Beast Taming: My System is Bugged-Chapter 120 - 119: Meeting Again After Many Years, Has Your Dad Paid Off His Loan Yet?
"Gu Ming!" the two exclaimed in unison.
Lu You’s voice was quiet, but her pleasantly surprised tone reached Gu Ming’s ears.
"Looks like I came at just the right time."
Gu Ming looked at the blue water stains under Mouse Treasure’s feet, the flustered-looking girl with glasses, and further ahead, the guy standing tall on high ground, looking down his nose at everyone with "invincible" written all over his face.
Class 2, Fang Leng.
Gu Ming had heard from Wang Teng that a guy with an incredibly high score on the physical fitness test had appeared in Class 2. The perfect score of 100 in Mana was his.
Besides Mana, his Speed score was also unimaginably high. He had achieved a heaven-defying perfect score of 100 in the straight sprint, running 100 meters in nine seconds.
For comparison, the Little Cyan Snake’s Speed score was only twenty points, which translated to a 30-second 100-meter dash.
At its current stage, the Little Cyan Snake’s straight-line speed was definitely not faster than a human’s running legs.
After all, its Cultivation Technique didn’t exhibit any terrain-ignoring ability. It moved by rubbing its body against the ground, and the friction generated by that large contact area severely hampered Cyan Treasure’s straight-line running ability.
The Little Cyan Snake’s strength was in its lateral wiggling, which was why it learned the Z-shaped wriggling Body Technique so quickly.
But I digress.
The Little Cyan Snake’s running performance wasn’t as good as its opponent’s due to its physique, but the other party’s Shuiliuliu was a completely different story.
First, it was a pure Elemental Pet Beast, made entirely of water, with no flesh-and-blood components.
It also floated above the ground—not several meters high, but hovering just ten-odd centimeters, skimming the surface as it moved.
As everyone knows, one of the brilliant things about maglev trains is that they lift the train off the tracks, reducing the friction surface.
With the factor of ground friction removed, the Shuiliuliu’s flight speed was naturally off the charts.
And this was just the Shuiliuliu’s Zero-star form.
If it evolved to a High-star Level and learned to use Water Element Skills to increase the thrust from behind, it would become a true "maglev train."
At that point, it could just charge forward, so fast that other Pet Beasts couldn’t dodge. Once it slammed into a Pet Beast, it could immediately trap its opponent in a Water Prison Cage.
The above were merely the Shuiliuliu’s offensive methods after Evolution, and it clearly didn’t possess such counter-attack capabilities yet.
The Water Ball Bubble it spat out could only fly at its own flight speed to chase a Pet Beast.
Moreover, it could only form one of these bubbles at a time. After use, the Skill couldn’t be formed again for a short period because it consumed a large amount of Mana.
However, considering the opponent was Fang Leng, who had a perfect score on the Mana test, perhaps he still had power to spare.
Fang Leng was a youth who had signed a genius contract. He was also one of the few classic examples of someone who, by demonstrating their Pet Beast’s potential, signed a super-genius contract and used external resources to surpass the scions of other major families.
Gu Ming knew many students at school looked up to Fang Leng as a role model. After all, he was a rare Beastmaster who had contracted a Pet Beast with Five-star Level potential.
Not everyone could contract a Pet Beast with High-star Potential right after coming of age.
Contracting a Pet Beast with High-star Potential often tested the compatibility between the Beastmaster and the Pet Beast, as well as the capacity of their Sea of Consciousness and the strength of their Spiritual Will.
The guy looked quite impressive.
Gu Ming had thought so too, viewing him as a remarkably talented classmate.
But the moment he laid eyes on him now, his system updated with a new message, instantly shattering that illusion.
The system’s plot update read:
Gu Ming once again saw the Shuiliuliu, looking at a face that was extremely similar to Fang Leng’s.
You couldn’t help but recall a duel you had with Fang Leng 32 years ago.
Back then, both of you were "Loan Heroes," and Fang Leng’s loan was even bigger than yours.
Who would have thought that while you were both "Loan Heroes," Fang Leng would succeed in Leaping the Dragon Gate during the college entrance exams, while you would meet a bitter defeat.
This reunion after so many years makes you, Gu Ming, unable to resist asking Fang Leng’s son: "Has your dad paid off his debts yet?"
Hearing this, the expression of Fang on the other side darkens, and he immediately has his Shuiliuliu unleash Water Prison Dragon and fly toward Gu Ming’s Cyan Treasure.
"Gu Ming, don’t think I won’t touch you just because you’re fifty and trying to pull rank with your age!
"You dare insult my Fang Family! Today, I’ll break your legs and rip out Cyan Treasure’s Snake Tendons!"
In reality, Cyan Treasure hadn’t even appeared on the scene yet.
Gu Ming hadn’t engaged in a war of words with his opponent either; he just stood on the field and called Lu You over.
But the system, as if it had gone mad, had proactively drawn aggro for him, jumping straight into the battle at light speed.
Fortunately, that all took place on the system’s timeline.
In reality, the two sides were still in a silent standoff, holding their ground.
An invisible pressure weighed on both sides. Everyone knew that the longer they lingered, the more likely they were to attract others. They had to either fight immediately or flee immediately.
At that moment, Lu You finally retreated to Gu Ming’s side. Mouse Treasure, however, was eager to go, wanting to fight the Shuiliuliu again.
Just then, another sound came from the woods. The proctor and his Pet Beast appeared in the trees.
The proctor and his Pet Beast weren’t responsible for intervening, only for recording the battle. The situation was Fang Leng hunting a Cultivation Element candidate, and Gu Ming appearing to protect her. If he succeeded, Gu Ming would be noted down for a successful protection and receive extra points.
Fang Leng, for his part, finally lost his patience and issued a harsh warning:
"Since Gu Ming is protecting you, I can let you go. You can leave. Don’t let me see you again."
This gave Gu Ming pause.
The dialogue had occurred, but it didn’t follow the path predicted by the system.
’Did the system predict incorrectly?’
’Or has my opponent already detected Cyan Treasure and is about to launch a restraining attack against it?’
In truth, Cyan Treasure had already been on the move before Gu Ming even appeared.
His purpose in standing here was to deliberately draw his opponent’s attention, allowing Cyan Treasure to successfully attack from behind.
This feint, this tactic of attacking the east while pointing west, was at risk of being seen through due to Lu You’s confusion.
"Where’s Cyan Treasure?" she asked in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, looking left and right.
Her voice was tiny, and though Fang in the distance noticed something, he couldn’t tell what Lu You had said.
Gu Ming had planned to use his whistle as the signal to tell Cyan Treasure when to attack.
’Act now, don’t give him a chance to use the Water Bubble Prison!’
However, just as this thought arose in Gu Ming’s mind, he immediately suppressed it.
’Can’t move!’
’The moment it moves, Cyan Treasure will lose.’
Shuiliuliu was a pure Energy Pet. Cyan Treasure’s venomous Biting wouldn’t be very effective against a pure Energy Pet.
Just then, Fang Leng abruptly pointed behind him and shouted, "Shuiliuliu, release a water bubble, trap it!"
Hiding behind Fang, Cyan Treasure had initially been camouflaged in the shady part of a treetop. It had already slowly moved to a distance of about three meters, now concealed right above Fang Leng’s head.
Fang Leng pointed at the bushes behind him, not at Cyan Treasure. It was just a bluff directed backward.
The Shuiliuliu immediately spat out a transparent water bubble and slid in the direction its master had pointed.
Seeing this, Cyan Treasure spotted an opening while the Shuiliuliu was casting its skill. At that moment, the Shuiliuliu couldn’t dodge.
And so, relying on its hunting instincts, its body trembled, coiling like a taut spring. It shot out in a flash, opened its great fangs, and bit down on the Shuiliuliu.
With that bite, the venom injected from its fangs flowed into the Shuiliuliu’s body.
At that moment, the Shuiliuliu used its own body as a "cage" and immediately counter-trapped Cyan Treasure.
"Don’t bite, use Head Hammer!"
But by the time Gu Ming shouted this, it was already too late.
He had never fought against a pure Energy Element Pet Beast before.
In truth, the moment he saw the Shuiliuliu, he should have signaled Cyan Treasure to retreat instead of having it lie in wait for an attack.
But then again, Lu You also needed time to fall back, and when Gu Ming first saw the Shuiliuliu, he really couldn’t have called Cyan Treasure back right away.
Besides, in battles between Beastmasters, one generally does not attack the Beastmaster themselves.
This was a school, and overly bloody or violent methods were forbidden. Otherwise, one’s monthly exam score would be reset to zero, and the student would be responsible for any compensation, which could potentially bankrupt a person’s family.
Therefore, battles between Pet Beasts were to be settled by the Pet Beasts. Any conflict between Beastmasters was also to be resolved by their Pet Beasts.
Of course, in unregulated places outside the city, Evil Cultivators wouldn’t be so civilized. They were very likely to attack the Beastmaster themselves. That was a different style of fighting, which won’t be discussed for now.
Seeing Cyan Treasure captured, Lu You’s expression changed as well.
The spectating proctor also shook his head, assuming Cyan Treasure had no way to turn the tables. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
A One-star Little Cyan Snake, once caught by a Shuiliuliu, could not possibly break free on its own.
Its Head Hammer Power hadn’t been trained to a profound Realm, nor did it have a heaven-defying Cultivation Technique and Mana boost like Mouse Treasure’s. Hitting the Water Prison Cage only produced ripples.
Furthermore, the Shuiliuliu was personally acting as the cage. This wasn’t a simple external skill but an internal one, capable of using its own Mana as a continuous supply to maintain the cage’s strength.
For a Basic Type Pet Beast like the Little Cyan Snake, what could it do but try to fight with its head?
"Use Storm Ball!" However, a loud shout shattered the calm of the scene.
Hearing its master’s shout, Cyan Treasure suddenly snapped back to its senses. That’s right, it still had another move.
Although using Storm Ball at such a close range would injure it as well, there’s no such thing as an injury-free battle. If you’re afraid of getting hurt, you have no right to fight.
