Let them print cards, not slay gods 94

Chapter 94: The Disappearance of Feng Lintuo

The next day, when Shen Sui got into Bu Pei’s car, the guy was already happily congratulating him on becoming a celebrity. With the release of Shen Sui’s confirmed duel recording, this “tool man” who had been repeatedly used by others to compare against Xin Nascent Soulxue once again entered the public eye. Unlike previous times, this time he truly proved his strength in actual combat. Although Shen Sui didn’t feel the need to prove anything, the vast number of netizens didn’t care about that. From midnight until now, online discussions about Shen Sui had never stopped. Although Feng Lintuo lost miserably in the Silver Moon Unlimited Cup final, the fact that he reached the final stage of the Class B duel competition was enough to demonstrate his skill. Of course, it’s likely that for the next few days, he’d be labelled a complete “noob” in the eyes of netizens, someone not even as good as a First-Rank Card Master. It’s just that he was completely dominated and lost the duel, right? I could do that too!

Shen Sui found it a bit strange. The release time of the recording was unexpected. Wasn’t it agreed that it would be released three days after the final? Why was it released on the same day as the final? “It was just a confirmed duel, not some important competition,” Shen Sui said nonchalantly. Bu Pei made a very exaggerated expression: “Just a confirmed duel? Please, although it wasn’t very formal, it was still a publicly recognized Class C competition. Rounding it up, isn’t it that you defeated a Fifth-Rank Card Master in their prime in a professional competition? And Feng Lintuo was at his peak then, making it even more valuable.”

Shen Sui rolled his eyes: “The way you put it, it sounds like I won a world championship.” “Hehe, I feel like you’re not far from that goal,” Bu Pei gave Shen Sui a thumbs-up. “Still a long way to go, let’s talk about passing the promotion tournament first,” Shen Sui said. “I might not even be able to win the domestic league.” “That’s not necessarily true,” Bu Pei mysteriously told Shen Sui, “I heard that the Exploration Bureau is going to make a new move, targeting the professional arena. You might just catch a lucky break.” “The Exploration Bureau is responsible for exploring the Soul Card world. Why would they interfere with Card Master duels?” Although the two are somewhat related, honestly, their importance is not on the same level. “Better safe than sorry,” Bu Pei didn’t say much, maybe he didn’t know the whole picture either.

Shen Sui lowered his head and scrolled through his phone. As Bu Pei said, last night, while viewers were angry at Feng Lintuo’s defeat, Shen Sui’s confirmed duel video was like a godsend, soothing their hearts. Oh, so Feng Lintuo was actually weak, then I don’t have anything to be angry about. A total wipeout is normal. Although this idea isn’t necessarily correct, people always seek some psychological comfort. At the same time, people suddenly remembered that Shen Sui, who defeated Feng Lintuo, didn’t seem to come from a dueling family? Then wouldn’t you support him fiercely? Maybe he’s another rising star? Then the trending topics about Shen Sui were pushed to the top. Shen Sui felt this media environment was somewhat distorted. The choice of whether or not to support a duelist, when did it start to only depend on the duelist’s background? Shouldn’t it depend on their strength and fighting style? But on second thought, it all seemed to be caused by the domestic competition environment. The internet amplifies extreme ideas, and the public opinion environment fostered in a distorted competition environment is naturally also distorted.

However, Shen Sui quickly skipped these trending topics. For him, a duel should be a pure duel. It’s not giving me a prize; what’s there to be happy about with this kind of attention? Huh? Shen Sui saw a very inconspicuous line of text in the corner of the news. [Fifth-Rank Card Master Feng Lintuo has been confirmed missing.] [The police and the Exploration Bureau are currently investigating.] Shen Sui subconsciously glanced at the trending topics; his confirmed duel was still high up there, and netizens were discussing his future prospects. Some said Shen Sui would definitely become the number one duelist in China. Some said Shen Sui would become an average person in the current environment. Others said Shen Sui could break out of China and become a world champion. People were frantically discussing Shen Sui, but no one cared about the other protagonist of this duel video. Feng Lintuo seemed to be forgotten overnight. An invisible hand guided everyone’s attention to Shen Sui. Did something happen to Feng Lintuo? Shen Sui thought alertly. The police and the Exploration Bureau are investigating… Does a typical missing person case really require the Exploration Bureau’s intervention?

Shen Sui’s mind flashed back to the duel with Feng Lintuo, the image of his Soul Card gradually becoming pained and desperate. He suspected at the time that Feng Lintuo was obtaining more Soul Card forms by deliberately tormenting his Soul Card. In fact, people on the forum occasionally mentioned this method. Among the Card Master community, Feng Lintuo using this method to obtain Soul Card forms was almost universally acknowledged, even though the person concerned had tried to clarify it. However, the nature of his Soul Card forms was obvious to anyone with discerning eyes. In the eyes of the audience, let alone whether Feng Lintuo’s actions had been confirmed, even if they had been, they still showed tolerance toward Feng Lintuo’s methods. Under the suppression of the established families, what’s wrong with ordinary Card Masters using this method to strengthen themselves?!

Unlike many people’s views on Soul Cards, Shen Sui clearly recognized that Alice was a real, living girl. He couldn’t accept this kind of method that tormented others for personal gain. If it’s a game, I won’t say much. But this isn’t entirely a game. Thinking of Lin Zhen’s gradually painful and desperate appearance during that duel, Shen Sui suddenly felt a sense of anticipation. What if Feng Lintuo’s disappearance was Lin Zhen’s doing? Repay kindness with kindness, and repay hatred with hatred. This isn’t entirely impossible. I can find the cracks in the world barrier and guide a bit of power into reality. Then it’s also normal for people in the Soul Card world to find similar cracks and descend into reality, right? But if something like this really happened, the world would probably undergo a great transformation. Shen Sui thought without reason. Maybe Card Masters could become the most important profession in the world.

“We’re here,” they had arrived at their destination. Shen Sui looked up; a large building stood before him, countless figures shuttled through it, appearing extremely busy. “Wow, why is it so busy here today?” Bu Pei couldn’t help but say. Shen Sui glanced at the sign at the entrance and then at Bu Pei: “Did you come to the wrong place?” “No, this is it,” Bu Pei said with a chuckle, “I can’t guarantee other places, but I can vouch for this place; all transactions are absolutely legitimate.” “But why are there Soul Card exchanges here…?” “They explore the Soul Card world, and it’s inevitable that Soul Cards will be born, isn’t that normal?” Shen Sui looked back at the building. At the top of the building, five large characters shone brightly in the sunlight: Shanghai Exploration Bureau.

(End of Chapter)

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