Just as the pale green bar representing Zhu Yuanzhang’s health was about to fade completely, a gentle yet tenacious force, like a trickling stream, suddenly surged from within him. 

Hao Yun had not given up.

Although her mana was nearly depleted and her mental energy was throbbing with pain from her previous extreme exertion, in that final moment, only one thought filled her mind: I can’t stop!

She squeezed out the very last shred of potential from the depths of her soul, forcibly activating the core rune of 【Basic Holy Light Healing】.

A strand of milky-white light, so faint it was almost imperceptible, like a flickering candle in the wind, tenaciously and stubbornly wrapped itself around Zhu Yuanzhang’s body, which was on the verge of collapse.

【Basic Holy Light Healing (Green) · Will Resonance Activated!】

【Effect: Maintains a minimal amount of life energy!】

【Card: ‘Novice Monk Zhu Yuanzhang’ Health Locked: 1% → 1% (Stable)】 

It was this insignificant 1%!

Yet it drove a resilient steel nail into the very edge of the cliff on the verge of collapse.

Almost at the same moment, the small squad of elite Yuan cavalry that had been in hot pursuit was violently “thrown” into the eye of the storm by the sudden chaos on the battlefield. 

Deafening battle cries rang out.

As a fierce Red Turban soldier swung his blade in a desperate strike against the Yuan army’s hundred-house commander, his blade not only cleaved through the commander’s spear shaft but, like an invisible pen wielded by the goddess of fate, forcibly yanked the “dying” Zhu Yuanzhang back from the brink of certain defeat. 

Card Status: 【Near-Death Freeze (1% HP) · Faint Protection of Huangjue Temple’s Buddha’s Light ( +0.5 HP per turn) · Hao Yun’s Will Co-Resonance】

An eerie, deathly silence fell over the entire arena.

Immediately afterward, a roar of astonishment erupted like a tidal wave!

“He’s… he’s not dead?! That Novice Monk isn’t dead!”

“My God! Hao Yun! It’s Hao Yun! That final move of hers! She could maintain resonance even after her card energy was completely depleted?!”

“Resonance of Will… This is the ultimate manifestation of a Cardmaster’s will—she has used her own mental energy as the final fuel for her card energy.” 

“We’ve been swept into the middle of a major battle—it’s Guo Zixing’s Red Turban Army clashing with a Yuan army patrol outside Haozhou City.”

“Heaven doesn’t abandon people—what luck… No! This isn’t luck at all! It’s a turning point that Hao Yun fought her way to!” 

On the examiners’ platform, the chief examiner opened his mouth.

He stared at the life signal within the field—extremely faint yet tenaciously persistent—and his expression became a study in drama. The teacher beside him, responsible for taking notes, was utterly dumbfounded, his pen suspended mid-air, unsure how to begin writing.

“How… how do we record this?” the recorder asked, bewildered.

The chief examiner took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping sharply across the field: “The second stage, ‘Beacons of Huaiyou,’ is still in progress. The card has not dissipated, and the event chain has not ended. Ruling amended… Continue recording!”

In the VIP section, the bespectacled man from the Theological Academy suddenly gripped the armrest tightly: “Will Resonance—forcibly activating a card’s core effect while its energy is depleted—what immense willpower and faith in the card must that require! This Hao Yun… her potential is certainly no small matter! Should we recruit her as well?”

His gaze, though seemingly casual, was firmly fixed on Li Shi’an; he didn’t hear a word the people around him were saying. 

Within the battlefield, Zhu Yuanzhang was curled up behind a low earthen embankment, his body convulsing from excruciating pain and blood loss. A faint strand of Hao Yun’s sacred light coiled around his chest, sustaining that flickering flame of life.

The phantom image of Huangjue Temple had grown extremely faint amid the chaos of the battlefield. The radius of the Buddha’s light barrier had shrunk to barely one meter around him, offering a trace of warmth and a sense of calm, allowing his health to climb upward at a snail’s pace.

1.5, 2.0…

His gaze pierced through the billowing smoke and dust and the frenzied crowd, instinctively and intently fixing on the two figures facing off in the center of the battlefield. On one side: Red Turban fluttering, flames sweeping across the land!

【Card Name】: Red Turban Commander · Guo Zixing (Blue Card · Peak)

【Card Type】: Character Card · Leader Type / Combat Type

【Core Ability】:

“Red Turban Rally” (Active/Aura): Raises the Red Turban banner high, significantly boosting morale and attack power (15%), and slightly attracts nearby scattered rebel forces and refugees to join their ranks (probability).

“An Eye for Talent” (Passive): Possesses a high level of affinity and discernment, resulting in a significantly higher recruitment success rate.

“Stubborn and Suspicious” (Negative): Prone to being influenced by slander; tends to harbor suspicion toward exceptionally capable subordinates; the loyalty of subordinate units grows slowly and may decrease.

【Bonds】: 【Haozhou Legacy】 — While within the boundaries of Haozhou City or allied with the Haozhou faction, your defense increases by 10%, and your Red Turban units gain the “Familiar with City Defenses” buff (Defense +5%).

Guo Zixing wears slightly worn leather armor, covered by a rust-red battle robe symbolizing the leader of the Red Turban Army, and wields a bloodstained long sword. His face is stern, his gaze sharp, yet a lingering gloom hangs over his brow.

The dozens of Red Turban Army soldiers surrounding him—though their clothes were tattered, their weapons crude, and many bore battle scars—had a fervor burning in their eyes; they steadfastly held their ground against the onslaught of Yuan elite troops, who outnumbered them several to one.

However, the Yuan army’s formation was as impenetrable as an iron wall or a bronze rampart, causing the Red Turban Army’s lines to falter violently and suffer heavy casualties. Guo Zixing’s gaze swept over the soldiers falling one after another beside him, his eyes brimming with anxiety. On the other side: men clad in menacing black armor, their military might as imposing as a mountain!

【Card Name】: Yuan Army Commander · Arluwen (Blue Card · Intermediate)

【Card Type】：Character Card · Commander Type / Combat Type

【Core Ability】：

“Heavy Armor Charge” (Active): Consumes card energy to lead the Yuan Army’s elite in a devastating charge, dealing 20% additional damage to all enemy units within a fan-shaped area directly in front, and ignoring 10% of their physical defense.

“Strict Military Discipline” (Passive): The morale of Yuan troops under his command remains constant and will not decrease due to “Minor Injuries” (HP loss below 30%), ensuring they always maintain full combat effectiveness.

“Arrogance and Underestimation of the Enemy” (Negative): When facing an enemy that appears weak, your attack desire decreases by 10%, and your defense drops by 5%.

Arluwen sat upright on a majestic black steed, clad in gleaming fish-scale armor, wearing a red-plumed phoenix-winged helmet, and wielding a heavy spiked mace.

His features were rugged, his gaze haughty, and a cruel, cold smile played at the corners of his mouth as he watched the Red Turban Army struggling desperately under the iron hooves of the Yuan army, as if he were enjoying an entertaining hunt.

The Yuan infantry under his command, with their vivid armor and a forest of swords and spears, formed a military formation that resembled a moving fortress of steel. The two surging forces collided and clashed on the open plains outside Haozhou City!

The Red Turban Army’s fierce courage was steadily worn down by the Yuan army’s iron-walled formation and the terrifying 【Heavy Armor Charge】; their numbers dwindled sharply, and defeat seemed imminent.

But…

Two utterly different yet equally powerful wills, like searchlights, suddenly focused on Zhu Yuanzhang, who lay curled up behind an earthen embankment, barely clinging to life.

【Triggered Core Historical Choice Event: Witnessing War · The Choice of the Rising Dragon!】

【Event Description: On the brink of death, you find yourself swept into the fringes of the decisive battle at Haozhou. Even in this desperate situation, “Zhu Yuanzhang’s” clear and unyielding will—like a faint, distinctive glimmer amid the chaos of war—catches the attention of the leaders of both factions at the heart of the battlefield! Guo Zixing’s “keen eye for talent” is strongly stirred! Arluwen also senses that this young man is extraordinary! Both sides simultaneously extend faction invitations to you!】

【Option 1: Join the Yuan Court · Commander’s Personal Guard】

Faction: Yuan Court (Legitimate Ruler of the Current Region, Prosperous Destiny) Inviter: Yuan Army Commander·Arluwen (Mid-tier Blue Card)

Benefits: Immediately promoted to a member of Arluwen’s Personal Guard (Top-tier Green Card bodyguard unit), receive standard Yuan Court equipment (Green Card-level leather armor and battle sword), and enjoy the Yuan Court’s faint protection of destiny (all attributes +3%, experience gain from leveling up +5%). You are rescued from the brink of death, and your health is restored to 50%.

Risk: You must immediately participate in the campaign to suppress Guo Zixing’s Red Turban Army. This may trigger a conflict between “The Buddha’s Light at Huangjue Temple” and “The Yuan Court’s Destiny” (consequences unknown). 

Faction Advantages: Stable resources (【Yuan Court Supplies】), a well-developed promotion system, and a high level of safety in the early stages.

【Option 2: Join the Rebel Army · Red Turban Guard】

Faction: Red Turban Rebels (Anti-Yuan rebel forces; surging fortune but unstable foundations)

Inviter: Red Turban Leader · Guo Zixing (Peak Blue Card)

Benefits: Exceptional promotion to Guo Zixing’s Personal Guard (mid-tier green-card guard unit); granted a Red Turban (symbolizing status, providing a slight morale boost). Granted the passive effect of Guo Zixing’s 【Eye for Talent】 (potential growth rate +10%). Rescued from near-death status; health restored to 30%.

Risk: You will immediately find yourself at the center of the Yuan army’s encirclement and suppression, facing certain death. You must confront Arluwen and his elite Yuan forces head-on. Guo Zixing’s faction is under the negative status effect 【Arrogant and Suspicious】.

Faction Advantages: Aligns with the “Core of the Historical Trajectory”! Extremely high potential for unlocking new possibilities! Located in Haozhou (within the area where the【Haozhou Legacy】 bond takes effect). If this situation is successfully resolved, the rewards will be immeasurable.

Two massive choice boxes hover before Zhu Yuanzhang.

Two boundary markers at the crossroads of fate.

“Good heavens! Two… two faction invitations?!” A chorus of incredulous gasps erupted from the audience.

“Am I seeing this right? A dying Novice Monk has been simultaneously singled out by both a Yuan army commander and a Red Turban leader? Promoted directly to personal guard?!” 

“It’s ‘Eye for Talent’! Guo Zixing’s passive skill! He’s so good at judging people! There’s definitely something special about this Novice Monk!”

“How come Arluwen also… oh, is it that monk’s Buddhist aura and that presence? He stood out too much in the chaos of battle?! Even the commander could tell he was extraordinary.”

“These perks… Holy cow! If he joins the Yuan Court, he gets a green card, a top-tier personal guard position, full gear, and the Yuan Court’s divine favor! Joining the Red Turban might start him off a bit lower, but he gets Guo Zixing’s potential bonus! How is he supposed to choose?!”

“What’s there to choose?! It’s obviously the Yuan Court!” one examinee shouted excitedly. “The Yuan Court is the legitimate dynasty! Its fortune is flourishing! Arluwen is a blue-card general! Joining the Imperial Guard means a high starting point and guaranteed safety! Joining the Red Turban Army is a death sentence! They’re about to be wiped out!”

— Author’s Note —

Just a little late

I’ve come up with a really fun mechanic; I’ll start writing it in two chapters.

When a card reaches its highest tier—that is, the highest level it can achieve—it can only be obtained by the first person to acquire that specific card at that particular rank.

For example, if a card can reach the Red tier as its highest level, there will be only one copy of that Red-tier card, but there can be many copies at lower tiers.

Before a successful evolution—that is, before the card gains its own will—it can have different owners, meaning the same card can be selected by multiple players at the same time. This continues until one player evolves it to the highest tier.