"Wait… Sister Sheng, could he really be a scammer? But he's ranked Platinum in Master Duels; that's an Earth-level duelist. As a Master Duelist, would he really need to scam people over a mere million?"
Bai Yun'er nodded, confirming that Youye had indeed talked about integrating obscure archetypes into a deck. Her gaze shifted to Youye, her eyes filled with confusion.
Youye, on the other hand, remained calm. Had he scammed anyone? No!
While some people had indeed bought deck builds from him, he had sold them standard builds from his past life, priced between 50,000 and 100,000. He felt that in this world, if you wanted to hire an Earth-level duelist to help you build a deck, it would cost at least a million, and his decks could easily crush other so-called Earth-level duelists. So, his prices were quite fair.
The problem arose when these people didn't complete their card collection or purchase the necessary strategies, and then came to complain about being scammed. He had simply kicked these troublesome customers out of his store.
"A Master Duelist wouldn't scam you, of course, provided they are actually an Earth-level duelist. In Master Duels, it's possible to copy someone else's deck and playstyle to climb the ladder and make others think you're a top-tier player. This is exactly what he did!"
Sheng Ning started explaining to Bai Yun'er, then turned to Youye and spoke slowly.
"Youye, you entered Hangzhou City Duel Academy five years ago, and your theoretical scores were undisputedly first..."
At this point, her eyes filled with regret as she paused and continued, "But because of your lack of an archetype, you graduated without having a complete deck, and your graduation was granted on special terms."
"According to Hangzhou Duel Association records, you're still not even a Yellow-level duelist. Someone like you, you call yourself an Earth-level Master Duelist?"
"Huh? Is that possible?"
Bai Yun'er was stunned.
Although she came from a prestigious family, she had only been involved in dueling for a year, focusing on optimizing her deck and trying to become stronger. She had no idea that there was a shortcut like Master Duels.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
After giving Bai Yun'er an affirming nod, Sheng Ning turned her gaze back to Youye.
Youye simply smiled faintly, his tone completely composed as he answered.
"First of all, I never said I was an Earth-level duelist. This little lady thought that on her own."
"Secondly, yes, I don't have a deck. As you mentioned, I'm not even a Yellow-level duelist."
At this point, Sheng Ning had already reached behind her, preparing to take out a silver bracelet to send Youye off to prison for a while.
Bai Yun'er's eyes shifted from surprise to disappointment as she looked at Youye, who had seemed so confident earlier.
Just then, Youye, with an amused expression, confidently spoke up.
"But... you say I copied someone else's deck to reach this rank? Let me ask, did they allow me to copy? Who is worthy of my copying? Go ahead, tell me."
"Not only did they not complete the deck, but they also didn't even buy the most basic play strategy. That's their fault. Being bad at it means they should practice more and study harder. What does that have to do with me? It's like a student who doesn't pay the tutoring fee blaming the teacher for not teaching well. I have to ask, what kind of logic is that?"
"Oh? So you're saying your deck is unique? The deck you used to reach Platinum in Master Duels, you configured it yourself?"
Sheng Ning looked at Youye, her face twisting into a strange smile as she retorted.
A duelist with no deck, who supposedly configured a deck capable of reaching Platinum in Master Duels—this was unprecedented in dueling history, and she naturally couldn't believe it, even if Youye had been first in theoretical knowledge when he was a student.
"Yes!"
Youye nodded confidently.
Unless this world had a time-traveling soul like him, there was no way anyone else could have a deck built like his.
Seeing Youye deny it, Sheng Ning wasn't surprised in the least. She had dealt with duelists like him before.
Some people believed that by copying an Earth-level or even Sky-level duelist's deck, making a few tweaks, and then reaching Golden or Platinum in Master Duels, they had somehow become strong. In reality, they had no clue that they were just paper tigers. If they were to swap to a deck they personally configured, it would fall apart at the slightest touch!
"Then I'll offer you a chance from the Inspector Bureau. Since you don't have a deck, I won't make it hard for you. If you can win against me using the deck you described to this little girl—or, no, you just need to show the appropriate level of skill with that deck—I'll believe in your ability, and I'll recommend you to the Inspector Bureau as someone capable of teaching others."
"If you can't demonstrate that level of skill..."
At this point, Sheng Ning took out a silver bracelet. Though she didn't finish her sentence, the implication was clear.
"This is easy! Come on, let's duel! After I beat you, this little girl will believe in my Heavenly Might Awakening Sword!"
Youye looked at the silver bracelet but didn't seem concerned. Without hesitation, he accepted the duel. After all, there was no reason to refuse.
If the Duelist Inspector Bureau recognized his strength, it would make things much easier when dealing with clients in the future. Plus, it would be very beneficial for him to collect the cards for Tears of the Pearl.
With those cards in hand, who in this world could compete with him? A King-level duelist? Please.
King-level duelists were powerful, no doubt, and their lifespans were incredibly long, but no matter how strong your life force was, the rules of dueling remained the same—no changes!
When facing him, no matter what, they would still lose!
"Heavenly Might Awakening Sword? Awakening Sword... Little girl, are you from the Bai family of Hangzhou?"
When Sheng Ning heard Youye mention the deck name, her brows furrowed slightly as she whispered, thinking it over. Heavenly Might Awakening Sword—she knew the Heavenly Might archetype. But this Awakening Sword was something new. After a while, she finally realized and looked at Bai Yun'er in surprise.
"Mm..."
Bai Yun'er blushed and lowered her head.
She had come out to relax and, by chance, had found a store offering a deck build. She was ready to pay, but now, the "official scam buster" was here, and it turned out this person was selling fake goods. That wasn't the worst part, though—the worst part was that the person who was busting the scam knew her. It was too embarrassing!
Sheng Ning was somewhat speechless. The Bai family was the top family in Hangzhou, with a long-standing tradition of Blue-Eyes archetypes and many duelists and experts. The legendary Sky-level ancestor was said to still be around. So how did Bai Yun'er end up in a small, unknown shop like this?
Though it was frustrating, since Bai Yun'er was from the Bai family, Sheng Ning didn't say anything further. Instead, she turned her gaze to Youye and asked seriously, "Are you sure you want to use Heavenly Might Awakening Sword? Let me tell you in advance, I'm a Mystic-level duelist, and I'm using a deck with the Ancient Machines archetype issued by the Inspector Bureau. I've beaten Diamond-level duelists with it!"
"Of course! Since Awakening Sword is a new archetype, if I defeat you using Heavenly Might Awakening Sword, it'll prove that my skills and my deck build are truly unique!"
Youye flashed a confident smile, showing no sign of hesitation despite Awakening Sword being a brand-new archetype.
"If you can do that..."
Sheng Ning gave him a deep look. The Heavenly Might archetype was known for being weak, focused on Link monsters and Normal Monsters, while Awakening Sword was still in development. If these two archetypes were combined... it would be a historical first!
With that, she sat down in front of the computer and logged into Master Duel.
"Little Bai, come over here. I'll show you the opening moves of Heavenly Might Awakening Sword for free. Later, it will cost you. And as for you, Inspector Sheng, the duel room name is 'Why Haven't I Wiped You Out Yet?' Once you're in, we'll start."
As Sheng Ning logged in, Youye, who had already set up the duel room, greeted the two women without an ounce of pressure.
Bai Yun'er, watching him with curiosity and suspicion, drew closer to Youye. If it weren't for Sheng Ning standing beside her, she might have thought that Youye was a true dueling master.
Sheng Ning, on the other hand, grew curious as to why Youye seemed so confident, especially with such a weak archetype as Heavenly Might Awakening Sword. How could he be so calm when facing someone who had once defeated a Diamond-level duelist?
When she heard the room name, however, she almost burst into laughter. Was he implying she would be wiped out??
As she entered the duel room, ready to teach Youye a lesson, she was shocked by the room rules.
"Wait a minute, you don't have a fixed deck order? The sequence depends on the duel rules and is chosen randomly?"