I haven't decided on a name for my Pokémon trainer yet.

Especially Master Trainers, whose dreamlike abilities to alter the heavens with a mere gesture are breathtaking. No wonder they are called a nation's most powerful weapon; there's a reason why a country's international influence depends on the number of Master Trainers it possesses.

"It's spectacular..." After the battle subsided, Ye Feng and the other trainers stood on the shore, marveling at the still frozen sea.

These scenes, which only exist in novels, can actually be experienced and seen in person.

In the anime, only legendary Pokémon can achieve such power. Could it be that the Pokémon of Master Trainers have reached that level?

Can I reach that level too? Ye Feng's eyes were filled with longing as he stared blankly at the sea.

Chapter 57 Wu Jiang's Visit

The elven siege caused quite a stir.

Jinghai City hasn't experienced such a major event in many years.

In fact, since the alliance stabilized, large-scale elf sieges have become rare, except in some areas near the wild or where secret realms frequently appear. Only when secret realms appear do a few elves attack cities and cause chaos, but these are quickly dealt with by the association.

Not to mention the water-type Pokémon attack, which triggered a tsunami attempting to destroy the city—something unprecedented since the League's inception. The reasons for this require a detailed investigation. Otherwise, there's no guarantee that such an attack won't happen again someday.

This time, it was Jinghai City that detected the unusual activity in the East China Sea ahead of time. Out of vigilance regarding the ocean, the Provincial Association directly dispatched a Master Trainer as a precaution. However, it's not always possible to guarantee the presence of a Master Trainer; historically, there have been instances of cities being destroyed and countless lives lost.

Thanks to the association's efforts to calm the public and the presence of a master trainer, the situation was managed to avoid panic among the citizens.

This matter gradually passed.

Soon, the first semester of senior year was over.

Ye Feng returned to school for the next semester's final exams, and his grades, needless to say, were exceptionally stable.

Next up is the Spring Festival, a festival that is highly valued throughout China.

However, Ye Feng may have to spend this year alone.

My parents messaged me saying that the research institute has some important new projects and they won't have time to come home this year.

Although Ye Feng was somewhat disappointed, he knew that researching the Pokémon was more important, so that his parents wouldn't have to worry about him.

In the past, he might have felt lonely, but now, Ye Feng looked at Kirlia struggling with the Water Ball, Magikarp floating on the surface blowing bubbles, and the Pokémon Egg lying quietly.

Yes, it's so nice to have elves around!

-------------------------------------

The New Year is just around the corner

Ning Xian, Zhang Qiang, and Gu Siming had all gone back to their hometowns for the Spring Festival, and Ye Feng couldn't find them anywhere. He wasn't very familiar with the other local classmates, and he was too embarrassed to bother them. So Ye Feng had no choice but to stay at home and spend his days writing his thesis.

In the living room, Ye Feng dragged the sofa to the floor-to-ceiling window and sat down comfortably like a salted fish. A portable computer desk was placed in front of him, and he kept typing on the keyboard, occasionally frowning in thought—he was organizing and editing the first draft of the Energy Cube.

The paper on energy cubes is different from the paper on characteristics. Ye Feng needs to write about the formation principle of energy cubes, the different characteristics of different energy cubes, the comparison with elf food, and what kind of nutrition they can provide to elves. Ye Feng has been writing on and off until now, and he has only just finished the draft. He is currently organizing it and plans to use this winter vacation to complete the first draft.

On the laptop's desktop, there was a folder full of drafts of the Energy Cube. Ye Feng roughly estimated that after finishing them all, "Elf Studies" might need a whole issue to publish the paper. Perhaps it would be better to just publish a book.

However, this is a long time from now, and Ye Feng needs a sufficiently prestigious position to announce this achievement. Just like the establishment of the courier company in his motherland in his previous life, this is something he genuinely created himself, and it is of great significance to both him and the world.

While Ye Feng was working hard, Kirlia sat to the side, intently playing with her water balloon.

"Lu!~"

Kirullian suddenly ran to Ye Feng's side, held up the water balloon in front of him as if to ask for praise, and had a "come and praise me" expression on her face.

Ye Feng's spirits lifted, and he quickly pushed the computer aside and sat up straight.

At Ye Feng's instruction, Kirlia demonstrated. The water sphere rapidly changed shapes, moving up and down, forward and backward, left and right, alternating quickly between squares, circles, pentagons, and polygons, before finally exploding with a bang.

"finished!"

Although Ye Feng was sprayed with water all over his face, he didn't care at all. He excitedly lifted Kirlia up and held her high in the air.

Kirlia waved her little hands happily. After practicing for so long, she finally met Ye Feng's requirements and successfully used her telekinesis to break the water sphere.

“So next…” Ye Feng took the rubber ball that had been prepared beforehand and handed it to Kirlia. “Next, we’ll have to rely solely on our Nen and use that movement method to break this rubber ball.”

Kirullian tried it and found that the rubber ball had no effect at all, so she couldn't help but look at Ye Feng.

Ye Feng smiled and said, "This rubber ball is many times harder than the water ball. You need to increase your mental power output. Moreover, without the help of water, you can only recall the way your mental power rotated before, and rely on your senses to make your mental power rotate randomly until you finally break the rubber ball by relying solely on the power of rotation."

Kirlia nodded, seemingly understanding.

Ye Feng patted its little head and said, "No need to rush, take your time, we have plenty of time."

Kirlia showed a comfortable expression, then suddenly realized what was happening, shook her head, and nodded firmly at Ye Feng.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!

Just as Kirullian was about to continue practicing and Ye Feng had just lain down, a series of loud knocks suddenly rang out, startling him.

"Who is it? Why didn't you ring the doorbell? You're going to break the door by knocking on it." Ye Feng muttered in puzzlement, then ran over and opened the door.

"Hey, Ye Feng, long time no see!"

Outside the door, an older man was leaning against the door, his legs crossed, giving Ye Feng a flirtatious wink.

"···"

Ye Feng remained silent for a few seconds before closing the door without saying a word.

"Kirullian, there's a pervert outside, don't go out."

"What are you saying, you brat? Let me in!"

Wu Jiang stumbled and almost fell, banging on the door with all his might.

Chapter 58 Next Step: Heading to the Secret Realm

"Tell me what you want from me."

Ye Feng eventually let Wu Jiang in.

After entering the house, Wu Jiang looked around and said, "I didn't expect you to live so well, living in a villa all by yourself?"

Ye Feng replied as he closed his laptop, "Yeah, I used to live in an apartment, but after getting a Pokémon, I found it a bit too small, and it wasn't very convenient to test out moves sometimes, so I rented a new one."

“It’s good,” Wu Jiang began to stroll around casually. “Indeed, becoming a trainer requires enough space, otherwise it’s difficult to house the Pokémon. You can’t just keep them in Poké Balls all the time, can you?”

Ye Feng didn't stop him from wandering around. Anyway, some things that needed to be hidden were in the locked basement, and Wu Jiang wouldn't go there unless there was a reason. Kirlia also stopped practicing her psychic ball and pretended to meditate.

The two seemed quite familiar with each other, and in fact, they were.

After Wu Jiang rescued Ye Feng from the secret realm, Ye Feng took the opportunity to personally bring a gift to express his gratitude, and that's how they became acquainted.

After winning the Rookie Cup, Ye Feng often went to the battle club to find people to spar with and train with. And going to the battle club would take him through the association. Over time, they would naturally run into each other and exchange greetings. Ye Feng would also ask him for some training tips.

Ye Feng was not only talented, but also very dedicated to raising Pokémon. Wu Jiang took a good liking to him and answered almost every question. Over time, the two became acquainted.

After that, Ye Feng stopped going to the battle club and went directly to Wu Jiang for battle training. Except for some emergencies, Wu Jiang was usually not particularly busy and was happy to help pass the time—mainly because the vice president had given the order privately.

Wu Jiang is not only a mid-level three-star trainer, but also the leader of the association's special operations team. He frequently enters and exits secret realms, and his battle experience is unmatched by ordinary trainers. Ye Feng has benefited greatly from this, accumulating practical experience exceptionally quickly.

This is also one of the reasons why Kirlia's strength has improved so rapidly.

"I'm here mainly for one thing. Do you remember that secret place in the suburbs?" Wu Jiang sat down casually.

A secret realm? Ye Feng certainly remembered. If it weren't for Wu Jiang and that Salamence trainer, he would have become Pidgeot's meal long ago.

"The danger level of the secret realm was originally C-level, you should know that, right?" Wu Jiang asked.

Ye Feng nodded to indicate that he understood.

“Some time has passed now, and the two intermediate-level Pokémon inside have been captured by the association for attacking their trainers. After a reassessment, the association is preparing to downgrade the danger level to D. Haven’t you been saying you wanted to go to the secret realm for training?” Wu Jiang said slowly.

Downgraded to Level D? Ye Feng was taken aback, then realized what he meant.

The size of the secret realm remains unchanged, but its danger level gradually decreases over time and with development. Even the once most dangerous S-rank secret realm, Dragon Island, has been downgraded to D-rank after several centuries. However, because it is home to rare Dragon-type Pokémon, it is always garrisoned and managed by the military, and outsiders are not allowed to enter. At the same time, it sends several new trainers specializing in Dragon-type Pokémon to the country every year, serving as a talent development base.

Why did Wu Jiang tell him this? According to him, the secret realm is still only C-rank, and Ye Feng's trainer level is not high enough to enter.

"Why are you telling me this when you won't let me in?" Ye Feng scratched his cheek and asked in confusion.

“Normally, I wouldn’t let you in, but now…” Wu Jiang smiled mysteriously, “It’s almost Chinese New Year, so the management will be a bit more relaxed. With me taking you in, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

"Are you going to abuse your power?" Ye Feng was speechless. "Besides, you know it's almost Chinese New Year. Do you expect me to spend the New Year in the secret realm?"

"Hey! What do you mean by abuse of power? That sounds awful," Wu Jiang waved his hand. "It's just that the leader of the special operations team has some business to attend to and needs to enter the secret realm, and at the same time, a promising junior is following along to learn. That's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"

Besides, what good will it do you to spend the year alone? Knowing your personality, you'll probably be training or something. Instead of staying home and reinventing the wheel, you'd be better off going out into the open and experiencing real-world challenges.

"Does Aunt Cao know about this?" Ye Feng was speechless. Wu Jiang's words sounded nice, but wasn't it still the same old story?

"Shh!" Wu Jiang gestured for silence. "The secret realm hasn't been downgraded yet, so procedurally you definitely can't get in. I'll have to put in a good word with the vice president, otherwise how could I dare to take you in? That would be like looking for shit in a latrine!"

"···"

To be honest, Ye Feng was a little tempted.

According to Wu Jiang, this secret realm was only the result of an assessment and exploration; much remained unexplored. What truly attracted Ye Feng, however, was the completely wild environment within the realm.

After experiencing the Pokémon siege, Ye Feng clearly realized that the gentle environment of the school couldn't foster true growth—those back-and-forth battles, no matter how many, couldn't compare to the growth gained from a real adventure in a secret realm. Don't be fooled by Ye Feng's current invincibility among rookie trainers; even novice trainers might not be his match. If he were to face a trainer who had truly experienced the trials of secret realms and the wild, his chances of winning would likely be much lower.

"Okay, I'll go!" With that thought in mind, Ye Feng readily agreed.

This is a rare opportunity. As Wu Jiang said, there's no point in spending the New Year alone. It's better to go to the secret realm to gain experience and broaden one's horizons.

"Great, I knew you'd go!" Wu Jiang gave a thumbs-up in praise. "However, I know your abilities, so I've set up some challenges and a task for you. Are you willing to accept them?"