Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

The entire arena fell into a strange silence, which was then shattered by a tidal wave of clamor.

In the stands, the spectators who had just leaped to their feet, thrilled by Gu Ming's brilliant coordination, now collapsed back into their seats, their faces etched with disbelief and profound disappointment.

"Such a shame!"

"He was so close!"

"As expected of Her Highness the Princess. Her reserves run too deep..."

All sorts of whispers and exclamations of amazement intertwined.

They had just witnessed a brilliant tactical display of the weak challenging the strong, only to be confronted with the cold, harsh reality of an absolute difference in Power.

The announcer's voice rose from the commentary booth, filled with a mix of awe and disappointment after the initial excitement:

"There it is! Her Highness Princess Zhou's Ice Element Domain!

A Combined Technique worthy of a High-star Pet Beast used by a Four-star team! It's too powerful, simply unstoppable! It instantly formed an unbreakable cage of ice!"

The other commentator, Shen Mingyuan, chimed in, his tone shifting to one of genuine admiration:

"Gu Ming and his team pushed themselves to the absolute limit!

Their understanding of battle, their use of their Pet Beasts' traits, and their linking of Skills were all applied to an astonishing degree. For a moment, they even made us believe an upset was possible.

And that clear-headed awareness—knowing the odds were slim but giving it their all anyway, then decisively forfeiting to preserve their strength once they confirmed the gap was too wide—that's a level of maturity many young Beastmasters lack.

His journey is far from over!"

On the wraparound holographic display, the camera cut to Gu Ming as he slowly turned to leave, leading his three dejected-looking Pet Beasts off the stage.

His figure, silhouetted against the massive screen, looked somewhat solitary, yet his steps were exceptionally steady.

Unlike his young Pet Beasts, whose emotional turmoil was plain to see, he himself showed no trace of a loser's dejection, nor did he put on a forced air of pride. There was only the tranquility of someone who had fought with all his might and calmly accepted the result.

Cyan Treasure draped itself over Gu Ming, its forked tongue flicking weakly. A lingering, sporadic chill still emanated from within its body, causing it to shudder involuntarily.

'Cold. So cold.'

'That opponent... it was terrifyingly strong, far more so than in the dream simulations.'

The opponents Gu Ming simulated in his dreams always went for maximum damage output; they never held back.

Yet in today's actual battle, the Domain unleashed by all four of the opponent's Pet Beasts at once had instantly inflicted frostbite on all three of his.

The highly condensed Mana within their Qi Refining Vortexes had been frozen solid, to say nothing of their physical bodies.

It felt as if a single charge from the opponent would have been enough to shatter their bodies to pieces.

And a Skill like that had never appeared during the simulated battles in the dream.

It had a good guess as to why—that was a Combined Technique involving all four Pet Beasts.

A single Pet Beast couldn't unleash it. That was why the simulated dragon steed in the dream hadn't used such a devastating move against the three of them, which in turn gave them the false hope that they could win.

In reality, their opponent had a seemingly endless supply of trump cards. Even the combat intelligence provided by Elder Huo contained no information about that Domain Skill.

They had only revealed a few dozen Skills, but in truth, the number they had actually mastered was likely far greater.

With so many aces up their sleeve, any single one of them would have been enough to crush their competition with ease.

Ah Kun reverted to his Old Grouper Fish form. His aura was faint, his skin was purple from the cold, and he keenly felt the gap between himself and his youthful opponents.

Even having reached the Four-star Level through Evolution, his combat potential was no match for the dragon steed's explosive power. The old fish found the vigor of its youthful Blood Qi simply overwhelming.

Ah Ji hid in Gu Ming's shadow, only its two eyes visible as it stared back at the four Pet Beasts surrounding Princess Zhou.

Each one exuded the aura of a champion, holding its head high with an air of invincibility.

"Let's also give a round of applause for Gu Ming!

"We look forward to his future growth and hope to see an even more spectacular performance from him in next year's Collegiate League!"

The announcer Wang Meng's voice echoed through the venue's speakers.

In response, a swelling tide of applause, filled with understanding and respect from a growing number of spectators, washed over the retreating figure heading for the exit tunnel.

In this battle, Gu Ming was defeated, but not disgraced.

For an ordinary person to push the Princess's Pet Beasts to such an extent, forcing her to deploy her three reserves, was more than enough to be impressive.

"So, now that you've faced Princess Zhou's Domain Skill head-on, have you given any thought to your future development plan?"

Offstage, Elder Huo reached out and patted Gu Ming's shoulder. His expression was composed, and his tone was comforting.

Elder Huo's mention of a development plan was exactly what was on Gu Ming's mind.

His original plan was already struggling to keep pace with the competition in the Collegiate League.

The extensive combat experience they had accumulated over the past three or four months of competition was more than enough for his Pet Beasts to absorb, digest, and ascend to the next level.

So, he nodded.

"First, I'll complete Cyan Treasure's and Ah Ji's Form Evolution, then I'll plan out Combined Techniques for all three of my Pet Beasts.

"I've noticed that in this league, all the well-trained, well-resourced teams are putting a lot of effort into developing Combined Techniques for their Pet Beasts.

"The Power unleashed by Combined Techniques often allows them to surpass the limits of their Star Level, letting a Four-star team exhibit the strength of a Five-star Level one."

"With my current team, we still have a chance when punching above our weight against ordinary opponents.

"But against an opponent like Princess Zhou, who is backed by immense resources, it's impossible to even fight to a draw. We can't even hope to eat her dust."

Elder Huo's expression filled with admiration. Gu Ming's confidence hadn't been shaken in the slightest by his defeat. He was truly worthy of his reputation as a Wenquxing-level genius.

Gu Ming fell silent.

'He had seen the gap, and now he had a clear direction to strive toward.'

Besides, he had the help of the Dream Training Space.

Others needed vast amounts of time, practice, and luck to master advanced techniques.

'For him, however, he could make up for it through repetitive training.'

This was the source of his confidence.

"However, for the average student's development plan, Combined Techniques are usually a medium priority at best. They're too time-consuming and demand too much energy and synergy."

"I have faith in the bond you share with your Pet Beasts, but..."

Elder Huo was a grandmaster of Arrays himself. He knew the power of Combined Techniques, but in his area of expertise, the Array Dao was in no way inferior. With dedicated progress in the Array Dao, one could see significant results in less than two years.

Gu Ming, however, shook his head.

He had the Dream Training Space. He knew that for him, the most time-consuming and energy-intensive tasks were actually the easiest to master. Therefore, he would never give up on his plan to develop Combined Techniques.

Seeing his resolve, Elder Huo didn't press the issue. Patient guidance was the proper path.

"It's still too early to talk about Combined Techniques."

"First, get all three of your Pet Beasts to the Four-star Level. Once their minds and bodies are in sync and their Power is balanced, then you can start honing their Combined Techniques. That's when they'll be most effective."

"By the way, your teacher, Tang Tianyi, is preparing to go into secluded training to attempt a breakthrough to the Seven-star Level."

"I can map out your next development plan. Would you be willing to let me?"

Gu Ming was a little surprised. He hadn't known his teacher was going into seclusion.

"Is Teacher Tang's Pet Beast about to undergo Evolution?" Gu Ming asked.

'It made sense, now that he thought about it.'

He had sensed for a while now that Teacher Tang's aura was already on the threshold of the Seven-star Level.

And according to his System's assessment, Teacher Tang already possessed Eight-star strength.

Teacher Tang's power and status would only become more consolidated, rising like a tide.

'Having placed himself under Teacher Tang's wing so early was proving to be a winning investment.'

"Ah Ji is ultimately under Teacher Tang's purview, so I'd like to ask for his opinion first," Gu Ming said tactfully.

'In the System's eyes, both men were Eight-star powerhouses. The optimal choice was clearly to draw on resources from both sides for his development plan.'

Elder Huo let out a hearty laugh. He didn't chide Gu Ming; on the contrary, he appreciated the young man's deep respect for his teacher even more.

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