At Wu Heng's enthusiastic invitation, Lin Fan finally got on his electric scooter and sped all the way to the entrance of the Rock Gym.
As one of Xiyue City's landmark buildings, the Rock Gym covers a vast area, is entirely black and grey, and possesses a simple yet beautiful aesthetic.
Led by Wu Heng, Lin Fan weaved through several turns and finally arrived at an inconspicuous room.
"Here, Elite Chen and my dad are both inside," Wu Heng pointed to the door, then turned and left.
He wanted to ponder Lin Fan's Beedrill some more, at least to figure out how to counter it next time.
Lin Fan reached out and knocked, and after hearing a sound from inside, he pushed the door open and looked at the two people within.
"Sit."
Chen Xi pointed to an empty chair, signaling Lin Fan to sit down and talk.
At this moment, Chen Xi had finally taken off his Niu Zhan Shi mask, revealing a somewhat fierce-looking face.
After Lin Fan was seated, Chen Xi did not immediately get to the point but instead asked Lin Fan a question: "Is it convenient to tell me about your family background?"
Family background?
Lin Fan blinked, feeling a bit strange, but still answered frankly: "My family background is very ordinary; being able to provide me with a starter Pokémon and train it for a period was already the limit."
Chen Xi nodded, which was consistent with his investigation; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen Weedle as a starter Pokémon.
However, secretly investigating someone, even if the intention was for Lin Fan's good, should naturally not be revealed.
After asking, Chen Xi got straight to the point: "I promised to give you something good before, and I had it ready, but after seeing your subsequent performance, I changed my mind."
Changed his mind?
Lin Fan blinked again, his expression unchanged.
"Heh, you're quite composed; I didn't trick you," Chen Xi chuckled. "I originally wanted to give you some resources, but after seeing your performance, I think I should give you something better and more suitable for your Beedrill. After all, resources are something you'll have later; they're not rare."
With that, Chen Xi pulled out an exquisite sealed scroll from a bag beside him and tossed it to Lin Fan.
"Poison-type Pokémon Cultivation Insights, authored by Yan Hui... Yan Hui, the previous Poison-type Elite among the Four Elites?!"
Lin Fan looked at the characters on the cover, gasped, his eyes instantly sparkling, but he also felt the item in his hand suddenly become much hotter.
"That's right, it's him. This item is just an introductory version, but it's still very precious, something countless Professional Trainers with Poison-type Pokémon outside would fight tooth and nail for. So, don't spread it, or I can't guarantee you won't be assassinated one day."
Chen Xi joked, but the information he conveyed was also very clear: do not spread it, or you might be pursued by Yan Hui.
Lin Fan nodded solemnly, carefully putting the scroll away.
As for whether he would truly be pursued if he spread it...
If it were anyone else, perhaps not, but those who dabble in poison always have unique thoughts and strange behaviors, and Yan Hui is an expert in poison, with an extremely reclusive and eccentric personality. If he knew his insights had entered the market, he might indeed come to deal with him.
However, Lin Fan also had no need to spread it; he hadn't even finished reading it himself, so how could he think of anything else?
Chen Xi then continued: "I sent your Beedrill's battle performance to Yan Hui. He said he's a little interested in you. You can visit the Poison Gym if you have time in the future. Although he might not be there, his son Yan Mingyu is the Gym Leader and has inherited Yan Hui's true teachings, which is more or less the same for you."
Visit the previous Poison-type Elite?
Lin Fan's face lit up. If it were an ordinary visit, Chen Xi naturally wouldn't need to mention this. Clearly, the other party saw Beedrill's performance, which sparked some interest and made him willing to offer Lin Fan some guidance.
"I'm free anytime; I can ask for leave from school."
Lin Fan spoke without hesitation, his eyes burning, not wanting to miss this opportunity, but he saw Chen Xi smiling and shaking his head.
"No need to rush. You'll know once you finish reading the scroll in your hand. Even if you go now, you won't get much improvement. Ultimately, it still requires money."
Upon hearing this, a bad premonition suddenly arose in Lin Fan's heart.
Could it be that Yan Hui's cultivation insights...
Is it a method to get stronger by spending money?!
Seeing Lin Fan's expression, Chen Xi burst into laughter: "But you don't need to worry too much; there are always opportunities to make money. I also happen to be telling you this now, as you'll know it sooner or later anyway."
Pausing, Chen Xi continued: "Around February or March next year, which is when your third year of high school's second semester begins, each province will hold a High School Pokémon Battle League and select the final Rookie King. The specific information hasn't been released yet, but the prize money won't be small. I heard that winning the Rookie King can earn you at least five million in prize money, plus some other rewards."
Five... five million?!
Lin Fan clutched his heart, feeling a sudden dryness in his throat, his eyes almost glowing green.
Although it was strange why there had never been a precedent for holding a battle league in high school before, and now they were doing so, as soon as he thought of the astonishing amount of prize money, Lin Fan decisively discarded all irrelevant thoughts.
Suddenly, Lin Fan remembered something and looked at Chen Xi with some concern: "Are there any requirements for the number of Pokémon participating?"
He currently only had Beedrill as his sole Pokémon. It wasn't that he didn't want to acquire another, but he was truly short on money. Raising one Beedrill was already tough enough; he simply couldn't afford another.
If this battle league required 3v3 or even 6v6, he would just explode on the spot.
Chen Xi understood what he was thinking and laughed: "Don't worry, the competition rule is 1v1, precisely to prevent excellent talents like you from being overlooked due to the number of Pokémon."
That's good.
Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief, but he also realized that he indeed needed to acquire new Pokémon as soon as possible. Relying solely on Beedrill would eventually lead to moments of powerlessness.
"That's all I have to say for now. You've been battling for so many days; it's time to get some good rest." Chen Xi patted Lin Fan's shoulder, and seeing the latter's pained expression, he couldn't help but laugh mischievously.
Since there was nothing else, Lin Fan bid farewell to Chen Xi and Wu Shuo, returning to the hotel in a cheerful mood, ready to go home and thoroughly study the cultivation insights in his hand.
After Lin Fan left, Wu Shuo, who had been silent, took a sip of tea and said faintly: "Are we already starting to focus on high schoolers...? How much longer until the third large-scale secret realm descent?"
Chen Xi shrugged, picked up a cup of tea, and gulped it down in one go, then slowly said: "...I don't know!"
"Pfft!"
Wu Shuo spat out a mouthful of tea, nearly choking on Chen Xi's words.
If you don't know, you don't know, why do you look so proud?!
