An Hou Nian nodded and began his introduction. "Jiaoyang Cultivation Base covers an area of 505 mu. At its center is a rearing pond of about 100 mu."
Keeping Li Qian's prior requests in mind, An Hou Nian continued, offering a suggestion for renovations. "Building an artificial mountain in the rearing pond to create a man-made waterfall should be no problem."
Li Qian listened in silence, saying nothing.
An Hou Nian took the hint and didn't waste any time. "The Cultivation Base has a relatively complete range of facilities," he continued. "The basic infrastructure fully meets our current cultivation needs."
An Hou Nian paused, giving Li Qian a moment to process the information. After a short while, he changed his tune. "Of course, the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base isn't without its problems."
This immediately piqued Li Qian's interest.
He knew full well that even though he had a preference for Jiaoyang Cultivation Base, choosing a base was not something to be taken lightly. Everything had to be evaluated based on the results of an objective investigation.
He couldn't let his judgment be clouded by the fact that his mother worked there.
Seeing Li Qian's attentive posture, An Hou Nian continued without pause. "Right now, there are three main problems. First, if the Breeder surnamed Gao leaves, the entire Cultivation Base will be left without a single competent Breeder."
"What's more, the three current Intern Breeders would likely resign as well."
Li Qian just pursed his lips dismissively at this.
After a moment of thought, he shared his opinion. "That's not a major issue. It would be best if the three Intern Breeders stayed, but if they want to leave, we don't have to stop them."
It was obvious that even if they successfully acquired Jiaoyang Cultivation Base, its biggest source of income for the foreseeable future would still be the cultivation of Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragons.
And when it came to cultivating Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragons, the three Intern Breeders wouldn't be much help even if they stayed.
Seeing Li Qian's reaction, An Hou Nian didn't hesitate to move on to the second problem. "Next, some of the base's equipment is relatively old. After we take over, we'll probably need to update or replace it."
Li Qian gave a slight nod.
'Actually, the evolution of the Koi Carp doesn't require any special breeding equipment.'
'Dragon Bone Powder can be bought directly from brick-and-mortar stores or the Pet Beast Mall. There's no need to go through the trouble of making it myself; in fact, it wouldn't even save much money.'
'The Breeder industry has become so well-established and specialized that as long as you have money and Contribution Points, you can buy most resources directly.'
'While equipment has some influence on whether you can achieve a research breakthrough, it's not the deciding factor. Inspiration and new concepts are more important.'
'Of course, if we have enough funding, updating some of the commonly used equipment is still a good idea.'
Seeing that Li Qian had no comment, An Hou Nian moved on. "Finally, there's the issue with the Pet Beasts at the base."
He couldn't help but sigh at this. "At the moment, the entire Cultivation Base has almost no Pet Beasts of high value."
"The most common Pet Beasts at the base are Koi Carp and Red Feather Chickens, along with a small number of Wood and Ordinary Element Pet Beasts..."
Li Qian had anticipated this, so he wasn't surprised.
'If the Cultivation Base's business was booming, it's unlikely my mother, Han Yuqing, would have gone more than a decade without a raise.'
'Isn't it perfectly normal for a struggling Cultivation Base to have no high-value Pet Beasts?'
'Besides, for a Cultivation Base, its true value lies not in its Pet Beasts, but in its Breeders.'
'In fact, Pet Beasts like Koi Carp and Red Feather Chickens—numerous but with low Potential—often have greater research value.'
'Take the Koi Carp, for instance. Once the evolutionary path to the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon that I discovered is widely known, the entire species will achieve a true "Fish Leaping the Dragon Gate." '
'Its value might not skyrocket to the point where everyone is clamoring for one, but increasing it ten or twenty-fold would definitely be possible.'
An Hou Nian then spent a few more minutes briefly covering other aspects of the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base.
Perhaps because time was short, the information they'd gathered wasn't extensive, but it was enough for Li Qian to make a comparison.
After seeing the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon and discussing the basics of their collaboration, Li Qian didn't train for long that evening. He left around seven o'clock.
He had dinner in Lingshui City with the three members of the An Family.
It was a lavish meal. Knowing the An Family's wealth, Li Qian didn't try to save them any money.
He ate whatever they ordered, indulging in a rare bit of extravagance.
After instructing them, "You can focus on Jiaoyang Cultivation Base, but don't neglect the other bases," Li Qian bid farewell to the three members of the An Family.
...
「The next morning,」 Li Qian did something he rarely did—he skipped class.
He went to the Pet Beast rescue center in Lingshui City.
The previous night, after dinner, the three members of the An Family had been seeing him home. They passed the rescue center on the way, which had reminded him of the Sparrow-tailed Fish captured by the Black Divine Teachings to be used as a test subject.
Back then, money had been tight, and he'd needed to focus all his resources on ensuring Qizai's evolution. So, even after the fish had fully recovered and was discharged, Li Qian hadn't adopted it right away.
In truth, Li Qian had wanted to adopt it the moment he rescued it, but he had been too broke at the time to act on it.
Now, with a hefty five million in hand and no shortage of cash, he had just been reminded of the matter and decided not to delay any longer.
Upon arriving at the rescue center, he asked around and found that the Sparrow-tailed Fish hadn't been adopted yet. It was being kept in a pond in the center's backyard.
Li Qian hurried over as soon as he heard the news. A moment later, he saw the Sparrow-tailed Fish again.
The little one recognized him as soon as he approached.
The little creature leaped from the water, its beautiful, peacock-like tail fanning out in midair.
It was clearly delighted to see him.
"Hey there, little one. I came here today to adopt you. If you're willing to come home with me, jump out of the water and do a little spin."
The moment Li Qian finished speaking, the little creature shot out of the water without hesitation and spun in the air, making its intentions clear.
"This Sparrow-tailed Fish has very high Potential."
The director of the rescue center was a woman of about fifty, whom Li Qian called Granny Miao. Seeing this, a smile spread across the old woman's wrinkled face. "Many Beast Masters have wanted to adopt it before, but it rejected all of them!"
"It seems it was waiting for you!"
Li Qian chuckled. Feeling the Sparrow-tailed Fish's joy, his own heart filled with warmth. "It's probably willing to come with me because I saved its life!"
"I hope you'll treat it well. It will become a great partner for you," Granny Miao said, looking at Li Qian with a gentle voice.
Li Qian nodded, his tone firm. "Don't worry, Granny Miao. I will raise it well..."
As he said this, he glanced instinctively at the Sparrow-tailed Fish in the pond.