The dojo's prized possession, the symbol of its school.
Honestly, that description immediately made Yugen think of that famous saying passed down by veteran duelists:
"You should abandon all mainstream decks and come play my invincible Cyber Dragon (Cyber Dragon) –"
"– Which is to say, Cyber Dragon."
Duel Academy Kaiser Marufuji Ryo, even before entering the academy, was already the heir to the Cyber Art Dojo's legacy. According to Cyber Master, who later became Duel Academy Principal Samejima, Marufuji Ryo's perseverance tirelessly moved the spirit of Cyber End Dragon, earning him the chance to inherit the legacy.
Hmm, however, in the anime's portrayal, this "moving the spirit" essentially meant Marufuji Ryo persistently practiced his "divine draw" every day, ultimately perfecting a technique where no matter how he shuffled, he could always draw three Cyber Dragons and a Polymerization (502).
According to Principal Samejima's theory, even developing such a divine draw technique was considered returning home (succeeding).
Other than that, the only other appearance in the anime was the later Jinzo Art Dojo, whose symbol of dojo legacy was Jinzo.
So, my dojo also has something like that?
Yugen's mind instantly raced through countless rare cards from the same era, brainstorming what kind of deck it could be.
"...Originally, I also wanted to greatly promote our school's philosophy, but unfortunately, I truly lacked the ability. After losing my master, the dojo declined day by day, and recently, no one has even heard of our school's name anymore."
Dojo Master Takeuchi continued, then took a deep breath and looked sternly at Yugen.
"Until now, I've seen your transformation. I was almost ready to give up, but now I think, perhaps you are the one I've been waiting for all along.
Perhaps you can inherit this almost vanished name and make it great once again."
"So you're saying, our school's deck?" Yugen cautiously probed.
If this were a typical wuxia novel and it was time for the master to "drop the golden treasure" (give out powerful items), he would definitely expect some miraculous elixir or high-grade magic artifact.
But Yugen's first thought was, Can your stuff brick my hand?
There was no helping it; although the Dojo Master's eyes lit up with confidence when he said this, Yugen didn't dare to be too optimistic. Because he knew very well that duelists in the anime had a different definition of a "strong" deck compared to reality.
Yugen clearly understood that his card playing relied on deck structure and strategic thinking. If the Dojo Master, full of expectations, handed him some Level 8 Normal Monster, he might truly be unable to move (play anything).
Dojo Master Takeuchi smiled mysteriously: "Have you ever heard of the legendary LV series?"
Yugen's heart immediately sank upon hearing this.
Oh no.
The LV series, referring to monsters that automatically level up on the field after a certain number of turns, typically also had card effects that allowed them to "send a monster on the field to the Graveyard to Special Summon a higher-level LV monster from the deck."
The GX storyline mentioned that LV series cards were rare cards that ordinary duelists couldn't even buy; they were unattainable even with money. For example, the "Armed Dragon LV" series that appeared in the anime was the prized possession of Duel Academy's Northern Branch, later falling into Manjome's hands.
But that was the anime's setting.
The reason Yugen's heart sank was that, in the real card game environment, most LV series decks seemed to be pretty weak.
"That's right! And our dojo's 'Silent School' originated from the dueling style opened up by the Duel King, Yugi Muto! And as the pinnacle of our school, the card symbolizing our legacy, is this one—"
The Dojo Master, with a great sense of ceremony, presented the card that had been sealed for many years to Yugen.
"—True Silent Magician!"
"Hmm?"
Yugen raised an eyebrow, surprised.
[Silent Magician Level 4, ATK 1000
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned by Tributing 1 Spellcaster monster you control.
This card gains 500 ATK for each card in your hand. Once per turn, you can negate the activation of a Spell Card.
If this card on the field is destroyed by battle or by your opponent's card effect: You can Special Summon 1 "Silent Magician" monster from your hand or Deck, except "Silent Magician".]
In the current environment, this was still a card with considerably respectable strength. However, Yugen remembered that this card should be the future support for the Silent Magician archetype in reality. In its original context, its power was naturally quite outstanding.
Nevertheless, the Silent archetype has existed since the DM era, and in this world, the classic ace cards used by legendary duelists like Yugi and Kaiba have always been a focus for development. In the movie, Kaiba had already printed "Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon" years ago; compared to that, this seemed normal.
The moment he received the card from the Dojo Master's hand, fleetingly, he seemed to glimpse something out of the corner of his eye.
Just to his right, in a secluded corner of the main hall, there was a faint figure. Like the pristine white of early winter snow, its flowing robe seemed to gently brush the sky. A tall, elegant figure wrapped in a voluminous robe, with long, silver hair like snow, gently swaying in silence.
But when Yugen suddenly turned his head, he saw no one there.
Only a shadow.
"What's wrong?" Dojo Master Takeuchi seemed to notice nothing and asked curiously.
"Nothing." Yugen mused.
Was it an illusion? Or...
Dojo Master Takeuchi didn't ask again, only solemnly told him: "Take good care of it. This is not just a rare card. It is said that this is a card where a spirit resides."
"Spirit?"
Yugen looked at the beautifully illustrated card, then at the direction of his recent illusion.
But there was still nothing.
"...Perhaps so, I actually don't know myself. Hahaha..."
Dojo Master Takeuchi scratched his head.
"I only heard about it before; I've never seen it with my own eyes. My previous master said that not everyone can see spirits. Who knows? Just assume it's true, haha."
Yugen, after all, inspected the card and genuinely felt nothing special. However, considering the unique nature of this world, he felt it was better to believe in such rumors.
If it was a spirit card, its nature would be entirely different.
For ordinary cards, he might only consider practicality and strength, and whether carrying around something with unknown significance would brick his hand. But spirits were different.
Assuming you haven't gone to Egypt to excavate tombs or unearth divine artifacts, Duel Monsters spirits generally account for 80% of the supernatural phenomena in this world, and are the simplest way for ordinary duelists to touch the supernatural realm.
Like Yuki Judai in the anime, before awakening the Supreme King's power in another dimension, he relied on spirits almost every time he encountered a supernatural situation.
In the early stages, Yugi gave him Winged Kuriboh, and Kuriboh was there every time he encountered Dark Duels or when his opponent tried to use dirty tricks outside the field. In the middle stages, he even had Ultraman (Elemental Hero Neos) who could fly directly out of the deck to battle villains and even fly outside the atmosphere to help him blow up satellites and save the world.
So, in this world, even if a spirit card wasn't practical in a duel, if one wanted to survive in a world where cheats flew everywhere and gods and demons walked the earth, even a seemingly useless spirit card was absolutely essential.
"The Duel Academy entrance exam is this weekend, right?"
Dojo Master Takeuchi changed the subject, turning to a small table.
He picked up a small card box.
"I heard some apprentices say that you asked them about a few cards earlier, offering to buy them. Some cards are hard to get these days, but this old man has been around for so many years, even if I don't have great skills, I have some friends and a few connections..."
He opened the card box and presented it to Yugen.
"...Although many of the ones you asked for aren't here, I managed to get these before the exam. Take them and use them if they can help. If you want more, you'll have to figure out a way to buy them through the academy's channels after you get in."
Yugen didn't see the others, but with one glance, he spotted that the topmost card in the box was none other than "Jinzo," which he had originally searched for.
Also known as Jinzo.
"Ah, this... Master, you actually went out of your way to find these."
Yugen took the card box and slipped it into his pocket.
"...This is too embarrassing, isn't it? It's not right..."
Dojo Master Takeuchi raised an eyebrow.
If it's not right, then take it out of your pocket, then.
"You don't think this is free, do you?" the Dojo Master said, annoyed. "This is an investment. Remember, when you make it big after entering the academy, you'll have to pay back the market price.
Also, there's one more thing."
The Dojo Master took a deep breath and said seriously.
"To be frank, our dojo, up until now, has never had a single apprentice successfully pass the Duel Academy entrance exam. But this time... there can be no failure, understood?"
"Got it." Yugen replied.
It's just an entrance exam, how big a deal could it be?