This wasn’t a flash of inspiration for Lu You. It was a stopgap measure she was forced to come up with after seeing Ah Kun sweating profusely, looking like it was about to pass out.

Her Mouse Treasure still had energy to spare. Its mind was constantly working, and it required significantly fewer corrections from Gu Ming than Ah Kun did.

Mouse Treasure had a habit of calculating trivial matters to gain an advantage for itself, a natural multitasker.

It could keep up with the pace of Gu Ming’s Cultivation Technique modifications, but Ah Kun absolutely could not.

This wasn’t just an unavoidable weakness, but a clear gap in both intelligence and natural Talent.

Intelligence wasn’t something that could be directly compensated for through Evolution.

Lu You had spent the whole afternoon thinking before she came up with a way to make up for Ah Kun’s computational shortcomings.

This was exactly what Gu Ming needed. He nodded immediately without a second thought.

"Do you have any recommendations?"

"Hmm, there aren’t many computational Arrays available for Two-star Fish Pets right now..."

Lu You looked troubled as she spoke.

There were very few Arrays to choose from; she had only found two after searching extensively. If they were applied directly to Ah Kun, they would surely fail.

Ah Kun’s Sea of Consciousness simply didn’t have the capacity to contain such a massive computational Array with so many nodes.

Gu Ming tapped on his tablet to look at the research paper Lu You had provided.

He opened it and saw an Array containing 168 nodes. Placing something like that within the extremely fine and complex Spiritual Domain of the Sea of Consciousness was clearly not feasible.

Even with the Memorization Array, Ah Kun had to be as economical as possible.

But Gu Ming had a solution. He didn’t need to rely on an existing Array; he could completely redesign one based on the information from his system.

He then said,

"It’s fine. We’ll first extract the core computational unit from the Array, then modify it by integrating it with the Spiritual Waves inside Ah Kun’s body."

Modify the Array...

A chill went down Lu You’s spine, and the pressure she felt skyrocketed. She could only manage a reluctant nod.

Another all-night session of intense work followed.

Gu Ming had Ah Kun inscribe a minimal-unit computational Array into its Sea of Consciousness.

When the Array successfully activated, Lu You was too stunned to speak.

She couldn’t help but wipe her large-framed glasses and look at Ah Kun again.

’Can a Grouper Fish really operate a computational Array?’

Gu Ming had compressed the computational unit to its absolute limit, embedding an Array with only fourteen nodes into its Sea of Consciousness.

Whenever Ah Kun used the Breathing Technique, it would automatically mobilize the Spiritual Waves in its Sea of Consciousness, allowing the computational Array to function.

This was largely thanks to the Memorization Array in Ah Kun’s body assisting its memory. Otherwise, such a streamlined computational unit would have been incredibly difficult to operate.

What was even more astonishing was the integration Array built around the computational unit.

Although there were only a dozen or so nodes, the various Techniques built around this small Array were far beyond the expected standard.

Even Lu You was amazed when she saw it, the question ’This is even possible?’ popping into her head.

On site, a clone of the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird had been listening to the two of them create the Cultivation Technique the whole time.

It heard their plan to use a Brain Array to enhance computational ability and lower the learning curve for Ah Kun.

The teachers in the control center looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Does this count as cheating?"

"Well, the rules for the live exam prohibit outside assistance that replaces the contestant’s own thinking."

"It probably doesn’t count. The Array was developed and improved by the two of them, and it operates inside the Pet Beast’s brain, which is equivalent to Ah Kun thinking for itself. It’s not like an outsider is providing advice to replace its thoughts."

This single point sparked a debate among the teachers in the control center that lasted for over half an hour.

It also drew a large crowd of teachers who gathered to watch Gu Ming’s Cultivation Technique Study in the dead of night.

Integrating an Array from the Sea of Consciousness into a Cultivation Technique was not Gu Ming’s invention.

Evil Beastmasters possessed such wicked Cultivation Techniques. However, due to ethical concerns, no Righteous Beastmasters dared to develop this path using their Pet Beasts. As a result, in sixty years, only Gu Ming had successfully navigated it.

Now, Gu Ming was innovating once again, his audacity on full display, causing the teachers’ eyes to gleam as they stared unblinkingly at the exam screen.

"Use Divine Sense to investigate," a teacher couldn’t help but say in the early morning. "It’s time for the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird to step in and check the condition of the Pet Beast’s Sea of Consciousness."

After all, this was an exam. The teachers needed to understand the Pet Beast’s physical state to determine what made this Breathing Technique so exceptional.

Otherwise, if everything was an unverifiable black box, it would be impossible to judge the relative merits of the different Breathing Techniques.

On site, the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird asked for Gu Ming’s permission. Once he agreed, it sent its Divine Sense into Ah Kun’s Sea of Consciousness to observe the Spiritual Array’s operation.

This investigation sent shockwaves through the control center.

"Heavens."

"There isn’t just one Array, there are others operating as well!"

"To think a little Grouper Fish could have such high spiritual quality! And the area of its Sea of Consciousness is huge!"

The teachers in the control center exclaimed in admiration. This was a real eye-opener that completely changed their perspective.

The more experienced teachers even noticed that Ah Kun’s spiritual quality far exceeded expectations. It wasn’t the quality a Grouper Fish should possess at all; its size was more like the Sea of Consciousness of a Two-star Level Fish King.

On site, it wasn’t just the proctoring teachers; university admissions staff, who were secretly observing the exam, had also taken note of Gu Ming’s innovations in the field of Arrays.

Their gazes were burning with intensity. Even before Gu Ming had finished the exam, they were secretly calling their universities to report on the situation.

Once one person started making calls, the other recruitment scouts couldn’t sit still either, all grabbing their phones to report to their superiors.

This was a common misconception among ordinary people.

True geniuses weren’t discovered only after the exam was over.

Instead, they revealed their sharp talent on the very first day, drawing attention that followed them from beginning to end.

And indeed, just as day was breaking and the night had yet to fully recede, many admissions officers from prestigious universities arrived at the proctoring base in Tian Nan City’s People’s Park.

They watched the screen projected by the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird, where the two Pet Beasts took deep breaths and rapidly adjusted their bodies to practice their Cultivation Technique. They put their heads together and whispered, trying to understand the data.

Although the three Pet Beasts—the Little Cyan Snake, the Grouper Fish, and the hamster—were of low-grade bloodlines with no potential for super Evolution,

the teachers from the prestigious universities were not so shallow.

They weren’t focused on the Pet Beasts’ potential, but on the creativity of the Beastmaster himself.

It was important to remember that this was a competition, and its core purpose was to uncover the creative Talent of geniuses.

Just because his current Pet Beasts were lacking didn’t mean his future New Pet Beasts would be.

After entering a university, Gu Ming could easily form a contract with a new, high-Potential Pet Beast, realize his Talent, and achieve a major comeback.

The resources at the Beast Taming Schools were prepared for exactly this purpose. When they encountered a student with off-the-charts Talent but limited resources, they naturally had to act fast to recruit them into their ranks.

"Hmm, that’s enough for now. We should start climbing the mountain."

Suddenly, on the screen, Gu Ming changed his mind. He stopped researching the Cultivation Technique and decided to climb the mountain.

Hearing this, the proctoring teachers in the control center frowned slightly.

He was on such a roll right now. Why not continue improving the Breathing Technique while his inspiration was flowing?

Everyone could sense that the Array Techniques Gu Ming had implemented in Ah Kun’s mind completely surpassed the limits of a high school senior.

Even a university freshman would have to bow their head before Gu Ming’s mastery of Arrays.

A sophomore might be able to hold their own against him.

It should be noted that this referred to students from prestigious universities.

These students had a full two-year head start on Gu Ming in terms of knowledge. Moreover, students who could get into top universities were diligent learners who were constantly improving; they wouldn’t just stagnate after getting in.

This indirectly showed just how highly the admissions officers regarded Gu Ming’s Talent, viewing him as their top-priority candidate for recruitment.

"Huh? Okay."

On the screen, Lu You’s face showed a hint of hesitation.

But she didn’t ask why. Instead, she chose to trust Gu Ming’s judgment and immediately set off with Mouse Treasure, heading toward the mountain ahead with him.

The teachers didn’t understand, but they couldn’t figure out his reasoning. They just felt it was a shame, a waste of Talent. He clearly could have finished the Cultivation Technique before setting out.

Little did they know, the plotline on Gu Ming’s system’s side was stuck.

In the system’s eyes, these two Cultivation Techniques were being modified for the purpose of climbing the mountain.

If he didn’t enter the Ice and Snow Mountain Forbidden Area and experience the local environment, how could he possibly modify them?

If the Breathing Technique couldn’t make a Pet Beast cold-resistant or allow it to naturally absorb Fire Spiritual Qi for warmth, it couldn’t be called a qualified Breathing Technique.