Jiang He had a simple reason for wanting to tour the facilities. Aside from genuine interest in the environment, he shared Jaden's goal: finding someone to duel.
He needed to farm Emotion Points and test some theories about his system. For example, would tilting a nameless extra yield the same amount of points as tilting a main character?
"There's an incredible dueling arena over there! I smell a duel! Someone is playing!" Jaden's nose twitched as he pointed excitedly toward a building ahead. He sprinted off before anyone could stop him.
"Smell a duel...?" Jiang He muttered.
He supposed that as the Chosen One of this world, Jaden literally could "smell" a duel. Jiang He guessed it was Jaden sensing the presence of Duel Spirits. While not everyone had them, powerful duels often created ripples in the spiritual energy of the cards.
This only made Jiang He more eager to unlock the Spirit Vision ability. He decided to reach his point goal as quickly as possible.
Let's see which unlucky soul we've run into...
"Does a 'duel smell' really exist...?" Syrus muttered, confused, as he hurried after Jiang He. "Wait for me!"
Inside the arena, Jiang He found a high-tech dueling platform surrounded by tiers of spectator seating.
Two students in Obelisk Blue uniforms were talking to Jaden, who had arrived first. Their arrogant and disdainful expressions suggested the conversation wasn't exactly friendly.
"Hey, look! Two more Slifer Red slackers! Don't you know this arena is reserved for Obelisk Blue practice?" one of the blue-clad students shouted.
"Quiet," a voice commanded from the shadows of the spectator seats.
A figure with black, spiked hair emerged. He was wearing the same blue coat as the others. Jiang He recognized him instantly.
Isn't that the legendary comedy relief, Chazz Princeton?
At this point in the timeline, Chazz hadn't embraced his comedic side yet. He was still in his dark, "jerk rival" phase.
"Big Brother, who is that guy?" Syrus whispered to Jaden.
Jaden looked embarrassed; he clearly had no idea. They both turned to Jiang He for answers.
"You don't even know who Master Chazz is?!" one of the lackeys asked in shock.
The other lackey puffed out his chest and announced, "He's the number one freshman this year! The heir to the Kaiser himself Master Chazz Princeton!"
Chazz soaked in the praise with a smug, satisfied smirk.
"So, after all that talk... do you want to have a thrilling duel?" Jiang He's lazy voice cut through the praise, interrupting the moment.
Chazz and his lackeys stared at Jiang He, who was standing there with his hands in his pockets.
"You're that lucky bastard examinee! Jiang He, right?" Chazz's fist tightened. Jiang He's indifferent attitude and the fact that he'd interrupted Chazz's moment of glory infuriated him.
"I wondered who it was. The 'God of Topdecking' who only beat Professor Crowler because of dumb luck! You're quite the celebrity at the academy right now!" Chazz sneered.
It was true. The news of a candidate winning with a turn-one Exodia had spread like wildfire through the academy in just a few hours. However, it wasn't a "good" kind of fame. Most people saw him as a fluke someone who relied entirely on luck and lacked real skill.
Jiang He didn't mind the reputation at all. It actually made it easier to "trap" people into dueling him.
"Less talk. Whether it was luck or not, we can find out with one duel," Jiang He said boredly.
He was intentionally maxing out Chazz's aggro. Farming points required the opponent to be tilted, and making them hate you before the duel even started was a great way to guarantee a massive payout!
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