After hearing what Li Qian said, Elder Tie couldn’t help the corner of his mouth from twitching, and a bitter smile soon spread across his face.

He shot Li Qian a sideways glance and said helplessly, "Three of my four Pet Beasts—the Wind Thunder Lion, the Purgatory Viper, and the Golden Pearl Bell—have Power Levels that have already surpassed their Racial Potential limits."

"But their potential is capped at the Dominator Level. With no way to evolve, there’s no possibility for them to get any stronger."

Li Qian listened to Elder Tie’s explanation without immediately speaking, maintaining a posture of rapt attention.

He knew this was only half the story. It was obvious Elder Tie hadn’t finished what he wanted to say.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, he continued, "As for my fourth Pet Beast, the Four-Winged Mantis, its Racial Potential is the highest, reaching the peak Dominator Level."

"Logically, with all the training and resources I poured into it, breaking through its Racial Potential to reach the Emperor Level shouldn’t have been that difficult."

"Unfortunately, more than a decade ago, it suffered a grave injury while protecting me in battle. Its very foundation was damaged..."

As he spoke, a deep sense of loss flickered in Elder Tie’s eyes. "After its foundation was damaged, even though I poured everything I had into nurturing it and managed to max out its Racial Potential... under these circumstances, trying to break past that limit is nothing short of a pipe dream."

Li Qian’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he listened to Elder Tie’s explanation.

He was still a bit confused, so he followed up, "Elder Tie, of your four Pet Beasts, the Golden Pearl Bell has the lowest Racial Potential, right? Theoretically, it should only be a Tier Nine Commander."

"But even so, you’ve already trained it to become a Tier Two Dominator."

"If it could evolve one more time, it might be able to reach the Emperor Level. As for your other three Pet Beasts—the Wind Thunder Lion, the Purgatory Viper, and the Four-Winged Mantis—it goes without saying that another evolution would guarantee they reach the Emperor Level."

"Of course I’ve thought about evolving them further..."

At Li Qian’s words, the bitter smile on Elder Tie’s lips deepened. "But all four of my Pet Beasts have already reached what is, in theory, their final Evolutionary Form!"

"Even if I want to keep going, there are no higher-level evolutionary paths for them."

As Li Qian listened to Elder Tie’s explanation, his gaze fell upon the large school of Koi Carp in the Central Pond.

Right now, they were circling the four Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragons and seven Frostfire Salamanders like a group of obedient underlings.

An idea suddenly struck Li Qian as he watched. He turned and asked, "Then, have you ever considered... getting a new Pet Beast?"

Elder Tie shook his head firmly at the suggestion. "Getting a new Pet Beast is certainly one solution, but it’s one I’ve never considered."

He smiled and continued, "Call me stubborn, call me old-fashioned, whatever. The point is, I will never abandon my Pet Beasts."

"We met when I was just starting out. They’ve been with me through thick and thin, and they’ve saved my life more times than I can count. We’re partners who would die for each other. If I had to abandon them just to get stronger, what would be the point of that strength?"

His gaze followed Li Qian’s to the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragons and Frostfire Salamanders frolicking in the Central Pond, and a look of envy crossed his face.

’If I’d had Pet Beasts with that kind of Potential when I was young,’ he thought, ’I might have reached the Emperor Level by now.’

He withdrew his gaze and turned back to Li Qian, letting out a breath. In a tone of acceptance, he said, "For me, becoming a Beast Master and getting stronger is all for the sake of protection. That is my Path of Beast Taming."

Li Qian was deeply moved by his words.

’The Path of Beast Taming?’

’Elder Tie’s Path of Beast Taming is to protect. So, what’s mine?’

’The concept sounds incredibly profound, but it’s easy enough to understand if you rephrase it.’

Li Qian recalled that when he had first entered Beast Taming High School, a teacher had asked him why he wanted to become a Beast Master.

The Li Qian of that time—his predecessor—had a very simple answer: he wanted to become a powerful Beast Master to earn a lot of money and give his parents a better life.

That goal, or his original intention, was rather materialistic, but strictly speaking, it was still a kind of Path of Beast Taming.

’The Path of Beast Taming of the old Li Qian.’

’The Path of Beast Taming isn’t set in stone. It can change with one’s environment or Power Level.’

’That path certainly doesn’t suit the person I am now.’

’After all, I’m not the original Li Qian anymore.’

After pondering for a moment without reaching a conclusion about his own Path of Beast Taming, Li Qian decided not to dwell on it.

He shook his head, pushing the messy thoughts to the back of his mind.

’It’s no use overthinking it right now. I’ll just take it one step at a time. I believe that as I experience more things, my own Path of Beast Taming will gradually become clear.’

Li Qian smiled and gave Elder Tie a look of approval. "Elder Tie, I really admire your attitude toward your Pet Beasts."

"I was worried you’d think I was just being old-fashioned," Elder Tie said with a pleased smile. Looking at Li Qian, he felt as though he had found a kindred spirit, a friend despite their age gap.

Li Qian walked over and patted Elder Tie on the shoulder. "Don’t worry, Elder Tie," he said with complete confidence. "Leave this to me. Don’t forget what I do for a living!"

He continued without pausing, "I’m sure that your Wind Thunder Lion, Purgatory Viper, Golden Pearl Bell, and Four-Winged Mantis all have higher-level Evolutionary Forms."

"I’m very confident about this. Just because other Breeders couldn’t figure it out doesn’t mean I can’t."

Elder Tie looked at Li Qian, his spirits lifting at the young man’s confidence and willingness to take on such a great responsibility.

Whether or not Li Qian could actually discover higher-level Evolutionary Forms for his four Pet Beasts, the gesture alone was a rare and precious thing.

Instead of offering words of tempered expectations, Elder Tie’s gaze burned brightly as he went along with it. "Alright, then! I’m putting all my hope in you!"

As he spoke, he thought to himself: ’If Li Qian could figure out the evolutionary methods for the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon and Frostfire Salamander back in high school, it’s not impossible that he can figure out the evolutionary paths for my four contracted Pet Beasts in the future.’

Seeing Elder Tie fix a gaze full of hope upon him, a ripple slowly spread across Li Qian’s Heart Lake.

’If I can truly find a sense of accomplishment through this... perhaps that could be my very own Path of Beast Taming...’