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

Chapter 177 A Magnificent Showdown

Besides that, the biggest gain was, of course, money.

For the first two days of the competition, no one was optimistic about the Kuangtie team's performance, and the odds in the underground casinos were frighteningly high.

Xu Yan bet on all three matches to win, and thus made his first fortune.

The results of today's three matches were all within his expectations. Unfortunately, many more people bet on the Kuangtie team to win two and lose one, so the gains were not as substantial as in the previous two days.

Moreover, the initial investment was quite limited. The heavy bag of crystal coins in hand was certainly enough for a life of extravagance, but it was far from sufficient to establish a complete system for the recycling, repair, refurbishment, distribution, and after-sales service of second-hand cards.

Xu Yan dared not gamble anymore.

With only two players left on the Kuangtie team, every match will be a tough battle, and there is also the possibility of interference from external factors.

Even he didn't know how much further Hou Zhijian and Xiong Rulong could go.

"The Mad Cat Gang is already operating at high speed. They're about to send a large sum of money over there to fill the bellies of the garbage bugs so they'll have the strength to recycle more scrap cards and extraordinary materials."

“Uncle Tong’s Xingxing Store is going to expand its business, and I can’t just take shares without contributing a single penny.”

"The upgrade of 'Lin' also requires the best materials, and we also need to purchase a batch of card-making equipment."

Xu Yan had just visited the underground black market dealer of extraordinary materials.

The good news is that the materials needed to upgrade "Lin" from Bronze to Silver are basically available, and the quality is quite good. For rare materials, as long as you are willing to pay a high deposit in advance, you can get them within a few days.

We also have channels to obtain specialized card-making equipment used by advanced card makers, and we can do so discreetly.

They can even create unique talisman pens and other card-making equipment that perfectly suit Xu Yan's needs and usage habits, based on the blueprints.

The bad news is that the prices are all more than 150% higher than the market price, and some are even two or three times higher.

In fact, all materials and card-making equipment can be purchased at market prices from the three major card clubs.

But doing so will inevitably leave traces.

Considering that in the high-level competition for the Wanhun Sect token, "Lin" is likely to leave traces in front of the Security Bureau and the Black Dream Organization.

Xu Yan didn't want anyone to realize that he was related to this black remnant soul that could bring endless nightmares.

"Think about it, where else can we get a large sum of money?"

Xu Yan's mind raced.

Their gaze even fell upon the mountains of chips piled up in the underground casino.

At that moment, another exciting match being replayed on the big screen at the entrance of the underground casino caught his attention.

That was Chu Zhifeng, who was simultaneously manipulating three "Silver Moon Meteor" cards, facing off against a powerful player from a neighboring city who had come with an invitation card to participate in the competition.

The opponent is a single-card-focused Spirit Master, using a very rare plant-type sealing card called [Phantom Willow].

Compared to nervously active animals and sophisticated machines with artificial intelligence, plants do not have neural responses. Instead, they use electrical signals, chemical signals, and hormonal regulation to sense and respond to their environment.

Compared to the tools and weapons that humans use daily, plants and humans interact less, making it difficult for plants to be influenced by the life magnetic field of humans over time.

This makes it difficult for plants to leave behind any remnants of the past when civilizations are destroyed.

Even if life information is transformed into remnants of the past, due to the limitations of the plant's survival mode, their offensive and mobility capabilities are often weak, and they are usually molded into medical cards, defense cards, and support cards.

There aren't many Spirit Masters who fight solely using Plant Cards. Those who dare to do so must possess unique skills and are certainly no ordinary individuals.

Sure enough, this powerful dragon from across the river summoned the "Phantom Willow" as soon as it entered the arena.

As a ripple of emerald green swept across the entire arena, a massive willow tree, its branches spreading out thousands of branches, stood above the heads of both contestants.

The willow branches sway in the wind, like all-pervasive tentacles or an ever-flowing tide.

Ordinary "Phantom Willows" have no offensive power. Their branches are as fragile as withered weeds, and even if they can entangle an opponent's hands and feet, they can easily break free with a gentle struggle.

Typically, multi-card Spirit Masters are nested within attack modules to serve a restraining and confusing purpose.

This "Phantom Willow Tree" seems to have undergone genetic modification by a mad scientist from the Third Era, or perhaps been enhanced by a master card maker.

Not only did the thousands of willow branches become incredibly flexible, but they were also covered with sharp thorns.

The willow leaves, as thin as cicada wings, are as sharp as scalpels. As the willow branches sway, they can fall off automatically, attacking the opponent's vitals like flying knives.

As soon as Chu Zhifeng stepped into the attack range of the "Phantom Willow Tree," he was entangled by dozens of thorny willow branches and cut by hundreds of willow leaves.

Even with his steely body forged through countless trials and tribulations, his metallic skin was crisscrossed with dozens of wounds.

When he activated "Silver Moon Meteor" and summoned countless silver streaks of light to cut off a large number of willow branches, new willow branches grew out like grass in spring.

Chu Zhifeng could only continuously increase the output power of "Silver Moon Meteor," causing the silver light to split continuously, becoming faster and faster, turning into a hazy silver mist.

The frequency of the willow branches swaying increased, and the willow leaves fluttered, turning into a sea of ​​emerald green.

This was the most spectacular match since the start of the tournament.

Both sides seemed to have given new life to the silver mist and the emerald ocean.

The seemingly beautiful silver mist and green sea collide with each other in a gentle breeze, producing a piercing shriek and dazzling sparks.

Only by slowing down the speed by four or five times can one see just how incredibly intense and thrilling their every offensive and defensive exchange is.

Until the decisive moment.

Chu Zhifeng unleashed the core skill of "Silver Moon Meteor," "Moon Shadow Ice Wheel."

After a violent contraction, the silver mist expanded rapidly like a supernova explosion, appearing above the arena like a bright moon, completely engulfing "Phantom Willow" and its opponent's hopes of victory.

Immediately afterwards, the bright moon transformed into a deep rift connecting the ancient era, and the moonlight cascaded down like a silver waterfall.

Each ripple in the waterfall forms a crystal-clear, unstoppable crescent-shaped blade.

As the crescent-shaped scimitar gently swept across the wildly swaying willow branches, it ignited a blazing, persistent silver flame on the branches.

The waterfall cascaded over the entire arena.

The silver flames burned for a full minute before gradually dying out.

At this point, the opponent was already badly burned and unable to maintain the basic form of the "Phantom Willow".

Only a few charred willow leaves remained, struggling in mid-air before quickly turning to ashes.

(End of this chapter)