Li Shi’an watched the figure on the field platform undergo a complete transformation. He couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curl upward, his eyes crinkling with a smile. For once, his eyes sparkled with the genuine joy of a young man.

Green Card!

Novice Monk Zhu Yuanzhang!

To others, the Green Card might be the end goal.

But since this card belonged to Zhu Yuanzhang, it was merely an… insignificant beginning. It was the first glimmer of light as he parted the mist to truly set foot on the glorious path to imperial rule.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s life had only just stepped out of the dilapidated temple and entered the monastic order; he was still separated from the supreme throne ruling the Nine Provinces by countless mountains and rivers, and by the smoke of war!

“We did it! Shi’an! We did it!” He Bieshan was so overcome with excitement that he could barely form coherent sentences. “The Green Card—we’ve been upgraded directly!”

Hao Yun also let out a long sigh of relief; her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled back into place. As she looked at the confident sparkle in Li Shi’an’s eyes, a faint smile involuntarily played at the corners of her mouth.

Starting in a time of chaos, struggling to survive in a desperate situation—and yet Shi’an had actually turned things around, even carving out a whole new world! After the initial uproar, a deathly silence fell, followed by an even more intense wave of discussion. “A Green Card! He really did level up!”

“A White Card… turned into a Green Card right away?! And all within an event chain simulation?!”

“Could such an opportunity really be hidden within this ‘Turbulent Times’ scenario?!”

The blood drained completely from Zhao Zhiyong’s face, as if all his strength had been sucked out of him.

He stared intently at the projection of the Novice Monk in the center of the adjacent platform—clad in coarse monk’s robes, hands pressed together in prayer, and radiating a completely different aura—the initial jealousy in his eyes nearly spilling over.

How dare he?!

His meticulously prepared Green Card Lord had failed to recruit at the start, suffered heavy casualties, and made a complete fool of himself.

Meanwhile, Li Shi’an—armed with a junk white card, a blacksmith, and a healer—had ventured into the most perilous white-card scenario and had actually… actually triggered a hidden event, drawn the attention of the temple monks, and even had his card upgrade on the spot?

The stark contrast struck him like a sledgehammer, leaving him dizzy and disoriented, his heart and lungs feeling as if they were about to explode.

But before the flames of jealousy could consume his reason, a sudden chill washed over him, sending a shiver down his spine. A purple talent… a card that upgrades on its own.

Zhao Zhiyong wasn’t a fool; he was just used to acting high and mighty.

At that moment, the vast gulf loomed before him like an iceberg, instantly extinguishing all his unrealistic fantasies and sense of superiority. Fragments of what his elders had said about Card Masters flashed through his mind.

What did a card capable of advancing on its own mean?

It meant that this card’s core potential far exceeded that of ordinary cards; it possessed growth potential approaching “hero-class” or even “legendary-class.” It was no longer a passive “tool” waiting to be built up with resources, but rather might inherently harbor the “soul” and “destiny” capable of driving its own evolution!

Such a card is one in ten thousand, and once it reaches its full potential…

An unprecedented sense of dread gripped Zhao Zhiyong.

He glanced at the projection of the Novice Monk shrouded in green light, and his throat convulsed with difficulty. The gap… was simply too vast.

So vast that even jealousy seemed ridiculous.

So vast… that all he could do was look up in awe.

The muscles in Zhao Zhiyong’s face twitched as he forced down all his resentment; his eyes flashed rapidly.

He no longer believed he could recruit the purple-ranked genius as his deputy; instead, he began to consider a more realistic question: How could he mend their relationship? How could he… board this colossal vessel destined to soar to the heavens? 

His family, the Zhaos, was in the materials business; their family warehouses… perhaps those resources could serve as a stepping stone?

His father had long struggled to find a cardmaster with genuine potential in whom he could make a long-term investment…

In the VIP section, the exchange delegation from the Theological Seminary also fell into a brief silence. The earlier taunts about Li Shi’an “wasting his talent” had vanished without a trace.

“Self-advancement…” The bespectacled young man’s voice was hoarse with disbelief. “In a low-tier white card scenario like ‘Turbulent Times,’ where resources are scarce, and the event chain is exceptionally treacherous—theoretically, it’s an environment that simply doesn’t provide enough energy for advancement… The only explanation is that this card itself possesses an extremely powerful ‘Fate-Drawing’ trait; it actively draws upon the minuscule ‘possibilities’ in its environment and transforms them into the fuel for its own advancement!”

Another student chimed in decisively, “Only a very small number of historical figure cards with potential ratings of Hero-class or higher can exhibit this ‘against-the-odds growth’ trait in low-tier scenarios! They embody a ‘legend’ in their very essence and possess the grand destiny to reshape their environment and draw key figures to their side—much like the early forms of certain legendary-class cards found in historical records.”

“No wonder he dared to choose a white card!” someone exclaimed in sudden realization. “With a purple talent combined with a historical hero card presumably obtained through ‘Entering Dreams,’ though his starting position is humble, he naturally possesses the ‘Rise of the Dragon’ potential. That broken bowl—could it be the ‘key’ that unlocks the origin of this legend? This Li Shi’an… he’s aiming for something big.”

Someone turned to Sui Yang and asked, “Captain, judging by the potential this ‘Zhu Yuanzhang’ card has shown so far…”

Sui Yang: “Based solely on the guidance of destiny and its ability to level up in adversity, its floor is at least the peak of a purple card. If it can fully recreate its historical trajectory… an orange card is not an unrealistic expectation.” 

An Orange Card!

The seminary students all gasped in unison, and the way they looked at Li Shi’an had completely changed. 

What “freak who wastes his talent”? This was a rising star.

“Phase One: Simulation of the scenario card event chain complete! All candidates’ card statuses are now locked!”

The cold, electronic voice echoed throughout the hall once more.

“Phase Two: Regional Melee Simulation Initiated! Scenario Fusion—‘Huaiyou Smoke of War’!” 

“All candidates’ card projections will be placed into the same historical simulation field, with random initial positions. Objectives: survival, development, and the contest for ‘Fortune Nodes’ within the region. Final scores will be determined based on overall performance.”

Dozens of independent simulation platforms burst into light, then rapidly merged and expanded.

Gloomy leaden clouds, barren plains, undulating mountains, scattered villages, meandering rivers… A grander—and more chaotic—map of an ancient setting unfolded in an instant.

The figure of Zhu Yuanzhang appeared at the edge of the map, near a patch of sparse woodland.

As the scene merged, Li Shi’an received a new notification in his mind:

【Event Chain Triggered: The Displaced Return Home!】

【Drawn by the destiny of “Novice Monk Zhu Yuanzhang,” a nearby group of fifteen displaced refugees (White Card-level)—who had been driven from their homes by war and famine—sensed the aura of Buddhist affinity and serene demeanor emanating from you. Seeing you as a beacon of hope, they have come forward to seek your protection! Will you accept them?】

A gleam flashed in Li Shi’an’s eyes. 

Wait? This is just the beginning, right? To be drawn by destiny right off the bat—is this the natural influence that comes with the destiny of an emperor?

“Accept!”

A flicker of light appeared, and the ethereal forms of fifteen refugees—clad in rags, gaunt and emaciated, and clutching crude wooden sticks or farming tools—materialized behind Zhu Yuanzhang. They spontaneously gathered around the Novice Monk, forming a small group!

【Acquired Initial Faction: Band of Displaced People (White Card, 15 units)】

【Temporary Bonus Acquired: United We Stand (Weak) — Units under your command receive a slight increase in resilience when defending.】 Starting the game with a following!

Although they are merely the frailest White Card refugees, this start already far surpasses the vast majority of candidates who are still fighting alone or struggling to gather small bands of bandits.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the map, chaos erupts.

It was Yu Sinian—this rich kid’s Blue Card deck could have swept the board, but, unfortunately, things didn’t go his way.

The moment his 【Flame Griffin (Fledgling)】 was played onto the field, this Western mythological creature—with its flaming wings and ferocious appearance—instantly became the most out-of-place presence in the entire “Huaiyou Fenyan” arena.

“A… a monster!” 

“A demon has fallen from the heavens! It’s wreaking havoc on the mortal realm!”

“It’s a demon from beyond the borders! Quick! Ring the alarm bell! Notify the authorities! Summon the Taoist master!”

“Protect the village! Archers, get ready!”

Countless local militiamen and villagers—armed with swords, spears, and clubs, and clad in crude leather armor or simple cloth—rushed out in a panic as if a hornet’s nest had been stirred, their spears pointed directly at the flaming griffin.

They gave Yu Sinian absolutely no chance to explain or take control.

“Fire!”

“Slay the demon!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!

A dense hail of arrows rained down on the Flame Griffin!

Moreover, several “knights” and “Taoist priests”—who appeared to be derived from the candidates’ cards and possessed basic Taoist magic or martial arts—were swept up by the “public sentiment” amid the chaos. Gritting their teeth, they cast talismans or brandished swords and blades to join the assault!

Boom! Bang!

The Flame Griffin roared furiously, flapping its wings to whip up a whirlwind of flames that incinerated many arrows and even scorched several village militiamen who had charged too far forward.

But after all, it was still just a Fledgling; even as a Blue-card-quality creature, it struggled to hold its own against the barrage of attacks.

Its energy shield fluctuated violently, and its health bar dropped at a visible rate.

“Damn it! Stop! It’s my battle partner! Not a monster!” Yu Sinian stamped his feet in frustration from the sidelines, frantically trying to control the griffin to fly away or send a friendly signal.

But driven by the field’s powerful underlying logic and “public sentiment,” his commands fell on deaf ears, yielding little result.

The griffin’s savage instincts were instead ignited by the attacks, causing it to counterattack even more ferociously, and the situation spiraled completely out of control.

“Damn it! What bad luck!” Yu Sinian watched his card’s health bar plummet rapidly. His face turned ashen with rage as he slammed his fist down on the control panel and growled through clenched teeth, “Abandon Phase Two! I’m out!”

Buzz!

A blue flash of light streaked across the screen, and the Flame Griffin let out a defiant roar before dissolving into specks of light.

The light on Yu Sinian’s platform dimmed, signaling that he had ended this practical assessment early.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping the arena with a mix of emotions, finally settling on the direction of Li Shi’an’s platform in the distance. As he watched the Novice Monk Zhu Yuanzhang.

It was truly impressive how quickly he’d managed to gather a squad of displaced people behind him.

“A Purple Talent… a hero card that levels up on its own… and that eerie charisma that draws people in…” Yu Sinian’s thoughts raced.  “Damn it, this kid… he’s probably really going to skyrocket to fame. An orphan… with no connections… maybe… it’s really worth it for my family to invest some resources to win him over?” 

As the son of a wealthy merchant, he’d always had a keen sense for “investment value.” Inside the arena, the melee raged on.

The candidates manipulated their respective cards—some seizing control of villages, others gathering in the mountains and forests, and still others exploring cautiously—as conflicts and collaborations between them unfolded continuously, fueled by the environment.

As for Li Shi’an’s side, Zhu Yuanzhang, leading a squad of displaced people, was in no hurry to expand.

Relying on the terrain, they gathered wild fruits and vegetables, making use of the faint residual effects of the “forging” concept left behind by He Bieshan.

Although they couldn’t directly craft weapons, this enhanced the refugees’ efficiency in using rudimentary tools, allowing them to begin building simple shacks and clearing small patches of wasteland.

【Event Chain Progress: Rest and Recovery!】

【The displaced people’s group’s stability has increased! The “United We Stand” effect has been slightly enhanced! A small wild vegetable gathering spot has been discovered! A small amount of food supplies has been obtained!】

Li Shi’an watched the constantly updating feedback on the information panel, the smile on his lips deepening. The simulation continued, fast-forwarding two months.

In the center of the field, a dazzling pillar of crimson-gold light suddenly shot skyward.

【Regional Core Fortune Node: The “Sizhou Decree” (Fake) has appeared! Its holder can significantly boost the cohesion and development speed of their faction, and unlock information on certain regional maps! Coordinates: (11, 196)】

The entire arena erupted in an instant!

All surviving card characters, no matter where they were, fixed their gaze on that pillar of crimson-gold light. The central point of contention in the melee had emerged!

Li Shi’an gazed at the token, sensing an incredibly clear “longing” emanating from Zhu Yuanzhang’s card within his consciousness; his eyebrows shot up sharply.

Fengyang! Sizhou! The birthplace of Zhu Yuanzhang’s rise to power!

In this simulated “Huaiyou Conflict” scenario, was this “Sizhou Decree” the “key” symbolizing the legitimate authority and destiny of this region? For him, as the holder of the Zhu Yuanzhang card, this was practically a “divinely ordained object” tailor-made for him.

An opportunity! A massive opportunity!

The competition has only just begun.

Li Shi’an took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and turned his gaze back to the serene figure of the Novice Monk in the arena.

He raised his hand, pointing toward the pillar of crimson-gold light. His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty that rang clearly in the ears of his two companions standing beside him:

“Bieshan, Yunyun, prepare to move.”

“That’s our target!”

The corners of his mouth turned up in a confident smile:

“Now, it’s time to claim what’s rightfully ours.”

— Author’s Note —

Li Shi’an: Did a windfall just fall from the sky??