Chapter 536: Chapter 496: Palpitation

The day after returning to the university, Li Qian went to class. Of course, attending was just for show. In reality, while he was physically present in the classroom, his mind was completely immersed in all kinds of breeding data.

After he reached Dominator Level, his Golden Finger changed again. The most obvious change was to the mission list.

That was right. Just as Li Qian had expected, he had gained another slot on his Golden Finger’s mission list, bringing the total to four.

Despite having four mission slots, he had very few active missions at the moment. Only one remained: [The Red Feather Chicken’s Second Evolution Path].

This was the evolution path from the Red Feather Chicken to the Bai Yuan, and its progress had already reached 98%. Li Qian estimated that it wouldn’t be long before the mission was complete.

Of course, if he got stuck for too long, he wouldn’t mind using his Achievement Points to max out the progress bar directly.

There was simply no need to do so when he wasn’t in a rush.

After diligently attending classes for a week, Li Qian grew restless.

To him, these courses were as simple as elementary school textbooks. Even the lecturers’ knowledge in certain areas was likely inferior to his own.

So, staying in the classroom was a complete waste of time.

Besides, it was somewhat distracting to study in a classroom; he was certainly less efficient than when he could read quietly by himself.

So after sticking it out for a week, feeling he had kept up appearances long enough, Li Qian went straight to the Third Secret Realm and began to study and research at his own pace.

It was worth noting that during this time, Fatty An hadn’t come looking for him. The two only chatted occasionally on their phone’s messaging app.

Fatty An might not have realized it himself, but his parents would have surely reminded him.

A gap had ultimately formed between them. There was nothing Li Qian could do about it; it was an inevitable consequence of his rising strength and status.

For instance, he now spent most of his time on his studies and research, so his path and Fatty An’s barely crossed anymore.

Besides Fatty An, it was much the same with Tu Jiaojiao and Li Lanying.

On the other hand, Lu Tianjiao’s old flame, Mary Galoway of the Gaochang Race, would still come by for a chat from time to time.

Her intentions were plain to see. She was actually very beautiful, and even her past with Lu Tianjiao wasn’t a big deal.

But Li Qian just felt a bit put off by it. Even though Lu Tianjiao had assured him that he and Mary Galoway had only held hands and kissed—nothing more—it couldn’t dispel Li Qian’s sense of unease.

There was another thing: he didn’t want to be in a relationship right now.

He currently had neither the inclination nor the right circumstances for a relationship. He wasn’t in the mood because all his energy was focused on his studies and research. And the circumstances weren’t right because there were far too many Cult Organizations keeping an eye on him.

Whoever he got involved with would likely be put in danger.

Leaving the classroom, Li Qian went straight to the Third Secret Realm and returned to the Jade Research Base.

Wu You was helping him take care of the base. She didn’t want to stay inside the Beast Taming Space, and Li Qian happened to need the extra pair of hands.

Upon entering the base, Li Qian saw Wu You diligently poring over books, studying breeding knowledge. He asked, "Have you decided which Pet Beast you’re going to contract?"

"The Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle or the Sunbird?"

’This woman really has no talent for breeding,’ Li Qian thought. ’Instead of wasting her time on this, she should be thinking about which Pet Beast to contract now that she’s reached Dominator Level.’

Li Qian had originally thought the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon was an option. However, ever since he’d also acquired the Dream Wings Talent, he’d come to understand something. Describing the Pet Beasts that benefited from Wu You’s Talent simply as Flying Pet Beasts wasn’t entirely accurate.

A more accurate description would be any Pet Beast with wings. Therefore, while the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon was considered a Flying Pet Beast, it couldn’t receive the bonus from this Beast Taming Talent. Conversely, a winged Pet Beast that couldn’t fly—like an ostrich-type beast—could still receive the bonus.

In theory, the choice should have been simple. In every respect, the Sunbird’s Potential was greater than that of the Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle.

The awkward part, however, was that Wu You already had a Flame Dragon Carving among her contracted Pet Beasts. While the Flame Dragon Carving’s Potential was certainly no match for the Sunbird’s, their attributes overlapped.

The three Pet Beasts Wu You had previously contracted were the Flame Dragon Carving, the Profound Ice Bird, and the Thunder Sparrow, with Fire, Ice, and Thunder attributes, respectively.

In this regard, contracting the Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle was undoubtedly the most suitable choice, as their attributes would be almost perfectly complementary.

As for the Spiritual Light Cat Wu You had mentioned before, that was just a joke. With her Dream Wings Talent, there was no way she would ever contract a Spiritual Light Cat.

Li Qian, on the other hand, didn’t really care. After all, even though he had also obtained the Talent, his primary focus was research, not combat.

Besides, the Dream Wings Talent wouldn’t be wasted on him. It was easy to forget that Wu You was, in a sense, one of his Pet Beasts and could also receive the Talent’s bonus.

Although his rational mind told him to persuade Wu You to choose the Sunbird over the Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle, he knew that the evolutionary path from a Sunbird to a Three-legged Golden Crow had already been established. The evolution itself was difficult and the conditions were harsh, but it was possible.

With the backing of the Wing Race and the support of Shazhou Beast Taming University, completing the evolution wouldn’t be a difficult task.

But Wu You was a person, not a Pet Beast, and Li Qian felt he should respect her decision.

Wu You fell silent after hearing Li Qian’s words. "Um, there’s no rush, is there? Let me think it over."

Li Qian nodded.

After a brief chat, Li Qian paid no more mind to the pensive Wing Race woman and walked toward the deeper part of the base. Just as he was leaving, he suddenly spoke up, adding a subtle hint. "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. Dean Pan Bing contracted a Sunbird. He wants my help evolving it into a Three-legged Golden Crow."

With that said, he left without another word.

Wu You froze when she heard his words, speechless for a long moment. She appeared calm on the surface, but inside, her mind was in turmoil.

’Why would Li Qian bring this up now? He wouldn’t have said it for no reason!’

Wu You knew that he had evolved a Three-legged Golden Crow back in Mo Yuan City.

In fact, quite a few people knew about it. However, almost all of them believed it was just a coincidence, the result of many different factors aligning perfectly.

Replicating it was thought to be nearly impossible.

But Li Qian’s words just now were clearly hinting that his success in evolving the Three-legged Golden Crow hadn’t been a fluke...

Wu You clutched at her chest and stopped thinking. It wasn’t that she’d figured anything out; rather, her heart had suddenly begun to pound, interrupting her train of thought.

She looked in a certain direction. She had a vague, intuitive feeling that the pounding sensation was coming from over there.

In fact, Wu You wasn’t the only one who felt this strange pounding; Li Qian felt it too.

Li Qian came rushing out. The two exchanged a glance, then left the building together and leaped onto the roof of the research base.

On the rooftop, they could both sense it: the throbbing was coming from the Central Mountain Range of the Third Secret Realm.

It was as if a strange, inaudible sound rang in their ears, tugging at their hearts and forcing them to beat in sync with its rhythm.

This was clearly the source of the pounding sensation.

And then, right before their eyes, a huge section of the Central Mountain Range in the Third Secret Realm suddenly collapsed.

"ROAR!"

An utterly terrifying beast’s roar echoed out from the massive chasm left by the collapse.

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