My exclusive card pool

Chapter 92 Heading to the Summit of the Snow Mountain
"Good day, Lord Kai."

"May the gods protect you, my lord."

At the entrance to the snow-capped mountain, two guards knelt on one knee before the young man in black fine clothes, bowing and greeting him.

They were burly men, wielding long halberds. Underneath, they wore thick cotton coats with thin wool linings, and over their full-body heavy armor, they wore full-body robes emblazoned with stag emblems.

"Snow Mountain Guardian Lyle (Green/3 Stars)"

"Mountain Guardian - Logan (Green/3 Stars)"

Wang Xi withdrew his gaze, smiled, and nodded.

"Thank you for your hard work, both of you."

He spoke softly, then took a step onto the icy rock steps and headed towards the higher reaches of the snow-capped mountain.

Wait until he leaves.

The two guards then stood up again.

"Hey, Lyle, did you see Lord Kai climbing the mountain just now?"

Logan poked the snow on the ground with the halberd shaft, the sound muffled and trembling beneath his visor.

"He didn't even put on his cloak after stepping into the snow-capped mountains, just wearing a silk blouse. Wasn't he cold...?"

"I see it." Lyle hugged his halberd tighter and peered towards the mountain steps, his heavy armor creaking. "Heh, your physique is strong, how could you be cold!"

"During the 'Night of Bloodshed' in mid-last month, almost all the members of the swordsmen and sorcerers who rebelled with Calvin were wiped out. Their blood stained the palace floor tiles red, and the remains of the mechanical puppets were piled up higher than the clock tower... All of this was done by Lord Gai with just his sword."

He suddenly lowered his voice and said:
“My cousin was on night watch at the palace. He said that on that night, Lord Kai’s shadow stretched for more than ten meters in the moonlight, revealing the outline of a demon wolf. The warlock’s fireball spell was extinguished before it even got close… This is not the kind of skill an ordinary person should have.”

“If you ask me,” Logan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice trembling, “the rumors about the ‘Crimson Wizard’ are probably true, and he might even have wolf blood…”

"Shh! Are you out of your mind?!"

Lyle was suddenly startled and immediately scolded him.

"There's no such thing as a 'Crimson Wizard,' it's all a rumor. From now on, there will only be the 'Queen's Sword'!"

"..."

Logan immediately fell silent.

He turned to look at the summit of the snow-capped mountain, where he could vaguely see a deep blue ice crystal castle, and murmured in admiration:
"In the end, this world respects the strong."

...

...

It's only the beginning of July.

On the mountain, however, a fierce wind and snowstorm raged, with gusts of wind howling.

A biting wind swept across the rugged mountain ridges, carrying ice crystals and adding another layer of white to the sparse trees and vegetation.

Wang Xi walked on the steep, icy, snow-covered path, the footsteps crunching, snow seeping into his boots.

"hiss--"

He clenched his teeth and inhaled the cold air.

The muscles in various parts of his body trembled slightly.

He is using the "Moonlight Breathing Method" to adjust his physical condition and activate latent heat to maintain body temperature.

After walking fifty or sixty meters in one breath.

"call--"

Only then did he exhale hot white breath from the corners of his mouth.

And so a long time passed.

It's approaching noon.

Wang Xi finally reached the mountaintop.

The harsh environment of the snow-capped mountains quickly depleted his physical strength. Even with his current physique, he felt a bit tired.

On the open snow-covered ground a hundred meters away.

A castle made of azure ice crystals stands tall.

The spire, like a sharp sword, pierces the sky, its icy peaks gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight. The walls are covered with flowing frost patterns, and thousands of icicles hang from the extended dome, while the cold mist overflowing from the portico churns incessantly.

After a brief look around, Wang Xi headed towards the castle.

As he approached, he was surprised to discover that there seemed to be an invisible barrier surrounding the castle. The wind and snow couldn't get in at all, and mysteriously subsided a hundred meters away from the castle.

pat, pat.

In the quiet surroundings, only Wang Xi's footsteps could be heard.

He climbed the steps and stood before the double-leaf ice crystal gate, which was about eight meters high and five or six meters wide.

"Your Majesty Isabella, Kai Farrell has come to pay his respects as promised..."

He placed his hand on his chest, bowed, and paid his respects.

bang——

The ice crystal gate opened outwards on its own, making a rumbling sound.

Despite the fog blowing in his face, Wang Xi didn't feel cold.

It's amazing.

He entered the castle hall.

The place was empty, with only the echoes of footsteps remaining.

The translucent walls allow excellent light transmission, making the space bright even without artificial lighting. They also function like a one-way mirror, allowing a clear view of the outside world while revealing only the deep blue walls from the outside.

At this moment, a tall and elegant figure walked barefoot down the ice crystal spiral staircase and stopped at the last third step.

Without any pleasantries or small talk, Isabella lowered her eyes and said directly:

"'The Ice Heart Curse' is something I was born with, and I still haven't been able to figure out its origin."

She looked at the young man quietly.

"But I found that it is not appropriate to describe it as a 'curse'... because it is more like a kind of talent, a talent that ordinary people cannot bear, so most of them end up tragically."

"talent?"

Wang Xi couldn't help but recall what the forest fairy Bettina had once told him. She had said that the "Curse of the Ice Heart" was a double-edged sword, capable of killing, but also capable of making one strong.

At the same time, this argument is also very much in line with the allegorical fairy tale described on the title page of the Gospel of Elos.

Pass the test and embark on the pilgrimage.

"..."

Isabella did not offer any further explanation.

She was silent for a moment, then said:
“You do not possess magical talent, and your elemental affinity is no different from that of ordinary people. Even if your physical condition is not bad, you are far from being able to withstand the consequences of detonating the curse.”

"If you do that, you will be frozen into an ice sculpture within ten seconds due to the backflow of magic, and then explode into pieces."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi's expression turned serious.

He knew very well that the Snow Queen wouldn't joke around.

But at the same time, he also gleaned a crucial piece of information from the other person's words—

Magical talent!

"Your Majesty Isabella, are you saying that if one possesses magical talent and a sufficiently high elemental affinity, then there is a possibility of success?"

Wang Xi asked in a deep voice.

The Ice Queen hummed in agreement and said calmly:
"The reason I define 'Curse of the Ice Heart' as a talent is because it has a strong attraction to magic power... It absorbs magic power at a rate ten times faster than that of ordinary spellcasters. If the elemental affinity is too low, it will backfire."

"I understand."

Wang Xi suddenly realized.

After the Ice Queen's explanation, he finally understood the essence of the "Curse of the Ice Heart"... It is actually similar to a heaven-defying constitution. If one is not good enough to match it, then death is the only way out.

In other words.

On a mediocre person, it's called a curse, a death warrant... but on a genius, it becomes unparalleled talent, and their cultivation speed is unmatched!
Isabella gazed at him and said:
So, are you sure you still want to try?

"Of course," Wang Xi replied affirmatively, seemingly undeterred. "But please grant me some time to prepare, Your Majesty..."

The Snow Queen remained expressionless.

But a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.

This is an affirmation of the courage of young people who, knowing they will die, still choose to live in the face of death.

“Suit yourself,” Isabella said, turning and going up the spiral staircase. A cool voice came from above, echoing in the hall: “Call me when you’re ready.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Wang Xi bowed to the back of the Ice Queen.

His eyelids slowly lowered.

Not a genius?

It's simple, I'll just draw cards!
Wang Xike hadn't forgotten that after that night's battle with Calvin and the others, he still had more than twenty wild cards waiting to be drawn in his mind.

The "Warlock card pool" is the largest.

Including the card pool of Warlock Bertrand, there are a total of 19 cards... He didn't believe it, there wasn't a single card in it that could increase elemental affinity.

Wang Xi simply sat down on the ground.

The hall of the Ice Crystal Castle was spotless, and the hard, cold floor was as clean and shiny as a mirror.

He thought to himself:
'Caus, start drawing.'

Concentrating my mind, I first selected the "Swordsman Card Pool".

"Consume 600 energy points (2255 remaining)"

Six orbs of light—one dark green, two green, and three white—began to rotate and then flew out one after another.

First, three white cards—

"Court Swordsman Badge", "Charge", "Ten Thousand Swings".

The "badge" is silver-plated and gold-inlaid, exquisitely designed, but it's merely an ordinary object symbolizing status and honor, with virtually no practical value. It's considered trash that pollutes the gacha pool.

"Charge" is a skill card that increases running speed while wielding a sword for a certain period of time, but it consumes a lot of stamina. Overall, it's not cost-effective and is quite useless, deserving the rating of being a piece of trash that shouts "I'm the best."

"Ten Thousand Sword Swings" is a one-time consumable function card that is equivalent to swinging a sword ten thousand times, permanently increasing the proficiency of two-handed longsword weapons.

This card is truly top-tier.

Wang Xi put it into use on the spot.

In the instant the white light flashed, it was as if he had swung the sword ten thousand times, his skill in wielding the decapitation sword becoming even more proficient, almost reaching the level of the old swordsman...

In layman's terms, it means that the basic attack hurts more.

As for the two green cards—

These are "Cloak Sword Twisting Technique" and "Fiore's Elegant Sword." Fortunately, both are skill cards, and high-value, top-tier ones at that.

The former emphasizes timing and distance control in offense and defense, mainly employing a disarming strategy of "sword twisting sword" in conjunction with "feinting attacks and thrusts" to kill the enemy.

The latter places greater emphasis on stance, stressing the combination of swordsmanship and elegance, and incorporating numerous elements related to sword-dagger coordination, ground combat techniques, and grappling skills. This makes the fighting style both visually appealing and highly practical.

Wang Xi decisively activated the two swordsmanship cards.

Now, a basic attack not only hurts more, but also looks cooler.

That last deep green card originated from Franz, the chief swordsman of the palace—

"The first sword will extinguish your anger; the second sword will break your arrogance; the third sword will ignite your fear... and the final sword will sever your throat."

The man's indifferent voice echoed.

"Gladiator School Secret Technique (Skill Card)"

"Quality: Dark Green One Star (Upgradable)"

"A secret school founded by a certain swordsmanship master. Renowned for its impenetrable defensive swordsmanship, its essence lies in 'using stillness to control movement, and defeating the enemy with a single strike.' Legend has it that the swordsmanship master reached an unfathomable level in his later years, once standing in a torrential rain all night without getting his clothes wet, only his sword became damp."

"After use, you will master the Gladiolus Secret Technique, which allows you to perfectly parry three attacks (the parry threshold depends on your physique and weapon strength). After that, you can transform your defensive stance into an offensive one and unleash a fatal blow. Each use of this card will consume a large amount of stamina."

Gladiolus Secret Technique?

Perfectly parried three attacks, preparing for a counterattack!
Wang Xi's face lit up with joy.

'Okay, okay...'

(End of this chapter)