Playing cards, I am your ancestor!-Chapter 309_1

After Wen Jiang began her retreat to create a new SSR Card, the competition quickly delineated the match processes for the various associations.

Mount Flower’s luck this year was neither good nor bad. Their preliminaries fell into different time slots, and they didn’t encounter any particularly strong associations. This meant they occasionally needed to call Wen Jiang out to participate in competitions.

Hua Zhuo actually felt it was unlucky. If the matches had been concentrated in one time period, Wen Jiang could have come out and finished them all at once. She worried that the intermittent interruptions to her retreat might affect her card-making thought process.

But a competition is not child’s play, and it wasn’t up to her to decide.

In contrast, the card business of the Jimo Family was flourishing. Following the story templates provided by Wen Jiang, their factory successively launched the Liao Zhai Series Cards and the Dream of the Red Chamber Series Cards. These cards, if nothing else, were so strikingly individual in style that they greatly ignited the purchasing desire of a group of fans.

Even without the endorsement of cards personally made by Wen Jiang, sales continued to soar.

At this critical juncture, something interesting happened.

An interview with the Great Emperor started circulating abroad.

This was a pre-competition team interview. The Great Emperor was participating in the competition, and it was typical to ask questions related to one’s own team, but an inquisitive journalist actually posed a different question.

"Are you aware of a player from Yunxia named Wen Jiang?"

Mengyin. Aordes was still very young. Apart from his unique strength, he also possessed a pair of gentle, gemstone-blue eyes. His looks were naturally astonishing, which was why he had captured the hearts of thousands of girls and remained the fans’ darling to this day. He was the dream lover of countless people.

Most expected him to either not answer or simply say he had never heard of her. This would not only embarrass the Yunxia People but also make it known that comparing a Yunxia player to the Great Emperor was an insult.

To everyone’s surprise, he nodded earnestly. "I’ve watched her match."

The journalist was dumbfounded. "What?!"

For a moment, even the basic standards of interviewing were nearly lost. The people surrounding them were shocked.

Someone quickly asked, "But she hasn’t participated in any S Rank competitions so far. Did you watch her A-Level match?"

An A-Level match, hardly worthy of an S Rank peak-level player’s attention.

The Great Emperor replied calmly, "I saw the match where her team fought with seven cards against nine. Even if it was A-Level, it was still thrilling. When I was in A-Level, I might not have done better than her. Given her excellence in A-Level, she will naturally be more formidable in S Rank. I am very much looking forward to facing this player."

Silence fell upon the scene.

The Great Emperor had said he might not have done better than her in A-Level, without demeaning or overly praising her. Yet, his words in themselves were an elevation of Wen Jiang.

This was hard for the proud Frost Moon People to accept. Why hadn’t they ever seen the Great Emperor praise other players from his own Empire before?

Of course, when the Great Emperor spoke like that, it was mostly foreigners and his own fans who were unhappy. For the Yunxia People, however, this was an unexpected delight. At least, receiving such recognition from a player of his caliber indirectly verified Wen Jiang’s abilities.

However, the Great Emperor’s fans within Yunxia became even more upset, engaging in yet another fierce verbal battle with Wen Jiang’s fans.

In such a competition, deciding who is number one was naturally an eternal topic.

Moreover, Wen Jiang was currently viewed by some as trying to undeservedly associate herself with the Great Emperor’s fame.

Today, there was a Mount Flower match against an unknown small association, so there was essentially no pressure. Wen Jiang arrived yawning.

She wasn’t being impolite; she simply hadn’t slept at all for a long time. It was a kind of mental fatigue. When Coach Guo Shu saw this, he asked with concern, "Didn’t you sleep last night?"

Wen Jiang smiled and remained silent.

It was more than just last night.

Her teammates weren’t as concerned. Song Yi, on the other hand, was almost impatient as he asked, "How’s your new card coming along? There are only three months left to submit it."

Wen Jiang said, "I have a feeling that every time I show up, you’re going to say the same line."

Song Yi: "..."

Who wouldn’t be anxious about that?

The international competition would officially start soon, and the Card Association would formally require all associations to hand in their cards. If Mount Flower couldn’t produce a new card by then, they’d have to use their old cards for the battles.

Wen Jiang replied perfunctorily, "I have some ideas."

Song Yi almost choked. You’ve been in seclusion for so long, and not only have you not started, but you’re just saying you have some ideas! Does no one in Mount Flower even try to manage her when she’s like this?!

Clearly, no one heard Song Yi’s inner shout. Instead, Du Zhaiyue looked at Wen Jiang with a gentle smile. "Wen Jiang, did you see Mengyin. Aordes’s interview? The one with the Great Emperor? He mentioned you, said he admires you."

No professional player here would feel anything but honored to be mentioned by the Great Emperor like that. Being acknowledged by a player who stood at the pinnacle of their field was a mark of honor and glory. To this day, the Great Emperor had only ever shown such regard for two players, and one of them was Wen Jiang.

Wen Jiang nodded. "I’ve heard about it."

The very day the interview was released, Zero Egg had frantically reminded Wen Jiang in her mind. Of course, unlike everyone else’s excitement, Zero Egg was particularly arrogant these days and commented: Who does he think he’s looking down on? When you get to the arena, aren’t you going to utterly demolish him?

Wen Jiang: ...

If this System had a physical form, it would have been beaten to death countless times by now.

"The Great Emperor actually watched your game," Song Yi commented sarcastically, a hint of jealousy in his tone. "When the competition comes and you face him, won’t our two associations’ viewership explode?"

He had always idolized the Great Emperor. So, for his idol to acknowledge another person’s strength while he himself didn’t even merit a mention—it was natural for Song Yi to feel a twinge of jealousy.

Suddenly, Wen Jiang reached out and patted Song Yi’s shoulder. "You can also bask in my reflected glory. That’s quite an honor for you."

Song Yi: "..."

You shameless thing, do you even know what you’re saying?!

Seeing Song Yi’s constipated expression, Song Jue couldn’t help but laugh and soothingly patted his younger brother’s head. He couldn’t win an argument against her, yet he still insisted on provoking her, only to get verbally thrashed.

Today’s match held no particular tension. The opposing team’s strength was simply too weak. It wasn’t an elimination round yet, but facing Mount Flower in their first game made the opponents look utterly dejected, merely hoping Mount Flower would go easy on them.

They won the match cleanly and decisively. Guo Shu announced with a smile that everyone would have dinner together before dispersing.

No one objected, and Wen Jiang naturally went along.

Sheng Hongying and Du Zhaiyue chatted and laughed ahead, while Song Jue and Song Yi discussed something in low voices. Wen Jiang followed leisurely behind them.

But on the way, a person with an ordinary and unremarkable appearance passed by them.

Suddenly, Zero Egg’s cold system warning sounded in Wen Jiang’s mind.

[You have been attacked by an unnamed grudge card]