Belated Billboard

As one of the six major academies in the Sky Federation, Star Academy has a long and storied history. Its founder is none other than the renowned Haina Vincent. Despite its decline over the years, Star Academy has never fallen out of the ranks of the six major academies, though it currently ranks at the bottom.

The decline of Star Academy is directly related to its system. The academy is divided into an Inner Academy and an Outer Academy. Every year, at a specific time, the school selects a group of students from the Outer Academy who excel in both performance and talent to enter the Inner Academy for further study. The Inner Academy is the true core of Star Academy. Anyone who graduates from the Inner Academy, whether a cardmaker or a card cultivator, inevitably becomes a figure who leaves a significant mark on history.

The conditions for graduating from the Inner Academy of Star Academy are not only extremely strict, but leaving it is equally difficult. In fact, it's been ten years since anyone has successfully emerged from the Inner Academy, which is the main reason for Star Academy's decline in recent years. In contrast, the other five academies among the six major academies regularly produce outstanding talents. Even the Federal Comprehensive Academy, which is at the height of its power, and the sparsely populated Kuji Temple see one or two exceptional individuals emerge every two or three years.

Only Star Academy has gone a full ten years without anyone emerging from the Inner Academy. In recent years, the academy has been relying on the students from the Outer Academy to maintain its current, precarious situation. This also demonstrates that even the Outer Academy students at Star Academy are stronger than those at typical schools. This is why Zoe made such a remark, leaving his usually proud friend at a loss for words.

...

The illusion card billboard made for Uncle Hua was finally completed today, seven days after Chris's visit to Golden Street. Chris was quite satisfied with the final product.

The card, made from the specially tanned bark of the Thousand Cloud Tree, has a semi-translucent white appearance and is about half the size of a palm. On its surface, intricate patterns in a deep blue-green form graceful and complex designs. Chris's skill with the pen has reached an impressive level, with smooth and fluid lines. The card features a tall ghostly blue orchid, with vibrant green leaves, a slender, elegant stem, and delicate white flowers tinged with a hint of cream. The orchid sways gently, and every ten seconds, its flowers emit tiny bursts of colorful light. These lights shimmer like mist, gradually forming the glowing words "Uncle Hua's Grocery Store." At night, this ghostly blue orchid reveals its full brilliance.

During those five days, in addition to creating the illusion card billboard featuring the ghostly blue orchid, Chris also made another illusion card. This card was inspired by the stunning illusion card billboard he had seen at the Dual Ring Card Shop. Due to the significant gap in skill between Chris Wood and the creator of that remarkable illusion card, he was unable to replicate such a complex advertisement at his current level.

Chris's replica of the illusion card only captures a portion of the original. In the original illusion card's display, what caught Chris's interest was the fiery dragon circling the cold, stern man in black. Brilliant and scorching, it symbolized power and strength. This was a three-star illusion card known as the "Flame Dragon Card," a mid-level combat card. The dragon is entirely simulated by energy, and under the control of a card cultivator, it can not only emit intense heat but also possesses explosive properties, making it both agile and immensely powerful. It's a favorite among many combat card cultivators.

The illusion card Chris created is related to the Flame Dragon Card, but it's only a one-star illusion card. In other words, it's not a genuine Flame Dragon Card but rather an illusion card depicting the Flame Dragon. This card can project a highly realistic image of a red flame dragon, but the illusion is composed solely of light and lacks any actual offensive power. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that the Flame Dragon illusion Chris crafted is exceptionally lifelike!

The Flame Dragon, brought to life with its layers of swirling fire, creates a body that is both realistic and illusory. Once released, it soars and dances in the sky, occasionally emitting bursts of deep red sparks that seem as if they are ready to consume anyone in their path, creating an incredibly awe-inspiring spectacle.

The advertisement at the Dual Ring Card Shop left a profound impression on Chris. Before this, he had never imagined that illusions could achieve such complexity. This Flame Dragon illusion card was the result of a spontaneous interest from Chris.

This experience also made him realize just how far his skills are from those of the cardmaker who created the advertisement at Dual Ring Card Shop.

With the illusion card billboard for Uncle Hua in hand, Chris's mood improved a bit. In his otherwise simple life, there are very few things he truly wants to accomplish, and this was one of them. Now that it's finally done, he eagerly anticipates Uncle Hua's reaction upon seeing the illusion card. Imagining the look of surprise on Uncle Hua's face when he sees the illusion advertising, Chris felt a surge of excitement. He nearly jogged all the way to Uncle Hua's grocery store.

The tightly closed door made Chris's heart sink, and a sudden sense of foreboding rose within him. He quickly ran to the nearby shops and found a shopkeeper, asking urgently, "Hello, why is Uncle Hua's shop next door closed today?"

"Who knows? He hasn't been around for several days," the shopkeeper replied with a casual glance at Chris. 

Chris returned home feeling disheartened. From then on, he visited Uncle Hua's grocery store almost every day, only to leave each time in disappointment. The store remained closed and had not reopened. He also tried asking the surrounding shopkeepers about Uncle Hua's whereabouts, but none of them knew where he lived.

Chris knew that Uncle Hua might have reached the end of his journey. He had a faint premonition when Uncle Hua's coughing worsened. This realization left him in a melancholic state for a considerable time. The years of stable life had made him somewhat unfamiliar with death. Uncle Hua's passing deeply affected him, though he couldn't quite articulate the nature of this impact. 

In response, Chris threw himself into intense practice, focusing on the "Body Exercise" he learned from the mysterious card and on creating illusion cards. His training was in a completely different state compared to before, with relentless, around-the-clock effort that made him lose track of time. Exhausted to the point of near-collapse every day, he continued with a form of self-punishing discipline, determined to keep himself occupied and avoid dwelling on thoughts of Uncle Hua and past events.

Aside from purchasing daily necessities, Chris stayed indoors, dedicating himself to practicing the body exercise and continuously honing his skills in illusion card creation. He also began exploring the knowledge related to "compute card", but even the basics of this complex field proved challenging. To him, it was a completely new and previously unimaginable domain.

During this period of rigorous training, a significant event occurred in East Business City...