Early the next morning, You Ye arrived with Mu Ning at the entrance of the Hangcheng Duel Association Headquarters.
Their purpose here was simple—
Specifically, You Ye's purpose.
In this world, once someone obtained a proper deck and became a recognized duelist, they had to undergo a Duel Regulation Certification.
Passing the certification officially granted them a rank, and any future rank promotions depended on that certification—along with one's goals, faction affiliations, or personal achievements.
Technically, the certification wasn't mandatory.
But if you didn't get it, you were merely an ordinary duelist.
That meant no special status, no physical enhancements that came with higher duelist ranks, and you couldn't even join certain tournaments due to rank restrictions.
You Ye hadn't done it before—mainly because, until recently, he hadn't had a proper deck.
Now that he held a top-tier archetype, there was no reason to miss out.
Especially because once you reached Heaven-Class, you could actually travel to the Spirit Realm and gain a life span stretching hundreds or even thousands of years.
And that, frankly, was something he'd been very envious of.
As soon as they stepped inside, a staff member immediately approached and bowed respectfully.
"Honored Master, are you here to collect your promotion task?"
"No," You Ye replied, shaking his head. "I'm here for the initial Duel Regulation Certification. Where should I go?"
The staffer froze, blinking in confusion.
Initial certification?
But this guy was walking in with a spirit at his side!
Wasn't that something only Earth-Class duelists and above could do?
Why would someone like that need a beginner's certification?!
"You must be You Ye, correct?"
A crisp, rhythmic sound of heels echoed as a woman approached.
She looked around twenty-five or twenty-six, dressed in a white business suit.
Her face was elegant and composed, her smile gentle—but beneath that friendliness was the undeniable poise of someone used to command.
"That's me," You Ye replied. "And you are…?"
"I'm Chang Xingge, Deputy Director of the Hangcheng Duel Association branch," she said, showing her ID with a polite smile.
"The Duel Oversight Bureau contacted me last night about your situation. They informed me that you recently acquired a new archetype and are likely to appear today with your spirit to complete certification. I was asked to personally receive you."
"I see," You Ye said with a nod, silently giving Sheng Ning a mental thumbs-up for arranging things so smoothly.
The front desk staffer, still nearby, looked even more stunned.
A Vice Director herself came to receive him?
He wanted to ask who exactly You Ye was, but his instincts told him it wasn't wise.
He quietly stepped back and resumed greeting other duelists.
Those around the lobby noticed the scene too.
Some stared, whispering curiously—but no one complained or caused a fuss.
After all, anyone important enough to bring a spirit into the Duel Association and have the Bureau send notice ahead of time…
Wasn't someone you picked a fight with?
As they walked toward the certification area, Chang Xingge suddenly turned and asked,
"You Ye, after your certification, would you be willing to duel me? I can offer you one of the cards from your wanted list as payment."
"A duel?"
You Ye raised a brow. "Not a Master Duel challenge? Hm… with that kind of offer, I don't mind."
Then his gaze sharpened slightly.
"But are you sure about this? You're clearly in contact with the Bureau—you should know what my archetype is, and what dueling me means, right?"
He was genuinely surprised.
Offering him a card from his wanted list just to duel was an expensive price to pay.
She should've known that any of those cards could be traded for a chance to communicate with the spirits of Baronne, Veiler, or Impermanence.
To throw that away for a duel?
That was… irrational, at best.
Chang Xingge hesitated briefly before speaking again, her tone calm but tinged with frustration.
"To be honest, I'm a new archetype user myself. I once tried to refine my own deck for years, but couldn't find a proper build. Eventually, through the Duel Association, I obtained my current archetype—and with it, my current position."
Her voice grew heavier.
"It's true that my archetype made me stronger. I climbed from a low Yellow rank to near the peak of Profound rank in just four years. Once I complete my promotion task, I'll become Earth-Class."
She paused.
"But that's where the problem is. I've hit my limit. I failed to commune with my archetype's boss monster, and I failed my promotion trials. My path has stopped—and there's no stronger archetype available that suits me."
"So the only chance I have…"
She looked at You Ye with clear determination.
"…is if you can help me rebuild it—help me break through this wall."
By now, You Ye fully understood.
She wasn't here just because the Bureau sent her.
She had come of her own accord—
hoping he could fix her archetype.
"Don't worry," she added quickly, seeing his silence. "As long as you give me a proper structure or strategy—whether you use one archetype or both of yours—I'll give you two more cards from your list, in addition to the one I offered earlier!"
That got his attention.
Two more?
Finding even one of his needed cards was difficult enough, but three?
That was rare.
"Alright then," he said after a moment. "Tell me what archetype you're using. If it's one I can strengthen, I'll help rebuild it. But if it's something truly hopeless, there's nothing I can do."
Hearing that, Chang Xingge visibly relaxed.
Her tension eased, and she finally said softly:
"My archetype is Drytron. Have you heard of it?"
"…Drytron?"
You Ye blinked.
Then, slowly, his expression twisted into something between disbelief and amusement.
"Wait—you're sure? Drytron?"
Of all archetypes to struggle with, this one shouldn't have been it.
Even just the Drytron core was once a top-tier meta archetype.
With three major boss monsters, each packing enormous attack power and disruption potential, there was no reason she couldn't reach Earth-Class!
Unless…
He frowned.
Unless she was one of those players—
The kind who thought Ritual monsters were inefficient and never actually summoned them?
"I'm sure," Chang Xingge said, her face pale but resolute.
Her intuition screamed that something was off, but she couldn't back down.
"…Then something doesn't add up," You Ye said, crossing his arms.
"With Drytron's three big boss monsters—each with over 5000 ATK, disruption effects, and follow-up potential—you should've reached Earth-Class long ago."
He tilted his head.
"Don't tell me you've been playing Drytron without summoning your bosses?"
"...Huh?"
Chang Xingge blinked, completely lost.
"Wait—Drytron has three bosses? Since when?! I thought there was only Drytron Meteonis Draconids!"
She stared at him in disbelief.
If she hadn't personally confirmed You Ye's credentials beforehand, she might've thought he was the one talking nonsense!
She was the one who owned the Drytron archetype, after all!
How could he possibly know more about it than she did?!