Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Master of Scorched Earth

After the interview ended.

Wang Xi turned off the TV.

He stroked the small cat in his lap, finding the whole thing strange.

The mastermind behind the "Ghost Grid" was, surprisingly, a mole from within the Shanshan Conglomerate... And even more unexpectedly, Lin Xin’Er had exposed this internal scandal to the public without any hesitation.

Wang Xi vaguely sensed that a complex power struggle was surely unfolding behind the scenes, but none of it concerned him. It was easy to predict, however, that a bloodbath was about to erupt within the Shanshan Conglomerate.

He relaxed and leaned back on the sofa.

’Time to draw some Cards.’

The Card Pools from Zheng Hong, Shi Shuang, and Ding Wancheng were stored in his mind, manifesting as a total of six orbs of light.

[600 Energy consumed (765 remaining)]

HUMMM—

As the light blossomed, six Universal Cards lined up in succession, hovering before Wang Xi.

He examined them one by one.

First was the Green Card from the buzz-cut youth, Zheng Hong:

[Delta Universal Glider (Equipment Card/Green One Star/Not Upgradable)]

This Card was of little use to Wang Xi.

Its function overlapped with the "Feather Fall Technique," only it was faster and allowed for directional gliding.

That morning, the group of wanted criminals had each been equipped with a pair of these gliders, attempting to break through the Security Bureau’s encirclement from the air, but every one of them had failed and crashed.

Wang Xi wasn’t interested in it.

Next was Shi Shuang’s Deep Green Card:

[Wheel of Reincarnation (Skill Card/Deep Green One Star)]

His interest was piqued when he saw this Card.

He couldn’t help but sit up straight to examine it more closely.

It was a Universal Card from the Monster Talk System, capable of augmenting any offensive attack. It was similar to Flame Enchantment, but besides inflicting a Burning effect, it also had a high-speed, Armor-Piercing cutting ability.

Wang Xi still remembered that the woman had used this very move, breaking his Ice Blade with the cybernetic Short Sword in her palm before striking his neck.

Besides consuming stamina, this Card also had a corresponding cost, or side effect—each use would cause the user to feel the pain of Burning, and if used for too long, it could even lead to Self-Immolation.

"This Card is good. I’ll take it!"

He chuckled, picked it up, and activated it.

The price for using "Wheel of Reincarnation" was steep, but that was true for others, not Wang Xi. He wasn’t too concerned, since he also had "Sub-Grade Flame Demon Bloodline" equipped. That Card enabled Devouring Flame; not only would he be immune to the damage, but it would even enhance the flame effects, creating a positive feedback loop.

Finally, there were the three Cards from the leader, Ding Wancheng:

"Copper Skin Iron Bone," "Corpse-Locking Fist," and "Black Zombie." The first two were Deep Green, and the last was Blue.

All of them were Universal Cards from the Profound Mysterious System.

What made Wang Xi slightly frustrated, however, was that these three Cards seemed to be supporting pieces for a certain Magic Card Set. Without the corresponding Technique Card, their effects would be greatly diminished.

And while "Black Zombie," the Core Card, was powerful, it came with significant side effects—

First, it would continuously erode the user’s emotions on both a physical and psychological level, gradually making them cold and ruthless. Second, although it could remove the body’s original fatal weak points—such as the heart, throat, and lower body—the price was the complete stripping of the user’s instinctual desires, until they eventually became a true zombie.

Wang Xi found this unacceptable.

He thought for a moment. These three distinctive Cards wouldn’t be easy to sell on "Hat Cave" either, as they were too conspicuous and would easily arouse suspicion.

After all, Ding Wancheng had just been captured, and the Security Bureau would definitely be picking apart the details of his Magic Card Set. At such a sensitive time, it would be hard to explain if these three Cards suddenly appeared on "Hat Cave."

He couldn’t use them, and he couldn’t sell them.

Fortunately, he still had Kaos as a fallback; it could squeeze out the value of every single Universal Card.

’Oh well. Time to shatter them.’

Although Wang Xi felt it was a bit of a waste, it was still better than letting them sit in his hands as decorations.

Speaking of which, he had never been this extravagant before.

A Deep Green Card could be shattered into anywhere from 135 to 150 Experience, while a Blue Card yielded 450 to 500.

Not long after he threw the three Cards into his mind,

[Obtained 761 unallocated Experience!]

[Experience: 1330]

His Experience Library received a huge boost, accumulating over a thousand again. Wang Xi now had the capital for another Star Promotion.

Finally, he casually listed the "Delta Universal Glider" for sale on "Hat Cave," then went out to the balcony to practice with his Cards.

...

...

「Three days later.」

The few Universal Cards Wang Xi had listed on "Hat Cave" had mostly sold without him even noticing. During this time, the delivery girl, Ning Meng, had come to his door several times to pick up the "goods" from him, the seller, and personally deliver them to the buyers.

The four Green Cards—"Long Axe Mastery," "Flying Axe Mastery," "Riding and Shooting Mastery," and "Delta Universal Paraglider"—had all successfully sold.

He had earned a total of 1.12 million Credit Points.

After deducting the platform’s 10% service fee, Wang Xi was left with 1.008 million. His personal account balance now held a massive sum of 1.91 million.

The reason they sold so quickly was simple: the Cards had wide applicability, and the prices Wang Xi set were reasonable, making them highly sought-after.

However, the two Deep Green Cards, "Cold-blooded Divination" and "Ancestral Spirit Blessing," remained unsold. Even after Wang Xi lowered the price several times, there were no takers.

Selling them for cheap was out of the question.

In the end, he simply tossed them to Kaos as well, shattering them into Experience Points.

[Obtained 290 unallocated Experience!]

[Experience: 1620]

Now that he had money on hand, Wang Xi began to ponder the matter of his Magic Card Set.

His Ice Magic was already well-formed, bolstered by the Deep Blue Card "King of Frost." But on the Fire Magic side, he was still thinking about combining "Sub-Grade Flame Demon Bloodline" with "Self-Immolation."

The addition of "Wheel of Reincarnation" provided an excellent opportunity.

So he started searching on "Hat Cave," carefully scrolling through the list of Card products.

He lost track of how long he searched.

Then, when he saw the information for a particular Card, an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.

That’s it!

This Card was quite suitable—

[Energy-Devouring Insect (Skill Card/Blue One Star)]

He had no idea which Maze or disaster it came from; the seller hadn’t specified, so he couldn’t tell which system it belonged to. But its effect was very special... It could devour the Energy in others’ bodies to replenish its host.

It had side effects, too. If the absorbed Energy wasn’t consumed in time, it would harm the user—they could even inflate like a balloon, growing bigger and bigger until they finally self-destructed.

Wang Xi felt this side effect was acceptable.

After all, in his plan, "Sub-Grade Flame Demon Bloodline" itself had the effect of devouring flames, while "Frost Curse Fire" could burn a target’s Energy and Life Force... If he used "Energy-Devouring Insect" to bridge the gap, acting as a buffer medium, he might be able to synthesize an extremely powerful new Fire Element Card.

’It’s just so damn expensive!’

Wang Xi cursed inwardly, phone in hand.

There weren’t many Blue Cards on "Hat Cave," and "Energy-Devouring Insect" was one of them, priced as high as 1.49 million.

He hesitated several times, but ultimately, adhering to the principle of "strength above all," he gritted his teeth and placed the order.

Then, Wang Xi checked his own Energy reserves and found he only had over seven hundred left. So he bought another 2,235 grams of Magic Stone to bring his total up to a nice, even three thousand.

Today’s Magic Stone price was 107 Credit Points per gram, so he spent nearly 240,000.

All told, he had spent 1.73 million.

His personal account balance was left with just over 180,000.

...

...

That afternoon, Ning Meng delivered the purchased Blue Card and Magic Stones to his door.

Sitting on the living room sofa, Wang Xi absorbed the entire small box of Magic Stone Ingots, which weighed nearly five pounds.

A stream of information flowed out from Kaos:

[Energy: 3000]

[Experience: 1620]

With his reserves replenished, he felt a surge of confidence.

Wang Xi composed himself and began the synthesis.

He first took out four Cards: "Guardian of the Flower Garden," "All-Purpose Warlock," "Sub-Grade Flame Demon Bloodline," and "Wheel of Reincarnation."

All of them were of Deep Green One Star Quality.

Because he rarely used them and had no spare energy to practice with them, they were practically brand new.

’Kaos, synthesize.’

As the command was given,

The four Deep Green Cards vanished from his hand.

Gray mist filled the chasm in his mind. Orbs of light intertwined, then merged into one, erupting in a blinding blue glare—

[Hell Gardener (Skill Card/Blue One Star)]

Wang Xi gripped the cool, new Blue Card. Upon inspection, he discovered that the original Multi-Element Affinity from "All-Purpose Warlock" had been completely converted into Fire Element Affinity, and a new Fire Element Mastery had been added.

Furthermore, the three Elemental Magic spells it contained—Earth Barrier, Fireball Technique, and Feather Fall Technique—had transformed into Magma Wall, Large Fireball, and Fire Spirit Wings.

"Guardian of the Flower Garden" was similarly overhauled. Its original ability to gather Natural Elements was replaced with gathering Fire Elements, while its Magic Power convergence, Elf Guardian, and Calm Heart and Peaceful Spirit effects were all strengthened.

"Again..."

Holding the "Hell Gardener" Card, Wang Xi opened the wooden box again, took out the plastic-sealed "Energy-Devouring Insect," and then unequipped "Frost Curse Fire."

He took a deep breath and thought to himself:

’Kaos, continue synthesis.’

With that, the three Blue One Star Cards disappeared.

The gray mist in the chasm swirled, and three orbs of blue light intertwined.

HUMMM—

[Master of Scorched Earth (Skill Card)]

[Quality (Deep Blue One Star/Upgradable)]

[Once upon a time, a young man with the blood of a flame demon set out on his travels as a wandering Warlock. He swallowed the hunger of the Energy-Devouring Insect, shouldered the sin-burning wheel of a war chariot, and wore a crown woven from Shaman Curse Fire.

"How warm it is. Flame and ash should live in harmony. Everyone has gathered here because of me, so they should all be buried together in the garden to bloom as the most brilliant flowers."

He smiled, gently stroking the scorched earth. Every living being that refused his embrace became nutrients for new buds—look, see how lushly the garden blooms.]

[Upon use, you will master the power of the scorched earth. Includes Ash Return Flow, Blazing Wings Wheel Dance, and Scorched Earth Garden. Each use will continuously consume Magic Power and requires an extremely high Fire Element Affinity.]

"This..."

Wang Xi stared at the brand-new Deep Blue Card, slightly stunned.

He couldn’t help but think of "King of Frost."

"Another heartwarming Fairy Tale, telling the story of the birth of the Master of Scorched Earth."

Wang Xi smiled and activated it directly.

A deep blue light flashed and clung to the surface of his body.

That ineffable power instantly bolstered him, and a frantic, scorching heat surged within him.

It was a sensation completely opposite to that of "King of Frost," yet it was just as powerful.

Wang Xi thought for a moment, then unequipped "Master of Scorched Earth," along with "King of Frost" and "Self-Immolation."

These were three Deep Blue Cards.

’Can I synthesize them again?’

An idea suddenly took root in Wang Xi’s mind, and his heart began to accelerate. THUMP-THUMP.

Could he, perhaps, attempt to create a Card of an even higher tier?

’Kaos, show me your limits!’

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