Chương 173: Chapter 169 Spirit World_1
That day.
Having been nursed back to health by several Chansey and a Blissey, Eevee had mostly recovered.
By then, the groupings for the individual round-robin tournament had also been announced.
Fang Yuan had a battle scheduled near noon and another one approaching evening.
"The vice team captain from Guangling Middle School, and the vice team captain from Shangyang Middle School..."
After obtaining the information about his opponents from Director Wu, Fang Yuan touched his nose thoughtfully.
No big deal, they claim the groupings were random, but there was certainly some manipulation involved.
A quick glance revealed that the organizers had placed team captain-level competitors in different groups.
This was to avoid having these seeded players encounter each other too soon and be eliminated, which would make the main event less interesting, Fang Yuan understood.
...
April 22nd, evening.
The individual and team preliminary matches came to an end together.
Out of twenty schools, a total of sixteen new trainers from the individual round advanced, and eight high schools advanced to the team matches.
As expected, Eevee won both of its battles without any surprises.
Moreover, Eevee won with ease even after straining itself in the team battles, when it wasn't in perfect condition.
The two opponents Fang Yuan faced were probably a notch stronger than Lin Jing and Liu Le but still not enough to pose a threat to Eevee.
Indeed, they didn't even manage to force out Eevee's full strength.
As for Lin Jing, being a non-seeded player, she was allocated to a strong group. She first faced the team captain from Liangcheng No.1 Middle School and later, the vice-captain from Yicheng Middle School...
However, Lin Jing's failure to advance to the main event was within the expectations of Zhuang Xin as well as the teachers at Pingcheng No.1 Middle School.
Due to family issues, Lin Jing did not possess the rapid power growth typical of other professional trainers' children.
Instead, she progressed steadily, fortifying her groundwork. According to Lin Jing, her Growlithe might only evolve with a Fire Stone after they had spent some time at the police academy.
This involved a special breeding method, a requirement from Lin Jing's father.
Since it was Lin Jing's family affair, Fang Yuan and Liu Le didn't ask for more details.
"The new trainer rankings published by Jinling Trainer Association are out; you guys can have a look," Sister Zhuang sent a link in the chat group of the New Stars Program during the evening break.
"This is a New Trainer strength leaderboard for Su province, compiled by the Jinling Trainer Association based on the strengths of the contestants in this competition."
"However, this ranking isn't finalized yet. It's expected to change after the competition concludes," Sister Zhuang added.
Following Zhuang Xin's message, Yang Han, who was on a mission outside, suddenly piped up in the chat.
Yang Han: "@Fang Yuan, thumbs_up.jpg."
Oh-ho!
Seeing the two professional trainers appear, Fang Yuan too felt energized.
A strength ranking for new trainers in Su province?
With Yang Han giving him a thumbs up, it looked like his first-place position was secured.
However, Fang Yuan's face darkened as he opened the link and saw the rankings.
Liu Le: "Not first place?"
Lin Jing: "That Jiang Ran from Nan University Middle School, the team captain, is ranked first."
Zhou Xueyao: "Jingjing, you're on the list too."
Yue Chenfei: "Fang Team is awesome!!"
Fang Yuan scratched his head and ignored them, contemplating the rankings list instead.
The Jinling Trainer Association must be very much aware of Eevee's capabilities; they might even understand Eevee's physical stats better than Fang Yuan himself, the trainer.
After accidentally ingesting R medication, Eevee underwent a comprehensive examination during its hospital stay, which naturally included an assessment of strength.
It could be said that just with the surge in spiritual power from the Retribution Training Method, Eevee could beat 99% of New Trainers.
For the Jinling Trainer Association, pulling up their own inspection report wasn't a difficult task.
But even so, I'm still not first?
"Hmm..."
"Second place is pretty good."
"Besides, as soon as I take down the first place, I'll be the one in that spot, there's still a chance."
Ranking list.
First, Nanjiang University Affiliated Middle School, Jiang Ran, Fang Yuan remembered her Pokemon was a Gengar.
Second, Pingcheng No.1 Middle School, Fang Yuan.
Fifth, Jinghai Middle School, Guo Xuan.
Ninth, Wuzhou Number One High School, Bai Qi.
Thirty-ninth, Pingcheng No.1 Middle School, Lin Jing.
Out of fifty spots, Fang Yuan was second.
However, once Fang Yuan learned about the details, his expression seemed a bit off.
Fang Yuan gave Zhuang Xin a private nudge and asked, "Sister Zhuang, what's the story with this Jiang Ran?"
"The information online is limited. Other people either have experience studying in dojos or have relatives who are Trainers. How come there's no information on this Jiang Ran, and moreover, her mom is just an ordinary person, not even a Trainer. They must be kidding..."
From the available information, Jiang Ran's family background didn't seem to be any better than his own.
Zhuang Xin replied several minutes later.
"I can't say for sure."
"Before her exact identity is confirmed, it's best not to speculate wildly. However, the breeding style of her Gengar and her battle style leave distinctive marks that can give us some clues."
"She must be related to the Spirit World..."
Fang Yuan fell silent, the Spirit World?
One of the super large Secret Realms, the Spirit World?
"The Spirit World I'm talking about is not just the Secret Realm, but it's related to the Secret Realm. Don't bother searching online; just listen to what I'm telling you."
"You've battled apprentices from Winter Dojo and Heavenly Heart Dojo before. These dojos can be regarded as the heritage sites of various Trainer cultures. Besides dojos, there are some heritages that are not open to the public, belonging to a direct lineage that can match or even surpass the dojos. The Champion of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hua Nation all come from these places."
"The Spirit World is one of them. Trainers from the Spirit World are experts and masters who use Ghost-type Pokemon. Currently, the Trainer Association Headquarters has people from the Spirit World among its Twelve Branches. They possess the techniques to enter and leave the Spirit World Mystery, which allows them to train and gather resources in the Secret Location, thereby rapidly enhancing their strength."
"If it is true that Jiang Ran is related to the Spirit World, it makes sense for the Jinling Trainer Association to rank her first."
Zhuang Xin shared some not so secret secrets with Fang Yuan.
This information was somewhat unfamiliar only to Ordinary Trainers and New Trainers.
After reading it, Fang Yuan wasn't too surprised. If Jiang Ran had been a nobody, that would have been the real shock.
However, this was the first time Fang Yuan heard of the Spirit World heritage. How did it compare to Heavenly Heart Dojo?
Right, the current Champion of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hua Nation, seems to be named Jiang Li... Could there be a connection to this Jiang Ran?
Illegitimate daughter?
That's not right, Jiang Li is under thirty years old, how could she have such an adult illegitimate daughter.
"If our guess is right, she will be very difficult to deal with, and you need to take her seriously," Zhuang Xin's words made Fang Yuan agonize.
How can I defeat this Jiang Ran?
Ghost-type Pokemon... Not hard to deal with, but a powerful Ghost-type Pokemon, that's a different story.
Fang Yuan washed his face and urged Eevee, who was playing with his phone, to rest early before lying down on the bed himself.
Whatever, I'll think about it after sleeping.
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