You can forget that idea.
You Ye refused without a moment's hesitation.
Spirits faced strict limits in the human world—especially those that crossed over with destruction or revenge in mind. The restrictions on such entities were severe.
He'd once heard a rumor about a powerful archetype's spirit that tried to attack a human clan out of vengeance—and ended up being crushed instead, with half its spirits enslaved by that very family.
Though it was only hearsay, You Ye knew such stories weren't baseless. From how rarely human settlements were ever attacked by spirits, he could tell the truth outweighed the fiction.
Runick was his archetype now—and after spending two days with Mu Ning, he honestly couldn't bring himself to hate her. There was no way he'd let the Runick spirits risk themselves for something so foolish.
Besides… his Wheelchair Tearlaments deck was nearly complete. Once it was done—sure, it was technically "wheelchair dueling"—but what was any deck to that? Who could match him card for card?
Mu Ning nodded softly. She had already learned, in these two days, that You Ye wasn't the impulsive type. He always had his own plans.
"The strongest duelist in Hangcheng is just a Heaven-grade. Think about my strength for a second—they don't stand a chance." You Ye reached over, lightly pinching Mu Ning's cheek with a smile.
"Mm." She nodded obediently and went to open the door—
—but before she could, it swung open on its own.
Nine people entered, men and women alike. Among them were Bai Yun'er and Ye Lingling, pushed toward the back of the group.
At the front stood a tall, thin man in black, his chin tilted arrogantly.
"So you're You Ye?" the man asked—not really asking, more ordering.
"?" You Ye's eyes flicked over him, then to Bai Yun'er and Ye Lingling behind him. A moment later, he understood—these must be the so-called heirs from the Zhejiang clans that Bai Yun'er had mentioned earlier.
And this one… wasn't like the others.
His posture, his tone—he was a textbook "dumb rich second generation," the kind you saw in bad novels.
"If you've got something to say, say it. If not—get lost."
The instant You Ye said that, everyone's expression soured. Even Bai Yun'er and Ye Lingling frowned slightly.
"Hah. Telling me to get lost? Bold words! You're the first in Hangcheng to talk to me like that."
The man sneered, his tone icy. "Here's an offer—kneel and apologize, then sign a duel contract with my family. Serve us, and I'll forget this ever happened. Otherwise…"
"The Zeng family, right?" You Ye interrupted with a light chuckle. "Oh, Zhejiang's number one clan!"
At that, realization clicked. No wonder Bai Yun'er, a local hostess, was being pushed to the back.
The Zengs—Zhejiang's top family. Two confirmed Heaven-grade duelists. Countless Earth-grade masters. Their main archetype was Cyber Dragon, which made them a magnet for young duelists hoping to power up fast.
The tall man looked ready to brag about his family's influence—until You Ye's next words hit him like a slap.
"Threaten me? You? Or maybe your whole family thinks they can?"
Were you Ye afraid, Ye? Hesitant?
Not even close.
Like with the Dark Duelists, if things escalated to harm or intent, the Duel Rule System would automatically trigger a duel.
With the cards he had now, even Zhejiang's so-called top clan didn't scare him. In fact, he hoped they'd pick a fight. Dark duels paid in gold coins—and one payout was never enough.
More duels meant more resources.
More decks.
More fun.
"So what you're saying… is that you refuse?" The man's eyes narrowed. He might be dumb, but not brain-dead.
"You like collecting cards, right? Then let's duel."
"If you win, this card's yours."
He pulled out a gold-bordered card and flashed the name toward You Ye.
"Three Steps Karma?" You Ye raised an eyebrow in surprise.
It wasn't a Tearlaments card, but it was one of the Visas Starfrost archetype pieces—and that mattered little. What did matter was that it could synergize with many Tearlaments cards. In short, it was an excellent Wheelchair Tearlaments component.
"Oh? Bringing out a wager, are we?" You Ye smirked. "Then it's a gamble duel. What are you putting up—flowers, a secret, or something else?"
The man didn't hesitate. "If I win, I want one of your original cards—your Tearlaments origin card."
"Tearlaments, huh? I see."
You Ye's eyes narrowed slightly—but then he nodded.
"Fine."
"Hahaha! Remember this name, You Ye—your opponent is Zeng Bufan! And I'll crush you using your own modified Cyber Dragon deck!"
"You mean Luo Hao—the vice chairman of the Hangcheng Duel Association—is one of your people?" You Ye asked, half in mock surprise.
"Of course not!" Zeng Bufan barked a laugh. "But ever heard the saying—'with enough cards, even ghosts will work for you'? The Zeng family's resources are beyond your imagination!"
"I see." You Ye nodded again, his grin widening.
So the Zengs were hostile already. Perfect. A clan with deep pockets made for excellent coin fodder later.
"Let's get started," he said, drawing out his duel disk with a smile. "I've been dying to take that 'Three Steps Karma' off your hands."
"You've got it wrong," Zeng Bufan replied, teeth flashing in a predatory grin. "It's your Tearlaments origin card that's mine."
You Ye chuckled.
If the guy had said he'd completed his Drytron deck—including limited and semi-limited pieces—he might have actually felt pressure.
But Cyber Dragon?
Against his Runick builds—either sticker or pure variant—Bufan was already a dead man walking.
You Ye (LP 8000) vs. Zeng Bufan (LP 8000)
The duel system prompted Bufan to choose turn order. He chose to go first. Both players drew five cards.
At the start of the Main Phase—
"I activate Cyber Emergency!" Bufan announced with a grin.
"Chain 2—discard Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring from my hand to negate your search effect." You Ye's voice cut cleanly through the air.
"Haha! You forgot—you can't negate the activation of Cyber Emergency! You said so yourself!" Bufan started laughing, thinking You Ye had blundered.
But when he tried to trigger the second effect of Cyber Emergency to recover it—
…the system denied him.
He froze.
"Think carefully about what I said," You Ye's voice came, smooth and amused. "Ash Blossom negates the search effect—not the activation.*"
Bufan blinked. Then reread his card. Then looked up to see You Ye watching him like one might watch a lost puppy.
The humiliation burned.
He'd just received this deck yesterday morning—personally constructed and tuned by his clan's experts. Even a few Earth-grade duelists had fallen before him.
He'd felt untouchable. Invincible.
And now this… this rookie—who'd barely awakened an underworld archetype—was pitying him?
"Don't think you've won just because you stopped one move!" he roared. "Watch how I build a two-card triple negate board—and interrupt your plays next turn!"
Sure, You Ye said with a calm smile. Go on. I'm curious to see you try.