Beast Taming: My System is Bugged-Chapter 71 - 70: Starting with a Royal Flush
The Bookish Flood Snake successfully simulated and performed the Cultivation Technique. Through firsthand experience, it confirmed that this method indeed allowed Low-star Pet Beasts to train.
Of course, there were prerequisites for Cultivation.
What they were looking at now was a printed copy of a digital Visualization Image, not a true one, so it was still unknown just how many Low-star Pet Beasts could successfully master it.
At the very least, Gu Ming had pioneered a new path: a New Technique that even Zero-star Pet Beasts could use for Cultivation.
The Daoist Skill Realm Bei Qingqing witnessed, however, far surpassed this.
She stood by the window, watching the dark clouds gather over the complex as fine threads of rain drifted through the air. Anyone who didn’t know better would have just thought the weather was acting up.
In reality, this was a phenomenon that manifested when the Bookish Flood Snake simulated the Cultivation Technique to a profound level.
Since it was a simplified simulation, it wasn’t a perfect replication, and only a small patch of dark clouds had been produced.
Beyond the complex, the night sky was normal. If not for the dense city lights, she wouldn’t have been able to make out the small cloud hanging hundreds of meters overhead.
The Bookish Flood Snake continued its Breathing Technique inside the room. Misty vapor and an invisible, swirling vortex gradually formed around its body.
It was analyzing the Cultivation Technique’s compatibility with other Attribute Skills. The results were stunning—it was highly compatible with both Water and Wind Element Skills.
As its analysis deepened, the elemental phenomena around the Bookish Flood Snake intensified. An earthy yellow light began to emanate from the floorboards beneath it—the materialization of Earth Spiritual Qi.
Having analyzed the technique to this point, the Bookish Flood Snake had exhausted all its Mana. It shook its head, turned to the food bowl in the bedroom, and began gulping down Elixirs to replenish its energy.
Bei Qingqing watched the whole process, her eyes glittering. ’This Cultivation Technique is no simple matter. There’s so much untapped potential... It has to be more than just two-colored.’
An excited look appeared on her face at the thought.
It had been a long time since she’d received a paper on a Cultivation Technique of this caliber. She immediately returned to her computer and added tags like "Innovative" and "High Potential" to the article.
Afterward, she checked her Bookish Flood Snake’s perception of the Cultivation Technique again and noted that the intelligence requirement for the cultivator was higher than standard.
Dim-witted Zero-star Pet Beasts, the kind that can’t even understand their master’s commands, would find it very difficult to master this type of Low-star Technique, which bordered on a high-end method.
She then wrote down her comments:
"Incredible. In the year 518, a time when innovation in Cultivation Techniques is on the decline, Gu Ming has successfully transplanted the characteristics of High-star Techniques into the Domain of Zero-star ones.
"This is a Pet Beast Cultivation Method that integrates Breathing Technique, Refinement, and physical conditioning into a single, three-in-one system.
"However, compared to the features mentioned above, I believe the greatest highlight is the Daoist Skill Realm inherent to the Cultivation Technique itself.
"Should a Pet Beast manage to fully comprehend this Cultivation Technique, it will, at the very least, be able to swallow clouds and spew seas. It is also compatible with Water, Wind, and Earth Attribute Skills.
"Highly recommended for novice Beastmasters."
She then sent the article to her chief editor and personally called to urge him to approve it.
Normally, as just one member of the editorial department, a manuscript she handled would have to be reviewed by other auditors. An article could only be published after getting approval from at least two professional experts.
However, sometimes the rules were flexible.
Since the Green Treasure Breathing Technique had already been indexed by the Hall of the Great Dao, its functionality and the depth of its Daoist Skill were beyond question.
The reviewers’ job was, at most, to filter out useless papers, unearth the truly viable ones, and add professional commentary to make the articles more suitable for future generations to practice and reference.
After all, not just anyone could enter the Hall of the Great Dao, especially not Low-star Beastmasters. Before cultivating their Divine Sense, they couldn’t even take a single peek inside.
Besides, the Hall of the Great Dao’s purpose was simply archival. To actually study a Cultivation Technique, one still had to find it in the real world.
The Pet Beast journals on the market existed for this very purpose.
Most importantly, tomorrow was the submission deadline and printing day for the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*.
If the chief editor was even a step too slow, the article would have to wait until next month’s issue.
Given the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*’s current slump, it hadn’t featured a single impressive Cultivation Technique in three months. It desperately needed a shot in the arm to boost readership.
On the other end of the line, Chief Editor Jin Haoyang took the call from Bei Qingqing. Knowing Miss Bei’s work ethic, he immediately guessed a high-quality manuscript had landed on his desk and rushed back to his computer to review it.
Jin Haoyang was a Five-star Beastmaster and a graduate of a prestigious university with extensive breeding experience. He spotted the Cultivation Technique’s main draw in a single glance—its Low-star threshold!
Although the Cultivation Technique had a high intelligence requirement for the Pet Beast, that was normal for a method that was three-in-one.
When Beastmasters saw this Cultivation Technique, they would figure out ways to buy Elixirs to enhance their Pet Beasts’ intelligence. That wasn’t his problem to solve.
「A few minutes later.」
He finished reviewing the Cultivation Technique and asked Bei Qingqing over the phone, "Has Lingling finished simulating all its properties?"
"Not yet. It’s resting now. This Cultivation Technique has a ton of potential to be explored; there are still many Attribute Skills we haven’t tested."
"I see. Try to determine its compatibility with all Attributes before we go to print tomorrow," said Chief Editor Jin.
He took special note of something Gu Ming had mentioned in his paper: due to financial constraints, Gu Ming hadn’t conducted any Attribute compatibility tests for the Cultivation Technique.
But the fact that the Cultivation Technique had been indexed by the Great Dao proved its viability. He had submitted it to the journal hoping more people would test it and help perfect this Breathing Technique.
Normally, the journal’s staff wouldn’t need to do this testing. After publication, a steady stream of people would publish discussion articles, all of which would generate engagement.
He, however, wanted to use this paper to create a sensation and make a splash in the world of academic journals.
If it was only compatible with three Attributes, it wouldn’t hold much appeal for Beastmasters who focused on others.
The higher the technique’s compatibility, the more people it would attract to join the discussion.
The *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*, a Four-star journal currently in a slump, desperately needed a new, popular Cultivation Technique to carry its engagement for the next few months.
"Ah, but I’m running out of Elixirs."
Chief Editor Jin understood her unspoken request and immediately allocated some funds. "I’ll have a Pet Beast deliver some Elixirs to you. Make it quick."
"Yes, of course!"
...
Gu Ming woke up early and opened his phone to find a new email waiting for him.
He tapped it open. The sender was the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*. The message stated that his paper had been accepted, that he was being paid a publication fee of 100,000, and that it would be printed and released the following day.
「At fifty years old and a complete failure, you stare at the acceptance notice in your hand. This is the first journal paper of your life, and you can’t help the tears streaming down your face.」
「Thinking back on your classmates who have steadily climbed the ladder of success, you, who never had the courage to even attend a reunion, can finally hold your head high.」
「Achievement Points +1!」
Gu Ming read the system message and felt a strange surge of excitement.
’In the system’s eyes, I’m finally not a washed-up old failure anymore.’
But when he snapped out of it, Gu Ming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He was only eighteen years old, yet the system had almost managed to mislead him. In reality, his life was just getting started.
