Chapter 45: The Defeated Protagonists, Qiao Jia's Invitation

"Mayor, someone has awakened as a Card Master."
They spoke to Qiao Jia with excitement.
Qiao Jia had just been out of town and hadn't witnessed this herself, but those present had seen it with their own eyes and were especially elated.
"Who is it?"
Qiao Jia nodded calmly, neither moved nor excited. Someone awakening as a Card Master was perfectly normal; there was nothing strange about it.
However, what surprised Qiao Jia was who the first to awaken was.
Proud Dragon saw Chu Tiao dragging Di Chong back, and his entire dragon face wore an expression beyond words.
After all, these families had developed exceptionally well until now, and were also unimaginably wealthy.
The police were everywhere making arrests, but fortunately few had lost their minds. That was still better than those who had set houses on fire.
Countless butterflies of all colors swirled like a whirlwind before An Shibai, forming a shield to protect him.
As Gu Fei finished speaking, the breaths of the many holy spirits present suddenly hitched, and their hearts tightened.
Anyone unfamiliar with the situation would never believe this was the militia. To call them a regular army would not be an exaggeration.
Yuan Fang wandered around the village with Jin Qing. There was little to see—just ordinary households. Since the incident with Cao Lu, their family had grown cold toward the villagers and seldom interacted with them.
After receiving their dormitory keys, two sets of uniforms, and a white freshman badge, Huo Yuhao and Feng Qianchen followed Tang Ya and Bei Bei out of the freshman teaching building.
Then, picking a direction at random, they swam away, journeying five thousand miles. All they saw was mechanical debris, leading Yuan Xu to suspect that in Cloud Beast Lake, apart from that giant creature, there was hardly any intact machinery left.

After the last lap, Huo Yuhao collapsed completely at the finish line. Wang Dong'er looked at him, her gaze full of astonishment. She hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to persist, and that spirit earned her respect.
Qing Shuang spoke with a hint of grievance, "Your Majesty hasn't visited the Splendid Pavilion for several days. You must have forgotten me. Why should I harbor foolish hopes?" Her words carried a trace of petulance, and her heart grew even more sour. The brightness in her clear eyes dimmed.
She halted, unconsciously tightening her grip on Yi Fan's hand, her expression uncertain and conflicted.
Wu Jie had protested her habit of always cooking eggs, but never volunteered to learn to cook himself. He would simply drag her out to eat something random whenever he tired of it.
If not for Danny's fragile knees, which allowed him to play only a few high-level matches each season, his skill and talent would have rivaled any other English striker—indeed, any Premier League forward. —Wenger.
Xu Chen's voice suddenly grew louder, the veins bulging on the back of his hand as he squeezed Lin Tiandi's face until it flushed, his mouth agape and eyes wide as if suffocating.
Qing Shuang seethed, thinking to herself: It was you who was aggressive from the start, not giving me a chance to speak. How can you blame me now?
She was poor, she loved money, she was stingy, but she had backbone. She would never betray her conscience or break the law for money; every penny she earned was clean and honest, gained through her own effort.
This was the sign of "obvious strength." Those with robust vitality were more likely to achieve it. Those who reached this stage generally had strong physiques and vigorous energy—this was why Chen Hu had recently felt so energetic.
The Red Wolf leader, seeing him approach, immediately brandished his spear, his face growing uglier. Enshrouded in a bloody aura, he could barely move. With Xu Chen's attacks, the consequences would be dire.
Because the path of the formation master was so hard to advance, decades ago, Yi Fangtian's reputation was second to none among the heads of any sect.
Chen Tian was stunned by this idea. If it were true, wouldn't he have inexhaustible fighting energy?
Chen Chengcheng also went to school as usual, behaving no differently. His absence had been due to fear, but after his encounter the night before, he understood one thing—Gu Qi hadn't paid them any mind at all; there was no such thing as a grudge.
As soon as she stepped off the car, reporters and police spotted Tian Tian and immediately surrounded her. Thankfully, the police quickly came to her aid and protected her. Facing the reporters' questions, Tian Tian simply kept her lips sealed and followed the officers to what looked like a command car.
Fortunately, the white horse obeyed Tian Tian without question. Even though they had taken a wrong turn, when she told it to stop, it stopped. After waiting for Long Zeting, they returned smoothly to the banner.

Long Zeting thought back to Tian Tian, who worked at home and had been interrupted by him several times, yet she never lost her temper. Was it because... it was him?
Back when Black Jiao had just escaped and hadn't yet regained his full strength, he shattered the bodies of nine Heavenly Emperors with a single palm, but this fellow had so many life-saving tricks that his soul managed to escape.
"This is a spiritual body... No, even for a spiritual body, how could I feel such intense pressure? Even the water spirit remnant within me is growing agitated." Chen Tian struggled to dispel the urge to submit, while the water spirit remnant in his inner world grew restless, leaving him even more perplexed.
When he came before the crowd, he opened his right palm. A multicolored jade, shimmering with shifting hues, hovered above his hand, emanating a mysterious and profound aura.
Moments later, a red Maserati sports car stopped right beside him.
Zhong Hao glanced at Elder Ye in surprise. For a family to give up meant relinquishing so much.
Dongling Phoenix was startled, hastily evading Prince Ruhyang's hand. Her expression remained composed, but inwardly she cursed him repeatedly.
"What kind of monster is he?" Qi Yue's beautiful eyes were filled with astonishment. Only now did she realize that Xu Fu's words had not been unfounded.
"You need a grand stage to showcase your talents, and I have done my best to provide support. But when I need an unbreakable ally, you must be the first to step forward!" Desai seemed to be speaking in code, but he believed the ambitious Bernadotte understood perfectly well what he meant.
As the raft burned rapidly, Colonel Ramos and his soldiers noticed the unusual commotion on the river. By now, the raft had become a moving fireball, speeding toward the pontoon bridge. Everyone stopped in their tracks, helplessly watching the scene unfold.
Xue Zhuangtian's face rapidly aged, transforming from a handsome youth to a striking middle-aged man.
Before me stood natives who, though battered, refused to surrender and fought bravely to the end. Deep down, I felt both admiration and fear.
The bespectacled man forced himself to remain calm, took out his wallet, withdrew a card, and pleaded desperately.