Chapter 24: You have entered the Abyssal Secret Realm! Quest Unlocked—Seize the Hidden Treasure!

The trainer waved the hoop. Whether underwater or above the surface, penguins darted through it in quick succession. Each successful pass was met with enthusiastic applause. Ye Hui didn't dampen the mood, clapping along with his classmates. Sakura was particularly spirited in her applause: "I wonder what it feels like to swim with penguins..." Tomoyo smiled, "Sakura is a great swimmer, too!"

The performance didn't last long. Penguins are not office workers, and their brief shift soon ended. They returned to the ice, nodding their heads in adorable synchronization with the trainer to thank the audience. "So cute!" Sakura’s eyes sparkled.

Ye Hui, however, stared intently. Suddenly, he noticed something. "It’s here!" This time, he activated his primary talent, "Spirit Perception," which allowed him to detect traces of supernatural power. Of course, this talent had exceptions, such as the various "treasures" displayed by his glitchy system. But in an aquarium as ordinary—no, as luxurious—as this, surely there wouldn't be a situation like the one in Fujitaka Kinomoto’s study...

[Ding! You have entered an underwater secret realm!]
[You are nervous because the protagonist, Sakura Kinomoto, and other fellow disciples are with you. You have heard that protagonists are often solitary stars of misfortune, and you worry about being dragged down by her.]
[You scan your surroundings, finding neither hidden merfolk nor vicious sea beasts, and you breathe a sigh of relief...]
[However, you still feel uneasy, as if something is watching you from the shadows, especially whenever you are close to the Heavenly Spirit Root disciple, Sakura Kinomoto...]
[You dare not act rashly. Just then, you see a cluster of shining golden light.]
[Ding! You have triggered a side quest: "Seize the Secret Treasure"! You decide to beat Sakura Kinomoto to the treasure in this underwater secret realm!]

"What the hell!" Seeing the system log, Ye Hui was speechless. This aquarium was actually an underwater secret realm? He knew that in a cultivation mini-game, one must rely on the environment, and there would inevitably be dungeon maps around overseas immortal islands, but he still couldn't bridge the gap between an aquarium and a secret realm. Although there were various sea creatures here, there were none of the treasures that a secret realm should have!

"It can't just be the Watery card, right?" Under the influence of his talent, Ye Hui observed carefully. He could see that while other flashes of gold appeared in the realm, none were as dazzling as the one he had spotted. That brilliant light was swimming beneath the water... yet none of the other students noticed.

"Wait, the guy watching me from the shadows? Is this hidden observer... the protagonist’s guardian, Toya?" Ye Hui realized something from the system description. "System, has your perception module malfunctioned again? You can't detect Toya’s powerful magic but call it 'watching from the shadows'?"

It made sense. In a dungeon with Sakura, how could guardian Toya not be present? At that moment, Ye Hui saw a faint vortex appear at the bottom of the pool. Like a rope, the vortex rapidly coiled around the female trainer’s right ankle.

"Splash!" Water erupted! The trainer, who had been waving goodbye to the young audience, let out a startled cry as she was pulled under. Through the glass, Ye Hui saw her dragged to the bottom of the tank, struggling to exhale bubbles. Ye Hui looked around for Toya, but he was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, the tank wasn't deep. After struggling for a few seconds, the trainer pushed off the bottom, grabbed the ice in the penguin enclosure, and surfaced to breathe.

"My foot..." the trainer cried out. The whirlpool, seemingly angered by its prey’s attempt to escape, pulled with increasing force, making it impossible for her to break free. A penguin noticed the trainer's plight and approached the vortex, extending its beak to help. But the water was merciless; the penguin was also swept into the vortex, tumbling underwater.

It all happened in an instant. When Sakura finally realized what was happening, she saw the penguin being pulled into the whirlpool and began pounding on the glass. "Ah, how could this happen! Someone, help! The penguin, and the trainer—!"

Tomoyo was stunned, instinctively looking at Ye Hui. Her eyes seemed to say, "It’s up to you, Ye Hui." [Tomoyo Daidouji Emotion Value +13].

Ye Hui hadn't acted immediately because he knew Toya would surely intervene. But he wondered what that guy was doing—was he addicted to peeping? Would he really not save her? Quietly, he pulled out a talisman, prepared to strike. But wait, how could Toya not be nearby?

Ye Hui waved his hand. "Binding Talisman, go!" A faint light flickered, and the talisman turned to ash in his pocket. A burst of spiritual light passed through the glass and struck the pool floor. The vortex didn't disappear, but its rotation weakened, as if it were only continuing out of momentum. Ye Hui could sense the struggle of the vortex. Is this the power of the Watery card? It was indeed strong; even though it had just appeared and hadn't regained its full power, his talisman couldn't completely bind it. It lived up to being one of the four elements!

But as the force weakened, the trainer managed to break free and tried to escape with the penguin. Suddenly, however, the power of the talisman was shattered, and the light vanished. The vortex accelerated, becoming even larger. The trainer, having just rescued the penguin, was dragged back down.

At that moment, Toya finally walked in carrying a bucket, looking surprised. Ye Hui twitched his lip. He had clearly seen Toya glance toward him earlier. Even if he wasn't sure if Toya was watching him, he knew Toya possessed immense magical power and could certainly see the Watery card’s true form. And so, Ye Hui witnessed the classic scene of Toya tearing apart the Watery card...

To the ordinary students, it was just a small underwater vortex. But Ye Hui knew it was the magical manifestation of one of the four elemental cards, and it was being ripped apart by a man!

"I am still too weak," Ye Hui sighed inwardly. He truly was the strongest guardian by Sakura’s side! Ripping apart a water elemental vortex—that was too violent!

The vortex vanished, and the penguin and trainer were saved. Sakura was surprised to see Toya. *Why is Big Brother here...?*

The incident ended, and the penguin enclosure was temporarily closed, though the tour continued. Ye Hui led the two girls to a corner. Tomoyo was perceptive: "Was it a Clow Card?" Sakura was startled: "Eh?"

Ye Hui nodded. "That’s right. It must have been the power of a Clow Card. My dharma eyes detected a mass of powerful magic underwater..." In truth, he was just spoiling the plot. After all, in this so-called "secret realm," while there wasn't much light, there was enough. It was just all in a sealed state, making it quite useless! When the Watery card's power turned into a light cluster and mixed with the others, Ye Hui couldn't distinguish it. But he was a transmigrator! Knowing the answer, he could guess whether the vortex-shaped light cluster was a "treasure" in the eyes of the idiotic system or a card.

In the original story, the Watery card wouldn't stop there. It was just a temporary retreat; it would cause even greater chaos later. If it weren't for the guardian duo of Toya and Yue, many would have been in danger. Ye Hui wasn't confident he could react as quickly as them in a similar situation. He decided to spoil the plot and resolve the Watery card early.

"Sakura, you wouldn't want the cute penguins to live in danger, would you?" Ye Hui’s words made Sakura go silent. She always thought of others. Hearing Ye Hui’s words, she imagined the scene of the vortex returning after they left, dragging away the staff and the marine life... She had never felt much identification with being a Cardcaptor, as she felt like just an elementary school student, unqualified to save the world. But now, connecting it to Ye Hui's scenario, she felt she really should do something! She didn't want to see that happen!

"That card is too mean, unforgivable!" Sakura puffed out her cheeks and said loudly. [Sakura Kinomoto Emotion Value +36].

People around were drawn to Sakura’s shout. Tomoyo paused and apologized to the others on Sakura's behalf. Ye Hui called them over quietly: "Let’s go back and talk!"

Clow Cards had intelligence. Discussing how to deal with the Watery card inside the aquarium, even in a corner, was practically conspiring right in its face. Ye Hui wouldn't be that unwise. Moreover, it was daytime, and the bustling crowd made it a bad time for a big scene. In the anime, when Sakura fought the Watery card, floods swept through and water spheres flew everywhere. Such scenes were not meant for the public.

...

"So, you encountered the Watery card?" When the activity ended and the three returned to the Kinomoto house to discuss the battle plan with Kero, Tomoyo and Sakura looked at Ye Hui.

Ye Hui explained, "Perhaps, perhaps not. I’ve only heard of the Clow Cards; I’m not familiar with their specific magical manifestations!" He said that in a cultivator’s view, the world was composed of the five elements, which differed from Clow Reed's "Earth, Water, Fire, Wind" theory.

Kero realized, "No wonder you took the Wood card... when are you going to return it?" It turned out the boy wanted to see if the Wood card was the "Wood" element among the five. Ye Hui had told Sakura a few days ago that he had "picked up" the Wood card while heading back. After Sakura relayed this to Kero, the creature had been nagging her every day to make Ye Hui return the card.

Hearing Kero, Ye Hui was stunned. The Wood card and the Wood element? He had only taken it because it seemed docile and he wanted to see if he could complete a mission. But Kero had sparked an idea. "Why didn't I think of that? I’ve had the Wood card for so long and never tested its power..."

Ye Hui realized he had been blinded. Thinking of the missing spiritual ingredients and herbs in his game, could he use the Wood card to accelerate their growth? He wanted to rush back and try it. But the Watery card issue wasn't resolved. And if the materials grown by the Wood card counted as spiritual materials, what about those watered by the Watery card? Ye Hui’s mind raced with possibilities!

"Hey! Are you even listening to me!" Kero glared. Sakura smiled sheepishly, smoothing things over: "Ye Hui wouldn't keep the card forever; it wouldn't hurt to let him study it." Tomoyo then joined in to discuss the plan to capture the Watery card.