The Card Apprentice

Wood Word Camp stopped traveling and team members were asleep.

They were all extremely fatigued. Everyone slept soundly, and their snoring sounds were all over the place. Chen Mu didn’t sleep; he was lost in his thoughts.

“Boss, are you alright?” Xiaobo approached and asked worriedly. Chen Mu was in a very bad condition. His hair was messy and his bloodshot eyes looked frightening. For the past few days, ordinary team member only had at least three hours of rest but Chen Mu didn’t rest for even a second.

Chen Mu’s imposing manner was frightening. He was tensed and looked like an overbearing and dangerous beast; someone who might break out and hurt people.

Xiaobo had been with Chen Mu for quite a period, and he had never seen Chen Mu in such worrisome state. In his head, Chen Mu was always calm and composed, as if nothing in this world could affect him. In the past, Chen Mu didn’t like to talk, but nobody feared him. Yet the quiet Chen Mu in front of him made him fear deeply.

“No worries.” Chen Mu shook his head. His voice was a bit hoarse. His body was at its limit for not resting during the past few days. But he had no time to rest. Other than leading everyone forward at full speed, he had many other things to think about. He was the chief commander of Wood Word Camp and he had to shoulder all the responsibilities. It had been too quiet and smooth for the last few days, and he was puzzled and tense. However, these days of continuous expedition, enabled him to see the light of hope.

The city not far away was Borman City and it was their last lap. They had to cross the city in order to get out of Cang Lan’s control. However, Borman City was the largest city, with the largest area and accommodated the greatest number of card artisans. If Wood Word Camp was to bypass the city, that meant they needed to travel a longer route, wasting more time and effort.

Time, in Chen Mu’s plan, was a key factor.

Chen Mu decided to cross through Borman City. Crossing Borman City would shorten their travel time by two days. Even if it was a risky act, Chen Mu chose it.

Everyone had five hours to rest. Although Chen Mu was in a rush, he knew Wood Word Camp wouldn’t be able to retaliate if they were too jaded.

Xiaobo was about to speak, but Chen Mu cut him off, “Go and rest. The last lap might not be a smooth ride.”

Xiaobo’s heart sank. During the entire journey, Chen Mu’s precise judgements deeply impressed everyone in Wood Word Camp and they were all convinced of his judgement.

Watching Xiao Bo rest, Chen Mu then entered deep tranquility. Despite breaking through the seventh level, his perception was almost zero; a side effect of flying continuously without rest.

In the tranquil world, time froze and all sounds were completely cut off. Chen Mu started his One-Breath Perception Training and he felt the vitality of life.

It was five in the afternoon. The afterglow of the setting sun spread over the earth, giving the snow-white world an orange coat; it was extremely beautiful. The team members woke up from their rest. The five-hour break made them energetic, it was the longest break they had for a long time.

No one made a single noise. Everyone rubbed their faces with snow to wake them up. When they were fully awake, they started changing the power card in their apparatus, checked if the apparatus was intact and tidied their attire. Nobody spoke a word during the process. They moved quickly, and the teams assembled in five minutes. Instead of being ordered to set off immediately, they gathered together.

Chen Mu stood in front of his team and looked at these quiet faces. His heart was suddenly filled with pride. Wood Word Camp was founded by him, and after these days of sharpening, they had showed the form of a strong team.

“What lies ahead is our last lap, Borman City! Make a breakthrough and we’ll win!” Chen Mu’s speech was simple yet powerful. Everyone was refreshed! Following his finger, they looked at the silhouetted Borman City. Nobody was afraid. On the contrary, they were excited and their gazed sparkled as though they had spotted a prey.

“Follow my order!”

Everyone in Wood Word Camp was silent. Everyone held their breath and waited for his command. The chilling wind didn’t make them feel cold. They felt very hot and their blood seemed to be boiling. Some of the card artisans couldn’t contain their excitement and their breathing became heavy. They only had to cross the city in front and they would be famous in the Heavenly Federation! Cross the city and they would create a miracle!

In an age where people worshiped heroes, what could be more exciting than this?

“Everyone! Combat formation! Full speed ahead!”

Card artisans from Wood Word Camp flew into the sky. Under the glory of sunset, they looked like they were wearing a layer of golden armor. Contrary to the concealment in the past few days, they rose to the sky in an imposing manner. They flew towards Borman City.

Those thrilled card artisans wished they had wings and increased their speed to the maximum! The extreme speed brought sonic booms. The collective noise created by around 1,800 people stirred up the air along the route. The overwhelming noises were heard all over, other card artisans inside the forest were startled by the loud roar.

Just as the other card artisans were searching for the noise, they felt a hurricane sweep through the jungle. They nearly fell and broke out in panic. The loud roar continued to reach further out, and everyone in the region was affected by the air waves that was temporarily disordered.

“Oh no. Which team is this?”

“Is this Cang Jiang Military Force? Only they’d be so arrogant?”

“Who knows? But, they’re so handsome!”

…

Borman City was getting closer and more and more card artisans were seen on the ground. These people were either gasping with astonishment or plainly confused.

Traveling at high speed, yet the formation of the team was in order. The distance between each member was neat. It was a manifestation of a strong army! The card artisans on the ground watched them until they were out of their sight. Although they had just a glimpse of Wood Word Camp, it shocked them tremendously.

Such murderous aura, were they trying to attack Borman City? For no reason, that was the first idea that popped into their head. Attacking Borman City was an impossible goal. Although it was not the strongest city in North Facing District, it was ranked high up on the chart. Moreover, there were a considerable number of card artisans stationed in this city. Who would be so foolish to challenge such a titan? However, all the card artisans stopped what they were doing, flew up into the sky and headed for Borman City.

Many people wanted to know, who were they?

As they were closer to Borman City, the number of card artisans in the sky amplified. Chen Mu ordered the team to slow down and Wood Word Camp’s traveling speed dropped immediately. If they were traveling at lightning speed earlier, they were now gentler. And the switch between the two were so smooth. There was not a bit of chaos.

Awesome!

Card artisans who witnessed the transition were amazed. Changing the travel speed from high to low, for such a huge troop, the transition had always been a headache for any commanders. If any of the card artisans were slightly inconsistent, the one at the back will collide with the front.

But there was not a bit of disorder for this team; the whole process was smooth and perfect! It was like a waterfall pouring down from high up suddenly becoming mercury flowing slowly on the table.

The formation of a team changed from a combat formation to a defensive formation.

All they could see was card artisans flying in alternate patterns, dazzling to the eyes. But in the blink of an eye, they had completed their formation. Those onlookers gave a gasp of astonishment.

They had never seen such an efficient and unparalleled team.

Everyone had a question in mind, where were they from?

Combat formation and defense formation were just a general term. If divided into subcategories, there were many types. The greatest advantage of this defense formation, named number eight, was that it could be easily converted into a combat formation number six. The reason why Chen Mu changed his formation was that he found that card artisans in Borman City were much more than he had expected. He had to cross Borman City with the fastest speed; provoking them was his last resort.

But in this world, not everything was agreeable.

As Wood Word Camp was drawing nearer to the main area in Borman City, there were more and more card artisans watching. From a distance, the sky was filled with a dark mass of crowd.

A troop of nearly 2,000 appeared in front of Wood Word Camp.

Like a stimulated beast, Wood Word Camp spontaneously completed the formation without Chen Mu’s command. If Wood Word Camp was a turtle huddled in its shell before, then the Wood Word Camp had now revealed its tusks!

Wood Word Camp’s transformation was out of the expectations of their opponents. There was quite a stir on the other side. Many card artisans went pale. The imposing manner of Wood Word Camp seemed to suggest their rich experience in war. This made their opponent nervous. Wood Word Camp’s opponent was merely an ordinary garrison. No matter where they went, any card artisan teams were submissive; they had never seen such formation.

Chen Mu gazed at his opponent, coldly, without a word. Wood Word Camp was quiet. Every card artisan had a cold gaze, and they were leaning slightly forward, suggesting that they were ready to battle.

The sense of oppression brought by a team without any hint was incomparable and simply suffocating.

The card artisans on the opposite went pale and blood seemed to drain out from their faces. Murderous aura! Wood Word Camp kept silent and was giving out a murderous aura. Every other card artisan believed that they’d fight if they disagreed with each other.

Wood Word Camp’s action caused the other card artisans to jump out of their skin. They had never thought anyone would treat Borman City’s garrison in such a way.

Were they out of their minds?

Silence. It was a deafening silence. Their hearts were in their mouths.

Chen Mu’s gaze turned cold.