In the area designated for Jinghai High School’s students, people were whispering amongst themselves. They repeatedly glanced toward the empty space next to them, where vast streams of Spiritual Qi were flowing into the body of a Little Cyan Snake.

They had learned—a bit late—that the original creator of the Cultivation Technique was in the next area. The news had been brought back by the large number of talented students who had gone over to observe.

This made many of Jinghai High School’s students’ hearts sink. They felt that first place in the competition was now in jeopardy.

’After all, the original creator of the Cultivation Technique is right here on site. Who could possibly understand the Breathing Technique better than him?’

’Since he already created the Green Treasure Breathing Technique, making a new one shouldn’t be hard for him.’

’With his previous experience, he could take a different approach, completely bypassing the framework of the Green Treasure Breathing Technique. His originality score would surely skyrocket.’

’That would be a huge bonus in the examiners’ eyes.’

’If any of us want to compete with Gu Ming, we have to create something unique, something that completely breaks away from the original framework of the Green Treasure Breathing Technique. Otherwise, it would be a fool’s errand.’

Many of the students present who were skilled in Cultivation Techniques already felt like giving up, their resolve shaken, after learning that Gu Ming and Cyan Treasure were present.

Someone suggested, "Why don’t we go climb that mountain first? It looks like a test of Array knowledge. I saw a lot of people getting stuck there."

’If it’s a test on Arrays, they at least have a fighting chance. No one could claim to be an absolute master of Arrays, so everyone has an opportunity.’

In the crowd, Mo Ying frowned deeply when he heard his two teammates’ discouraging words. He turned and said:

"What’s there to be afraid of?

"Since the original creator of the Cultivation Technique is right over there, let’s go pay him a visit and discuss Cultivation Technique Experience directly!"

"Will that even work?

"He probably won’t even talk to us, will he?" one of his teammates said hesitantly.

Mo Ying laughed heartily, completely disregarding the possibility of failure. He said bluntly, "How will we know if we don’t try?"

Mo Ying was an optimist, with a cold exterior but a warm heart.

At his own high school, he was one of the few top-ranked students in his year who was also an extrovert.

He waved his hand and led his two teammates toward the area for Qing Lake High School to find Gu Ming.

As soon as he arrived, Mo Ying was surprised to see that:

Gu Ming didn’t just have the Little Cyan Snake; by his side was also a Grouper Fish that could survive out of water.

Nearby was also a seed-snacking hamster. All three were Basic Type Pet Beasts.

’To bring these three into the competition venue, he’s either incredibly skilled and daring, or he has no clear understanding of his own strength.’

’Mo Ying leaned toward the former, assuming Gu Ming was a genius.’

’The reason was simple: the auras of Cyan Treasure and Ah Kun originated from Gu Ming. He was one of the few Two-star Beastmasters present, wielding two Pet Beasts, which was quite rare.’

’Even Mo Ying himself hadn’t reached that level; he was still a ways off from contracting a second Pet Beast.’

’If he’d had another two months, he could have contracted a second Pet Beast too, and his chances of taking first place in the competition would have been much higher.’

’But as for now... seeing that Gu Ming’s second Pet Beast was a Grouper Fish, he felt there was still hope in the competition.’

’In a battle, the combat power of these two Pet Beasts couldn’t possibly be heaven-defying. He definitely had a chance to win.’

He stepped forward with his own Pet Beast and said with a laugh:

"Hey, Gu Ming!

"I’m Mo Ying from Jinghai High School. I’d like to discuss some ideas about Breathing Techniques with you."

Gu Ming was in the middle of figuring out how to customize a Breathing Technique for Ah Kun, one that would make it breathe in large gulps of air and trigger a system bug.

Mo Ying’s voice interrupted his train of thought.

He was stunned for a moment. ’Isn’t this the genius student my homeroom teacher told me to watch out for?’

’Why is he so forward?’

"You’re too kind. If there’s something you want to discuss, we can chat."

Gu Ming mulled it over for a moment and didn’t refuse. Instead, he took the opportunity to exchange ideas on creating Breathing Techniques.

He pointed at Ah Kun and Lu You’s Mouse Treasure and asked,

"I want to customize a Breathing Technique for these two Pet Beasts. What aspect do you think would be a good place to start?"

This counter-question took the surrounding students by surprise.

’As the creator of a Cultivation Technique, he’s actually taking the initiative to ask for someone else’s opinion?’

’What could he be planning?’

The crowd couldn’t help but let their imaginations run wild.

Mo Ying, however, didn’t overthink it. He directly observed the Attributes and the fluctuations on the two Pet Beasts and said:

"A fish swims in water; its breathing is inseparable from an aquatic environment.

"I remember there are quite a few rivers in People’s Park. I can draw them out for you, and you can take Ah Kun to a nearby one to breathe in the water.

"Mouse Treasure is an Earth Element Pet Beast. If it could breathe in the earth and absorb the Spiritual Qi from the soil, that would differentiate it from Cyan Treasure breathing on the surface."

After saying this casually, he grinned and started discussing the difficult aspects of Breathing Techniques with Gu Ming.

Seeing Mo Ying asking for advice so unreservedly, Gu Ming returned the favor and gave him serious guidance.

’I had to be serious.’

To trigger a system bug, Gu Ming was also racking his brain to do things that would advance the system’s plot updates.

’Mo Ying was, after all, a genius the homeroom teacher had specifically pointed out. In the system’s timeline, he would probably correspond to the top-ranked genius of Jinghai High School.’

’Interacting with a genius like him would definitely trigger a plot update from the system.’

The students watching from a distance had initially been hoping for some drama, wanting to see the two of them fight.

But when they saw the two actually discussing Cultivation Techniques and exchanging experience, their eyes turned red with envy and longing.

’Gu Ming didn’t look like an easy person to talk to, but when they started interacting, he was actually so approachable and friendly? Helping a rival with their Cultivation Technique?’

’You have to remember, Gu Ming was the primary creator of the Green Treasure Breathing Technique.’

’His guidance would be far better than fumbling around on their own.’

Immediately, many others wanted to go up and talk to him as well.

However, when the three from Jinghai High School left and other students came forward to visit, Gu Ming rejected them outright.

"Sorry, I need to take Ah Kun to the river to work on his Breathing Technique now."

Gu Ming was so firm, leaving no room for discussion, precisely because he had successfully ’farmed’ the knowledge he was after.

「You are too old. Faced with two difficult problems, you were completely clueless and nearly lost your composure.」

「The Cultivation Technique genius from Jinghai High School saw how old you were, yet still on the competition grounds. Being warm-hearted, he casually offered a few pointers as he passed by, outlining ideas for modifying Ah Kun’s and Mouse Treasure’s Breathing Techniques.」

「First, a fish should be as supple as water, adapting to any environment, and so too should its breathing.」

「Second, since the mouse Pet Beast uses Earth Escape to enter the ground, it should also perform Visualization of the earth, not the Grass and Wood Flood Dragon. While Cyan Treasure inhales and exhales Spiritual Qi, Mouse Treasure should devour terrestrial qi.」

「The casual pointers from a top-tier Cultivation Technique genius gave the severely socially anxious classmate beside you a flash of inspiration, providing her with a direction for the modifications.」

Gu Ming turned a blind eye to the system’s subtle "slander," and was instead pleasantly surprised by the role Lu You played from the system’s perspective.

’Bringing her into the exam venue was the right call after all!’

On his own, it would have been difficult for Gu Ming to trigger such a system bug.

After all, in the system’s eyes, he was a 50-year-old "Old Deng," out of touch with the times, whose knowledge reserves couldn’t keep up with the students of the new era.

But bringing in Lu You with her severe social anxiety gave the system an opportunity to forcibly align with reality, take creative liberties, and ’mod’ the process.

"Lu You, how’s the information gathering going?" Gu Ming asked casually as they walked, his tone relaxed.

Lu You had been searching for information the whole time. This place was Tian Nan City’s People’s Park, not a Secret Realm Space, so the internet connection wasn’t cut off. Information was readily available online, and the competition itself was an open-book exam.

The Thousand-eyed Wind Bird perched on Lu You’s shoulder, watching the information she gathered. It wasn’t afraid of her looking up outside papers, only that she might get outside help to do the thinking for her.

"I’ve found it. I’m organizing the data now," she replied quickly, a little nervous.

"Mm, hurry up. I want to see it when we get to the river," Gu Ming said in anticipation.