Beast Taming: My System is Bugged-Chapter 69 - 68: Submitting the Breathing Technique
For the next two weeks, Gu Ming’s life became a simple routine, moving between three points: school, the community shop, and home.
Teacher Zhang checked in daily to replenish its Cold Qi.
Gu Ming’s reserve of Spirit Stones was quickly depleted.
Fortunately, Gu Ming had some money saved with Teacher Zhang and could get another batch of Spirit Stones and medicinal herbs.
「On March 5th.」
Gu Ming gave the fifth revised version of his paper to Teacher Zhang and received the reply that no more revisions were needed.
Gu Ming let out a long sigh of relief.
"List yourself as the corresponding author for the paper. I’ll just be the second author," Teacher Zhang typed in reply.
Gu Ming felt a bit embarrassed, but Teacher Zhang had his reasons.
Gu Ming didn’t know that Zhang Yunpeng had already taken money from his parents. Furthermore, Zhang Yunpeng had only completed the general framework of this Cultivation Technique; the rest was all completed through Cyan Treasure’s own efforts. He felt he only deserved half the credit.
He also couldn’t tell Gu Ming about taking the money, as this was a request from the Gu Family Parents. So, Teacher Zhang had to spend a great deal of effort persuading Gu Ming.
"Don’t refuse," Teacher Zhang said. "If this paper is published in a journal, it can add some points to your college entrance exam score. My potential for advancement is already fixed. You need this more than I do."
Gu Ming looked at Cyan Treasure. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t tempted.
"In that case, Teacher, which journal should I submit it to?"
"Submit it to the editorial department of the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report* in Jiangxin City. This journal specializes in publishing things related to Snake Pets, Flood Dragon Species, and Dragon Pets."
"Our paper is aimed at Low-star Pet Beasts, and it’s also been indexed by the Hall of the Great Dao. More than a dozen journal editors have already contacted our school about it, but those journals aren’t good enough. I’ll send you an email address. Just send it directly to her inbox."
Gu Ming didn’t understand these things, but he trusted his teacher’s judgment and sent the manuscript directly to the provided email address.
After doing all that, Gu Ming decided to look up the ranking of the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*.
The *Flood Dragon Monthly Report* was a Four-star Level journal that published academic works suitable for Pet Beasts from zero to the Four-star Level. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
It also accepted papers on High-star Level Pet Beasts, but the top experts had better places to publish, so they generally didn’t submit to the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*.
In the world of academic journals, papers on Low-star Level Pet Beasts were concentrated in Low-star Level journals.
Low-star Level Beastmasters who wanted to read about things relevant to them and find Cultivation Techniques they could actually use could only turn to these kinds of journals.
Because of this, Mid-star Level journals had the largest circulation, the most readers, and immense influence.
As for High-star Level journals, they didn’t accept works below the three- and four-star levels. They were mostly biannual publications with a slow release schedule. But reading these publications was like attaining Enlightenment; every line of text contained the profound principles of the Great Dao, and their influence was equally immense.
Gu Ming wasn’t at the level to submit to those yet. Returning to the matter of the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*...
The Four-star Level *Flood Dragon Monthly Report* received tens of thousands of submissions every month. The acceptance rate might be only 0.1%, or even lower.
A technique like the Dual-Colored Technique Gu Ming had just sent, with certification from the Hall of the Great Dao, would be considered a high-priority paper even for the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*.
If it was successfully published, Gu Ming’s college entrance exam score could increase by at least two to five points.
Don’t look down on just a few points.
Sometimes, a difference of five points could put you ahead of tens of thousands of other candidates.
At the same time, having a paper published in a Four-star Level journal, when applying to a Beast Taming University, could also impress the admissions officers and lead to an exceptional admission.
In short, the benefits were numerous.
Gu Ming looked at Cyan Treasure, which was in the middle of its Cultivation. The Spirit Stone it was holding had already been drained. He’d have to find a chance to have Teacher Zhang bring more money to convert into Spirit Stones.
He had also used up all his Dream Realm Cultivation time. For the past two weeks, all of its Cultivation had been in real time, with no acceleration whatsoever.
The progress on the Green Treasure Breathing Technique was more than halfway complete. Cyan Treasure was breathing every single moment, gaining an average of twenty to thirty thousand breathing experience points per day. It didn’t even forget to cultivate while sleeping.
As for its Magic Power Inner Core, thanks to the efficiency of the Spirit Stones and the Master Level Breathing Technique, its Mana had already accumulated three layers.
Gu Ming used his Spiritual Waves to perceive it. He could see that the Magic Power Inner Core inside Cyan Treasure had grown by thirty percent.
This was already larger than the Inner Core of an ordinary Little Cyan Snake. Teacher Zhang checked it every day and could only click his tongue in amazement, unable to say anything else.
But Gu Ming knew that this explosive cultivation efficiency required the support of Spirit Stones.
Cyan Treasure finished a cycle of its Breathing Technique, opened its eyes, and shook its head at Gu Ming.
The effect of this Cultivation session was minimal. The Grass Attribute Spiritual Qi around the house had been completely absorbed by Cyan Treasure, so the effect was almost zero.
’I have to go to a Dao Field to cultivate,’ Gu Ming thought, ’or maybe the mountain behind the school. There are plenty of trees there, so the Grass Spiritual Qi is abundant.’
’Or I could brew some medicinal herbs right here. The future herbs in the cabinet contain a large amount of pure Grass Spiritual Qi.’
’In the past two weeks, Ah Kun has already eaten two or three hundred medicinal herbs, and its Attributes have increased quite a bit.’
Gu Ming thought for a moment. ’Going out might trigger a system risk warning. It’s better to just brew the herbs at home.’
...
「Flood Dragon Monthly Report, Editorial Department.」
It was already nine o’clock at night, and the editors had long since gone home.
But just because they were off the clock didn’t mean the manuscripts wouldn’t be reviewed.
After all, their inboxes were flooded with manuscripts every day. If they didn’t review any for one night, they’d just have to review dozens more the next day.
Of course, most of these submissions didn’t need a close look. A quick glance was enough to reject them outright.
Bei Qingqing had just finished her shower. She was wearing white bear pajamas and had summoned a small, green Snake Pet that wore glasses, letting it turn on the computer to receive manuscripts.
Bei Qingqing was a Four-star Beastmaster who had contracted only two Pet Beasts: a Snake Pet and a Flood Dragon Pet. Both pets possessed near-human intelligence and could help her with a preliminary review of the manuscripts.
Of course, this wasn’t the main ability of her two pets.
The most important one was her Flood Dragon Pet. It possessed an Ultimate Skill that allowed it to quickly master Cultivation Techniques. Although it couldn’t master them 100%, it could make judgments on Daoist Skills simply by reading about them and quickly replicate the submitter’s Cultivation Technique.
This was the secret to how she had worked at the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report* for ten years without fail. Her colleagues from the same batch had long been "optimized" by the boss, but she was the only one who couldn’t be optimized.
’If the chief editor above me wasn’t so powerful, with Pet Beasts stronger than mine, the chief editor’s position might have been mine.’
HISS HISS HISS—
The spectacled Cyan Snake wiggled its small body, came to her side, and handed her a freshly printed paper manuscript.
This was the Cyan Snake’s job. When it found an interesting manuscript, or one with certification from the Hall of the Great Dao, it would proactively print a copy for its master to read.
"Oh? Something worth reading today?"
Bei Qingqing took it and looked at the corresponding author. ’Gu Ming? Qing Lake High School?’
’Who? Never heard of him. The second author is nobody famous, either.’
Bei Qingqing didn’t know about the news of the student from Qing Lake High School who possessed the Dual-Colored Technique. After all, there was big news every day; it was normal to miss some of it.
As she read through the paper, her brow furrowed slightly, then a look of doubt appeared on her face.
"The experimental subject is a Little Cyan Snake... Can a Little Cyan Snake create a Cultivation Technique like this? The trinity-in-one concept requires way too much Spiritual Power."
The Cyan Snake sitting in front of her also shook its head. It didn’t approve of Gu Ming’s results either, feeling that there was a suspicion of fraud.
But the author did have an index entry in the Hall of the Great Dao.
Bei Qingqing decided to check the Hall of the Great Dao to see if it was real.
