Duel Experts? Just a Bunch of Pests!

Underworld Duels are like this: everyone watching loves them, except for the person actually dueling.

"You're too kind! Principal Chen, I'm so sorry."

"You miscalculated."

"Next time, I suggest your analysts be a bit more accurate."

Principal Hua was practically beaming, their eyebrows nearly flying off their face, unable to contain their triumph.

"Hmph!" Principal Chen snorted.

Xiao Shan held a faint smile, his aged eyes filled with admiration.

After watching these few duels, You Chen's dueling was undoubtedly the most unique and brilliant.

This made Xiao Shan's viewing experience the most satisfying so far.

Because the dueling skill of middle school students is generally much lower than that of university students; it's almost a dividing line.

Not to mention, students from higher academies are even stronger, creating a significant gap.

So, Xiao Shan naturally hadn't expected to see any spectacular duels, but surprisingly, they were exceptionally good.

He was used to watching intense, passionate duels.

Now, watching these Underworld Duels felt incredibly refreshing and unconventional.

Xiao Shan absolutely loved it, and it even gave him more ideas for new deck constructions.

He definitely needed to find time to have a good chat.

After the duel ended, You Chen had already packed up his things. The Collegiate League duels were just an appetizer, not even as challenging as that rat from the underground duels.

After all, that was a ringmaster; even if their deck wasn't top-tier, they at least knew how to use many practical tactics.

"Let's go, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Today's duel really made me like these decks even more."

After this duel, Hua Ningning also smiled contentedly, increasingly feeling that having You Chen construct an Underworld Deck for her was an extremely wise choice.

"No thanks, I have something else to do."

You Chen waved his hand, firmly refusing.

It was fine when he had nothing important going on, but if there was serious business, women were just too much of a distraction.

Hua Ningning blinked, frozen in place.

"I invited a guy to dinner, and I got rejected?"

In the past, many guys wanted her to treat them to a meal, practically fighting tooth and nail for the chance.

Forget treating them to a meal, just being able to sit and eat together, a bunch of people would be willing to pay the bill.

It sounded exaggerated, but it was true.

This led her to believe that if she invited someone to dinner, they would inevitably accept, as if it were a foregone conclusion.

Yet, despite this, she had never actually eaten with any other guy.

Only now did she realize that the other person also had the right to refuse.

"Hmm, interesting!" Hua Ningning, instead, broke into a smile.

Just as You Chen stepped out the door, he was stopped by a figure blocking his path.

"Hm?"

You Chen wondered if someone was going to retaliate with their fists.

He'd heard stories of Tearlaments Deck players being stabbed to death before.

It just goes to show, never mess with a Card Player.

He figured his current strength was decent enough that he wouldn't get stabbed, right?

He looked up and saw a bodyguard wearing sunglasses and a black suit, who said expressionlessly, "Kid, Elder Xiao would like a word with you."

Hearing this, You Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew it, it wouldn't come to that.

As for Elder Xiao, he was a big shot, after all, and You Chen also wanted to see how such an important figure understood the thought process behind deck construction.

And while he was at it, learn more about Thunder Academy!

You Chen didn't refuse, letting the bodyguard lead the way. Of course, he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to.

At the dueling arena's office.

Xiao Shan was inside.

You Chen didn't say much, just knocked on the door and pushed it open.

"Elder Xiao, were you looking for me?"

You Chen walked in, not overly reserved, but also not so casual as to just plop down. A certain level of respect was still necessary.

It's worth mentioning that beside Xiao Shan was a tall, stern-looking man who appeared to be just a student, likely an undergraduate from Thunder Academy.

When You Chen entered, the man raised his calm gaze and looked at You Chen.

Their eyes met, and not a word was exchanged.

This person has a very strong presence.

This was You Chen's conclusion.

"Yes, I'll just take a moment of your time. Please, have a seat."

Xiao Shan looked up, and when he saw You Chen, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

You Chen didn't rush to respond. He sat down, wanting to hear what came next.

"Actually, it's like this: where did you learn these deck-building concepts?"

Xiao Shan had thought about it for a long time and believed that these deck-building ideas couldn't have been entirely You Chen's own, or rather, there must have been someone guiding him.

After all, without extensive practical experience, it would be difficult to combine so many builds effectively and make them operate smoothly.

Upon hearing this, You Chen's eyes flickered; he had already realized something.

Xiao Shan was testing him, wondering if someone was guiding his deck-building philosophy.

He clearly believed that You Chen's practical experience wasn't enough to reach this level.

You Chen pondered for a moment, then answered truthfully, "Uh, actually, no one is really guiding me."

"These builds are actually quite basic, not difficult at all."

Not difficult.

When You Chen said those two words, Xiao Shan couldn't help but feel it sounded a bit like a humble brag.

You Chen felt that the duelists in this world had been misled in their dueling mindset by a group of pedantic, old-fashioned dueling experts.

Taking Kaiba Magazine as an example, the articles in it were generally textbook-level basic theories, with deeper explanations only covering operational aspects.

As for deck building, it was always repetitive, with no innovation.

This led to duelists, from primary school to university and into society, internalizing these ideas, which became deeply ingrained and difficult to change.

Moreover, it wasn't that there were no people who tried to change things during this period; they either couldn't build decks and gave up halfway, or they were seen as unconventional and unstable, which also led them to give up.

Over time, this caused the duelists in this world to become stuck in outdated dueling philosophies.

Given this situation, it was natural for You Chen's unconventional builds to be seen as anomalies.

But an anomaly, as long as it wins enough, becomes unique! It gains style!

This is the difference between an anomaly and something truly distinctive.

So, to put it simply, You Chen believed that the experts of this world had harmed the duelists.

They were unwilling to make mistakes, afraid of making mistakes, and built decks conservatively.

Wasn't the previous world the same? How many people were harmed by experts?

"So, all these decks were built by you alone?" Xiao Shan asked.

"Yes," You Chen replied.

"How long did it take?" Xiao Shan inquired.

"About half an hour per deck," You Chen considered for a moment. If I say ten minutes, will he think I'm too arrogant?

Better to be conservative.

Keep it low-key.

Little did he know, half an hour already left Xiao Shan quite astonished.

Students' deck-building conceptual abilities generally averaged around three hours.

One hour was already considered excellent.

Given how unique the Underworld Deck was, the time spent on it would naturally be even longer.

Could this kid, You Chen, be getting a bit big-headed?

Thanks to Wang Xiyan, Yishi Suiyue Zhong Ruyi, 4541, Xianmo Qixue, the Seventh Crow, Longkui's Guangxiu Liuxian Skirt, the Dragon Knight of End, 2516, Luan Yueyu, Ziyou de Xifeng, Shao Tiao Dangma, Tulu Guilai, Shangshen Siyue, 7913, Yaoyue, Heiyue Renzi, Ruruo You'ai! Thank you, readers, for your recommendation votes!!

Please vote! I see that readers are still very supportive. When this goes live, I'll definitely make sure you have a great time reading.