Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Chapter 368 - 355: Prerequisite

「The next morning.」

Gu Ming rubbed his slightly sore palm. Before him lay the Dragon Pattern Tripod Visualization Method, a prerequisite Heart Method for his Foundation Establishment Method series.

Gu Ming looked over the Heart Method he had just finished, while also taking out the thesis he had previously written on the Foundation Establishment Method.

The moment the thesis appeared, a seven-colored light began to flicker, and the paper itself felt impossibly heavy. Just by holding it, Gu Ming could feel the profound Dao Practice radiating before his eyes.

This was the very thesis on the Foundation Establishment Method that Gu Ming had completed in the deep forests of his hometown, right in front of Ma Tianba.

At the time, the Hall of the Great Dao had summoned a Seven-Colored Holy Light, causing such a massive commotion that it had alarmed people in all the surrounding cities.

If the Six-star Spirit Beast King, Ma Tianba, hadn’t been so fast and whisked them away from his hometown, they would have almost certainly been caught by other Beastmasters.

He hadn’t published this Foundation Establishment Method, instead keeping it hidden away in a special box with sealing properties.

Now, upon unsealing it, Gu Ming discovered that the rich Daoist light emanating from the method had reached an even higher level.

’It seems that writing the prerequisite Heart Method made the Foundation Establishment Method even more complete. Could it actually be evolving toward an eight-colored holy light?’

Gu Ming muttered to himself. As far as he knew, certification by a Seven-Colored Holy Light was the absolute limit.

An eight-colored holy light was unheard of. ’Do eight colors even exist?’

He didn’t know the answer. But looking at the heavy thesis before him, he had a strange feeling that this method could evolve in tandem with its supporting components.

It was just like how after Cyan Treasure’s Breathing Technique achieved Daoist Skill Perfection, the original Visualization Image now came with the Great Daoist Sacred Sound.

One could comprehend the Breathing Technique just by listening to the sound, without even looking at the image.

The same principle applied to the original manuscript of the thesis in Gu Ming’s hands.

Ah Ji circled around Gu Ming, its black cat-like tail swishing back and forth.

Seizing a moment when its master seemed relaxed, it offered an idea of its own.

"You want to be a ’Dragon Cat’?" Gu Ming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Ah Ji’s evolutionary path was still unclear. Teacher Tang had a comprehensive plan, but Gu Ming knew he intended to let nature take its course, following the path of its Light and Dark Dual Element.

Even Teacher Tang didn’t know what form it would evolve into or what race it would become.

In fact, Teacher Tang relished exploring these unknown evolutionary paths.

Every new path he discovered brought him great renown in the academic world.

Of course, as Ah Ji’s master, Gu Ming would certainly be the lead author on the resulting paper, and his own fame would soar as well.

In short, Teacher Tang had high hopes for Ah Ji.

"I’ll have Teacher Tang look this over first. If there are no mistakes, I’ll teach you how to visualize the Dragon Pattern Tripod today," Gu Ming said.

Gu Ming didn’t have any other ancient tripods, only the Dragon Pattern Tripod that Elder Gu had acquired from an old friend.

According to his latest theory, every Pet Beast race should have a corresponding ancient artifact from its own civilization. Visualizing an artifact from one’s own race would increase the chances of successful Foundation Establishment.

Gu Ming had no other choice. Besides, the Dragon Race’s Dragon Pattern Tripod was in itself a supreme symbol of Daoist Skill.

Visualizing the Dragon Pattern Tripod would certainly not be a disadvantage in the long run.

Not to mention the inherent draconic pressure it exuded, its natural deterrent ability already surpassed that of many ordinary races.

Gu Ming sent the thesis—the prerequisite paper—over to Teacher Tang for review.

Teacher Tang quickly sent a reply, asking him to come to the company to discuss it in person.

Gu Ming glanced at his schedule. Seeing he had no classes that morning, he immediately got up and headed to the company with Ah Ji.

At the company, Teacher Tang had already finished a quick read-through of Gu Ming’s thesis.

However, instead of just reading it online, he held out his hand, asking Gu Ming for the original manuscript of the prerequisite thesis for the Foundation Establishment Method.

After all, reading something online didn’t transmit the Sound of the Great Dao into his mind, so his understanding wouldn’t be as thorough as it would from viewing it in person.

Besides, Teacher Tang’s recent research into the Foundation Establishment Method was already quite profound. Even without this prerequisite Heart Method, he had begun to figure things out on his own, but he was still missing that final piece.

This time, however, Gu Ming had finally brought the Gu Family’s Dragon Pattern Tripod.

Teacher Tang had been looking forward to seeing the Dragon Pattern Tripod for a long time. He had asked several times, but Gu Ming had always said he’d left it at his hometown and hadn’t brought it with him.

Now, with matters at school pressing, Gu Ming couldn’t put it off any longer. He took out the Dragon Pattern Tripod and asked for Teacher Tang’s direct guidance.

Teacher Tang didn’t stand on ceremony. He manifested the hand gifted to him by the Profound Celestial Beast Ghost Soul and, as easily as reaching into a pocket, began to explore the ancient Dragon Pattern Tripod.

The Dragon Pattern Tripod let out a hum and spontaneously erupted in a brilliant light. When Mana was injected, an immense number of Dragon Race patterns appeared within it.

But it wasn’t just Mana. Teacher Tang also injected Soul Power from his Sea of Consciousness, causing the Ancient Dragon Illusion within to become increasingly distinct.

Cyan Treasure, Ah Kun, and Gu Ming’s other Pet Beasts were all affected. The Dragon Pattern Tripod imprints within their bodies began to vibrate violently, emitting a collective rumble.

Teacher Tang’s eyes glittered. He watched for a long time before finally letting go.

At that moment, Gu Ming noticed beads of sweat forming on Teacher Tang’s forehead, though his aura remained perfectly stable.

He looked at Gu Ming and said calmly,

"You’ve learned an age-identification Skill, haven’t you? Why don’t you use it on this? Let’s get a better sense of what era it’s from. It would be best if you followed that up with a Mysterious Trace Identification."

Gu Ming wasn’t surprised. The club was the Ruan Family’s foundation, so the Identification abilities he had displayed there would have already been updated in the company’s database.

Teacher Tang could learn of his latest progress simply by checking his employee file.

Since Teacher Tang had brought it up directly, Gu Ming didn’t hesitate. He said,

"I’ll need a Divinity Returning Pill for the age identification and the Mysterious Trace Identification."

"No problem."

As he spoke, Teacher Tang pulled a Divinity Returning Pill directly from his Beast Taming Space and tossed it to Gu Ming.

Gu Ming held it in his hand. After a moment, a system prompt informed him that this was also the latest future model—a Divinity Returning Pill that had been integrated with medicinal food conditioning, allowing it to automatically eliminate any side effects.

Gu Ming nodded at the notification and tucked the pill away. He then began the process for age identification on the Dragon Pattern Tripod.

Soon, a series of ancient scenes from the Dragon Race flooded his mind.

He felt as if he were seeing a colossal dragon soaring through the sky, followed by the fleeting figures of countless other dragons.

Then, the great dragon landed. It began to dance around the Ancient Ridge Altar, performing a strange, draconic ritual.

The dance was at once dangerous and beautiful, yet also sacred, and he could feel a touch of ritualistic Power emanating from it.

The vision ended there. He took a moment to process it before opening his eyes and saying, "This is likely an ancient legacy from the end of the last epoch, dating back to a time more than ten thousand years before the fall of that civilization."

"I can’t determine a more specific date, only that in the history of the Ancient Dragons, it was a vessel used for sacrifices to the heavens."

He had consumed a great deal of Spiritual Power. He closed his eyes, rested for a moment using the Cyan Pine Skill, then swallowed the Divinity Returning Pill before proceeding with the Mysterious Trace Identification.

The results of this Identification were similar to what he had just seen, and Gu Ming didn’t gain any new information.

He only managed to hear a few phrases in the tongue of the Ancient Dragons, spoken during the sacrificial ritual, which entered his mind with perfect clarity.

He didn’t know what use they might have, but for now, he committed them to memory.