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"The martial studies of Zhengqi Academy basically all revolve around the Vast Righteousness State. Brother Ma, if you wish to defeat me, it's best not to drag it out for too long. Otherwise, as time passes, the levels of the Vast Righteousness State on me will get higher and higher, and I will become stronger and stronger,"

Qin Ruohai seemed to be kindly reminding Ma Lu, but this gesture also highlighted his confidence. It was clear he believed that even if Ma Lu knew what he was relying on, he could still win the card game.

After speaking, he played two Body Protection Cards—Proper Attire and Hat and Seek Within Oneself.

Under the Vast Righteousness State, these two cards provided Qin Ruohai with 8 and 10 points of parry respectively, while also raising his Vast Righteousness State by two levels to the 4th Level.

Afterward, Qin Ruohai did not rush to attack and simply smiled at Ma Lu, "My turn is over."

It was Ma Lu's turn to draw cards again, but this time he was less fortunate, getting no Attack Cards.

Ma Lu then played the card Eternal Spring Art, gaining himself 7 points of True Qi, followed by another Lightfoot Card—Swallow Brings Clay into the Hall.

He spent 2 points of True Qi to draw another card, and this time luck finally favored him once more.

Ma Lu obtained the fourth form of Songxi Fast Sword—Vigor Like the Wind, which was just right for dealing with the current situation.

He immediately infused 2 points of True Qi to activate the effect of Vigor Like the Wind and thrust his sword at Qin Ruohai, breaking through 12 points of his parry.

He then spent another 1 point of True Qi to retrieve the card back into his hand and played it again.

With the Chef's Knife's bonus, this strike reduced Qin Ruohai's health from 55 down to 46.

Qin Ruohai's expression finally changed, his previous ease gone as he exclaimed, "Hey, how come your swordsmanship is so powerful and even varies in its effects?!"

But Ma Lu did not answer him. After dealing damage with Vigor Like the Wind, he finally got a chance to play another Lightfoot Card—Swallow Returns to Nest.

This card required that an attack had been made in the current turn. Ma Lu spent 1 point of True Qi to activate its effect, drawing two more cards.

Among them was Sunrise of a Lifetime, but unfortunately, after a round of expenditure, he was left with only 3 points of True Qi, just 1 point short of being able to activate the effect of Sunrise of a Lifetime.

So Ma Lu could only choose to end his turn.

He felt some regret, mainly because he had too few Martial Arts cards on hand, and they did not come from the same sect, so he couldn't build around a core card like Qin Ruohai could.

He could only rely on the 50% damage boost effect of the Chef's Knife to forcefully contest.

Even so, it still made Qin Ruohai's eyelids twitch uncontrollably, the small burst from Ma Lu had been fierce. Seeing Ma Lu draw two more cards, Qin Ruohai was genuinely afraid his opponent would throw out another Attack Card.

Fortunately, that did not happen.

It was Qin Ruohai's turn to play cards. He noticed that Ma Lu had not played any Body Protection Cards this turn, and this was just the chance he had been waiting for.

In fact, he had an Attack Card in his hand since the first turn but had not played it. Now, after drawing cards again, Qin Ruohai did not hold back.

He immediately threw out Complacency Does Not Come with Prosperity, the first form of Gentleman's Card. With 3 points of True Qi, he activated it, dealing 17 points of damage to Ma Lu.

The attack itself had a power of 13 points, and the 4th Level of the Vast Righteousness State granted it an additional 4 points of power.

Moreover, this card also granted Qin Ruohai another level of the Vast Righteousness State after dealing damage.

That was the strength of the Zhengqi Academy's card deck—Qin Ruohai wasn't lying; he was indeed becoming stronger as the battle progressed.

After dealing 17 points of damage to Ma Lu, Qin Ruohai did not chase further but used the remaining 3 points of True Qi to activate another Body Protection Card

—Complacency Does Not Come with Prosperity.

Under the influence of the 5th Level Vast Righteousness State, this card, which originally provided only 7 points of parry, offered Qin Ruohai a full 12 points of parry in one breath and also helped him gain another level of Vast Righteousness State.

Looking at the 6 layers of Vast Righteousness State on him, Qin Ruohai finally felt a trace of reassurance.

He still held two cards in his hand, and both were Lightfoot Cards, but his True Qi was almost completely depleted, making them impossible to activate, so he said.

"My turn is over."

By now, the card game had reached the third round, and Ma Lu still had 53 points of health while Qin Ruohai had 46 points remaining.

In terms of health, Ma Lu still had the upper hand, but he didn't have much time left.

With each passing turn, Qing Ruohai's body was almost certain to steadily accumulate at least two layers of Vast Righteousness State, and soon, his every attack would easily reach a power of over 20 points, and his defense would become harder and harder to break.

Therefore, Ma Lu didn't plan to delay any longer; he was ready to end the fight this turn with a quick decision.

He was now somewhat grateful for having obtained the Songxi Fast Sword Card Pack earlier. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

Although the Martial Arts of the Songxi Sword Sect couldn't compare to those of the Zhengqi Academy, the Songxi Fast Sword, which prioritized swift attacks like the wind to defeat opponents in the blink of an eye, was the perfect counter to the Zhengqi Academy's strategy of playing for the late game.

Of course, the most crucial point was that Qin Ruohai was still young and hadn't mastered his Sect's Martial Arts to a profound level.

His Song of Zhengqi and Self-Cultivation Secret were both only at the 2nd Level, and his Gentleman's Card was only practiced to the 3rd Level. Most importantly, his insufficiency in True Qi greatly limited his actions.

By contrast, Ma Lu's Songxi Fast Sword had already been upgraded to the 4th Level, and he also had the Great Perfection Minor Eternal Spring Technique, providing him with 7 points of True Qi each turn, allowing him to do much more.

After drawing the much-desired Heart Method Card, Ma Lu immediately added 7 points of True Qi to himself. Together with the remaining 3 points from before, he now had 10 points of True Qi available.

Then Ma Lu played Sunrise of a Lifetime, infusing it with 4 points of True Qi to increase its power to 23 points.

This sword strike took 17 points of health from Qin Ruohai.

Qin Ruohai's face no longer had the relaxation it did before, his gaze becoming more intense, and after this, Ma Lu unleashed another sword strike.

— Spring on the Rock.

This was the sixth form of the Songxi Fast Sword, but unlike the previous forms, even infusing 2 points of True Qi gave it only 7 points of power, and with the Chef's Knife bonus, it could only deal 11 points of damage.

However, this move had a special effect where he could discard two Body Protection Cards to randomly add one form of the Songxi Fast Sword from his deck to his hand.

Conveniently, Ma Lu was holding exactly two Body Protection Cards, and after discarding these two cards, he obtained the first form of the Songxi Fast Sword.

— Bright Moon Among the Pines.

Without hesitation, Ma Lu played it immediately, then spent 2 points of True Qi to activate Bright Moon Among the Pines, increasing its power to 12 points, and in Qin Ruohai's stunned silence, he swept away the remaining 9 points of his health.

In just one turn, Ma Lu thrust out three swords, taking the 'fast' of the Songxi Fast Sword to the extreme.

Qin Ruohai simply couldn't parry in time, and by the time he realized it, the card game had already vanished.

Ma Lu gave a clasped hands salute, "Brother Qin, I appreciate the leniency."

Qin Ruohai's face turned red, a hint of frustration flashing in his eyes, feeling that his defeat was somewhat undeserved as he had prematurely revealed his Martial Studies specialty to Ma Lu, yet remained unaware of his opponent's tactics.

This battle seemed somewhat unfair, and Qin Ruohai felt that if they fought another round he might not lose, after all, he had been too confident before and did not truly consider Ma Lu a contender.

Just as he was about to insist on another match with Ma Lu to regain his pride, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him, "Young Master Ma possesses superb martial skills!"