Chapter 64: Cultivation in the Secret Realm (Seeking Recommendations)

Although everyone had arrived early, they still waited until nine o'clock before departing from the Digital Association.

Naturally, the entrance to the secret realm was not located at the Digital Association, and the exact location was unknown even to Zhao Jie and the others. When the time came, more than a dozen of them, along with their Digimon, boarded a large, dark vehicle whose windows revealed nothing of the outside world.

Indeed, it was a big black bus. The location of the digital secret realm was not open to ordinary people; even many regular Digimon tamers had no idea of its precise whereabouts. This was to ensure the security of the site—no matter how powerful the nation was, there were always places beyond the reach of official authorities.

If a resource like the digital secret realm were destroyed and the Digimon within escaped, it could have dire consequences for society. In the early years after the secret realm’s discovery, such incidents had happened more than once.

“Could it be the digital secret realm back in my hometown?” Zhao Jie wondered to himself as he sat in the bus, but his doubts were soon dispelled. A few minutes later, they arrived at a base, less than an hour’s drive from where they had set out.

“This is an advance base we’ve established. You’ll be spending the next seven days here. Let me warn you: don’t even think about sneaking out. The consequences would be very serious.” Wang Zhi stepped out of the vehicle, giving Zhao Jie and the others a smile that was anything but friendly.

“All right, Lao Wang, stop scaring them. They’re just kids,” laughed one of several people who emerged from the base, addressing Wang Zhi, who had brought the group.

“Hello, I’m the chief here. You can call me Brother Lin. From now on, I’ll be in charge. This fellow won’t be responsible for you anymore,” said Brother Lin as he placed a friendly hand on Wang Zhi’s shoulder. It was clear they were on good terms.

“Lao Xiao, arrange accommodations for these apprentice tamers and explain the important rules. Once afternoon comes, we’ll take them for a tour of the secret realm,” Brother Lin continued.

“Understood.” One of the men stepped forward, beckoning to Zhao Jie and the others to follow him out of the hall.

“Hey, isn’t that the Agumon who won the Rookie Cup in Shashi?” Brother Lin quickly spotted the Agumon, not least because it had a cellphone dangling from its neck and, more outrageously, was playing with the phone as it walked.

“Yes,” Wang Zhi said quietly, following Brother Lin’s gaze and nodding.

“Who would have thought Wuling City could produce such a genius? That’s really something,” Brother Lin remarked in admiration before turning away. He knew quite a bit—for instance, from Li Ping, he had learned that this young man would be enrolling at Xiangnan University in July. Should he graduate successfully, his starting point would far surpass Brother Lin’s own. Not that it mattered much; after all, this young man was but a passerby in his life. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Brother Lin would be dealing with Wuling City’s digital secret realm for the rest of his days.

Each student had their own room, meals were served in the canteen, and the base had been preparing for a month to welcome this group—everything was well in hand.

After lunch, Lao Xiao gathered everyone once again.

“In the digital secret realm, our high-tech devices won’t function, so do not wander off on your own once inside. It could be dangerous,” he warned. “Now I’ll assign each of you to a supervising teacher. For the next seven days, you’ll be training in the secret realm under your teacher’s guidance. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them.”

Seventeen students were divided into four groups, each with a supervising teacher, making five people per group. Due to Zhao Jie’s special circumstances, he was allowed to choose any group and ultimately selected the one led by Lao Xiao himself.

In that group, he found two classmates: Peng Wei, known as Young Master Peng, and a girl named Zhang Jing. He was less familiar with the other two.

Once the teams were set, Lao Xiao led his group to the entrance of the digital secret realm. The entrance differed from Zhao Jie’s expectations—it was neither a portal of light nor a large circle, but a hexagon.

“This is a sealing array for the digital secret realm,” Lao Xiao explained quietly, noticing the curiosity in Zhao Jie’s eyes. He was fond of Zhao Jie, perhaps because they both hailed from Wuling City.

As they stepped into the passage, a cool sensation rushed from Zhao Jie’s feet to his head, driving away his fatigue and making him feel invigorated.

Emerging from the corridor, the first thing they saw was a massive stone building, surrounded by broad, open plains. In the distance, towering trees stretched out endlessly in all directions.

“This is a small-scale digital secret realm,” Lao Xiao introduced the place once all the children in his group had stepped through.

“This secret realm is even bigger than Wuling City, with forests covering eighty percent of its area. Do not wander off—if you get lost in the forest, it could be very dangerous,” he warned again.

“Don’t worry, Teacher Xiao, we won’t go running off. Let’s begin our training!” Peng Wei and the others, seeing that other groups had already started practicing on the plains near the stone building, were eager to get going themselves.

“Very well, follow me,” Lao Xiao said with a nod, leading his group to a quiet spot.

“This place will do.” The plain before the stone building was vast, with a radius of a full kilometer. It could easily accommodate more than a dozen students training at once—even the regular Digimon tamers trained here.

“Let’s start training!” The rookie Digimon began their exercises on the open ground. The digital energy within the secret realm was especially active, greatly aiding in the recovery of the Digimon’s energy reserves.

“Big Ear Cyclone!”

“Poison Vine!”

“Fireball!”

One special move after another was unleashed across the empty field. The supervising teachers watched the children’s training from nearby, occasionally offering advice. They were under strict orders never to let the children out of their sight, the best precaution against any accidents.

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