Hearing this, a look of delight appeared on Li Qian’s face.

It didn’t matter that he’d already completed his Pet Beast Contract or even needed another one. It was a free Pet Beast; turning it down would be foolish.

’What was that saying again...? The stuff you get for free is always the best...’

So, he replied without a moment’s hesitation, "Great! An opportunity like this? I’d be thrilled."

The smile never left his face as he continued, "So, what are my options for a Pet Beast?"

Chu Xiran’s face filled with confusion at Li Qian’s reaction.

Logically, with his current strength and status, he should be able to get as many ordinary Pet Beasts as he wanted just by asking.

’The Pet Beasts provided by the school only reach Commander Level at the very most. There’s no reason to be this excited, is there?’

She had assumed Li Qian would turn down such a Pet Beast, but reality proved her wrong.

From his eagerness, anyone who didn’t know better might have thought he was being offered a powerful Pet Beast with Emperor Level Potential.

Despite her surprise, Chu Xiran didn’t say anything more.

She knew that everyone had their own personality.

’Perhaps Li Qian is just the type who loves a good bargain and getting things for free.’

And on that point, she was absolutely right.

Besides, the school would certainly be happy with this outcome.

If they could use a Pet Beast of little value to foster a closer relationship with Li Qian, the school would be more than happy to give away several more. Their only fear was that he might refuse.

For a genius like Li Qian, who was already beginning to shine, any small token of gratitude he might show his alma mater in the future would be worth far more than these Pet Beasts.

Even if he didn’t feel any gratitude, it wouldn’t matter. The school had already profited immensely, gaining fame and bolstering its reputation.

For Lingshui City Beast Taming High School, their gains this time had been more than they could have hoped for; they certainly wouldn’t be stingy about giving away a single Pet Beast.

Meeting Li Qian’s interested gaze, Chu Xiran shook her head slightly. "You’re the top graduate this year. According to the rules, you get first pick. I’ll send you the list of Pet Beasts now so you can take a look."

Li Qian didn’t pull out his phone to check the list. He simply said, "You can just choose for me. Don’t pick the rarest or the one with the highest Potential. I want the one with the most research value."

"If you want the one with the most research value, there actually is one among the available Pet Beasts that fits your criteria," Chu Xiran said.

Li Qian’s interest was piqued. "What kind of Pet Beast is it?" he asked.

Chu Xiran pointed to her own phone. "Second row, third one!"

Li Qian took the hint, immediately pulling out his phone to look.

Soon, he saw the name of the Pet Beast... Spirit Fox!

"So it’s a Spirit Fox..." After seeing the name, Li Qian thought for a moment before it dawned on him.

In fact, Li Qian was already familiar with this type of fox-like Pet Beast.

He didn’t know everything about them, but he had some basic information.

It was the kind of Pet Beast he would likely have added to his research list eventually anyway.

The Spirit Fox was a rather unique Pet Beast. By nature, it was an attributeless Pet Beast.

However, for some unknown reason, the Energy in this Pet Beast’s body was extremely adaptable.

This gave it a level of malleability far beyond that of other Pet Beasts.

In this regard, it certainly lived up to the description of "having high research value."

Aside from its conventional evolution from Spirit Fox to Great Spirit Fox—which kept its attribute unchanged and offered limited Potential growth—its other evolutionary paths all led to Evolutionary Forms of considerable potential and value.

Furthermore, the sheer number and variety of its Evolutionary Forms were second to none.

Just from what Li Qian knew, there was the Fire Attribute Flame Spirit Fox, the Water Attribute Wave Fox, the Ice Attribute White Fox, the Wood Attribute Jungle Fox, the Spirit Attribute Illusory Spirit Fox, and the Spatial Attribute Hidden Spirit Fox.

It was a bit like Eevee from an anime Li Qian had seen in his past life called Pocket Monster.

It was precisely this "unpredictability" and "adaptability" that made the Spirit Fox a relatively rare and valuable creature among low-level Pet Beasts.

And for that very reason, Li Qian was a bit surprised to find a Spirit Fox among the Pet Beasts offered by the school.

"I’ll choose that one, then." Li Qian made his decision without much hesitation.

He had given the list a quick glance just now.

There were indeed Pet Beasts on the list with higher Potential than the Spirit Fox.

But in terms of suitability for his purposes, the Spirit Fox was without a doubt the best match.

Besides, to say a Pet Beast like the Spirit Fox had huge potential was a relative statement.

The Spirit Fox wasn’t without its drawbacks.

Its greatest weakness was... its balance.

That’s right, balance!

In the Beast Taming World, "balanced" wasn’t necessarily a compliment. More often than not, it meant... "mediocre"!

Although the Spirit Fox had many Evolutionary Forms, each of them was a relatively mediocre specimen when compared to other Pet Beasts of the same attribute.

None of them excelled in any one area.

Its attack power wasn’t strong, but it wasn’t weak either.

Its endurance wasn’t high, but it wasn’t low either.

Its crowd control abilities weren’t strong, but they weren’t weak either.

...

This often led to an awkward predicament.

It would have no problem in low-level fights. But in high-level battles, it couldn’t act as the main damage dealer, nor could it function as a proper support. Figuring out its role would be a real headache.