Red Mansion.
Office.
A piece of paper was printed out, on which was written Lin You's general requirements for several customized cards.
Lin You handed the paper to a teacher who was guarding the place and thanked him, "Teacher, I'll leave this matter to you."
The teacher smiled and said, "It's no big deal. We have to honor the president of Jiangcheng High School at this national freshman exchange competition!"
"Yes."
Lin You also smiled, "Then teacher, I will leave first."
"Go ahead."
After dealing with the matter of customized cards, Lin You walked out of the Red Mansion, and he also accomplished a big thing.
It was getting late, but Lin You was still busy and quickly ran towards the Ace Realm.
Since awakening the source of the soul, Chimera's performance in the Ace Realm has become stronger and stronger.
Several times we fought hard to find the last Dark Triceratops.
The most powerful one even severely damaged it!
At this time, if Lin You could give Chimera some support, perhaps this tough bone could be chewed!
However, Lin You did not do so.
Not to mention that this is Chimera's awakening training. Once there is external support, can the skills still awaken as usual?
The point is... even if it is awakened, its strength will definitely not be comparable to the skills gained by fighting your way out.
And today, Chimera fought to the end and once again successfully dealt a heavy blow to the Dark Triceratops.
This made Lin You vaguely feel that Chimera was really not far from the duel level!
With this trend, Chimera might really have a chance to advance to the duel level before the National Freshman Exchange Competition!
If this is true, it will be another trump card in Lin You's hand!
…
In the following days, Lin You immersed himself in various kinds of cultivation.
Daily magic training, ace realm, and magic shaping training, none of them were missed.
When practicing, one almost never sleeps, and wishes to break one minute into several minutes.
On the 10th, I bought another one and swallowed a giant pill.
Even if it has been absorbed several times, even if the magic power exceeds the thousand-point mark, the effect of this thing is still powerful.
The increase is still above 60 points.
Lin You’s current magic power has reached 1075 points!
More terrifying!
During this period, the publicity about the National Freshman Exchange Competition was in full swing.
Especially Jiangcheng.
Various promotional posters and scrolling videos were distributed everywhere.
After all, this competition is held in Jiangcheng!
The Jiangcheng Association naturally attaches great importance to this.
Lin You didn't care about the hustle and bustle outside and just practiced on his own.
And on the 12th, a courier was delivered to the door.
Lin You couldn't wait to open it. He knew that this was the customized card he had requested.
The association personally gives customized awards to the winners, and the quality is worth looking forward to.
The magic and trap cards are also engraved with three spiritual patterns!
Soon, three beautifully packaged cards came into view.
Lin You first picked up the monster card. He really wanted to know what kind of monster the association could customize for him.
The monster he requested was also very simple.
Initially, I considered an evolved version of the Silent Magician, but then I changed my mind and realized that it would have to reach the Red Star, so asking for more would not be realistic.
I had to settle for the next best thing and said a few key words.
Super dark star, magician type, with forced destruction effect, preferably with cards related to magic indicator abilities.
Well... it's not that simple now.
Especially as a reward given to an apprentice duelist.
The association may not fully satisfy all of his demands, but that is not Lin You’s concern. He is only responsible for making requests.
Whatever can satisfy you is enough.
Therefore, Lin You was quite curious about what kind of cards the association could customize, and took a quick look.
All the information about monster cards is at your fingertips.
【Magic puppet manipulation】
Star rating: Black
Attribute: Dark
Race: Magician
Attack power/2000, Defense power/1000
Special Effect: While this card is face-up on the field, each time you or your opponent activates a Spell Card, place 1 Magic Counter on this card. For each Magic Counter placed on this card, increase this card's ATK by 200 points. Also, by removing 2 Magic Counters from this card, select 1 monster on the field and destroy it.
“…”
The moment he saw this card, Lin You's first reaction was not to care about why it required the super black star level to become a black star, but he was shocked.
Holy crap, are the association’s customized rewards so awesome?
Putting aside the life level, this card almost meets all of Lin You's requirements.
Magician clan, magic indicator, forced destruction!
Lin You was actually quite satisfied with just this. Although he had high expectations for the association's customized cards, he was also very clear about one thing -
No matter how impressive his performance is, he is still just a newcomer now, and the reward limit is just there, so he may not be able to get very good cards.
But it turned out that he was wrong.
The association gave him such a card.
Although this card is not a super black star, it has an extremely overbearing forced destruction effect.
The key is... this effect is more than just one activation!
As long as the magic indicators and the duelist's own magic power are sufficient, he can continue to activate it!
Although it is forced destruction, it does not mean that you can act recklessly.
The levels of life are not just talk.
Just like the rabbit that blocked the road in the underworld before, it had this effect.
But facing the super black star-level Chimera, he is helpless.
Because it is only at the white star level, destroying the black star is the limit.
But the magic puppet is different. His life level is black star, which can destroy super black star monsters of a higher level.
Even if I can't kill him instantly, at least I can inflict heavy damage!
And that is enough!
All in all, Lin You was quite satisfied with this customized card and was looking forward to the remaining two cards.
I picked up a card at random, this time it was a trap card.
To be precise, it is a permanent trap card.
【Black Energy Stone】
Card Type: Permanent Trap Card
Effect: When this card is activated, place 3 Magic Counters on this card. Every 30 seconds, you can transfer 1 Magic Counter on this card to another card that can hold Magic Counters. When all the Magic Counters on this card are removed, this card is destroyed.
Lin You took a quick look at the results, which were pretty good.
This card exists purely to help him quickly generate magic counters.
The number is not large, but at a critical moment, one magic indicator may be worth a lot of money.
Not bad!
This was Lin You’s evaluation. Although there was no surprise brought by the magic-controlled puppet, it also met his expectations.
As for the requirements for magic and trap cards, Lin You just wanted them to be related to magic indicators.
In fact, he also requires spell and trap cards that force destruction.
But obviously, this type of magic trap card is not currently provided by the association.
Each one is precious.
He didn't even mention the many extremely powerful magic and trap cards that Lin You had envisioned, knowing that it would be useless to mention them.
Lin You didn't have any unrealistic fantasies. Things were good now. He quickly looked at the last card.
【Power of the Precursor Magic】
Card Type: Equipment Magic Card
Effect:
①: This card can only be equipped to a Magician-Type monster. Place 1 Magic Counter on the equipped monster. Each time the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster in battle, increase the Magic Counter by 1.
②: For each magic counter on the equipped monster, the attack and defense power increase by 300 points.
③: The equipped monster can negate and destroy the effects of Spells and Trap Cards targeting this card by reducing its ATK by 1000 points.
"Equipping a magic card... this effect is quite good!"
The moment he saw the effect, Lin You's eyes brightened.
This card is used to equip the Crimson Mage.
The deterrent power of the Dark Red Mage on the scene is bound to increase greatly!
Its own effect has the effect of increasing attack power, and with this, it is doubled, even more powerful!
What's even more powerful is that this card can negate and destroy one Spell or Trap Card effect targeting that monster by reducing its ATK by 1000.
It can be said to be both offensive and defensive!
Lin You was in a very good mood after getting the three customized cards.
It’s worthy of being the Jiangcheng Association!
With this move, the customized cards are so impressive.
In terms of effect, the cards produced by the card roulette are not much inferior.
Of course, the consumption may be greater.
It’s not a big deal. Didn’t the teacher already say so?
Just give him the cards that need to be upgraded!
There are still three days before the competition starts, so there is plenty of time.
"But... we can't bother him with every request."
Lin You still has some conscience, and it is not necessary to upgrade all magic and trap cards.
But if you think about it carefully, it seems that there are not many that can be put aside for the time being.
Monsters are okay, but magic and trap cards are really hard to filter.
Not to mention upgrading, the deck composition is also a difficult problem.
This upgraded duel disk doesn’t seem to be enough!
No wonder duelists all pursue top-level duel disks. The more cards there are, the more resources there are!
Some cards that were previously removed from the deck now have a role to play again.
For example, the card Magician's Guardian had limited tactical value in the past because there were no compatible Magician-Type monsters.
Now, the meaning is different.
Just as Lin You was thinking about these things.
…
River City.
Executive Board.
Special department, 'Shadow'.
Huang Junwei crossed his legs, drank a Coke, and spoke on the phone with a hint of impatience. "Old Fang, stop nagging me about trivial matters all day long. Isn't it just about getting a status in the competition? Do you really think I'm some idle young master? I'm a master of dueling and psychic communication, how could I be so lacking in such a small opportunity?"
Then he said depressedly: "Also, Old Man Fang, aren't you sure that kid has an elf-level aura? Why do you still want me to sneak in?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
On the other end of the phone, Fang Zhengxing said unhappily, "All actions must be directed. We've only confirmed that Lin You has mastered elven-level power, but even at elven-level, the difference between them is enormous. Try to get up close and personal again this time to experience it. He'll have plenty of opportunities to make a move during this National Freshman Exchange Tournament, so you should get a feel for it."
"Alright, alright, I'm so unlucky. This is the fate of an apprentice, no matter whose apprentice I am."
Huang Junwei sighed.
"Don't give me that."
Fang Zhengxing wasn't buying it at all. He understood everything and said, "Don't I understand your little tricks? This opportunity to go out and join in the fun is exactly what you want. Now you're taking advantage and still trying to get me to credit you for it. What's the point?"
His tone became more serious. "Did you ignore what I told you last time? Now you're entering those ultra-dangerous secret realms, causing trouble for the entire Duelist Association and wasting everyone's energy to clean up your mess."
"Look at what you're saying. It's not like I'm begging them to do me a favor. If there's really a problem, just hang up. It's my own business."
Huang Junwei couldn't help but grumble, but Fang Zhengxing flew into a rage, "Bullshit! Do you think you can achieve what you have today solely by relying on your own talent? Don't you think about how much effort and resources the association has invested in your growth? Now that you've grown up, you haven't given anything back, and you're just thinking about risking your life!"
Fang Zhengxing was annoyed. "Yes, your life is your own. You are free to do whatever you want. But you are going crazy on your own. Don't drag others into this and make them go crazy with you!"
"Just hang up and you're dead? Do you think you're just a young boy with nothing to do?"
Fang Zhengxing shouted, "You're not! You're a certified Duelist and Spirit Master from the Duelist Association, and an official disciple of mine, Fang Zhengxing. You chose this path yourself, so don't complain about so many people taking responsibility for you! Similarly, if you have any conscience, don't let others take responsibility for you so easily. Do you understand, you idiot?"
“…”
Huang Junwei was silent for a long moment, then said helplessly, "I'm so fed up with you always feeding me these nonsense. I'll just be a tool, okay?"
"You did that yourself!"
Fang Zhengxing was still rude. He knew very well the character of his naive apprentice.
Even though he pretended to be aggrieved, in his heart, he was always thinking about when he could return to the secret realm.
No matter how much I talk to him, this guy still feels agitated.
At this point, Fang Zhengxing doesn't expect him to be so obedient forever. He should behave himself for a while!
Suddenly, Fang Zhengxing thought of something and asked, "By the way, you just said you sneaked into the competition. What's your identity? If you're just an ordinary spectator, that won't work. It wouldn't seem natural to interact with them."
"What's unnatural?"
Huang Junwei curled his lips, "It's not like we haven't met before. That guy almost became my apprentice before."
"Don't mention that!"
Fang Zhengxing said angrily, "How dare you say that? You're so shameless that you'd let a cooked duck fly away. You've already sensed the aura of an elf-level soul. Even if it's just a suspicion, can't you just temporarily choose to become a disciple? I don't think you, a fool, would be so clueless. Are you still thinking about the disciple gift?"
Huang Junwei wasn't embarrassed by his own master's revelation. He said nonchalantly, "So what? With my status, can I give less as a disciple? No! If I can't, then that's a huge expense. If I save, I'll have a lot of resources. Old man Fang, this is called thriftiness. You should support me!"
"Support for shit, get out of here."
Seeing that he was not doing his job properly, Fang Zhengxing was even more furious. "I don't want to waste my time on this nonsense with you. Just do the things I've given you, do them well and do them beautifully. Don't be careless."
"I know. It's like telling a child. Is it that serious..."
Huang Junwei was also tired, but Fang Zhengxing quickly hung up the phone. He didn't want to waste time talking to him anymore and even forgot to ask what his specific identity was.
"Hey, this old man!"
Huang Junwei felt a little unhappy after the call was hung up. He really treated himself as a tool. He was urged when there was something to do and left idle when there was nothing to do.
"Forget it, at least I have a reason to go out!"
Huang Junwei was thinking about it and felt a little happier.
After being locked up in this special department for so long, I can't even go out and show myself in public except for buying things in the nearby supermarkets and convenience stores. I'm really feeling suffocated.
This time, although the competition is held in Jiangcheng, it is not a long journey.
But at least, I can go out for a while and breathe in some fresh air.
Another thing is that the people I met this time were also quite interesting.
Although he spoke casually on the phone before, Huang Junwei was still quite interested in Lin You.
To be precise... I'm interested in the elf-level power he possesses!
This is the most mysterious and legendary power!
"Go out first and get dressed!"
Huang Junwei stood up excitedly, threw the empty can of Coke into the trash can in the corner, straightened his collar, and went out in a cool manner.
…
at the same time.
Black Source Laboratory.
After sorting out the deck, Lin You handed all the cards that needed to be strengthened to Heiyuan.
After taking the dozen or so magic and trap cards handed to him by Lin You, Hei Yuan's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Is that all?"
"Yes, no more for the time being."
Lin You nodded, and looking at his innocent look, Heiyuan raised his eyebrows slightly.
This kid really doesn't know what politeness is?
Okay, it’s my fault!
I owe you!
Isn't it just a dozen magic and trap cards engraved with the middle star spirit pattern, consuming a few spirit stones?
Hei Yuan raised his head slightly and said calmly, "Okay, leave these cards here. Come and pick them up tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Master!"
Lin You immediately thanked him and said, "Master, you've put it all to use."
I feel a little emotional...it's so fast!
As expected of a psychic master, he can outline the star patterns on so many cards in just a few hours. His efficiency is incredible.
"It's just a small matter."
Hei Yuan waved his hand and continued, "How have you been preparing during this period? The competition will start in a few days, and Jiangcheng has been very busy during this period."
Lin You smiled and said, "I won't embarrass you, Master."
"Yeah?"
Heiyuan was a little surprised. He felt that this time, Lin Youxiao was more confident than before.
It seems like he is confident about this competition.
Good thing or bad thing?
Young people, with confidence and the belief that they will win, certainly appear more energetic and motivated.
Often, there is a greater chance of success!
After all, considering Lin You's ability, this confidence does not seem to be too arrogant.
But frankly speaking, if he wants to compete for the final championship, the difficulty may be greater than imagined.
No one can be sure what kind of monster students will emerge this year from the two major universities in the Imperial Capital and the Magic City, which already hold an absolute lead in terms of new talent after local training.
It’s actually normal for Lin You to lose to them.
The scary thing is that he, who has always been successful, will find it difficult to accept such a setback.
Even if you don't become completely devastated by this, your mood will still be affected to some extent.
But in fact, in terms of potential, Heiyuan dares to guarantee that Lin You is the undisputed number one among this year's freshmen!
Not to mention this year, even in the past ten years, there is no one with better qualifications than him!
Heiyuan thinks so!
The duel can be put aside, but the psychic must be like this!
Therefore, there is no need for Lin You to worry too much about temporary gains and losses.
Hei Yuan just kept these words in his heart and did not say them out loud.
After all, Lin You is now full of confidence, so it is somewhat inappropriate for him to say these things.
Moreover, although Lin You may not win the championship, it does not mean that he has no chance to compete for the championship.
The overwhelming results of the training camp are proof of that!
Heiyuan also had an idea in mind.
He knew Lin You, but basically, he was concerned about his incredible potential in spiritual communication.
In a duel... Hei Yuan had never witnessed Lin You's strength in person.
Even when I was the chief examiner, I let him pass directly.
Therefore, it is not true to say that Lin You has no chance of winning.
Now, if I help him strengthen more than a dozen magic and trap cards, the chances of winning will increase a little bit.
At this moment, he couldn't help but smile and said, "Then this time, I'm looking forward to your performance."
After saying that, he thought for a moment and then reminded her, "You can go out and have a look at the various duel halls these few days, especially the most famous ones."
"Dueling Hall?"
Lin You was a little confused. "Teacher, you mean that I should gain some more practical experience before the competition? But isn't the Rising Star Duel Hall on campus open these days? If I want to duel, it should be more suitable, right?"
Aren’t the duel halls outside the school only places frequented by duel novices who love to join in the fun?
Otherwise, they are students from semi-professional high schools.
Usually, Dingtian, the students from the professional duel high school, would suddenly get interested and go over to play.
For example, when Lin You was still studying at Jianghua High School, he and Liu Jun went to the Jiangcheng Duel Hall.
For such a famous large-scale dueling hall, the level of dueling inside seems somewhat self-entertaining.
"You may have misunderstood something."
Hei Yuan knew what Lin You was wondering about and smiled calmly, "Do you think those Duel Arenas out there are just some newbies fighting each other?"
Isn’t it?
Lin You was puzzled, but suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he asked with some surprise, "Are the contestants from all over the place arriving so soon?"
“Is this considered fast?”
Hei Yuan was slightly speechless. "What kind of day is this? It's the 12th, and the competition is going to start the day after tomorrow. If you don't come now, are you going to rush over the day before the competition?"
"It's just that you can hold your temper and you've been so absorbed in your practice that you've forgotten everything else. It's only a few days, but for many people, it's nothing. On such a grand day, there are more than one or two people rushing over to have fun."
Lin You nodded slightly, "That's true."
These contestants have been practicing for so long that they are probably eager to show off their skills.
All the major duel halls might really be occupied by these people.
Although they may not necessarily go to some of the truly top-notch tough guys, the quality will probably not be bad.
The key is... if you go and take a look at it now, you can also get a feel for the level of the contestants from these major cities.
but……
Lin You glanced at Hei Yuan and smiled, "Teacher, do you want me to go out and relax for a while?"
"You are a really smart kid."
Heiyuan did not deny that he told Lin all this to stop him from practicing so hard that he would get sick.
It's also good to go out and relax for a while.
As for finding out about one's strength...this kind of thing, with Lin You's level, to put it bluntly, is bullying!
If those top students don't make it, how many of the remaining ones can be a match for him?
In a fight, they might not be as resilient as those on the rising star list.
Not to mention the top 50 players on the list after the qualitative change!
Lin You thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll listen to you, Teacher. I'll find a chance to go out in the next two days to experience the atmosphere of the city before the competition. It's probably quite interesting."
"That's the right way to think about it."
Hei Yuan said with relief, "Go out more often and see the diversity of the decks of students from all over the place. Their strength may not be as good as the top students in the school, but their diversity is indisputable. The more you see, the more calm you will be in dealing with them in the future."
Hei Yuan offered some guidance, "In a duel, sometimes, physical prowess alone isn't enough. A corresponding duel strategy is also crucial. But where does one formulate a strategy? Putting aside the various card combinations you've constructed based on your understanding of your own deck, there's another point that's also crucial..."
After a pause, he quickly said, "That's the opponent's deck composition! As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. If you can determine the effects of your opponent's cards, then your response will be more strategic and targeted. On the contrary, if you're clueless, not only will you be blind, but you'll also be extremely likely to fall into their traps."
"So, as a duelist, not only do you need your own strength and foundation, but also quick reaction and judgment, as well as knowledge and experience of cards, are crucial. Although cards in this world are constantly updated and growing, the more you can absorb, the more advantages you will have!"
"Teacher, I remember it."
Lin You nodded immediately. He agreed deeply with what Hei Yuan said.
Ultimately, it comes down to the importance of intelligence.
In this regard, he actually has some advantages.
After all, he actually had a general impression of many cards in his mind.
Although he might not remember them clearly, there were also many cards that he had completely forgotten. In addition, there were many cards in this card world that were beyond his cognition and even concept.
But no matter what, there are still some advantages.
Of course, compared to this, hard power is still the basis for winning everything!
At this moment, he was chatting with Hei Yuan about these things and some things about the competition. After that, Lin You stopped disturbing him.
Heiyuan still had a lot of work to do. Not only did he have to do his own experiments, he also had to help him outline spiritual patterns on more than a dozen cards.
However, the star ratings of these cards are actually not low.
All are Samsung!
After all, it is produced by Card Roulette.
Even if it is not, for example, those equipment magic cards were upgraded to three-star level by Heiyuan long ago.
So this time the outline will actually be a lot easier than Heiyuan expected.
Of course, whether it is easy or not is the same thing to Heiyuan.
He is a master of psychics, so this level of difficulty is not a problem for him at all.
The key point is... the consumption of those spirit stones will not be reduced!
This time, Heiyuan is bound to bleed!
…
Leaving Black Source Laboratory.
On the way back to the villa, Lin You picked up his mobile phone, found a number and dialed it.
The call was quickly connected, and a familiar voice tinged with joy came through, "Lin You, why did you suddenly think of calling me? Is there something good?"
Lin You teased, "Why, as a father, do you need a reason to visit your son?"
On the other end of the phone, Liu Jun didn't refute it, and continued to say happily: "The newcomer king of Jiangcheng University called me personally, which is really impressive!"
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and changed the subject. "By the way, Lin You, how did you feel about the previous training camp? Were you under any pressure? I heard that Maple Leaf High School has been catching up in recent years. How do their students compare to you?"
"It's okay, pretty good."
"Fuck!"
A scream immediately rang through the phone.
"Why are you so startled? I almost got deafened by you."
Lin You rubbed his ears, but Liu Jun didn't care. He exclaimed, "I asked you what you thought of Maple Leaf's students, and you said they were 'ok' and 'good'. I'm sure they're not as good as you. What does that mean?"
"The newcomer king of Jiangcheng!"
Liu Jun was extremely shocked. "Not just Jiangcheng High School, but the entire Jiangcheng. This means that your performance in this training camp must be the best, and you may even be ahead by a considerable margin!"
Lin You was stunned. What’s going on, my son?
Instead of studying dueling, you're becoming a reasoning expert?
The guess is very accurate!
Lin You was surprised for a moment at being guessed, but then he said calmly, "What's the big deal? Are you surprised? If I win the title of National Rookie of the Year sometime later, won't you be scared to death?"
“…”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone. Just as Lin You was about to speak again, Liu Jun suddenly said, "Lin You, are you free these two days? Come out and see me. I'm going out right now to buy a top-of-the-line camera. Don't be bothered when the time comes. Take a photo with me, sign autographs, and so on. I have a feeling that becoming rich in the future won't just be a dream!"
“…”
Lin You was stunned.
What the hell, are you crazy about money?
So, Niu's son wants to make money with my autographed photos?
"Get lost."
He cursed with a smile, then continued, "I'm planning to go out for a walk these two days, to experience the atmosphere of the city before the competition. But you, can you come out? The university doesn't care about this?"
Jiangcheng universities have opened up a lot recently.
Apart from normal classes, you can go out whenever you want during the rest of the time.
It also caters to the atmosphere of the competition.
Liu Jun quickly said, "Who cares? Our university is on vacation now, so you can do whatever you want. So, how about we go out tomorrow and go to the Duel Hall?"
At this time, the major duel halls are probably the most popular.
It's basically full.
"That's what I thought, too."
Lin You nodded, but said uncertainly, "I just don't know if I can get in. There are quite a lot of people here during this period."
Liu Jun was surprised and said, "Lin You, don't you know? During this period, students from major universities can enter the Duel Hall first. They definitely don't want us locals to just be there!"
If it were still the same as before, and those dueling novices were allowed to fight duelists from famous schools all over the place on a whim, wouldn’t that be a huge joke?
There is also this?
Lin You didn't know this. If that was the case, it would be convenient. He couldn't help but say, "Then let's meet at the Jiangcheng Duel Hall before nine o'clock tomorrow morning. This time, I'll take your son to broaden his horizons."
Liu Jun said excitedly, "I've been wanting to see this for a long time. Speaking of which, the last time I saw you duel was back in Bird City. Who knew after not seeing you for a few months, you'd transformed into the Rookie King of Jiangcheng? It's absolutely outrageous!"
"Just playing normally."
Lin You said calmly, "Alright, let's leave it at that for now. We'll start the killing tomorrow!"
After saying that, he chatted with Liu Jun for a few more words on the phone and then hung up.
He stretched slightly.
It's rare to build a brand new deck, so it's time to test it out.
It just so happens that those cards that need to be upgraded can be obtained from Heiyuan before nine o'clock tomorrow.
I don’t know how capable these talented students from all over the country are after intensive training.
Let’s try it!
