You Ye raised an eyebrow at Cheng Ying's words, mildly surprised — but his expression remained calm.
Branded was undeniably powerful, the so-called "meta parasite" that outlasted countless archetypes stronger than itself. But unfortunately, it wasn't his top priority.
While You Ye didn't seem to care, Ye Lingling's heart sank.
Dogmatika was already troublesome enough — and now there was another "madman-level" field spirit of equal status to deal with? How long would it take her to collect all the Branded cards in that case?
"You know about the Thunder Spirit, right?" You Ye asked bluntly. Compared to Branded, it was the one that mattered more right now.
"The Thunder Spirit…" Cheng Ying frowned, thinking for a moment. "I've heard the name mentioned by the Tri-Brigade spirits — but I've never seen it myself. I don't know where it is."
You Ye nodded.
He wasn't disappointed. On the contrary, he looked pleased.
Another lead.
If the Tri-Brigade knew the Thunder Spirit, then once Ye Lingling reached Earth-Rank, he could find Albaz, use him to contact the Tri-Brigade spirits, and then track down the Thunder Spirit.
Beside them, Bai Yun'er and Ye Lingling exchanged wide-eyed glances.
He said Thunder Spirit — not Albaz!
That could only mean one thing: the worlds of Swordsoul and Dogmatika… contained a third archetype powerful enough that even You Ye coveted it!
And if it was aboveBranded... then its power must be unimaginable.
Still, the two quickly forced themselves to calm down.
Whether it was Branded or this so-called Thunder Spirit, those were far beyond their reach.
After all, being chosen by a powerful archetype's spirit was already pure luck. But trying to choose the spirit yourself? The difficulty multiplied exponentially.
They both knew that, with their current strength, they had no chance. Maybe when they reached Earth-Rank… or even Heaven-Rank… they could start to dream about it.
Mu Ning, meanwhile, looked intrigued.
You Ye had mentioned "Thunder Runick" before — a hybrid of Thunder Spirit and Runick. That version of Runick was far more flexible than the original, rarely bricking, and absurdly strong.
"Human duelist," Cheng Ying suddenly asked, his voice low. "Do you want the Swordsoul field?"
"Hmm? It's not like I need it, but having another archetype never hurts." You Ye tilted his head slightly. "Though, from what I've heard, you spirits can't actually grant fields anymore, right? You can only give out original cards."
He narrowed his eyes. "Unless… you've got a way to make me inherit the entire Swordsoul field?"
Cheng Ying chuckled lightly — though there was a trace of tension in his voice. "Yes, but it's a bit of a clumsy method. After I give you my original card, when you use it to connect with me, I can have the other Swordsoul spirits 'guest transfer' their cards to you through me."
He looked at You Ye nervously — not that anyone could see it through his spectral mask.
But the truth was simple: ever since learning about You Ye from Bai Yun'er, every Swordsoul spirit understood one thing — this man was a walking miracle. A supreme benefactor.
If they didn't cling to this thigh now, they might never get another chance once You Ye's influence spreads to more fields.
That's why Cheng Ying had personally asked Bai Yun'er to introduce him.
You Ye, quickly pieced it together.
So, Cheng Ying couldn't grant him the field directly, but if the spirits sent their original cards through Cheng Ying's connection, it would effectively be the same thing — acquiring the entire Swordsoul archetype.
To that, You Ye had only one reaction:
"Genius move."
"No problem," he said finally, nodding. "Let's do it."
He still couldn't shake the feeling that Cheng Ying seemed oddly… humble. But he didn't think too deeply about it.
What mattered was that the Swordsoul originals would soon be his — expanding his growing personal "card pool capital."
"Huh?"
"Wait, Cheng Ying — are you saying Senior's about to get the entire Swordsoul deck? Including Chixiao and Longyuan, the two terminal monsters I still haven't received myself?!"
Bai Yun'er, who had been quietly observing, couldn't help but blurt it out.
Aren't I supposed to be the Swordsoul duelist here?!
Why is an outsider getting full access to my field before I do?!
That doesn't make sense at all!
"What's wrong with that?" Cheng Ying snapped suddenly, his tone shifting from polite to scornful in an instant. "Without Lord Ye, you're just a useless girl who only knows how to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon! How could you possibly grasp the true power of Swordsoul?!"
"Now stop bothering me and take that Dogmatika girl with you. Don't interrupt me while I'm transferring cards to Lord Ye!"
Bai Yun'er: "???"
Lord Ye?!
I'm… useless?!
Her eyes turned red as a dozen emotions tangled inside her — confusion, indignation, hurt, and disbelief.
She couldn't help but think: Whose archetype is Swordsoul even supposed to be?!
Ye Lingling, meanwhile, looked genuinely horrified.
It was one thing for a spirit to favor its own duelist — emotions like pride or jealousy were normal. But this? This was blatant double standards at a level that defied logic!
And it wasn't even his field!
"Bai Yun'er's got decent talent," You Ye said lightly. "For my sake, don't make things hard for her. Give her Chixiao and Longyuan if you can."
"The will of the Lord Ye shall be done!" Cheng Ying answered immediately, bowing with absolute reverence. "I'll inform Chixiao and Longyuan right away!"
Bai Yun'er: "…"
She did get the cards, sure — but why did it still feel like someone had just stabbed her pride with a needle?
Moments later, Bai Yun'er and Ye Lingling quietly left the duel chamber, leaving only You Ye, Cheng Ying, and Mu Ning inside.
Outside, Bai Yun'er stared blankly at the sealed door. "Lingling… tell me honestly. Is Swordsoul a new archetype? Am I… actually the only one who doesn't have it?"
Ye Lingling hesitated, glancing at the door. "Probably… yeah."
Time slipped by.
Two hours later, You Ye finally received every Swordsoul original card.
It wasn't that the Swordsoul spirits were unwilling — they all agreed immediately — but transferring them through Cheng Ying's projection form drained him rapidly, so it took time.
When it was finally done, Mu Ning smiled. "Congratulations, Ye. Another field secured."
You Ye waved dismissively. "It's not much. Swordsoul isn't that strong. In higher-level duels, with three or four interruptions per turn, its standard board just can't hold."
He turned toward the door, eyes glinting coldly. "Come on. Time to ask Bai Yun'er which families or factions are stupid enough to be plotting against me."
"Ye," Mu Ning said softly. "Should I return to the Spirit Realm? If you wish, I can bring the Runick spirits and wipe those families clean."
With the Sticker Runick and Pure Runick you gave me, our archetype has already grown far stronger. Ordinary human duelists are no match for us anymore.