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

Chapter 173 A Series of Bloody Battles

The newspapers that day also carried news that the four major Lingka companies would be holding a new product launch conference in Dawn City.

Many new products of the year have already appeared at the Dawn Cup and are being used by the new product ambassadors signed by the "Big Four".

Chu Zhifeng's "Silver Moon Meteor" is the most popular new product with the biggest promotion efforts this year.

This is also a tradition of the Spirit Master Competition.

In a sense, this highly commercial competition is a stage for card manufacturers and smart card distributors to promote themselves extensively.

The problem is that Dawn City's economy is in a really bad state.

Last quarter, Liming Heavy Industry just experienced its largest wave of layoffs in decades.

The official leaked price of the new Lingka card has increased by 10 to 20 percent compared to last year.

The "Silver Moon Meteor" used by Chu Zhifeng, even the basic version without the engraving of the enhancement rune array, was priced well over six figures.

While Dawn City was thriving and mining was being expanded on a large scale, many people were willing to invest heavily, even risking their future, to purchase powerful cards and try their luck at mining sites located in planned areas or even wilderness areas.

But now, the mines outside the city have been completely mined out, and the city lacks high-paying jobs that require strong military skills.

High-end combat cards like "Silver Moon Meteor" are practically useless, like a dragon-slaying sword.

Xiong Ruyue's thoughts on the cardless strategy, as well as the new tactical concept of the Kuangtie team, are spreading continuously on the internet, in newspapers, and on the streets.

More and more ordinary citizens with limited funds are beginning to wonder whether updating their bank cards every year is an unnecessary consumer trap.

The price of one "Silver Moon Meteor" card is enough to buy dozens of Black Iron civilian cards.

The initial learning costs and subsequent maintenance expenses are also frighteningly high.

With the same investment, one can become a member of the Kuangtie Club for at least three years, purchase mid-to-low-end bronze combat cards such as "Giant Sword" and "Great Rock Turtle", and add seven or eight black iron civilian cards to form a practical deck with rich tactics, varied application scenarios, and the ability to meet the needs of work, study and combat.

If, after training by the Kuangtie Club, the Kuangtie team can unleash 70%, no, 50%, of their combat power, it will be more than enough for ordinary citizens to defend against the invasion of the past or meet their basic survival needs in the wild.

In the past, many people would pretend to be richer than they are and take out loans to buy high-end credit cards.

Beyond practicality, the most important factor is social needs.

Xiong Ruyue's theory and the performance of the Kuangtie team gave ordinary citizens a legitimate reason to purchase low-end cards—it's not that they can't afford "Silver Moon Meteor," it's just that they agree more with the new concept of cardless gameplay!

Amidst growing anticipation and support, the Kuangtie team faced a truly tough battle on the third day of competition.

The average time for all three matches exceeded ten minutes, with all three players giving their all and fighting until the very last moment.

Hou Zhijian once again faced off against a powerful multi-card-style spirit master.

The opponent made it to the round of 32 in last year's Dawn Cup.

It relies on a high-end bronze deck that is good at both offense and defense.

【Balmongk's Fang】 Its true form is the legendary two-handed greatsword from the First Era.

Balmonk is a notorious dragon of the Phantom Demon Civilization, lurking deep in the mountains, feeding on rocks, and its teeth are living rock crushers.

The master swordsmiths of the Phantom Demon civilization fused the fangs of a dragon with the eternally burning meteorite iron from the abyss to forge this heavy weapon that seemed to seal the soul of the dragon. With it, they cleaved through what was supposedly an indestructible castle and reaped the heads of countless warriors.

Meanwhile, the Spirit Hunters and Sealing Masters of the Heroic Era summoned the spirits of the two-handed greatswords and the endless resentment swirling around their blades from the depths of ancient ruins, encapsulated them in spirit cards, and then strengthened them with intricate rune arrays, turning them into deadly weapons of the new era.

The Shield of Silence

Also known as the "Shield of Swarin," it also comes from the First Age and is said to have been blessed by the Frost Giants. In addition to passive defense, it can also emit a ghostly blue chill from the runes in the center of the shield, which can not only freeze the enemy's attacks, but also freeze the enemy's blood and nerves.

Besides using this shield in battle, the frost giants also used it as a sled and a cot, as it was even wider than the castle gate.

During expeditions and migrations, shields were one of their most important tools for living and fighting.

When they win an expedition or migrate to a new settlement, the Frost Giants will have their tribe's most sacred runes engraved on the inside of their shields at a victory feast, serving as a primitive "chronicle of events".

Even after they die on the battlefield, their blood will seep deep into the shields along the crisscrossing patterns.

The shields were passed down through generations, and the "chronicles" etched by the frost giants with their lives became a primitive epic. This also awakened the shields' free will, giving them the potential to transform into remnants of the past after the annihilation of civilizations.

The theoretical combat power of these two guardian spirits completely overwhelms that of the "Giant Sword" and the "Great Rock Turtle".

Hou Zhijian's opponent is also stronger and has more experience than him.

The only problem is that, compared to the "Giant Sword" and "Great Rock Turtle," which are simple and unadorned mid-to-low-tier bronze combat cards that have been refined over hundreds of years, they are inferior.

To perfectly activate "Balmongk's Fang" and "Silent Shield" requires higher physical and mental strength from the Spirit Master. In the tug-of-war of "health bar battle", it is possible to fall into the predicament of being powerless in the later stage.

Hou Zhijian's strategy was to summon two guardian spirits, one real and one fake, at the very beginning of the match.

The "giant rock turtle" is real.

The "Giant Sword" was actually disguised as an "Illusory Jellyfish".

For the first five minutes, he pretended to be very wary of his opponent's strength and fearful of the "Silent Shield's" frost counterattack. He kept his back to the ground, with the "Great Rock Turtle" in front of him and the "Giant Sword" hidden behind him, waiting to be unleashed.

Having learned from the lessons of the previous two days of competition, the opponent was not in a hurry to deliver the final blow.

Instead, he wields "Balmongk's Fang" from a distance, using the intimidating skill "Dragon's Breath" to calmly probe, pull, and search for weaknesses.

Faced with a guardian spirit like the "Silent Shield" that can automatically counterattack, many people are unwilling to attack rashly.

The remnant soul of the evil dragon's fangs clashed fiercely with the remnant soul of the "Great Rock Turtle." The genuine impact, coupled with Hou Zhijian's increasingly refined acting skills, completely surprised his opponent. Hou Zhijian's "Giant Sword" was actually a counterfeit that didn't require much life force to expend.

It wasn't until five minutes later, when "Big Rock Turtle" was hacked to pieces by "Balmunk's Fang" and the opponent thought the time was ripe to launch a full-scale attack, that they realized Hou Zhijian had been hiding something.

(End of this chapter)