Li Qian was starting to get a handle on the Golden Finger he'd acquired.
The further he got into a task, the less Inspiration Value he received.
Unless, of course, there was some kind of major breakthrough.
Still, he was delighted that his progress had jumped by 5% just from hearing the word "Array."
This at least proved that Arrays played a pivotal role in the Koi Carp's second evolution path.
Moreover, it opened up a new research avenue for a task whose progress had hit a dead end.
Up on the lecture stage, the beautiful Teacher Chu Xiran was still speaking with graceful ease.
"Arrays have many functions: trapping enemies, killing enemies, gathering Energy, and even promoting evolution. So, as a Breeder, you don't need to achieve Mastery in Arrays, but you must have some familiarity with them…"
Chu Xiran stressed the importance of Arrays.
However, from Li Qian's perspective, this wasn't enough.
For him, at least, merely being familiar with them probably wouldn't suffice.
And so, right then and there, he made a decision: he would add Arrays to his self-study schedule.
As he listened to Teacher Chu Xiran's lecture, Li Qian noticed she seemed about to move on, so he quickly raised his hand.
"Li Qian, do you have a question?" Chu Xiran asked, spotting his raised right hand.
Li Qian didn't beat around the bush and directly voiced his question. "Teacher Chu, you mentioned that Arrays can promote the evolution of Pet Beasts. What's the underlying logic for that?"
When Chu Xiran heard Li Qian's question, a flicker of approval flashed in her bright eyes.
Most teachers, after all, appreciate students who are proactive and eager to learn.
At that moment, Li Qian probably fit the perfect model of a good student.
Chu Xiran nodded. "That's an excellent question, Li Qian."
After a brief pause, she continued her explanation. "I believe I've mentioned before that Pet Beast evolution often requires a powerful source of Energy to support it."
"Energy can come from many sources: potions, materials, the environment, and so on…"
"The way Arrays promote evolution is also tied to the energy principles we've already learned."
"Strictly speaking, the core function of most evolutionary Arrays is Energy Gathering, especially in places where natural Energy is abundant."
"Laying down an Array helps gather a large amount of natural Energy in a short time…"
Chu Xiran's explanation was crystal clear. Li Qian immediately understood the principle.
'To put it simply, setting up an Array is just a way to create a high-Energy environment that's conducive to a Pet Beast's evolution.'
This single Breeder class had been incredibly fruitful for Li Qian.
…...
「Time flew, and soon it was five in the afternoon.」
After school, Li Qian left the classroom without delay and headed straight for the school gate.
He had barely been at the gate for a few minutes when Fatty An's flashy red sports car pulled up in front of him.
Li Qian got in, and the car sped off, heading directly toward the West Suburb.
Today was the day he'd arranged with Fatty An's father and grandfather to let them see the proof for themselves.
Given Qizai's current size, doing this within Lingshui City was definitely not an option.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to go to the suburbs last night just to prove it to his parents.
Summoning Qizai out of the blue would be far too conspicuous.
The red sports car raced on, and in less than fifteen minutes, they arrived near the hydroelectric station in the West Suburb.
After parking the car, Li Qian wasted no time and headed straight to the artificial waterfall.
A beam of light shot out, and Koi Ah Fu was released.
"Ah Fu, you saw how Qizai evolved. If you want to become as powerful and majestic as him, with peerless combat strength, you have to keep training hard!"
After giving Ah Fu his instructions, Li Qian summoned Qizai as well.
The pool was a bit like a bathtub for Qizai now, but this was, after all, a place where it had once trained.
Summoning Qizai here was a bit like a trip down memory lane.
Of course, he also served another purpose: motivating Ah Fu to train.
Qizai could also use the favorable terrain to train its Skills.
Finding the pool a bit too small to move freely, Li Qian directed it to leap into the air and land in the river above the artificial waterfall.
The dam had turned this section of the river into a reservoir. The water was wide and at least several dozen meters deep. When Qizai entered it, it was like a mighty dragon returning to the sea.
"Is this the training a Koi Carp has to go through before it can evolve?" Fatty An asked, having figured a few things out as he watched Ah Fu charge the waterfall time and again, only to be beaten back by the rushing current.
In truth, if this were any other well-known Breeder, a training session like this would be kept completely under wraps.
But given Li Qian's relationship with Fatty An, there was no need for such secrecy.
Of course, the most important factor was that even if Li Qian showed him the training method, Fatty An didn't have the ability to decipher the secrets of the Koi Carp's evolution on his own.
Evolution involved countless details. Even if someone knew all the key points, it would likely take them more than half a year to figure everything out.
Besides, Li Qian knew his greatest value wasn't just mastering the evolution method from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon. It was the underlying logic and knowledge he'd used to research that evolutionary path.
He was sure this was also what the An Family, as represented by Fatty An, valued most.
The two of them stood chatting by the pool, and before long, they saw a van slowly approaching.
Seeing it, Fatty An explained to Li Qian, "That's my dad's car. It must be him and my grandpa."
They were his elders, after all. Regardless of their reasons for coming, it would be impolite to just stand there and not go to greet them.
So, Li Qian took the initiative to walk away from the pool and toward the reservoir's edge.
Just as he reached the edge of the reservoir, the van came to a stop.
A hale and hearty old man and a middle-aged man with a similarly heavyweight build stepped out of the van.
"Uncle An, Grandpa An."
Li Qian had met Fatty An's father once before, but this was his first time meeting his grandfather. Seeing them get out of the car, he proactively went to greet them.
At the same time, his gaze swept over the van, and he noted that there was no one else inside.
'Then again, that's normal.'
Both Fatty An's father, An Hou Nian, and his grandfather, An Tianyou, were seasoned veterans of the business world; they knew exactly who was and wasn't appropriate to bring to certain occasions.
For an occasion like today, for example, no one besides the four of them should be present.
"Young friend Li Qian, yesterday I heard a bit about you from Junjie. Please, allow me to begin with an apology."
An Tianyou spoke in a warm, polite tone. "It's not that we don't believe him. It's just that this matter… is simply too important!"
"For the sake of our future long-term partnership, both his father and I felt we had to see it with our own eyes."
"I hope you understand, young man."