Chapter 21: School Heritage

The next day, when You Xuan returned to the Duel Dojo, the entire atmosphere felt different.

It was not merely a change in how he was perceived. Of course, after returning as a champion, he could clearly feel that everyone’s gaze toward him had shifted. As soon as he stepped through the door, someone took the lead in cheering, and the rest swarmed him to pay their respects to the "big boss."

But it wasn't just that.

Stepping into the dueling arena, You Xuan immediately realized that the style here was completely different from when he first arrived.

Back then, the dueling environment felt trapped in the early days of "Axe Raider" style head-on combat. It wasn't exactly a simple "you hit, I hit" affair, but the main thrust of the offense and defense relied on both sides exhausting their resources to summon stronger monsters to suppress their opponent.

But looking inside today...

Apprentice A: "I'll go first, draw! I set four cards and end my turn!"

Apprentice B: "Nani! A turn-one setup with four backrow cards! But don't get cocky! Watch my turn, draw! I set five cards and end my turn!"

"..."

Similar scenes were playing out on several different dueling fields simultaneously.

Just a week ago, when You Xuan first arrived, if you didn't summon a monster on your first turn, you would have been mocked for having a poorly constructed deck.

Yet, suddenly, this had become the norm.

The dueling style had become incredibly peculiar. Often, one side would set three cards in the backrow and pass, and in a display of "courtesy," the opponent would mirror them by setting three or four cards and passing with an empty board.

Then, both sides would stare at each other. Only every few turns would one side occasionally commit a monster to the field, only for it to be promptly destroyed by a backrow trap the moment it touched the ground, leading back into another staring contest.

It was essentially a mutual "prison" match. The philosophy was: "I’m not playing this game today, and you’re sure as hell not playing it either."

You Xuan: "..."

These brothers were clearly falling into some strange misconceptions.

"Trap Beat" was indeed a classic, enduring construction strategy in Yu-Gi-Oh! deck building, but "Trap Beat" didn't just mean filling a deck with traps.

The essence of this build was "disruption"—investing in a large number of cards capable of interrupting the opponent's operations and stalling their momentum. But that was merely a defensive strategy. On the foundation of that defense, one still needed to rely on "Beatdown" (monster attacks) to secure victory.

In layman's terms: you must have both offense and defense.

Therefore, this construction strategy required a compact monster engine that balanced aggression, sustainability, and stability, all while leaving enough card slots open to include the traps needed to disrupt the enemy.

Even in a heavy-trap build, the core remained resource exchange to create an advantage. A deck built for the sake of just using traps was merely a way to troll others; it lacked both rationality and any real combat power.

This was why everyone knew traps were powerful, but not every competitive deck was filled to the brim with "underground" cards. Many decks simply didn't mesh well with them, and many others couldn't afford to sacrifice the deck space required for cards unrelated to their primary engine.

Deck building was a profound art. Although early-era decks were destined to be phased out, many competitive concepts remained eternal. Many principles of construction still held true even in today's hyper-accelerated era.

Clearly, however, the brothers at the dojo hadn't realized the flaw. They only saw that You Xuan had "trapped" his opponents to death and won the championship, so they concluded that "Red Traps" were the ultimate power.

In just one week, the formerly sunny atmosphere of the dojo had become gloomy and toxic.

You Xuan reflected on himself. Could this actually be his fault?

"Oh, right, You Xuan!" an apprentice called out, remembering something. "Master said if you came by, you should go see him."

"Alright, got it." You Xuan replied, inwardly grumbling. Why did that sound exactly like a primary school teacher saying, "Come to my office after class"?

Was the old man dissatisfied with the toxic, antisocial atmosphere that had taken over the dojo overnight?

He pondered, though, that it wasn't exactly what he had taught... well, at least not directly.

With lingering doubts, he walked through the main hall to the back. He found Master Takeuchi already sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. Only upon hearing his arrival did the master slightly open his eyes, a gratified smile appearing on his face.

"You've come."

"I have."

Seeing the master in a good mood, it was likely good news. You Xuan relaxed and sat down.

"Congratulations on winning the championship," Master Takeuchi said.

"It is thanks to your cultivation, Master," You Xuan replied with practiced politeness.

But Master Takeuchi shook his head with a chuckle. "Ha, you're quite humble, boy. But you and I both know, your current level is far beyond what I could have taught you."

He paused, lifting his gaze to examine You Xuan carefully.

"You are different now. I can feel it," he said slowly. "I don't know what kind of fortuitous encounter you’ve had, but I know you are no longer the same as us ordinary duelists."

"It is subtle, but sometimes you just get that feeling. When you see a duelist, when you see them stand on the field, their temperament, their posture during a duel... you naturally know they are different from the rest of us."

This assertion felt somewhat novel to You Xuan.

He had heard that soldiers or assassins could recognize their own kind in a crowd, perhaps due to a "killing intent" or something similar... but could card players have that too?

What would you even call it? "Card aura"?

He mused that he was just a transmigrator. In his previous life, he was at most an amateur enthusiast, not a professional. In a world where cheats and supernatural powers were everywhere, he had neither a system nor a spirit guide. Could his temperament really be that obvious?

"Actually, I am not the first-generation master of this dojo," the Master began, slipping into a reminiscent mode. "The master before me... he was the truly powerful duelist."

"He dedicated his entire life to promoting the philosophy of our dojo, cultivating outstanding duelists among the younger generation, and searching for someone worthy of inheriting the school's legacy."

"However..." He sighed.

"During a certain duel... I don't know exactly who the opponent was, and the master was unwilling to speak of it to anyone. I only know that he seemed to lose that battle."

"It was after that, he fell ill and was hospitalized. But no doctor could find the root cause; they only knew his body was deteriorating day by day..."

"...until he eventually fell into a coma, from which he has not awakened to this day."

You Xuan frowned slightly as he listened. This sounded a lot like the legendary "Shadow Games."

At this point, one might ask: can you really die from playing a card game?

That would be the unique feature of the Yu-Gi-Oh! world. Shadow Games were almost omnipotent; playing cards could not only kill people, but also capture souls, manipulate minds, and turn the losers into puppets—all without issue.

This was why even in the supernatural realm, superior card skills were the mark of an absolute king.

However, if it truly was a Shadow Game, and the description suggested the master had lingered for a long time before falling into a coma, then that opponent didn't sound particularly high-level by the standards of the original anime...

"Before he fell into a coma, he passed the position of Master to me, along with the rare card that represents our school and symbolizes its inheritance."

"But I knew clearly that I lacked the talent and was not qualified to inherit that power. So, I sealed this deck away, just as the previous master had done, waiting for a young person worthy of inheriting it to appear..."

Master Takeuchi sighed deeply, slowly turning to look at You Xuan.

"...until today."