Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

You Xi sat in the business class seat booked with school funds, enjoying the cool and comfortable air conditioning while typing a line of text on her phone.

After pressing the confirmation button, the screen changes, and a stream of information flows out like a waterfall.

Looking around, besides recent news related to Xingfeng Academy, the top of the list is full of encyclopedic introductions to the glorious history of this dueling academy.

Like the Duel Disk, the Duel Academy did not exist in the past.

To be more precise, the duelists, or "elf wielders," of that time attended what was more like a noble military academy.

The school teaches students how to control Duel Spirits and engage in battles, while students are also required to pledge allegiance to the nation and the royal family, serving them on the battlefield and in various other situations.

This situation persisted until the end of the World War and the formation of the D League.

After that, Haima Corporation established its first dueling academy open to the public at the D Alliance headquarters of the East Finals, which is Xingfeng City. That is the origin of Xingfeng Duel Academy.

Back then, there were clearly not as many duelists as there are now, and the problem of allocating educational resources would have been even more severe.

Therefore, Star Edge Duel Academy, which had the backing of Haima Corporation, became the undisputed leader at the time.

His missing brother, a seahorse, became the first principal of Star Edge Duel Academy. He used his powerful connections and money to recruit a large number of strong individuals as teachers, and successfully educated a new generation of powerful duelists.

These new generation duelists spread to various places, establishing one new dueling academy after another like mushrooms after rain—the current Morning Light Dueling Academy can also be considered a disciple and descendant of Star Peak Dueling Academy.

This past undoubtedly established the unshakeable historical status of Xingfeng Duel Academy. While a long history cannot determine strength or weakness, it can determine the essence of a thing.

And a strong foundation brings countless possibilities for becoming stronger.

In addition, the Seahorse family has always contributed funds and personnel to the Star Edge Duel Academy, adhering to the principle of strength first. Since its establishment, the Star Edge Duel Academy has always been firmly seated on the throne of the strongest.

Since the Star Cup began, the champion has almost always been from Star Peak Academy.

"Hmm, Xiao Xi, you're looking at this information again? Are you very interested in Xingfeng?"

The blonde girl sitting next to Yuki, with a chocolate bar in her mouth, curiously turned her head and saw the text and images displayed on Yuki's phone.

"Yes, I pay close attention to what my senior said."

Yu Xi nodded, feeling a surge of emotion in her heart: "No matter how many times I watch it, this record is indeed very strong. No wonder Senior Akabane said that they are our biggest enemies and that he doesn't think we can win."

The more you understand, the more you realize how terrifying Xingfeng is.

The title of "first" for over a century has cast a shadow over almost everyone's head, and it has even become a kind of law.

There are many discussion posts about the Star Cup on online forums, but almost everyone assumes that Star Peak will win the Star Cup.

Schools and their notable figures were proposed one by one, but the main debate revolved around who would be the runner-up.

It seems that this second place is actually the first place that belongs to everyone.

It sounds absurd, but that's the reality.

Xingfeng is already the uncrowned king in everyone's hearts.

And Xingfeng Duel Academy truly deserves this title.

In preparation for the preliminary rounds, Yuki and the girls searched for relevant past battle reports to gather information about Akabane Ryo and others.

The battle report from last year left a particularly deep impression on You Xi.

Even through the screen, Yuki felt an immense pressure from the duelist who used the "Galaxy Eyes" deck.

That was Haima Cangren's disciple, the prodigy who led Xingfeng Academy to victory in the previous year's championship.

And that was the person who defeated Akabane Ryo-senpai.

At that time, Akabane Ryo was almost powerless against Amagi Naruto.

"Fortunately, it seems that senior Amagi Naruto doesn't intend to participate in the Star Cup this time, otherwise we would be facing another formidable opponent."

You Xi felt a mix of relief and regret.

If possible, he would really like to have a duel with Amagi Naruto again.

At this moment, Izayoi Yuki, who was sitting opposite the two, spoke up and said, "It's normal that Amagi Naruto isn't coming to the Star Cup. In fact, many people expected this."

"Huh? Amagi Naruto never intended to participate in the Star Cup in the first place?"

You Xi looked somewhat surprised upon hearing this: "Why?"

Given Amagi Meito's strength, participating in the Star Cup would clearly help solidify Star Peak's dominant position.

"Because this is Xingfeng's usual practice, and it also reflects their confidence."

Izayoi Yukido: "After the team won the Star Cup in the last competition, Star Front will not use the same team composition to participate in the competition again. Every Star Front team is basically composed of new people and fresh blood."

"This also disappointed everyone who wanted to learn about the team in advance based on previous matches, as they had to face Xingfeng's new team with almost no knowledge of them in every match."

Normally, a team that can secure the championship should participate in important competitions like the Star Cup, but Star Academy has the confidence not to.

Because their academy has enough strong students, even without Amagi Meito, they can probably find a replacement who is no less capable than him.

"Even so, the Star Vanguard team is usually composed of upperclassmen from the second year onwards. It's quite rare to see a team with almost the same configuration as us this time."

Xingye Wu said with a smile, "In a way, they are even bolder than us. They actually let someone who is only an elementary school student become a regular player."

Yuki and his team consisted entirely of first-year students, meaning they became regular members less than half a year after enrolling. However, this was partly due to the dueling club having been neglected for a while, and the school itself not being particularly specialized in dueling instruction. Otherwise, Yuki wouldn't have been able to fill that vacancy.

However, the Star Edge Duel Academy's main team this time includes two first-year students, and all three are girls.

This unusual team composition is sure to surprise everyone, and it's one of the most frequently mentioned topics in recent news related to Xingfeng.

Izayoi Yuki didn't seem to care much about this.

"The strength of duelists has nothing to do with age or gender. The fact that they can stand out from so many people shows their strength. And that elementary school girl is the opponent we should be most concerned about."

"Is the seahorse really white...?"

As Yuki spoke, he recalled the girl who had also left a deep impression on him.

Her long, smooth, black hair was like silk; she had azure eyes and a small, delicate face radiating confidence.

Like a rough gem that has not yet been carefully carved, it will surely shine with dazzling brilliance in the future.

However, while the loli was cute, that wasn't what caught Yu Xi's attention.

He had also seen Kaiba Mashiro's statement in the news, and for some reason, Yuki felt that this little girl was somewhat familiar.

His words and actions reminded him of a friend he had met on DL.

Although there are great differences in appearance, body shape and age, the least trustworthy thing in the virtual world is a player's appearance.

So...could it really be her?

"Is it really possible for things to be such a coincidence?"

Youxi wasn't sure, but there was a way to confirm it.

Just go and meet them in person, and you'll know what the situation is.

And that day is clearly not far off.

Because the destination of this train is Xingfeng City, the city that will host the main tournament of the Star Cup.

What should be the title of chapter 151?

"Wow! So beautiful!"

As she stepped out of the train station, Xingye Wu, her short golden hair reflecting the sunlight, shading her eyes with her hand as she gazed into the distance, let out a gasp of amazement.

It's no wonder she reacted this way; even Yuki and Izayoi Yuki, who had already done their research and looked at some information online, were somewhat stunned.

What appeared before them was a city completely different from Morning Light City.

If Chenguang City is no different from the big cities in Youxi's memory, then Xingfeng City is simply the best embodiment of the term "city of the future".

Countless skyscrapers using the latest materials and technologies stand tall, and cars and other vehicles passing by have no wheels or anything; they all float slightly in mid-air, ten meters above the ground, using an anti-gravity system.

They are not even driven by humans, but precisely controlled by artificial intelligence.

Robots of various functions shuttle through the streets, picking up litter or pruning tree branches, keeping the city beautiful and clean.

The use of stereoscopic imaging technology is ubiquitous in the city, perfectly blending technology and art.

Everything was imbued with an atmosphere of civilization and science fiction.

"So this is Xingfeng City... No wonder it's the place where both the headquarters of Haima Corporation and the East Finals Alliance stand side by side."

It took a few seconds for You Xi to come to her senses, but a hint of surprise still lingered in her eyes.

Regardless of the outcome, for many people, just being able to come here once is probably already worth the price of admission.

Izayoi Yuki nodded and said, "That's right, this is the stage where we will fight next."

The Star Cup is organized and hosted by the East Finals Alliance, so naturally the main tournament and finals must be held on the East Finals Alliance's territory.

"Everyone, we've already booked rooms at the Magic Chef Inn. You must all be tired from the long train journey, so let's head to the inn and rest for a bit."

Aso Madoka, the logistics team leader who had arrived in Xingfeng City even earlier than You Xi and the others, explained the upcoming itinerary to them. Xingye Wu's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she clapped her hands and said, "Great! Great!"

"I've heard that the Magic Chef Inn can make dishes that seem to glow, so it looks like we're in for a treat this time. Also, the travel guide mentioned that Rokugo Onsen is right next to the Magic Chef Inn, right? Hey, how about we all go for a bath there after dinner?"

"Stop thinking about playing around, Wu, we have serious business to attend to."

Seeing the girl's eyes shining, as if she had already planned out a "Star Peak City travel itinerary" in her mind, Izayoi Yuki couldn't help but remind her.

“I know, Xiaoxue. But it’s not like we’ll miss a little while, right? Anyway, it’ll still be a while before the main competition starts after all the teams are gathered. Wouldn’t it be a shame not to take advantage of this time to wander around Xingfeng City and have some fun? Don’t you think so, Xiaoxi?”

Xingyewu spoke confidently, and then tried to drag Youxi into being her supporter as well.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be bad to go and have some fun if you have time."

Yu Xi was also full of curiosity and interest in the city, so naturally she would not object to Xing Yewu's suggestion.

Then, he thought of something else.

"Speaking of which, after we settle into the inn, shall we go check out that shop that Chairman Satomi mentioned?"

"That shop..."

Sixteen Nights Snow frowned slightly.

The shop that Yu Xi mentioned was nothing special; it was just a shop related to selling cards.

The difference is that it was specially recommended by Teruaki Satomi.

Before the group boarded the train to Hoshino City, having been seen off by their friends, Satomi Shoaki made a special private visit to meet with Yuki and the others one last time.