Chapter 282 - 256: Elder Tie’s Phone Call
Though it was called a Pet Beast Laboratory, the place was really just a dedicated site for evolving Koi Carp into Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragons.
The name "Pet Beast Laboratory" was just a cover.
This served the same purpose as buying the abandoned amusement park.
The water slide was originally one of the park’s attractions. While the park was abandoned, it wouldn’t draw any attention, but if it suddenly had an owner, the true situation would likely be revealed.
Even if Li Qian and the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base weren’t concerned about appearances, they didn’t want any uninvited guests or prying neighbors when the evolutions began.
Rather than worry about such a situation, it was better to just buy the whole property.
Besides, the Cultivation Base wasn’t short on cash.
Aside from taking precautions, there were other reasons for purchasing the site.
For example, training. A real one-hundred-meter waterfall would certainly provide better training results than the ten-meter-plus small waterfall back at the Cultivation Base.
And sure enough, right at this moment, about twenty-some Koi Carp were training with great enthusiasm inside the laboratory.
This included ten that had already fully met the conditions for evolution.
The other dozen or so also had the aptitude for evolution, but their training just hadn’t reached the required standard yet.
Li Qian walked up to the water slide, where a medium-sized pond had been dug out. Using his Beast Taming Talent True Sight Eye, he scanned every Koi Carp in the facility.
He found that even the Koi Carp that hadn’t yet met the conditions for evolution had a high proficiency in their Fish Jump and Climbing Waterfall Skills.
Seeing Li Qian’s interest, An Hou Nian, who had been standing beside him, began to explain, "All the Koi Carp transferred here for training have been carefully selected. Not only do they have the aptitude for evolution, but they’ve also all established a solid foundation."
Li Qian nodded, approving of An Hou Nian’s methods.
Every Koi Carp’s aptitude is different. Even if they all meet the conditions for evolution, you can’t just lump them all together.
Training them in batches based on their foundational level was indeed a good method.
After another glance, Li Qian smiled and gave his approval. "Yes, this training method is excellent. Keep it up."
"Also, to prevent the Light of Evolution from attracting too much attention, we’ve raised the height of the walls around the water slide."
An Hou Nian continued, a detail Li Qian had actually noticed the moment he arrived.
He thought for a moment, then made a decision. "Let’s begin the evolution for these ten Koi Carp that have met the conditions tomorrow, before dawn."
The fewest people are around in the early morning. Plus, this place is in the suburbs and is blocked by high walls, so in theory, it shouldn’t attract any attention.
Even if, by some sheer coincidence, a few people do see it, it won’t be a problem. We’ve arranged for plenty of security here; ordinary people can’t get in.
"Before dawn tomorrow? I’ll give the order right away and have the manager here make the necessary preparations." An Hou Nian immediately replied and set about making the arrangements.
Li Qian took a tour of the laboratory, using his Eye of True Sight to examine each and every Koi Carp.
As expected of the hand-picked cream of the crop, the aptitude of these Koi Carp was excellent.
He could tell that both his parents and An Hou Nian had put a great deal of effort into this.
After finishing his tour, Li Qian drove back to the Cultivation Base alone. An Hou Nian stayed behind to oversee the preparations for the evolution.
He had just returned to the Cultivation Base when his phone rang.
Li Qian wasn’t the least bit surprised to receive a call at this hour.
Smiling, Li Qian picked up his phone and answered.
"Elder Tie, calling me at this hour... you’re not calling to rush me to enroll, are you?" Li Qian asked teasingly as soon as the call connected.
"I am! I was just calling to ask when you’re planning on coming over," Elder Tie’s hearty voice boomed from the other end.
Li Qian continued to joke with him. "What? I’ve already signed the enrollment agreement. Are you worried I’m going to stand you up?"
He was only making a casual joke, but to his surprise, Elder Tie went right along with it. "I am, as a matter of fact."
The old man’s voice was a mix of amusement and exasperation. "It’s only been one summer vacation, such a short time, and you’ve already caused so much trouble."
"What do you mean?" Li Qian asked, confused.
Elder Tie laid it out plainly. "What do I mean? Are you telling me you don’t know what a huge stir you caused in Zhonghai City?"
It dawned on Li Qian. "How did you find out about that?"
He was rather baffled. He had indeed caused a bit of a commotion in Zhonghai City, but Shazhou City was a world away. How could even Elder Tie have heard about it?
"At first, we didn’t know," Elder Tie explained. "But you, kid, caused such a massive stir in Zhonghai City that we couldn’t ignore it. People kept calling our university to ask about you, and that’s what got our attention."
Li Qian laughed awkwardly, finally understanding. Once he was on their radar, it would have been a simple matter for a powerhouse like Shazhou Beast Taming University to find out what he’d been up to.
"I just got lucky and had a flash of inspiration," Li Qian said with a sheepish grin, offering a casual explanation.
"Coming up with evolution methods for one Dominator Level and two Emperor Level Potential Pet Beasts all at once... that’s some ’luck’ you’ve got there," Elder Tie said, his tone a bit odd as he listened to Li Qian’s dismissive explanation.
Since the cat was out of the bag, Li Qian simply rubbed his nose and changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, Elder Tie, I’ve figured out the evolution method for the Golden Pearl Bud to become a Tidal Sea Spirit. I can help your Golden Pearl Bud evolve now."
"I already know..." After hearing Li Qian, Elder Tie fell silent. About ten seconds later, he spoke again, his voice filled with emotion. "This old man isn’t one for sentimentality, and I’m no good at flowery words, but this time... I have to thank you."
"No need to thank me," Li Qian chuckled. "You can just look out for me a little more once I get to Shazhou Beast Taming University."
’After all, Elder Tie was the ’Gatekeeper’ of the Dimensional Rift that Shazhou Beast Taming University guarded. With his status, he definitely had some pull within the university.’
’At the very least, it would be nice if he could pull some strings for me when I go into the Dimensional Rifts.’
The two chatted for a while longer. Li Qian confirmed his arrival date at Shazhou Beast Taming University, putting Elder Tie’s mind at ease, before hanging up.
After the call ended, on the other end of the line, Elder Tie found himself lost in thought. A moment later, he suddenly muttered to himself, "To think that a simple trip to Lingshui City would lead to such an incredible opportunity..."