After arranging to team up with Fan Huai next time, Jiang Ming lay down beside the tree roots, thinking about how to treat his injuries.
While spending some attribute points had eased the pain a bit, his chest still ached so badly it was difficult to move.
Recalling the appearance of the chest band he had seen before, he picked a few strands of grass like the ones he had used earlier to wrap his palms. Following the same method, he fashioned a makeshift chest strap to stabilize his ribs and prevent any fractures from shifting.
Then Jiang Ming pushed forward, continuing his journey toward the vegetation zone.
He couldn't wait to unlock the skills of Mountain and Seas.
Whether it was what he had seen on the Internet or what Fan Huai had just shared, everyone's destiny card seemed to grant them extraordinary abilities. Jiang Ming, however, had nothing except a strengthened physical body.
So he was filled with anticipation—eager to discover what kind of powers the mythical beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas could bring him.
After all, even though Mountain and Seas only required 20 spiritual points to activate, it was still recorded as an incredibly powerful creature in legend.
Standing at the edge of the vegetation zone, Jiang Ming took a deep breath to brace himself against the pain in his chest before stepping inside.
The place where he had fought the two-headed snake was now eerily quiet. Not even a bone remained. Only the bloodstains on the ground hinted that a violent battle had taken place.
Suddenly, the grass nearby rustled.
Jiang Ming's eyes narrowed, and he immediately gave chase, thinking it might be a Sharp-Toothed Rabbit coming to scavenge.
Just as he raised his stick to strike, the system prompt chimed in.
"This instance is over. Thank you for playing. See you next time~"
His eyes opened. He was back in the familiar room.
The clock still read just past midnight.
"What a pity," Jiang Ming muttered.
"One more round and I could've unlocked the skill."
He stood up and returned the knife to its place beside his bed. Even though weapons couldn't be brought into the game, he never let the blade stray too far—just in case.
Afterward, he opened the forum to see if there were any new posts or discussions about the instance he had just finished.
As usual, the top posts were all about flashy powers and awakened abilities.
Suddenly, a notification appeared.
It was a message from the class group chat.
"Students, please arrive at school on time tomorrow morning. Federation personnel will provide an official briefing regarding the game. Be cautious on your way to school."
Jiang Ming switched off his phone and went to sleep.
It seemed the Federation was finally ready to manage this influx of student card masters.
The next morning, Jiang Ming arrived at school.
Usually one of the earliest to show up, he found that today he was unusually late. More than half the class was already seated, loudly chattering and comparing experiences.
As soon as he entered, many heads turned.
Over the past few days, most students had flaunted their new abilities in the class group chat. Only a few had remained silent.
And Jiang Ming, being the top student, naturally drew a lot of attention.
Class monitor Lan Fangyu's eyes lit up as he walked over.
"Top student! What quality is your destiny card?" he asked with a smile.
"Ordinary," Jiang Ming replied with a yawn, his voice calm and unbothered.
Looks like I really need to adjust my sleep schedule. No one can keep going like this every night.
Lan Fangyu's grin widened. With a casual flourish, he summoned a card between his fingers. "Mine's rare quality. Honestly feels a bit low."
"Oh."
Jiang Ming gave a simple reply and walked back to his seat without any change in expression.
Seeing how disinterested Jiang Ming was, Lan Fangyu shrugged in disappointment and returned to his small circle of friends to continue the discussion.
After briefly resting his eyes, the school bell rang.
Fan Huai arrived shortly after, dropping his schoolbag onto his desk. He leaned over and asked in a hushed tone, "Brother Ming, do you know what happened at midnight?"
"What do you mean?"
Fan Huai glanced around, making sure no one else was listening. He whispered, "You were right. The pet shop owner next to our building... he had a power. He could turn pets into corpses. The Federation came in the middle of the night and confiscated everything."
Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow. "How did you find out?"
"My mom spoke with the shopkeeper's wife. Apparently, the guy got shot by the police."
Jiang Ming frowned. "Did he hurt someone?"
"No idea," Fan Huai said, shaking his head. "But your guess was spot on."
At that moment, the classroom door creaked open, cutting off the conversation as the room quieted down.
The head teacher walked in, followed by a man in a long windbreaker.
"Everyone, settle down," the teacher said.
Once silence fell over the room, the man in the windbreaker strode up to the podium, his expression unreadable.
"Hello," he said in a low voice. "I'm Xie Jun, from the Card Master Administration."
"I know all of you have a lot of questions, but we'll get to them. Let me begin with two announcements."
His expression was as cold as steel, making everyone feel a wave of pressure that kept them silent.
"First: Superpowers are not to be abused in real life. Especially not for illegal acts. The Federation will soon establish a department specifically to deal with criminal card masters. If that day comes, I hope I won't be the one coming after you."
His gaze swept across the classroom like a blade before he continued.
"Second: Take out your phones and download an app called 'Card Master'. It's official software developed by the Federation. You'll need to register."
Jiang Ming pulled out his phone, typed in the name, and saw the app appear at the top of the results.
After downloading, he began the registration process.
Name, ID number, home address—all basic info.
Next came details about the card master: Destiny card name and card quality.
Jiang Ming looked up. He noticed several classmates hesitating, clearly uncertain whether to fill in the real data.
Xie Jun also noticed the hesitation. He casually unscrewed the lid of his thermos and took a sip before speaking again.
"If you don't want to fill in the card master section, leave it blank. The Federation isn't interested in geniuses who choose to hide themselves."
At those words, everyone quickly lowered their heads and began filling out the form in silence.
Jiang Ming didn't mind. His current Mountain and Seas card really was of ordinary quality.
As he submitted the form, Fan Huai leaned over.
"Brother Ming, are you really ordinary quality?"
Jiang Ming rolled his eyes. "Why would I lie to you?"
Fan Huai suddenly looked at him with determination. "It's fine. I'll protect you from now on."
Jiang Ming's lips twitched as he pushed Fan Huai's face away.
"Protect yourself first, idiot."
Once the forms were mostly filled, Xie Jun stood again, closing his thermos.
"Now, if you have questions, ask."
Lan Fangyu immediately raised his hand. "Sir, can the destiny card be upgraded?"
"I don't know," Xie Jun replied instantly. "I've played the same amount of time as you. Next question."
"Sir, what do material cards do?"
The student must have killed a monster and gotten one as a drop. Jiang Ming had two himself and leaned forward with interest.
Xie Jun scratched his chin and said, "We believe material cards are for crafting other cards, possibly similar to destiny cards."
"They may go into the three empty card slots on your panel, but the game hasn't released official information yet. My advice? Don't use them until we know more."
"Are there levels in the game?"
"So far, we only know of the Apprentice level."
"Can monsters be brought out of the instance?"
"I wouldn't count on it," Xie Jun replied. "Besides, you don't want to. Those creatures aren't meant to coexist with humans."
The questions eventually ran out, and Xie Jun left.
The head teacher closed the door behind him, then dragged a chair to the front and sat down, so everyone could see him.
"So," he said with a grin, "how does it feel to have superpowers?"
"Not real."
"Feels like a dream."
"Awesome!"
"Too cool!"
The teacher raised a hand to calm them down. His expression turned serious.
"Let me add to what the official just said."
He paused, letting the room quiet.
"We don't know how the world will evolve, but one thing is certain: as long as we live in a society built by people, there will be order. There will be laws."
"I hope none of you let power cloud your morals or drown your sense of right and wrong."