Chapter 355: The World Sprite Alliance Conference, Road of Champions_1

"Special evolution??" Fang Yuan pondered.

Never mind.

The other party is an expert, so follow their lead.

Jiang Li looked at Fang Yuan, who still seemed somewhat at a loss, and felt envious in his heart.

Fang Yuan might not know the huge benefits that Glutton could reap after devouring the Chandelure, but Jiang Li was well aware.

This particular Chandelure could have evolved using the highest quality Dark Stone from the Dark Stone Vein.

Besides, its special ability to absorb and burn souls, the Ghost Fire characteristic, is definitely much stronger than that of its counterparts.

To be able to grow so strong in such a short time, this Chandelure must have absorbed and burned the souls of many Ghost-type Pokemon. One could say it grew stronger by burning many lives.

However, burning souls is just a racial instinct of Chandelure, similar in nature to a Pidgey preying on a Caterpie; Jiang Li didn't see anything wrong with it.

But it's undeniable that such Pokemon are often harder for humans to accept than ordinary predators.

After all, humans have accepted the concept of birds eating worms and dogs eating meat for thousands of years.

But Ghost-type Pokemon absorbing life energy and devouring souls is something that's only been recognized for a few decades, so it's normal to be feared.

Pokemon like Gengar and Chandelure are quite extreme within the Ghost-type category.

Life and soul are closely interlinked.

Now, a Gengar has actually devoured a Chandelure.

Jiang Li could be sure... Fang Yuan's Gengar, after devouring such a Pokemon with a far deeper foundation than itself and similar abilities, would undoubtedly gain unexpected benefits.

If one considers the Chandelure as a Caterpie, and Glutton as a Pidgey...

Then this Chandelure is like a Caterpie with nutritional value comparable to ten Hitmonlees, rich in nutrients indeed.

Therefore, there's a good chance that Gengar will receive substantial benefits afterward.

For example, a mutation in its Ghost Fire.

It may even inherit the soul-burning aspect of the Ghost Fire from the Chandelure.

This method of cultivation, similar to rearing Gu, is also recorded in the Spirit Realm Inheritance, but due to the perfection of laws, it has been replaced by more scientific methods with higher cost-effectiveness.

This time, Fang Yuan and his team accidently stumbled upon the right path.

…

After discussing what needed to be said, Fang Yuan and Jiang Li once again started chatting about other matters.

At this moment, Fang Yuan asked a question.

He wondered to which university had Jiang Ran, the runner-up for newbies in the Su province tournament, gone.

"Not a university, but you could still call it a school, as it's a place of learning," Jiang Li said directly.

"You know about the World Pokémon Alliance Series, right?"

The World Pokémon Alliance Series, held by The Pokémon Alliance every four years, features national teams from each member country of the Pokémon Alliance, and it garners far more attention than the Olympics.

In the Trainer realm, such a competition is worth much more than national competitions and even more than battles against the Kings.

Similar to the battles against the Kings, the entry criteria for World Pokémon Alliance Series are Professional Trainers from each country, under the age of 30.

To put it another way, each iteration's Four Heavenly Kings and the Champion among them are the core members of the China National Team.

This competition is somewhat akin to an exchange battle among the Kings from various regions of the Pokémon World.

It is the highest-level battle and the premier event for the younger generation.

So, of course, Fang Yuan knew about the World Pokémon Alliance Series…

"Does this have to do with the competition?" Fang Yuan asked curiously.

"Of course," smiled Jiang Li.

"That can't be right—if she went to university and was in the same year as me, then the next World Sprite Alliance Convention would be… during my junior year," Fang Yuan pondered.

At that time, Fang Yuan would be 20 years old, and so would Jiang Ran.

Unless they were as monstrously talented as Xie Qingyi, there was no way they could be selected for the national team.

"The requirement for participation is under thirty years of age. You may not be able to participate in the next one, but what about the one after that, or the one after that?"

"With Jiang Ran's age, she could experience three World Sprite Alliance Conventions. Before each convention, Hua Nation selects members for the national team. Aside from the main members like the Champion and Four Heavenly Kings, there are some other spots," explained Jiang Li.

"Even if you can't successfully secure a spot, the selection process itself offers great training opportunities and support from the national team. The younger you are, the more advantageous, because these individuals have the greatest potential, and who knows—they might become the main force in the next convention," Jiang Li continued.

"Jiang Ran is now on the Road of Champions to become a professional Trainer before the selections begin."

"That place is an excellent training ground for Trainers to grow."

Fang Yuan was taken aback.

The Road of Champions… that name sounded so darn familiar.

However, this Road of Champions was probably not the same as that Road of Champions.

But the meaning behind the name… should be similar, right?

"What do you think? Are you interested in going to the Road of Champions?" Jiang Li asked Fang Yuan with a smile.

However, Jiang Li thought to himself.

The Road of Champions wasn't really suitable for Fang Yuan, because the young Trainers who went there often had a legacy to follow.

They either came from top-level dojos or were set to inherit their elders' paths.

For these Trainers, all they needed to do was to absorb the legacy they already had. The Road of Champions provided them with an environment to do just that.

A university with a strong atmosphere of innovation actually didn't suit these kinds of Trainers.

Fang Yuan, on the other hand, was clearly from humble beginnings—with only an Eevee to start with—and had to pave his own way forward.

"I'm quite happy where I am now... I'm just a small researcher," Fang Yuan quickly took a sip of water.

Without the environment of Mo Da, where would he go to mess around in research institutes and laboratories?

Without those, he couldn't do experiments or research, and without being able to do research... he couldn't become a senior researcher.

If he couldn't become a senior researcher, he would lose his Key Stone.

If he lost the Key Stone... MEGA Gengar would fly away.

The Road of Champions, a place that sounded gruelingly tough, like you had to fight 24 hours a day... He didn't want to go there.

"That's true… If I were to take you there, Xie Qingyi would probably come looking for a duel with me again," Jiang Li chuckled to himself, almost forgetting that Fang Yuan was a newcomer highly regarded by Xie Qingyi. To be precise, he had thought highly of Fang Yuan initially as well.

However, it wasn't until after Xie Qingyi became the Fairy King that Jiang Li discovered she had actually invited Fang Yuan before he did.

Fang Yuan, a Trainer with an innovative research approach, was evidently more suitable for deepening his studies at the university and following the Researcher Path, as opposed to Jiang Ran, who needed to inherit a series of cultivation methods and Moves Secret books from the Spirit Realm.

Xie Qingyi's experience proved that by taking the Researcher Path to the extreme, one could also become a top-level Trainer.

"Uh… Sister Xie?" Fang Yuan was startled when Jiang Li mentioned Xie Qingyi.

So Sister Xie and Jiang Li had talked about him?

Wait a second...

What… what does he mean by 'duel'?