Chapter 40

"Wan'er, this is Lu Li from Cangling City." Regarding Lu Li's introduction, Liu Yanran did not reveal too much information.

For one thing, counting this time, she and Lu Li had only met twice. Even though she and Lu Li had exchanged contact information after the exchange tournament ended, the two had not really been in touch.

For another, she had been defeated by Lu Li in the exchange tournament. Although she didn't mind it much, Liu Yanran wasn't about to go around telling everyone about her defeat; even if Shangguan Wan'er was her best friend, it would still be embarrassing to say it out loud.

"Lu Li, hello!" Under Liu Yanran's introduction, Shangguan Wan'er reached out her hand very generously, an intellectual smile on her face. Deep within the eyes hidden behind her glasses, a trace of hard-to-detect interest flashed—after all, this was a peer whom Shangguan Hong had called a heaven-defying talent. "Just call me Wan'er..."

Lu Li was a bit surprised to run into the other party so soon, and Shangguan Wan'er hadn't expected her best friend to actually know Lu Li.

"Hello." Not realizing that he was already being kept in mind, Lu Li shook the hand Shangguan Wan'er extended. Unlike the bony hands of most women, hers had a slight touch of softness.

It wasn't that the other party was fat; Shangguan Wan'er was the type of woman who looked thin, but upon actual contact, one would discover she had a slight softness to her. If one really had to say it, perhaps the word "plump" would be more appropriate.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Li quickly let go of Shangguan Wan'er's hand.

"Since we've run into each other, let's go together." He still remembered what Liu Yanran had just said and nodded in agreement.

Subsequently, the three of them walked toward the restaurant. With Shangguan Wan'er, the local expert, there, Lu Li and Liu Yanran didn't need to worry about getting lost at all.

Along the way, the pair of sister-flowers, Shangguan Wan'er and Liu Yanran, attracted quite a few gazes, and Lu Li, being with them, was also watched by many.

"That kid is really lucky, actually having two such beautiful girls by his side." Whispers arose. Many people looked at Lu Li with eyes full of envy, but even more so with jealousy—why wasn't it them standing beside Shangguan Wan'er and Liu Yanran?

Some had even started considering whether to go up and stage a "chance encounter." Beauties of this caliber were worth the risk.

"Stop envying him. Although I don't know who the girl in yellow is, I advise you not to harbor any crooked ideas." A contestant from the Cangdu General Society who saw this scene warned, even though they were also annoyed by Lu Li: "That girl with the glasses is the eldest daughter of the Shangguan family. You'd better weigh your own worth."

The eldest daughter of the Shangguan family?

The crowd, who had originally been plotting against the two women, instantly came to their senses, their foreheads covered in cold sweat. In Cangdu, what other Shangguan family could there possibly be?

This bespectacled girl actually had a Sovereign and an Immortal standing behind her—what kind of god-tier background was that!

And what kind of monster was the person who could walk alongside this eldest daughter of the Shangguan family!

73. Cold Beauty! Is that spot lucky for romance?

"Lu Li, the college entrance exam is coming up soon. Have you considered which university to choose?" Taking a bite of a small steamed bun, the fresh, savory soup spilled from the corner of her mouth, which Liu Yanran licked back in.

The three of them were not the first guests to arrive at the restaurant. Before them, many contestants from the twelve cities had already arrived a step ahead, and among them were even contestants from different Magic Card branches, sitting together and chatting happily.

Although they would be enemies once the youth training tournament began, fighting for their respective Magic Card associations, the tournament hadn't actually started yet.

Of course, how many of them were doing this with the intention of gathering intelligence was unknown.

However, ever since the three of them arrived—or more accurately, ever since Liu Yanran and Shangguan Wan'er arrived—they had become the undisputed focus. The vast majority of people's gazes swept toward the two women from time to time.

Not to mention their strength, just in terms of looks, there really weren't many who could compete with the two women. Consequently, Lu Li was also watched by many.

After all, for one person to monopolize two top-tier beauties, it would be hard to remain an invisible background character.

"If I can get into the Heavenly Mansion, that would naturally be the best." Lu Li was also finishing the food in front of him.

It had to be said, the food here might not be the most delicious in all of Cangdu, but it was definitely top-tier. No wonder the staff responsible for receiving them had patted their chests and guaranteed it.

"The Heavenly Mansion, huh? Then I hope we have a chance to become schoolmates." Seemingly not surprised by Lu Li's thoughts, Liu Yanran's tone when mentioning the Heavenly Mansion carried a slight trace of expectation.

The Heavenly Mansion, one of the four top Magic Card academies in the ancient kingdom, was the top institution that countless candidates dreamed of getting into.

There was a saying circulating in the ancient kingdom: as long as you could successfully get into the "Big Four" and graduate, even a pig would be pampered by others, and basically, you wouldn't have to worry about lying flat for the rest of your life.

Although this statement was a bit exaggerated, students who could get into the Big Four wouldn't have poor talent to begin with; they definitely couldn't be compared to pigs.

But this also indirectly showed the status of the Big Four in the hearts of Magic Card masters in the ancient kingdom, and it also showed that the gold content of the Big Four was far from ordinary.

"Forgot your best friend now that you have a boyfriend?" Seeing Liu Yanran's expression, Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but tease.

Even when hearing the two mention the Heavenly Mansion, Shangguan Wan'er looked completely relaxed. This was the confidence of a Commander Realm expert!

"What boyfriend? Be serious!" Her fair cheeks flushed red. Liu Yanran gave Shangguan Wan'er a big eye-roll while reaching out to pinch Shangguan Wan'er's small, round face. "You're already in the Commander Realm, of course you're not worried."

It had to be said, in terms of treating Shangguan Wan'er's small, round face, Liu Yanran had surprisingly reached a consensus with Lu Li.

If even someone in the Commander Realm couldn't get into the Big Four, then Liu Yanran couldn't imagine how perverted this year's college entrance exam would be.

If that were really the case, she felt she could prepare to go back and repeat a year.

Commander Realm? Lu Li couldn't help but take two extra looks at Shangguan Wan'er.

You have to know, even after he had created two six-star Magic Cards, plus the special card "Eye of Timaeus," and several equipment and counter cards, his level was still stuck at the War General Realm.

Although he was already a nine-star War General and only a hair's breadth away from promoting to the Commander Realm, not being promoted meant not being promoted; that point couldn't be faked.

Yet the Shangguan Wan'er in front of him had already broken through to the Commander Realm. This could only mean that the number of intermediate Magic Cards in her hands was probably more than his! He just didn't know if she had any advanced Magic Cards.

When a Magic Card master creates a Magic Card, they can receive a backflow of magic power to increase their level. But if they create the same Magic Card, then starting from the second successful creation, the magic power backflow received by the Magic Card master would be halved.

By the same logic, after creating five identical Magic Cards, creating a sixth one would no longer yield any magic power backflow.

At the same time, when high-level Magic Card masters create low-star Magic Cards, a phenomenon similar to diminishing marginal returns would occur. Once the level of the created Magic Card is too low, the magic power backflow received would also become very scarce, or even result in no magic power backflow at all.

Therefore, it was completely impossible for a Magic Card master to level up by creating cards of the same name or low-star cards.

A high-level Magic Card master often meant not only powerful strength but also a wide variety of methods.

It was precisely because of this that Lu Li guessed Shangguan Wan'er possessed more intermediate Magic Cards than he did.

However, considering the Shangguan family behind her, Lu Li felt relieved. He had a system, but the other party had "money power"!

Of course, this kind of "money power" wasn't something just anyone could have. Even in Cangdu, Magic Card masters with "money power" similar to Shangguan Wan'er's could probably be counted on one hand.

Not to mention, behind Shangguan Wan'er were the cultivation of the Sovereign Shangguan Pu and the Immortal Shangguan Hong, which crushed 99.9% of Magic Card masters.

But if the two were to face off, Lu Li still wouldn't fear her. With "Magical Cylinder," "Eye of Timaeus," and "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" as his trump cards, he was confident he could fight even if a Monarch Realm expert came!

"Look, another beauty!" A commotion came from the restaurant entrance, attracting the attention of many, including the three of them, who subconsciously looked over.

A well-tailored, milky-white seashell-style tube top dress highlighted a graceful and tall figure. A pair of tender, white, straight calves complemented the crystal-clear, plump pearls dotted on the hem of the dress. On her feet were T-strap low-heeled leather shoes in the same color as the dress.

A stunning face, exquisite features, a pair of indifferent cyan pupils beneath thin willow eyebrows, a straight nose, and lips like vermilion dots exuded a faint scent of gardenia. A blood-red spider lily between her eyebrows added a touch of bewitching allure to the girl's icy temperament.

The girl who walked into the restaurant was not at all inferior to Shangguan Wan'er and Liu Yanran in terms of looks, and because of that icy temperament that revealed a hint of bewitching allure, she was even easier to attract attention.

Ice Elf! Cold Beauty!

The moment they saw the girl, these two words flashed through everyone's minds. This was the first impression the girl gave everyone, and only this was enough to describe the girl's uniqueness.

At this moment, Lu Li had to sigh that the quality of handsome men and beautiful women in the Magic Card civilization was simply ridiculously high. If this were in his previous life, even if they hadn't reached the level of "toppling kingdoms and cities," they would definitely be "stunningly beautiful."

Nourished by magic power, a Magic Card master's physical fitness and appearance would improve significantly as their strength increased. Therefore, among the Magic Card master group, although not everyone was at the ceiling of beauty, if any Magic Card master were willing to debut, there would really be no place for ordinary people.

74. Don't be a pervert!

"Su Xueyi!" Seeing the cold beauty walk into the restaurant, Liu Yanran spoke softly, calling out the other party's name.

"You know her?" Hearing Liu Yanran call out the cold beauty's name all of a sudden, Lu Li and Shangguan Wan'er's gazes turned to Liu Yanran simultaneously.

"That's a genius from Cangheng City this year, and also a candidate from our same year," Liu Yanran nodded and explained: "Some time ago, when City Lord Lin took us to Cangheng City for an exchange, I once fought against her."

Speaking of this, Liu Yanran subconsciously looked at Lu Li. She had also fought against Lu Li, but the result was being hung out to dry and beaten by him.

"What was the result?" Not noticing Liu Yanran's small action, Shangguan Wan'er asked with great interest.

"A draw," coming back to her senses, Liu Yanran shrugged her shoulders cutely: "Su Xueyi is good at using ice-snow series Magic Cards, and she is very outstanding in both attack power and control."

"To be able to fight you to a draw, it seems her strength is really extraordinary." Shangguan Wan'er raised her eyebrows; she still knew her best friend's strength clearly.

Although there was still a certain gap between her and herself, it wasn't just any peer who could fight Liu Yanran to a draw.

During their conversation, Su Xueyi at the restaurant entrance swept her cyan eyes across. After seeing the three of them, she turned her steps and walked straight toward their position.

Seeing this, the others couldn't help but complain in their hearts: How come every beauty is heading over there? Could that direction be lucky for romance?

Whether ethereal, intellectual, or cold and bewitching, Lu Li's table, which was already attractive enough, became the focus of everyone's attention once again because of Su Xueyi's arrival.

"Liu Yanran, I knew you would definitely participate in this youth training tournament," just like her temperament, Su Xueyi's voice was also very cold, but it was like pearls falling on a jade plate—crisp and clear, making it hard to forget once heard.

"If you can participate, why can't I?" Liu Yanran responded calmly, her tone full of confidence.

"Since that's the case, let's decide who's better in this youth training tournament." Su Xueyi's tone was full of confidence: "This time, I will definitely defeat you."

Immediately, seemingly sensing something, Su Xueyi's pair of cyan eyes swept over Shangguan Wan'er and Lu Li. From the two of them, she felt a faint sense of danger.

Since she was a child, Su Xueyi's perception had been very keen. Relying on this keen perception, Su Xueyi was able to turn danger into safety many times.

But even Liu Yanran, who had fought her to a draw, had never given her this feeling. This meant that Shangguan Wan'er and Lu Li's strength was probably stronger than Liu Yanran's, which made Su Xueyi silently alert in her heart.

Sure enough, there wasn't a single Magic Card master who could represent their respective Magic Card associations in the youth training tournament who was an easy target. But this also made Su Xueyi feel faintly excited, and a touch of alluring crimson rose slightly on her fair face.

Only by fighting with the strong could one continuously progress and improve rapidly. This was also the principle Su Xueyi had always believed in.

Holy crap! Does this girl have some kind of illness! Sensing the morbid crimson on Su Xueyi's face, Lu Li couldn't help but complain wildly in his heart.

"Who wins and who loses, that's not necessarily certain." It was still a calm tone. In the previous exchange tournament, the two of them were only a draw. Even if they met again, Liu Yanran wouldn't fear Su Xueyi.

These two girls have quite a strong desire to win! Lu Li, who was silently eating his food, heard the two's conversation, and a thought floated up in his heart. But whatever, if they met in the youth training tournament, Lu Li figured no one would hold back.

By that time, they wouldn't be representing individuals, but fighting for their respective associations.

Coming fast and leaving fast, Su Xueyi's target from the beginning was Liu Yanran. As for Shangguan Wan'er and Lu Li, there wasn't much intersection between them. But this accidental meeting also made Su Xueyi understand that Liu Yanran wasn't the only one in the youth training tournament who could threaten her. ===== CHAPTER 41 =====