Beast Taming: I'm Really Not a Cultivation Master

Chu Xiran’s advice gave Li Qian a heads-up on several important matters. He was truly grateful, as she had genuinely helped him this time.

Before she left, she added one last thing. "To put it bluntly, choosing a Beast Taming University is choosing the Dimensional Rift that university is responsible for guarding. You need to be very careful with your decision. I know a little about this, but not nearly as much as the three admissions officers. You can take this chance to ask them about it. Of course, I have no idea if they’ll give you a straight answer. I heard that information about Dimensional Rifts is supposed to be kept secret from high school students... Anyway, you can give it a try..."

"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Chu Xiran!" Li Qian said, nodding in sincere gratitude.

After giving him that final reminder, Chu Xiran left the Cultivation Base. She had said what needed to be said and given the warnings she needed to give. There was no reason to stay any longer.

As he watched Teacher Chu Xiran leave, Li Qian fell deep into thought.

’Dimensional Rifts are so important. Why would the three admissions officers tacitly agree not to bring them up?’

’Is there some hidden reason? Or do I not meet the criteria to be told? Or maybe... it’s kept secret from high school students?’

’It’s probably a mix of all those things. I’ll just have to ask them about it the next time we talk.’

’There’s still some time before graduation. No need to be hasty.’

The next day, as usual, Elder An Tianyou brought his Sun-devouring Tiger to the Cultivation Base.

The tiger seemed to have grown fond of this training method—using its Intimidation Skill to pressure the Koi Carp.

After every training session, it would have an expression that said it still wanted more.

Perhaps it truly found it a joyful experience to pick on the weak.

And strangely, Elder An, just like the Sun-devouring Tiger, seemed to revel in it, never growing tired of it.

Watching this, Li Qian couldn’t help but wonder if Elder An was a Combat-type Beast Master whose talent was overshadowed by his business acumen.

Unlike usual, however, Elder An didn’t leave immediately after the training session. It seemed he had something to discuss with Li Qian.

Li Qian didn’t think much of it. At the elder’s gesture, he got into his car, and they drove to the North Suburb of Lingshui City.

The car sped along, but he was patient and didn’t ask any questions on the way.

It wasn’t until the car stopped in front of a desolate, weed-choked, abandoned building that Li Qian finally gave Elder An a questioning look.

Pointing to a large swathe of ruined buildings in their line of sight, Elder An began to explain, "This place was originally called the New Star Pet Beast Paradise."

"In its heyday, it was one of Lingshui City’s must-see attractions. Unfortunately, the owner got addicted to gambling and squandered a fortune, causing the park’s funding to dry up and creating an operational crisis."

"I considered buying it out before, but the ownership of this land is a bit complicated. I gave up on the idea when I considered the potential risks."

"Perhaps other buyers had similar reservations, so this piece of land ultimately became more trouble than it was worth, and it ended up with no one willing to take it on."

After listening to Elder An’s explanation, Li Qian smiled and continued the conversation, "So, the reason we came here is...?"

"Look over there..." Elder An didn’t immediately explain why he’d brought Li Qian here. Instead, he pointed to a tall, slide-like structure in the distance.

Seeing the thoughtful expression on Li Qian’s face, Elder An continued, "That was originally a water slide, in the northeast corner of the amusement park. The drop from the highest to the lowest point is a full eighty meters."

By the time Elder An finished, Li Qian already understood his intentions completely.

Just as he’d suspected, Elder An then revealed his true reason for bringing him here. "I’m planning to acquire the water slide in the northeast corner. I’ll announce publicly that I’m repairing it to reopen for business, but I’m actually going to modify it. By adding about twenty meters, the drop will reach a hundred meters. Then, we can turn it into an artificial waterfall to meet the evolutionary requirements of the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon."

"One more very important thing: the ownership of the property where the water slide is located is crystal clear. There will be no problem whether we lease or purchase it."

Li Qian nodded in satisfaction. It was indeed an excellent idea.

Although the Hundred Feet Waterfall in the Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area was a relatively ideal Evolutionary Ground, it ultimately didn’t belong to him. Having to depend on the whims of others every time an evolution was needed was rather inconvenient.

Besides, Li Qian always felt that Cloud Mist Mountain probably held some secret, and it wasn’t a good idea to get too involved.

Having an Evolutionary Ground completely under his own control would be ideal.

Therefore, he wholeheartedly approved of Elder An’s decision.

"You’re very thoughtful, Grandpa An. If we can secure that water slide, it will indeed be a very suitable Evolutionary Ground for us," Li Qian said with a nod.

Elder An waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t be so formal. Given our relationship, helping you is the same as helping the An family."

...

After settling the plan to modify the water slide with Elder An, Li Qian returned to the Cultivation Base.

He walked over to the Central Pond and watched Ah Long swim about, occasionally leaping from the water’s surface. Li Qian frowned, then took out his phone and dialed a number.