714: Sage-Tier Mastery

Sage-Tier Mastery

Date- 1 April 23211

Time- 11:28

Location- Sky Blossom City, Guild Association Mall, Warehouse no.234

From what Corey park said, using a martial arts card was more lucrative than using a skill card. Because the increase in the mastery of martial arts cards was akin to upgrading the martial arts card to a higher rank, the same was not possible for Skill cards. 

Still, not everyone can break past the mastery mentioned in the card. To achieve that, a lot of hard work and dedication are required. Therefore, despite this incredible perk of martial arts cards, they are not popular among card apprentices. 

Skill cards had apparent advantages over martial arts cards. Like the Guns had advantages over the Swords and Bows back on earth. Back on earth, there were myths that master swordsmen could dodge bullets, and some could even cut the bullet in half. Here it was not a myth. Still, the martial arts card could not trump the skill cards because people are inherently lazy. 

Listening to Corey Park, even I started to feel that it was hectic to own martial art cards. But what Corey Park said next changed my mind. 

"You must have heard about card apprentices that have achieved Sage-tier mastery, in particular martial arts, can challenge or sometimes win against the card apprentices of a higher realm, right?" Asked Corey Park. 

"..." After the previous debacle, I didn't know if Park was actually asking me or if it was just another rhetorical question. 

"Answer me," Said Corey Park. 

"Oh, I thought it was rhetorical. But yes, I have heard about that." I hurriedly answered Corey Park. 

"But those rumors are only half of what the card apprentices who have achieved Sage-tier mastery can achieve. 

After achieving Sage-tier mastery in particular martial arts or occupation cards, a person no longer needs to equip the card to get the effects of the cards. They can display the effects of the said card physically without the help of a card or grimoire." After dropping a piece of bombshell information, Corey Park paused to let her words sink in.

"What? How is that even possible?" I asked in great astonishment.

The effects of occupation cards are very bizarre. Take a food-related occupation card, for example. They have products like giving temporary extra stats to the card apprentice that eat their dishes. So if a person achieves sage-mastery in the food-related occupation card, their cooking might be top-notch, but how will they add the effects mentioned in the cards to the food? It was mind-bending to think that people could achieve the card's effect without actually equipping a card. 

"You are learning about array formation, right?" Corey Park questioned

"Yes, so…" I was confused about where Corey Park was going with this question. 

"So you must have learned about temporary array formation, right? How is it any different from achieving the effect of the cards without cards?" 

"Oh!" Then it dawned on me how the card creationists made Skill cards without extracting skills from the monster core. It had something to do with Advanced and higher-order temporary array formations. Realizing this, I couldn't get more excited about reading other materials on array formation given to me by Lorenzo. 

What Corey Park was saying was that at the Sage-tier mastery of a martial arts or occupation cards, the card apprentice would have physically memorized the soul pathways in their body related to the said martial arts or occupation cards and understood how to arrange them without the assistance of the said card to get the desired effect mention in the card. 

Now I understood why Corey Park said Martial art and occupation cards are like training wheels earlier. 

"When did you learn of array formation?" I could help but ask Corey Park. 

"I didn't. I just know the basic theory required for the university exams." Explained Corey Park. 

"Wait, don't tell me you are preparing for the University exam in Corey's place. You plan to help Corey cheat her way through the written exam?" Not that I am complaining, as I have three slave-conscious and Hive AI to do precisely that. 

"That girl is very dumb. She cannot make it to the Morning star university without my help." Corey Park said in Corey Bright's defense. 

"..." University exams, I would have to attend them if not for my patent on Silver milk powder and my paper on how to break the shell of the dungeon calamity seed. Pretty soon, my paper on the nature of the temperature soul pathway is also going to be added to the list. Due to my research work, any of the top 10 universities will welcome me with open arms. I dodged that bullet named university exam.

"Now that you understand how the Martial art cards are to be used. You need to know that with your current body, most of the A-rank martial arts are useless to you. They can not bring or add any strength to your superhuman physique." Said Corey Park truthfully. 

The martial arts card's basic advantage is that they give the user enhanced physical attributes. Card apprentices have the average physique, so that average martial arts cards can improve their physique. But thanks to calamity soul gem, my physique had already crossed the physical limit these average cards can give. 

Corey Park was trying to convey that equipping average martial arts cards wasn't giving me any physical boost, but they did give me the technique to use the monstrous strength coursing through my body efficiently. The guided force is always stronger than the unguided force. 

"But you must have something suitable for me, right?" I asked, understanding what Corey Park was trying to convey. 

"Yes, I do. But I don't know if I should pass these martial arts to you. The relationship between you and Corey isn't that optimistic. If it turns to worse, I don't want you using the martial art I taught you against Corey." Corey Park did not hide her concerns and spoke about her worries genuinely. 

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