Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

At this realization, a deeply bitter smile touched Jiang Chen’s lips.

He glanced at his Pet Beasts, all suffering from the backlash of their Power and exposure to the Demonic Qi.

He then looked at the trench-coated figures from the Demon Purification Court as they began to close in, his gaze finally settling on Gu Ming’s serene face.

’Treatment?’

A chill ran through his heart.

The Demon Purification Court’s "treatment" was far from free.

It would mean an astronomical debt in Contribution Points, followed by a long, supervised period devoid of freedom.

A heavy shadow would likely be cast over his academic prospects and his entire future in Beast Taming.

However, compared to becoming a puppet for a Demon Fiend, this was... the only path he could take.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he just gave Gu Ming an extremely slow and difficult nod.

At the judges’ stand, the Chief Judge, having already received instructions from his superiors, announced decisively:

"The winner of this match is declared to be contestant Gu Ming!"

"We will now have an intermission. Please feel free to use the restrooms at this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, smoke billowed across the dueling field, obscuring the scene from public view.

The figures in trench coats entered the field swiftly and methodically.

Imposing Mechanical Pets and other Pet Beasts wreathed in halos emerged one after another, closing in on Jiang Chen and his own beasts.

And so, the ultimate showdown between Wenquxing’s two great prodigies came to a close in a manner no one could have possibly anticipated.

Gu Ming felt the same way.

’Though I might have been a bit too harsh when I defeated him,’ he thought. ’At least he’ll live and get treatment from the Demon Purification Court. That’s not so bad.’

But that was when the unexpected happened.

High above the arena, the Space—previously turbulent from the fierce battle but held stable by the Array—froze without warning.

It was as if a gigantic, invisible block of amber had encased the main stage and its surroundings. The air ceased to flow, and sound became sluggish and distorted.

Even the light seemed to be filtered through an extremely faint, undulating gray film that rippled like water.

"A Spatial Lock?! That’s a technique used by a Seven-star or higher!"

In the VIP seats and around the arena, a dozen or so powerful experts shot to their feet, their expressions changing drastically.

’This is definitely not one of the tournament’s pre-set defensive or interference Arrays!’

"SCREEECH—!"

An ear-splitting noise erupted, like thousands of undead frantically clawing at the walls of reality itself.

The source of the sound was the point where the gray film undulated most violently.

Eerie green cracks, like festering wounds ripped open by brute force and oozing pus, began to forcibly bloom within the solidified "amber."

Deep within the cracks, a corner of the spatial veil was brutally torn back, revealing a faint, unsettling sight:

An eerie green furnace fire flickered in a damp shrine, illuminating twisted totems on the walls.

The indistinct silhouettes of several seated, hooded figures wavered in the firelight.

But what surged forth with even greater intensity was the aura.

A cold Spiritual Pressure, reeking of salty sea mist, stale blood, and rotting herbs, washed over the arena like an abyssal tide.

Jiang Chen stood rooted to the spot, dazed. The vertigo from his defeat and the mountain of debt looming in his future had hollowed out his soul, leaving his limbs ice-cold.

He was like a piece of charred, lifeless wood struck by lightning, barely able to react to the cataclysmic changes around him.

Only when the grating, tearing sound pierced through his numbness did he stiffly, slowly, raise his heavy head.

Through the distorted light and the eerie green cracks, his eyes met another’s.

Deep within the cracks, an old crone with a face as withered as ancient tree bark and eyes like black holes that devoured all light was "looking" at him.

No, it was more than just looking.

Her black-hole "gaze" swept slowly over him, then over his Pill Fire Beasts, who were still trembling in agony from the Demonic Qi backlash, the unholy patterns beneath their scales yet to fade.

A mixture of appraisal, greed, and satisfaction flowed through her inhuman stare.

Her shriveled lips parted, and a chilling whisper seemed to echo directly in the depths of his soul:

"Heh heh heh... Fate is kind.

"To think that aside from the absent ’Star Container,’ we would find such top-quality ’Firewood’ here... And it’s already half-kindled. That saves us the trouble of lighting it."

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