card creators a.s.sociation delayed you for too long.”

lu ming coughed.

actually…

the card creators a.s.sociation could not be blamed for that!

lu ming had also planned to break through to advanced five-star honestly. afterward, he thought of the few vocation cores in his sea of consciousness that brother cat had been playing with…

do these few cores need to reach advanced five-star too?

afterward…

he thought of something else again.

xiao-xiaojian had always seemed rather weak.

does it need to catch up as well?

“don't talk nonsense.”

lu ming said seriously, “the card creators a.s.sociation was very open and honest with me.”

“master is very big-hearted!”

li haoran felt very emotional.

only people like master are that kind and generous.

at that very moment…

the few reporters guarding the doors of the sword card master a.s.sociation also reported what he said. the netizens had positive feelings toward lu ming after reading their articles.

“i'm a fan now.”

“lu ming is really extraordinary to be able to establish a new a.s.sociation from scratch.”

“he is big-hearted enough!”

“he's obviously different from the card creators a.s.sociation!”

the netizens were filled with emotions.

the card creators a.s.sociation was speechless.

exactly what wrong did they do to be shot even when lying down?!

it was really infuriating!

at this moment, the explosion of the testing area of the first academy then came to a close.

it was a pity…

lu ming had not found a chance to test his new card. he could only put it away temporarily and wait for a chance! lu ming's life also resumed normalcy for the time being.

however.

what lu ming was most curious about was… he actually saw the teenager in black and the teenager in white together in a corner!

this was true.

the two guys were together!

eh???

lu ming was filled with curiosity too.

he vaguely remembered that those two had almost gotten into a fight the first time they met. since that incident, they would look at each other with disdain, as if the other was an idiot!

now, they were on friendly terms?

no way!

this was a fight between black and white clothing!

this was a fight between salty and sweet dumplings!

this was a holy war!

how could they compromise that easily?

lu ming had seen them chatting in a corner on a few occasions.

unless, it was love! or a gay relations.h.i.+p?!

lu ming felt excited at the thought of it.

perhaps, a romance that transcended gender and a holy war had finally appeared in the a.s.sociation?!

that afternoon.

he saw the two going out in a hushed manner. lu ming told his shadow to tail them. he was very curious… what kind of magical forces could change them!

somewhere, the two stopped in the corner.

the shadow peeked at them curiously. it instantly saw the two of them taking out a poster, drawing circles on it and cursing someone…

lu ming took a glance at them.

oh, it was him…

“what's the use of being handsome! i can tell that he's not a good person with one glance”

“exactly!”

“all men are playboys! they only know how to deceive young girls!”

“exactly!”

“he already has xiaobai. yet, he wants the other disciples of the a.s.sociation! he is too much!”

“exactly!”

the more the two spoke, the more aggrieved they felt. they took out markers and constantly circled lu ming's face, cursing him…

lu ming became sullen.

d.a.m.n!

the black and white friends.h.i.+p was formed because of me!?

what nonsense?!

lu ming could not figure out when he had become a playboy and who he had cuckolded?!

the teenager in white?

aren't you on good terms with miss zhou yun! didn't the both of you get together?

the teenager in black?

d.a.m.n it! you're a single dog. when did i sever your right hand?!

c.r.a.p!

lu ming became pale. he decided to go over and teach these two guys a lesson. just at that moment, someone suddenly barged into the office!

zhou yun, who had been refining the name list, was back!

zhou yun had completed the name list during the few days when lu ming was cultivating at the card creators a.s.sociation!

shus.h.!.+

zhou yun dashed into the office.

“master!

“i have helped you convince a genius to join the sword card master a.s.sociation!”

zhou yun was in high spirits.

“oh?”

lu ming's eyes lit up.

she had already convinced someone?! this was miss zhou yun, indeed. she was so efficient.

“what are the other party's requirements?”

lu ming's voice was low.

“look.”

zhou yun pa.s.sed the information to lu ming.

for some things, pictures and words speak better than a thousand words. therefore, she handed the profile and requirements of this genius to lu ming.

“okay.”

nodding, lu ming took the information and read it.

he took one day to read it.