Almost the moment the prompt appeared, the lighting and shadow effects on the platform suddenly intensified!

The biting cold wind seemed to take on a physical form, blowing at the tattered hem of “Zhu Yuanzhang’s” clothes. He instinctively huddled, his frail body trembling.

A pale green energy bar representing his health clearly appeared above the projection and, at a speed visible to the naked eye, began to drop—slowly but steadily, bit by bit!

“It’s started! His health is dropping!” He Bieshan was so frantic that sweat beaded on his forehead; he instinctively reached for his card. “Shi’an! Quick, think of a solution!”

He wished he could rush in right then and there to wrap a cotton coat around Zhu Yuanzhang.

Hao Yun’s face had also gone pale; her hands were clenched tightly together, and the meager card energy within her had already begun to flow subconsciously. Her 【Basic Holy Light Healing】

She was ready to act at any moment, but her reason told her that treatment at this point would be a drop in the bucket—it wouldn’t solve the fundamental threat to their survival.

“Don’t panic!” Li Shi’an’s voice was unusually steady, like a pillar of stability, instantly quelling the panic in both of them. His gaze was sharp.

“Plan—execute!” 

He abruptly turned to He Bieshan, his tone unwavering: “Bieshan! Now is the time! Card Resonance—‘Broken Clay Bowl’—project it into the scene!” 

“Understood!” He Bieshan perked up.

【Item Card: Broken Clay Bowl (Inferior)】 suddenly materialized!

The card itself glowed so dimly it was almost invisible; compared to the energy of the vast field surrounding them, it was as insignificant as a speck of dust.

“Go!”

He Bieshan barked the command, channeling all his focus to guide this fragile card, imbuing it with his own understanding and will regarding “ruin,” “humble beginnings,” and the “struggle for survival,” he sent it crashing violently into the virtual projection of Zhu Yuanzhang at the center of the energy field!

The moment the inferior item card made contact with the platform’s energy field, it dissolved silently, like a drop of water merging into the ocean. It transformed into a primal wisp of concept, a surge of will, and a minuscule speck of energy information.

But… just as it vanished, the “broken bowl”—which had been nothing more than a blurry, symbolic image in the hands of the Zhu Yuanzhang projection at the center of the platform—suddenly transformed!

The outline of the broken bowl instantly became slightly more solid!

The crooked cracks and pitted notches that He Bieshan had “hammered” into the bowl with his energy hammer were clearly visible.

This bowl seemed to bear the weight of history’s dust, becoming the sole—and most humble—source of support and starting point for the “Zhu Yuanzhang” card character in this turbulent world!

“It worked!” He Bieshan was so excited he nearly jumped for joy, his face flushed.

Although the bowl card had vanished, he could clearly sense that he had formed a faint yet tangible connection with that broken bowl in the field!

On the neighboring platform, 【Bandits’ Rally】.

Zhao Zhiyong, who had just endured the “Scholar’s Resentment” incident and been thoroughly humiliated by the squad of constables, was seething with anger as he reorganized his band of mountain bandits, nearly half of whom had been lost.

Controlling 【Black Wind Fortress Chief · Wang Ba】, he was cursing and berating his men, trying to salvage a shred of his pride.

“Useless! A bunch of good-for-nothings! You can’t even beat a few lousy constables! Snap out of it, all of you! We’ll recruit more men and pull off a big heist later!”

Wang Ba swung his ghost-headed broadsword, spittle flying as he spoke.

His gaze habitually swept across the platform next door, shrouded in the gloomy wind and rain, and the corners of his mouth habitually curled into a smirk of superiority.

“Hmph, let me see how that good-for-nothing who took a ‘beggar’ along to beg is doing now. He’s probably frozen stiff like a quail, isn’t he? The Purple Talent? Pfft! Once you’re caught up in this chaotic world, you’re just…”

His mocking words came to an abrupt halt!

His eyes widened instantly, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets! He stared intently at the hand of the beggar’s projection in the center of the adjacent platform!

Just a moment ago, there had clearly been nothing but a blurry, shadowy image of a tattered bowl in the beggar’s hand! But the instant his gaze swept over it, that tattered bowl… changed!

It had become incredibly clear! Incredibly real!

“What did He Bieshan just do?! Did he toss a card in there? A… a bowl card?!”

The few henchmen beside him were also stunned.

“He’s crazy! He’s definitely gone mad!” Zhao Zhiyong looked as if he’d been struck by a massive shock, his face twitching. “Pairing a white card character with a bowl?! And an inferior white card at that?! What does he think this is? A game of house?! This is a fucking real-world assessment! We’re in chaotic times! What good is a lousy bowl?! Can you eat it, or use it as a knife?!” 

He felt like he was about to laugh out of sheer exasperation at such a ridiculous act. 

“Huh? Look at that beggar next door… that bowl in his hand seems to have become really clear?”

“Seriously! It was all blurry just a moment ago, but now I can even make out the notch! What’s going on?” 

“From what Zhao Zhiyong was shouting… it sounds like He Bieshan used a card? A ‘bowl card’?”

“Haha… No way! Giving a bowl card to a beggar? What kind of crazy move is that?”

“Oh my god, this ‘Purple Genius’ has such a twisted way of thinking… It’s truly bizarre! Does he expect the beggar to go begging with a nice bowl?”

The audience immediately erupted into uncontrollable laughter and murmurs of discussion.

The 【Turbulent Times】 platform.

Li Shi’an, however, seemed oblivious to the commotion.

His gaze never strayed from the projection of Zhu Yuanzhang at the center of the arena.

When the concept of that “broken clay bowl” fully merged with the “broken bowl” held by the card character—becoming one and forming an incredibly clear, tangible image—he distinctly “saw” the changes taking place on the card’s information panel!

【Card Name】: Beggar · Zhu Yuanzhang (Current Tier: White Card · Unawakened)

【Bonds】：

Begging Bowl (Activated): The concept of a “broken clay bowl (inferior quality)” has been integrated, symbolizing a humble beginning and an unyielding will. Slightly increases survival resilience in extremely harsh environments. (Health loss rate is slightly reduced by 5%) 

Although it was only a negligible 5% reduction, that newly appeared “Bond” entry—like the first glimmer of light in the darkness—made Li Shi’an’s heart skip a beat!

“Yun Yun!” Li Shi’an’s voice rang out suddenly. “Holy Light Healing! Target: Zhu Yuanzhang! Now!”

Although Hao Yun was filled with confusion, her unconditional trust in Li Shi’an allowed her to react instantly!

“Yes!”

She immediately took a step forward, closed her eyes, and mobilized every last bit of her meager Ka energy with all her might.

“Hum!”

【Basic Holy Light Healing (Green)】 activated!

Milky-white specks of light, like warm raindrops, gently rained down upon “Zhu Yuanzhang.” His health bar, which had been steadily dropping due to hunger and cold, suddenly halted its descent! It even rose ever so slightly!

“Zhu Yuanzhang’s” body, which had been trembling from the cold, seemed to sense a hint of warmth, and his hunched posture relaxed slightly.

But the energy of the Healing Spell was too feeble—a drop in the bucket—and utterly incapable of completely reversing the loss of life caused by his ongoing state of “starvation and exposure.”

The healing light quickly faded, and the health bar began to slowly drop once more.

“No! Shi’an! My card’s power is too weak! The effect won’t last long!” Hao Yun’s face turned pale, a fine sheen of sweat beading on her temples, as she said urgently.

She felt a wave of weakness wash over her; this all-out attack had nearly drained her already limited card energy reserves.

“That’s enough!” Li Shi’an’s eyes, however, shone with an astonishing intensity.

Just as the healing light merged with Zhu Yuanzhang’s body, Li Shi’an clearly “sensed” that the will of “decay” and “resilience”—left behind on the broken bowl by He Bieshan—had entered into some incredibly mysterious resonance with Hao Yun’s pure life-healing energy!

“Hum!”

The energy flow within the field platform suddenly experienced an irregular disturbance!

It was as if something dormant had been stirred by the combination of this faint holy light and the broken bowl! The broken bowl in Zhu Yuanzhang’s projected hand suddenly burst into brilliant radiance!

Immediately afterward, a notification sound thundered simultaneously deep within the consciousnesses of Li Shi’an, He Bieshan, and Hao Yun, like the tolling of great bells and gongs!

【Special Bond Event Triggered: Buddhist Affinity in the Bowl】

【Core Item Detected: ‘Beggar’s Bowl’ (Infused with the Afterglow of Holy Light).】

【Special Environment Detected: ‘Turbulent Times’ (Disaster and Chaos).】

【Character Status Detected: ‘Starving and Freezing’ (on the Brink of Despair).】

【Event simulation in progress… Simulation complete!】

【Event Chain Branch Unlocked: ‘Huangjue Temple’!】

Gray, stormy energy surged wildly across the platform!

The surrounding wilderness rapidly fades, distorts, and restructures like an ink-wash painting! The piercing howl of the wind and the indistinct wails vanish in an instant.

In their place, wispy wisps of smoke rose gently into the air.

It was as if an invisible force had parted a corner of the gloomy sky, allowing a few rays of warm sunlight to stream down. As the light and shadows shifted, the scene was transformed!

The barren wilderness vanished, replaced by a winding mountain path paved with blue stone slabs that led upward. Ancient, gnarled trees lined both sides of the path, their branches and leaves casting dappled light and shadow.

At the end of the path, a temple—not particularly grand, and even somewhat old and dilapidated, yet exuding an air of solemn dignity—appeared and disappeared amidst the swirling mist.

Above the temple gate, three bold, ancient characters were clearly visible: Huangjue Temple!

The ghostly figure of an elderly monk—clad in a worn but clean earth-yellow robe, his face gaunt—appeared before the temple’s mountain gate. Holding a string of smooth prayer beads, he gazed with compassion at the beggar on the mountain path, who was dressed in rags and clutching a broken bowl.

【Character Card: ‘Elder Gaobin’ (Monk Stage) joins the event chain!】

【Elder Gaobin (Green)】

【Type】: Character Card (Temporary) · Support/Mentor】

【Skills】：

“Blessing of the Dharma” (Passive): While within the grounds of Huangjue Temple or under Elder Gaobin’s attention, Zhu Yuanzhang’s HP loss temporarily stops and his HP slowly regenerates (1 HP per turn). Additionally, resistance to negative mental status effects is slightly increased.

“Basic Literacy” (Teaching): Can impart basic literacy knowledge (increases the card’s Wisdom attribute potential).

“The Art of Survival” (Teaching): Teaches survival skills such as wilderness navigation, basic herbal medicine, and rudimentary meditation (increases the Stamina and Survival potential of cards).

【Background】: The abbot of Huangjue Temple, a man of great compassion who often takes in orphaned and destitute refugees during times of turmoil, imparting the ways of survival and offering spiritual solace. He shares a karmic connection with Zhu Yuanzhang.】

As the ethereal image of Elder Gaobin appeared, a gentle, serene force instantly enveloped the entire arena platform, dispelling the suffocating sense of despair brought on by the “stormy turmoil.”

In the center of the platform, the health bar on Zhu Yuanzhang’s projection—which had been steadily declining—not only stopped falling entirely but actually began to rise, extremely slowly, bit by bit!

“Huangjue Temple? Elder Gaobin?!” He Bieshan and Hao Yun were utterly stunned, their mouths gaping wide enough to fit an egg.

Is this… is this the “plan” Shi’an was talking about?

A broken bowl, combined with the most basic healing spell, in the midst of this chaotic era… had actually summoned a temple?! And attracted a monk mentor capable of saving lives and imparting wisdom?!

This was nothing short of a miracle! The entire crowd fell deathly silent! 

The wild laughter and mockery on Zhao Zhiyong’s face froze completely.

“No… it can’t be! What is this?!” Zhao Zhiyong’s voice had completely cracked from sheer shock and disbelief, becoming shrill and piercing. “A temple?! A monk?! Where did this come from?! His beggar’s pass… he was holding a rickety bowl… and then… and then a monk just showed up to guide him?! Did… did his family make up the rules for this game?! Cheating! This is definitely cheating!” 

His henchmen stood dumbfounded beside him, staring blankly at the scene that had taken a sudden, bizarre turn, completely baffled. The laughter and murmurs from the audience seemed to have paused—they vanished without a trace in an instant. Everyone watched the dramatic scene unfolding on the 【Turbulent Times】 platform with their mouths agape.

“Huangjue Temple?! Elder Gaobin?!”

“My God! Can an event like this even be triggered in the ‘Turbulent Times’ scenario?!”

“It’s that bowl! And that healing spell! I saw it! After Hao Yun’s healing spell hit the beggar, that bowl suddenly glowed!”

“Buddha’s Affinity in the Bowl?! That’s the name of this bond event… Could that rickety bowl card have some special significance?” 

“Purple Talent… Is this the true terror of a Purple Talent? In the lowest-tier White Card scenario, using the lowest-tier junk cards and basic—”

“A basic healing spell actually triggered an advanced event?!”

“Look! That beggar’s health is starting to recover! Elder Gaobin’s skill provides sustained healing! My goodness, not only have they overcome their survival crisis, but they’ve also found a safe haven and a mentor?!”

Gasps, sighs, and murmurs of disbelief swept through the audience like a tidal wave! All the mockery and contempt from just moments ago had now turned into utter astonishment. 

The “anomaly” of the Purple Talent was revealed to everyone for the first time—so vividly, so shockingly! 

In the VIP section, the Theological Seminary delegation fell into complete silence.

Sui Yang’s pupils suddenly contracted, and for the first time, his previously relaxed demeanor shifted.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Li Shi’an, as if trying to see right through him.

“Buddhist affinity in the bowl… Huangjue Temple…”

“This isn’t mere luck… That ‘Broken Bowl’ card is the key! It’s the talisman that triggers these fragments of ‘lost history’! Li Shi’an… you really did ‘enter the dream’! What you were searching for during the Awakening Ceremony wasn’t some random white card at all—it was this very Bond Card bearing the origins of ‘Zhu Yuanzhang’! You knew its value from the very beginning!” 

Sui Yang’s heartbeat quickened slightly.

Class advisor Teacher Chen was trembling with excitement in the audience. He gripped Teacher Zhang’s arm tightly and stammered, “Did you see that?! Old Zhang! Did you see that?! The temple! The mentor! Life Recovery! He did it! He’s really found his footing in this chaotic world! That bowl! That ragged bowl! I knew it! Shi’an must’ve had a reason for choosing that card! A purple talent!” 

Teacher Zhang was completely dumbfounded as well. He muttered, “A monster… This kid is a monster… A white card triggering an advanced event chain… This is simply unheard of!”

【Turbulent Times】 Platform.

The field stabilized, and the mountain gate of Huangjue Temple stood tall.

Elder Gaobin’s ethereal figure slowly reached out toward the young beggar hesitating on the mountain path. A gentle, compassionate voice seemed to pierce through time and space, resonating directly within Li Shi’an and his companions’ minds:

“Amitabha Buddha. Young lay follower, the winds and rains are raging, and the road ahead is perilous. Though your clothes are tattered and you hold a broken alms bowl, your eyes are clear and radiate a subtle wisdom, and you are protected by a hint of sacred radiance—you must have a karmic connection with our Buddha. Would you be willing to follow this old monk into the temple to take temporary shelter from the storm, study some scriptures, and find a way to make a living?”

As this invitation was extended, Li Shi’an clearly saw that on the information panel projecting Zhu Yuanzhang’s image, a new inventory slot, radiating a faint golden glow, had quietly unlocked!

【Obtainable Item: ‘Ordination Certificate’ (Temporary)】: A credential confirming one’s status as a registered disciple of Huangjue Temple, symbolizing liberation from the status of a vagrant and granting temporary and the right to practice.

The corners of Li Shi’an’s mouth slowly turned upward.

Without the slightest hesitation, he used his mind to control the projection of Zhu Yuanzhang on the platform.

The ragged-clothed youth gazed at the compassionate old monk standing before the temple gate, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

He smoothed out his clothes, turned toward the temple gate, and bowed deeply with his back straight toward Elder Gaobin. Just as he bent over, cupping the bowl with both hands to pay his respects—

“Hum!!!”

Centered on Zhu Yuanzhang’s projection, a pillar of energy representing the essence of his card shot skyward! At first, the pillar was pure white, symbolizing the White Card tier.

But within that white, flecks of pale gold, dusky gray, and earthy yellow surged in, intertwined, and fused! The white pillar of light pulsed violently and expanded!

【Card Name】: Beggar · Zhu Yuanzhang →  Novice Monk · Zhu Yuanzhang

【Current Rank】: White Card  → Green Card (Low-Grade)

【Card Type】: Character Card · Growth Type (Awakening)

【Current Status】：Active (Under the Protection of Huangjue Temple)

【Base Abilities】：

Resilience (Passive): Effect significantly enhanced! Survival in harsh environments is greatly improved, and health regeneration speed is slightly increased.

Buddhist Affinity (Temporary Passive): Under the influence of Elder Gaobin’s Buddhist blessings, mental resilience is enhanced, and resistance to evil spirits and mental attacks is slightly increased.

【Bonds】：

Begging Bowl (Activated): Effect stabilized; resistance to HP loss increased to 10%.

Huangjue Temple (Temporary Bond): While within the temple’s range or under Elder Gaobin’s watchful eye, health slowly regenerates (1 point per turn), and you gain

“Basic Literacy” and “Survival Skills” learning acceleration effects.

【Progression Path】：

“Novice Monk” stage unlocked! Current Progress: 60%

【Potential Rating】：??? (Data anomaly, cannot be parsed) 

The color of the light beam has completed its final transformation—it is now a stable and vibrant green!

The green light contracted and refocused at the center of the platform.

The figure of that ragged young beggar boy, clutching a broken bowl, has vanished!

In his place stands a young Novice Monk wearing a gray, coarse-woven robe—washed until it’s nearly white and neatly patched!

Not a single strand of hair had grown on his head; his hands were pressed together in front of his chest, and though his eyes remained bright, they now held less hesitation and more calm and focus. The broken clay bowl in his hand had also transformed into a wooden alms bowl—rough in appearance, yet intact!

【Card Name】: Novice Monk Zhu Yuanzhang (Current Rank: Green Card, Lower Grade)】  

— Author’s Note —

Just a note: this may not match history exactly, as each scene here is randomly generated.

The Ming Dynasty might end up in a scene set in a different dynasty or country, etc. Just treat this as a game card.