Senior, do you actually need these cards?
For the first time, Sheng Ning heard genuine amazement in You Ye's voice — and instantly understood.
He must have found exactly what he wanted.
From the few cards he'd mentioned earlier, there were at least seven; who knew what else he hadn't said aloud?
"Yes," You Ye nodded. Then he asked, "Can I trade cards for them instead of paying cash?"
While checking the list, he'd already noticed how outrageous the prices were.
The Emperor's Colosseum alone cost two million.
Solemn Judgment? Thirty million each.
All seven together added up to well over fifty million — and there was no way he had that kind of money.
"Card for card? Sure! But it has to be Original Cards. Non-original ones won't work."
Sheng Ning answered immediately.
In this world, Original Cards referred to blank, golden-edged cards that could directly connect to a spirit through meditation or duel resonance.
When the Bureau "sold" someone a card, what they actually did was lend an Original Card — allowing the buyer to communicate with the card spirit to earn its acknowledgment.
Once the bond was formed, the printed version became usable, and the Original Card was returned.
"Of course," You Ye replied.
"I have three Original Cards here — their effects are fairly average. I'll add two million cash and trade them for those seven cards."
He reached into his pocket and drew out three gold-edged cards.
They weren't anything special — non-designated Originals he'd received earlier but had no use for.
"Original Cards!"
Sheng Ning's eyes widened again.
That confirmed it — You Ye was at least Master Duel Grandmaster rank, maybe even higher.
Because there were only three known ways to obtain Original Cards:
Master Duel Rank Rewards: Players above Grandmaster received Original Cards during yearly season resets.
Spirit Encounters: Defeating or earning the recognition of a free spirit unbound to any archetype.
Legacy or Luck: Being gifted by a powerful duelist, or stumbling upon one lost.
The last two were rare miracles, while the first was strictly rank-gated.
Combined with the fact that he already possessed the privileges of a Master Duelist… it all lined up perfectly.
"Forget the cash," she said quickly. "Three Original Cards and maybe a deck adjustment for our Bureau — that's enough!"
Without even glancing at what the cards actually were, Sheng Ning accepted them immediately.
"Oh? You sure? Their effects are pretty mediocre," You Ye asked, slightly surprised.
He'd sold cards before — he knew their true worth.
"Positive," she nodded firmly.
Then, after a short pause, she looked at him seriously.
"Senior… in Master Duel, your real rank— it's above Grandmaster, isn't it?"
The question made Mu Ning glance over, too.
She had been wondering the same thing ever since their duel.
If You Ye had such mastery over his Kshatri-La deck, how could he possibly still be at Platinum III?
"You evaluating my strength?" he asked calmly — but didn't deny it.
"No, no, just personal curiosity," Sheng Ning said quickly, then beamed with excitement.
"This is my first time meeting a living King-tier duelist in person! I'm so excited — could you sign something for me?"
You Ye: "…"
"…Next time, for sure."
"Alright then! I'll contact the Bureau and have your cards delivered right away!" she said, trying to contain her giddiness.
She didn't press further.
She understood exactly why he was keeping his identity secret.
After all, if an unranked human who wasn't even a Yellow-tier duelist was exposed as a King-tier in Master Duel — and one who used multiple archetypes at once —
people would either try to become his ally… or destroy him as fast as possible.
And if a Dark Duelist caught wind of him?
They'd use shadow duels to enslave or test him immediately.
That would be disastrous.
Less than thirty minutes later, the delivery arrived.
You Ye accepted the package and, like clockwork, began communicating with each card spirit.
Within ten minutes, he had them all.
Solemn Judgment x3.
Glow-Up Bulb x3.
Complete sets.
"Wait— what? Senior, that fast?!"
Sheng Ning froze.
Normally, to acquire a card through an Original, you had to link consciousness with the card spirit, prove your worth, and earn acknowledgment.
The stronger the card, the harder the communication.
It wasn't as simple as "printing" — without spirit recognition, the card remained unusable in duels.
She herself averaged one card per day and was already praised within the Bureau as a once-in-a-century communication prodigy.
Yet You Ye had done seven in under ten minutes.
"Hey, don't say a man is 'too fast.' Say that again and I'll cancel the favor I promised you earlier," You Ye muttered, half-annoyed, a dark line forming on his forehead.
He'd been in this world for years and hadn't even touched a woman — being called "fast" like that was deeply disrespectful.
"I-I didn't mean that!" Sheng Ning stammered, her face turning red as she stole a glance between his legs.
"I just… wanted to learn from you…"
"You can't learn this method," he said flatly.
"Why not?"
"Because I shared my Master Duel rank directly with the spirits I communicated with.
Before I could even say what I wanted, they were already begging me to take their cards.
Only the old man from Solemn Judgment and the Glow-Up Bulb spirit asked a few questions. Otherwise, it could've been even faster."
Please, stop showing off!
Sheng Ning screamed internally.
Was that even human speech?!
Sharing a King-tier Master Duel rank with the card spirits?!
What spirit would dare refuse?
To put it in perspective: their entire Hangcheng Bureau only had one Solemn Judgment — and their Director had to spend half a month groveling to earn it.
As for the Glow-Up Bulb? They didn't have any.
A top-tier Heaven-rank duelist had even come to their Bureau specifically to communicate with that card… and the Bulb ignored him completely.
And this guy?
Ten minutes.
Full playset.
Absolutely absurd.
Of course, Sheng Ning didn't know the full story — You Ye had shared his main account's data:
Master Duel Rank 1.
Multiple consecutive seasons.
Most spirits had never even seen such a status.
The moment that power touched their consciousness, they practically begged him to accept their bond.
"Excuse me, is the shop owner here?
Oh — Sister Sheng, you're here too?"
A familiar, lively voice interrupted the moment.
Turning toward it, You Ye saw Bai Yun'er entering — this time accompanied by a middle-aged woman in a maid's outfit.
The woman stepped forward, bowed politely, and spoke:
"Honored Senior You Ye, pardon the intrusion. I am Wu Ping, a servant of the Bai Family."
She presented a folder of cards as she continued with a warm smile:
"After Miss Yun'er returned home and told the family about what she learned from you, the Patriarch was deeply moved.
The deck construction you taught her solved a problem our family has struggled with for almost a year."
She paused briefly, tone turning formal.
"However, the payment Miss Yun'er made was clearly insufficient.
The Patriarch is occupied and sent me in his place to express our gratitude."
But You Ye didn't take the folder.
Instead, he smiled faintly — a little too knowingly.
"No need for the polite talk.
If you're here to test my strength, just say so directly.
It just so happens I finally completed a deck — I've been wanting a duel partner."
"Thank you, Senior, for granting me this opportunity!" Wu Ping said, bowing with respect and a faint, confident smile.
Bai Yun'er / Sheng Ning / Mu Ning: "???"
All three women froze.
What did he just say?
When exactly had Wu Ping asked to duel?
"Does anyone have a Duel Disk?" You Ye asked, unfazed as he started looking around — only to realize something embarrassing.
After all this time in this world without a proper deck… he didn't even own a duel disk.
"If Senior doesn't mind, please use this."
Before he could say more, Wu Ping — apparently prepared — produced a sleek, silver-white wristband and offered it respectfully.
"This is the Bai Family's latest portable Duel Disk prototype.
It is also one of the gifts our Patriarch personally designated for you.
If you're worried about data security, you can have the local Duel Supervision Bureau inspect it first."