Hearing the young woman’s slightly bewildered voice, Li Qian was just as shocked by the result.
Then, he suddenly pieced a few things together. An expression of dawning realization quickly spread across his face.
’So that’s it. When he submitted the task, not only did he receive a massive infusion of breeding knowledge as if by enlightenment, but his Spiritual Power also took a quantum leap.’
’And it wasn’t just this time.’
’Thinking back, it seems I’ve gotten this kind of ’task feedback’ every single time I submitted a breeding mission.’
It’s just that growth in Spiritual Power isn’t as obvious as an improvement in physical fitness; you can’t spot it right away.
This was especially true when his own Spiritual Power Level had been low.
A low Spiritual Power Level meant weak Perception.
Taking off the Spiritual Power-detecting helmet, Li Qian was in a great mood and laughed heartily. "Hahaha, just my luck! A minor gain, that’s all."
Though his words were humble, feigning it was all "just my luck," he couldn’t suppress the smug look on his face.
He was simply overcome with joy.
Li Qian knew perfectly well that the significance of this Spiritual Power boost was completely different.
It wasn’t just a simple increase in power.
Nor was it just about the possibility of quickly breaking through his current limits.
It was a pathway!
A wide, open road to success!
A clear, smooth path to rapidly increasing his power by completing breeding missions.
Before, Li Qian had occasionally worried that his power growth wouldn’t keep pace with his rising Breeder Level, that he would fall behind. Now, with this discovery, he could cast all those worries aside.
Besides, now that he thought about it, it had only been a few months, and his Spiritual Power had already reached Tier Seven Elite. That in itself was a bit "abnormal"!
Now, the mystery was solved.
Seeing Li Qian laugh so heartily, Sun Ruirui was happy for him too. "Congratulations, Brother Qian."
Of course, amidst her happiness for him, an almost imperceptible trace of sorrow flickered in her eyes.
Li Qian looked at Sun Ruirui, his face full of confidence, and said meaningfully, "The same to you. I believe your problem as an Apocalypse will be solved very soon."
Sun Ruirui subconsciously assumed Li Qian was just trying to comfort her again, so she thanked him in a sweet voice, "Thank you, Brother Qian."
Seeing this, Li Qian wanted to say more but hesitated.
In the end, he restrained the impulse and didn’t reveal the truth right away.
He planned to wait until everything was ready before giving her a sudden surprise.
...
「That night.」
In the dead of night.
Li Qian’s figure appeared at the small bay on the northeast corner of the property.
Standing on the beach, he faced the small bay and called out, "Ah Hai."
When the bay remained as calm as a mirror with no signs of disturbance, he continued, "Ah Hai, I know you’re in the water."
Without pausing, he went on, "I’ve figured out the evolution method from Golden Pearl Bud to Tidal Sea Spirit. It can solve Ruirui’s problem. I’m sure you want to see that day come as soon as possible, too."
SPLASH!
The moment his voice faded, the sound of water breaking the surface rang out.
A Pet Beast emerged from the water. It had the upper body of a man and the lower body of a fish, with four arms and hair like coral.
It was Comrade Lao Sun’s Pet Beast, the Tidal Sea Spirit, Ah Hai!
A smile touched Li Qian’s lips when he saw Ah Hai. "You’ve finally decided to show yourself."
The Tidal Sea Spirit, Ah Hai, looked at Li Qian and spoke in a voice like that of a young man. "You really figured out the evolution method from Golden Pearl Bud to Tidal Sea Spirit?"
"You can talk?!" Li Qian’s eyes widened in surprise when he heard its voice.
Ah Hai replied nonchalantly, "I’m a Humanoid Pet Beast, and my power has reached Emperor Level. It’s not strange at all that I can speak the human language."
"In fact, it’s not just me. Most Pet Beasts that reach Emperor Level can easily learn human languages, as long as they aren’t low-intelligence types like insects or Magical Beasts."
After hearing Ah Hai’s explanation, Li Qian suddenly realized something. "Then before..."
Ah Hai knew what Li Qian was about to say and curled his lip. "Before, I simply didn’t feel like talking."
Waving a hand, Ah Hai cut to the chase. "Alright, that’s enough nonsense. Let’s get back to what you said earlier. Have you really mastered the evolution method from Golden Pearl Bud to Tidal Sea Spirit?"
"Yes," Li Qian said, nodding without hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Ah Hai looked at Li Qian, his eyes filled with doubt. "My master spent so many years on this problem without figuring it out, and you solved it after looking into it just once?"
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to believe Li Qian, but the whole thing was just too incredible.
Li Qian chuckled, his voice smug. "That’s because I’m a breeding genius."
Ah Hai shot Li Qian a cold glance. "You’d better not be bluffing. If you are, the consequences will be dire."
The smile didn’t leave Li Qian’s face. "I’m not stupid enough to joke around in front of an Emperor Level Pet Beast."
Seeing his confidence, Ah Hai chose to believe him for the time being. "Fine. Tell me, what do you need from me?"
Li Qian answered immediately, "It’s simple. Help me prepare two Golden Pearl Buds. They must meet the evolution requirements, meaning their ’Budding’ Skill must have reached Breakthrough Level."
"Once they’re ready, hand the two Golden Pearl Buds over to me."
"I need to communicate some things with them. After that’s done, we can prepare for the evolution."
After a brief pause, he added, "And during the evolution, we’ll need your ’Life Dew’ Skill to assist."
After hearing Li Qian’s explanation, Ah Hai fell silent. A moment later, he said, "Alright. Come back here again tomorrow night."
"Elder Liao, good morning!" The next morning, at Hongqiao Manor, Li Qian saw Elder Liao and greeted him with a beaming smile.
"Cultivator Li, I trust you’ll be leaving today," Elder Liao said, looking at Li Qian with an expression that was the complete opposite of his cheerful one.
Li Qian suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh dear, I forgot to tell you! Last night, while looking over some data, I had a sudden burst of inspiration. I feel like I’m not far from finishing my research, so I’m planning to stay a few more days to consult with Ruirui and Professor Sun."
The corner of Elder Liao’s eye twitched. "Professor Sun is busy for the next few days."
Li Qian’s smile grew even wider. "That’s fine. Consulting with Ruirui will work just as well."
Elder Liao’s tone turned cold, and he lowered his voice. "Cultivator Li, I hope you understand that pestering her won’t get you anywhere."
Li Qian chuckled. "Oh? And how would you know that?"
"You..."
Elder Liao was about to retort when a pleasant voice called out, "What are you two talking about?"
Li Qian looked at the gracefully approaching Sun Ruirui and said in a lighthearted tone, "We were just discussing what to have for breakfast."
Hearing this, Elder Liao was so furious he could barely restrain himself from cursing out loud.