Elite School

Upon entering his home, Zhou Ke immediately examined the note.

A rich perfume scent lingered faintly in the air.

His brow furrowed.

Zhou Ke was a magician, trained since childhood to slip objects onto others without detection.

But this time...

Someone had pulled the same trick on him!

That perfume—it had to belong to the woman in red.

Zhou Ke was certain she hadn’t gotten close to him.

As a seasoned magician, he never gave anyone the chance to approach unnoticed.

So... how had she done it?

How had she placed the note in his pocket without even touching him?

After a brief moment of thought, the answer came to him.

Perhaps... there was some supernatural ability that allowed instantaneous transfer of objects?

Supernatural abilities... He had one now too.

"The Divine Card—JOKER..."

He pulled out the playing card.

The original joker had transformed into another card—

The King of Clubs.

[What’s on your mind?]

A shrill voice suddenly rang out.

"Whoa, the card can talk?"

[Ah, no, I’m not the card. I’m the deity who bestowed the JOKER upon you! You can call me the ‘Joker God’!]

"What deity? This is the age of science and technology—we don’t believe in superstitions!"

[Ugh, you’re impossible. Typical transmigrator mindset.]

"Alright, bye then."

[Wait, wait! Don’t you want to know what this card does?]

"Go on, tell me."

[You heard it at the police station—every person with potential receives a ‘Divine Card’ from the gods when they turn 18!]

[And the Divine Card, the one in your hand, grants the power to wield supernatural abilities!]

[Each card has a unique power!]

[And JOKER can transform into any card—the one and only supreme Divine Card in the world!]

"Why give such a powerful card to me?"

[Well, let’s just say your vibe fits the ‘Joker’ perfectly!]

"Uh... care to elaborate?"

[Heh, now that your JOKER has become the King of Clubs, I look forward to seeing you use its power! Bye!]

With that, the shrill voice vanished.

No matter how much Zhou Ke called out, the Joker God didn’t respond.

"The King of Clubs..."

Zhou Ke quietly recalled its ability.

"Altering the probability of events?"

How did it work? Could it be used on anything?

If he bought a lottery ticket and set the odds of winning the jackpot to 100%, he’d be set for life!

Or was there a better opportunity to use this power?

But Zhou Ke remembered one more thing the Joker God had said:

[After using its power once, the card reverts to JOKER.]

The probability-altering ability could only be used once.

Zhou Ke decided not to waste it and carefully tucked the card away.

......

The next day.

Ding-dong—!

The doorbell jolted Zhou Ke awake.

He glanced at the clock—it was already morning. He’d slept through the night without realizing it.

After washing his face, he headed to the door.

Click.

Zhou Ke turned the knob.

At the sight of the graceful figure standing outside, he sighed.

"It is you."

The woman in red flashed a charming smile.

"Hey there, handsome. Got my note, didn’t you?"

Without waiting for a response, she strode inside, opened her LV bag, and dumped its contents onto the table.

Piles of crisp hundred-yuan bills.

Zhou Ke swallowed hard.

Orphaned at a young age, he’d scraped by performing magic tricks on the streets, never sure where his next meal would come from.

Lately, his magic livestreams had brought in enough to rent a small apartment.

But this much money? He’d never seen anything like it.

"Tell me this isn’t from yesterday’s magic show donations."

"Not donations, but they are all for you."

"Why give me money? You’re not trying to... sponsor me, are you?"

The woman chuckled.

"What nonsense. This is your scholarship."

"Scholarship?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself."

She handed him a business card.

"Chen Yun, professor at the Dragon Kingdom Noble School."

"Divine Card—Five of Diamonds."

She produced her own card—the Five of Diamonds.

Another Divine Card...

Zhou Ke hesitated.

"You’re... a supernatural too?"

"Supernatural?" She covered her mouth, amused. "What a strange term. Anyway, hurry—you’ll miss freshman orientation!"

"What orientation?"

"The Dragon Kingdom Noble School orientation! Today’s the first day!"

The Dragon Kingdom Noble School was the nation’s most prestigious institution.

Its alumni included top politicians, tycoons, and elites from every field.

Graduating from here guaranteed a six-figure salary, a beautiful spouse, and a life of success.

Zhou Ke had dreamed of attending.

But... the school only accepted nobles.

"Professor, I’m a commoner."

"I know. You’ve been granted an exception."

"Seriously?"

His dream was within reach, yet Zhou Ke hesitated.

Divine Cards... supernaturals... a noble school...

And this woman suddenly dragging him into it all.

Something was off.

He eyed the mountain of cash.

"So if I agree to enroll, all that money is mine?"

"Of course!"

Zhou Ke instantly declared:

"Professor, from today onward, I am your student!!"

Strange or not, who turns down free money?

Hesitating would be an insult to cash itself!

Only a fool says no to wealth!

"Then let’s get you enrolled!"

Professor Chen Yun added:

"Have you eaten? Orientation starts at 8 AM."

"Wait... what time?"

"8 AM."

Zhou Ke pointed at the wall clock. "But it’s already 7:55!"

The Dragon Kingdom Noble School was in the city center, at least an hour away by taxi.

"Oh, that’s no problem. We’re not walking there."

Holding her Divine Card in one hand, she extended her other arm. "Hold on tight!"

"To what?"

"Just link arms with me."

Skeptical, Zhou Ke rested his hand on her arm.

Chen Yun closed her eyes, murmuring over her Five of Diamonds:

"[Diamonds] shape reality, [Five] charts the path."

Diamonds... what? Five what now? Another weird rhyme?

Suddenly, Zhou Ke felt himself squeezed into an impossibly tight space.

His entire body contorted, the pressure making it hard to breathe.

Then—

Fresh air flooded his lungs.

Blinking, he looked around.

?

His shabby apartment was gone.

Instead, he stood before—

A magnificent school gate.

Emblazoned above it in bold characters:

Divine Card Academy.

Ahead, a sea of people bustled.

"The Dragon Kingdom Noble School is also known as the 'Divine Card Academy' where we're from."

"Just now, I used my divine card to teleport here directly."

Zhou Ke snapped out of his daze: "So, that little note in my pocket—was that also your doing? Did you use some kind of ability to send it there?"

Professor Chen Yun replied as if praising a child: "Very clever!"

She glanced at her phone:

"Oh, I forgot to mention—to enroll, you’ll need to pass three rounds of entrance tests."

"But I believe in you. With your abilities, clearing these tests shouldn’t be a problem."

"I have other work to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now!"

With that, the young female professor vanished in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Ke was speechless.

She became a professor at such a young age, yet she seemed anything but serious. Not exactly the most reliable impression.

He sighed and looked ahead.

At the front, an upperclassman was calling out, "New students, please line up in an orderly manner for the first round of entrance testing!"

Zhou Ke stepped forward and joined the end of the line.

His heart pounded with uncertainty. This was a noble school—could someone like him, an ordinary commoner, really pass the tests and enter the Dragon Kingdom’s most prestigious academy?

"Hey, you a new student too?" someone ahead suddenly struck up a conversation.