In a large square, the previously tranquil space suddenly shook violently. Amidst the tremors, a sound like shattering mirrors echoed. Zhang Ze was the first to step out, followed by Lin You and the others. Thanks to Zhang Ze's skill, everyone returned to the outside world with remarkable efficiency. They reappeared in the very square they had arrived at after collecting the medals. The difference was that the distorting black hole-like vortex was gone. Returning to this square felt a bit like a different world. From the time they participated in the World Duel City Tournament to the end of the deathmatch, it had only been a little over a month. Yet, in that time, everyone had experienced a great deal and gained immensely. Lin You, in particular, had undergone a remarkable transformation. If the current Lin You were to duel his former self, he would crush him in minutes. Not to mention the changes in the cards, not to mention the arrival of the Super Source Power. Even the most basic level of mana had undergone a terrifying transformation. When Lin You first entered the competition, his mana was less than 10,000 points. But what about now? Having reached the upper limit of the Glory level, he entered the Demon Transformation stage, where spirit and demon merge. His Demon Transformation achievements were approaching 20,000 points. Given his aptitude, it wouldn't be long before he fully completed his Demon Transformation. This level of growth was beyond Lin You's expectations, having just decided to enter the World Duel City Tournament. After all, his initial plan was simple: to fight tooth and nail, hoping to scrape a decent ranking and reap some benefits. He never imagined things would escalate to this point. Soon, the Association would award them with a reward for winning a Deathmatch. Just thinking about that reward was exciting. Even if he didn't know what it would be, considering the achievements he had made, and the fact that the reward was being bestowed by the behemoth that was the Duelist Association headquarters, it was easy to imagine how staggering it would be. However, Lin You, despite his excitement, now felt a sense of composure. He knew there were still many powerful people in the world, and he still had a long way to go. At this moment, Zhang Ze glanced at everyone and smiled, "If I remember correctly, before you decided to participate in the Deathmatch, each of you received a corresponding amount of Merit and Duel Card privileges, right?" Everyone nodded quickly at Zhang Ze's mention of that Merit. It wasn't hard to guess that the Association was about to award them Merit again. And this time, it was after the battle! And a resounding victory! Everyone's breathing fluctuated slightly. It wasn't that they were being cautious, but rather that the reward for such Merit was truly tempting! Zhang Ze didn't hesitate, quickly adding, "Logically, since you won the Deathmatch, the Association should hold a grand celebration banquet to announce your achievements to everyone. But I don't like these formalities. I prefer practical rewards based on merit. You won the Deathmatch for the human world and made great contributions, so you deserve a generous reward." Everyone was delighted by these words. But there was one exception... Li Zihan! No! I still value those 'red tape'! Such a significant achievement deserves to be publicized! While it's certainly inconvenient to publicize it to the general public due to the special circumstances, shouldn't the Duelists Association also share some information? We're role models! In the past, Li Zihan would have definitely refused. But now, the person saying this is Zhang Ze! Opposing Zhang Ze's proposal wouldn't be a wise move. But that's not the key point. The most important thing is... when it comes to this deathmatch, Li Zihan ponders his achievements and feels almost ashamed. Compared to the others, he's not so bad. At least he did some finishing work, killing a few Sub-Origin Duelists. But by the time they were killed, the opponents were already at the end of their strength, so it wasn't much of a deal. Facing the biggest threat in this deathmatch, the Sin Zhen, Li Zihan felt powerless. If it weren't for Lin You taking the lead, everyone would have surely perished! Speaking of assisting the battle, the only one truly worthy of the title is Ye Qingyi. Although Li Zihan's performance surpassed several others, that was merely a comparison to his peers. Recalling this, Li Zihan, who was about to speak but hesitated, shut up completely. "Take out your duel cards now." Zhang Ze took out a card while speaking. Everyone's eyes suddenly showed surprise. That card was still black, but the difference was that there were some golden particles attached to it. After experiencing the life-and-death battle, everyone who had gained a lot of knowledge also recognized that it was the super source power! As expected of China's chief swordsman, the duel cards in his hand were so unique. Perhaps this is the true power of the strong. The super source power in the body is almost inexhaustible. Feeling emotional, Lin You and others also took out their duel cards. When they took out their duel cards, Zhang Ze's duel card flashed and quickly passed over everyone's cards. As the light continued to flicker, Zhang Ze spoke, "I'll first upgrade your current Duel Card's authority level. After the upgrade, each of you will receive 3,000 Duel Merit points. This is a fixed amount. There will also be additional rewards. Once I review and analyze the entire Deathmatch process, I'll give you additional rewards based on your performance. Don't wait too long. If nothing goes wrong, I'll have them assigned to you within three days." 3,000 Duel Merit points! Yue Yong, Ming Dou, and the others were shocked at the astonishing number, then burst into ecstasy. They'd expected a generous reward, but they hadn't expected to receive a full 3,000 Duel Merit points for just the base reward, and even an increase in authority level! The B- authority level was already high, and if it went up further, it would reach B level! Once their authority levels were upgraded, they'd likely be surprised to discover something—that Lin You had already reached B level before the Deathmatch began.
This time, the level had risen, reaching A-level in one fell swoop! Such authority was truly astonishing for a youth not even twenty years old. "That's good." The light on the duel card faded, and Zhang Ze took it back, smiling. "Now that the merits have been awarded, I won't say much. You've just fought a fierce battle. Go back and rest well for the rest of the time. Seeing such outstanding new generation duelists like you, I firmly believe the future of the human world will not be bleak." "Thank you, senior." Everyone's hearts surged, and they all expressed their gratitude. "Then I'll send you out now," Zhang Ze said. Seeing that no one had anything to say, he quickly made his move. Golden Super Source Power surged from his hand, quickly enveloping everyone. It must be said that Zhang Ze's use of Super Source Power gave the impression of being rather wasteful! The people enveloped by the Super Source Power quickly transformed into streaks of golden light and dissipated on the spot. "What's this, senior?" Lin You looked at Zhang Ze in surprise. He was the only one not among those being sent away. Zhang Ze had clearly left him alone for a reason. "Someone said he's very interested in you and wants to meet you," Zhang Ze chuckled, getting straight to the point. "Could it be some senior?" Lin You was a little surprised, but upon closer inspection, it might have something to do with the little fellow's existence. Chen Feiang had previously told him that innate elves were far rarer than acquired elves. Such beings, even across the entire Duelist Association, were probably extremely rare. Zhang Ze nodded slightly and smiled, "It's indeed a senior, named Jiang Yuan." "Senior Jiang?" Lin You's eyes widened in surprise. This time it was Zhang Ze's turn to be slightly surprised. "Do you know him?" "I heard him mention him when I was practicing psychic arts with you." Lin You's surprise remained undimmed as he explained, "It's said that Senior Jiang is the undisputed ceiling of psychics, a psychic king." Such a god-like figure had actually noticed him, even considering meeting him? How could Lin You not be surprised! "Is Xiao Jiang's reputation so resounding now?" Zhang Ze feigned jealousy. "It seems I'm about to become an old antique, left behind by him. Time is merciless!" "Senior, what are you talking about?" Lin You said quickly. "Senior, you are so full of vigor and spirit, unrivaled in the world, how can your age constrain you?" Zhang Ze couldn't help but laugh. "You are quite good at talking, young man." After a compliment, he quickly added, "But I like it." "Thank you for your kindness, senior." Lin You bowed and asked, "I wonder why Senior Jiang wanted to see me?" Zhang Ze chuckled and said, "Since you are also a psychic, I think you should understand the significance of the existence of innate spirits to psychics. You can say that the root of your talent in this way lies in this." After hearing this, Lin You suddenly understood. As expected, Senior Jiang wanted to see him because of the existence of this little guy. If that great figure at the pinnacle of spiritual communication were to meet him, he might actually be able to learn something from the little creature. In fact, even Lin You himself still harbored doubts about the little creature's existence. By definition, the little creature did fit the descriptions of this world's so-called Origin Monsters and Duel Monsters. But was the little creature truly his from the beginning? At least, upon waking up in this card world, Lin You couldn't detect it. Perhaps Jiang Yuan could offer some answers. Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was... if it was a great figure like that, he should be able to offer advice on many aspects that would aid his cultivation and growth. Therefore, Lin You quickly said, "I understand, Senior. Senior Jiang has offered to meet me. I'm flattered. Whenever Senior Jiang is willing to see me, I'll be here the first time." "You're welcome. Little Jiang will be happy to hear about this." Zhang Ze smiled, then said, "I'll notify you with the duel number when the time comes. As for now... take a good rest and digest what you've learned. I know you young people are full of passion, but you also need to balance work and rest." He patted Lin You on the shoulder and said, "Come, let's exchange duel numbers first." Lin You felt honored. Such a prominent figure actually offered to exchange duel numbers with him. Without any hesitation, he quickly completed the number exchange. "Then we'll see you later," Zhang Ze smiled, energizing his super-source power, which surged towards Lin You. "I have high hopes for you. I believe that before long, you'll become a powerful blade in the human realm. Those guys in the Chaos Demon Realm will be a real headache." "I will definitely live up to your expectations, Senior." At this moment, Lin You was filled with confidence. He was ready to ascend the throne of the truly powerful. Enveloped by the power of the Super Source, he quickly vanished beneath Zhang Ze's admiring gaze. ...Dark Source Realm. This world was dominated by pitch black. No plants, animals, or buildings were visible. Only a large number of scattered black spheres, like dark stars, drifted slowly and disorderly. Occasionally, as they drifted, they would collide, creating a violent explosion, only to vanish silently. These seemingly violent explosions, in the context of the entire world, were as insignificant as a small wave on the boundless ocean. At that moment, within this pitch-black world, a figure was silently ascending. Its ascent was clearly swift, yet visually, it was imperceptible, as if it were merely rising slowly. If Lin You and the others, who had just finished their fatal battle, had seen that figure, they would have recognized it instantly: it was Nicolophia! At this moment, Nicolophia had a gloomy look on his face, which made his already cold and scary baby face even more creepy.
As he ascended, eerie laughter echoed from time to time. The sharp, ethereal sound was like the call of a vengeful spirit. Along with the sound, phantom white shadows appeared. But as soon as they approached Nicolophia, they were immediately engulfed by the pitch-black smoke emanating from him. Yet, undeterred, the shadows continued to appear. This made Nicolophia's eyes grow colder. He knew who was behind this. In the past, he would have been forced to fight a decisive battle, but now was different. He had led his team in a deadly battle against the human world, only to return with a crushing defeat! This was a humiliation! A profound humiliation! Nicolophia knew the consequences and punishments that would follow such a horrific outcome. Therefore, facing the provocation of the shadows, he remained silent and continued to ascend. An unknown amount of time passed, and countless lonely, cold, dark stars passed by. Finally, above Nicolophia's head, the outline of a massive building emerged. It was a pitch-black palace, swathed in an immense dark energy. Enveloped by that dark energy, an ordinary person would be instantly pulverized, let alone set foot within it. Even approaching within ten thousand meters would be a matter of seconds. And this was the Dark King's Palace. As Nicolophia drew closer, his heart grew heavier.