My Card Girl's Infinite Evolution

"Don't worry, these young masters from big families care a lot about their reputation," Zhao Haifeng said.

"Let's hope so."

Luo Sheng wasn't too optimistic. After all, Xu Tianai was neurotic—practically a lunatic. It was impossible to predict his actions with normal reasoning.

Zhao Haifeng then transferred the money he'd won from betting into Luo Sheng's account.

He handed an invitation card to Luo Sheng and said, "In ten days, there will be a Card Master Exchange in Pingcheng. It's essentially a meet-and-greet for the new generation of financial group members and Card Alliance insiders to get acquainted. You should come. I heard Qin Jianjia and Wang Ke'ai will be attending."

Luo Sheng initially wanted to decline but, after a moment's thought, accepted the invitation.

"Thanks."

"No need to be polite. You helped me repair my card and let me earn a little extra. I should be thanking you," Zhao Haifeng said with a laugh.

He saw great potential in Luo Sheng and thought it was only natural to invest more effort in building a good relationship.

As they exited the campus, they encountered a man in a suit who handed Luo Sheng a bronze card.

"This is compensation from my young master," the man said.

After delivering the eight-star bronze card [Thousand-Gate Shield], the man got into a black sedan and left.

Luo Sheng examined the card, while Zhao Haifeng commented from the side, "Clearly, your [Open Gate] left him so frustrated that he didn't even want this card anymore."

Luo Sheng nodded. Indeed, no one would have expected the supposedly impenetrable [Thousand-Gate Shield] to be countered so easily by a single [Open Gate]. It was mind-blowing.

After bidding farewell to Zhao Haifeng, Luo Sheng was quite pleased as he checked his wallet.

With 1.5 million added to his account, his total assets had now reached 1.564 million—a sum he could hardly have imagined before.

However, this battle also made Luo Sheng realize that his strength was barely enough to contend with the top five students in the school.

The only reason he defeated Xu Tianai this time was that his card happened to counter Xu's defensive card. Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to face Xu's [Relic Hunter] head-on—a card second only to Qin Jianjia's [Frost Dragon].

Having a trump card was crucial.

"I need to keep getting stronger. Otherwise, I'll never surpass her," Luo Sheng resolved.

Back at his apartment, Luo Sheng opened the door to find Qin Jianjia sitting on the couch, taking off her black stockings. Her smooth, fair legs were a sight to behold.

Luo Sheng immediately smiled brightly. "Are you performing a spontaneous sock removal to welcome your powerful roommate back? No need for that—just give me a shoulder rub instead."

Qin Jianjia frowned slightly and casually tossed the crumpled stocking at his face.

I'll catch it with my mouth!

Ahem. Luo Sheng, of course, didn't actually try to catch it with his mouth. It was said that a girl's stockings had many flavors—dirty ones at that—and inhaling too much could lead to early demise.

"I'll dodge!" Luo Sheng sidestepped the flying, scented black stocking, which hit the door and fell to the floor.

"Such a waste. These stockings could fetch thousands if auctioned online," he joked.

"Pervert!" Qin Jianjia glared at him. "If you want them, take them. They might even fit your feet."

"Huh? What do you mean, 'fit my feet'? I don't crossdress."

"Then how do you explain the women's clothes in your room?"

Qin Jianjia raised an eyebrow and cut off all his excuses, adding, "Don't tell me they belong to your girlfriend. The only girl you know is Wang Ke'ai, and her figure doesn't match. Yours does, though."

Cough, cough! Luo Sheng quickly changed his tone. "How do you know there are women's clothes in my room?"

"Your door wasn't shut."

"Uh… let me explain. I really don't have a crossdressing habit—"

"Here, catch this."

"Got it."

A card flew into Luo Sheng's hand. He looked closely and saw it was a mount card.

[ [Road Rash]

Level: Bronze, 7 stars

Type: Mount

Effect:

Cruises at 600 km/h with an astonishing wind resistance coefficient of 0.21. The driver remains mentally sharp and experiences enhanced thinking during strong winds.

Skills:

Chain Lock: Locks an opponent's vehicle during a race.

Smart Navigation: Plans routes and avoids hazards at high speed.

Motorbike Grenades: The vehicle comes equipped with ten grenades with power comparable to C4 explosives.

Petal Mines: Mines banned by the Geneva Convention, with power comparable to TNT.

Summary: A bike used in international racing leagues. This is a competition, not a war.]

Although it had few skills, it was still a mount card. As long as one's mental energy was unlimited, the vehicle's energy would be unlimited too. Its main use was for transportation, though it could also be handy for escape.

With its rare four skills, this card's price wouldn't be less than 250,000.

"Thanks," Luo Sheng said as he stored the card.

Now he finally had a motorbike. He wouldn't need to walk anywhere anymore.

As Qin Jianjia slipped on her slippers and walked toward her room, she paused and said, "By the way, let's agree on three rules. From now on, don't use [Open Gate] when entering the apartment—especially when I'm showering!" She emphasized the word "showering."

She closed the door behind her, though there was no sound of locking this time. Perhaps she thought locking the door was pointless against Luo Sheng's [Open Gate].

Luo Sheng felt slightly awkward. [Open Gate] was a legitimate card, after all.

Well, since she had shown such goodwill, Luo Sheng wouldn't nitpick.

He glanced at the stockings on the floor. "Waste not, want not. I'll take these to Alice."

Being a frugal person, Luo Sheng picked up the stockings and turned to his phone, only to see multiple mentions in a forum.

A new thread had popped up:

"On Next-Door Old Sheng Defeating God Xu with Open Gate: The Birth of the Open Gate Master!"

Comments poured in:

[

Red Bean Matcha: "He's something else. I'm crying!"

Records Keeper: "Day and night we guard, but no one can stop Old Sheng. One open gate, and your waifus are gone. Hide them now!"

Lil' Durian Pastry: "Wake up, man. You don't have a waifu."

Exclusive to Yui Hatano: "I lost thousands! Let's overthrow the Sheng shop and divide the waifus!"

Hannah_is_me: "Heh! Bet you didn't see this coming. I bet on him and won 10x! Feels amazing!"

NGStone: "Open Gate, checking the water meter… I suspect you're involved in money laundering!"

Soul Manor: "Scumbag Gate Master! My goddess is gone! T_T… Forget it. Today, I officially declare the White-Haired Princess my new goddess! (dog emoji for safety)"

Exclusive to Yui Hatano: "Down with the Gate Master! Divide the waifus!"

]

Luo Sheng skimmed through the comments. This beauty card diplomacy had been quite successful. At least half of the haters had turned into casual fans. However, he'd also gained a new nickname—Gate Master.

"These people really have too much time on their hands, coming up with such nonsense," Luo Sheng muttered.

Entering his room, he tossed the stockings aside and opened the card marketplace. His goal for the day was to strengthen [Ghostly Bride - Bai Moxue].

Though the card was highly useful, its combat power was too weak. It would be his next project to improve.

(End of Chapter)