Niu Fenjin left. Li Qian had laid out the facts and reasoned with him until he was speechless, and in the end, even a little overwhelmed with shame.

Li Qian watched him leave the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base, his spirits restored and his confidence renewed, without even mentioning the final class. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

’This guy is really something else...’

Although he had given him a few pointers—classic moves proven by countless pioneers in his past life on Earth—Li Qian still held no hope for him successfully wooing Teacher Chu Xiran.

In his past life, Li Qian had no practical experience in this area either, but he had seen plenty of skits and browsed numerous forums. He was quite "knowledgeable" on the subject and could speak with a conviction that left Niu Fenjin utterly stunned.

After Niu Fenjin left, Li Qian finally had some quiet time to think about his upcoming work and study schedule.

First was his studies, which he definitely couldn’t slack off on.

The internal database on the Lingshui City Breeder Association’s website still had a lot of material, enough to keep him busy for a while.

In addition, while the national Breeder Association’s internal website didn’t have many study materials, its various forums were a treasure trove.

Take the evolution method from Golden Pearl Bell to Tidal Sea Spirit, for example. If he hadn’t seen the post by "Pink Memory," he never would have made the connection.

Finally, there was studying from physical books and the group discussions in the "Waste Pet Research Institute," which, all in all, had proven fruitful.

Li Qian would never be stingy with the time he invested in learning. He knew very well that if a Breeder wanted to achieve anything, they had to possess a wealth of knowledge.

This was true even for Li Qian, who had a Golden Finger.

The Golden Finger gave Li Qian reminders that helped him draw inferences from one case to another, but if he had no inspiration to begin with, it was useless.

’I can’t just expect my luck to be off the charts every time and stumble upon key information.’

Besides, Li Qian was also worried. A thing like a Golden Finger was inherently incomprehensible.

They say it’s standard issue for transmigrators, but it wasn’t impossible for it to just disappear one day.

If that happened, wouldn’t Li Qian fall from being a breeding genius to just a mediocre Breeder?

So, Li Qian felt he needed a sense of crisis.

’I have to prevent problems before they arise.’

As for research, after advancing to the Elite Level, he could now establish a second Pet Beast research task.

But so far, his task panel remained completely empty. Li Qian wasn’t worried about this at all.

After his experience with the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon and the Frostfire Salamander, Li Qian had grasped certain techniques for using the system.

If he didn’t have a clear goal, he would rather leave the task panel empty. He absolutely shouldn’t create a task on a whim. What if the task’s difficulty was too high and he couldn’t complete it anytime soon? Wouldn’t that be a waste of a task slot?

The day after Li Qian had fully immersed himself in his studies, a man came to the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base. He was a burly man with a square face and bulging, knotted muscles.

The man looked to be in his fifties, a little younger than Elder Tie, but in terms of spirit, the latter was no match for him.

"What? You’re Professor Yan Shuaiqi?" After the muscular man introduced himself, Li Qian couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

In his mind, the "Professor Yan" who had figured out the Sky Escape Eagle’s evolution method should be an old scholar in a white coat, wearing thick glasses, with not much hair left on his head.

He never expected the real Professor Yan to be such a rugged, muscular guy.

’You really can’t judge a book by its cover.’

"You must be Li Qian. You’re as young and promising as they say!" Despite his brawny, seemingly simple-minded appearance, Professor Yan’s opening words made Li Qian feel as if he were being caressed by a spring breeze.

’With that kind of emotional intelligence, no wonder he’s successful. It just doesn’t quite fit the Breeder stereotype.’

"Professor Yan, you flatter me. I was just lucky," Li Qian replied modestly.

"Once could be a fluke, chalked up to good luck. But twice can’t be explained by luck alone," Professor Yan said, continuing smoothly. "In my opinion, Li Qian, you are a breeding genius, the kind one sees only once in a century."

Professor Yan’s words made even Li Qian a little embarrassed.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries. After their brief chat, Li Qian finally understood why Professor Yan looked the way he did.

Apparently, it was due to his research habits. Whenever he encountered a difficult problem, he would go to the gym to work up a sweat, seeking inspiration in the process.

Li Qian was quite surprised when he first heard this. He’d heard of people finding inspiration on the toilet, but finding it at the gym was a first.

No wonder he had managed to turn himself into such a musclehead.

"By the way, I heard Tie Ru Hua is here too. How come I don’t see him? An old friend has arrived, shouldn’t he come out for a reunion?" After chatting for a while, Professor Yan brought the conversation around to Elder Tie.

"The old man is incredibly elusive; I have no idea where he’s gone," Li Qian said with a wry smile, then answered truthfully.

With that, he extended a hand in a welcoming gesture. "Welcome to our Cultivation Base, Professor Yan."

And so, personally welcomed by Li Qian, Professor Yan entered the Cultivation Base.

After entering the Cultivation Base, Professor Yan looked left and right, then sighed with emotion. "I heard before I came that your Cultivation Base was simple, but I never imagined you could achieve such significant results in such a humble environment. It’s truly admirable."

Hearing this, the corner of Li Qian’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. He had always thought the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base’s facilities weren’t bad.

Now, after wave after wave of people tactfully calling it "humble," Li Qian himself was starting to wonder if it really was too simple.

He shook his head lightly, dismissing the unnecessary thoughts. ’There’s no place like home.’ Even if the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base was a bit simple, it was his first business.

Besides, Li Qian remembered an essay from his past life, "An Ode to My Humble Abode," and its line: *Though the room is humble, my virtue lends it fragrance.*

He believed that as his fame and strength grew by the day, the reputation of the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base would grow with them, no matter how simple it truly was.

A short while later, Li Qian led Professor Yan to Building One, which had now become his exclusive office and study.

After they entered Building One, before he could even offer Professor Yan a seat, a letter, placed conspicuously in the hall, caught his attention.

’Who even leaves letters these days...’ Li Qian was puzzled. He slowly walked over and picked it up.

After opening the envelope and reading it, a wry smile crept onto Li Qian’s face.

The letter was from none other than Elder Tie. He had left without saying goodbye.