Chapter 62: Chapter 60: Shock
"Li Qian."
"Li Qian, morning."
"Li Qian, good morning."
"..."
When Li Qian arrived at school the next day, he found his classmates were noticeably more enthusiastic than usual.
He responded with a faint smile and a nod, acting no different than usual.
During the break between classes.
The two beautiful teachers, Zhu Bingqing and Chu Xiran, arrived together.
In the office, Li Qian felt a little flustered facing the two of them.
’Why does this feel a bit like a Security Officer interrogating a criminal?’
"Teachers, whatever you want to ask, I’ll be sure to tell you everything I know." Seeing their somewhat peculiar gazes, Li Qian’s tone was a bit weak.
"Tsk tsk, truly remarkable. To think a student of mine, Zhu Bingqing, could quietly cause such a huge commotion." Teacher Zhu was the first to speak, looking Li Qian up and down as if she were examining a rare animal.
Discovering the evolutionary path for the Koi Carp while still in high school—he might as well be a rare animal.
She still remembered her shock from yesterday when she first heard the news—her eyes had nearly fallen out of her head.
She had long known that Li Qian was studying to be a Breeder.
’His trip to the Pet Beast Potion Shop back then must have been to learn more about the subject.’
But knowing he was studying it was one thing; for this to happen so suddenly was still a huge shock.
It was like knowing a child was playing with firecrackers—you wouldn’t pay it any mind, but then one day the child tells you he’s built an atomic bomb.
This was exactly how Zhu Bingqing and Chu Xiran felt right now.
"Teacher Zhu, please don’t tease me. It was just a lucky fluke," Li Qian said humbly, knowing exactly what she was referring to.
"So many Breeders have researched this topic. Why were you the lucky one? How could it just be a fluke?" Teacher Chu Xiran shook her head, offering a different opinion. "Humility is a virtue, but being overly humble is not."
"You’re right, Teacher Chu," Li Qian said, immediately nodding in agreement.
"Has the Breeder Association contacted you yet?" Teacher Chu Xiran continued.
Li Qian replied, "They have."
Teacher Chu Xiran continued without pause, "It’s been a long time since Lingshui City has produced a Breeder prodigy like you. Your emergence is extraordinarily significant to the Breeder Association."
"They may have further need of you in the future, so if they offer you resources, you should accept them without any hesitation," Teacher Chu Xiran stated succinctly. "Furthermore, I’ll help you secure a reward from the school."
"Thank you, Teacher Chu," Li Qian thanked her sincerely.
"Considering your breeding skills have already surpassed ours, you can handle any ordinary questions yourself. As for the more advanced ones, we might not have encountered them either..." Teacher Zhu Bingqing sighed emotionally. "But you can still bring them to us. We may not be able to answer them, but we can probably find someone who can."
After thanking her again, Li Qian scratched his head and said with some embarrassment, "Teacher Zhu, I... actually do have a difficult problem..."
"Let’s hear it," Teacher Chu Xiran said.
They were both quite interested to hear what Li Qian considered a difficult problem.
"I want to learn the Frostfire Array," Li Qian said.
He didn’t hide anything, getting straight to the point.
"The Frostfire Array?!" Teacher Zhu Bingqing’s eyes suddenly brightened, her curiosity growing even stronger. "Why do you want to learn the Frostfire Array?"
Although she was a Meditation teacher, Zhu Bingqing was different from the others. Her knowledge was quite broad, and she had heard of the Frostfire Array before.
"The research I’m working on might require the Frostfire Array," Li Qian explained.
He didn’t go into detail, as a matter like this couldn’t be explained in just a few sentences.
"What is the research, specifically? Can you tell us about it?" Teacher Zhu Bingqing asked.
’Clearly, Li Qian’s words had made her even more curious. She wanted to see what other surprises this student had in store.’
"While researching the evolutionary path from the Koi Carp to the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon, I made another discovery. I believe the Koi Carp might have a second evolutionary path," Li Qian stated honestly.
’To avoid dropping another bombshell on them out of the blue, I’d better give them a heads-up.’
"A second evolutionary path... Do you know what the Evolutionary Form is?" Chu Xiran asked hurriedly.
Initially, when Li Qian claimed he was just lucky and it was a fluke, Teacher Chu Xiran had been inclined to believe him. Even if that wasn’t the whole truth, she thought it must have been a major factor.
But now, hearing him mention a possible second evolutionary path for the Koi Carp completely overturned her previous thinking.
’Li Qian’s research on the Koi Carp went far deeper than she had imagined.’
"My guess is that it’s most likely the Frostfire Salamander," Li Qian said.
Since the conversation had reached this point, there was no need to hide it anymore. He decided to reveal the truth, though of course, he couldn’t be too definitive about it.
"The Frostfire Salamander?!"
Just as Li Qian expected, the moment the words left his mouth, both teachers wore expressions of utter shock.
The Frostfire Salamander was an extremely rare Western Salamander-type Pet Beast.
More importantly, its Racial Potential was as high as Tier Nine Dominator.
Legend had it that the Frostfire Salamander was a devolved form of the Holy Spirit-level Pet Beast, the Ice and Fire Giant Dragon.
If this rumor was true, the value of Li Qian’s research would be even more staggering. If he could really figure it out and make it public, it would probably shake the entire Beast Taming Realm.
This was especially true for the four Federations: Xiling, Ogma, Wolz, and the Holy Court.
Before the Federation Calendar, the nations that comprised these four Federations were all located on the western side of the Ancestral Star, and each had a long and storied history of dragon legends.
For them, the Western Dragon was not only a symbol of great power but also a totemic figure.
It was a bit like what the Eastern Dragon was to Dongxia and Divine Wind.
"What stage is the research at now?" Chu Xiran asked in a soft voice.
She tried hard to suppress the shock in her heart and appear no different than usual.
However, her erratic heartbeat betrayed her true feelings.
"I’ve made some progress, but I’m currently stuck on the Frostfire Array," Li Qian said evasively.
’It couldn’t be helped.’
’If he told the two teachers the truth—that he’d already completed the research—it would be far too shocking.’
"If you complete the research, you wouldn’t mind if we came to watch when you start the evolution test, right?" Teacher Zhu Bingqing asked with a grin.
"You would be most welcome," Li Qian said without hesitation.
"As for the Frostfire Array, I actually do know someone who is quite skilled in that area. They should be able to help you," Chu Xiran said, frowning in thought.
"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Teacher Chu," Li Qian said.
He did not refuse. Having a Beast Master skilled in this field assist him, teaching him personally, would definitely help him master the array much faster.
After chatting for a while longer, Li Qian saw that it was almost noon and left the office.
"Are you going to look for that annoying guy for Li Qian’s sake?" Zhu Bingqing asked with a smile after Li Qian had left.
"There’s no conflict between him and me. ’Annoying’ isn’t the word," Chu Xiran said coolly.
"Is that so?" A smile that wasn’t quite a smile appeared on Zhu Bingqing’s face.
