"The 50-year-old Gu Ming has wandered into the patrol instructors’ resting area."

"No one on-site is aware of this. The instructors monitoring from the rear were all drawn away by the marvelous idea of a certain genius contestant, and have gone to admire the work of said genius. No one is watching your match."

Reading this, Gu Ming couldn’t help but want to complain about the system.

’Is the National Competition really such a joke?’

’Would the instructors watching the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird’s surveillance feed really leave their posts to look at something else?’

But that was what the system had determined, and he couldn’t argue with it.

Perhaps it was a bug, or maybe some kind of interference from reality.

In any case, the system considered him to have successfully infiltrated the instructors’ encampment.

Gu Ming composed himself and continued reading the scenario.

"You look awkward, thinking of fleeing the scene, afraid of being discovered and dragged out."

"But you can’t find the right opportunity, so you can only stay by the campfire, eating delicious mountain and sea delicacies."

"During this time, you overhear the various patrol instructors’ comments about the contestants, as well as the design for a genius’s Cultivation Technique that has the entire competition buzzing."

"The ingenuity of that Cultivation Technique is deeply impressive. The Hall of the Great Dao it summons even casts down a seven-colored radiance."

"The instructors coming off their patrol shift gather to analyze and deconstruct that Life Catalyst Cultivation Technique, the lingering Sound of the Great Dao still echoing in their minds."

"When they speak, even casually, their words are like the Sound of the Great Dao, blanketing the dense forest."

"Immersed within it, your mind becomes exceptionally clear."

"You passively listen to the story of the National Competition genius who stunned everyone. You know it’s not your intention to eavesdrop, but your ears can’t help but listen."

"After all, the seven-colored Cultivation Technique created by this new generation’s genius belongs to a completely different system from the techniques of your era, separated by the gulf of two major revolutions in Cultivation Technique."

"You only manage to grasp a few details of the technique’s design. Beyond being amazed by its wild, unimaginable creativity, you lack the energy to even try to catch up."

"You’ve long known that participating in the National Competition at the age of fifty is just asking for humiliation."

"After seeing the gap in Talent, you decide to just focus on your own Array, see the competition through to the end without regrets, and treat it as just having been here."

Gu Ming’s expression was strange.

Immediately following this, all sorts of design concepts for the Cultivation Technique flooded his mind.

In the real world, Gu Ming was looking at research papers on his tablet, studying unconventional designs for catalyst-type Cultivation Techniques, while simultaneously savoring the new memories he had just acquired.

’A Cultivation Technique design that the system described as spanning two major eras... just what kind of masterpiece is it?’

If you had to describe the system as ridiculous, well, it certainly was.

The resting area used by the patrol instructors, in the system’s eyes, was a restricted zone heavily protected by multiple Arrays. Even if a normal contestant got lost, they would never wander into the instructors’ rest area.

But not Gu Ming. With one moment of inattention, he had glitched through a bug and gotten lost right in the instructors’ encampment.

It was hard to say if it was "luck" or the system’s "great hand of causality" at work, forcing a connection with reality—but not a perfect copy of it—by creating a closed loop with its own twisted logic.

Whatever. The instructors’ analysis was laid out right before him. What more was there to say?

The knowledge Gu Ming had obtained was information from 32 years in the future.

’Copying advanced knowledge that hasn’t even appeared yet doesn’t really count as plagiarism, right?’

’Maybe my bold application of it will directly drive innovation in modern Cultivation Techniques and Arrays, making the Beastmasters of today even stronger than those of the future.’

At this thought, Gu Ming began to seriously consider referencing the design from the future National Competition genius.

Of course, the knowledge of the "seven-colored Cultivation Technique" created by the genius student didn’t just appear out of nowhere.

For Gu Ming to obtain all the analysis the instructors mentioned, he first had to read a sufficient number of papers on Cultivation Technique design. Only then would the corresponding future-era analysis and commentary appear in his mind.

Although the exam questions from the two eras were quite different, some principles were universal.

For example, the question for the Cultivation Technique category in the competition 32 years in the future was:

"Create a Cultivation Technique that catalyzes life and growth. There are no Attribute restrictions, but you cannot use any existing Cultivation Technique from the Hall of the Great Dao, and it must be used on a Pet Beast that is one year old or younger..."

The super Cultivation Technique mentioned by the patrol instructors—the one that caused the Hall of the Great Dao to descend with a Seven-Colored Holy Light—was a miracle born from the fusion of Earth and Light Element Power. It catalyzed the rapid growth of a newborn Pet Beast, granting it immense temporary Power or unlocking other latent potential.

Since that research paper was quite dense and covered too many topics, it wasn’t exclusively for catalyzing Grass Seeds.

By reading, Gu Ming had only managed to serendipitously glean some analysis from the paper that was relevant to catalyzing Grass Seeds.

He was very interested in the original paper, but unfortunately, he had no way of reading the source text.

In the end, he could only piece together a portion of the catalyst Cultivation Technique’s abilities from what he had overheard.

Then, based on the principles of the Cultivation Technique, the breathing methods, and a series of Array topics discussed by the patrol instructors, he managed to put together a simplified version of the Life Catalyst Cultivation Technique.

Having figured this all out, Gu Ming’s line of thought slowly cleared up.

As he processed this, he picked up his pen and began jotting down notes of his inspiration on the gold-edged Wenquxing paper.

Beside him, Lu You helped organize his notes, her expression pensive from time to time.

Gu Ming wasn’t just writing down his inspiration, but also rough drafts of some Array Diagrams.

Gu Ming drew from memory, and thus the Array contained various Daoist Skills, Power, and a Divine Charm, all of which were made apparent through the golden brush in his hand.

As Lu You watched, she couldn’t help but become immersed in the profound experience of the Daoist Skill, which seemed capable of nurturing all living things.

"Is this... an Earth Element Technique?" Lu You murmured.

The current exam question forbade the use of Grass Element Spiritual Qi. If Gu Ming wanted to create a Cultivation Technique, he would definitely have to design it around something other than Cyan Treasure.

Creating an Earth Element Technique was a good choice indeed.

Looking at Gu Ming’s manuscript, she felt the great miracle of Mother Earth nurturing life, and an inexplicable sense of wonder moved her heart.

「A short while later.」

Gu Ming spoke up. "I’ve decided to have Mouse Treasure take the lead in performing this catalyst Cultivation Technique."

Currently, Mouse Treasure was in the Dao Field, frantically practicing its Breathing Technique. Its body had reached a saturation point, and its round belly needed time to digest.

This was the perfect time for it to learn the catalyst Cultivation Technique.

’We can just treat it as physical exercise,’ he thought. ’Maybe by the time it reaches the Entry Level, its body will happen to cross the threshold for Super Evolution.’

"Is... is that okay?" Lu You asked softly. She wasn’t opposed to the idea; she just felt that Mouse Treasure was very lucky.

"It’ll be fine. Have faith in Mouse Treasure."

Gu Ming immediately called Lu You and Mouse Treasure over to brainstorm.

He would mainly be the one providing the ideas, with Lu You following up in real-time and using them to teach Mouse Treasure the catalyst Cultivation Technique.

「Less than half a day later.」

Gu Ming began designing the Cultivation Technique. His first step was to design a combination Array.

To help Mouse Treasure understand the Array’s purpose, he first simulated it on a paper draft. He traced the prototype Array with his fingertip, guiding Mouse Treasure on how to draw it.

Mouse Treasure used its Earth Element Spiritual Qi to gently sketch it out, condensing fine points of light along the pattern.

Gu Ming used the great virtue of the earth as his foundation, subtly infusing the principles of life catalysis into the Array, as silent and nourishing as a gentle rain.

Once the Spiritual Qi entered the Array, it was like soil absorbing water. Runes would emerge from the ground and transform into life pulses, flowing through the body.

When Lu You saw him add three concentric water ripples and several root-like lines at the Array Hub, she suddenly understood. "Is it simulating water seeping through rock layers to nourish roots?"

Gu Ming nodded, the tip of his brush pausing on the final stroke—a line that resembled the veins of a new sprout breaking through the soil.