The warm winter sun shone upon the banks of the Heart of Water. The ground, recently covered by a rare snowfall a few days prior, lay pristine and white. The shores of the Heart of Water shimmered, the light dancing on the waves, cloaking the landscape in a silvery blanket.

At this moment, at the lake's center, four fishing rods were poised, drawing the attention of the numerous anglers of the season. Next to the four, a small, deep blue turtle lay prostrate, its eyes fixed expectantly on the ends of the fishing rods, waiting for the quartet to reel in some prey to satisfy its little appetite. Such an odd arrangement could not help but draw several more glances.

This was because the youngest among them was Su Ping. He had previously gained fame as the top winner of the Breeder Competition but had since vanished from the public eye. He was also the proprietor of the Heart of Woods, drawing many visitors due to his renown.

Regrettably, all requests for the Wanmu Wolf's Cultivation had been turned down.

The other two were the presidents of the Jianghai Beast Master Association and the Breeder Association. Both were truly high-ranking individuals; if one could gain their favor and approval, the benefits would be unimaginable.

As for the fourth individual, he was even more significant. This was the main reason the central district was temporarily closed to outsiders, with electronic devices signal-blocked to prevent photography: Master Zhu Hong himself had personally come to Linzhou!

These individuals had spent their days fishing and chatting leisurely, becoming regulars, and today was no exception.

Liu Fuhai asked, "Su Ping, what exactly are you planning to exchange? You've been delaying your decision. What are you scheming?"

Su Ping smiled helplessly. "I'm not lying to you this time; it really is about the Evolution of my first Pet Beast. I just haven't finalized the plan yet."

"TSK TSK..." Liu Fuhai didn't believe him.

He always felt that this wily kid was up to no good and probably had some big move up his sleeve!

How could Su Ping explain? Xiao Qing, as a Soul Contract Pet Beast, was naturally cherished and of utmost importance. Under such circumstances, he naturally couldn't say much.

Ignoring the suspicious Old Liu, Su Ping turned his gaze to Master Zhu Hong beside him. "Master Zhu, how's the recent progress?"

Mu Long's blood needed to be collected once every seven days, which meant a long stay here. Master Zhu Hong's current priority was to assist Paperman in cultivating their own Five Elements Cores. Along the way, he was also studying Paperman to satisfy his curiosity.

Master Zhu Hong nodded. "Not bad. Your Paperman is indeed an exceptional specimen, adapting very quickly to such Skills. I estimate that in a few more days, the Heart of Fire's Cultivation could be nearly complete! And that Five Elements Ability—truly fascinating."

Master Zhu Hong appeared to be profoundly moved.

Su Ping was invigorated. A Breeding Master indeed, so reliable!

Hearts of Fire, Hearts of Woods, and others—if these could be assembled into a Super-Rank Heart of Elements, it would be an unimaginable improvement with extraordinary significance for the little Paperman Qian Yi.

It had to be said, while the three of them chatted happily, Qin Erlong, standing to one side, was visibly displeased. "I say," he interjected, "how many days has it been? Every damn time we come here to fish, you three just keep gabbing on and on. Can't we just fish in peace for a bit? Cultivate our spirits, eh? Are you not happy unless you're talking about Cultivating Pet Beasts?"

At this point, Old Qin, clearly exasperated, said directly, "Exactly! I have some official business to consult you on, kid. Come here!"

Su Ping looked at Qin Erlong suspiciously. What did the Beast Master Association's official business have to do with him?

However, the "official business" Old Qin mentioned did indeed involve him.

"The city planning for Linzhou for the next five years has been released," Qin Erlong began, noticing the others' gazes turning towards him, and smiled faintly. "The government officials and I think it's a good idea to develop the East Suburb. Besides your Cultivation base, we plan to establish a new industrial foundation base in the East Suburb!"

"What sort of foundational base?" Su Ping asked.

The East Suburb was sparsely populated, making development quite challenging. The area was mostly dominated by outlying residential zones, similar to urban villages, and old, largely abandoned factories. As for the area around the Heart of Woods, only one main road existed, and the surrounding land had mostly fallen into neglect.

However, over the past six months, thanks to the Heart of Woods, this place had indeed gained some popularity.

The Heart of Woods itself occupied a vast area. If the plan was to expand eastward, it could not be overlooked.

Luckily, Su Ping had acted quickly. He had already bought up many of the surrounding land deeds, including the continuous stretch of residential housing across the street along both sides of the road, all awaiting future development.

Qin Erlong continued, "Most people don't know about this yet, but it's related to the massive education reform. Across the Dragon Nation, there are only so many Advanced Level Academies. However, after the educational improvements, the admission requirements for Advanced Tamer Academies are expected to be lowered. At that point, the number of higher education institutions will likely be insufficient to meet demand. As Jianghai is a populous province and Linzhou its central city, the higher-ups intend for construction to begin this year on new Advanced Level Academies, in addition to those already existing in various locations."

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