Xiao Su, want to learn card making I can teach you.

Su Qi nodded, waiting quietly for what would come next.

The old man asked, "What kind of room are you looking for?"

"A single room, preferably quiet, with a private bathroom. I’ll mostly be living alone, though my younger sister might visit occasionally on weekends."

Su Qi laid out his requirements.

After listening, the old man fell silent for a moment, gently fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

"There’s an empty south-facing room on the third floor, about forty square meters, with a private bathroom. The window overlooks this bamboo grove—very peaceful."

Su Qi’s interest was piqued.

The conditions sounded almost too good to be true.

"How much is the rent?" Su Qi asked.

The old man held up three fingers.

"A thousand a month, utilities and internet included. No deposit, no long-term commitment. You can leave anytime, just let me know on the day you go."

"It’s all about fate."

Su Qi was slightly surprised.

Was he really prioritizing fate over money?

At this price, in this location—especially with a private bathroom and such tranquility—it was practically unheard of.

"Can I see the room first?"

"Of course." The old man stood and led Su Qi upstairs.

The wooden stairs on the second floor creaked softly underfoot, but the sound wasn’t unpleasant. Instead, it carried a sense of time-worn charm.

The room was indeed south-facing. When Su Qi opened the window, a lush bamboo grove greeted him, its leaves rustling in the breeze.

Inside, the furnishings were simple: a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a chair.

The walls were plain white, the floor covered in light-colored wood, impeccably clean.

The private bathroom was compact but well-equipped, with a separate shower area.

Su Qi was more than satisfied.

This was even better than he’d imagined.

Quiet, private, and not too far from the academy—just a fifteen-minute walk.

"What do you think?" the old man asked.

Su Qi nodded. "I’ll take it."

A faint smile appeared on the old man’s face. "My surname is Feng. You can call me Elder Feng."

"Nice to meet you, Elder Feng. I’m Su Qi."

They quickly signed a simple rental agreement, and Su Qi transferred the payment on the spot.

Elder Feng handed him the keys and went over a few rules: no loud noises at night, keeping the courtyard clean, and avoiding conflicts with other tenants.

Su Qi agreed to everything.

With his living arrangements settled, Su Qi was in high spirits.

He took out his phone and sent Liu Yuan a message, letting her know he’d found a place so she could focus on settling into her dorm.

Liu Yuan replied almost immediately with a cheerful sticker and the words, "You’re the best, big bro!"

After saying goodbye to Elder Feng, Su Qi headed out to buy some daily necessities before returning to spruce up his new home.

As he stepped out of the small courtyard marked with a wooden sign reading "Fate’s Abode," Su Qi glanced back, lost in thought.

Elder Feng seemed like an ordinary old man.

But owning such a serene property near the Magical Card Academy and renting it out at such a casual price—he was probably no ordinary person.

Still, that wasn’t Su Qi’s concern.

He was just a tenant. As long as he lived comfortably, nothing else mattered.

Shaking off his thoughts, Su Qi strode toward the commercial district.

The shopping street wasn’t far. After stocking up on essentials, he returned to the courtyard, carrying a bag of supplies.

The gate was slightly ajar. Pushing it open, he paused mid-step.

Elder Feng was still seated in his bamboo chair, but the palm-leaf fan lay beside him, and his hands were no longer empty.

Beside him, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, was a young girl.

She looked about eighteen, dressed in a simple light-blue dress, her long hair tied back into a ponytail with a plain hairband.

Perched on a small bamboo stool, she leaned slightly forward, her bright eyes fixed intently on the stone table in front of Elder Feng.

Just as Su Qi was about to greet them, the girl—as if sensing his presence—whirled around.

Spotting Su Qi, she blinked in surprise, then quickly pressed a pale finger to her lips in a "shush" gesture.

Understanding, Su Qi treaded lightly as he approached.

The girl had been blocking his view, but now he could see what Elder Feng was doing.

On the stone table lay an assortment of items: several crystals of varying colors, a small vial of shimmering liquid, a few slender metal engraving needles, and a blank card no larger than a palm.

Elder Feng, his expression stern and focused—a stark contrast to his earlier leisurely demeanor—held the finest needle in his right hand while his left steadied the blank card.

With steady precision, the needle traced intricate patterns across the card’s surface, leaving behind a network of delicate, complex lines.

There was no sound, no outward surge of energy—just an almost palpable concentration.

Elder Feng was crafting a magical card!

Setting aside his own unconventional methods, Su Qi knew a thing or two about card-making, but his knowledge was cobbled together from black-market materials and self-taught experimentation—completely unrefined.

This was his first time witnessing a formally trained, tradition-steeped card artisan at work.

Elder Feng’s technique was leagues beyond his own crude attempts.

Su Qi’s gaze lingered on the materials.

The crystals, though unnamed, were pristine, their inner glow hinting at extraordinary quality.

The shimmering liquid emitted an indescribable, refreshing fragrance—just a whiff sharpened the mind.

These were undoubtedly high-grade, expensive components.

As for the patterns Elder Feng was engraving, even this small glimpse revealed a complexity far beyond Su Qi’s current understanding.

Every stroke followed an esoteric logic, interconnecting to form miniature card circuits.

Su Qi could sense it—a faint but growing "presence" coalescing on the card, like an invisible vortex drawing in ambient energy.

This card’s rank had to be impressive.

Though his skills were lacking, Su Qi’s discernment wasn’t.

At his current level, he couldn’t hope to craft something requiring such precision and premium materials.

Unless, of course, he cheated.

Beside him, the girl was equally engrossed, her lips slightly parted as if mesmerized by Elder Feng’s work.

Sunlight cast delicate shadows across her lashes.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

The courtyard was silent save for the bamboo leaves whispering in the wind and the nearly imperceptible scrape of the engraving needle against the card.

For an amateur like Su Qi, this was a rare opportunity.

He committed every movement, every detail to memory.

Even if much of it eluded his comprehension, there was no harm in storing it away for later.

Perhaps in the future, these fragmented memories could be pieced together, giving him a deeper understanding of card crafting.

But as time passed,

Beads of sweat formed on Elder Feng's forehead, yet his hand holding the engraving needle remained as steady as a rock.

His breathing fell into a rhythmic pattern, as if merging with the "potential" of the card in his hand.

Finally, when the last stroke of the pattern was completed, Elder Feng let out a long exhale.

He set down the engraving needle, picked up a small bottle of faintly glowing liquid beside him, and dipped a slender jade rod into it. Carefully, he applied a drop onto the card's circuit.

"Hum—"

A soft resonance emanated from the card.

A faint golden radiance, visible to the naked eye, flowed across the card's surface, illuminating the intricate patterns one by one before converging at the center to form a complete image.

The glow flickered and faded, leaving the card calm once more—but its surface was no longer blank. Instead, it now bore a lifelike illustration: an orchid bathed in moonlight.

Success!

Su Qi didn’t know exactly what kind of card this was, but the phenomenon at the moment of completion and the subtle energy waves emanating from it suggested it was at least an eighth-tier card, if not higher.

So this was Magic City?

Truly, a place where dragons and tigers hid among the ordinary.

"Wow!"

The girl beside him couldn’t hold back a soft gasp, her eyes sparkling with admiration as she stared at the card on the stone table.

Elder Feng picked up the card, examined it for a moment, and smiled faintly in satisfaction.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he finally noticed Su Qi standing nearby.

"Ah, Su Qi, you're back," Elder Feng said, his voice carrying a trace of fatigue but his spirits high. "You’ve bought quite a lot."

"Yes, Elder Feng," Su Qi replied, snapping out of his daze and shaking the shopping bags in his hand sheepishly. "I hope I didn’t disturb you."

"Not at all, not at all." Elder Feng waved a hand dismissively before handing the card to the girl beside him. "Take this back to your father. Consider the favor repaid."

The girl cheered softly, accepting the card with reverence, turning it over in her hands as if it were a priceless treasure.

"Thank you, Grandpa Feng!" Her voice was clear and sweet, like an oriole singing in a valley.

Then, cheeks slightly flushed, she gave Su Qi a shy nod in greeting.

Su Qi returned the smile.

"This is Lin Qianqian, the granddaughter of an old friend of mine. She’s also a tenant here," Elder Feng introduced. "Qianqian, this is Su Qi, a new tenant—and like you, a student at the Magic Card Academy."

"Hello," Lin Qianqian chirped, her large eyes studying Su Qi curiously.

"Hello," Su Qi replied casually.

"You should go unpack. You’ve been standing here for a while," Elder Feng said to Su Qi.

Su Qi nodded.

Just as he was about to leave, Elder Feng suddenly spoke again.

"Su Qi, you’ve been watching for so long—are you interested in learning card crafting?"

Su Qi: "..."

Watching out of curiosity was one thing.

Actually learning it? Absolutely unnecessary.

No matter how impressive Elder Feng’s skills were, they couldn’t compare to his own ability to create cards with a single thought.

Still, not wanting to seem ungrateful, Su Qi decided to be polite. "Not for now. My focus is limited."

To his surprise, Elder Feng nodded approvingly.

"Good. It’s rare to see someone so grounded these days."

"Mastering my techniques would take you at least twenty years."

"You’re absolutely right..."

"Excellent, excellent. I knew I wasn’t mistaken about you. Humility is rare in young people nowadays."

"I’ll teach you card crafting when the opportunity arises."

...

Su Qi soon disappeared around the bend of the bamboo-lined path, shopping bags in hand.

The courtyard was now quiet, save for Elder Feng and Lin Qianqian.

A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves once more.

Lin Qianqian withdrew her gaze from Su Qi’s retreating figure, her bright eyes now tinged with confusion.

She held the newly crafted Moonlit Orchid Card, its surface still shimmering with residual moonlight.

"Grandpa Feng."

"Hmm?" Elder Feng took a sip of tea from the stone table, his expression relaxed.

"Why… did you rent the room here to him?" Lin Qianqian hesitated before voicing her question.

Elder Feng’s courtyard was no ordinary place.

Tranquil and rich in source energy, it was a coveted spot for Magic Card Academy students—ideal for both cultivation and card crafting.

Though Elder Feng claimed "fate decides," in truth, only true prodigies or those with extraordinary talents were allowed to stay.

Elder Feng set down his teacup, the soft clink echoing faintly.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his aged eyes lingered in the direction Su Qi had gone.

"Qianqian," he said, his voice carrying a note of contemplation. "What do you think of Su Qi?"

Lin Qianqian tilted her head, thinking carefully. "He seems… pretty ordinary? Like he doesn’t really care about anything."

Aside from being somewhat handsome, Su Qi appeared completely unremarkable.

The only unusual thing was how he’d refused Elder Feng’s offer to teach him card crafting—an opportunity countless people in Magic City would kill for.

Maybe he just didn’t know who Elder Feng really was.

Ignorance breeds boldness.

"Ordinary?" Elder Feng chuckled. "Sometimes, what the eyes see isn’t the whole truth."

He paused, choosing his words carefully.

"That Su Qi… is far from simple."

Lin Qianqian blinked, curiosity growing. "Grandpa Feng, what did you notice?"

Elder Feng sighed, the sound carrying a hint of solemnity.

"I’ve spent my whole life crafting cards, working with all kinds of materials and energies."

"My senses are sharper than most when it comes to certain… 'scents.'"

He tapped a gnarled finger on the leftover materials scattered across the table.

"That young man carries traces of something… extraordinary."

Lin Qianqian’s breath hitched.

She knew that if Elder Feng described something as "extraordinary," it was anything but ordinary.

"What is it?" she pressed, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Blood."

"Eighth-tier—possibly even ninth-tier—Source Realm beast blood."

"And not just splattered on him from a fight."

"He slaughtered them himself."

Lin Qianqian’s lips parted in pure shock.

Eighth-tier Source Realm beasts?

Even ninth-tier?

What did that even mean?

At Su Qi’s age, in Magic City, reaching seventh-tier alone would earn him the title of elite.

Eighth-tier was the mark of a pillar of strength, a future powerhouse.

Ninth-tier? Those were legends in the making, names destined for history.

And Source Realm beasts were notoriously fiercer and deadlier than card masters of the same tier.

She had sensed Su Qi’s energy fluctuations—he was undoubtedly seventh-tier.

A seventh-tier, having fought and killed a ninth-tier Source Realm beast—and surviving after injuring it?

Lin Qianqian couldn’t even imagine it. The thought was too bloody, too impossible.

Had he been part of a hunting party?

Even so, it was utterly shocking.

"Elder Feng, are... are you certain?"

Elder Feng nodded slowly, his expression grave. "And it's not old blood—it's fresh, mixed with several different kinds."

"This means, for him, such things may not be accidental."

Lin Qianqian felt a sharp buzz in her head.

She looked again in the direction Su Qi had left. That once "ordinary" figure in her eyes now carried an aura of mystery and danger.

For someone like him, it made sense that he had no immediate interest in card crafting, a skill requiring years of meticulous refinement.

His energy was likely devoted to something far more direct and brutal—combat and self-improvement.

"Just this alone makes him worthy of staying here."

"In this world, there are always monsters who defy common sense."

Elder Feng lifted his teacup and took another sip.

"This old man just wants to see how far a young man like him can go."