Instead of going home, Li Qian headed straight for the artificial waterfall in the West Suburb. He had already packed two buns in his schoolbag that morning, enough to get him through his training for the evening.
The artificial waterfall in the West Suburb was a bit farther from school than from his home, so it took Li Qian about forty-five minutes to get there.
Just as he parked his bicycle by the embankment, a bird about the size of a millstone cried out in midair, catching his attention.
Except for its pale gold beak and talons, the bird's feathers were entirely a drab gray.
It was a Gray Bean Dove. Li Qian was very familiar with this particular one—it was his mother Han Yuqing's Pet Beast, named Douzi.
"Douzi, over here!" Li Qian shouted, waving in the Gray Bean Dove's direction as he started walking toward the edge of the pond.
Douzi circled once in the air before descending rapidly, landing steadily on a large rock beside the pond.
Li Qian looked at Douzi and activated his Eye of True Sight.
[Name: Gray Bean Dove]
[Attribute: Wind]
[Level: Tier Three Elite]
[Potential: Tier Five Elite]
[Skills: Pecking (Mastery), Claw Strike (Mastery), Steel Feather (Skilled), Wind Blade (Skilled), Gale Slash (Beginner)]
He nodded as he read the information.
'Although our family's financial situation is pretty average, judging by Douzi's stats, Mom has done a decent job raising it.'
Li Qian recalled that the Gray Bean Dove's evolved form was the Storm Eagle, which had a Racial Potential of Tier Nine Commander.
'The method and resources needed to evolve a Gray Bean Dove into a Storm Eagle are public knowledge, but one of the required items, the Xunfeng Stone, costs over 200,000. Even if our family could afford it, we wouldn't be able to bring ourselves to spend that kind of money.'
'Besides, the Xunfeng Stone isn't the only thing needed for the evolution. The other resources combined are worth over 150,000.'
'In other words, evolving the Gray Bean Dove into a Storm Eagle would cost at least 350,000.'
'My parents would never spend that money. They'd rather invest all their resources in me.'
'From their perspective, they've already reached the end of their own paths as Beast Masters, so there's little point in investing further.'
But Li Qian didn't see it that way. 'Whether it's Mom's Gray Bean Dove or Dad's Land Bear, once I'm in a better position, I'm going to make sure they evolve.'
'Whether my parents have grand ambitions is one thing; whether they have the strength to ensure their own safety is another matter entirely.'
"CHIRP..." Douzi chirped happily at Li Qian a few times from its perch on the rock.
Having spent so much time with them, Li Qian was on good terms with both the Gray Bean Dove and the Land Bear.
Li Qian gave a small wave and a smile in return before walking to the edge of the pond. He called out into the water, "Qizai, Ah Fu, come on out."
As the words left his mouth, ripples spread across the water's surface. A moment later, two fish heads emerged—it was Qizai and Ah Fu.
Without a word, Li Qian tossed in a few pieces of Energy Fish Food and simultaneously activated his Eye of True Sight to check on them.
[Name: Koi Carp (Qizai)]
[Attribute: Water]
[Level: Tier Five]
[Potential: Tier Seven]
[Skills: Fish Jump (Perfection), Climbing Waterfall (Mastery)]
Li Qian was delighted to see Qizai's stats. 'I can't believe its Climbing Waterfall Skill improved a whole level in such a short time.'
But his delight was quickly followed by a frown.
'For Qizai to get its Climbing Waterfall Skill to the Master Level so quickly, it must have been putting in extra practice after I left.'
Li Qian was about to offer a word of caution, but he held his tongue. He considered that the location was quite remote, and with the way the water cascaded down, it was unlikely anyone would notice Qizai practicing the Climbing Waterfall Skill.
'In any case, it's a good thing for a Pet Beast to be so driven.'
After checking Qizai's stats, Li Qian turned his attention to Ah Fu.
[Name: Koi Carp (Ah Fu)]
[Attribute: Water]
[Level: Tier Three]
[Potential: Tier Seven]
[Skills: Fish Jump (Perfection), Climbing Waterfall (Beginner)]
Qizai had always had a competitive personality, so Li Qian wasn't surprised it had managed to raise its Climbing Waterfall Skill to the Mastery level. But for Ah Fu to have also reached the Beginner level with the skill—that truly shocked him.
But when he saw Ah Fu cautiously swim over to eat, not daring to get too close to Qizai, Li Qian started to understand what had happened.
'It seemed that while I was away, Qizai hadn't just been training on its own; it had also been bringing—or rather, forcing—Ah Fu to train as well.'
'Otherwise, Ah Fu wouldn't be so afraid of it.'
"Qizai, what's wrong? Why aren't you eating?" Li Qian asked, puzzled when he saw that Qizai wasn't immediately eating the Energy Fish Food.
Just as Li Qian was wondering, Qizai dived, plunging to the bottom of the pond. It resurfaced a moment later with a blue-and-black-streaked head next to it.
Li Qian stared intently and realized that the head belonged to a fish.
After a moment of observation, Li Qian identified the fish.
Its information was revealed under his Eye of True Sight.
[Name: Sparrow-tailed Fish]
[Attribute: Water]
[Level: Tier One Elite]
[Potential: Tier Two Commander]
[Skills: Water Arrow (Perfection), Water Cannon (Perfection), High-Pressure Water Cannon (Mastery), Tide (Beginner)]
When he saw the Skill "Tide," Li Qian's eyes widened.
As his Eye of True Sight probed deeper, information about the "Tide" Skill appeared.
[Skill: Tide]
[Skill Description: A special Skill that Water-type Pet Beasts can only grasp under specific conditions. While in water, a Pet Beast with the Tide Skill can rapidly recover stamina and Energy, and heal from injuries. The higher the Skill Level, the faster the recovery.]
'A passive-recovery Skill!'
'It's actually a passive-recovery Skill!'
Li Qian knew very well that if a Pet Beast had a recovery Skill—especially a passive one—its sustained combat ability would increase exponentially.
Snapping out of his shock, Li Qian's expression turned grim.
He had noticed that something was wrong with the Sparrow-tailed Fish's condition.
Many of its scales were missing, there seemed to be a number on its dorsal fin, and its tail, which should have been as magnificent as a peacock's, was scorched black as if from an Electric Shock.
Li Qian drew in a sharp breath. 'To be alive after such severe injuries... it must be thanks to that Tide Skill.'
Li Qian looked at Qizai, who was now circling the Sparrow-tailed Fish, looking extremely anxious.
Seeing this, Li Qian instantly understood. "Qizai, you want me to save it!"
Qizai: "GURGLE..."
Although it couldn't speak, Qizai's meaning was perfectly clear. Li Qian didn't hesitate. He turned to the Sparrow-tailed Fish. "If you trust me, go into this Beast Taming Ball. I'll take you to a Pet Beast Hospital."
With that, Li Qian took out a Beast Taming Ball, pressed the button, and a beam of capturing light shot out.
The Sparrow-tailed Fish didn't resist and was successfully drawn into the Beast Taming Ball.
"Qizai, Ah Fu, you two keep training. I'm taking the Sparrow-tailed Fish to the Pet Beast Hospital." After giving his instructions, he looked up at the Gray Bean Dove. "Douzi, let's go!"
Douzi cried out and soared into the sky.
Li Qian, meanwhile, ran toward his bicycle.
Uncontracted Pet Beasts weren't allowed in the city, but Douzi was a Contracted Pet Beast and had been registered at the Beast Taming Center.
Therefore, it was allowed to fly over the city.