Cards, urban setting, not mindless wish fulfillment.
The protagonist's name is Fang Xiang.
Humans are the spirit of all things, and cards are the true essence of Heaven and Earth. On the Card Adept Continent, there is no flashy magic, only card power refined to its peak! (Setting details follow):
Cards arranged into formations are called card arrays; cards built into houses are called card architecture; cards made into devices are called difference engines; and cards assembled into armies are called card troops.
A set of cards is a deck, and combos played from a deck are called Mortal Feats. Demigod Card Adepts perform Demigod Feats, while those who ascend to godhood perform Divine Feats.
(Not a particularly slow-burn story. It's 2026: are people really still reading card-based stories?)
