Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Gu Ming had sometimes wondered just how important these so-called Elder Level figures were.

But to this day, Gu Ming still hadn’t figured out the system’s logic for assigning identities to specific names.

Gu Ming answered the phone with a smile, thinking it was probably a New Year’s greeting.

"Hello, Sister Ruan?"

"Gu Ming, you’re back home for the New Year, right?"

Ruan Jing’s voice was tinged with a smile, but what puzzled Gu Ming was that he had rarely been in touch with her since his trip to the Yichuan Ruins.

He had simply been too busy back then.

When caught up in a whirlwind of intense conflicts, it’s impossible to maintain all one’s relationships.

But now, with the New Year upon them, it wasn’t out of the question for Miss Ruan to call.

Still, it was a bit of a surprise.

Then, after a few pleasantries, Miss Ruan paused and revealed the true purpose of her call.

DING!

[The Host has returned to a branch of the Hidden Sect.]

[Elder Ruan has issued you a mission:]

[Purge the Internal Parasites!]

[She has relayed that the Sect recently detected abnormal resource flows and chaotic Spiritual Qi fluctuations in the branch.]

[It is suspected that internal personnel are colluding with external forces to erode the Sect’s foundation, their actions being no different from "corruption and graft."]

[Elder Ruan believes this trend must not be allowed to grow!]

[Mission Requirement: Use Cyan Treasure’s "Time Reversal" Talent to secretly investigate the source of the anomaly. Focus on monitoring the status of members cultivating the old version of "Cyan Pine" and gather evidence of corruption.]

[Mission Reward: To be calculated based on the depth of the investigation and the effectiveness of the "parasite" purge. Rewards include Sect Contribution Points and special Cultivation Technique fragments.]

"Do you remember that little shop in your neighborhood?"

Ruan Jing said, "The shop is currently in need of a Cultivation Method Guide Teacher who can hold down the fort. I was thinking, since you’re back for the holidays, could I ask you to go over and help out for a while?"

Her tone was light, as if she were merely suggesting it.

"You don’t have to spend your whole break there, just until your university classes start up again.

"We’ll pay you triple the usual salary, and the company will handle the payment."

The request struck Gu Ming as rather unusual.

Ruan Jing usually just provided him with opportunities or resources.

She had never asked him for a direct favor like this before.

Considering he did owe her quite a few favors,

Gu Ming naturally had no reason to refuse.

"Since you’re asking, Sister Ruan, of course I’ll do my best."

Gu Ming agreed, then added another question. "By the way, Sister Ruan, who’s the manager of the neighborhood shop now?"

"It’s Ruan Taibai," Ruan Jing replied. "He’s my younger brother. He just graduated not long ago and started working at the shop.

"He’s still lacking experience in many areas, so he could really use a ’star student’ like you to guide him."

Hearing this, Gu Ming quickly responded with humility.

"You’re flattering me, Sister Ruan. I’m just a freshman. How could I compare to a senior who’s already in the workforce?"

This wasn’t entirely just him being polite.

Although Ruan Jing was now a Four-star Beastmaster, an existence once far beyond Gu Ming’s reach,

in his heart, he still held a sense of awe for Ruan Jing’s strength.

Now, however, thanks to a growth Speed far exceeding his peers, Gu Ming’s Spiritual Power had already reached the Peak of a Three-star Beastmaster, with one foot in the realm of a Four-star Beastmaster.

Even his Pet Beast, Ah Kun, had used the Evolutionary Divine Power from the second stage of the Wave-Swallowing Technique to make an ultimate Leap, break through its limits, and evolve to Four-star.

Now, he could be considered half a Four-star Beastmaster himself.

Perhaps it was due to the new era’s Spiritual Techniques, but Gu Ming didn’t find it too difficult to support Ah Kun on a spiritual level. He hadn’t experienced the pressure or mental fogginess that occurs when a Beastmaster’s Spiritual Power doesn’t match their Pet Beast’s.

At this rate, Gu Ming would likely solidify his status as a Four-star before even starting his sophomore year.

It wasn’t even impossible for him to touch the threshold of a Five-star and raise a corresponding Five-star Pet Beast by his junior or senior year.

One had to understand that for the vast majority of Beastmasters,

raising their main Pet Beast to Four-star and stabilizing their own Spiritual Power at the Four-star level within their four years of university was already an outstanding achievement.

Not everyone could be like those true prodigies, frantically pushing their Pet Beasts to the Five-star level during their university years.

After all, as a Beastmaster’s rank increased and they contracted more Pet Beasts, the training period would lengthen significantly.

Every New Pet Beast required a massive investment of time and resources from contracting and training to becoming combat-ready.

Not to mention, after a Pet Beast advanced to Four-star, every Evolution and every Skill breakthrough required a long process of accumulation, transformation, and enlightenment.

For Gu Ming to have made such terrifying progress in his first year of university was already a heaven-defying feat.

If he wanted to maintain this high Speed of progress, he would undoubtedly need a deeper accumulation of time and more opportunities.

And back during her internship, Ruan Jing had only been at the level of a Three-star Beastmaster.

Thinking of this, Gu Ming’s sense of awe diminished quite a bit. However, considering her family’s power, he still maintained a basic level of respect, along with a bit of gratitude.

"I understand, Sister Ruan. I’ll do my best to help out with the work."

"Is there anything else you need from me?"

Gu Ming asked as a final confirmation.

Gu Ming asked this extra question because of the system.

"Then thank you so much! There’s nothing else, just enjoy your New Year."

But Ruan Jing ended the call with a laugh, as if there really was nothing else.

’Did I overthink it?’

After hanging up, the polite smile on Gu Ming’s face slowly faded.

In the living room, the boisterous sound of a Beast Taming-themed family comedy playing on the TV continued to fill the air.

His parents seemed to be amused by a particular scene, and their soft laughter could be heard.

Outside, the faint sound of Zero-star firecrackers could be heard, and the air was filled with the relaxed, warm atmosphere of the holiday.

However, Gu Ming’s attention was already completely focused on the system mission prompt that had just popped up in his mind, feeling utterly out of place.

The long text of the Hidden Sect mission was a completely different matter from the job Ruan Jing had described; they were miles apart.

"Purge the internal parasites..."

"Monitor the members cultivating the old version of ’Cyan Pine’..."

He silently mulled over these words, his gaze sharpening.

’This so-called "anti-corruption" mission... does it have some kind of unexpected follow-up?’

Before starting university, Gu Ming had received a follow-up mission from the Sect in the Capital: to use the Time Dragon, Cyan Treasure’s, Talent Ability to investigate clues of corruption within the Sect.

Back in the Capital, Gu Ming hadn’t even completed that quest line.

Now that he was back in Lanqi City, the quest line had circled back to him.

Previously, Gu Ming would have just complained about it and then used the opportunity to further develop Cyan Treasure’s Time Talent.

That was how Cyan Treasure’s "Time Reversal" Talent, a Sixth Sense-like Talent for detecting Crisis Omens, had come about.

But after more than a week of happy, stress-free time and the system’s mundane daily weather reports, Gu Ming suddenly had a strange premonition.

It was as if things had been going too smoothly this holiday, and he had a feeling that some kind of accident was bound to happen.

Now, looking at the system’s sudden mission, the appearance of the two words "Cyan Pine" struck a nerve.

He was reminded of the Demon Fiend invasion war.

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