As Zhonghai Beast Taming University sprang into action, incensed by Principal Xia Cunzhou’s fury, Li Qian had already arrived in Yunlan City through a Teleportation Array.
Yunlan City’s Transmission Center was no different from the ones in Zhonghai City or Qianshan City—it was still an iron tower.
Li Qian figured there had to be some kind of hidden secret involved.
He was slightly curious but had no intention of investigating.
It came back to the same principle: once his strength reached a certain level, all the world’s secrets would unveil themselves.
After leaving the iron tower, Li Qian mulled it over for a moment and decided not to impose on Mu Qianqian.
Although Mu Qianqian had said that he was welcome to visit anytime he came to Yunlan City, Li Qian knew very well that now was not a good time to be a "guest."
For one thing, there was the crisis in the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm, and he didn’t have the slightest inkling of a solution. If he went to see her now, he’d just be freeloading, which made him feel a bit awkward.
For another, he needed to hurry back to Lingshui City. With the start of the school year just around the corner, he had to get home to take care of a few essential matters.
The most urgent task was helping his mother, Han Yuqing, evolve her Gray Bean Dove.
As for whether it could evolve into an Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle, he couldn’t guarantee it.
He could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
On top of that, over the past few months, quite a few Koi Carp at the Cultivation Base had reached the point where they were ready to evolve.
Li Qian needed to help them evolve into Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragons or Frostfire Salamanders.
Having made his decision, Li Qian didn’t waste any time. After leaving the Transmission Center, he headed straight for Yunlan City’s high-speed rail station.
The High-speed Rail Robot sped along quickly, and he was back in Lingshui City by that afternoon.
He’d already called his parents, so the two of them were waiting for him at the entrance to the base.
As soon as they saw Li Qian’s taxi pull to a stop, they rushed over.
Li Qian got out of the car and did a little spin, his way of showing his parents he was perfectly all right.
He had wanted to tell them that he hadn’t changed at all, but his sharp-eyed mother, Han Yuqing, immediately noticed something different. "Xiaotian, you’ve lost weight."
"Really?" His father, Li Chengyang, looked him up and down, not quite seeing it.
"You don’t know our son like I do!" Seeing that Li Chengyang actually dared to doubt her, Han Yuqing shot him an indignant look.
A mother knows her son best.
Li Qian knew that he had in fact lost a little weight, but not much. It shouldn’t have been noticeable without a close look.
He just hadn’t expected his mother to spot it in a single glance.
"Alright, alright, you know best." Li Chengyang immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
Li Qian couldn’t help but let out a heartfelt smile.
’It’s good to be home.’
After a few more moments of cheerful chatter, the family of three prepared to head into the Cultivation Base.
Jiaoyang Cultivation Base had long since become their home.
Their small apartment in the city had been sitting vacant for a while. Other than Han Yuqing dropping by to clean it every now and then, the place was usually empty.
The three of them stepped into the Cultivation Base, but as they reached the main gate, Li Qian suddenly stopped.
A five-pointed star above the main gate was particularly striking, and it immediately drew Li Qian’s gaze.
Jiaoyang Cultivation Base had completed its evaluation and was now officially a One-star Cultivation Base.
Li Qian knew that the base’s manager—Fatty An’s father, An Hou Nian—had been handling this all along.
He’d started working on the application right after Li Qian left.
So, it wasn’t a surprise to see it had been approved.
Of course, Li Qian also recognized the hard work An Hou Nian had put in.
The only shame was that regulations didn’t allow for skipping star levels or receiving them in quick succession.
Otherwise, with his accomplishments, Jiaoyang Cultivation Base would have had enough merit to jump straight to Three-Stars.
"’Uncle An, thank you for all your hard work.’ Li Qian murmured to himself, looking away from the star."
Li Chengyang nodded in agreement. "That’s right. Jiaoyang Cultivation Base is thriving today, and Manager An’s contributions have been indispensable."
"Managing a Cultivation Base might look simple, but it involves dealing with all sorts of chaotic details."
Han Yuqing also chimed in, "Without Manager An, there are so many things we wouldn’t know how to handle."
"Don’t worry. I can guarantee that Uncle An won’t regret joining our Jiaoyang Cultivation Base." Li Qian smiled, offering a promise of sorts.
The family of three continued into the Cultivation Base, their conversation filled with laughter.
From the nearby gatehouse, Uncle Zhang watched them and smiled, pleased.
After entering the Cultivation Base, Li Qian was led by his parents directly to Building One.
Even though it was well past lunchtime, Han Yuqing had prepared a feast, figuring Li Qian was probably starving.
It was a spread of all his favorite dishes.
The sight of the magnificent feast made Li Qian’s mouth water.
He had eaten lunch on the high-speed rail.
He’d had a boxed meal.
It wasn’t awful, but it was a far cry from "delicious."
Now, faced with a table laden with delicacies, he realized he was truly famished.
Picking up his bowl and chopsticks, he began to dig in without hesitation.
While he was out adventuring this summer break, he’d managed well enough, but the one thing he’d desperately missed was his mother’s cooking.
Today, he could finally indulge himself.
As Han Yuqing watched her son eat with such gusto, a complicated look surfaced on her face.
The thought that her son would be leaving again in just a few days—and this time for the Western Province, thousands of miles away—made her heart ache with reluctance.
Li Qian was thoroughly enjoying his meal when, suddenly, his phone rang.
Li Qian glanced over at it.
It was an unknown number.
From Zhonghai City.
He rejected the call without a second thought.
’No one was going to interrupt this delicious meal and his precious family time.’
At the exact moment Li Qian rejected the call, Vice-Principal Yu Jinhai, who was in charge of admissions at Zhonghai Beast Taming University in Dongyue Province’s Zhonghai City, looked utterly stunned.
Someone had actually hung up on him.
’It had been a long time since something like this had happened.’
He felt a flicker of annoyance, but a glance at the pre-saved name in his contacts was enough to make him suppress his displeasure.
’Perhaps it wasn’t a good time for him to answer.’
’Or maybe he thought it was a spam call.’
With that in mind, he decided he would try calling again in a little while.
Having steeled himself, he waited about ten minutes before dialing the number again...