Li Qian smoothed the feathers of his Gray Bean Dove, Xiaohui, and gave a gentle wave. He then set off at a steady, unhurried pace, quickly leaving the rockery behind.
Xiaohui might not have understood much of the long speech Li Qian had given earlier, its eyes showing confusion. However, the simple and direct wave was something it understood instantly.
Understanding Li Qian’s meaning, it didn’t hesitate—nor did it dare to. It immediately followed him.
It had no choice but to follow. This human before it might look harmless and seem like no threat, but Xiaohui knew very well that he had two other enforcers—two extremely vicious Pet Beasts.
If it didn’t obey, it would probably get beaten to a pulp again. Er, why did I say "again"...? It was obvious that prior to this, it had already experienced the full extent of those two’s ferocity.
It was a feeling Xiaohui had absolutely no desire to experience a second time, so it chose to be a wise bird and adapt to the situation.
Leading Xiaohui toward a pre-surveyed location, Li Qian was in no hurry. He tapped his VR glasses and made a call to the owner of the Cultivation Base, Shi Gui Fang.
The call connected quickly. Li Qian could faintly hear voices in conversation, guessing that Shi Gui Fang must be talking with someone.
He briefly explained his situation, though he had already given her a heads-up the night before, just before bed.
For the Gray Bean Dove to evolve into an Extreme Fierce Storm Eagle, it needed the guidance of the "Wind’s Breath" Skill. This was a problem Li Qian could solve himself if he put his mind to it.
However, since he was now employed at the Sky Realm Cultivation Base, his contract stipulated that the Cultivation Base was obligated to assist him in his evolution research.
More importantly, handling this matter himself would undoubtedly waste a lot of time. Therefore, in the spirit of making rational use of resources, Li Qian directly informed Shi Gui Fang.
When she heard the news from Li Qian, she was surprised at first. But after confirming it multiple times, her surprise turned into delight.
No matter the scale, any evolution research—even if it was just from an Ordinary Level Pet Beast to an Elite Level one—was a good thing for the Sky Realm Cultivation Base, which was essentially starting from zero.
So she agreed decisively over the phone with almost no hesitation.
She had initially worried that Li Qian might have just been putting up a smokescreen. Now, receiving his call saying everything was ready and just waiting for the final piece of the puzzle, she could finally put her heart at ease.
To support Li Qian’s evolution research, she hadn’t just brought him the "east wind"—she had brought him a hurricane.
In truth, she had another motive for doing this: to prove to certain people in her family that she could achieve something even after leaving their support.
That was why this time, she had invited the elder who doted on her most in the family—her grandaunt, Shi Yulian.
Because her grandaunt was powerful in her own right, and also a professor at Zhonghai Beast Taming University, she carried significant weight within the family. As long as she spoke up for her, Shi Gui Fang believed it would definitely change her parents’ minds.
Originally, her plan was to wait until the Cultivation Base was on the right track, until she had recruited some capable Breeders and had some concrete results to show for it, before inviting her grandaunt over for a tour.
Unfortunately, the pressure from her parents was too intense, forcing her to take a gamble. Now, all she could do was hope that Li Qian would deliver, that his evolution research would be impressive.
If his research could reach the Commander Level, it would be absolutely perfect.
Commander Level evolution research would naturally be nothing special in the eyes of a figure like her grandaunt, but for a Cultivation Base that was just starting to rebuild, it would be a monumental achievement.
With these thoughts in mind, Shi Gui Fang led a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her fifties through the gates of the Sky Realm Cultivation Base.
Noticing her grandniece’s fluctuating emotions after taking the call, Shi Yulian smiled and asked, "Was that the Breeder who needs my personal assistance to complete his evolution research?"
"Yes!"
Shi Gui Fang nodded. However, to avoid getting her grandaunt’s hopes up too high—which could lead to great disappointment if the results were less than ideal—she added a preemptive explanation, "Grandaunt, I mainly called you over today to give you a tour of the Cultivation Base I just took over. Assisting our base’s newly hired Breeder with his evolution research is just a coincidence, something that happened to come up."
Shi Gui Fang was very clever; she knew exactly how to handle the situation.
Her words were meant to lower her grandaunt’s expectations. That way, if the research didn’t go smoothly or the results were lackluster, the psychological blow wouldn’t be as severe. And if the results were brilliant, it might even create a wonderful surprise.
"Is that so?" Shi Yulian was old and shrewd. With just a brief listen, she had already seen through her grandniece’s little scheme. She asked leisurely,
"Of course. And I’m sure that with your support, Grandaunt, this research is bound to be a success," Shi Gui Fang replied, then immediately changed the subject.
Shi Yulian chuckled, choosing not to expose her grandniece’s little ploy. Instead, she went along with it, saying, "Well, don’t get your hopes up too high. Your grandaunt isn’t a Breeder. I’m fine with brawling and fighting, but sitting down quietly to do research is not my strong suit at all."