That night, Shen Sui slept soundly.
Once time was synchronized, Alice became much more well-behaved. Even at night, nothing happened on Alice's end.
However, while the Time Regulator was a convenient tool for Soul Card Masters, it was not necessarily a good thing for Soul Cards.
The Soul Card World was a real world, and multiple Soul Cards could exist within it. If every Soul Card Master activated a Time Regulator, time in the Soul Card World would become a complete mess. Therefore, through the Soul Card World's self-correction, the Time Regulator's effects only applied within a certain range around a Soul Card. In different Soul Card Worlds, this inexplicable spacetime anomaly went by different names.
In fantasy worlds, it was called a spacetime mutation.
In science-fiction worlds, it was called a spacetime turbulence.
In cultivation worlds, it was called a Spacetime Secret Realm.
This also led to a discrepancy between a Soul Card's personal time and the time of the world it inhabited. If the regulator was switched on and off too frequently, it could cause the Soul Card's cognition to collapse.
Of course, in the hands of some wealthy Soul Card Masters, the Time Regulator was practically a cheat tool. This was especially true in cultivation worlds, where they continuously accelerated their Soul Cards so they could rapidly increase their strength. From the Soul Card's perspective, it was as though it had gained an acceleration cheat, giving it more cultivation time than everyone around it.
The next day, Shen Sui returned to the Life Card Theme Park.
Today, he would be competing in the Top Eight Tournament. If he won, he would enter the semifinals that afternoon.
Then, the finals would be livestreamed across the internet that evening.
Finishing the entire tournament in one day fit the tradition of most amateur competitions. After all, amateur players did not have that much time to wait around for matches.
"Yo, isn't this Shen Sui?" An unfamiliar voice came from behind Shen Sui.
Shen Sui turned around and saw a quiet-looking boy wearing glasses.
"Hello, my name is Yu Wenyuan. I'm also a freshman at Tianyi Academy. I've watched your Duel Exam video—you were really impressive," Yu Wenyuan said enthusiastically.
Yu Wenyuan.
Among the people Yue Tao had named as reporting his cards, there seemed to be someone called Yu Wenyuan.
Shen Sui recalled this as he looked at the smiling Yu Wenyuan before him.
"Looks like I'm your opponent this round." Yu Wenyuan always wore a gentle smile, giving off a strangely familiar air.
He stood across from Shen Sui and tapped his Duel Instrument. His deck began shuffling automatically.
"Then let's begin." Shen Sui did not waste words.
"Looks like you're underestimating me, Shen Sui." Yu Wenyuan adjusted his glasses. The sunlight reflected off the lenses in a sheet of white glare. "I'm very strong."
"Wow, I go first. Then I'll begin." Shen Sui ignored Yu Wenyuan.
"As a future rival, I've studied your deck very thoroughly. Your little combo is nothing in front of my invincible Mechanical Tyrannosaurus. A tiny 1-star Soul Card—my tyrannosaurus can swallow it in one bite!" Yu Wenyuan curled his lips. "But I heard your Permanent Spell Card was banned. Ah, looks like you won't be able to use that card in professional tournaments anymore."
"Which card?" Shen Sui glanced at his hand, pulled out a card, and asked, "This one?"
"Pay 13 Soul Points. Activate the Permanent Spell Card, Star Super Magic Array."
Shen Sui directly activated Star Super Magic Array, then took out another card. "Then pay 1 Soul Point. Normally summon Magic Apprentice Alice from my hand."
The adorable Alice appeared, and the spectators erupted into cheers.
This beautiful girl instantly conquered them.
"Pay 2 Soul Points. Set one Spell Card."
"Alright, my turn ends."
A dueling environment without Hand Traps really was wonderful.
Shen Sui raised his head to look at Yu Wenyuan, extended a hand with his palm facing upward, and politely said to him:
"Please begin your turn."
Shen Sui looked at Yu Wenyuan kindly.
He was not all that angry. After all, being reported for banned cards was simply something one had to experience on the road to fame.
But that did not mean Shen Sui would laugh it off when he knew someone had reported him. He would not go so far as to summon his fists, but giving the other party some psychological therapy through a duel was perfectly acceptable.
Trying to defeat a powerful classmate through such means was no ordinary psychological problem.
He had to hit hard.
"HAHAHA!" Yu Wenyuan seemed to have thought of something amusing and suddenly burst into laughter.
Looking at that smile, Shen Sui found it oddly familiar.
When he had played cards in the shop in his previous life, his opponents had worn that same smile whenever they thought they had him cornered.
"Don't think your combo is invincible just because you defeated Xu Tianzhi when he wasn't at full strength." Yu Wenyuan drew a card from his deck. "There are plenty of ways in this world to deal with your Soul Cards. All I need is one tiny Spell Card to eliminate your Soul Card directly."
Yu Wenyuan flipped over his Soul Point card, announcing the start of his main phase.
"Now." Shen Sui placed his hand on his set card and said, "Flip the set card. Activate Spell Card."
"It's useless." Yu Wenyuan grinned. "A 2-star Spell Card can't do anything. I only need one turn to defeat you."
Yu Wenyuan had that confidence because he had opened with the perfect hand.
The key cards in his deck were already in his opening hand.
What a pity there was no broadcast for the qualifiers. Otherwise, I could have used Shen Sui's name as a stepping stone and made a name for myself.
So what if he defeated a Fifth-Order Soul Card Master? Wasn't he still about to be crushed by me?
"Oh? Then let's try it." Shen Sui tilted his head and looked at Yu Wenyuan with a faint smile.
If Shen Sui's card-playing friends from his previous life saw that smile, they would probably start trembling. Whenever this guy smiled like that, he was probably about to pull some Netherworld nonsense.
Shen Sui flipped open the set card. Before the two of them appeared a 2-star Spell Card: Air Force.
"Activate the effect of Spell Card Air Force." Shen Sui took a card from his hand. "At the start of the opponent's main phase, place one card from your hand on top of your deck."
******
Card Name: Air Force
Category: Spell Card
Star Rating: 2 Stars
Effect: At the start of your opponent's main phase, you may place one card from your hand on top of your deck to activate this effect. When your opponent uses their first Life Card during their main phase, reveal the top card of your deck and compare it:
〇 If the two Life Cards are of the same category, negate and destroy the effect of the Life Card used by your opponent. Until the end of that turn, they cannot use Life Cards of the same category;
〇 If the two Life Cards are of different categories, discard all cards in your hand.
******
Upon hearing that effect, Yu Wenyuan froze.
What card had Shen Sui put back on top of his deck? There was no need to guess. With Magic Apprentice Alice on the field, any Follower he summoned would be blown up immediately.
Well, now the most awkward situation had arrived.
If he used the Spell Card in his hand to deal with Alice first, Shen Sui could negate his Spell through Air Force's effect, then prevent him from using Spells for the rest of the turn. That would leave him unable to complete his guaranteed-win combo this turn.
And using a Life Card included paying Soul Points to set Spell Cards, so he could not bypass Air Force's effect that way. He might even have his Spell trap removed directly.
After weighing his options, Yu Wenyuan chose to pass his turn.
"My turn ends." Yu Wenyuan snorted and discarded a card. "I'll let you live one more turn."
Soul Card Duels began with five cards, and the hand limit was also five cards, so Yu Wenyuan needed to discard one card at the end of his turn.
Shen Sui's Followers did not have much Spirit Value, so there was no need for him to panic. At most, he would lose a bit of health.
"Oh? So you're ending your turn?" Shen Sui asked with a smile. "Are you sure?"
"Hurry up." Seeing Shen Sui's smile, Yu Wenyuan inexplicably grew irritated. He felt a chill lingering around him.
"Alright." Shen Sui drew back the card he had just activated from the top of his deck.
He smoothly activated it immediately. "Pay 5 Soul Points. Activate Spell Card Malicious Gift. Choose one Life Card from my deck and add it to your hand. Then you may choose one effect to activate."
Shen Sui showed Yu Wenyuan the effect of Malicious Gift.
Either let me draw two cards.
Or let me take a look.
Naturally, Yu Wenyuan could not let Shen Sui draw two cards for free, so he chose the second option without hesitation.
"Whoa! Your cards aren't bad, kid!" Shen Sui widened his eyes as he saw Yu Wenyuan's hand.
"Hmph! Take your card back." Yu Wenyuan snorted. These cards were extremely useful to him and enough to create a guaranteed-win combo, but they were completely useless to Shen Sui because the two of them used entirely different Soul Card systems.
Still smiling, Shen Sui took back the Life Card he had slipped into Yu Wenyuan's hand.
Hehe, this time it was just an ordinary Life Card. Next time, how about I stuff a big treasure into your hand that you can't discard and can't use?
The Life Card Shen Sui searched from his deck was Ensnare.
"Pay 5 Soul Points. Activate Ensnare's effect."
******
Card Name: Ensnare
Category: Spell Card
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Effect: Once per turn, you may make your opponent draw until they have five cards in hand, then choose one of the following effects to activate:
① Target one Follower on your field. Until the end of the duel, that Follower cannot become the target of effects and cannot be destroyed by effects;
② Discard all cards in your hand, then draw two cards from your deck.
******
"Fuck!" Yu Wenyuan had been too quick to see it clearly just now, but once he saw Ensnare's full effect, he cursed outright. "What the hell is this Netherworld card?!"
Since he had passed last turn, Yu Wenyuan already had five cards in hand. Ensnare's effect gave him no benefit at all.
Shen Sui only had one Follower Card on the field: Alice. If Alice gained that kind of protection, Yu Wenyuan would have no way to get rid of her.
But if he did not give Alice that protection, then he would have to discard every card in his perfect opening hand—the hand that could create a guaranteed-win combo.
Shen! Sui!
You were too sinister!
How could there be such a Netherworld Life Card in this world?!
"Pick one." Shen Sui urged Yu Wenyuan with a grin.
Yu Wenyuan raised his hand. Looking at Shen Sui's smiling face, he felt the urge to summon his fists.
Gritting his teeth, he could only discard all the cards in his hand, then draw two cards from his deck.
"Pay 5 Soul Points. Normally summon Silver Moon Wolf King Harley from my hand." Shen Sui played his final card.
"Activate Silver Moon Wolf King Harley's effect. Once per duel, when she is normally summoned, you may activate this effect: choose one Equipment Spell Card from your deck and equip it."
Shen Sui searched Beginner's Storage Ring from his deck.
"Activate Beginner's Storage Ring's effect. When it equips a Follower, choose one Life Card of 8 stars or lower from your deck and place it beneath this card. Then the equipped Follower's Spirit Value increases by 100 times the star rating of the placed Life Card."
Shen Sui placed the 8-star Kiss of Death beneath Beginner's Storage Ring.
By the calculation, Harley's Spirit Value reached 2400.
Shen Sui then entered the battle phase.
Since Yu Wenyuan had no Followers on the field, Alice and Harley attacked directly.
The combined damage of 2400 plus 100 struck Yu Wenyuan directly.
Although this was a tabletop duel without any special effects, the damage still made Yu Wenyuan's expression turn extremely ugly.
Frustrating. Incredibly frustrating.
From the start of the duel until now, he had not played a single card.
{Yu Wenyuan, Health 6000→3500}
"My turn ends." Shen Sui patted his empty hands and said.
Before you continue