Bonds depend on the situation, Luo Hao explained.
"In duels that don't seriously involve both sides' interests, at most there will only be minor injuries."
"If a Duelist actively enslaves spirits and provokes a duel, the enslaved spirit's bond level will be raised very high. Conversely, if spirits try to enslave us or even kill us, our own bond level can also be raised very high."
"In the former case, there have been certifications where someone tried to enslave a weaker, lower-tier spirit and was instead defeated and killed. In the latter case, there have even been god-ranked spirits who forcibly challenged Duelists, pushing the Duelist's bond level up to King-tier."
Luo Hao continued explaining to You Ye.
"I understand," You Ye nodded in satisfaction.
As long as the rules were there to restrain things, he wasn't afraid. Even if the opponent had full bonds, with five hand traps, he wasn't worried about failing to stop an FTK.
"Can I bring a spirit along?" Mu Ning asked from the side.
"No. And not just that—once the Earth-tier assessment begins, the spirit world involved will be temporarily sealed and cannot be interfered with."
"Of course, there have been lucky people who entered their own archetype's world and cleared the assessment in no time."
Luo Hao explained again.
"Alright…"
Mu Ning sighed softly, clearly unwilling. If she could go in, she could help You Ye.
Seeing her sigh, You Ye pulled her into his arms and gently patted her head to reassure her.
"Cough, cough. Senior, do you need someone to escort you?" Luo Hao asked.
Mu Ning immediately shot Luo Hao a fierce glare—she wanted to let this clueless guy experience what Runick imprisonment felt like.
Seeing Mu Ning's dissatisfaction, Luo Hao actually wanted to stop talking, but because of the arrangements in Shanghai, he thickened his face and continued,
"Director Yang Xuequn already knew the situation and arranged people early on. They're waiting for you at any time."
"No problem," You Ye nodded.
After reaching Earth-tier, duel-summoned monsters could manifest in reality and could even be used for travel. It was impossible for that not to attract him.
Mu Ning glanced helplessly at You Ye but said nothing, silently following him. After all, aside from dueling and dueling-related matters, this card gamer didn't care about anything else.
After You Ye and the others left, Guo Buxuan looked at Guo Jing beside him and spoke slowly.
"So? Do you think you have any chance of winning?"
"No," Guo Jing answered after a moment of silence.
"I don't think our Galaxy-Eyes deck can beat him no matter what."
"Good child. Choose carefully," Guo Buxuan said.
"You have good talent. I don't want that talent wasted on the Galaxy-Eyes series. Even as the Guo family's ancestor, I don't want you to die clinging to Galaxy-Eyes when you have other options."
"But even if I switch to my mother's family's archetype, I still don't think I can beat him," Guo Jing said, staring at the empty dueling arena, his eyes filled with despair.
After witnessing the duel between Guo Buxuan and You Ye, he couldn't imagine any way to defeat You Ye—not even conceptually. The gap was far too great.
"Normally, you can't beat him," Guo Buxuan said, patting his head and speaking earnestly.
"Some people—you have to admit that your talent is inferior to theirs. His starting point is your end point. He is that kind of person."
"Ancestor… is he really that strong?"
Guo Jing couldn't understand. Even when his ancestor mentioned King-tier Duelists, he had never praised them to this extent.
"You've seen too little," Guo Buxuan said, recalling the duel.
"I've interacted with King-tier Duelists before—and more than one."
"They were very strong before reaching King-tier, without question. But at Profound-tier, none of them were as strong as You Ye. Winning against Heaven-tier Duelists using an incomplete archetype—none of them could do that."
"But You Ye did."
"If nothing unexpected happens, he will create an era that belongs to him. In that era, everyone else will merely be supporting characters."
He paused slightly, as if seeing the future.
"Next month, most of the Top 64 of the Dragon Nation tournament will be decided. You Ye will likely enter through the Duel Association or the Inspectorate."
"After winning that championship, he will truly rise to fame and make the entire world aware of his existence."
"The premise is that he's still alive after winning."
Shanghai — Earth-Tier Teleportation Chamber
More than ten people were already inside the room.
A woman who looked seven or eight parts similar to Ye Lingling—but clearly older—stood beside a woman in green robes. The woman in green spoke softly.
"Sister Ye Yue Ling, I heard you obtained a Heaven-tier archetype. Was this Earth-tier assessment opened early because of the Ye family?"
"Your Su family's intelligence network is quite sharp," Ye Yue Ling replied calmly.
"But no. The Shanghai Duel Association has held Earth-tier certifications once every half month for over a century. Our Ye family doesn't influence them to make them give way."
"Ah? I thought it was because of your sister's relationship with You Ye that the Duel Association gave face. If it wasn't the Ye family, then who made them open early?"
"I do know," Ye Yue Ling said.
"I happened to get the news before coming here."
"Who?"
"Didn't you just mention him?"
"…?"
Su Dan froze for a moment, then reacted and blurted out three questions in a row.
"You mean You Ye?!"
"Sister Ye Yue Ling, is that true? You, Ye, are doing Earth-tier certification today?"
"It hasn't even been a month—he's already Earth-tier?!"
"Hiss—"
Because Su Dan didn't lower her voice, everyone else in the room heard clearly.
Aside from a few who didn't know who You Ye was, everyone else sucked in a cold breath and turned to look at Ye Lingling, waiting for confirmation.
"Yes," Ye Lingling nodded respectfully.
"It's confirmed to be Senior You Ye. If not him, who else could make the Duel Association open early?"
After her confirmation, the previously quiet room erupted into discussion.
"Holy crap, You Ye is coming!"
"Uh… who's that?"
"You don't know You Ye? He's the one who defeated the strongest enemy during last week's Shanghai attack!"
"He already has Earth-tier strength! I'm more worried about what to say when I meet him."
"What are you saying? I'm already thinking about how to beg You Ye to accept me as a servant. With Runick stickers, who wouldn't dominate everything?"
"Get lost. You're thirty and only now doing Earth-tier certification. If You Ye takes a servant, it'll be me—a genius Duelist who reached Earth-tier at twenty!"
…
Click.
As everyone was discussing, the smart lock opened. Accompanied by Yang Xuequn and Luo Hao, You Ye and Mu Ning walked in.
Seeing everyone suddenly stand up, You Ye wasn't surprised. Yang Xuequn had already told him that from Earth-tier onward, there were no dedicated certification facilities, and opening it early was already the Duel Association's limit.
What confused him was why everyone was smiling stiffly at him without speaking.
"Senior, please wait a moment. I'll activate the teleportation array," Yang Xuequn said politely.
You, Ye, nodded and prepared to find a seat.
"Senior You Ye, it's been a week. If you don't mind, you can sit here," Ye Yue Ling offered.
"Sure," You Ye replied. He recognized her as Ye Lingling's sister.
After sitting down, You Ye asked, "Are you certifying with Virtual World this time?"
"Yes. Thanks to your help, Senior. Otherwise, I wouldn't have passed the third task," Ye Yue Ling said respectfully.
Her third task had been a duel against an Earth-tier Duelist—a nearly hundred-year-old Cyber Dragon Duelist.
With her previous ABC archetype, winning would've been uncertain. But this time, using Virtual World, she won cleanly.
"No problem. Keep it up—Virtual World reaching Heaven-tier won't be an issue," You Ye smiled.
"Yes! I'll definitely live up to Senior's expectations!" Ye Yue Ling said excitedly.
"Senior, after the certification, would you have time to visit the Su family?" Su Dan asked eagerly.
"Our family has admired you for a long time. Our ancestor wanted to invite you last time, but you had already returned to Hangzhou."
"Next time for sure," You Ye replied.
Su Dan seemed like a nice person—but unfortunately, card gamers don't choose targets.
After that, everyone else who wanted to speak fell silent.
The Su family was easily top five in Shanghai and still got rejected—what difference would it make for them?
Ye Yue Ling covered her mouth and laughed. She already knew about her sister Ye Lingling's failure, so she hadn't joined the earlier discussion.
Someone like You Ye lacked neither servants nor women. Thinking otherwise was naïve.
"No" didn't mean there was a chance—it meant You Ye simply wasn't interested.
About ten minutes later, Yang Xuequn walked over.
"Senior, you may step up now."
You Ye nodded, gave Mu Ning a reassuring look, and walked toward the rune-covered stone platform.
At Yang Xuequn's gesture, everyone followed.
Once everyone was on the platform, the runes flared with light.
"May your card luck flourish—pass the assessment!"
Yang Xuequn's voice echoed as the figures vanished.
Branded World — Dogmatika Nation
After being transported by the rules, You Ye stared silently at a room filled with women's clothing.
He had entered the spirit world—inside a female spirit's room.
After briefly surveying the room, the righteous gentleman, You Ye, prepared to leave and wait for the rules to assign a task.
Just as he reached the door, a familiar female voice muttered anxiously outside.
"It's over! It's over! How am I supposed to explain this to that human Duelist?!"
"The lunatics up top notified Aluber, Tri-Brigade, Bystials, Despia, and Icejade spirits to come to Dogmatika!"
"They're obviously waiting for that person to duel!"
She opened the door—and froze.
Yes, completely frozen.
The human Duelist she least wanted to see was standing right in front of her.
Inside her room.
"Don't kill me! I'm innocent! I don't want to be reborn by the rules!"
The spirit was Ecclesia. Her eyes were already red, on the verge of tears.
You Ye's face darkened, his mouth twitching.
Was he really that terrifying?
Why did he look like a demon king in Ecclesia's eyes?
Seeing her about to cry, You Ye gently knocked her on the head.
"I'm not here to kill you. I'm doing Earth-tier certification—the rules sent me here."
"Huh? Earth-tier? You're not Heaven-tier already, coming to our world for revenge?"
Hearing this, Ecclesia relaxed somewhat. She locked the door behind her and looked at You Ye in confusion.
"No," You Ye shook his head.
"What did you mean earlier about Aluber, Tri-Brigade, Bystials, and Icejade coming to Dogmatika?"
"You said Dogmatika was trash, and your target was Spright," Ecclesia whispered after checking the surroundings.
"The higher spirits were furious and notified other archetypes, saying they'd prove their strength when you arrived!"
She then warned seriously,
"You should hurry to Spirit Peak Swordsoul Sect and seek protection. Dogmatika is too dangerous now—they'll definitely challenge you."
"Why run?" You Ye waved it off.
"Dogmatika is trash in the meta. Can't even say that?"
"And aside from Bystials and Aluber being somewhat strong, the rest—put bluntly—couldn't win even if I let them."
"Oh? Our Tri-Brigade is that weak in your eyes?"
A voice echoed.
The locked door opened, and a pink-haired, tomboyish girl stepped in.
"Kitt?" You, Ye, asked uncertainly.
"Correct! I heard Ecclesia say you wanted me to help find Spright."
"Yes. Do you know where they are?"
"Of course. There's no spirit in this world I don't know."
She smiled confidently—but not in a way that suggested she intended to help.
"Because I said Tri-Brigade isn't strong enough?" You, Ye, asked.
"A little. But I'm more curious what kind of person the Swordsoul spirits chose," Kitt said with a smile.
Then she sighed apologetically.
"Unfortunately, it seems we won't get that chance."
Before You Ye could respond, the room darkened, and dozens of powerful auras erupted.
Ecclesia trembled and pressed herself behind You Ye.
"Stay in the room," You Ye said calmly, patting her head.
After determining it was the Branded World, You Ye had already decided to clear it with Runick.
After all, Bystials counter Tearlaments—what does that have to do with Small Banishing Holy Runick?
You Ye, stepped outside.
Before him stood White Relic of Dogmatika and the Bystial Lord—two towering figures.
Alongside them were Icejade Emperor, Tri-Brigade war gods, Kitt, and other Branded World leaders.
At the center stood Aluber, the Jester of Despia.
"Human Duelist, you said Dogmatika is weak?" White Relic asked coldly.
"Yes. Want another round?" You, Ye, replied calmly.
"I'll let you build a board again. Unlike last time when I only ran one Evenly Matched and happened to draw it, this time I'll bring three."
White Relic: I have so much I want to say…
Evenly Matched was the card he hated most—but Dogmatika had no trap negation, so without drawing tech cards, they could only endure it.
"We don't care about your conflict with Dogmatika," Kitt said.
"I just want to ask—among all archetypes in this world, the only one you truly value is Spright, right?"
"Yes," You Ye nodded.
Indeed—Branded was strong, Bystials were powerful, but the true king of the Branded World had always been Spright.
Tearlaments' throne wasn't easily challenged.
As You Ye spoke, the world seemed to churn, light and darkness alternating—the displeasure of several archetypes was obvious.
"If you don't believe it, try me," You Ye continued.
"My Earth-tier task includes defeating you and Aluber."
"The Earth-tier requirement is to defeat me using Tri-Brigade?" Kitt asked in shock.
"Yes. No bonds. Want to duel?"
"I accept."
The moment she agreed, the duel rules granted her enhancement cards.
Not Tri-Brigade cards—but unrelated reinforcement cards.
The surrounding spirits were shocked.
Without reinforcement, Kitt clearly wasn't You Ye's opponent.
"Maybe the rules think you're too weak," You Ye shrugged.
"They think I'd bully spirits otherwise."
Kitt stared deeply at You Ye.
"Ready?" You, Ye, asked.
"Change locations."
Dogmatika Nation — Duel Arena
You Ye (8000 LP) vs Kitt (8000 LP)
You Ye, chose to go first.
Both drew five cards.
The duel began.
Main Phase 1.
"I activate the Spell Card Heavenly Charity. Draw three, discard two. I discard Sacred Star Tree and Sword Priest."
"???"
The spirits were stunned.
Draw three, discard two—unconditional? Does such a card exist?!
"Wait—this isn't even once per turn?" Kitt exclaimed.
"No," You Ye replied calmly.
"Sacred Star Tree's effect—add Mole Cricket to my hand."
"I activate the Continuous Spell Runick Deceit. I activate Runick Destruction from my hand to Special Summon Hugin…"
As the combo continued—
"…So you're telling me…"
"…you built a board…"
…and milled sixteen cards from my deck?