"Also, help me purchase some Life Water Drops, Spirit-Encompassing Crystal Stones, Jade Dragon Fruits, and Jade Nether Grass." Li Qian continued, stating his requirements.
’He just had to make the requests. Whether or not they could be fulfilled was Shi Gui Fang’s problem.’
Besides, these four Extraordinary Resources weren’t exceptionally rare, nor was their value outrageous. Li Qian believed that if she was diligent about sourcing them, it wouldn’t be a problem.
’As for the Xunfeng Bamboo, he wasn’t worried in the slightest. The little rich girl had so much in stock; sparing a little for him would be a piece of cake.’
Undoubtedly, purchasing these Extraordinary Resources—especially the last four—indicated that he was already preparing to test the evolution method for the Golden Pearl Bud into a Tidal Sea Spirit.
Of course, Li Qian wasn’t foolish enough to tell Shi Gui Fang about every resource he needed. He deliberately left out the Void Stone.
’He had already decided that he had to purchase this crucial Extraordinary Resource himself.’
’It wasn’t that he wanted to unfairly assume the worst of her, but the evolution method for the Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle was at stake. He couldn’t afford to be anything but cautious.’
Li Qian planned to focus on cultivating a batch of Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagles during this period. He would even give one to Shi Gui Fang, but giving her an Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle and giving her its evolution method were two completely different matters.
’He could generously give away an egg, but the hen that laid it? She shouldn’t even dream of it—unless it was an equal trade.’
So, Li Qian held something back, not revealing all the Extraordinary Resources he required.
Shi Gui Fang was a little surprised to hear the names of the Extraordinary Resources Li Qian listed. But despite her surprise, she agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
"Okay. I’ll have someone start procuring these resources right away."
After she nodded in agreement, she asked, a little curious, "Life Water Drops, Spirit-Encompassing Crystal Stones, Jade Dragon Fruits, and Jade Nether Grass... they all seem to be Life Element Extraordinary Resources..."
Li Qian wasn’t the least bit surprised by Shi Gui Fang’s curiosity. If their roles were reversed, he’d have the same question.
So he immediately gave her the excuse he had already prepared. "I’ve been researching an evolution method for a Life-type Pet Beast recently, so I need Extraordinary Resources with the matching attribute."
"An evolution method for a Life-type Pet Beast?!" Li Qian’s understated remark made Shi Gui Fang’s eyes widen in shock.
She couldn’t help but repeat the phrase, almost thinking she had heard him wrong.
"That’s right. A Life-type Pet Beast." Li Qian found his little boss’s exaggerated reaction rather amusing. He gave her a faint smile and confirmed it.
"How far along is the research?" Having received Li Qian’s confirmation, Shi Gui Fang pressed him eagerly.
"It’s not even off the ground yet," Li Qian said with a smile, before abruptly changing the subject. "By the way, do you happen to know Elder Li Sukuai from the Transmission Center?"
"Elder Li Sukuai from the Transmission Center! I’ve heard of him, but I’ve never met him."
Shi Gui Fang didn’t give it much thought and answered directly, "The elders in my family have mentioned him. He’s a Saint Spirit Level Beast Master, one of the most famous experts in our Zhonghai City."
"Then why is there so little information about him online?" Li Qian pressed.
Shi Gui Fang continued to explain, "These great elders are usually very low-key. It’s perfectly normal for there to be little information about them online."
"Of course, the most important thing is that great elders of the Saint Spirit Level like them don’t actually spend much time in our world."
Shi Gui Fang’s words made something click for Li Qian. "Dimension Plane?"
"Yes. The Ancestral Star has been peaceful for many years. Even in the wild, powerful Pet Beasts are few and far between. Experts don’t get much of a challenge by staying here."
Shi Gui Fang nodded. "So most of the Federation’s experts spend almost all their time in the Dimension Planes and the Outer Heaven Battlefield—especially the Dimension Planes."
Hearing this, Li Qian fell into thought. He understood the reasoning.
The trials offered to Beast Masters and their Pet Beasts in the Dimension Planes and the Outer Heaven Battlefield were on a level the Ancestral Star simply couldn’t match.
Traveling to the Outer Heaven Battlefield was relatively difficult, and it seemed more dangerous as well. In comparison, the Dimension Planes were the most suitable option.
"And what about the Void Blood Bat?" Having gotten a rough idea about Li Sukuai, Li Qian saw that Shi Gui Fang had no more to add. Assuming her knowledge was limited, he threw out another question.
"Void Blood Bat? I’ve never heard of it..." Shi Gui Fang repeated the Pet Beast’s name, mulling it over before shaking her head.
Li Qian wasn’t surprised. He had only asked on the off chance she might know—a shot in the dark.
’The Void Blood Bat hides in High-dimensional Space. It was perfectly normal for someone of Shi Gui Fang’s power level not to know about it.’
Perhaps noticing the faint look of disappointment on Li Qian’s face, Shi Gui Fang added without much thought, "I might not know, but my grand-aunt definitely will. I’ll give her a call and ask."
"Don’t..." Li Qian started to refuse, but the words died on his lips as he remembered Li Sukuai’s reminder. He let out a breath and said gratefully, "In that case, I’ll have to trouble you."
His mind wasn’t at its sharpest during the day, so Li Qian didn’t do much research or deep thinking. After looking over some materials for a while, he called it a day.
「The next day」
After a good night’s sleep, Li Qian was woken early by the chirping of bird-type Pet Beasts at the Sky Realm Cultivation Base.
After leaving the White Castle and going for an hour-long morning run, Li Qian had pushed all the troubling, unsolvable questions to the back of his mind. ’In the end,’ he thought, ’it all comes down to the same thing: once my power is great enough, nothing will be a secret anymore.’
That was what Li Qian thought. But then, when he finished his run and returned to the White Castle, a single sentence from the person waiting for him shattered his newfound peace of mind.
Standing face-to-face with Li Qian was Elder Shi Yulian, the woman he had met once before—Shi Gui Fang’s grand-aunt. With a grave expression, she asked, "Where did you hear about the Void Blood Bat?"
Li Qian was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Shi Gui Fang’s grand-aunt to take the matter so seriously that she would come to question him in person.
After a moment’s thought, Li Qian decided not to hide the truth. "Elder Shi, I didn’t hear about it from someone," he said frankly. "I saw the Void Blood Bat with my own eyes."
"What?!" Hearing the first part of his sentence, Shi Yulian had started to relax. She’d assumed Li Qian had simply come across the Pet Beast’s name in some document or book and was only asking out of curiosity. She never imagined his next words would strike her ears like a sudden clap of thunder. Her heart leaped into her throat, and the volume of her voice jumped an octave without her realizing it.