Chapter 273: 273 announces withdrawal from A-Rank Group 1
Meanwhile, in Imperial City, the small cards sold by Mount Flower were eventually collected by some associations.
Yes, associations.
After all, for ordinary people, gathering a complete set of Mount Flower’s small cards to exchange for Card Spirits isn’t an easy task. Moreover, it’s pointless for ordinary people to exchange them. It’s the major associations interested in researching the cards that find them useful.
Tan Heming, staying at his base, looked at the Su Daji card that the association had exchanged and nodded in approval, "Brilliant idea."
From the card’s abilities to its appearance, everything was beyond what Tan Heming had ever imagined.
It was just a pity that he had lost his spiritual power and couldn’t personally experience Su Daji’s charm.
Luo Juerao followed with a sigh, "Exactly, it cost us millions to collect two sets. For now, we’ve only got Su Daji and Mo Liqing, as well as the Mo Family Three Brothers."
He hissed, "No wonder they say Mount Flower Association knows how to make money... You have no idea how terrifying their card sales are on the market."
The key is their cooperation with the military.
The heir of the Jimo Family really has some guts.
Tan Heming asked, "Have you heard anything about her whereabouts lately?"
He was referring to Wen Jiang.
Not long ago, he was supposed to arrange a training match with Mount Flower, but just after they agreed, he lost his spiritual power.
It took some time for Tan Heming to get over it. Only then did he notice that there had been no news about Wen Jiang recently. Even though Mount Flower said she was actively participating in training matches, Tan Heming always felt something was amiss when observing the actions of her other teammates.
"I don’t know," said Luo Juerao, raising an eyebrow. "There’s probably something off. Some inside information slipped out, showing Shi Qi and the others training with a new face."
While it’s possible to keep the news of a team member change from outsiders, within the industry, you’re likely to hear some whispers.
Wen Jiang isn’t participating in training matches, and another person has suddenly appeared in Shi Qi’s team. With none of the four showing any desire to retire, especially during their moment of glory after winning the championship, who could this new teammate be replacing?
Then the conclusion seems obvious.
Luo Juerao was somewhat incredulous. "Is she not planning to participate in the next league?"
But it makes sense. With her strength, if she were to continue in the next season, it’s hard to say what would happen in the A-Rank Group. She would probably continue to dominate.
With such strong abilities and suddenly not continuing to compete, Luo Juerao had no clue what she planned to do.
Tan Heming suddenly fell into thought. The last time I saw Sheng Hongying, I probed her about who their new teammate would be. Sheng Hongying didn’t give anything away. She just smiled and said they were waiting.
"Oh, right!" Luo Juerao snapped to realization. "Dong Shao retired, and there’s been no buzz about any good S-level Players looking to transfer lately. Where can Mount Flower find their new teammate?"
The league finalizes its rosters by the end of the year, and logically, there should be indications of a new teammate by now. Not only are the major associations paying attention, but the fans are too. Yet, Mount Flower has revealed no news about who the new S-level teammate will be. Then there’s the suddenly missing Wen Jiang, and Mount Flower’s new S-level Player, who has been without a trace to date.
Looking at the Su Daji card in front of him, Tan Heming suddenly asked a shocking question, "What if the new teammate Sheng Hongying mentioned they are waiting for... is her?"
"What... her? Impossible." Luo Juerao froze for a few seconds before realizing what Tan Heming meant. He looked at Tan Heming with a mix of amusement and disbelief, saying, "Captain, no offense, but it hasn’t been long since her promotion to A-Level. To be promoted to S Rank this year too? A triple jump in two years is unprecedented in history; it’s impossible."
Even the Great Emperor, who created the fastest promotion record, lingered in the A-Rank Group for nearly five years before earning his promotion.
Unless one is born with a high rank, climbing step by step is incredibly difficult—even harder than ascending to the heavens.
If Wen Jiang could truly manage it, as if it were as easy as drinking water, it would shatter his imagination; instinctively, he just couldn’t believe it.
Tan Heming also felt the idea was a bit far-fetched.
If she could reach S Rank this year and participate in the league, it would probably send shockwaves around the world. All previous attention would converge upon Wen Jiang.
Considering Wen Jiang’s heaven-defying capabilities, Luo Juerao didn’t entirely dismiss the possibility. "I’m not very convinced she can level up that quickly," he mused, "but I do believe she can reach S Rank, as long as she creates enough cards..."
Leveling up is only possible in two ways: either create enough cards, where genuine effort brings results, or enhance combat experience.
The latter is more mysterious, as you could never really know where the threshold for a breakthrough lies.
Someone like Luo Juerao, born an S Rank, just couldn’t understand.
Tan Heming laughed, and as the two stopped discussing Wen Jiang, Luo Juerao’s worried gaze settled on Tan Heming. "Captain, setting her aside for the moment, your spiritual power..."
If it couldn’t recover, what would happen with this year’s competition?
And for someone to suddenly lose their spiritual power, Luo Juerao dared not even imagine what Tan Heming was truly feeling inside.
He appeared outwardly calm and unruffled, just like now, when he could still smile helplessly and say, "What can be done? If it can’t be restored, I surely won’t just give up on living."
But was he truly so detached on the inside?
「*」
Tang Qian called Wen Jiang to say that they had chosen the new team member.
"We’re about to release the news of the new recruit, and then we’ll have to announce your departure from the A-Rank Group," she said.
Tang Qian hesitated slightly. "Your status is at its peak as we announce your departure; the fans will be devastated."
After all, Wen Jiang had just won the A-Level league championship at her peak performance, and everyone knew she was the absolute core. Without a valid reason, fans would never accept her sudden replacement and departure announcement.
"It’s okay." Wen Jiang knew she was almost certain to advance to S Rank, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly when. Mount Flower would only dare to release the news once it was definite. Until then, the fans would just have to cry for a while.
What amused her was that Sheng Hongying and the others must have heard something. Team members needed to train together for competitions. Yet, even though she hadn’t given a definite confirmation, Sheng Hongying and her three teammates were still training without any complaints.
Worried, Tang Qian sighed, "So, we’ll release the news, and I hope you promote soon."
She knew Wen Jiang was aiming for S Rank, and while she felt hopeful, she was also anxious because nothing was guaranteed.
After hanging up and receiving the go-ahead, Tang Qian thought it over. She still decided to release the news about Huo Rubing joining Mount Flower’s A-Level team as the new substitute for the league.
Huo Rubing, their newly recruited member, was also a talented player. He might not be on par with Wen Jiang, but his talent was top-notch compared to other professional players. His only drawback was his lack of competitive experience. He had been on the verge of being recruited by Broken Heart but chose to join Mount Flower out of admiration after Wen Jiang won the league championship.
It was a pity the kid had joined but hadn’t even met Wen Jiang yet. The official internal explanation was that Wen Jiang was busy with family matters.
After all, as the heiress of the Jimo Family, that was understandable, right?
But the fans couldn’t understand it at all.