Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

On the way back to the university, aboard the giant sky beast, an unusual silence fell over the students.

Gone were the cheerful laughter and anticipation from the journey there.

Everyone was either leaning back in their seats, feigning sleep while standing, or staring blankly at the clouds rushing past in the sky.

No one could remain calm after learning that the Terror Executioner was not dead.

The fear it left behind had a lingering aftertaste.

Even after leaving that land, the seed planted in their hearts made them feel an inexplicable fear.

"You have learned that the Terror Executioner is not dead."

"The Seed of Shadow has begun to sprout."

Gu Ming glanced around, feeling the gazes—both overt and hidden—and a faint sense of wariness.

What filled the air wasn’t simple fatigue, but a repressive feeling of having survived a disaster, the lingering trepidation, and a subtle, almost imperceptible scrutiny of their companions.

The intangible fear planted by the "Terror Executioner," just as the system had stated, was silently fermenting.

’To be fair, a Fierce Beast that had already been subdued by Elder Huo shouldn’t have been this powerful.’

’But the future version of it, once it has fully revived, will be far more than this.’

Gu Ming closed his eyes, appearing to rest, but his mind had already sunk into the system interface. He was repeatedly browsing the fragmented information about the "Terror Executioner" and the "Seed of Shadow," as well as the scrolling text from when the Green Treasure Breathing Technique broke through to the Quasi-Path Level.

At the time, he had been too focused on escaping to pay attention to how the system was recording his actions in the scrolling text.

He knew the current calm was just a facade.

Under the influence of the system’s displacement bug, the Seed of Shadow would inevitably cause trouble again.

When that happened, a true storm would erupt.

Before long, the group landed at the Capital Airport’s tower and were transferred back to the university via smaller Flying Pets.

Before they had even entered the university gates,

Elder Huo’s communicator rang urgently.

He gave a few brief responses—"Returned safely," "The situation is complicated," "Need to report in person"—and then hung up.

Elder Huo looked at Gu Ming, his expression grave, and said in a low voice:

"The Chancellor, several Vice Deans, and the general director of the research institute’s ruins project are all waiting in the conference room.

"Gu Ming, you... should be prepared."

Gu Ming nodded without saying much.

He understood that as the student who had performed most brilliantly and played the most central role in this expedition, this debriefing was something he could not avoid.

...

The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn and oppressive.

Elder Huo succinctly reported the general course of events, mentioning that preliminary data on the third sub-level’s geographical structure had been collected and that the Spirit Medicine inside was of remarkably high quality, beneficial even to Eight-star Beastmasters.

However, he added that they had also encountered a suspected Ancient Fierce Beast, which, after being suppressed and identified, was temporarily named the ’Terror Executioner’.

Furthermore, the most critical point was that Gu Ming’s Little Cyan Snake Breathing Technique had broken through to the Quasi-Path Realm in the heat of battle, saving the day.

Without Gu Ming’s Pet Beast, their group would likely have been wiped out, or they would have been trapped in a Different Space, unable to escape and waiting for rescue.

Even the university’s top leadership and leading scholars present, worldly as they were, could hardly conceal the shock and ecstasy on their faces.

"A Quasi-Path Level Breathing Technique?!"

"It can absorb and refine the rampant Memory Essence within the ruins on a large scale?"

An old professor specializing in Spiritual Memory Essence research shot to his feet, his eyes locked on Gu Ming as if trying to see right through him.

"Student Gu Ming, is this true? Do you have any idea what this means?

"It means we might be able to truly ’purify’ the ruins and achieve sustainable, in-depth exploration!"

"Old Huo, that Ancient Fierce Beast... did you really seal it?

"Where is its main body? Can it be used for research?"

Another, an Array Master, was more concerned with the value of the "Terror Executioner" itself.

Faced with the barrage of questions,

Elder Huo shouldered most of the pressure. He responded calmly, affirming the unique nature of Gu Ming’s Breathing Technique while vaguely stating that the sealed entity was extremely unstable and required long-term planning.

Everyone could read between the lines.

It was an Ancient Fierce Beast that Elder Huo had managed to capture on his own with great difficulty.

Now that it was in his pocket, he naturally wouldn’t hand it over so easily.

They would have to offer a price he couldn’t refuse to persuade him.

Otherwise, Elder Huo would surely drag his feet on the matter, completing all the relevant research himself before letting anyone else get a look.

As for Gu Ming, he followed the strategy he and Elder Huo had agreed on during the trip, remaining silent for the most part.

Only when questioned directly did he cautiously describe the vague sensation of "resonating with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi" during his Breathing Technique’s breakthrough.

"It just absorbs it into its Dantian; it’s not Refinement. Please don’t deify my Cyan Treasure. It’s still just a little Three-star Little Cyan Snake..." Gu Ming said humbly.

He didn’t mention how he had guided them after receiving A Flash of Inspiration.

This had originally been the most crucial turning point of the expedition.

But after the Quasi-Path Level Breathing Technique plundered the Memory Essence and cleared a safe path, such minor details became irrelevant.

Any reason for their success was now attributed to Cyan Treasure’s comprehension, the fortuitous opportunity of the Innate Qi, and a ridiculously explosive stroke of good luck.

Gu Ming went along with everyone’s assumptions, acting like a student who had just been extremely lucky.

However, the more low-key he acted and the more reluctant he was to let Cyan Treasure help everyone explore the caves,

...the more fervent the gazes of the old professors became.

It wasn’t Gu Ming the person they were interested in.

It was the key reason for the Enlightenment that allowed a Perfection Level Breathing Technique to break its limits and advance to the Quasi-Path Level.

Understanding that meant possessing a Quasi-Path Level Breathing Technique, which in turn could open the paths within the ancient ruins. It was the "key" to its deepest mysteries.

...

After Gu Ming’s report concluded, the university administration treated the matter with the utmost importance.

On one hand, they placed a strict lockdown on all detailed information regarding the "Terror Executioner."

On the other, they provided Gu Ming with the highest level of protection and care.

He and Lu You were both arranged to return to their original villa, forbidden from leaving seclusion for the time being, and excused from their studies.

It was nominally "to facilitate quiet cultivation and consolidation, and to avoid outside disturbances."

Gu Ming knew perfectly well that this was as much about isolation and observation as it was about protection.

No matter how fanatical everyone was, they still had to consider the Terror Executioner’s Seed of Shadow.

It was a ticking time bomb that had to be neutralized.

Gu Ming was happy with this arrangement; it was exactly the kind of secluded environment he needed.

With him in seclusion and unable to leave, the pressure from everyone would shift onto Elder Huo.

After all, he was the one who had subdued the Fierce Beast instead of killing it.

...

However, being in seclusion didn’t mean Gu Ming was cut off from the outside world.

He still had normal internet access, and he could acquire rare resources by communicating with the university, paying with either money or Credit Points.

Especially at this juncture, his Cyan Treasure possessed the world’s only known Quasi-Path Level Breathing Technique.

Everyone else was having a headache over their inability to explore the Yichuan Ruins.

As Cyan Treasure’s Beastmaster, Gu Ming’s value was on another level.

Gu Ming didn’t stand on ceremony. He immediately went on a fierce shopping spree, ordering from the special request list provided by the university.

"It’s not every day you get an offer like this," Gu Ming murmured. "A whole list of special resources I can order from as I please."

The items on the list required either Credit Points or money.

And that was something he had in abundance.

’Things have already come to this... Might as well eat my fill first.’

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