Watching the Sparrow-tailed Fish swim in circles, Li Qian frowned helplessly.
He ventured a guess, looking at the Sparrow-tailed Fish not far from the shore. "Do you have something to give me?" he asked.
The moment he spoke, the Sparrow-tailed Fish shivered and then dove back into the depths.
Li Qian watched, confused. About two minutes later, it shot out of the water again, its tail seemingly wrapped around something.
SPLASH!
With a faint splash, Li Qian clearly saw something wrapped in the Sparrow-tailed Fish's tail get flung into the air.
He didn't overthink it. Believing the Sparrow-tailed Fish wouldn't harm him, he instinctively reached out and caught the object.
Once it was securely in his grasp, he stared at it, only to find it was a pearl—one about the size of a baby's fist and as black as ink.
Li Qian stared at the strange pearl, utterly baffled.
'What's going on?'
'Why would the Sparrow-tailed Fish give this mysterious pearl to me?'
'Is this some kind of treasure?'
'And where did it get it from?'
'The Black Divine Teachings?'
After examining the mysterious black pearl for a while and finding nothing, Li Qian put it out of his mind.
He stashed it away, recalled his Sparrow-tailed Fish, and headed straight home.
Time flew by, and soon, it was the weekend again.
Nothing eventful happened that week.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
The negotiations for the acquisition of the Cultivation Base were nearly complete.
During this time, Liu Changfeng had called him once. He was still searching for a high-Potential Koi Carp.
He was in no particular rush, taking his time to find the right one.
Fatty An was also searching for a high-Potential Koi Carp and had already found a few promising candidates. However, his standards for his first Pet Beast were just as strict, so he was still meticulously weighing his options.
It was Saturday, and as usual, his mother, Han Yuqing, would almost certainly be working overtime.
That's right. Even with the five million he had given them, neither his mother, Han Yuqing, nor his father, Li Chengyang, had quit their jobs.
According to them, no matter how much money you have, you can't just live off your savings until they're gone.
Besides, their jobs were an expression of their personal value.
If they quit and retired at their age, they truly wouldn't know what to do with themselves... In short, they just couldn't do it.
His parents kept on working, and it seemed like nothing had changed, but Li Qian knew that, in reality, changes had already quietly begun.
Take his father Li Chengyang's Land Bear, for example. It was approaching the limit of its Racial Potential and should have started preparations for evolution long ago. However, the family's financial situation hadn't allowed for it, so it had been put on the back burner. Now, those preparations were underway again.
Li Qian had seen his father, Li Chengyang, begin training the Land Bear's Racial Skills in preparation for its evolution.
Moreover, he seemed to have already started looking for a second Pet Beast to contract.
As for his mother, Han Yuqing, the changes were less pronounced.
Her Gray Bean Dove's Racial Potential hadn't been fully tapped yet.
Li Qian had already planned out her second Pet Beast for her. It would be either a Sparrow-tailed Fish or Ah Fu.
Whether it was Ah Fu, who would evolve into a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon, or a Sparrow-tailed Fish, which would evolve into a Mermaid, both were excellent choices. They were high-quality Pet Beasts with the Potential to reach the Dominator Level.
"Mom, how come you didn't go to work today?" Li Qian asked over breakfast that morning.
Hearing this, a faint look of disappointment crossed Han Yuqing's face. "Master Gao is leaving. They say the Cultivation Base has been sold to a new owner."
She continued, explaining the changes at the Cultivation Base over the past week. "The new owner has supposedly started the handover with the old one. For the past few days, all of us veteran employees, except for the base's accountant, have been told to take time off."
The Cultivation Base wasn't profitable. Having worked there for over a decade, how could Han Yuqing not know that?
She had also expected things to get even worse after Gao Yaxin confirmed her departure, but she was still a bit surprised that it had come to being sold off.
Hearing this, the corner of Li Qian's mouth curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
He knew all too well what was happening. Just last night, An Hou Nian had updated him on their progress.
'It's not just a handover at this point,' Li Qian estimated. 'The renovations should have already begun.'
The plan he'd made with the Ans was to start renovations the moment they took possession of the property.
Other areas could be renovated slowly, but the artificial mountain and waterfall had to be completed first and foremost.
This wasn't just about Ah Fu's training progress; it was also crucial for the training of Fatty An's first Pet Beast.
After all, they couldn't just keep training at a public waterfall forever.
How could they not treat it with the utmost importance?
Han Yuqing continued to worry about her job as she ate. "I wonder if the new owner will fire all of us veteran employees once they take over."
Li Qian kept a straight face, fighting back a smile as he comforted her. "Don't worry, Mom. You've worked at Jiaoyang Cultivation Base for so many years. You're so diligent and hardworking; your work ethic is beyond reproach. The new owner will definitely want to keep you on."
'Keep her on? Of course they will!'
'After all, the Cultivation Base is going to belong to our family soon.'
Despite Li Qian's reassurance, his mother was still uneasy. "You never know. After all, a new broom sweeps clean."
Li Qian gave an awkward laugh. "Er, it's just a small Cultivation Base. I don't think it's as dramatic as all that."
...
After breakfast, just like any other day, Li Qian pedaled his bicycle to the West Suburb Hydroelectric Power Station.
He went to the same pool, the same artificial waterfall, the same large rock, and sat cross-legged on it to begin his Meditation.
'I need to achieve a breakthrough as soon as possible.'
Ah Fu was training within the waterfall.
The Sparrow-tailed Fish and Qizai went into the reservoir.
He had barely been sitting cross-legged for five minutes when his phone rang. Li Qian picked it up. "Hello? Captain Liu. Oh, you're already in Lingshui City? Okay, just come directly to the hydroelectric power station in the West Suburb."
About half an hour later, a taxi pulled up on the road by the reservoir, and Liu Changfeng stepped out.
Liu Changfeng scanned the reservoir, the dam, the artificial waterfall, and the pool. "So this is where you do your daily training."
Li Qian nodded. "Koi Carp training has specific environmental requirements. Unfortunately, this is the only place I've found in Lingshui City so far that meets them."
"However, I've already acquired a Cultivation Base, so we'll be moving the training there soon."
After that brief explanation, Li Qian cut right to the chase. "Did you bring the Koi Carp?"
"I did."
Liu Changfeng wasted no time, immediately releasing the Koi Carp he'd found from its Beast Taming Ball.
Li Qian activated his Eye of True Sight and looked it over.
[Name: Koi Carp]
[Attribute: Water]
[Level: Ordinary Fourth Rank]
[Potential: Tier Five]
[Skills: Fish Jump (Mastery), Climbing Waterfall (Beginner)]
After reading the Koi Carp's stats, he nodded slightly. "The Potential isn't bad. Oh? It's already learned the Climbing Waterfall Skill!"
Liu Changfeng chuckled. "I saw the evolution that day, too. I figured that mastering the Climbing Waterfall Skill had to be one of the conditions for evolution. So, I spent the last week keeping an eye out. I must have looked at several hundred Koi Carp, and this was the only one that learned the Climbing Waterfall Skill on its own."
Li Qian thought about mentioning that the Climbing Waterfall Skill could be taught through training in a specific environment.
But on second thought, being able to learn the Climbing Waterfall Skill on its own, without any special training, proved that this Koi Carp's Potential was indeed higher than the vast majority of its species.
'At least, it's higher than Ah Fu's!'
Just as the two were speaking, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the reservoir upstream, followed by a colossal plume of water shooting into the sky!
Seeing this, Li Qian's heart lurched in alarm.
'Qizai and the Sparrow-tailed Fish are in the reservoir!'