A Banned Card Right Off the Bat! God-Tier Hand Control!

Xiao Shan, however, didn't say much more.

He simply assumed You Chen had overestimated a bit, figuring a one-hour build speed was already very impressive.

Then, he finally revealed his true purpose for calling You Chen over.

"Actually, I called you here because there's something I want to tell you."

"I see that your deck-building style and skill are both excellent. If you win this Collegiate League championship, you can gain direct, exceptional admission to Thunder Academy."

"So, if you work hard, you might even be able to enter Thunder Academy without taking the college entrance exam."

This invitation from Xiao Shan was essentially an olive branch.

It was well known that the Four Great Academies were the highest-level institutions for duel academia.

They were also the four pillars of the Dragon Kingdom, having cultivated countless outstanding duelists.

Therefore, the Four Great Academies were a dream destination for countless duelists. There was a time when wealthy individuals, desperate to get in, would even spend a fortune, but it was all useless. The Four Great Academies only recognized merit.

After all, they weren't private academies.

They were assessed by top national institutions.

You Chen blinked in surprise at this invitation.

No way, exceptional admission?

This spot was incredibly rare.

However, there had been precedents before, as this world didn't lack geniuses.

It was just rare, which was why You Chen hadn't expected it.

Could it be that my deck-building caught Xiao Shan's attention?

Not just him, even the aloof young man beside him seemed surprised, his eyes flickering, though he remained silent.

"In that case,"

"I now have a reason I must win the championship."

You Chen had felt indifferent at first, but now, with such a tempting opportunity for exceptional admission to one of the Four Great Academies, he would naturally strive for it. Although he believed he could get in with his own strength anyway.

But exceptional admission felt different.

He didn't have a problem with not having to fight for everything himself. If he could get in easily, why work hard? That wasn't his personality.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now."

"However, winning the championship won't be easy. The players from First High School and High School Five are very strong. But I have high hopes for you."

Xiao Shan genuinely admired You Chen, finding him a rare talent.

Even if You Chen only took third place, he would still grant him exceptional admission.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving."

Although You Chen was happy, his elation wasn't as exaggerated as Xiao Shan had imagined.

He had thought that students like these, upon hearing they could enter one of the Four Great Academies, would surely be bursting with excitement and passion, perhaps even incoherent with joy.

But You Chen's reaction was far beyond his expectations.

After You Chen left, Xiao Shan fell silent, pouring himself a cup of tea. He slowly said, "Aren't you confused?"

"Mm." The young man calmly replied.

"This guy is not simple. Don't underestimate those deck builds. The smoother these builds operate, the stronger the deck-building thought process required. Mainstream decks have some standardized formulas, but these builds don't."

"In all these years, when have you ever seen someone so daring as to use these cards?"

"If you underestimate him, even if you are my disciple, you'll easily suffer losses in the future."

The young man didn't refute, but his eyes remained calm.

"Interesting. After the Collegiate League, the college entrance exam starts in just a week."

"I'm already looking forward to this guy's arrival in the academy's new semester!"

Xiao Shan took a shallow sip of tea.

"Teacher thinks he's sure to win the championship?"

The young man asked calmly.

"Not necessarily the championship, but definitely top three," Xiao Shan replied.

The young man's eyes flickered, revealing a spark of interest in dueling.

That night, at the Dream Underground Duel Tournament.

You Chen's duel today was already a tough fight.

His opponent was Mao Tu.

Since You Chen had money now, he spent another seven to eight hundred thousand to put together a hand-destruction deck.

It was a very straightforward one.

This way, he wouldn't be easily targeted.

After all, having won last time, the arena master would be prepared.

So, You Chen couldn't show up in a mech again, nor could he use anything else that would reveal his identity, which is why he put together another deck.

He also acquired a few rare cards in the Needle Worm chat group, spending over two thousand Emotion Value.

As for a jail deck, it wasn't that he hadn't considered it.

But there was no need; the current meta still saw more normal summons and very few special summons.

"Ladies and gentlemen!! Welcome to the Underground Duel Tournament!"

"Tonight's contestant is none other than yesterday's victor, Night Wanderer!"

"And the arena master he'll be challenging tonight is Mao Tu!"

As soon as this was announced, Out walked an adorable young girl, looking like a minor, with twin pigtails, dressed in a gothic outfit, and clutching a small bear.

"Hiss! Tonight's arena master is a little girl?"

"This is practically a surrender."

"Haha, you don't know her?"

"She was the third-place winner in the Collegiate League last year, from High School Three."

You Chen naturally heard the discussions below, and he found it quite amusing. He had just finished a Collegiate League duel, and now he unexpectedly encountered last year's third-place Collegiate League winner here.

A student from the previous year meant she wasn't a student anymore this year, right?

Otherwise, why would she be participating in an underground duel tournament?

"Big Brother Night Wanderer, please go easy on me," Mao Tu's voice was very sweet.

It had that distinct charm of an eighteen-year-old.

After hearing it, goosebumps rose on You Chen's skin.

He really wanted to slap her and shout, Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon! Prajna Paramita!

Evil creature, perish!

You Chen mechanically raised his phone and activated his Duel Disk.

This hand-destruction deck was much more ruthless than his previous decks.

He was confident that this time, he would earn a lot of Emotion Value.

"Whether I can break through thirty thousand Emotion Value, it's all up to you, little sister!"

"Big Brother, that's so cool, I like it even more now."

"And I'm not small; I'm already of age this year."

Mao Tu seemed to have a good personality, still teasing You Chen.

"Then you fell in love too early."

"Soon, you might hate me to the bone."

You Chen shook his head, no longer bothering with pleasantries.

The moment one uses an Underworld Deck, they are destined to be a lone star, a bringer of misfortune.

Just like Hua Yingxiong.

The only friends one could have would be those who also liked Underworld Decks, like Hua Ningning.

"Duel start!! DUEL——"

"Coin toss, heads, I go first!"

You Chen glanced at it, first turn, and an unprecedented smile appeared on his face.

"From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, Mischievous Twins!"

"Pay 1000 Life Points to activate. Your opponent randomly discards 1 card from their hand, then chooses 1 card from their hand to discard."

You Chen's first move was a forbidden card, once banned on all major platforms!

One card to strip two from your hand, dare you to die?

This card was simply a god card.

And this card wasn't purchased; he had exchanged it in the Warm Worm chat group.

The rarity of this card cost him a thousand Emotion Value, not cheap, but well worth the value!

Thanks to readers Yan Ji, Qiu Se Tou, 2516, Seventh Crow, Shi Mengyuan, Ren Yi, Drunk Man in the Rain, Baili Wuji, Black Tech Not Working, Mu Gong, and all readers for your recommendation tickets!!

Thanks to Yi Ye AC and 6387 for your monthly passes!