It was a little after ten at night, and the scenic area was quiet, almost deserted.
I say 'almost deserted' because a beautiful, spiritual mountain area like this is bound to attract some night-hiking enthusiasts.
Some were there to stargaze, others to watch the sunrise the next morning.
However, nearly all of them were headed for the summit.
The midway point on the mountain was utterly silent.
To be precise, it was silent one moment, but in the next, two figures were slowly approaching.
Meanwhile, in a hotel not far from the scenic area's main entrance.
In one of the rooms, Liu Changfeng, the captain of the Public Security Bureau's special operations team, dressed in a black uniform, gazed coldly at the seven subordinates standing neatly before him. "I will now announce tonight's mission objective."
"Capture them alive if you can. If you can't, eliminate them on the spot!"
A team member spoke up. "Captain, what about the tourists in the scenic area?"
Liu Changfeng looked at the team member. "Don't worry. There aren't many tourists lingering in the scenic area at night, and we already have Public Security Bureau colleagues mixed in among them for protection."
After that brief explanation, Liu Changfeng said no more. He raised his hand and swung it down sharply.
As his hand fell, an azure moth about the size of a washbasin suddenly materialized from the void.
The azure moth beat its wings, showering them in a brilliant starlight. Bathed in the glow, the eight members of the Public Security Bureau's special operations team, including Liu Changfeng, vanished without a trace.
Let's turn to our other story. On the other side, Li Qian and Fatty An had arrived at the base of the Hundred Feet Waterfall.
"You've kept me in suspense long enough, haven't you?" Fatty An glanced at the magnificent, rushing Hundred Feet Waterfall, then fixed his curious gaze on Li Qian.
"Yes, I suppose I have," Li Qian said with a faint, confident smile.
As soon as he spoke, he pointed a finger.
He was pointing at the pool of water beside them. Just as Fatty An was wondering what was going on, a pale blue Hexagram Summoning Array suddenly materialized on the water's surface.
The sight brought instant understanding to Fatty An, followed by a look of sheer disbelief. "You've already contracted a Pet Beast? You're not taking the one the school assigns?"
'The Pet Beasts the school assigns have high Potential,' he thought. 'For Li Qian to contract a Pet Beast now... does that mean he found one with even higher Potential?'
The pale blue Hexagram Array faded.
Uh...
When Fatty An got a clear look at the Pet Beast Li Qian had summoned, he froze on the spot.
He even...
...rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"A Koi Carp?!"
After confirming that the Pet Beast that appeared in the pool after the Hexagram Summoning Array vanished was indeed just a Koi Carp, his eyes widened. "Are you insane?! Are you insane?!"
He was dumbfounded.
"Qianzi, have you lost your mind?!" Fatty An walked over to Li Qian and shook him, as if trying to wake him up. "Even the worst Pet Beasts our school assigns have at least Tier One Commander Potential! You've already awakened your Beast Taming Space, so you're eligible to get one. Why on earth would you contract this useless Koi Carp?"
Qizai was quite intelligent and seemed to understand some of Fatty An's words. It rolled its eyes in a very human-like way underwater and blew a few bubbles in his direction, showing its displeasure.
Li Qian wasn't surprised by Fatty An's outburst.
In fact, if it weren't for his Golden Finger, and if he hadn't completed his research on the evolutionary path from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon, contracting Qizai would have indeed been a brain-dead decision.
He shot Fatty An a grateful look. After all, his friend's outburst was out of concern for him.
Fatty An just didn't know the real situation.
And Li Qian wasn't the type to not appreciate good intentions.
With a smile, he pointed at Qizai in the water. "Fatty An, this Koi Carp of mine is no ordinary fish."
Fatty An squinted at it. "It does look a little different, but it's just a bit bigger and longer than a normal Koi Carp. That's not a good enough reason to contract it, is it? It doesn't look like it's mutated, and even if it did, a mutated Koi Carp is still just a Koi Carp. Its Potential is still garbage!"
He continued indignantly, finally letting out a sigh of frustration. "I really don't get why you would contract such a useless Pet Beast!"
"Sigh, the contract is made. What's done is done, there's no changing it now..."
Seeing Fatty An lamenting on his behalf, Li Qian gave a wry smile. "Fatty An, don't get so worked up. I had my reasons for contracting this Koi Carp!"
"Remember that Dominator Level Potential Pet Beast I told you about before?"
Hearing this, Fatty An snapped back to reality. "Don't tell me the Dominator Level Potential Pet Beast you were talking about is this Koi Carp?"
"That's right!" Li Qian didn't hide it and nodded.
'At this point, Qizai is about to evolve. There's no point in hiding it anymore,' he thought.
"A Koi Carp? A Dominator Level Potential Pet Beast?" Seeing Li Qian nod, Fatty An started to wonder if he was hallucinating.
Li Qian mused to himself, 'Fatty An's Breeder classes were pretty average. He probably doesn't know that Koi Carp have an Evolutionary Form like the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon.' So, he didn't bother explaining.
He crouched down and gave Fatty An a mysterious smile. "You'll see in a minute."
With that said, he pulled a bag out of his backpack.
It was the two pounds of Dragon Bone Powder he had prepared earlier.
"Qizai, it's time!"
After taking out the Dragon Bone Powder, Li Qian's gaze was firm as he looked at Qizai in the water.
Qizai swam a circle in the water, looking full of energy. Its fish eyes seemed to gleam with a fierce aura.
Once everything was ready, Li Qian no longer hesitated. He poured the entire bag, a full two pounds of Dragon Bone Powder, into the water.
In the water, Qizai took a sharp inhale.
The powerful suction instantly formed a small Vortex.
In a flash, the white Dragon Bone Powder was completely devoured by Qizai.
Seeing this, Li Qian stood up, dropped his backpack, and took out a fruit shaped somewhat like a bell. Gripping the fruit in his hand, he broke into a frantic sprint and shouted, "Qizai, climb that waterfall!"
As his voice faded, he also released Ah Fu to observe the evolutionary process. Li Qian was already running at top speed, his target being the stone steps right beside the waterfall.
Several hundred stone steps led straight to the top of the waterfall!
It would be no easy feat for Li Qian to reach the top of the waterfall before Qizai finished climbing the Hundred Feet Waterfall.
But at this moment, he was filled with confidence, feeling an endless surge of power welling up within his body.
At the same time, Qizai unhesitatingly shot forward like a line of water, charging toward the Hundred Feet Waterfall with an indomitable spirit.
Watching the man and fish in such a passionate, high-octane display, Fatty An was a little dumbfounded.
But he quickly came to his senses, a hint of veiled anticipation on his face.
He knew Li Qian's personality well.
His friend might shoot the breeze and joke around with him occasionally, but when it came to important matters, he never fooled around or acted carelessly.
'Qianzi, that guy... he couldn't have actually figured out an evolutionary path for the Koi Carp, could he?!'
The guess seemed absurd, but considering what Li Qian had said earlier, it seemed to be the only explanation that fit the current situation.
But this was a what?!
A Koi Carp!
One of the four universally acknowledged "useless" pets in the Beast Taming Realm!
If Li Qian had really discovered an evolutionary method for the Koi Carp, even if it only led to Commander Level Potential, let alone Dominator Level, it would be an earthquake of a revelation.
If it were true, Li Qian's status would probably undergo a cataclysmic change in an instant.
With this achievement alone, he could immediately ascend to the rank of Intermediate Breeder.
Even...
...a direct promotion to Advanced Breeder wouldn't be out of the question!
As his thoughts raced, he saw that Li Qian had already climbed more than ten meters up the stone steps.
Just as his gaze swept over to Golden Carp Qizai's position, a storm erupted in his heart.
Because Qizai had already begun climbing the waterfall, its altitude steadily increasing. A distinct line of water could be seen moving against the current.
Of course, while this scene was strange, it wasn't enough to truly shock Fatty An.
What he found truly unbelievable was that within that line of water, a faint Light of Evolution had begun to glow.
What did this mean?!
The Golden Carp Qizai before his eyes was actually evolving!!