Although Golden-Patterned Koi with a brave temperament were not popular among the public, a Golden-Patterned Koi that possessed leader aptitude and had become the fish king through its own strength clearly did not fall into that category.
If it were to be sold, there would definitely be people willing to pay tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand, to buy it!
Yet Li Shun did not sell it. Instead, he set up a wager—
It seemed like a joke on the surface, but it could attract many customers. Whether they wanted to conquer the fish king or take it away to sell for money, it could greatly boost the farm's popularity and traffic.
The overall benefits it brought far exceeded what a mere tens of thousands could compare to.
Even if the fish king were really taken away for free, it would still leave behind a memorable story and become intangible advertising.
"Senior, that's impressive!" Jiang Xing praised.
Li Shun was not only skilled at breeding, but also highly shrewd in business.
No wonder, even after being eliminated from the Water-Type Pet Beast Research program, he could still call himself Dr. Xu's student and receive recognition from Dr. Xu and the seniors… emotional intelligence played a part in that too.
"Junior, want to give it a try? Maybe it'll be willing to go with you."
"Alright!"
Jiang Xing followed behind Li Shun and arrived at the edge of the fish pond.
The farm also operated as a fishing venue. Usually, quite a few fishing enthusiasts would pay for tickets and bait to enter and feed the fish.
At this moment, many middle-aged men were fishing by the pond. Seeing Li Shun bring Jiang Xing over to the Golden-Patterned Koi's pond and call out the fish king's name, they all put down their rods and gathered around.
"Heh, another person's here to challenge the fish king!"
"Kid, this fish king is extremely smart. You can't just talk it into going with you. Better be mentally prepared!"
"Young man, want me to teach you some lines? At least it'll double your success rate!"
"Hey, Old Deng, you haven't even succeeded yourself and you're already giving advice?"
Clearly, everyone here had already tried to challenge the Golden-Patterned Koi fish king—and all had failed.
Now that a newcomer had appeared, they immediately gathered to watch the excitement.
Hearing their words, Jiang Xing felt a bit nervous—
So many people had failed. It seemed the fish king really wasn't easy to fool…
Just as he was thinking that, the water surface surged. Countless Golden-Patterned Koi rose from below, casting a layer of golden radiance over the entire pond.
Among them, one Golden-Patterned Koi, noticeably larger than the others, approached the shore.
It raised its head, its watery eyes fixed on the people on the bank, carrying a trace of scrutiny.
This was its agreement with the farm owner. If it wanted to stay here, it had to accept interactions with customers until it found a master it recognized.
This was not only the owner's requirement, but also its own wish.
It wanted to follow a Beast Tamer who would truly treat it well.
However, up until now, every customer it had met had come for the title of "fish king"—
They weren't here to raise a Golden-Patterned Koi, but to conquer a "fish king," to add a showpiece to their aquarium.
Of course, living in a safe and comfortable fish tank, receiving careful care from an owner, and not having to worry about survival—this was itself the pursuit of most Golden-Patterned Koi.
But that was not its pursuit.
It wanted to grow stronger. It wanted to become a powerful Pet Beast capable of defeating Jawbone Fish and even more enemies!
Unfortunately, for a naturally weak species like the Golden-Patterned Koi, this was nothing more than the most unrealistic fantasy.
At this moment, the increasingly disappointed Golden-Patterned Koi looked at the young man on the shore, thinking he was just another customer who had come with thoughts of conquest—
But then it heard a voice unlike anything before, incredibly pleasant to its ears.
"Do you want to become a dragon?"
The Golden-Patterned Koi stared fixedly at the young man.
Everyone beside him froze for a moment.
"I'm conducting a research project on how Golden-Patterned Koi can evolve into dragon-type Pet Beasts."
"Don't you want to try it? To see whether a weak carp can transform into a powerful true dragon?"
The Golden-Patterned Koi had not yet responded.
The surrounding fishermen were the first to be shocked by those words.
"Kid, you want to make a Golden-Patterned Koi evolve into a dragon?"
"Wait, are you joking? That's impossible!"
"If even a Low Extraordinary Level koi could evolve into a dragon, then maybe the caterpillar in my backyard could too."
"But your pitch is actually pretty good… If I were the fish king, I might be tempted."
"Damn, are you actually going to pull it off?"
After the initial shock, the fishermen calmed down and concluded that this was just Jiang Xing's tactic.
After all, let alone evolving into a dragon, they wouldn't even reserve a contract slot for a Golden-Patterned Koi—
Even if it was a fish king, it couldn't change the species' inherent Species Tier.
The number of Pet Beasts a Beast Tamer could contract had an upper limit.
Even if a Beast Tamer were to form a contract, they wouldn't choose an ornamental Pet Beast, let alone spend a huge cost trying to evolve it into some kind of dragon…
On the other hand, Li Shun fell into deep thought upon hearing those words.
'No wonder junior suddenly needed a new batch of Golden-Patterned Koi… so this was his idea…'
'Hmm… As long as the direction is correct, even if it fails in the end, the teacher would still praise it—'
'The teacher once said he doesn't dislike wild ideas. What he hates are those dull students who aren't even willing to imagine, who lack innovation… that was exactly me.'
'Sigh… if I had junior's imagination back then, maybe I wouldn't have been criticized so harshly by the teacher.'
Memories of his time studying resurfaced.
Li Shun's thoughts drifted, and he became somewhat distracted.
Because of that, when Jiang Xing spoke again, his reaction lagged by half a beat.
"If you don't believe me, you can form a contract with me and become my Pet Beast."
As Jiang Xing spoke, he extended his hand toward the pond. A complex pattern appeared on his palm.
The Golden-Patterned Koi had still been wondering whether he was lying, but the moment it saw the pattern, it completely discarded all doubts. Without hesitation, it leapt out of the water, its forehead touching his palm—
This might be the only chance it would ever have in its life!
Seeing this scene, the fishermen stared in shock, mouths agape.
Li Shun snapped back to his senses and lunged forward with a shout.
"Junior, wait!"
In the Beast Taming world, every Beast Tamer had a limit to how many Pet Beasts they could contract.
The initial limit was three. As mental strength grew, the limit would gradually increase. The strongest known Beast Tamer could contract thirty Pet Beasts.
It seemed like a lot, but one had to know that both Beast Tamers and Pet Beasts could die in battle.
Once a Pet Beast died, the soul chain would activate. The Beast Tamer would permanently lose a contract slot, and their spirit would suffer irreversible damage!
That was why every Beast Tamer was extremely cautious when choosing their partners.
Jiang Xing was a student of Dr. Xu, with limitless potential in the future.
How could he waste such a precious contract slot on a Golden-Patterned Koi?
If the teacher found out, Li Shun would probably be scolded to death!!
However, Li Shun was still half a step too slow. He could only watch as light blossomed, a luminous pattern appeared on the Golden-Patterned Koi's forehead, and then quickly dimmed.
The next second, the Golden-Patterned Koi turned into a stream of light and disappeared into Jiang Xing's palm.
The contract was complete!