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

Chapter 217 The Real Stage

Xiong Chenglong ultimately failed to create another miracle and was unfortunately eliminated in the quarterfinals.

However, that no longer matters.

In fact, as the murder that occurred at the Shattered Star Club continued to unfold, even the Dawn Cup champion was no longer the focus of attention for the entire population.

The Dawn Cup, which had generated a lot of hype, entered the final stage, but it felt like it was all rushed.

Even though "Iron Man" Wei Fang successfully defended his title, the smile on his face still had a somewhat stiff feel to it.

With no longer needing to worry about the Kuang Tie team, Xu Yan finally had plenty of time to focus on studying the sealing cards.

He obtained dozens of high-level bronze and even mid-to-low-level silver cards from Sheikh Krat in one go.

Although he didn't intend to pursue the multi-card strategy, studying the runes engraved on these silver cards day and night, pondering their underlying structure, and feeling the patterns and rhythms of the remnant soul ripples echoing within them, still greatly benefited his card-making skills.

As for those crystal coins, they're too hot to handle right now. Xu Yan plans to sell a portion of them to purchase card-making materials once he finds a secret and reliable channel.

By then, he should have a deeper understanding of the Silver Card and be more confident in upgrading "Lin" into a powerful Silver Spirit.

Besides immersing himself in the card-making room day and night, Xu Yan likes to chat with the trainees of the "re-employment training class" whenever he has a spare moment to understand their needs and experiences with second-hand civilian cards. He also takes the initiative to visit them, go into their work environment, and help them adjust their civilian cards to the most efficient working mode free of charge.

Such warm and professional service earned Xu Yan the trust of a large number of local, grassroots citizens.

Incidentally, I also learned a lot of gossip and ancient city legends from them that even people in high society might not know.

Through the opportunity to make on-site repairs, he also deeply imprinted the three-dimensional structure of many poor and chaotic streets and alleys in his mind.

Not many days passed like this before the person Xu Yan was waiting for returned to Dawn City.

……

Seeing the bustling and lively scene at the Kuangtie Club, Long Jianhuan was slightly surprised.

After her father's death in the line of duty, she spent a long time here practicing the cardless style in order to subdue the "Lion of the Fiery Sun," leaving an extremely deep impression on the ancient, desolate, and cramped "Mad Iron Martial Arts Hall."

Although I had heard Xiong Ruyue mention the comprehensive upgrade and expansion of the business.

Unexpectedly, there were so many members even on weekdays, and many devices had to be used in rotation. There were even long queues in front of the second-hand card sales counter. In the past hundred years, when has the cardless trend ever been so popular?
"Xiao Huan!"

Xiong Ruyue greeted her with a smile.

She is almost ten years older than Ryuken.

When Long Jianhuan was training here, he spent half the time being personally taught by Xiong Tieshan and the other half sparring with her.

The two had a very deep affection for each other.

Even though they hadn't seen each other much since Long Jianhuan took up his post in Heiyan City, the smiles in their eyes when they saw each other again reminded them of the time when they were exhausted after sparring and could only support each other as they moved inch by inch.

"I originally thought you would have to stay in the depths of the wilderness for another half a month before you could return to Dawn City."

Xiong Ruyue asked curiously, "Why did you come back early?"

"The work is finished."

Long Jianhuan's eyes scanned the Kuangtie Club quickly, searching for his target amidst the bustling crowd. "That kid didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"

"how come?"

Xiong Ruyue knew who she was asking, of course. She shook her head and laughed, "The spirit card maintainer you recommended to me is simply a genius. The fact that the Kuang Tie Club is so lively today is at least 70% thanks to him!"

"Huh?" Long Jianhuan was slightly taken aback.

For the past two months, she has been battling wits and courage with the remnants of the Swamp Gang deep in the wilderness.

Although the remnants who lost their leader were not particularly strong in combat, they were all extremely cunning local thugs.

Bringing them all to justice is a hundred times harder than playing whack-a-mole.

The case was complex, the journey was long, and communication was inconvenient, although Xu Yan and Xiong Ruyue had both sent her messages, briefly explaining what they wanted to do.

However, Long Jianhuan was unaware of the details and was even more worried that Xu Yan was taking too big a step and would cause trouble for Xiong Ruyue and the Kuangtie Club.

This was also a factor in returning to Dawn City ahead of schedule.

However, the "Xu Yan" described by Xiong Ruyue was completely different from the card-making apprentice she remembered.

When Xiong Ruyue recounted the miracles Xu Yan had created for the Kuangtie Club, Long Jianhuan could hardly believe his ears.

She then found Xu Yan in the crowd.

Xu Yan was squatting on the ground, smiling as he explained the use of the training cards to a group of children.

Long Jianhuan immediately recognized that the so-called training card was a modified version of the lighting card "Firefly".

Thanks to Xu Yan's meticulous craftsmanship, the "Fireflies" can now transform into swirling points of light once activated, surrounding the summoner.

When the summoner punches or kicks and hits the light spot, the light spot will be annihilated.

Depending on the summoner's strength and training objectives, the number, speed, and complexity of the flight trajectory of the light spots can be adjusted. From preschool children to experienced spirit masters, everyone can use this card to train their neural reaction speed and attack accuracy.

Of course, the children didn't care about the training results.

They simply treated the "fireflies" as interesting toys.

These simply dressed, even ragged, children were mostly brought by students from the "re-employment training class".

It's easy to see that it's impossible for Kuangtie Club to generate any profit.

Xu Yan, however, was patient and tireless. Even with the weakest and most clumsy children, he patiently guided them, adjusting their methods of observing the light spots and their posture for exerting force.

Judging from the relaxed and comfortable way the children interacted with him, this introductory training had been going on for more than just a day or two, and Xu Yan had clearly become a king among the children.

“He seems to fit in well here.”

Long Jianhuan hesitated for a moment, his eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions.

"That's not true."

Xiong Ruyue shook her head and said, "Xu Yan won't stay at the Kuangtie Club forever; he doesn't belong here."

"Ok?"

Long Jianhuan raised his eyebrows.

"That's what Boss Xiong said."

Xiong Ruyue explained, "After losing the match, A Long said regretfully that if he had let Xu Yan sign up for the competition, they might have made it into the top four!"

"But Boss Xiong said that Xu Yan wouldn't be interested in a tournament like the 'Dawn Cup.' His talents—whether in card making or fighting—are all for real combat. The highly anticipated arena has no meaning or appeal to him. The desolate wasteland, ravaged by natural disasters, overflowing with ancient artifacts, filled with yellow sand, and littered with corpses, is the stage where he can truly shine!"

(End of this chapter)