There is an expert

The morning's incident was just another minor episode.

Su Qi hadn't left the house just to grab a meal.

His ultimate destination was the Cardholder Association in Jiangxia City.

First, he needed to register his recent promotion to the sixth rank.

Otherwise, people might suspect he was "harboring ill intentions."

Hah, just kidding—the world wasn’t that dark yet.

The main reason was that starting from the sixth rank, cardholders could claim a free advancement reward from the Association with each promotion.

The rewards varied in value, entirely dependent on individual capability.

But to put it bluntly:

A standard sixth-rank card?

Market reference price: 100K.

For a rare card? You couldn’t get your hands on one for less than 500K.

No wonder people called it a "whale’s profession."

For an average family, the sixth rank was pretty much the ceiling for a cardholder’s journey.

Second, this place had plenty of little loli—

Er, no, short girls.

Finding one under 160cm wouldn’t be hard at all.

He just needed to casually encounter one facing some difficulty, offer guidance, and then ask for her contact info. That should count as completing the mission.

The lobby bustled with cardholders handling various tasks.

Su Qi approached the front desk and said, "Hello, I’m here to register my sixth-rank promotion."

The staff member glanced up, surprise flickering in their eyes at his youthful appearance. "Sixth rank? One moment, please. Provide your cardholder ID, and I’ll check for you."

Su Qi nodded and recited his number.

Soon after, the staff handed him a form. "Please fill in the required details, then proceed to the third floor for your advancement test."

Su Qi took the form, quickly completed it, and headed upstairs via the elevator.

The test itself was straightforward—just a specialized device to measure soul energy.

The real hassle was the "advancement reward."

As the saying went, the free stuff was always the most expensive.

...

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps out of the elevator before the cacophony nearly overwhelmed him.

Most of it had nothing to do with him.

But a small portion...

"Wow, check it out! A hottie just walked in!"

"He’s even more dreamy than that middle-parted guy from yesterday!"

"I wonder if he has a boyfriend. Ugh, my heart’s racing!"

"A boyfriend?"

"Yeah, the harder they are to get, the hotter they are."

Su Qi wasn’t exactly comfortable being the center of attention. He briskly made his way toward the northernmost area.

This was the top floor of the Cardholder Association.

The card ranking system had been mentioned before:

Common, Fine, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, Origin.

An Origin card wasn’t necessarily stronger than a Mythic one.

But it was guaranteed to be unique.

The Jiangxia branch had one such ten-star special Origin card—their treasure.

[The Nameless Preacher]

This card had zero combat power. In fact, it only had one skill:

Creating a unique field that boosted cultivation speed by 10% for anyone below the ninth rank.

Most people on the sixteenth floor were here for this card.

The literal definition of "pay-to-win tutoring."

Of course, while others might consider this 10% boost priceless, to Su Qi, it was whatever.

He wasn’t interested.

He was only here because the Association’s card vault was also on the sixteenth floor.

Blind-draw a card.

Grab it and leave.

Weaving through the crowd, Su Qi stopped before a metallic platform.

Before him hovered an inverted metallic structure—like an upside-down pyramid.

It stood about ten meters wide and tall, its massive size necessitating its placement on the top floor.

But this also meant the high ceiling allowed for multiple smaller platforms, accommodating more cultivators.

Su Qi extended his right hand, holding it a palm’s width away from the floating metal, then closed his eyes to focus.

With just the slightest brush of his mental energy, he sensed a surge of power.

Most people would meticulously analyze the card’s type or energy fluctuations through spiritual perception, carefully selecting their prize.

There was even a somewhat mystical "gacha guide" circulating.

But to Su Qi, it made no difference.

None of these could compare to what he could make himself. He’d just sell whatever he got anyway.

500K? Small profit. 100K? Still no loss.

Before him, tiny golden specks of light began gathering.

...

Yet, on the other side of the pyramid—

A flash of astonishment crossed Yun Huang’s icy gaze.

What kind of technique was this?

The card she had nearly finished materializing had been snatched away in an utterly domineering, unreasonable manner. Even the golden light had dissipated, severing all connection to her.

This could only mean one thing.

On the opposite side—

There was an expert.