Yu-Gi-Oh!: Ultimate Duelist

After a fierce duel that just ended, Huang Yao stood on the duel field, the bright lights shining on her, as if covering her with a layer of victory glory.

A victorious smile bloomed on her face, and that smile was as brilliant as a flower blooming in spring, filled with joy. But behind the joy, she was also very clear that this victory was indeed a bit of a fluke.

She knew very well that if her cards had not just restrained the opponent, the outcome of this duel would be unpredictable and the victory and defeat might have been completely reversed.

Meanwhile, Zheng Pin was quietly squatting in a corner, sorting his cards. His movements were slow and heavy, and every subtle movement seemed to reveal his inner loss.

His eyes were dim, and full of depression hung over him like a dark cloud. However, within that deep despair, there was a faint glimmer of determination.

He kept telling himself in his heart that failure is the mother of success, and this failure was just a small setback in life. He must learn lessons from this failure and make himself stronger so that he can avenge his previous defeat in future duels.

Afterwards, the two walked off the duel arena in silence. Their backs formed a sharp contrast. Huang Yao's back was filled with the joy and confidence of victory, as if announcing her glory to the world; while Zheng Pin's back was filled with the loneliness and unwillingness of failure, but also revealed an unyielding stubbornness.

At this moment, the teacher on the duel field straightened up and said in a loud voice: "Huang Yao wins this duel and advances to the next round."

After a brief pause, the teacher continued loudly, "Next up, Lin Hao from Grade 1 will face Chen Zhiyong from Grade 2. Please come to the stage, both students."

After hearing the teacher's words, Lin Hao stood up calmly.

There was a glint of anticipation in his eyes, and his heart was filled with desire for the duel.

Gao Hongliang patted Lin Hao's shoulder vigorously and encouraged him, "Relax and don't put too much pressure on yourself. You have to believe in yourself, you can do it."

Lin Hao nodded slightly and said firmly: "I know, I will do my best."

Then he walked out with steady steps.

When Huang Yao passed by Lin Hao, she whispered, "Come on, Lin Hao."

Lin Hao was slightly stunned. The moment his eyes met Huang Yao's, he seemed to draw strength from her gaze. He smiled and replied, "Thank you. I will try my best." After that, he continued to stride forward.

On the duel field, the burly Chen Zhiyong folded his arms across his chest, looking down at Lin Hao. His eyes were filled with arrogance and disdain, as if he were looking at an insignificant little character.

Chen Zhiyong said loudly: "Boy, I know you."

Lin Hao raised his head slightly and looked at the aggressive opponent in front of him, feeling doubtful.

At the same time, the system's voice came into Lin Hao's mind: "Ding, side quest released: Get a place in the school's selection."

Hearing the system's voice, Lin Hao's mouth curled up slightly, and a strong fighting spirit surged in his heart.

At this time, Chen Zhiyong on the opposite side saw that Lin Hao did not respond to him, but was laughing stupidly over there, and he couldn't help but get angry.

He raised his voice and yelled, "Hey, did you hear me, kid?"

Lin Hao finally came back to his senses and asked apologetically, "Ah, what did you just say?"

Chen Zhiyong's expression instantly darkened, and he said unhappily, "I'm telling you, you're no match for me. Just admit defeat and save us both our time."

Lin Hao frowned slightly, his eyes revealing determination and unyielding spirit. He retorted, "We haven't even met, how do you know I'm no match for you?"

Chen Zhiyong sneered, "Hey, no matter what I heard or what I saw with my own eyes, your deck doesn't even have a high-level monster with strong attack power. Tell me, what can you use to fight me?"

Lin Hao couldn't help but roll his eyes and said fearlessly: "It doesn't mean that we will definitely win if we have high-level monsters with strong attack power. Even if we don't have them, we can still win."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyong's face suddenly darkened, as gloomy and terrifying as the sky before a storm.

He said coldly, "Since you refuse to accept my defeat, I will beat you until you do. Let's begin the duel."

Lin Hao nodded, his eyes filled with determination and resolve. He quickly activated his duel disk, ready to meet the challenge.

Inside the indoor duel arena, the lights were bright, and the atmosphere was tense and heated. Everyone's attention was focused on Chen Zhiyong and Lin Hao, who were about to face off.

Chen Zhiyong's eyes were filled with confidence and arrogance. He shouted, "Attack Mode: Summon [Goblin Assault Force] (Attack 2300/Defense 0)."

In an instant, three goblins, each holding a metal mace, appeared on Chen Zhiyong's field. The images were vivid, as if they could burst out of the duel arena at any moment. The goblins' faces were ferocious, emitting a powerful sense of oppression.

Chen Zhiyong raised his chin proudly, looked at Lin Hao across from him and said, "Boy, are you scared? Any of my monsters has an attack power of 2300 points. It's not too late for you to admit defeat now."

Lin Hao frowned slightly and responded helplessly, "Hey, stop rambling on and on. Just get on with it."

This instantly irritated Chen Zhiyong. He shouted, "Hmph, you're so ignorant. Since this is the first round, I can't attack. So I'm covering two cards on the field. The round ends."

Soon, it was Lin Hao's turn. Lin Hao remained calm, unhurriedly drawing a card. He glanced at the cards in his hand and calmly said, "In Attack Position, summon [Go-Go Knight] (ATK 0/DEF 1800), covering two cards. End of turn."

Lin Hao's action made Chen Zhiyong happy, and he thought to himself: I'll let you know later how ignorant it is to attack and summon a monster with 0 attack power.

It's Chen Zhiyong's turn again.

He drew a card, a smug smile playing on his face. "In Attack Position, summon [Goblin Elite Unit] (ATK 2200/DEF 1500), activate the Trap Card [Skill Absorption]."

Chen Zhiyong exclaimed, "Its effect is: Pay 1000 Life Points. This card is face-up on the field, and all effects of face-up Effect Monsters on the field are negated."

Suddenly, Chen Zhiyong's health dropped to 3000 points.

Chen Zhiyong looked at Lin Hao sarcastically and said, "Boy, I know the effect of that 0-attack monster on your field. Although it can change its form, its effect is gone now. I wonder what you can do to stop it."