Do You Want to Become a Dragon?

Although Golden-Veined Koi with Brave natures were not popular with the public.

A Golden-Veined Koi that possessed leader potential and had become a Fish King through its own efforts clearly did not fall into that category.

If it were sold, people would be willing to pay tens of thousands, even over a hundred thousand!

Yet Li Shun had not sold it. Instead, he had set up a wager—

It seemed like a joke, but it could attract many customers. Whether they wanted to tame the Fish King or take it away to sell for money, it could greatly boost the farm's popularity and traffic.

The overall profit it brought in was far beyond what a few tens of thousands could compare to.

Even if someone really got the Fish King for free, it would leave behind a good story and become intangible advertising.

"Senior, you're amazing!" Jiang Xing praised.

Not only was Li Shun skilled at breeding, he was also this shrewd in business.

No wonder that, even after being eliminated from the Water-Type Beast Research program, he could still call himself Dr. Xu's student and earn recognition from Dr. Xu and the seniors... His emotional intelligence probably had something to do with it too.

"Want to give it a try, Junior? Maybe it'll be willing to go with you."

"Sure!"

Jiang Xing followed Li Shun to the edge of the fishpond.

The farm also operated as a fishing ground. Normally, plenty of anglers paid for tickets and bait to come in and feed the fish.

At the moment, quite a few middle-aged men were fishing by the pond. When they saw Li Shun bring Jiang Xing over to the Golden-Veined Koi's pond and call out the Fish King's name, they put down their rods and gathered around.

"Heh, someone's challenging the Fish King again!"

"Kid, this Fish King is very Cleverness. You can't just talk it into leaving, so you'd better be prepared!"

"Young man, want me to give you some pointers on what to say? I can at least double your chances of success!"

"Oh, come on, Old Deng. You haven't succeeded yourself, and you're here giving advice?"

Clearly, all the anglers here had challenged the Golden-Veined Koi King and failed.

Now that they saw a newcomer trying, they immediately gathered to watch the show.

Hearing them, Jiang Xing grew a little nervous—

So many people failed. This Fish King really won't be easy to fool...

Just as he was thinking that, the water rippled. Countless Golden-Veined Koi rose from beneath the surface, casting the entire pond in a layer of golden radiance.

Among them, a Golden-Veined Koi several times larger than the rest swam to the shore.

It raised its head, its watery eyes watching the people on the bank with a hint of scrutiny.

This was its agreement with the owner. If it wanted to remain here, it had to accept interactions with customers until a master it approved of appeared.

This was not only the owner's demand, but also its own hope.

It wanted to follow a Beast Tamer who would sincerely treat it well.

Yet, up until now, every customer it had met had come for the title of "Fish King"—

They had not come to raise a "Golden-Veined Koi," but to conquer a "Fish King," to add a showpiece worthy of bragging about to their aquariums.

Of course, living safely and comfortably in an aquarium, receiving the owner's careful care, and never having to worry about the pressures of survival was itself the aspiration of most Golden-Veined Koi.

But that was not its aspiration.

It wanted to grow stronger. It wanted to become a powerful Pet Beast capable of defeating Jawbone Fish and even more enemies!

Unfortunately, for a naturally weak Golden-Veined Koi, that was nothing more than the most unrealistic fantasy.

At that moment, the increasingly disappointed Golden-Veined Koi looked at the boy on the shore, thinking he was yet another customer who had come seeking conquest.

Then it heard an unprecedentedly beautiful voice.

"Do you want to become a dragon?"

The Golden-Veined Koi stared intently at the boy.

Everyone beside him froze for a moment.

"I'm conducting research on how Golden-Veined Koi can evolve into dragon-type Pet Beasts."

"Don't you want to try and see whether a weak carp can leap over that Dragon Gate and transform into a powerful True Dragon?"

The Golden-Veined Koi had yet to respond.

The anglers around them were the first to be shocked by his words.

"Kid, you want to make a Golden-Veined Koi evolve into a dragon?"

"No, you're joking, right? How is that possible?"

"If even a Low-Transcendental koi can evolve into a dragon, then maybe the caterpillar in my backyard can too."

"But your pitch really is pretty good... If I were the Fish King, I might be persuaded by you too."

"Oh no, don't tell me this kid's actually going to pull it off?"

After their initial shock, the anglers calmed down and decided this was Jiang Xing's sales pitch.

After all, forget evolving into a dragon—even their Beast Tamer contract slots would not be reserved for a Golden-Veined Koi—

Even as a Fish King, it could not change the Golden-Veined Koi's innate racial grade.

There was a limit to the number of Pet Beasts a Beast Tamer could contract.

Even if a Beast Tamer wanted to make a contract, they would not choose an ornamental Pet Beast, much less pay a huge price to try evolving it into some kind of dragon beast...

Li Shun, however, fell into thought upon hearing those words.

"No wonder Junior suddenly needed a new batch of Golden-Veined Koi. So this was his idea..."

"Hmm... There has been a legend of Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate in the country since ancient times. It isn't entirely fabricated from nothing. As long as the approach is right, even if he fails in the end, he'll still earn Teacher's praise—"

"Teacher said back then that he didn't hate wild ideas. What he hated even more were those foolish students who refused even to fantasize and had no capacity for innovation... Like me."

"Sigh, if I'd had Junior's imagination back then, perhaps Teacher wouldn't have criticized me so harshly."

Memories of his days as a student surged into Li Shun's mind.

His thoughts drifted, leaving him somewhat distracted.

Because of that, when Jiang Xing spoke again, he reacted half a beat too slowly.

"If you don't believe me, you can form a contract with me and become my Pet Beast."

As Jiang Xing spoke, he extended his hand toward the pond. A complex pattern appeared in his palm.

The Golden-Veined Koi had still been considering whether he was lying, but the instant it saw the pattern, it cast aside all hesitation. Without the slightest hesitation, it leaped from the water and pressed its forehead against his palm—

This might be its only chance in this life!

Seeing this, the anglers gaped in astonishment.

Li Shun came back to his senses and cried out as he lunged forward.

"Wait, Junior!"

In the Beast Taming World, every Beast Tamer had a limit on the number of Pet Beasts they could contract.

The initial limit was three. As their spiritual power grew, the limit gradually increased. At present, the Beast Tamer known to possess the strongest spiritual power could contract thirty Pet Beasts.

The limit seemed high, but one had to know that both Beast Tamers and Pet Beasts could die in battle.

Once a Pet Beast died, the soul chain would activate. The Beast Tamer would permanently lose a contract slot, and their spirit would suffer permanent damage!

Thus, every Beast Tamer was exceedingly cautious when choosing Pet Beast companions.

Jiang Xing was Dr. Xu's student, with limitless prospects ahead of him.

How could he waste a precious contract slot on a Golden-Veined Koi?

If Teacher found out, he would probably scold Li Shun to death!!

However, Li Shun was still half a step too late. He watched helplessly as light blossomed, a luminous pattern appeared on the Golden-Veined Koi's forehead, then quickly dimmed.

The next second, the Golden-Veined Koi turned into a streak of light and vanished into Jiang Xing's palm.

The contract was complete!