The viewing area next to the examiners’ podium had long since descended into chaos.

Teacher Chen’s gaze was fixed intently on the battlefield screen; his Adam’s apple bobbed repeatedly, yet he couldn’t utter a single word.

Teacher Zhang paced back and forth beside him, muttering to himself, his tone brimming with frustration at someone’s failure to live up to expectations: “He’s gone mad! This is madness! The Yuan side represents the legitimate line! Arluwen is a Blue Card General! Just look at how high his personal guard’s starting stats are—not to mention the protection of his destiny! And yet, he insists on jumping into the fiery pit of the Red Turban Rebellion! Guo Zixing can barely save himself right now; once his negative trait, 【Arrogant and Suspicious】, triggers, it’s doubtful his personal guard will even survive the day!”

Teacher Wang, who was in charge of scoring, also furrowed his brow.

“The core card ‘Red Turban Guard · Zhu Yuanzhang’ is at 32% health and still dropping! Those elite Yuan infantrymen were personally handpicked by Arluwen—all peak White Cards. With the formation bonus, their attack power is 15% higher than that of ordinary Yuan soldiers! The two warriors the Red Turban Army sent to protect him have already fled—he’s fighting completely on his own now!”

“A purple talent is great, but you can’t gamble like this! Choosing the Yuan Court would at least have preserved the card, allowing you to develop it gradually—it might still become a force to be reckoned with in the future.”

“Choosing the Red Turban? Isn’t that just sending a talented student straight to their death?”

“Exactly! Look at those candidates who chose the Yuan Court—aren’t they all securing resources without a hitch? That guy in Class 1 who activated the ‘Courier’ card is now tagging along with the Yuan Army’s courier corps to get supplies. His card levels up steadily—how reliable is that!”

The atmosphere in the VIP section, however, was completely different.

The students from the Theological Seminary, who had been discussing how Li Shi’an was “asking for trouble,” were now plunged into an eerie silence.

The young man wearing thin-rimmed glasses pushed his lenses up his nose, his tone tinged with confusion: “That’s not right… Look at Zhu Yuanzhang’s reaction! When he faced the Yuan Court option, his card emitted repulsive energy fluctuations. It wasn’t Li Shi’an forcibly suppressing it—the card itself was resisting.”

These words were like a pebble tossed into a calm lake, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.

Even the few students who had previously mocked Li Shi’an gathered around, staring at the virtual image of Zhu Yuanzhang’s card on the light screen.

As the interweaving gold and crimson light approached the deep black option, its edges clearly rippled with subtle ripples, as if shunning some kind of impurity; yet when the crimson option lit up, the light actively moved toward it, merging with it with remarkable ease.

Sui Yang finally straightened up from his leaning posture, his eyes sparkling with unconcealed excitement; the aloofness he’d shown earlier had completely vanished. He raised his hand to cut off the others’ chatter.

“It wasn’t Li Shi’an’s choice. This card chose on its own.”

The man in glasses looked up abruptly. “Captain, are you saying… that a low-tier card can develop its own faction preference? That’s impossible! The textbook says that only intelligent cards at the Purple level or higher can develop self-awareness. Character cards that upgrade from White to Green can only exhibit instinctive reactions at most!”

Sui Yang let out a cold laugh, pointing his finger at the young man on the projection screen who was dodging General Yuan’s spear and slashing back with a reverse strike.

“What kind of instinctive reaction have you ever seen that can precisely reject the recruitment offer of a Blue-card general and choose a rebel faction on the brink of annihilation? This isn’t instinct—it’s a ‘will’ imprinted deep within the card’s core. It’s very likely the will of the historical figure ‘Zhu Yuanzhang.’”

He paused, his tone becoming incredibly solemn.

“Do you remember what the ancient texts say? True high-star historical figure cards exhibit a ‘tendency to follow their historical path’ even at lower tiers. They aren’t tempted by short-term gains; they simply follow their own historical trajectory. This ability to independently choose a faction speaks volumes—far more than any potential rating ever could. This card’s ceiling is definitely not just a Purple Talent!”

As Sui Yang spoke, he quickly pulled his communication card ring from his pocket and dialed a number.

As soon as the call connected, his usually gentle tone instantly turned urgent, even tinged with a rare sense of excitement.

“Director Wei! It’s Sui Yang! I’m at the Seventh High School joint practical exam site!”

A steady male voice came from the other end of the line: “Sui Yang? Isn’t the joint exam still in progress? Has something happened?”

Sui Yang’s voice betrayed his excitement. “I’ve discovered a prospect with exceptional potential. Although he only has a purple-tier talent, he’s awakened a growth-type character card—‘Zhu Yuanzhang.’ Just now, during the dual-faction selection, the card independently rejected the imperial court’s blue-card general’s recruitment offer and chose the opposing side.”

“Choose a faction on their own?” Director Wei’s voice rose sharply, filled with disbelief and surprise. “Sui Yang, are you sure? For a low-tier card to choose a faction? That’s a trait reserved for cards with at least orange-tier potential! Could you have misread it?”

“Absolutely no mistake!” Sui Yang’s gaze was fixed intently on the figure of Zhu Yuanzhang on the light screen. “I’ve felt something was off about this card ever since its awakening. The card was obtained by this examinee through a targeted search of the White Card pool. Later, it triggered a unique event in the White Card-level scenario card ‘Turbulent Times,’ upgrading it to a Green Card, and it was also bound to a Building Card. During the faction selection just now, I saw with my own eyes that the card’s energy exhibited a repulsive reaction toward the Yuan Dynasty option—that’s a clear-cut case of ‘Trajectory Bias’!”

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line, followed by Director Wei’s voice.

“I understand. Stay calm for now. I’ll request the Dean to activate the contingency plan and get back to you within half an hour at the latest. Remember, closely monitor his performance and collect all relevant data. If this card truly has the potential to become an orange card, our seminary’s enrollment this year will be a real stroke of luck!”

After hanging up, a fine sheen of sweat had already broken out on Sui Yang’s palms.

He looked up, his eyes fixed on the light screen with burning anticipation.

At that moment, the “Huaiyou Smoke of War” scenario on the battlefield screen was in the midst of a brutal, life-and-death struggle.

No sooner had Zhu Yuanzhang dodged an oncoming spear thrust with a clumsy roll than his back was slashed by another Yuan army scimitar, leaving a gash deep enough to expose the bone.

His pale green health bar instantly dropped from 32% to 25%, and blood trickled down his spine, pooling on the ground into a small puddle of dark red on the ground.

“You brat! Die!” The Yuan soldier who had swung the scimitar grinned savagely as he raised his blade to strike again. Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth, braced himself with one hand on the ground, and struggled to his feet.

Only half of his battle sword remained in his hand, but his gaze remained sharp as he fixed it intently on the Yuan soldier before him, showing not the slightest sign of retreat.

“Protect Brother Zhu!” Guo Zixing, in the center of the battlefield, roared in panic upon seeing this.

He was currently locked in combat with Arluwen and couldn’t break free, so he could only order the few remaining personal guards by his side to charge forward to provide support.

But the Yuan army’s formation was far too tight; the bodyguards had barely taken a few steps before they were blocked by several spears and caught up in close combat, making it impossible for them to get anywhere near Zhu Yuanzhang.

Hao Yun, standing outside the platform, was so frantic she was on the verge of tears.

Her inner energy had long since been depleted; earlier, in order to maintain 1% of Zhu Yuanzhang’s health, she had already squeezed out the very last shred of potential from the depths of her soul; now she could only watch helplessly as Zhu Yuanzhang struggled under the Yuan soldiers’ blades, unable to offer even the slightest assistance.

She clutched He Bieshan’s arm tightly, her voice choked with tears: “Bieshan! What should we do?”

He Bieshan’s expression was even more grim than Hao Yun’s.

He looked at the blood-soaked figure on the light screen, then glanced down at the faintly glowing 【Basic Forging】 card in his hand, feeling both anxious and ashamed.

His card belonged to the Life Skills category; back in the “Turbulent Times” scenario, he’d only been able to help make a rickety bowl, and now, on the battlefield, he lacked even the slightest combat effectiveness.

He could conjure an energy hammer, yet it couldn’t even break through the Yuan Army’s leather armor; he wanted to help repair weapons, but there simply wasn’t a stable forging environment on the battlefield.

Just then, Zhu Yuanzhang on the light screen suddenly moved.

He violently hurled the half-broken battle sword in his hand; though it didn’t injure the Yuan soldier, it forced the man to instinctively raise his arm to block. Seizing this opening, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly looked in the direction of He Bieshan, a hint of inexplicable certainty in his eyes.

The next second, an astonishing scene unfolded.

The crimson halo of “Red Turban Aspiration” surrounding Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly expanded, no longer confined to his own body, but surging like a tide toward the edge of the platform, eventually settling firmly over He Bieshan!

As the halo touched He Bieshan, the 【Basic Forging】card in his hand suddenly burst into a blinding green light, and the faint image of a forging hammer on the card’s surface began to flicker violently.

【Special Event Chain Triggered: Rapid Battlefield Forging · Soldiers and Armor Interdependent!】

【Detected that the key figure ‘Red Turban Guard · Zhu Yuanzhang’ shares the ‘Red Turban Aspiration’ morale bonus (Attack Power +8%, +5% bonus damage against Yuan forces)!】

【Detected that the support character ‘He Bieshan’ possesses the Life/Crafting card 【Basic Forging】 (Low-grade Green Card), which aligns with ‘Battlefield Armor and Weapon Needs’!】

【Triggered Temporary Bond: Soldiers and Armor Interdependent!】

【Effect 1: He Bieshan’s forging efficiency increases by 50%, and he can directly absorb battlefield energy to create a “Temporary Forge” (requires no physical materials; can be activated by consuming a small amount of card energy)!】

【Triggered He Bieshan’s card upgrade quest: Battlefield Rapid Crafting · Spear Through the Enemy!】

【Quest Objective: Within 1 minute, use the “Temporary Forge” to craft 10 White Card-tier simple spears and equip them to the Refugee Squad!】

【Quest Reward: 【Basic Forging】 (Low-grade Green Card) is upgraded to 【Battlefield Forging: Basic】 (Mid-grade Green Card), unlocking the active skill “Quick-Forge Spear” and the passive skill “Armor Repair”!】

A series of beeps exploded in He Bieshan’s mind, leaving him completely dazed.

“Bieshan! Hurry! Activate the makeshift forge!” Li Shi’an’s voice suddenly rang out from beside him, tinged with urgency. “The Red Turban Army doesn’t have any decent weapons right now—they can’t possibly hold off the Yuan army! You’re the only one who can help them!”

He Bieshan snapped back to his senses; his earlier despondency was instantly replaced by a fierce fighting spirit. He took a deep breath, focused all his attention, and channeled the small amount of Card Energy that had recovered within him.

Empowered by the “Soldier and Armor Interdependent” bond, he could clearly feel the energy permeating the surrounding air converging upon him, coalescing before him into a translucent phantom image of a forging furnace!

【Temporary Forge Activated! Can consume Card Energy to craft a ‘White-Card-Grade Simple Spear’!】

— Author’s Note —

Actually, this is a case of “when one person succeeds, everyone around them benefits.”

The fortune of a growth-type card affects the followers around it.