The six-meter-long Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon was majestic and awe-inspiring.
It rose up, riding the wind...
This was "riding the wind" in the most literal sense.
In an instant, it kicked up a gale.
The wind whipped the pool's water into turbulent waves.
It blew so hard that Fatty An could barely keep his eyes open.
This wasn't intentional.
It was just that Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon Qizai had only just finished evolving and couldn't yet control the Energy in its body at will.
Faced with the biting might unintentionally unleashed by the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon, Fatty An was overwhelmed—his emotions in turmoil, his spirit soaring, his heart captivated by what he saw.
At this moment, he had completely forgotten about the Black Flame Swordsman, a Pet Beast with Potential that had just scraped Dominator Level.
Whether in appearance or in power, the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon was leagues ahead.
As for the Black Flame Swordsman having a chance to evolve into a Black Flame Sword Monarch with Monarch Potential...
That was just a pipe dream...
Not to mention the low probability of evolution; even if it could succeed, the cost of the evolution alone was something neither he, nor even his family, could afford.
Besides, since Li Qian could figure out the evolutionary path from a Koi Carp to a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon...
Who knows? Maybe in the future, he could even figure out an evolutionary path beyond the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon...
At this moment, he was utterly convinced that Li Qian was a breeding genius—no, a monstrous prodigy.
If he weren't such a monstrous prodigy, how could he have raised a Pet Beast with Dominator Level Potential while still in high school?
The fierce wind howled.
In the blink of an eye, Qizai had soared into the air.
In an instant, it had reached the top of the Hundred Feet Waterfall.
It looked toward Li Qian on the viewing platform.
Li Qian looked back at it.
The man and his Pet Beast shared a tacit understanding.
They both knew they were each other's closest partner.
Partners who could entrust their lives to one another.
Qizai hovered in mid-air, slowly calming the fierce winds around it.
It extended its head.
Li Qian reached out and stroked its draconic head.
Qizai, in turn, affectionately nuzzled Li Qian's palm.
This harmonious scene between master and pet filled Fatty An with envy.
"This is truly a single leap to the heavens. Not just for you, but for me too."
Looking at Qizai and feeling the feedback from the Soul Contract, Li Qian couldn't help but mutter to himself.
The evolution of a Pet Beast provides its Beast Master with a comprehensive boost in return.
This is also the most common and frequently used method for Beast Masters to increase their own strength.
At this very moment, Li Qian could feel it.
All of his physical attributes had improved by leaps and bounds.
A surge of Energy flooded his body, as if he were undergoing a complete physical rebirth.
Clenching his fist, Li Qian felt he could take down ten of his former self.
Of course, the improvement in his physical condition wasn't the most crucial part...
More importantly, Li Qian could distinctly feel...
His Spiritual Power had surged like a tidal wave, instantly multiplying several times over.
He could even faintly touch the bottleneck of the Elite Level.
However, considering the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon's Potential, such a massive increase was within his expectations.
Furthermore, Li Qian guessed that if he weren't holding it back, Qizai might have been able to soar to the heavens in a single bound and directly advance to the Elite Level.
After all, the Energy released from the evolution of a Pet Beast with Dominator Level Potential was terrifyingly immense.
Unfortunately, the souls of a Pet Beast and its Beast Master are linked.
They shackle each other's progress.
In other words, if a Beast Master cannot break through to the next major realm, their Pet Beast will also be unable to advance, even if its Energy has reached its limit.
And vice versa.
'Perhaps my Spiritual Power can break through to the Elite Level before graduation.'
Closing his eyes and sensing his condition, Li Qian made a more precise judgment.
After assessing the changes in himself, Li Qian finally turned his attention to Qizai.
As he activated his Eye of True Sight, lines of information appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon (Qizai)]
[Attributes: Water, Wind]
[Level: Tier Nine]
[Potential: Tier Five Dominator]
[Skills: Fish Jump (Limit Breaker), Climbing Waterfall (Perfection), Water Arrow (Mastery), Water Arrow: Thousand Arrows Attack (Beginner), Water Cannon (Skilled), High-Pressure Water Cannon (Beginner), Wind Blade (Mastery), Tornado (Skilled), Gale Slash (Beginner), Longteng (Beginner)]
Looking at Qizai's stats, even with his decent composure, Li Qian couldn't help but feel his heart pound with excitement.
As expected of a Pet Beast with Dominator Level Potential!
It had only just evolved and had already learned so many Skills, with some even instantly at the Mastery level.
And one Skill in particular caught Li Qian's attention.
Longteng!
That's right, Longteng!
This was a utility Skill!
To put it bluntly, it was Flying!
But compared to the Flying of ordinary bird-type Pet Beasts, it was faster, more stable, and more agile.
The reason Li Qian paid special attention to it wasn't just because he could ride a dragon in the future...
It was because of the nature of this Skill.
It was a Dragon Element Skill.
Although it was called Dragon Element, the Dragon Element wasn't actually a distinct attribute in the traditional sense.
Although the term "Dragon Element" was used when classifying Pet Beasts, even if you used the Eye of True Sight on a true dragon, the words "Dragon Element" would not appear.
Strictly speaking, "Dragon Element" was just a general term Beast Masters used for Dragon-type Pet Beasts.
Unlike attributes like Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Light, or Dark, the Dragon Element didn't have a specific corresponding Attribute Energy.
Dragon Element Skills, to be precise, were simply a type of highly advanced technique for manipulating Energy.
They were a bit like the named moves in wuxia novels.
Take the Skill "Longteng," for example.
Qizai could execute it using either Wind Energy or Water Energy.
When used with Wind Energy, it allowed for an incredibly fast ascent, covering vast distances in the blink of an eye.
When used with Water Energy, it rode upon clouds and mist, fading in and out of sight like an immortal being.
The reason Li Qian valued this Longteng Skill so much was because Qizai had learned it while still at the Ordinary Level. This meant that in the future, it would likely learn even more Dragon Element Skills.
This was also a testament to its extraordinary Potential.
In the future, it might even be able to break through its Racial Potential Limit.
Looking at Qizai's information, Li Qian was very satisfied.
He prepared to recall Qizai.
This was a scenic area, after all. Even though it was the middle of the night, there was no guarantee there weren't still some tourists around.
If they were seen, it wouldn't be a huge problem, but it would definitely be a hassle.
Just as Li Qian was about to recall Qizai...
"CAW CAW..."
A few bird calls suddenly rang out!
They sounded a lot like crows.
Li Qian didn't pay it much mind.
In Cloud Mist Mountain, it wasn't strange at all for birds, or even bird-type Pet Beasts, to appear.
However, in the next instant, the unexpected struck.
A giant bird-type Pet Beast, its form resembling a crow, suddenly dropped from the sky.
It was incredibly fast!
And its target was none other than Li Qian!
Li Qian realized this as well.
However, the giant crow was simply too fast. Even though he realized it, he had no time to react.
The giant crow's pair of pitch-black talons swooped straight down...
At the last possible moment, a high-speed, spinning ball of water shot out to intercept...