Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Chapter 322 - 310: Relay

By the time Gu Ming finished reading, half an hour had passed.

From Yuan Ge’s perspective, Gu Ming and Lu You were reading the scroll for the Shadow Tree Vine Combat Technique together.

At the same time, they were multitasking, also examining the Shadowy Vine Snake’s core Cultivation Techniques: the Tree Snake Technique and the Shadow Heart Technique.

Yuan Ge had purchased these three precious books by taking out an enormous loan. The Cultivation and Combat Techniques inside were all tailor-made for the Shadowy Vine Snake.

Showing them to Gu Ming and Lu You now was, in part, a way for him to share the fruits of his hard-earned labor.

Besides, when asking an expert for guidance on a Cultivation Technique—something that would affect the outcome of his future graduation thesis—it was only proper to present something sincere.

How could they offer precise guidance if they didn’t understand his Pet Beast’s core Cultivation Techniques?

So, he could only wait quietly, mentally reviewing the procedure for the upcoming Relay Cultivation.

His Night Demon Cat had already memorized the Shadow Tree Vine Combat Technique within a week, even practicing it several times in advance.

To avoid wasting any time in the rented Four-star Dao Field, it was currently circulating its Breathing Technique nonstop, drawing the Dark Power contained within the field into its body.

Speaking of which, Breathing Techniques had indeed become popular throughout the country.

Yuan Ge himself had researched two sets of Breathing Techniques for each of his two Pet Beasts, but the efficiency of his self-developed methods was ultimately low, far slower than directly practicing the Green Treasure Breathing Technique.

But he also knew that if he wanted to pursue the highest potential, relying on the Green Treasure Breathing Technique was not a long-term solution.

Just as these chaotic thoughts were running through his mind, Gu Ming spoke up. "Where’s your cultivation plan?"

"Oh, right here!"

Yuan Ge immediately handed over another document: the written cultivation plan for the Shadow Tree Vine.

This wasn’t a scroll printed with the power of a Daoist Skill, like the ones sold on the market, but something he had written by hand.

It had no strong aura of a Daoist Skill, and the ink used was just ordinary One-star Level ink.

It was clear he was pinching every penny where he could.

Gu Ming said nothing. He scanned the rather crude plan, which only took him two or three minutes.

After all, Beastmasters had excellent memories, so reading a simple plan like this didn’t take long.

The only exceptions were those scrolls of Daoist Skills. Because every word contained the Supreme Heavenly Dao Principle, it was impossible to read them at high speed. One had to weigh each word and phrase, committing them to heart, to truly digest the principles within and understand all the intricacies of the Combat Technique.

Ordinary text didn’t require so much time.

But back to the matter at hand.

After reading the plan, Gu Ming already had a clear idea.

He first made a few changes to the cultivation steps and pathways that didn’t align with his memory, then said,

"Follow my Divine Sense. These are the pathways for the Cultivating Technique we’re about to practice..."

Yuan Ge immediately focused, his Divine Sense carefully following Gu Ming’s.

Lu You had also finished reading the plan by now. She released her Divine Sense, entered the Shadowy Vine Snake’s body, and traced the planned Cultivating Technique pathways along with Gu Ming.

At first glance, it was a bit disorienting.

Gu Ming traced the paths with such proficiency, as if he had already comprehended the Shadowy Vine Snake’s two core Cultivation Techniques and the very essence of the Combat Technique.

Gu Ming didn’t modify any of the pathways related to the Grass Element portion of the technique.

But for the Dark Cultivation Technique pathways that interfaced with the Night Demon Cat, he made small adjustments everywhere. These changes allowed Mana to flow more smoothly between the two Pet Beasts, opening up many new meridian channels.

Some spots were blocked, requiring the Shadowy Vine Snake to clear them on its own using Mana.

With changes in so many places, it amounted to a major overhaul.

As Yuan Ge watched, beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

’So incredible.’

’He’s the national competition’s Champion Scholar for a reason.’

’If the international tournaments hadn’t been shut down, Gu Ming might have been a top-tier high school graduate on a global scale.’

Thinking of this, Yuan Ge couldn’t help but hum softly to himself.

’To have a genius like this guiding you... anywhere else, this kind of instruction would cost hundreds of thousands, at least.’

’No, maybe even more.’

Gu Ming’s Divine Sense first completed a full circuit inside the Shadowy Vine Snake’s body, then entered the Night Demon Cat to trace the other part of the Relay Cultivation Method’s pathway.

This time, not many pathways needed modification, just a few nodes required slight adjustments.

Lu You, standing to the side, initially felt there was nothing for her to do. Gu Ming’s work was already more than good enough.

But Gu Ming seemed to be intentionally guiding her, asking her to also trace the pathways inside the two Pet Beasts with her Divine Sense. He wanted her to try and map out a unique route based on her own understanding so he could see the difference.

Lu You thought that perhaps this was Gu Ming’s way of being considerate and including her. Without overthinking his intentions, she straightforwardly demonstrated her own thought process and carefully traced a full circuit.

Her familiarity with the Cultivating Technique’s pathways inside the two Pet Beasts was far less than Gu Ming’s, and her progress was halting and clumsy.

For instance, when her Divine Sense reached a certain meridian, she had to take time to discern its function, having the Pet Beast circulate some energy through it before she could make a judgment.

Every step required lengthy contemplation. A single Great Cycle took her nearly two hours to complete—a stark contrast to Gu Ming, who could finish in a few minutes.

But as she worked, Gu Ming was constantly by her side, offering guidance and explanations. He would occasionally let out an amazed "So that’s how it is!" and praise some of her flashes of inspiration.

When Lu You came back to her senses, she realized she had learned a great deal as well.

’So, Gu Ming really is looking out for me, isn’t he?’

At this thought, she couldn’t stop her cheeks from flushing red.

An indescribable warmth spread through her heart.

But she was socially anxious. Instead of even analyzing the fleeting thoughts in her mind, she quickly began reviewing the key points of the Relay Cultivation, trying to suppress these unrealistic ideas with her research.

After she finished tracing the pathways, Gu Ming, having viewed the system’s scenario, decided on the spot to have the Pet Beasts modify the route again.

This time, Gu Ming incorporated the ideas from Lu You’s recent flashes of inspiration, and the second revised version of the pathway became even shorter.

He not only eliminated several redundant cultivation steps but also reduced the Relay Cultivation time to under a minute.

This was no small optimization.

He had compressed it from four minutes down to one, shaving off a full three minutes.

This was the immense value Lu You brought from the system’s perspective.

If Gu Ming had relied solely on his own guidance, the efficiency would never have reached such a level.

After seeing Gu Ming’s newly revised Relay Cultivation Method, Yuan Ge wore a doubtful expression. He couldn’t believe this Combat Technique could be shortened to just one minute.

You have to understand, it would take the Shadowy Vine Snake two minutes just to execute this technique on its own.

Originally, to ensure the technique could be executed stably, he had indeed added many failsafe pathways, all to guarantee this Combat Technique could be successfully cultivated in one go.

But now, Gu Ming had cut out a huge number of those pathways. Some of the forcibly connected routes didn’t even align with the operational requirements of the Pet Beasts’ core Cultivation Techniques.

With such drastic cuts, Yuan Ge couldn’t help but worry:

’Did he cut too much? Will the technique even be able to function at all?’

Just then, Gu Ming spoke.

"Alright, you two Pet Beasts should have the pathways memorized by now. Begin your joint practice."

The two pets nodded. Under Gu Ming’s watchful gaze, they began to execute the technique, each cultivating the portion the other was responsible for.

As the Night Demon Cat cultivated, it felt out the "Nightfall" pathway, which it was most familiar with.

The newly revised technique contained many familiar elements, so it naturally integrated its own insights and understanding, completing its part of the circulation even faster.

Before long, it channeled the refined Dark Power from its body into the Shadowy Vine Snake’s meridians.

Simultaneously, the Shadowy Vine Snake directed Mana from its Grass Element Type Technique’s pathway into the other’s meridians for a full circulation, closing the technique’s loop.

Finally, the Mana flowed back into the Shadowy Vine Snake’s body through a rapid channel, causing dozens of Grass Seeds to manifest and fall to the ground.

At the same time, the white Night Demon Cat reached out a paw and tore open a vast expanse of night.

Bathed in the dense Dark Power, the Grass Seeds quickly took root and sprouted, absorbing the Power of Darkness and growing wildly.

A moment later, the vines shed their physical, plant-like forms and transformed into shadowy tendrils.

The first Relay Cultivation was a success!

Time taken: one minute and forty seconds.

Compared to the original design’s four to five minutes, this was an optimization of three minutes, and it was twenty seconds faster than a single pet casting the spell!

Most importantly, this was their first attempt.

Once the two Pet Beasts’ joint practice Skill Level increased, there would still be room for improvement.

Gu Ming’s earlier prediction of one minute really was achievable!

"A genius! An absolute master! Please, accept my bow!"

Yuan Ge was prostrate with admiration.