"Congratulations." An Yang extended his hand to Shen Sui. Although it felt quite bitter, he still offered his blessing as an opponent.

Even though he knew that if it weren't for his own major blunder, Shen Sui might not have won this duel so easily.

But, a loss is a loss, any explanation is merely an excuse.

Using his own brother as a target for surpassing, he would never allow himself to become a Life Card Master who cannot face failure head-on.

"Thank you." Shen Sui, though filled with complaints he wanted to vent, also knew that in such a moment, any remarks he made about the duel would seem impolite to outsiders.

Shen Sui didn't leave immediately; he was still waiting for Xinyuan Tanchun's match, so he casually found a spot on the stairs in a corner where he could see a bit of the arena and sat down.

Xinyuan Tanchun had been waiting there for some time. She opened her backpack and took out boxes of heated bento.

"Why bring so much food to the competition?" Shen Sui asked in surprise.

Xinyuan Tanchun laughed and said, "That's because you lack experience. If you really want to attack high-tier ranks for points, your match density will be high. With many matches and tight scheduling, you don't have much time to eat. If you don't carry some food with you, what if you faint in the duel arena?"

"But bringing bentos is a bit much." Shen Sui, unceremoniously, took a box, "It's still warm."

"The organizers have provided special rest rooms with microwaves." Xinyuan Tanchun gestured with her chopsticks, "And they also provide free coffee and bread for the contestants, but if there are many contestants in a round, they might run out if you're late."

"Actually, you don't have to wait for me; you can go back to the academy." Xinyuan Tanchun said biting into a chicken leg, "With your current status, you should be able to afford a taxi, right?"

Shen Sui replied, "Opportunities like these are rare, so I'm sticking around to gain some insight about the ecosystem at this level."

In truth, he was very curious about what the Soul Card form of Isabella looked like.

Having finished his pork cutlet meal, Shen Sui was planning to turn on his Dueling Device for a bit when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He looked up to see Wang Ming's slightly amused face.

"If you guys have things to discuss, go ahead." Xinyuan Tanchun, seeing Wang Ming, was a bit puzzled.

She did not know that Wang Ming was a member of the Exploration Bureau, but seeing that the two seemingly had things to discuss, she tactfully said so.

Xinyuan Tanchun's match was scheduled around ten o'clock, so with some time to spare, Shen Sui followed Wang Ming to the contestants' lounge.

Most of today's matches had wrapped up, and the contestants' lounge was empty.

Shen Sui plopped down on the sofa and asked, "Did that woman wake up?"

Recently, the weather on the Dawn Continent had been lovely, aside from a potential disaster with the Boundary-breaking Worm's invasion which might have destroyed the entire Dawn Continent.

So, if the Exploration Bureau had come looking for him, it was likely concerning Shi Ruoyi.

Wang Ming nodded and said, "Yes, she's awake and agreed to cooperate with us in capturing the remaining Suffering Poetry Society members."

"Isn't that great?"

"Shi Ruoyi informed us that the Suffering Bodhisattva has connections not just with her. When you defeated her, all of the Suffering Poetry Society had already become aware of your existence," Wang Ming said.

"Huh? Really? I haven't felt any danger recently though." Shen Sui pondered, touching his chin.

"That's because the Suffering Poetry Society members are planning a major operation, so their other activities have quieted down."

"A major operation... at the Modu Duel Tournament?" Shen Sui looked at Wang Ming in astonishment.

Wang Ming nodded and said, "Yes, we suspect the Suffering Poetry Society is planning to cause trouble at the Modu Duel Tournament."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"For now, the powers of Suffering are confined to the dueling devices. They need to duel to inflict harm on others. The Extraordinary from the Soul Card World wanting to descend into reality also requires a duel. So if the Suffering Poetry Society truly intends to stir up trouble at the Duel Tournament, then any Life Card Master still standing could be a suspect. Your performance in both the first and second rounds was so outstanding, plus the information received from Shi Ruoyi makes it certain that the Suffering Poetry Society members have already noticed you and won't let you go."

"So..."

"Please keep an eye out for contestants showing you undue enthusiasm," Wang Ming advised, "and if anything unusual happens, contact the Exploration Bureau right away."

"I see..."

"Oh, by the way." Wang Ming reminded, "The family of the donor of 'Fairy Rose·Ji Yue' might come to see you."

"The donor's family?"

"They want to see the strength of the Life Card Master who received this Follower Card," Wang Ming said, "Since it's the donor's family, we can't easily refuse them."

"So, from what you're saying, someone's planning to challenge me to a duel?"

"Uh... that's the idea."

"Well, that's fine." Shen Sui clapped his hands, "I hope they aren't too weak. But I suppose a family capable of producing a fifteen-star Follower Card shouldn't be weak to begin with."

Wang Ming looked at Shen Sui speechlessly, "Why do I get the feeling you adapt to this situation faster than I do? Don't you find it odd that people are constantly challenging you to duels?"

"Come on, we're Life Card Masters. Using duels to resolve issues isn't just normal?" Shen Sui countered.

Wang Ming was momentarily speechless.

"The person is called An Hai, you should be able to find his info online." Wang Ming rubbed his temples. Though he also played cards, it was just a leisure activity outside of work. Even though he was nominally a teaching assistant at Tianyi Academy engaged in the Life Card Duel industry, he personally couldn't quite understand people like Shen Sui and An Hai.

"He doesn't plan to beat me to take away the Fairy Rose, does he?" Shen Sui asked, eyeing Wang Ming suspiciously.

"Uh... well.... " Wang Ming hesitated, "Don't worry, he's a pretty good person, although he doesn't hold back with his words...."

Wang Ming didn't say much, but said everything.

Shen Sui narrowed his eyes, "So that's exactly what he's planning? Hmph! They've got another thing coming."

"You better be prepared," Wang Ming advised, "Once An Hai resolves to do something, he'll definitely go through with it, especially since you defeated his brother today."

"Relax, I'll try not to leave him with a psychological shadow."

"Uh...." Wang Ming glanced at Shen Sui, wanting to tell him that An Hai was currently an eighth-rank Life Card Master who had already defeated several ninth-rank Life Card Masters in practical matches, and his rank was merely short of points to reach the ninth rank.

"An Hai, huh, I wonder what the strength of an eighth-rank Life Card Master is." Shen Sui was almost itching for a try.

Tsk, you already knew!

And you still show such confidence.

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