Everyone fell silent after Yuuya's words. They all understood — his statement wasn't meant for them personally, but for the powerful families standing behind them.
If they had cards to trade, they could come to him.
If not, they shouldn't even bother asking.
And as for any other "special requests"? Yuuya would never agree.
"Good… very good… splendid!" Zeng Wang's smile was polite, but the veins bulging at his temples revealed his anger. "We'll meet again. The future is long."
"Mm. Next time, remember to bring more cards," Yuuya replied casually. "One Three-Step Karma isn't nearly enough."
Zeng Wang's face darkened, and he pulled his brother Zeng Bufan toward the exit.
But before they could leave the compound, a man appeared in their path — Bai Lingtian, the head of the Bai family.
He smiled, folding his hands behind his back.
"Zeng Wang, my dear nephew, you walk into my Bai estate as you please and now want to stroll out after planting a little bomb for me to clean up? That's a bit disrespectful, don't you think?"
"This is the stance of the Bai family, then?" Zeng Wang's tone turned sharp.
"There's no 'stance' here," Bai Lingtian said mildly. "You tossed an explosive into my house. Pulling the fuse out isn't an overreaction — it's basic courtesy."
"Today's humiliation — my Zeng clan will remember." Zeng Wang left the words hanging in the air, then turned on his heel and stormed off.
"Good. You already know what cards I want, don't you?" Bai Lingtian called after him with a faint grin.
Zeng Wang's steps paused for half a heartbeat. He didn't reply and disappeared through the gate with Zeng Bufan in tow.
Bai Lingtian sighed, glancing back toward the duel chamber.
"Two more Original Cards for him… I only hope this investment pays off. This might be our Bai family's last bet."
With that, he, too, departed.
Inside the duel chamber, the six other scions of Zhejiang's major families lingered instead of leaving.
None of them dared challenge Yuuya now — instead, they surrounded him with smiles, eager to build rapport, fishing for any scrap of goodwill.
Yuuya was happy to play along.
For him, this was free information.
Through their chatter, he pieced together a clearer picture of the province's power structure.
He also learned something new: Ye Lingling wasn't actually from Zhejiang.
She hailed from a prestigious clan in Hai City and had only come because of her friendship with Bai Yun'er.
That was why she hadn't arrived alongside the other heirs.
Bai Family Estate – Afternoon
After the young nobles departed, only Yuuya, Bai Yun'er, and his spirit partner Mu Ning remained, enjoying afternoon tea atop one of the Bai family's high towers.
"So," Yuuya said, swirling his cup, "of all the forces here in Hangzhou — no, the entire Zhejiang province — the ones most interested in me are the Zeng clan?"
Bai Yun'er nodded. "Yes. And according to my sources, your opponent in the Hangzhou semi-finals or finals will very likely be one of theirs — a plant, sent specifically to counter you."
"That's fine."
Yuuya waved a hand, unconcerned.
He had no fear of the so-called 'mainstream meta' these primitive duelists adored. His Runick deck — the Divine Runes — was a world apart.
"I know you're confident," Bai Yun'er said softly, "but I've confirmed — your next opponent will be a Ground-Level Duelist, not a Profound-Level one."
She wasn't exaggerating.
Among duelists, Profound-Level meant seasoned, yes — but Ground-Level was a qualitative leap.
They could summon true Duel Spirits, and their physical endurance and mental focus were superhuman.
More importantly, their bond with their decks deepened to a point where "top-decking" the perfect card became almost natural.
A single duel could even leave physical or psychic injuries.
Losing focus for a moment could mean losing the match.
"Just Ground-Level?" Yuuya exchanged a glance with Mu Ning and sighed, sounding almost disappointed.
Mu Ning giggled behind her hand.
Yuuya had already experienced a simulated Ground-Level duel thanks to her power.
It hadn't impressed him much.
The so-called "pressure" was there, yes, but it wasn't nearly as dramatic as in the anime he remembered from his previous life.
As for their so-called "bond draw," it was laughable — a minor boost to card-draw odds, nothing more.
A duel where you may have drawn one good card out of five? Please.
Compared to a properly tuned meta deck, it was pathetic.
Bai Yun'er looked uneasy, her gaze drifting toward the sunset.
"The issue isn't only within Zhejiang anymore," she murmured.
"My father's intelligence network reports that even the Duel Association and Inspection Bureau — organizations outside the province — have taken notice of you. For now, they're taking a neutral, watch-and-see approach because of your uncertain identity… but other forces won't be so polite."
"Such as?"
"The Dark Duelists."
Her voice dropped. "The Hangzhou branch already reported you. They'll likely send a stronger Dark Duelist soon — to 'invite' you into their ranks, whether you agree or not."
Yuuya's eyes lit up.
"Oh? That's fantastic news."
Bai Yun'er froze.
"…What?"
"The last Dark Duelist — that bug-obsessed freak — dropped me an entire Naturia archetype," Yuuya said cheerfully. "If the next one's generous enough to explode into another set of cards when I beat him, that's great for business! Maybe this one will have something useful, like Horus or Dragonmaid."
"Y-You call that a good thing?" Bai Yun'er could only stare.
To her, Dark Duelists were living nightmares — ruthless, cursed duelists who wielded forbidden cards.
But Yuuya looked like a kid hearing that the ice-cream truck was coming.
Mu Ning covered her mouth, giggling again.
Meanwhile – Dark Duelist Underground Base, Hai City
Twenty powerful Dark Duelists sat in a dimly lit meeting room.
Word of Yuuya's feats in Hangzhou had spread fast — an unregistered prodigy defeating advanced duelists with an unknown deck.
They wouldn't ignore such prey.
After two days of debate, they had chosen who would "recruit" him.
"Achoo!"
Every hooded figure turned to the man who'd just sneezed.
A Ground-Level Duelist catching a cold? Impossible.
"Are you in condition to duel?" the leader asked dryly.
"Of course," the man said, waving a hand. "Someone must be bad-mouthing me — just karmic feedback.
Anyway, I'm fine. The target's just a yellow-rank duelist using a Naturia deck and some Red Knight nonsense. Hardly worth my time."
"You're sure?"
"Please," the man sneered. "Unless he somehow summons Baronne de Fleur or Red Dragon Archfiend right away, it'll be easy."
"And if he does?"
He smirked. I'll still win. I'm a Ground-Level Duelist, master of the Horus archetype. I was a perennial Grandmaster in Master Duels — I'm nothing like that trash Dark Bug.