Golden-Veined Koi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Golden-Veined Koi (金纹锦鲤)
Alias(es)	Yuyu; Golden-Veined Koi King / Fish King (exceptional leader individual)
Species/Race	Fish-type Pet Beast
Attribute	Water 1
Race Grade	Low-level Extraordinary; generally regarded as a low-ceiling ornamental species 1 4
Occupation/Role	Common ornamental Pet Beast; subject of Jiang Xing's Water-Type Beast evolution research 1 4
Status	Extant
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Golden-Veined Koi — Low-level Extraordinary	1	A Water-attribute ornamental fish with a low racial ceiling; ordinary adults are only around the Awakening Rank.
Golden-Veined Koi King — Low-Transcendental	6	The Fish King surpassed the Awakening Rank through its own growth in Li Shun's pond and had reached the threshold for evolution.
Rainbow Dragon Cub / Golden-Scaled Rainbow Dragon	10	The Fish King crossed the Rainbow Dragon Gate after repeated attempts and evolved into a true dragon-type Pet Beast. Its line possesses Overlord-rank potential. 27

Biology

Golden-Veined Koi are widely distributed through major rivers and freshwater lakes. Their attractive golden-veined scales and generally gentle temperament make them one of the most common ornamental Pet Beasts. 1 4

Their known racial moves are:

• Water Leap
• Tackle
• Splash
• Water Gun 1

Before Jiang Xing's research, the species was believed to have only two first-stage evolutionary forms:

• Electric-Veined Gold Carp
• Big-Tail Gold Carp 1

Appearance

Golden-Veined Koi are small fish-type Pet Beasts with shimmering golden-veined scales and large, watery eyes. Schools of them can cast a golden sheen across an entire pond or river surface. 2 5 22

• Commonly kept in aquariums and ornamental ponds. 1 4
• The Fish King is noticeably larger than ordinary individuals. 5
• A Rainbow Dragon Cub evolved from the species has a snow-white belly, golden scales, coral-like horns, dragon whiskers, and a rainbow-colored mane formed from countless tiny lights. 10

Temperament

Most Golden-Veined Koi are bred to be Docile, Timid, or Introverted, traits considered desirable for ornamental ownership. Brave individuals are rare and were often treated as unwanted breeding stock before their evolutionary importance became known. 4

A Brave Golden-Veined Koi can retain its fighting spirit while under Dragon Might, unlike Docile koi that commonly submit or lose the will to resist. 24 Courage—not mere stubbornness or endurance—is the decisive personality trait for the species' dragon evolution. 29 43

Evolution

Rainbow Dragon Cub

Golden-Veined Koi can evolve into Rainbow Dragon Cubs, Light-and-Dragon dual-attribute true dragons with the potential to reach the Overlord rank. 10 12 27

The first recorded evolution occurred when Li Shun's Fish King repeatedly challenged a Rainbow Dragon Gate at Yuzhong Waterfall. Exhausted but supported by its school, it made a final leap and evolved midair. 9 10

Confirmed Conditions

Factor	Significance
Brave personality	A necessary condition. During the Dragon Gate Assembly, only Brave Golden-Veined Koi successfully evolved. 29 43
Courage and will	The koi must overcome its fear and willingly challenge Dragon Might; simply enduring the pressure is insufficient. 23 29
Dragon Gate with Dragon Might	Serves as a trial of will rather than a simple test of leaping ability. A rainbow gate without Dragon Might does not trigger evolution. 24 27 28
Sufficient strength and Water Leap proficiency	Koi must be capable of reaching the evolutionary threshold and physically attempting the gate. Jiang Xing raised his research subjects to Low-Transcendental before the assembly. 6 26
Dragon-type energy and moves	Dragon resources and moves such as Dragon Sacrifice Dance or Outrage improve the probability and speed of evolution, but are not necessary conditions. 7 26 30

Dragon Gate Training

Jiang Xing's refined process uses Dragon Might both during cultivation and at the Dragon Gate itself. The pressure gradually tempers a koi's will and exposes whether it can face a true dragon without surrendering. 24

• Dragon Sacrifice Dance — Grants a brief increase in strength and speed through Dragon-type power; the original Fish King was the only early research subject able to learn it. 7 8
• Outrage — An ultimate Dragon-type move later taught to the research school; it improved the koi's willpower and resistance to Dragon Might. 22 26
• Dragon Lychee Cubes — Food made from Dragon Scale Lychees that provides Dragon-type energy. 7

Notable Individual: The Fish King

Li Shun's Fish King was a Brave Golden-Veined Koi that lived hidden in the depths of Shuntian Breeding Farm's pond for several years. It revealed itself only after driving away a Jawbone Fish that threatened the school, then became the koi's leader; the other fish actively protected it from being caught. 4

Unlike ordinary ornamental koi, the Fish King sought strength and a sincere partner rather than a comfortable life in a display tank. It accepted Jiang Xing's contract after he offered it a chance to become a dragon. 5

• Reached Low-Transcendental strength before contracting with Jiang Xing. 6
• Mastered Water Leap and Tackle to mastery level before its evolution. 6
• Learned Dragon Sacrifice Dance after a month of training. 8
• Led and inspired other Golden-Veined Koi during the first Dragon Gate challenge. 9
• Became the first known Rainbow Dragon Cub after crossing the Dragon Gate. 10
• Retained its authority over the school after evolving, allowing Jiang Xing to gather and manage large numbers of koi efficiently. 22

Heart of Exhaustion

The first Rainbow Dragon Cub possesses the talent Heart of Exhaustion, which allows it to recover completely from the brink of defeat four times. Jiang Xing identified the talent as an expression of the Fish King's will to exceed its limits. 12 23

History

Jiang Xing initially used Golden-Veined Koi as experimental subjects for his thesis on Water-Type Beast evolution. After nine prior batches produced only Electric-Veined Gold Carp and Big-Tail Gold Carp, he initially concluded that the species had only two first-stage evolutions. 1

Inspired by the legend of carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, Jiang Xing revised his research to investigate a dragon-type path. He sought out Brave koi, acquired Li Shun's Fish King, and concentrated his resources on preparing it for an attempted transformation. 2 4 6

The Fish King's success at Yuzhong Waterfall turned the legend into reality and made the previously overlooked species a major subject of public and academic attention. 10 11 Jiang Xing later held the Dragon Gate Assembly to test the method at scale, using Dragon Might to demonstrate that bravery was the essential condition for evolution. 27 28 29

The results confirmed the Personality Conjecture: personality is not merely behavioral, but can be a necessary factor in a Pet Beast's evolutionary path. 30 43

Impact

• Brave, Bold, and strong-willed Golden-Veined Koi rose sharply in market value after their dragon potential became public knowledge. 33
• Wild Golden-Veined Koi can also evolve, giving ordinary Beast Tamers a chance to obtain a true dragon without elite resources or family backing. 29 30
• Dragon Gate Waterfall became a permanent evolution destination, where tamers train koi under Dragon Might until their personalities develop into Bravery. 95
• Jiang Xing later used Dragon Lake to continue holding Dragon Gate trials, raising the number of Rainbow Dragon Cubs beyond seven hundred. 137

Trivia

• Golden-Veined Koi were once so inexpensive that Jiang Xing purchased high-quality farm specimens at a cost price of 800 yuan each. 4
• Their low growth ceiling makes them comparatively easy to raise to their evolutionary threshold. 11 26
• Jiang Xing's attempts to produce Fire-, Thunder-, or Rock-aligned dragon forms failed; the emergence of Rainbow Dragon Cubs may have fixed the species' current dragon-evolution direction through emotional aspiration. 137