As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 148 Unlimited Card Flow
"So, how's this Illusion Card going? Not bad, right?"

Thinking of this, he asked with a smile, "Sister Xiong spent a lot of money to buy this 'Phantom Butterfly' that records the highlights of last year's Dawn Cup, and then asked me to enhance and modify it, adding a lot of special effects to ensure that you can even smell the blood and sweat, greatly enhancing the experience."

"Next, she wants me to further transform the Illusion Card into a training card, engraving several gravity rune arrays and electric current rune arrays on it, so that you can interact with the images in the illusion. When 'Wei Fang' or 'Carlos' unleashes their ultimate move, it will feel like a punch landing squarely on your nose!"

The three team members imagined the scene.

Their faces were somewhat pale.

Xu Yan frowned, seemingly reluctant, and muttered, "However, the modification is too difficult. I've been thinking about it for several days but haven't come up with a reliable solution. It also consumes a lot of precious materials. I really don't know why Sister Xiong is wasting this money. We're just going to be eliminated in the first round of the Dawn Cup. Is it necessary to be so serious?"

"One round out?"

Fifteen-year-old Xiong Chenghu was full of youthful vigor. Even though he felt a little scared when he thought of Wei Fang's heavy punch, he still slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "Brother Xu, explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by 'first round'? Does that mean only Chu Zhifeng can become the rising star of the no-card strategy? Can't I, Xiong Chenghu, even make it into the top eight or even the finals?"

"Don't get agitated, you've misunderstood."

Xu Yan explained, "In my opinion, Chu Zhifeng is not the hope for the no-card strategy either. His strength has nothing to do with the no-card strategy, so the no-card strategy has no hope."

Upon hearing this, even Xiong Rulong, who didn't secretly adhere to the cardless strategy, raised his eyebrows high, his youthful temper instantly ignited by Xu Yan.

"Who says there's no hope for cardless streaming?"

Hou Zhijian is two years older than the Xiong brothers. In the past two years, Xiong Ruyue sent him outside to study single-card and multi-card strategies, which broadened his horizons considerably. Instead, he gained a profound theoretical understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the three major spirit-controlling styles.

"Wei Fang and Carlos are indeed very strong, but that doesn't mean they, or rather, single-card and multi-card strategies, are without flaws."

Hou Zhijian removed his taciturn mask and began to analyze the championship match as an example.

The biggest advantage of the single-card strategy is that the Spirit Master and the Guardian Spirit are inseparable and have an incredible level of synergy.

Whether it's summoning speed, cooldown time, or the speed of switching between different modes, it far surpasses its competitors.

Take Wei Fang as an example; he can activate the "Iron Arhat" in 0.01 seconds.

From the Follow Mode with 10% spiritual pressure release to the Fusion Mode with 60% spiritual pressure burst, he can switch smoothly in the blink of an eye with extremely stealthy movements. Moreover, no matter how fiercely his opponent attacks, even if he himself is almost unconscious, "Iron Arhat" still shows no signs of unstable remnant soul. His core skill "Iron Mountain Lean" can still be used as casually as if it were free.

In addition, being fused with the guardian spirit for a long time has also affected the human body, giving it a permanent boost. This has made Wei Fang's body as durable as a training sandbag from the early Second Era, no less so than the steel body of a cardless cultivator.

This is an advantage.

As for its shortcomings, there are too many, and they are too obvious.

First of all, there is no change.

Because each person has a unique card for life, before Wei Fang even uses "Iron Mountain Lean," his opponents can completely predict his attack patterns and routes.

Furthermore, the influence of the spirit body altered his muscles and cellular structure, which greatly enhanced his defense but also limited his potential to expand beyond close-quarters combat.

It would be difficult for Wei Fang now to choose a guardian spirit from the first, third, or fourth era.

Even in the Second Era, he could only choose a Guardian Spirit that focused on strength and defense.

In other words, Wei Fang is destined to play only the role of a "melee tank" and cannot develop into a ranged or crowd control class such as magic, mechanical, or beast taming.

Of course, it's already very difficult for a person to play one role well in their lifetime, and Wei Fang himself may not have any plans to expand the card pool or switch classes.

Considering these advantages and disadvantages, the single-card strategy is in a much better position than the cardless strategy.

Large card clubs, including the "Glorious Club," still steadfastly uphold the banner of single-card decks.

As for "Golden Boy" Carlos, he reversed Wei Fang's strengths and weaknesses.

The biggest advantage of multi-card decks is undoubtedly their versatility and unpredictability.

From ranged to melee combat, from curses to crowd control, from charged critical strikes to dazzling probing attacks, no skill or class can stump him.

However, summoning multiple guardian spirits at the same time comes at an astonishing price.

Guardian spirits need to absorb the life force of the spirit master to be activated.

The more guardian spirits a spirit master has, the more life force they absorb, and the heavier their burden becomes.

You can tell just by watching this game.

Carlos was clearly thinner than Wei Fang, and theoretically should have been more agile. However, he moved as slowly as a snail, and every move seemed half a beat behind. Towards the end of the match, even standing still made it incredibly difficult for him to breathe, as if he were on a plateau at an altitude of over 6,000 meters.

In the decisive moment, Wei Fang unleashed his "final Iron Mountain Strike," but it was already at its last gasp, and the speed and force were not great.

Carlos still couldn't dodge it; with a light bump, he was sent flying dozens of meters.

This is because he allocated the vast majority of his life force to more than a dozen guardian spirits.

No wonder practitioners of the Doka style are ridiculed as "Spirit Summoning Snails".

This means that they rely entirely on their guardian spirits for power, while their physical bodies are slow and fragile, like snails.

"That's true."

Xu Yan agreed with Hou Zhijian's point of view: "As long as there is a way to break Wei Fang's 'Iron Mountain Lean', or to break through the bombardment of so many guardian spirits of Carlos and appear in front of him, the two of them are not invincible."

One sentence silenced the three of them again.

"Ayan, I heard you recently polished a batch of really powerful training cards, which have helped Wang Dali and the others improve their maximum strength quite a bit?"

Xiong Rulong said, "Is there any way to refine a batch of training cards specifically for the three of us, so that we can improve our strength to the next level in the shortest possible time?"

"This is my job, and of course I will do my best, but don't expect to achieve the same results as Wang Dali and his team."

Xu Yan said, "Wang Dali and the others are amateur players, so they already have a lot of room for improvement. You guys have been doing this since you were young. Grandpa Xiong and Sister Xiong are not just famous for nothing. They have already tapped into most of your potential. There are still half a month before the Dawn Cup opens. No matter how powerful the training cards are, they can't make you transform and make a rapid breakthrough."

"Where are the battle cards?"

Hou Zhijian suddenly asked, since he knew more about Xu Yan's situation, "Could you help me modify a few combat cards?"

"You want to use a multi-card strategy to make it into the quarterfinals?"

Xu Yan thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said, "As a sparring partner, you have a deep understanding of the three major styles and rich combat experience. If you are lucky in the draw and encounter easy opponents, you will have a chance to win a few matches."

"However, I don't think you're that lucky. To be more precise, I don't think the matchup draw was entirely based on luck."

Xiong Chenghu didn't quite understand what he was saying.

Hou Zhijian understood instantly.

In commercial competitions, there is no such thing as absolute fairness and impartiality.

Given the aggressive tactics of Shattered Star Club in poaching talent and their bold statement of "aiming for the championship," they must have already established relationships with the organizers and sponsors.

The probability of them running into Wei Fang, Carlos, and Chu Zhifeng in the first round is not high—after all, everyone has some pride.

But if they can win several rounds in a row and advance to the top 32 or even the top 16, the opponents they will face next will definitely be the toughest nuts to crack.

Wei Fang, Carlos, and Hou Zhijian are the same age, and this year is their last Dawn Cup. The two will definitely give it their all and leave no regrets.

Chu Zhifeng defied public opinion, but his goal was clearly singular: the gleaming championship trophy.

Several powerful forces from nearby border cities are also sharpening their knives, preparing to rise unexpectedly.

Given Hou Zhijian's proficiency in multiple styles, yet his mediocre skills in each, his chances of defeating strong opponents are extremely slim.

"Neither left nor right works, is it really inevitable that we will lose?"

Xiong Chenghu was getting impatient, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Actually, you yourselves know very well that if you play with your current tactical style and competitive state, the chances of victory are really very slim."

Xu Yan pondered for a moment and said, "However, I think your foundations are very solid, and your combat strength on paper is definitely not bad. You just haven't found the right way to fully unleash your potential. If possible, try our wilderness tactics..."

"Tactics in the wilderness?"

Xiong Chenghu's eyes lit up. "What is that? Single-card build, multi-card build, or no-card build?"

"None of those. In the depths of the wilderness, the environment is harsh and the battle situation is complex. There's no way to distinguish between different schools of thought. We just use whatever we have."

Xu Yan smiled slightly and said, "If I had to say, we are also a 'cardless' style, but it's not that we don't use sealing cards, it's a 'unlimited card style'!"

(End of this chapter)