Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

The Nian Beast originated from folklore; this was a well-known fact.

Urban legends, by academic definition, were considered products of the collective unconscious.

They often reflected the deep, shared fears of a specific regional population.

An urban legend is an anomaly that defies everyday logic and cannot be explained by common sense.

Gu Ming connected the two, and upon careful consideration, found the comparison surprisingly apt.

However, if the Nian Beast were truly the manifestation of a "legend," its implications would be terrifying.

After all, even the most widespread legends at Wenquxing University were confined to just a few specific corners of the campus.

For instance, the truth behind a legend exposed last year turned out to be nothing more than a Ghost Element Pet Beast that had accidentally escaped from a professor’s lab and was causing trouble.

But the Nian Beast was completely different.

Its legend spanned the entire nation, even crossing cultural borders.

Its influence had long since surpassed the scope of a small region’s collective unconscious.

The legend of the Nian Beast had ascended to a world-class, grand narrative rooted in humanity’s shared cultural memory.

If such an unimaginable creation of collective thought were to actually take form in reality, the risk it posed would likely be no less than a world-altering catastrophe.

Gu Ming ran a quick deduction in his mind and felt that this threat level might be on par with the "Demon War" the system had warned him about.

He quickly shook his head, trying to banish the overly terrifying speculation from his mind.

After all, the Nian Beast still only existed in word-of-mouth tales and historical records.

It had never been definitively discovered or captured by anyone.

The probability of it actually being born from a "legend" was minuscule.

The night’s thoughts drifted by in this boundless reverie.

Beside him, Lu You seemed particularly interested in this mysterious New Year’s topic.

He wondered if she had recently read any related books.

So Gu Ming went along with her enthusiasm, and they let their imaginations run wild with theories.

If the Nian Beast really were to materialize from the collective imagination, where would it most likely appear first?

The place with the strongest New Year’s atmosphere?

Or the most densely populated urban center?

Or perhaps it would appear in some remote, primitive area completely devoid of human activity?

For example... the kind of absolutely pure, untainted natural environment promoted by the "Friends of Nature" organization?

Perhaps a place like that would be a more fitting "habitat" for a legendary creature like the Nian Beast.

Using this topic, Gu Ming smoothly brought the "Friends of Nature" organization to the forefront of their conversation.

He intentionally tried to make Lu You wary of them. His tone was calm, but his words carried an undercurrent of warning.

Gu Ming’s cautionary message got through to her, making her more attentive to this large organization that operated under the guise of charity.

Perhaps behind it all lay certain dogmatic principles that deviated from humanitarianism.

After listening, Lu You’s expression first showed a flicker of surprise, then she nodded solemnly, indicating she had taken his words to heart.

In the pavilion, other tourists chatting idly seemed to have been drawn in by snippets of their conversation, occasionally glancing over.

However, to others, the discussion about mysterious organizations and legendary Pet Beasts probably just sounded like the strange, fanciful talk of young people.

They treated it as nothing more than an amusing anecdote to pass the time, and no one truly paid it any mind.

However, Gu Ming knew that tomorrow afternoon, the long-planned New Year’s charity event by "Friends of Nature" was set to begin.

They had already laid the groundwork with multiple rounds of promotions in Lanqi City.

And on the first day of the New Year, as the first stop of their charity campaign...

the organization announced that they would be giving away over a thousand Pet Beast cubs with Three-star Level potential for free.

Furthermore, they were all prime choices that had just completed the "Enlightenment" ceremony, their intelligence newly awakened, and were in the optimal stage for raising.

Raising a Pet Beast at this stage, acting as a substitute for its parents, would solidify the bond between Beastmaster and Pet Beast until it was unbreakable, like that of blood relatives.

He had to admit, their timing was extremely precise.

At the start of the New Year, a large number of third-year high school students had just come of age, their Seas of Consciousness stabilized.

This was undoubtedly the golden period for contracting one’s first Pet Beast, a window of opportunity that Friends of Nature had clearly set their sights on.

’If the great Demon War outbreak is next year,’ Gu Ming calculated, ’then this year’s preliminary groundwork must be starting during the New Year’s period.’

...

Time slipped by as they talked, and in the blink of an eye, it was already one in the morning.

Although it was late, it was New Year’s Eve, and the streets of Lanqi City were still bustling with people observing the vigil.

Countless Beastmasters strolled the streets with their various Pet Beasts.

The streets were filled with red lanterns and spring couplets, casting a warm glow upon the night.

The roar of fireworks and firecrackers rose and fell, and smoke filled the air above the streets.

However, relying on a Beastmaster’s exceptionally keen Divine Sense, Gu Ming could still clearly perceive his surroundings.

He escorted Lu You all the way to the entrance of her apartment building.

Just as Gu Ming was about to say goodbye, a distant, ethereal sound suddenly echoed from the sky.

It was like the clear cry of a dragon, piercing through the worldly clamor.

They both looked up in unison.

There, at the end of the river of light formed by thousands of Celestial Lanterns, where it seemed to touch the firmament...

...halos of auspicious light rippled outward.

At the same time, Lu You’s newly contracted Pet Beast, the Star Spirit, seemed to be drawn by this dragon-like sound.

It spontaneously manifested from her Beast Taming Space, shimmering beside her with a soft, joyful radiance.

And at that very moment, a system notification quietly flashed across Gu Ming’s vision:

「You and your socially anxious classmate, along with your respective Pet Beasts, have received the ’Dragon’s Blessing.’ This is an auspicious sign for the new year, granting a boon to your destiny. The comprehension threshold for Dragon Clan Daoist Skills will be significantly lowered for the Pet Beasts under your command.」

Gu Ming’s heart skipped a beat.

He had long heard the folktales that the Dragon’s Blessing brought good luck.

But the stories were all conflicting, and none had ever defined it so clearly.

Now, the system had summarized it as a tangible buff that could be applied to Cultivation, which was a pleasant surprise.

He mused to himself, ’Ah Kun and the others already possess the Dragon Pattern Tripod Foundation Platform, so they have a foundation for practicing Dragon Race Battle Techniques. Receiving this blessing now will undoubtedly pave the way for them to cultivate even more profound Dragon Race Battle Techniques in the future.’

"Did you hear that?" Gu Ming looked at Lu You. "That’s the Dragon’s Blessing."

Lu You nodded vigorously, her face overflowing with irrepressible joy, her eyes shining. "I think... I heard a dragon’s soft cry."

This strange and auspicious omen meant that the wish she had made had received a response from the unseen world.

...

「The next afternoon.」

Gu Ming declined his family’s invitation to a New Year’s Day dinner, determined to head to the central plaza of Lanqi City.

He wanted to see for himself just what secrets lay behind the "Friends of Nature" and their grand-scale charity event.

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