Looking at the Progress Value on his mission panel, Li Qian was quite pleased that it had inexplicably increased by two points after a single battle.

And...

A Salamander Pet Beast...

This gave him a relatively clear direction.

Combined with one of the previously confirmed evolutionary requirements—the Blood Orchid Potion—a much clearer picture of the Koi Carp’s second evolutionary form was beginning to emerge.

It was, in all likelihood, a Western Salamander-type Pet Beast.

There was also another, very important point.

The Koi Carp’s second evolutionary form required an Array.

Naturally occurring Arrays were virtually nonexistent in the wild; even if some did exist, they were exceedingly rare.

Such stringent evolutionary requirements were no less difficult than those for a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon, and perhaps even more so.

From this, he could deduce that this Western Salamander-type Pet Beast must be extremely rare, and that its de-evolved form had definitely not been discovered yet.

Otherwise, this Pet Beast would have been discussed and researched alongside the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon long ago.

With these clues, Li Qian was confident he could find this Pet Beast before graduation.

In truth, it was just a matter of following the clues. There wasn’t much difficulty to it.

After figuring all this out, he let out a long sigh, his mood lifting considerably. Without wasting any more time, he headed straight home.

As for the chaotic, wrecked battle scene, he didn’t have to worry. People from the Public Security Bureau would come to handle it.

Besides, the reservoir dam hadn’t sustained much damage—just some minor issues at most. A few repairs should be all it needed. Therefore, Li Qian wasn’t worried about any major impact on Lingshui City.

After returning home and eating lunch, Li Qian headed out again.

He wasted no time, hopping on his bicycle and heading straight for the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base.

Though it hadn’t been long, entering the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base again felt completely different for Li Qian.

Before, it was envy.

’This is someone else’s Cultivation Base!’

Now, it was with deep emotion.

’This is my family’s Cultivation Base!’

Not long after entering the Cultivation Base, Li Qian saw that construction had already begun on a rockery by the Central Pond.

’I have to say, the An Family works fast.’

’And this speed is just to my liking.’

After greeting a staff member he recognized, Li Qian headed straight for Building One.

Gao Yaxin was in Building One at that very moment.

Before long, he arrived at Building One.

Unlike the small white building where he had previously sought Gao Yaxin’s advice, Building One was noticeably taller and more imposing.

The building stood five stories tall with an estimated footprint of one thousand square meters. It looked less like a research institute and more like a university hall.

Just as Li Qian stepped into Building One, his phone suddenly rang. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He took out his phone and saw it was a text from Gao Yaxin.

Following the directions in the text, he went straight to the roof of the fifth floor.

On the fifth-floor Celestial Terrace, just as he’d expected, he saw an elegant figure.

It was Gao Yaxin!

"Sister Gao," Li Qian called out, looking at Gao Yaxin, who was leaning against the railing and gazing into the distance.

Gao Yaxin didn’t answer, instead patting the railing beside her.

Li Qian took the hint and walked over. Like her, he leaned against the railing, looking down and surveying the entire Cultivation Base.

Without turning to look at him, Gao Yaxin spoke in a calm voice, as if talking to him, but also to herself. "The previous owner of this Cultivation Base was a fairly well-known Advanced Breeder. He was also a senior whom I greatly respected."

"Back in the base’s heyday, they say it covered more than twice its current area and housed nearly a thousand Pet Beasts. There was a constant stream of Beast Masters coming to purchase Pet Beasts or to have their own bred..."

Gao Yaxin recounted some of the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base’s history.

Li Qian already knew these stories.

His mother, Han Yuqing, had told him about it before.

’At the time, Li Qian had just treated it as a story. Well, it seemed he was still treating it as a story now...’

’After all, the history of this Cultivation Base had nothing to do with him. But its future was destined to blossom in his hands...’

"It’s a pity that after the old man passed away, his descendants’ ambitions lay elsewhere, and they lacked the talent for this work. Over time, the Cultivation Base slowly fell into decline, eventually reaching its current state."

"I’ve been staying here temporarily for my research, and I had hoped to lend a hand. But ultimately, I can’t stay here for long."

"Just two days ago, the old man’s descendants reached an agreement with a local businessman to formally sell this Cultivation Base."

"Those people building the rockery over there are the new owner’s men. It’s ironic, really. We haven’t even left yet, and the new owner is already starting renovations."

"Maybe it’s for the best. Instead of letting it barely hang on like this, it’s better to let it go. Perhaps the Cultivation Base can have a new beginning."

"..."

Gao Yaxin had always struck Li Qian as a competent and decisive person, but today she had rambled on at length. Listening to her, Li Qian couldn’t help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch.

’She’s talking about me! I’m the new owner!’

Seeing Li Qian stir, Gao Yaxin continued, a little embarrassed, "Sorry to make you listen to me ramble on for so long."

"I’m about to leave Lingshui City and this Cultivation Base, so I’m feeling a bit sentimental. I didn’t realize I’d said so much. Hope I didn’t make a fool of myself."

Li Qian cleared his throat and waved his hand. "Um, it’s nothing. If you ever have time in the future, Sister Gao, you can always come back to Lingshui City and revisit the Cultivation Base."

"Even if I did, things would have changed." Gao Yaxin shook her head, her interest waning. "Besides, now that it’s sold, it belongs to someone else. It would just be awkward if I came back to visit."

"Um, Sister Gao, I..."

Li Qian decided to tell her the truth, but just as he began, Gao Yaxin cut him off. "Stop with the ’Sister Gao’ this and ’Sister Gao’ that. It sounds so distant."

Seeing his chance, Li Qian went with the flow. "Sister Yaxin..."

"Uh, Sister Yaxin, the local businessman who bought this Cultivation Base was probably An Hou Nian of the An Family."

Li Qian pressed his forehead and managed a strained smile. "The reason they bought this Cultivation Base... was to give it to me!"

After he spoke, he glanced cautiously at Gao Yaxin.

And just as he expected, a look of astonishment spread across her beautiful face.

At that moment, Li Qian could clearly sense that the atmosphere had become just a tiny bit awkward.

"Pfft!"

In the end, Gao Yaxin couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

"Junior, you really are full of surprises."

She said, trying to hold back her laughter, "If I had known you were the one who bought the Cultivation Base, I wouldn’t have been so sentimental. It shouldn’t be too hard for me to come back and visit, right?"

"You’re welcome anytime," Li Qian nodded without hesitation.

After composing herself, Gao Yaxin shook her head.

’To think such an embarrassing misunderstanding happened.’

She chuckled self-deprecatingly, then continued, "Also, since you’re the one taking over this Cultivation Base, I’ll leave my breeding notes behind. I won’t take them with me. I hope they’ll be helpful to you."

"Thank you, Sister Yaxin," Li Qian said quickly.

’The last batch of notes she gave me was a huge help.’

’I’ll probably get a lot out of these new ones, too.’

Li Qian was looking forward to it.

"You’re already calling me ’Sister’; no need to thank me for something like this." Gao Yaxin waved a hand dismissively. She looked at Li Qian’s still-youthful face and felt a wave of emotion.

’Who would have thought that by randomly choosing a project and coming to remote Lingshui City to do research, she’d be lucky enough to run into a breeding genius like him?’

"With your accomplishments, as long as the admissions office at Jiangnan Beast Taming University has its head screwed on straight, getting in is a sure thing."

Gao Yaxin thought for a moment before making a suggestion. "When you get to Nandu City, be sure to give me a call."

"A few other Jiangnan Beast Taming University graduates and I have co-founded a Cultivation Base in Nandu City. Its scale is no smaller than this one."

"When the time comes, Junior, if you think it’s up to your standards, you can have a position as a Breeder at our Cultivation Base."

At this, Gao Yaxin gave a rare, mischievous wink. "By the way, the benefits of being a Breeder at our Cultivation Base are quite good, you know."

"On top of that, our Cultivation Base has one advantage that no other can match: my partners are all absolute stunners!"

Li Qian paused for a second, then decided to play along with a joke of his own. "Stunners like you, Sister Yaxin?"

"Er..." Now it was Gao Yaxin’s turn to be stunned. After a moment, she giggled. "Them? They’re way prettier than me!"