Li Qian gazed at the immense, sky-blotting, mutated Ancient Golden Rong Tree. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Since this Ancient Golden Rong Tree was able to mutate, shouldn’t the other one—the Second Ancestor—have a chance as well?"

He knew the Mu Family must be aware of this possibility—they had surely even researched it. But as things stood, it seemed their efforts had been fruitless.

Still, it was the only thing Li Qian could think of at the moment, and he felt he had to say it, even if it was just to offer some comfort.

Besides, it would at least provide another research avenue. Finding a breakthrough with the Second Ancestor and trying to induce its mutation had to be far simpler than trying to increase the Rong Ancestor’s power.

So, without much more thought, he voiced his opinion. "As long as it mutates, it should be able to advance to the Saint Spirit Level, right?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qianqian sighed helplessly. "The Rong Ancestor’s mutation back then was a stroke of luck—a near-unrepeatable coincidence."

With that, she tilted her head back in resignation, her eyes tracing the dense, canopy-like crown above.

The Rong Ancestor was still lush and majestic, still exuding an aura of sacred authority.

However, the occasional golden leaf drifting down hinted at a touch of bleakness.

After hearing Mu Qianqian’s explanation, Li Qian’s brows knitted together. "Then we have a problem."

It was a complete dead end.

Both approaches were unworkable.

After a moment of silence, he asked cautiously, "If you lose the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm..."

Understanding what Li Qian was getting at, Mu Qianqian didn’t hide the truth. "If we lose the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm, our Mu Family will inevitably enter a gradual decline."

"Not necessarily," Li Qian said with an awkward laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Even without the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm, I’m sure that as long as the Mu Family stays united and works together, you definitely won’t fall into ruin."

He was just saying what he thought would comfort Mu Qianqian.

To his surprise, she nodded in agreement. "Good fortune can arise from disaster, and disaster can hide within good fortune. Perhaps you’re right."

She continued without pause, "Because of the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm, the entire Mu Family has lost its edge over the years, growing soft and complacent. Perhaps in the long run, this crisis won’t be such a bad thing."

She seemed to have come to terms with it, but as she finished, she couldn’t help but sigh. "Still, this is our home."

"I’m not sure I can help, but it can’t hurt to talk it over," Li Qian said after a moment’s thought, deciding to press for the details. "So, how exactly did the venerable Rong Ancestor here manage to mutate?"

The venerable Rong Ancestor had fallen into a deep slumber and likely couldn’t hear them, but Li Qian was sure that Mu Qianqian knew the story.

"If I look into it, I might find something. Even if I don’t, there’s no harm done," he said with a light laugh, voicing his genuine thoughts.

Hearing this, Mu Qianqian gave Li Qian a complex look.

Although she didn’t think he could actually help, she appreciated the sentiment and was slightly moved.

After gathering her thoughts, she began to share what she knew. "According to the Rong Ancestor’s own account, its mutation might be related to the Light Element. Besides its Wood Element abilities, it also mastered several Light Skills, such as Purifying Light, Holy Light Guardian, and Blinding Technique."

"Then how did it learn those Light Skills?" Li Qian asked, his curiosity piqued.

"The Rong Ancestor once absorbed a piece of Sun Essence Gold. That might have something to do with it," Mu Qianqian said.

"Sun Essence Gold... that’s an extremely rare resource," Li Qian said, an involuntary frown creasing his brow.

One of the rarer and more widely used resources for the Light Element is the Sunstone.

And within Sunstone Veins that are exceptionally rich in Energy, a very small amount of Sun Essence Gold can sometimes form.

Because Sun Essence Gold is so precious and rare, and because it is incredibly beneficial for Light Pet Beasts, the resource has always been one with a price but no market.

Whenever a piece appears for sale, it fetches an astronomical price.

Even so, Li Qian didn’t think obtaining such a resource would be a difficult task for the Li Family.

As it turned out, his guess was correct. Mu Qianqian’s next words confirmed it. "Its rarity is one thing, but our Mu Family actually managed to acquire a piece at an auction. We were hoping to replicate the process, but unfortunately, it didn’t work."

"The Second Ancestor only learned a single Skill, ’Sunlight Absorption.’ There were no other changes."

"Our theory is that we’re not using the right method."

Li Qian frowned and offered a different perspective. "It’s also possible that the Rong Ancestor is simply unique compared to other Ancient Golden Rong Trees."

Mu Qianqian nodded. "That’s also a possibility."

Even identical Pet Beasts can have individual differences. This is the fundamental reason why beasts with the same Potential can have vastly different ultimate achievements.

Therefore, an individual mutation like this was entirely possible.

After a moment of thought, he made a request. "You must have done some research on this. Would it be possible for me to see your findings?"

’I have too little information right now,’ he thought. ’I can’t possibly look into it without more data.’

Mu Qianqian answered without hesitation. "That should be fine, but I’ll need to ask my grandfather."

Li Qian nodded in understanding. "Of course."

Having learned the gist of the situation, Li Qian didn’t linger. The two of them started to walk back slowly.

Suddenly, a thought struck Li Qian. "By the way, that attack the Ancient Divine Teachings launched in the Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area last time... was it because of this?"

"They were coming for the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm." Mu Qianqian’s gaze turned sharp. "News that the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm is in trouble must have gotten out. The Energy inside the Secret Realm is extremely fragile right now. We have to carefully maintain its balance. A battle of sufficient intensity could cause the Secret Realm to collapse completely."

"I see," Li Qian said, the pieces falling into place.

It all made sense now. He finally understood why that member of the Ancient Divine Teachings had gone to such lengths.

After finishing their tour, Li Qian said his goodbyes to Mu Qianqian, Elder Mu Tianhua, and the young Mu Zoran, and then left the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm.

Back in the scenic area, Mu Qianqian arranged for a car to take Li Qian directly to the airport in Yunlan City.

Upon her return to the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm, Mu Qianqian asked, perplexed, "Grandfather, besides the research related to the Rong Ancestor’s mutation, there was so much other data... Why did you give it all to him?"

Mu Tianhua stroked his beard. "That young man is a Hidden Dragon in the Abyss, and a hidden dragon is destined to one day soar. Befriending him now brings our Mu Family only benefits and no drawbacks. Besides, we can’t make sense of that research anyway. Hoarding data we can’t use is worthless."

"Giving him a copy costs us nothing."

Mu Qianqian fell into thought, her gaze drifting in a certain direction as she nodded. "I understand."