Just as both women gasped in shock, two middle-aged men walked toward them from the hall — one tall and thin with a sharp, angular face, the other broad-shouldered with a square jaw.
"Xingge, is this the senior duelist, You Ye?"
The thin man in front spoke first, glancing at You Ye with a mix of curiosity and respect.
Recognizing the familiar voice, Chang Xingge immediately composed herself, bowed slightly, and replied respectfully,
"Minister Luo, Director Wang — good morning."
After greeting the two, she turned and introduced them to You Ye:
"This is Luo Hao, Minister of the Hangcheng Duel Association and a Tier 5 (Earth-level) Duel Master.
And this is Wang Cheng, Director of the Inspection Bureau — also a Tier 5 Duel Master."
You Ye smiled politely.
He showed no sign of deference despite their high ranks.
His calm gaze lingered briefly on Wang Cheng, the sturdier of the two, before he nodded in greeting.
"Minister Luo, Director Wang — pleasure to meet you both."
"You're too polite, Senior You," Luo Hao said warmly.
"Having you come to our Hangcheng Association for certification is an honor for all of us."
"Of course it is," Wang Cheng added matter-of-factly, grinning.
"Do you even realize who Senior You is? His level of mastery is beyond question!"
"Humph. Don't get cocky, Wang Cheng."
Luo Hao's smile faltered; his fists clenched slightly.
"Just because Senior You helped you rebuild your deck doesn't mean you'll keep winning against me. You still haven't completed your collection."
"Hahaha! So what if I haven't?" Wang Cheng laughed, clearly enjoying himself.
"How about another duel? I'll even let you go first this time!"
"Get lost! I'll face you again after Senior You helps me optimize my build," Luo Hao grumbled darkly.
Last night, Wang Cheng had challenged him to a match in the middle of the night.
Luo Hao, always confident, had accepted without hesitation — only to suffer five straight losses.
He hadn't slept a wink afterward.
And he wasn't stupid.
A few probing questions, plus Wang Cheng's not-so-subtle bragging, quickly revealed the truth:
You Ye had been the one helping him.
So, of course, both men had come here early to wait.
"I can modify your decks," You Ye said, smiling faintly.
"But you'll need to wait a bit — I already promised Chang Xingge first."
He understood the situation immediately.
It didn't surprise him at all — this kind of network-building was only natural.
One tells two, two tell four. Circles of influence are how Duelist societies thrive.
That was precisely what he wanted.
He'd simply lacked the connections before.
The only person of real standing he'd known in the past was the Academy Headmaster — and even he couldn't get You Ye the cards he needed.
Now, though, the situation was different.
And Luo Hao and Wang Cheng clearly understood as well — power speaks louder than rank.
A true master's words define the rules.
"Senior You Ye, please, this way. The dueling chamber is ready."
Chang Xingge quickly spoke up, afraid the two Earth-rank officials might lose patience.
She wouldn't dare interrupt them otherwise — but since they'd both agreed to wait, she took the chance to guide You Ye forward.
After all, who here would really treat You Ye like some Yellow-rank rookie?
Under her lead, the four of them — You Ye, Chang Xingge, Mu Ning, and the two observers — entered a massive Dueling Chamber, roughly ten meters wide, thirty meters long, and five meters high.
Chang Xingge took her place opposite You Ye.
Luo Hao, Wang Cheng, and Mu Ning sat along the wall on a plush sofa, quietly watching.
Duel Start:
You Ye (LP 8000) vs Chang Xingge (LP 8000)
The Duel Rules prompted Chang Xingge to choose.
She selected Second Turn.
"You're giving me first?"
You Ye raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
He wondered what kind of deck she ran.
Naturally, he ruled out certain archetypes immediately — Mikanko, Mathmech, Runick Dragon.
Even the weakest of those could dominate in Master Duels; a 玄级 (Mystic-tier) duelist wouldn't be using them here.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Runick Tip!"
"I search my Deck for one Runick Spell and add it to my hand,
then banish the top card of your Deck.
I'll add Runick Fountain, my field spell, to my hand,
and banish the top card of your Deck!"
As You Ye's combo unfolded, his gaze flicked toward the card now face-up in Chang Xingge's banished zone —
Knight of the Heavenly Sky Parshath.
"Parshath? So she's going second…?"
His lips curved into a small smirk.
"A Monarch OTK build, huh?"
In his previous life — back in Master Duel — this deck was infamous.
When key meta cards were banned from competitive play, the "Sky Monarch OTK" deck had risen to fame for its brutal one-turn kills and incredibly low cost.
A favorite of budget duelists everywhere — and one You Ye had played himself.
Recalling its core mechanics, he quickly adapted his plan.
"I activate the Field Spell Runick Fountain!"
"Next, I play Runick Golden Droplet,
choosing to Special Summon a monster instead of drawing."
"From my Extra Deck — I Special Summon Runick Wings—Mu Ning!"
"When Mu Ning is Special Summoned by a Runick effect,
I send one Continuous Spell or Trap from my hand to the Graveyard to activate her effect.
I send There Can Be Only One to the Graveyard!"
"Then Chain 2 — Runick Fountain!
I target Runick Tip and Runick Golden Droplet in my Graveyard;
shuffle them into the Deck, then draw two cards!"
Resolution:
Chain 2 (Fountain) → shuffle 2 Runick Spells, draw 2.
Chain 1 (Mu Ning) → add Runick Allure from Deck to hand.
"I activate Continuous Spell Runick Allure,
and another Continuous Spell — Messenger of Peace.
Turn end!"
"At the End Phase, Mu Ning's effect activates — I recover 1000 LP!"
You Ye LP: 8000 → 9000
"So that's Senior You's strength…"
Luo Hao murmured, nodding slightly.
"When he banished Xingge's Parshath earlier, he instantly realized her archetype —
knew There Can Be Only One wouldn't stop her deck —
and played Mu Ning instead of Hugin to prepare for her OTK push."
As Minister of the Hangcheng Duel Association, Luo Hao had dueled Runick decks before.
He knew their patterns well enough to understand —
You Ye's opening wasn't just solid, it was tailored to shut down the Monarch OTK strategy.
Even expecting greatness, he was still impressed.
"Ha! Old Luo, still feeling confident about challenging him later?"
Wang Cheng grinned slyly.
"Of course." Luo Hao didn't hesitate.
"You can only understand a duelist's true power and temperament through actual combat."
Then, with a half-serious expression, he added,
"Though… I won't be dueling him under normal conditions.
Since Senior You Ye's Master Duel deck is far stronger,
as Earth-level duelists we should test our limits—
face our weaknesses head-on!
So, I'll challenge Senior You on Master Duel mode!"
Wang Cheng rolled his eyes.
"Just admit you're scared of getting locked down again, old man. You don't have to dress it up like that."