Chapter 21: Sect Inheritance
Chapter 21: Sect Inheritance
The next day, when You Xuan returned to the Dueling Arena, everything felt different.
It wasn't just about the change within himself. Of course, after his championship win, he could sense that everyone's gaze on him had shifted. As soon as he entered, someone shouted, and like a swarm, everyone rushed forward to worship the big shot.
But it wasn't just that.
When You Xuan arrived at the dueling arena, he immediately noticed a stark contrast in the atmosphere compared to his first visit.
During his initial visit, the duels here evoked a sense reminiscent of the early days of axe-wielding kings clashing. While it wasn't entirely a back-and-forth affair, the primary offense and defense largely revolved around both parties summoning increasingly powerful monsters to overpower their opponents.
However, upon entering today...
Apprentice A: "I'll go first. Draw! I'll set four cards, end turn!"
Apprentice B: "What?! Four sets from the get-go! But don't get too cocky! Watch my turn. Draw! I'll set five cards, end turn!"
"..."
Similar scenes unfolded simultaneously on several different dueling fields.
Just a week ago, when You Xuan had first arrived, starting a duel without summoning a monster would have invited ridicule for having a poorly configured deck.
Suddenly, it seemed to have become the norm.
The dueling style had taken a peculiar turn. Often, one player would end their turn with three face-down cards, and their opponent would reciprocate with three or four face-downs of their own, resulting in an empty field.
Then, both players would stare each other down, sometimes waiting several turns before one would reluctantly play a monster, only to be inevitably destroyed by a trap card, after which the stalemate would continue.
It was as if they were both serving time in a duel prison. The underlying philosophy seemed to be, "I'm not playing this game today, but neither are you."
You Xuan: "..."
These good brothers had clearly fallen into some strange misunderstanding.
The Control Beatdown strategy had been a perennial staple in the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, but the so-called "Control" aspect wasn't merely about stalling.
At its core, "Control" entailed resistance—incorporating a plethora of cards with the ability to interrupt an opponent's plays and bring their strategy to a grinding halt. However, this was just a defensive tactic. To secure victory, one needed to balance it with monster attacks (Beatdown).
In simpler terms, it was about striking a balance between offense and defense.
Therefore, this deck-building strategy required a tight monster lineup that could deliver strong attacks, sustain prolonged duels, and maintain stability while also leaving ample room for trap cards to disrupt the opponent's plans.
Even for heavy control decks, the essence was still about resource exchange, creating advantages, and seizing opportunities. Decks built solely around frustrating opponents lacked rationality and combat effectiveness.
This explained why everyone acknowledged the power of control strategies, yet not all decks in competitive play were geared towards the extreme control end of the spectrum. Many decks had inherent synergies that didn't mesh well with heavy control, and for others, their core strategies didn't allow for devoting a large number of slots to cards unrelated to their primary win condition.
Deck construction was indeed a complex art. While the early decks were destined to become obsolete, many strategic concepts remained timeless. Even in today's hyper-accelerated dueling meta, these underlying principles still held true.
However, it was evident that the fellow duelists at the arena hadn't realized the flaw in their understanding. All they saw was You Xuan's relentless control tactics leading to his championship win, and thus, they concluded that heavy control was the path to success.
In just one short week, the once vibrant and lively atmosphere of the entire arena seemed to have taken a turn towards the dark side.
You Xuan reflected on his actions.
Could it really be his fault?
"Oh, You Xuan!" an apprentice exclaimed, remembering something. "Master said to look for him when you arrive."
"Alright, thanks. I'll head there now."
Pondering this, he made his way through the main hall to the back, where he found Master Takeuchi already seated with his legs crossed, eyes closed as if in meditation. Hearing Yu Xuan's approach, he opened his eyes slightly, revealing a look of relief and a hint of a smile.
"You've come," Master Takeuchi said.
"Yes, I'm here," Yu Xuan replied.
Seeing the master in good spirits, Yu Xuan guessed that he had good news to share. He relaxed and sat down in front of him.
"Congratulations on your championship win," Master Takeuchi said.
"Thank you for your guidance," Yu Xuan replied politely.
But Master Takeuchi just smiled and shook his head. "Ah, you're quite the polite one. Yet we both know your current level is beyond what I could have taught you."
He paused, lifting his eyelids to scrutinize Yu Xuan.
"You're different now; I can sense it," he said slowly. "I don't know what kind of fortuitous encounter you've had, but I know that you're no longer the same as us ordinary duelists.
It's a subtle difference, but sometimes you just know. When you see a duelist, the way they carry themselves, their demeanor during a duel... it's evident that they're extraordinary."
This idea intrigued Yu Xuan.
He had heard that warriors and assassins could spot their own kind in a crowd, recognizing the killer instinct in their eyes. But could duelists do the same?
What would one call that unique aura? 'Duel Chi'?
Yu Xuan wondered about his own situation. After all, he was just an ordinary person who had traveled through dimensions. In his past life, he might have been an amateur at best, not a professional. In this world filled with external cheats and spiritual entities, how could his demeanor as a mere mortal be so different?
"I wasn't the first master of this gym," Master Takeuchi began, his eyes glazing over with memories. "The master before me was the truly powerful duelist.
He dedicated his life to spreading the gym's philosophy and nurturing young duelists, seeking among them one who could carry on the legacy of our style.
But..."
He sighed.
"There was a duel... I don't know who his opponent was, as he never spoke of it to anyone. All I know is that he seemed to have lost that battle.
After that, he fell ill and was hospitalized. But no doctor could pinpoint the cause. All they knew was that his health deteriorated...
Until he eventually fell into a coma, from which he has never awakened, even to this day."
As Yu Xuan listened, his brow furrowed slightly.
This sounded a lot like a legendary dark duel.
At this point, you might be wondering if a simple card game could be deadly. Well, that's where the unique nature of the Yu-Gi-Oh! world comes into play. Dark duels are almost omnipotent; they can not only kill your opponent but also capture their soul, manipulate their mind, and turn them into a puppet. It's said that even in the Superhuman Realm, exceptional dueling skills can make one an absolute ruler.
However, if this was indeed a dark duel, the opponent must have been quite skilled. After all, the description suggests that the loser lingered for quite some time before falling into a coma, indicating that the dark duelist was perhaps even more skilled than those depicted in the original manga and anime.
"Before my predecessor fell into a coma, he passed on the position of gym leader to me, along with a rare card that represented our style and served as a symbol of our lineage's inheritance," Master Takeuchi continued. "But I knew that I didn't have the talent or the right to inherit that power, so I sealed away the deck, just as the previous master had done, waiting for a young duelist worthy of inheriting it to appear."
Master Takeuchi sighed deeply and slowly turned to face Yu Xuan.
".Until today."
(End of Chapter)
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