Li Qian arrived in the suburbs of Lingshui City, where a river flowed past the edge of town.
The river was called the Lingshui River, which was also the origin of Lingshui City's name.
According to the information he'd looked up beforehand, a hydroelectric power station had been built on the section of the Lingshui River near Lingshui City.
The power station dammed the river, forming a barrier that stretched for a full kilometer. A floodgate on the side of the dam allowed water to gush out, forming an artificial waterfall.
Li Qian had come to the Lingshui River this time specifically for that artificial waterfall.
From a distance, one could hear the sound of rushing water, but up close, it became a thunderous roar. The current burst from the floodgate and plunged more than ten meters to the bottom, forming a deep pool. The scene was both spectacular and majestic.
Parking his bicycle by the dam, Li Qian jogged to the edge of the pool. He glanced at the artificial waterfall and nodded in satisfaction.
Without hesitation, he took out the Beast Taming Ball containing Ah Fu. Opening it, he released Ah Fu into the pool.
After being cooped up in a narrow, cramped fish tank, Ah Fu was ecstatic to enter such a large body of water, swimming about nonstop.
After swimming a few laps around the pool, Ah Fu approached the edge and looked at Li Qian with its surprisingly human-like eyes.
Seeing this, Li Qian gave a slight nod. Ah Fu hadn't tried to escape, just as he'd expected.
After all, the Li Family had raised it for nearly twenty years; they had something of an emotional bond. Besides that, the promise of evolution and the extended life that came with it was another reason it hadn't fled.
Looking at Ah Fu, who was still near the edge, Li Qian said in a serious tone, "Ah Fu, listen to me. If you want to keep living, you have to evolve."
"And to evolve, you have to do exactly as I say." Pointing to the nearby waterfall, Li Qian continued, "Now, swim over there. That's right, to the bottom of the waterfall. Then, swim upwards with all your might."
"Remember, to evolve, you must learn the Climbing Waterfall Skill."
After speaking, he pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "Ah Fu, go for it!"
Ah Fu looked toward the waterfall, its gaze determined. It then became a streak in the water, shooting forward at incredible speed. Upon reaching the base of the falls, it followed Li Qian's command and struggled to swim upward.
But unfortunately, the force of the water crashing down from a height of over ten meters was terrifying. Ah Fu gave it everything it had, but it was washed back down after swimming less than a meter.
But Ah Fu didn't give up. It would get washed down, only to immediately start swimming upward again, repeating the cycle with dogged persistence.
There wasn't much more Li Qian could do. He could only offer silent encouragement from the side and feed Ah Fu the Energy Fish Food when its stamina was depleted.
It was the same food he had bought at the Pet Beast Market earlier that day.
Tearing his eyes away from the waterfall, Li Qian scanned the area and quickly spotted a small, isolated pool of water.
He took out the other Beast Taming Ball, the one with Qizai, and released it into the small pool.
When Qizai emerged from its Beast Taming Ball and found itself in a small pool, it seemed confused. It raised its head and glanced at Li Qian.
Li Qian remained silent. He took out a tablet and, repeating his previous method, showed Qizai the video of a Koi Carp evolving into a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon.
Unlike Ah Fu's initial indifference, Qizai reacted after the very first viewing. Its tail thrashed about excitedly, and its eyes filled with anticipation.
Compared to Ah Fu, Qizai was clearly more ambitious and driven.
He played the video seven times in a row. Only when Qizai's agitation was plain to see did Li Qian pause it. He began to coax it patiently. "Qizai, I know your Potential is higher. The fact that you could learn the Climbing Waterfall Skill proves your aptitude. But if you want to evolve into the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon I just showed you, that's not enough. You have to follow my instructions."
Li Qian's brow furrowed as he looked at Qizai, his tone sincere. "Next, I'm going to put you into the main pool. If you trust me, you'll train with Ah Fu. If you don't, you can swim downstream and leave. I won't stop you."
Li Qian obviously didn't want Qizai to leave, but without a contract or any emotional bond, there was nothing he could do. He was about to put it in a pool that connected to the river downstream; if it wanted to escape, he couldn't possibly stop it.
He could only hope that Qizai truly had the desire to grow stronger and had been moved by the video. Otherwise, Li Qian would have to helplessly accept that his forty-two thousand had just been washed away.
With that said, Li Qian didn't hesitate. He put Qizai back into its Beast Taming Ball, walked to the edge of the main pool, and released it again.
Qizai entered the pool, and with a flick of its tail that sent up a splash, it vanished from sight.
Li Qian stood by the edge of the pool, watching quietly. After about five minutes, there was still no sign of Qizai. He shook his head and sighed. 'Alas, I underestimated a Pet Beast's desire for freedom. It's a shame... this means you've lost your chance to become powerful.'
Having voiced this sentiment, Li Qian had his answer. Qizai must have chosen to leave. He didn't dwell on the sadness, instead turning his gaze back toward the waterfall.
But just as his eyes focused on the waterfall, a streak shooting up against the current caught his eye. "Wait, is that...?!"
The streak fighting its way upstream was nothing other than a fish—a seventy-centimeter-long Koi Carp. It was Qizai.
Unlike Ah Fu, Qizai had already learned the Climbing Waterfall Skill, so its speed and the height it could reach were far superior. It could climb to a height of about five meters.
At that height, however, its momentum gave out. Just like Ah Fu, it was quickly washed back down by the current.
Standing at the pool's edge, Li Qian shouted in an excited voice, "Qizai, you really didn't let me down!"
And so, Ah Fu and Qizai persistently tried to ascend the waterfall, getting washed down time and time again, only to shoot back up time and time again.
Whenever the two fish got tired, they would swim to the edge, and Li Qian would feed them Energy Fish Food.
Time flew by, and soon it was ten o'clock at night—time to head home. Mr. and Mrs. Li had already called several times to hurry him along.
Calling Qizai and Ah Fu over, Li Qian thought for a moment before speaking. "I know staying in a Beast Taming Ball isn't comfortable, and we only have one fish tank at home. So, how about this: this pool looks deep enough. I won't recall you two."
"There might be people here during the day, so you can hide and rest at the bottom of the pool. I'll come find you after school to train. How does that sound? If you agree, spin in a circle."
The moment Li Qian finished speaking, Qizai spun in the water without the slightest hesitation. Ah Fu paused for a moment, but after getting a slap from Qizai's tail, it also spun around.
Seeing this, Li Qian couldn't help but smile. 'Looks like Qizai has that old fish, Ah Fu, under control.'
With the plan settled, Li Qian wasted no more time. He returned to the side of the dam, hopped on his bicycle, pushed off, and quickly rode away.
What he didn't know was that after he left, back at the waterfall, another streak of water began to fight its way upward. And soon, that single streak became two...