Although he didn’t know how to resolve the situation, Li Qian had a very good impression of Sun Ruirui. He didn’t want the charming girl to meet the end that Sun Hongyi had described.
So he asked, "How can we solve Ruirui’s problem? Or is there even a solution?"
Sensing Li Qian’s concern, Sun Hongyi gave him another look.
After a moment of silence, he revealed the solution. "The best solution we have right now actually lies with the Golden Pearl Bud."
Li Qian looked at Comrade Lao Sun, confused.
Sun Hongyi didn’t keep him waiting and quickly explained. "I’ve been making preparations for Ruirui’s situation for years."
"I have two vials of the best Life Potion in the Federation, but you can only use one dose at a time."
"I also have some Extraordinary Materials from the Dimension Planes. With these preparations, even if the seal is temporarily removed, we can barely offset the drain on her life."
At this, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "To solve this problem for good, we must use that window of time to have Ruirui form a Soul Contract with a Golden Pearl Bud and simultaneously induce its evolution into a Tidal Sea Spirit."
"The feedback from the evolution will drastically improve Ruirui’s physical constitution and replenish her depleted Life Energy."
Li Qian frowned. "Life-type Pet Beasts are rare, and ones that can evolve to the Emperor Level are few and far between. But with your resources, Professor Sun, surely you could find a substitute?"
Now he understood why Comrade Lao Sun was pinning all his hopes on the Golden Pearl Bud.
But as he had just pointed out, while such a Pet Beast was rare, finding a substitute wasn’t impossible.
In the next moment, Sun Hongyi answered his question. "I could find other Life-type Pet Beasts of the same tier, if I’m willing to pay the price."
"However, for one, getting it to evolve in such a short time would be extremely difficult. For another, the feedback it provides for physical enhancement isn’t as potent as the Golden Pearl Bud’s—that’s a key factor."
"Of course, those issues can be overcome. They can be solved. The real reason the Golden Pearl Bud is irreplaceable is because of its evolutionary remnant."
"’Remnant?’" Li Qian repeated softly, chewing on the word.
After a moment’s thought, some information surfaced in his mind.
He had heard of these "remnants" before and had seen them described in some books.
So-called "evolutionary remnants" were things left behind when a Pet Beast’s body structure changed during evolution.
For example, some turtle-type Pet Beasts with Dragon Race bloodlines would often shed their shells after evolving into flood dragons. Plant-type Pet Beasts might leave behind flowers, fruits, or seeds after evolving...
These "evolutionary remnants" were often quite valuable Extraordinary Resources, a point Sun Hongyi went on to explain thoroughly.
"The evolutionary remnant of the Golden Pearl Bud is the Golden Pearl within its body. After it completes its evolution, the Golden Pearl transforms into a Life Golden Pearl, which has incredibly profound effects."
Sun Hongyi glanced toward the cove. "Even for a fully evolved Tidal Sea Spirit, the Life Golden Pearl is still extremely important."
"If it were to lose the Life Golden Pearl, the Tidal Sea Spirit’s combat effectiveness would instantly plummet. It might even devolve back into a Golden Pearl Bud."
Seeing Li Qian’s questioning gaze, Sun Hongyi raised his voice slightly. "The Life Golden Pearl is vital to the Tidal Sea Spirit; it cannot lose it. What’s more, an ordinary Beast Master couldn’t use a Life Golden Pearl even if they got one."
Li Qian nodded again.
That much, he could understand.
In fact, throughout the entire Beast Taming World—not just on the Ancestral Star, but also in the Dimension Planes and on the Outer Heaven Battlefield—Extraordinary Resources were as countless as the sands of the Ganges.
Most of them couldn’t be used by humans. The Life Golden Pearl was likely one such case. What was an exceptionally precious Extraordinary Resource for a Pet Beast could be a deadly poison to a human.
Li Qian listened attentively as Comrade Lao Sun continued without a pause. "However, the Life Golden Pearl—or rather, the Tidal Sea Spirit—has a special ability. It can share its Life Golden Pearl, allowing the recipient to possess the Tidal Sea Spirit’s Life Energy for a short period. But this sharing is conditional..."
"It can only be shared with the Beast Master who has formed a Soul Contract with it!" The realization struck Li Qian in a flash, and he blurted out the answer before Sun Hongyi could continue.
"Precisely!" Sun Hongyi nodded, his expression complicated.
’So, there was a solution, and a very reliable one at that. But the core of the problem brought them full circle. They had to complete the evolution research and get the Golden Pearl Bud to evolve into a Tidal Sea Spirit.’
’Looks like we have to complete the research on the Golden Pearl Bud’s evolution into a Tidal Sea Spirit as soon as possible.’ After listening to Sun Hongyi’s explanation, Li Qian finally understood the crux of the matter.
’As things stood, solving Sun Ruirui’s problem depended entirely on completing the research for the Golden Pearl Bud’s evolution into a Tidal Sea Spirit.’
’And they had to be fast.’
’After all, from the looks of it, the seal was already stretched to its limit.’
After taking Li Qian on a tour of Hongqiao Manor, Comrade Lao Sun left around noon.
He was a professor at Zhonghai Beast Taming University, after all, and couldn’t neglect his teaching and research duties at the school for too long.
"What happens if Professor Sun isn’t here and you have another episode like last night?" After Sun Hongyi had left, Li Qian asked.
"It’ll be fine," Sun Ruirui said with a faint smile. "Normally, even if my consciousness is affected, I won’t leave the manor."
"Besides, Ah Hai is here at the manor. With it around, I can’t leave anyway."
Li Qian understood at once.
’Right. With Ah Hai, an Emperor Level Tidal Sea Spirit, around, it would be impossible for Sun Ruirui to leave Hongqiao Manor.’
"And besides Ah Hai, there’s also Uncle Liao."
Li Qian said no more. ’This Uncle Liao must be a butler or a bodyguard here at the manor,’ he thought.
After lunch, Li Qian met this "Uncle Liao." He looked to be about the same age as Sun Hongyi.
Just as he had guessed, this "Uncle Liao" was indeed the butler of Hongqiao Manor. He handled basically all the day-to-day affairs of the estate.
He approached Li Qian and greeted him politely.
Li Qian returned the greeting, equally polite.
’Instinct told Li Qian that this man was not to be trifled with; his strength might not be any less than Professor Yan’s.’
After a brief greeting and a few words with Sun Ruirui, Uncle Liao departed.