"Well, Gu. What a coincidence that we meet again."

Mo Ying laughed heartily, immediately acting like an old friend and subtly easing the tense atmosphere of the exam.

Seeing him, Gu Ming gave a slight nod, not engaging in much small talk.

He knew Mo Ying had followed his route up the mountain.

’But on second thought,’ he mused, ’Mo Ying did help me perfect the new Breathing Technique. I might as well chat with him a bit and take the opportunity to fleece the system.’

"Mo Ying, did you get your Pet Beast’s Breathing Technique sorted out?"

"I did. Come and take a look at how its practice is going."

Mo Ying suddenly flicked his sleeve, releasing a purple snake. The Purple Crystal Python.

It was a dual Grass and Earth Element, high-speed type Pet Beast.

Its signature Skill was "Shadow Tree Grass Seed," which grew invisible trees that could be used as traps to ambush enemies.

Seeing this pet flicking its forked tongue with a cold expression, Gu Ming couldn’t help but recall how Mo Ying had looked during the provincial exam, with his slicked-back hair and a stern face.

Seeing him so enthusiastic now presented a huge contrast.

When this guy wasn’t talking, he was a cool, handsome type, but the moment he opened his mouth, his enthusiasm erupted like a volcano.

Gu Ming found it hard to connect the two personas.

Gu Ming subtly instructed Cyan Treasure with his Divine Sense, "Carefully watch its movements."

They were still competitors; he couldn’t let his guard down just because the other guy was friendly.

"I made adjustments based on your Green Treasure Breathing Technique, having it use the earth as its foundation and its own body as wood to expand its breathing area."

"See? This is the New Technique I created. Its breathing efficiency is no worse than your Green Treasure Breathing Technique, right?"

As Mo Ying said this, his gaze swept over Cyan Treasure, carrying an obvious sense of comparison.

Cyan Treasure gently swayed its tail. Following its master’s words, it wasn’t distracted by the other’s gaze and focused intently on the Purple Crystal Python’s breathing movements.

The Purple Crystal Python stood on the ground, its belly pressed against the earth. As it took deep breaths, every one of its scales shimmered translucently like a purple crystal.

Under the sunlight, a large amount of Spiritual Qi converged into the Purple Crystal Python’s mouth, helping it rapidly consume Mana and train its physique.

Beads of sweat, visible to the naked eye, seeped from the snake’s skin, emitting a foul odor.

Cyan Treasure was slightly startled by the sight.

The other snake had actually combined Qi Refining, Refining Spirit, and Body Refining into one. Furthermore, the intensity of its Body Refining far exceeded the upper limits of the Green Treasure Breathing Technique. It was simply outrageous.

’Is my Breathing Technique inferior to his?’ Cyan Treasure couldn’t help but think.

Gu Ming, however, was wary of the sweaty odor from the pet’s training and secretly warned Cyan Treasure with his Divine Sense,

"Cyan Treasure, check if there’s any poison... Also, believe in yourself. Your Breathing Technique is the one most suited for you. The other one has only managed to combine the three aspects; it has no Divine Charm."

"Even if the Cultivation Technique is fully formed, it’s not high-class."

Cyan Treasure first flicked its forked tongue earnestly and breathed softly. In an instant, it drew the sweaty odor from the air into its belly.

Not only could Cyan Treasure use poison, but its long-term consumption of toxins had also allowed it to develop a body with high poison resistance.

After a round of Refinement, Cyan Treasure confirmed it wasn’t poison, just a simple stench.

Nearby, Mo Ying didn’t seem surprised at all and just gave a sly chuckle.

’From the look of him,’ Gu Ming thought, ’if Cyan Treasure hadn’t been paying attention, he might have tried to secretly poison it later when no one was looking.’

After watching the Purple Crystal Python’s training, Gu Ming hit the nail on the head: "The Purple Crystal Python’s Cultivation Technique merely imitates the framework of the Green Treasure Breathing Technique. It has the form but lacks the Divine Charm. To be honest, its effects are average."

Hearing this, Cyan Treasure breathed a sigh of relief, its confidence restored.

Mo Ying nodded, not at all annoyed. He squinted and smiled.

"Exactly. I rushed to catch up because I wanted to ask your Cyan Treasure for some pointers on its Breathing Technique. What do you say?"

Just as Gu Ming was about to say something, the hairs on his skin stood on end. He sensed malice.

He narrowed his eyes. ’Is he issuing a challenge?’

The enthusiastic smile on Mo Ying’s lips slowly faded, his expression gradually hardening. The cold, aloof face from Gu Ming’s memory slowly emerged.

The Purple Crystal Python beside him also began to exude a cold aura. Its purple forked tongue looked as if it could devour a person’s heart, and its eyes flashed with purple light.

Fortunately, Cyan Treasure had been on guard the whole time, its muscles tensed and ready for battle at any moment.

Inopportunely, the female students from Forest Valley High School, who had been lagging behind, arrived and broke the silence.

The three girls’ voices weren’t very loud, but they sounded somewhat cheerful.

When they arrived on the scene, their cheerful chatter came to an abrupt halt.

Seeing the two Snake Pets in a tense standoff, the genius girl in the lead, Jiang Jinling, said:

"Are you two going to fight? I can be the referee."

Her Grass Spirit floated by her side. It had the typical body of a Green Leaf Elf, with green wings, delicate limbs, and jade-green skin.

It was about fifteen centimeters tall, roughly the size of a palm, and wore a translucent little green skirt that shimmered with a green, tassel-like radiance when it moved.

Gu Ming remained silent, but his eyes flickered as he glanced at the Grass Spirit, sensing a powerful force emanating from it.

This wasn’t the suppression from a High-Level Bloodline, but an aura on the level of a Daoist Skill.

’Where is this suppressive force coming from?’

The Sword Body in Gu Ming’s Sea of Consciousness swayed gently, shaking off the feeling of discomfort. He then used his Divine Sense to quickly trace the source of the suppressive aura.

It was the sound of the nearby grass and trees swaying. They had become quite strange. The RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE, which was normally harmless white noise, had now become a sound that suppressed all Grass Element Pets in the area.

That was the Power of a Daoist Skill, born from the combination of multiple Cultivation Techniques, turning the area into her home turf.

Both Gu Ming’s and Mo Ying’s Pet Beasts sensed that the grass and plants in this area were under the control of a powerful force.

The Dragon Pattern Tripod inside Cyan Treasure’s body swayed gently, easily dispelling the sound-based suppression from the environment, but the other party wasn’t having such an easy time.

Mo Ying’s Purple Crystal Python’s expression changed slightly. It looked toward Jiang Jinling, its purple scales trembling. The effect on it had not yet been dispelled.

Seeing this, Gu Ming knew that if a real fight broke out, he certainly wouldn’t be afraid.

No one who could stand here would flee before a fight.

However, he had just entered the third layer of the Array region and hadn’t yet put much distance between himself and the groups behind him. Fighting now wouldn’t be worth the cost.

Besides, this was his first interaction with students from Forest Valley, and it just so happened that the system had refreshed the plot.

He immediately employed delaying tactics: "Array-Breaking is the priority right now. We can discuss Breathing Techniques when we’re closer to the summit."

Mo Ying glanced at the people from Forest Valley, then at Gu Ming and Cyan Treasure.

’For Cyan Treasure to be unaffected by the Elf’s home-turf ability... that’s no simple feat.’

Sensing he didn’t have a guaranteed victory, he switched back to his sunny smile. "Well said. The three of our teams will focus on Array-Breaking first. We can deal with the rest later."

Jiang Jinling also nodded, having her Grass Spirit help search for a route.

Gu Ming took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with her. "What kind of Breathing Technique does your Grass Spirit use?"

He noticed the Elf Pet Beasts of the other two students from Forest Valley.

Jiang Jinling’s was a Green Leaf Elf. The other two were a Thorn Elf and a Mutated Elf that was green with a hint of blue, whose species he couldn’t recognize.

Jiang Jinling smiled. "We use the ’Great Nature Breathing Technique’."

As she spoke, the Grass Spirit opened its small mouth to breathe. As its wings fluttered, the surrounding Spiritual Qi swirled and converged into its mouth.

Upon absorption, its physical training was complete, and its Mana flowed like a smooth stream.

’This Breathing Technique’s Spiritual Qi is so natural and ethereal,’ Gu Ming thought in slight surprise. ’It actually possesses a trace of indescribable Divine Charm!’

’Just as my homeroom teacher said, Jiang Jinling is a legendary Cultivation Technique genius.’

’She created it from scratch. Her Talent far surpasses my own.’

’I, on the other hand, have to rely on the system to instill future knowledge just to create a Cultivation Technique. The gap is obvious.’

However, he had achieved his goal in talking to her.

「You have communicated with the Cultivation Technique genius from Forest Valley. Seeing you as older, she didn’t take you seriously and proudly displayed the new features of her Elf’s Breathing Technique.」

「You perceived the beauty of the Great Nature Dao Charm within it and were lost in thought.」

「So Breathing Techniques can be modified like this!」

「Combining the characteristics of the two pets, you had a new idea. You immediately exchanged inspiration with your classmate who has severe social anxiety, resulting in a major collision of ideas.」