The duel began?
The duel ended.
"Waaah~!"
Feeling the hostile stares from the surrounding spectators, Shen Sui inserted his sorted deck back into the Duel Instrument.
Okay, I hadn't meant to make her cry.
Looking at Tang Lili, who was crouched on the ground and sobbing, Shen Sui felt wronged.
"Why is your deck so Netherworld?" Tang Lili pointed at Shen Sui and tearfully accused him.
"Your deck is just weak, mainly." As a man, Shen Sui appreciated this cute catgirl, but as a card player, he gave an unmerciful assessment. "How did a deck this strong make it to the semifinals? By acting cute?"
Tang Lili bristled again.
Damn, even her personality was like a cat's.
Shen Sui thought.
"Fine, I shouldn't bully children." Shen Sui rubbed his temples with a headache.
"Who are you calling a child?! I'm eighteen! Eighteen!" Tang Lili shouted indignantly. "You can only receive a Duel Instrument after turning eighteen, don't you know that?"
Uh.
Only then did Shen Sui remember that the Soul Card Association did seem to have such a rule. It was meant to prevent minors from encountering the Soul Card World too early and having their minds influenced by the people there.
But—
"You call this eighteen?" Shen Sui gestured at Tang Lili's four-foot-seven height.
"If you make fun of me again, I'll bite you!" Tang Lili glared at Shen Sui viciously.
"Okay, okay." Shen Sui raised both hands in surrender.
"But your deck really is weak." Shen Sui refused to budge on that point.
"What can I do about it?" Tang Lili said. "Soul Card World Number Twenty-One is pretty much like our world. It's an ordinary world with no Extraordinary Power, so naturally the followers from there can't compare to those from Soul Card Worlds with powerful forces."
"Not necessarily, right?" Shen Sui said. "Don't you use an Idol Card Deck?"
"Idols are ordinary people too, okay?" Tang Lili said with her hands on her hips.
"That's different. Idols have influence, don't they?" Shen Sui stroked his chin and offered Tang Lili some advice. "Since they're idols, it's perfectly normal for them to organize a Fan Club, right?"
"My Soul Cards already have a Fan Club." Tang Lili did not find that strange.
"Since they already have a Fan Club, it's perfectly normal to organize the fans to boost rankings, right?" Shen Sui said. "Then tell me, could you create a Spell Card for boosting rankings that makes the opponent send gifts to the followers on your field? Like paying Life Points or Soul Points or something?"
Tang Lili's eyes immediately widened.
"Uh, and there's this too. When someone makes your Soul Cards unhappy, couldn't they guide their fans to go cyberbully that person? Wouldn't that create a Spell Card that destroys an opponent's follower on the field?"
Tang Lili was utterly shaken.
"I'm telling you, I've argued with plenty of fandom circles. I'm pretty experienced when it comes to operating one. Do you want—"
"Shut up!" Tang Lili exploded in rage. She jumped up, pointed at Shen Sui's nose, and said, "I get it now! The reason you play so Netherworld isn't a problem with your deck—it's a problem with you!"
"How can your thoughts be so Netherworld?"
"Idols are a profession that brings joy and smiles to audiences and fans! They're sunny and positive!"
"Yeah, these cards could bring smiles to the opponent too." Shen Sui spread his hands.
"Aaaaaah! I'm furious!" Tang Lili stomped twice on the spot, then turned around and left in a huff, unwilling to look at Shen Sui again.
What did I say wrong?
Shen Sui pondered for a long time.
I thought my suggestions were perfectly reasonable.
"You really shouldn't corrupt children." A stranger's voice came from behind Shen Sui.
No, why did all of you like suddenly appearing behind me to talk?
Shen Sui grumbled inwardly.
When he turned around, he saw someone he knew.
Of course, whether the other person knew him was another matter.
Yuan Youxin.
Known as the Amateur Duel King, and also called the Bounty Hunter.
A man with professional-level strength who dominated amateur tournaments.
"She's eighteen, so she isn't a child, right?" Shen Sui said. "Besides, my suggestions were reasonable. If you want to become an ambitious Soul Card Master, you can't do anything with a deck that weak."
"You do have a point. Soul Card Duels are ultimately about strength above all else." Yuan Youxin sighed and extended his hand toward Shen Sui. "It seems you'll be my next opponent. Hello, my name is Yuan Youxin. Please guide me."
"I've heard of your reputation." Shen Sui shook his hand. "Shen Sui, student of Tianyi Academy."
"So you're Shen Sui. I've heard of you." Yuan Youxin said.
The Soul Card Master circle was vast, but the circle at the top was not all that large. Every year, there were only so many Soul Card Masters who could achieve notable results.
"Many people online compare you with Xiao Xue." Yuan Youxin smiled. "I've dueled Xiao Xue a few times and had to admit I was inferior, but I don't know your level. That makes me even more eager for tonight's finals. I hope you can give me a different experience. After all, it has been a very, very long time since I last lost in a tournament like this."
After spending so many years in amateur competitions, Yuan Youxin had actually grown somewhat numb. In these tournaments, he could hardly find an opponent worth mentioning. The rare few decent opponents were Duel Academy students testing and refining their decks, and he defeated every one of them.
Yuan Youxin's reputation within the community was not particularly good.
The amateur scene resented him for having professional-level strength yet stubbornly staying in amateur tournaments to crush weaker players for prize money.
The professional scene looked down on Yuan Youxin's practice of crushing weaker players.
However, Yuan Youxin never took such gossip to heart.
Making money wasn't shameful.
"Of course, if you only have the level you showed in that video, then that's far from enough."
Shen Sui did not like the way this man spoke. He grinned. "I'm also looking forward to tonight's duel. I hope I can bring you a surprise."
As they spoke, Heaven's Chosen Cup staff approached and led the two of them out.
At the same time, a group of people carried equipment into the venue. They were going to set the place up as a duel arena suitable for livestreaming.
Tianyi Soul Card Theme Park was holding the Heaven's Chosen Cup to promote its theme park. If they did not livestream it, wouldn't that promotion be wasted?
Along with the Heaven's Chosen Cup finals livestream, recordings of the Top Eight Tournament and semifinals were released as well.
Normally, not many people would watch recordings of an amateur competition, but once someone said Shen Sui was in this tournament, a crowd of curious troublemakers flooded in.
[Is this the guy people compare to my Xiao Xue? He doesn't seem like much to me. He's no match for Yuan Youxin.]
[This deck is fucking Netherworld. Who taught him to play like that?]
[Wow! Such a cute catgirl!]
[Fuck! Shen Sui, do you have no heart? You actually went that hard on such a cute catgirl? You made her cry.]
[Catgirl cuddles!]
[Get lost, person above! Everyone's here to watch duels. If you want to look at girls, go to the dance section next door.]
[Catgirl? Where's the catgirl? Fuck, you tricked me. I thought there was a new catgirl Waifu Card, but it's a real person? Boring, boring. Not as good as a lucky cat mascot.]
I work six days a week with only one day off, so I usually don't have much time. I can only manage four thousand words a day to get by.
But I also want my dear readers to help contribute some follow-up reading on Tuesday.
So I can only bribe you all with ten thousand words on Sunday.
Five updates and ten thousand words today! Please help contribute some follow-up reading next Tuesday! It's really, really important to me!
Before you continue