After receiving You Ye's approval, Sheng Ning hurriedly returned to the Inspection Bureau. As soon as she stepped inside, a middle-aged man in a blue suit with a square face called out to her in surprise.
"Xiao Ning, back so soon? Huh, that man didn't come with you? Don't tell me he's some big shot using a fake résumé, just running a card shop for fun?"
"Director Wang!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Sheng Ning quickly turned and bowed slightly to the man — Bureau Director Wang Cheng — her tone brimming with excitement.
"Director Wang, You Ye isn't some bigwig faking his identity, and he's definitely not a scammer. He's a genius, the kind of genius you see once in a thousand years!"
"Oh? Tell me more."
Wang Cheng's usual smile didn't fade, but the astonishment in his eyes deepened.
Sheng Ning had been with the Inspection Bureau for three years, and this was the first time he'd seen her so agitated — the first time she had ever called anyone a once-in-a-millennium genius.
For a man as experienced as Wang Cheng, that alone was enough to spark his curiosity.
"Director, you know Bai Yun'er, the eldest daughter of the Bai Family, right?"
"Of course. She awakened a new field called Swordsoul. Her father asked me to help optimize her deck."
Wang Cheng replied without hesitation. But when he realized why Sheng Ning mentioned her, his surprise grew even stronger.
Sheng Ning was no fool — bringing up Bai Yun'er now meant that something major had happened between her and the man Sheng Ning went to investigate. Something big enough that it could only mean that You Ye had perfected the Swordsoul deck — and in a way far beyond ordinary understanding. Otherwise, Sheng Ning would never use words like once-in-a-millennium genius.
Wang Cheng knew Bai Yun'er's case well. He and several Earth-Rank Duelists from the Bureau had been invited by the Bai Family to help her refine her Swordsoul build. After half a month of brainstorming, none of them had found a satisfying configuration.
So he asked curiously:
"How many turns did he take to beat you? Four? Or six?"
But Sheng Ning fell silent.
Four or six turns? You Ye had OTK'd her before she even got another chance to play — and he'd done it with what was obviously a half-finished deck.
Seeing her silence, Wang Cheng's smile faded. His expression hardened.
He had already been modest — most Earth-Rank Duelists couldn't last four to six turns even against his Ancient Gear deck. But judging from Sheng Ning's face…
He realized he had underestimated You Ye badly.
This wasn't just a genius. This was a monster.
A duelist who had probably ended the duel in three turns or less — using Swordsoul.
"Director, please look at this."
Sheng Ning, seeing how serious Wang Cheng had become, logged into Master Duel and pulled up the replay. Wang Cheng nodded and started watching.
Three minutes later.
"Tenyi Swordsoul… what an entirely new approach! The Bai Family has truly struck gold this time. If Bai Yun'er completes this deck, she's guaranteed to reach the Heavenly Rank — maybe even ascend to the Royal Rank!"
Wang Cheng was utterly shaken. His proud Ancient Gear field looked like a child's toy compared to what he'd just seen. The difference in levels was astronomical.
But Sheng Ning immediately corrected him.
"No, Director… the truly powerful one isn't the Tenyi Swordsoul — it's You Ye.
When he summoned Chengying, he deliberately held back. He had an even better option, but didn't use it.
And according to my investigation, he's never used Tenyi Swordsoul when dueling customers. He always uses other decks.
The scariest part? When we dueled, he was only at Platinum Rank — but he used Master Duel privileges reserved for Grandmaster-Rank duelists and above!"
Wang Cheng froze.
Master Duel privileges? At Platinum Rank? Impossible. That wasn't something any ordinary duelist could access — it was part of the Duel Rules themselves!
Yet You Ye had broken that rule.
He nodded gravely. Sheng Ning was right — if he were in You Ye's shoes, he would never hand out his strongest deck so casually. No duelist would "feed the disciple and starve the master."
The man clearly had a stronger build than Tenyi Swordsoul.
"Director, since You Ye's talent is so terrifying and he has no deck of his own, I decided on my own… I invited him to challenge the Runick spirit. May I have your approval?"
"Of course!" Wang Cheng agreed instantly.
"Go talk to Mù Níng right away. If she refuses, offer her some terms to persuade her."
Then he gave rapid, precise orders:
"Once she agrees, bring him our Bureau's card list — we need to approach him before the Bai Family does!
Any cards we have that he wants — 30 % off.
Optimization of our Ancient Gear system — 50 % discount.
If he's willing to join the Bureau, all replication costs are free.
If he has other requests, you have full authority to handle them.
If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility.
"Remember, Sheng Ning — a monster like You Ye must be won over at all costs. We cannot afford to offend him."
"Yes, sir!"
Sheng Ning nodded firmly. She understood what this meant — from this moment, everything had changed.
And just as she returned to the Bureau, Bai Yun'er would surely report to her family — and the Bai Family would go even crazier trying to recruit him.
By evening, Sheng Ning returned to You Ye's shop. This time, she wasn't alone.
Walking beside her was a woman with ebony wings on her back, dressed in a crimson robe, her face exquisitely beautiful — a spirit.
Specifically, the Runick field spirit who had been residing at the Hangzhou Inspection Bureau — Runick Wings – Mù Níng.
"Sheng Ning, you're back? Eh— Runick Wings – Mù Níng?"
As the two entered, You Ye immediately noticed them. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as he looked at Mù Níng.
He had assumed that the "Runick spirit living at the Bureau" was just one of the minor ones — he hadn't expected her.
"Human, have we met before? Or did you hear about me from another Runick spirit?"
Being recognized at a glance, Mù Níng's curiosity flared.
Sheng Ning had already told her on the way that she hadn't mentioned any details besides her field name.
"We've never met," You Ye said with a light smile. "I just know a tiny bit more about dueling than most humans or spirits in this world."
A tiny bit, he said — though as a former hardcore card player, he knew roughly 90 % of the entire card pool.
"A tiny bit?" Mù Níng muttered, narrowing her eyes but choosing not to press further. Instead, she looked at him curiously.
"Sheng Ning told me you have a deck called the Great Exorcist. Would you show it to me?"
"You mean Kshatri-La? I have it, yes… but that wouldn't be very fair. Using the Great Exorcist against Runick feels a bit like bullying."
You Ye smiled politely.
After all, Kshatri-La was notoriously oppressive when the opponent didn't know its tricks.
Besides, since he was about to earn the Runick field himself, he wanted to keep a good relationship with Mù Níng — maybe even make her feel like she had a fighting chance.
"You also have Runick?" Mù Níng blinked in genuine surprise.
No human duelist was known to possess a full Runick field. At best, some had obtained a few scattered Runick cards after dueling her, but none could assemble a complete deck without her recognition.
Yet this man claimed to have one already.
That made her all the more intrigued.
Very well, she said after a pause. "Let's make it interesting.
If you win, I'll grant you the Runick field and ensure you have the chance to obtain its later cards as well.
If you lose — I'll still reward you with three Runick cards of your choice."
Deal.
Seeing how eager she was, and knowing it wouldn't affect his future acquisition, You Ye agreed immediately.
He cracked his knuckles, grinning.
Then let's not waste time.
Kshatri-La Tribe — Activate!