Of course, ordinary Beast Masters didn’t have the luxury of such worries. For them, just owning a high-Potential Pet Beast was an incredible blessing.

They weren’t in any position to be picky.

And for that reason, while Li Qian found it a bit surprising, he didn’t pay it much mind.

"Well, I won’t disturb your studies and research any longer." After selecting the Pet Beast and completing her task, Chu Xiran didn’t linger. Her expression was complicated as she said her goodbyes.

She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment as if she wanted to say more, but in the end, she said nothing and walked away from the Cultivation Base.

This visit to Li Qian’s Cultivation Base wasn’t just a school assignment.

Her family had also instructed her to come.

And as for why her family did so, it was as clear as day to her.

They just wanted to curry favor with Li Qian and strengthen their relationship.

Some of the clan elders had even explicitly told her to just go along with Elder Tie’s joke.

To see if she could develop a different kind of relationship with him, to see if they could ignite some kind of spark.

To put it bluntly, they wanted her, as a woman, to take the initiative and get close to Li Qian.

After realizing her family’s intentions, Chu Xiran felt a little resentful.

This was precisely why her expression was so unnatural when she faced Li Qian earlier.

But by the end, her heart had settled, and she was no longer worried.

Because she discovered that Li Qian had no intentions in that regard whatsoever.

That being the case, she no longer had to struggle with it or let her imagination run wild.

Chu Xiran left.

Less than half a day after she was gone, another person arrived.

"What are you doing here?" Li Qian was quite surprised to see Li Lanying being led into Building One by a smiling Uncle Zhang, the gatekeeper.

He had thought that after they parted ways at Taoyuan Villa, he would hardly have any more dealings with his classmates.

He never expected Li Lanying to show up at his door on her own initiative.

Li Qian had a pretty good impression of this Li Lanying.

Last time at Taoyuan Villa, when facing the rampaging "Shadow Soul" robots, she had displayed an exceptionally high level of combat proficiency.

Combined with the Spiritual Power he had sensed from her, which was even a notch higher than his own, Li Qian had determined back then that this woman’s identity was definitely not as simple as it appeared.

For this very reason, Li Qian was a little wary of her.

No matter the reason, he had to be cautious of a high school student who hid her abilities so deeply.

Ignoring Li Qian’s surprise, and the faint trace of caution hidden within it, Li Lanying gave a charming smile and sat down gracefully across from him. "My old classmate has made it big. I just came to take a look..."

With that, she leaned in a little closer, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze. "What, am I not welcome?"

Hearing this, Li Qian chuckled and took the conversational cue. He played along, saying, "Of course not. A warm welcome to you. Your presence brightens my humble home."

Li Lanying glanced at the surroundings and said jokingly, "A Cultivation Base this huge, and you call it a ’humble home’? Old classmate, aren’t you being a little too modest?"

"You know, excessive modesty is just another form of pride."

Li Qian spread his hands with a helpless expression and a wry smile. "It’s just an empty shell."

"I’ll take you on a walk later and you’ll see. The facilities are very outdated. I can’t even imagine how much money I’ll have to sink into it."

Hearing this, Li Lanying’s eyes lit up. "Why wait? Show me around now."

"Er..." Li Qian was taken aback for a moment, not expecting Li Lanying to be so quick to seize the opportunity.

Once he recovered, he immediately said, "As long as you don’t mind how crude this place is, I’d be more than happy to."

Since a girl had taken the initiative to ask, Li Qian didn’t have the heart to refuse and just went along with it.

’Fortunately, this sort of thing won’t take up too much time.’

With that thought, Li Qian led Li Lanying out of Building One.

The two of them walked side-by-side, a scene that happened to be witnessed by his mother, Han Yuqing.

’Phew, thank goodness, it’s a girl his age... It seems telling Brother Zhang to let in any young girls he sees was the right call...’ A gratified smile appeared on his mother Han Yuqing’s face as she watched their retreating figures.

Along the way, Li Qian gave a casual tour, and Li Lanying listened just as casually.

They chatted idly, and before they knew it, they had once again fallen into a comfortable atmosphere.

Li Qian had seen this before; it was one of Li Lanying’s more prominent traits.

She had a way of making people around her feel at ease.

Before long, they arrived at the Central Pond.

Li Qian beckoned.

With a SPLASH, Qizai burst out of the water and came to his side.

Usually, when there was no fighting, Li Qian liked to summon Qizai and Xiaoliu out of the Beast Taming Space.

Compared to staying inside the space, both beasts preferred being outside, playing with the other Pet Beasts or helping to train the Koi Carp.

Of course, staying outside certainly had its own problems.

The biggest problem was that they couldn’t enjoy the growth bonus from the Beast Taming Space.

Watching Qizai burst from the water, leap into the air, and land before Li Qian in an instant to nuzzle his palm affectionately, Li Lanying said with admiration, "This isn’t the first time I’ve seen it, but seeing a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon again is still just as stunning."

Li Qian smiled and returned the business-like compliment. "Your Duomila is also very impressive. Once it’s fully grown, its strength won’t be any less than my Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon."

Li Lanying shook her head, a hint of envy in her bright eyes. "It’s not the same. Even when Duomila is fully grown, its role is that of a healer. My team is still missing a main attacker."

Hearing this, Li Qian nodded in agreement with her assessment. Duomila was indeed very good, and its Potential wasn’t bad, but its attack power was low, making it unsuitable as a main attacker.

After listening to Li Lanying, a faint smile touched Li Qian’s lips. At this point, how could he not understand why she had come to the Cultivation Base today?

He gently patted Qizai’s head, signaling for it to go play on its own, then got straight to the point. "You didn’t come all this way just to tour my Cultivation Base, did you?"

With her intentions figured out, Li Lanying didn’t try to hide it anymore and admitted it frankly, "You probably know that my Power Level has already reached Elite Level, but I still haven’t contracted a second Pet Beast!"

"Do you want a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon or a Frostfire Salamander?" Li Qian instantly understood her purpose for this visit and asked bluntly.

Li Qian’s direct response made his intentions clear, which surprised Li Lanying. "So straightforward? I remember Lu Kuihuan and Sun Shouhe repeatedly tried to buy from you in the group chat, but you never even responded, did you?"

Li Qian led Li Lanying away from the Central Pond and continued walking forward.

He spoke as he walked, "You’re different from them. I’d feel at ease entrusting a Pet Beast to you. I know you would treat it well and help it realize its Potential."

He scoffed and continued, "Those two idiots are another story. Giving a Pet Beast to them would just be a waste of its Talent, not to mention irresponsible. So, if someone wants to get a Pet Beast from my Cultivation Base, it’s not that simple. First, they have to earn my approval."

Hearing this, Li Lanying recalled her previous experiences with them and couldn’t help but chuckle. "If we’re talking about those two, your assessment is pretty spot-on."

The two chatted as they walked, the atmosphere quite harmonious.

Li Lanying then gave her answer. "I want to contract a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon to be the main attacker on my future Pet Beast team."

"Why not a Frostfire Salamander?" Li Qian was a bit surprised. Without a doubt, if she was looking for a main attacker, the Frostfire Salamander was a more suitable choice than the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon.

After all, the difference in Potential between the two Pet Beasts was obvious.