After confirming again and again that the little qilin wasn't just craving snacks, but that the legendary Azure Dragon genuinely liked these foods, Jiang Xing spent quite a while trying to recover from the shattered image in his head.
Thinking about it carefully, though, the Azure Dragon liking human snacks actually made perfect sense.
A creature's craving for food often came from the needs of its body.
Many times, the more a body lacked a certain nutrient, the more interested the creature became in things containing it.
Just like the little qilin. It liked eating Pokéblocks not only because they tasted good, but also because it was still growing and needed more energy and nutrition.
As for the Azure Dragon, it was a Mythical Tier Pet Beast—a being standing at the very peak of Earth. It had no need to obtain power for growth through food, and naturally had long since transcended such "low-level pleasures."
When it ate, it was purely for the enjoyment of taste.
Naturally, the newer and more varied the flavors, the better.
'Besides, the Azure Dragon was one of the earliest divine beasts to descend upon Earth. It also wielded the authority of wood and flourishing life itself. Ancient Beast Tamers once worshipped and revered it as a god, regularly offering sacrifices in exchange for the power of bountiful harvests…'
'In modern times, wouldn't that just mean replacing sacrificial offerings with snacks?'
'Then it's not strange at all!'
Jiang Xing silently did a round of mental damage control for the Azure Dragon. Following the list provided by the little qilin, he called a restaurant in Wolong City thousands of kilometers away and reserved a batch of food.
Considering that alcohol had also been an indispensable part of ancient rituals, he placed another order and prepared a supply of liquor in advance…
And just in case the Azure Dragon wasn't used to alcohol, he kept up with the times and ordered an entire truckload of soda as well.
It looked like a lot of stuff, but the total value still wasn't even worth a single Light-type Secret Realm Stone.
Even while preparing everything, Jiang Xing felt a little nervous.
Was bringing gifts like this too modest for a visit to a Mythical Tier Pet Beast?
Forget it. The little qilin had already said it—the thought was what mattered!
After making all the preparations, Jiang Xing got ready to depart.
Before leaving, while checking over the team lineup, he also invited Senior Su to come along.
Su Muli was very tempted, but she had already stayed at Jiang Xing's research institute for nearly half a month in order to nurture the Abyssal Water Phoenix Fledgling. Her own research institute had been neglected for too long, and she needed to return and take charge there again.
Besides, Mythical Tier Pet Beasts were usually lofty beings akin to gods, living far away from human civilization and disliking excessive contact with humans.
Jiang Xing was only getting in through the little qilin's connections, bringing the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling along to broaden its horizons and prepare for future nurturing. He wasn't actually going there to casually hang out.
If she tagged along, it would instead feel somewhat inappropriate.
So she gave up the opportunity to witness a Mythical Tier Pet Beast. Worried she might regret it if she lingered any longer, she directly took the Storm Sea Lizard with her and left after saying goodbye.
After Senior Su departed, Jiang Xing reorganized the team once more. Aside from the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling, he also brought Inky and the Giant Magnet Entity along.
If they were going to broaden their horizons, then naturally it was best for everyone to go together.
He could use this opportunity to establish even grander evolutionary goals in the hearts of his Pet Beasts.
Even the Giant Magnet Entity—although Jiang Xing had designated it as his little research assistant and it spent every day taking online courses and studying professional knowledge—that didn't mean it no longer needed to continue evolving.
On the contrary, it contained the Eternal Thunder Stone within its body. Among all the Pet Beasts Jiang Xing had contracted so far, its potential ranked second!
The first was Xiao Xian. The Fairy Plate was simply far too absurdly overpowered.
Still, whether or not to bring Xiao Xian along truly left Jiang Xing in a dilemma.
Fairy-types restrained Dragon-types, while the Azure Dragon stood at the pinnacle of all Dragon-types.
Jiang Xing wasn't worried about Uncle Dragon suddenly turning hostile. That little bit of Fairy energy wasn't enough to pose any threat to him.
What he was worried about was Uncle Dragon being allergic to Fairies. If his nose got a little itchy and he casually sneezed out a dragon-breath-powered sneeze, he and Xiao Xian might both get sent to the afterlife on the spot...
Still, after some deliberation, Jiang Xing decided to bring Xiao Xian along.
According to the location pointed out by the little qilin, the Azure Dragon lived in seclusion within the Forest Secret Realm, an undiscovered realm near Wolong City.
Wolong City was over a thousand kilometers away from Yuzhong City, an area famous for its many unique Pet Beasts.
A large part of why Jiang Xing loved research was because he loved Pet Beasts.
He had no intention of becoming a pure research workhorse who spent every day locked inside a laboratory without ever going outside.
He was very interested in these exotic Pet Beasts. Since he was already traveling such a long distance, he naturally planned to spend some time sightseeing as well—visiting famous attractions like panda breeding centers and the like.
Who knew? He might even stumble across a Pet Beast he liked, or trigger one of the system's missions and gain inspiration for a new research project.
So he planned to spend two or three days enjoying himself along the way, treating it as a small vacation.
In that case, if Jiang Xing took all his Pet Beasts out for a party while leaving only one behind at the research institute to watch the house...
Wasn't that basically textbook bullying?
With that in mind, Jiang Xing brought Xiao Xian along as well.
At worst, when it came time to visit the Azure Dragon, he could have Xiao Xian hide inside the contract space beforehand, then spray on some Dragon-type perfume to mask the Fairy scent...
There probably wouldn't be any problems.
Finally, Jiang Xing sat atop the Auspicious Cloud Qilin. Xiao Xian sat on his shoulder, while the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling, Inky, and the Giant Magnet Entity floated beside him.
He took out his phone and snapped a family photo.
Then, with a grand wave of his hand, he declared: "Let's go!"
"Ah-li~" (Time to go~)
The little qilin cried out and leapt lightly into the air.
As its hooves stepped onto empty space, pale pink clouds appeared beneath them, as though supporting its weight. The clouds stretched endlessly forward, forming a path of auspicious clouds that led all the way to the horizon.
At the same time, cloud platforms appeared beneath the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling and the others, supporting their weight as well.
A gentle breeze swept past. Borrowing the power of the tailwind, they nearly transformed into streaks of light, vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.
...
Jokes were jokes, but nobody should underestimate a qilin.
The little qilin was, after all, a Wind-type Demi-God Tier Pet Beast. Even carrying five passengers at once, covering a mere thousand kilometers took less than twenty minutes.
And that was only because it was considering Jiang Xing's comfort and wasn't flying at full speed.
Watching the planet slowly rotate beneath him, Jiang Xing found the experience of flying at such incredible speed genuinely fascinating.
'Demi-God power... If I entered a tournament like this, wouldn't I be able to snag the title of Legend Beast Tamer?'
Of course, it was only a passing thought.
Not to mention that the little qilin wasn't actually his contracted Pet Beast and could only be considered the research institute's "mascot"...
Using a Demi-God Tier Pet Beast to challenge Champion Beast Tamers across tiers was one thing. Trying to fight a true Legend Beast Tamer was an entirely different matter.
It was like the difference between a bodybuilder and an elite special forces operative. On the surface, their physical capabilities might seem similar, and the bodybuilder might even possess greater raw strength. But in actual combat, they existed on completely different levels.
That was also why so many Beast Taming researchers, such as Dr. Xu and Dr. Amru, had successfully nurtured Demi-God Tier Pet Beasts—some of them more than one—yet no one regarded them as Legend Beast Tamers.
Their Demi-God Tier Pet Beasts had reached the appropriate realm, but their actual combat power simply didn't match it.
Legend Beast Tamers respected the researchers' knowledge and acknowledged their status.
But if it ever came down to a fight to the death, there would only be one possible outcome.
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