Chapter 186: The final game of 186 into 30_1
Some people guessed it was Wen Jiang, but others speculated that a powerful Card Maker was behind her.
After all, how long had it been since Wen Jiang returned?
There was the Moon Palace Card Set and the manga, not to mention those fifty-two Founding Emperor Card Set cards from the Card Factory.
Creating them seemed as easy as playing a game.
People had their suspicions, but now they weren’t so sure.
The Jimo Family had released them so decisively, perhaps because someone was indeed helping Wen Jiang from behind the scenes.
Regardless, her speed at creating cards was outrageously fast.
Gong Shu was stunned. "You mean to say the Jimo Family is connected to the appearance of the Yunxia mythology manga?"
Che Qiuping nodded. "That’s one way to put it. Consequently, Mount Flower hasn’t gone under. In fact, the Card Factory’s sales have continued to hit new highs. It’s just that their S Rank division had some minor issues this year. Although this heir is currently only A-Level, her strength is absolutely top-notch within the A-Rank Group. Everyone is guessing that Mount Flower might even become this year’s A-Level Group world champion."
Gong Shu was now thoroughly shocked. "That strong?"
They were even dreaming of becoming champions.
It was no wonder he thought this way. Previously, forget Mount Flower; even the large associations in the A-Rank Group would have considered winning the championship a mere pipe dream. The A-Rank Group had won the championship only once in recent years. Other times, it was dominated by Sanctuary and Frost Moon.
After all, when it came to card strength, if others possessed stronger cards, they were simply stronger. Under equal circumstances, this gap could no longer be bridged by skill alone.
Unless you were truly as inhumanly strong as someone like Wen Jiang.
So even Gong Shu, who hadn’t followed card game developments for a long time, couldn’t help but be astonished.
"Yes, that’s how strong. Now we just have to see if they clash with Sanctuary and Frost Moon—those few strongest associations."
Gong Shu was taken aback. "They haven’t even faced off, and you’re already saying they have a great chance of winning the championship?"
"Isn’t that because she’s outrageously strong?" Che Qiuping coughed. "Anyway, that’s not what I mainly came to discuss with you today. Come back to Imperial City with me. On the way, I’ll gradually tell you about the changes in Yunxia. This includes the emergence of new collaborative card sets in the A-Rank Group, created by this Card Maker behind the Jimo Family, which have broken conventional card game strategies."
"Oh?"
Now Gong Shu’s interest was fully piqued. He said, "You’ve got to wait for me to pack some things before I can go with you..."
"Really, what do you need that isn’t available in Imperial City? We’ll sort it out when we get there."
And so, Che Qiuping took Gong Shu and left the small city.
"We’re fighting Shaliye tomorrow. They are currently Sanctuary’s second-largest association and also the toughest opponent we’ve encountered so far. If we lose, we’ll have to look at the Points situation. If too many teams lose, we might need to play a tiebreaker match with another team. If we win, we won’t have that problem."
The final match schedule for Mount Flower’s bid to enter the top thirty was released: a clash with Sanctuary’s Shaliya Association.
Tang Qian briefly summarized Shaliye’s situation. "Overall, Shaliye’s main strength lies in their S Rank team; their A-Rank Group doesn’t have particularly outstanding cards. However, their players are very strong. I have faith in you all..."
Tang Qian then pointed to the other four team members, excluding Wen Jiang. "You four should have heard of them."
Wen Jiang: "..."
Shi Qi and the others nodded.
Stars of the A-Rank Group World Championship were mostly concentrated within the large associations. They were well aware of Shaliye’s star players, each one formidable.
"But—" Tang Qian suddenly raised her voice. "The next match will undoubtedly be tough. Shaliye will definitely give their all against us, using their strongest cards and being in peak condition. You absolutely must not underestimate them. Wen Jiang, this time, don’t give Shaliye any openings."
Her meaning was clear: if Wen Jiang could secure a swift and decisive victory against Shaliye, she should.
She had her reasons for saying this. Shi Qi added, "Shaliye lost their last match to Frost Moon’s Temple of the Gods. They had really bad luck. If they lose another match, they’re finished."
The Temple of the Gods is Frost Moon’s strongest association and a frequent championship contender. Their loss wasn’t undeserved; it was simply bad luck.
Chen Runyu winked at Wen Jiang. "Do you remember that boastful Frost Moon player from before? The one who said he’d use the Moon Palace Card Set to thrash our Yunxia players? That person is from the Temple of the Gods."
Wen Jiang nodded expressionlessly.
"Tsk," Dou Yuan said, "I have a feeling that the final match will definitely be us against the Temple of the Gods—a showdown between titans."
Tang Qian retorted flatly, "And where does that leave Divine Punishment?"
Dou Yuan shrank back a little. "I was just talking. Just trying to sound impressive."
Tang Qian then began to analyze tomorrow’s card decks and match situation. By now, all associations had revealed their primary card decks. At most, they might have kept some specific tactical arrangements hidden. For instance, Mount Flower had not yet used their Four Heavenly Kings combo cards, so naturally, no one else knew the terrifying effects these four linked cards possessed.
In the current tournament landscape, no strategically-minded team would choose to reveal their trump card combo sets prematurely.
Wen Jiang’s previous use of the Su Daji card, though brief, had demonstrated terrifying counter-attack capabilities. This was actually not a favorable situation for Shaliye.
Shaliye had already played their strongest card system against the Temple of the Gods and still didn’t win the match. Another loss would mean certain elimination.
In the past, they would never have taken an association like Mount Flower seriously. Losing to Frost Moon, a top contender, was understandable. But losing to a Yunxia association that wasn’t even a top contender in its own region? That would be utterly laughable.
Mount Flower had barely made it into the top five in Yunxia’s domestic rankings, and after an incident last year, they had fallen into the top ten, putting them at a middle-to-upper-rank level.
If Shaliye were to lose, where would they hide their shame?
This year, they truly didn’t dare to claim a guaranteed victory. Wen Jiang had already proven her strength, and such a formidable player opposing them was enough to put immense pressure on a large association like Shaliye.
But Shaliye had no better solution. The next day, the much-anticipated match between Mount Flower and Shaliye began.
One was Sanctuary’s second-strongest association; the other was Yunxia’s popular team of the year. The question of who would win generated considerable anticipation.
For the fans, if Mount Flower won, it would prove they truly had the strength to contend for the championship this year. After all, they had remained undefeated so far, even defeating the Holy Beast’s ace card set in domestic matches. They had been tested sufficiently. To call Mount Flower a mid-tier association after a victory over Shaliye would simply be disrespectful.
Of course, if they lost to Shaliye, it wouldn’t be entirely unacceptable either. After all, Mount Flower’s previous encounters against such strong teams had usually ended in predictable defeats.
As for this match between Mount Flower and Shaliye, many large associations that had initially underestimated Mount Flower felt compelled to watch the live broadcast. They needed to ascertain Mount Flower’s true capabilities this year.
In Sanctuary’s live broadcast room, Cyrus and Lillian were still commentating on the match.