[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh":3,"chapter-who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-chapter-7":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2248856,4388,"Chapter 7: Preliminary Rounds","who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-chapter-7",7,"\u003Cp>The vast competition grounds featured a duel arena with a towering ancient city standing within. Though the match had not yet begun, the spectator stands were already packed with people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan and his dojo senior, Sato Koji, arrived together outside the arena; upon stepping out of the car and lifting their gaze, they immediately saw the Dark Magician sculpture standing tall at the main entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the appearance rate of the Dark Magician as a rare card had plummeted in official tournaments following Yugi Muto's retirement, as the former Duel King's ace monster, it still served as the face of many competition venues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well then, I must go make my pre-match preparations; the preliminary rounds should begin very soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sato Koji said to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Junior brother, you should hurry and make your preparations as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood. I look forward to meeting you again on the field,\" You Xuan replied politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon hearing this, his senior brother's expression turned strange, hesitating to speak, stopping, then wanting to speak again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I absolutely do not want to meet you again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in the end, he could not bring himself to say it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After parting from his senior brother, You Xuan approached the front desk where a young lady handled registrations and received his contestant ID and number plate. Glancing at the plate he had just received, he saw it was unmistakably number 39.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a card player, that was quite a lucky number. You Xuan tucked away the number plate and nodded with satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed his luck was quite good today; he believed he would surely achieve victory right from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The quality of this year's Moonlight Cup feels exceptionally high.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he stepped into the arena hall, he heard spectators chatting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think I just saw Kajiki Makoto from the Psychics Flow Dojo; it looks like he's participating in this year's competition too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kajiki? That new duel genius from Psychics Flow? Good heavens, this should be quite a spectacle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then someone else said, \"I don't really care about Psychics Flow duels; I just hope my buddy who plays Spellcaster-type monsters can advance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that really wanting your buddy to advance? Pah, I'm too embarrassed to expose you; don't you just want to see him summon the Magician Valkyria?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magician Valkyria, with her refreshing mage outfit similar to the \"Dark Magician Girl\" from the legendary Yugi deck, possessed an innocent face and delicate slender arms, yet unexpectedly bore a weight on certain parts that her small frame seemingly should not have to carry, making her one of the sister cards long favored by gentleman duelists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person exposed immediately blushed: \"But she really is huge!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, his several companions ceased arguing and all nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be honest, indeed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Truly hard to refute.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan walked through the venue and had not gone far when he heard a young girl exclaim in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my god, really? Are you sure you didn't see wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Absolutely certain!\" the girl beside her stated with utmost conviction, \"There can be no mistake; that is Dinosaur Ryuzaki! The legendary duelist!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, You Xuan paused slightly in his steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dinosaur Ryuzaki? The one from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he first appeared, he was portrayed as a master, having once been the national runner-up in the Duelist Kingdom tournament, back when Yugi, Kaiba, and a series of other big shots from the later DM arc did not participate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really? But isn't the Moonlight Cup a non-professional secondary tournament? Why would a legendary duelist like that...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard people say Ryuzaki has been in secluded cultivation for several years without making any public appearances. Now that he has emerged from cultivation, this is his comeback tournament.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good heavens, then this year's Moonlight Cup contestants are truly unlucky to run into the Great Demon King.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, with him here, isn't the championship essentially predetermined?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan strained to recall. He did not have a deep impression of Ryuzaki, but he did remember Insector Weevil, the good buddy who was always inseparable from him in the anime. Both possessed despicable personalities that would stop at nothing to win, though Ryuzaki was slightly stronger than Weevil. After all, the latter had even gone so far as to throw Yugi's entire Dark Magician \"Exodia\" deck into the sea...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, to a certain extent, this act could also be said to make him the savior of all bosses in the later stages of DM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just imagine, if the five-piece Exodia had not been thrown away by that fellow, relying on Wang Yang (Dark Yugi, Atem)'s later-stage cheat-level god-draw ability of \"closing his eyes and getting whatever he wants,\" the Three God Cards, the Legendary Dragons, and the Orichalcos would all have to stand aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would not be excessive for Marik, Dartz, and Yami Bakura to each kowtow three times to Weevil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, ever since losing separately to Wang Yang and Bones Jonouchi, these two seemed to have transformed from competitive duelists into entertainment clowns, with their dueling styles developing in an increasingly comedic direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of which, Jonouchi's soul card, the \"Red-Eyes Black Dragon,\" was actually won from Ryuzaki. Since then, Ryuzaki truly had not won a single match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The end of DM did not explain what happened to him, and he did not appear again in the sequel GX anime. But thinking about it now, the GX timeline is set only eight years after the DM ending, so encountering him now is not strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, although Wang Yang has returned to the netherworld, characters from the DM era like Table Game Yugi and Jonouchi should still be alive in this era; it is just unspecified where they went or what they are doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a veteran from the DM era, Ryuzaki, bearing the title of \"having fought against Katsuya Jonouchi,\" had even managed to become a \"legendary duelist.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this day and age, even the small fries who were instantly defeated by Yugi back then dare to proclaim themselves legends, and some of them have indeed relied on this gimmick to thrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of them might truly possess strength, but others are merely fishing in troubled waters; the value of their \"fought against the Duel King\" claim is probably no higher than Kakuzu next door going around telling everyone, \"I fought against the First Hokage back in the day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither Weevil nor Ryuzaki appeared in GX, so their current strength is hard to say. However, You Xuan decided to keep a wary eye out, thinking that if he encountered them in later matches, he should at least show some respect and make some targeted adjustments to his deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan bought a cup of milk tea, found a seat, and casually browsed through the list of registered contestants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The level of the contestants was generally higher than those in the duel dojo; completing this tournament should smoothly raise him to Level 4, so he need not worry about the academy's admission requirements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scanning the list at a glance, apart from Dinosaur Ryuzaki, most were unfamiliar faces; it seemed there were no other recognizable characters...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan's gaze landed on a name that seemed vaguely familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chazz Princeton?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That perennial runner-up from GX, the master of reverse ranking who completed the transition from elite to clown within a single year?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He casually checked Chazz's personal information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elite student from the Duel Academy Fushu  Middle School, expected to be recommended for admission to the Duel Academy High School department this coming semester.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm... so speaking of enrollment age, the GX protagonist group should be in the same year as himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No big problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then glanced at his first-round preliminary match information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nakamura Tsubasa, Duelist Level 4.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed there should be no pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, when Nakamura Tsubasa walked onto the preliminary duel field and stood opposite You Xuan, he thought exactly the same in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujiki You Xuan, Level 1, no major tournament experience, no honorary awards, a completely blank resume...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading these few short lines of personal information over and over for a long time, Nakamura saw only two words between the lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Free points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, getting lucky in the arena means matching against such an opponent; people in the industry call them charity duelists. Terribly unskilled, yet strangely love to duel, their main focus is simply giving away points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then this match is secure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Nakamura did not know that when You Xuan stood opposite him and drew his opening five cards, he immediately said a silent apology to his opponent in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sorry, buddy, but I've won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looks like only one of us can play Yu-Gi-Oh! in this match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan had the first turn. First, he played the Spell Card \"Confiscation,\" paying 1000 Life Points to look at the opponent's hand and discard one card. Followed by \"Graceful Charity,\" looking at the hand and selecting one card to return to the deck. Then he added \"Impish Twin Devils,\" paying another 1000 Life Points for a third consecutive strike, randomly discarding one card from the opponent and then having the opponent discard one themselves, totaling two more cards sent to the graveyard...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The legendary Hand Destruction Three Divine Treasures, executed in one breath as a quality triple combo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before it was even the opponent's turn, while the opponent was still bewildered, only one card remained in their hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since he had seen the opponent's hand, You Xuan knew clearly that the single remaining card was the Spell Card \"Double Spell,\" which allows using a Spell Card from the opponent's graveyard by discarding one card from the hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not very useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The quality triple combo was executed flawlessly; afterward, You Xuan did not summon a single monster, set one card face-down, and ended his turn, looking very cool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he elegantly made a \"please\" gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am ready; feel free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nakamura Tsubasa was completely undone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his turn had even begun, he already had only one card in hand; how was he supposed to duel?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But adhering to the principles of a duelist, he did not give up. Nakamura steadied his mind and drew a card from his deck...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the opponent magnificently flipped open a Trap Card: \"Drop Off.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The card he had just drawn, not yet warm, went straight to the underworld again...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nakamura was thrown into chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this bastard determined not to let anyone play cards, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no choice, holding only \"Double Spell\" in hand and having no card to discard as an activation cost, he could only end his turn in depression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt as though his turn had ended before it even began; perhaps it was just an illusion...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it was You Xuan's turn again. You Xuan activated the Spell Card \"Reinforcement of the Army,\" allowing him to search his deck for a Warrior-type monster. You Xuan directly retrieved \"Chief Commander Zaraki,\" then Normal Summoned Zaraki and attacked directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following that, he triggered Zaraki's effect: when inflicting battle damage to the opponent, he could discard one card from the opponent's hand...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nakamura Tsubasa: \".\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he had zero cards left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of sin did he commit in his past life to be matched with such a shut-in freak?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1893,"2026-06-19T08:58:34.393Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","12744140381f7a27138e625f3f90643e3f81dd8889bd2114b7d04a81fb379d6d","who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-chapter-8","who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-chapter-6",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwho-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-cover.jpg"]