Chapter 279: Chapter 271: How Is It a Water Element Array?

Inside the Ruan Family’s think tank group chat.

As the new Array Diagram appeared, the few Array Beastmasters on the Ruan Family’s payroll remained silent for a long time.

This made Ruan Huaiyi a little impatient.

"Masters?" he typed in the group chat.

Usually, at a time like this, the Ruan Family’s retainers would have been rushing to be the first to answer.

But this time, only the oldest Array master sent a voice message:

"This is a Tidal Power Array. It’s not suitable for high school students. To use this set of Arrays, you need at least a Three or Four-star Pet Beast to maintain it, and that’s the bare minimum."

"But we spoke too soon. We didn’t expect this young Beastmaster to be able to use it."

"A typical Water Element Pet Beast can’t control Tidal Power."

"It has extremely high control requirements for the Pet Beast and absolutely requires an understanding of tide-related Daoist Skills."

Ruan Huaiyi’s face showed sudden understanding, and he added a message in the group:

"This student, Gu Ming, his Pet Beast learned the Wave-Swallowing Technique Battle Technique before the competition. An employee from the Duomu Dragon Pharmaceutical Company taught it."

"So that’s how it is! No wonder he dared to use this Array. Then there’s no problem at all!"

"Wait, wasn’t it only One-star when it learned it?"

"So young and promising! Each generation is stronger than the last!"

"Haha, Lord Ruan, congratulations on signing such a young genius!"

The think tank group had many experts, each with their own specialty.

Those who weren’t skilled in Arrays didn’t dare to speak, just watching silently.

The atmosphere, which had been quite tense, suddenly became lively after a round of flattery.

Ruan Huaiyi also began to understand.

’So that’s it. Gu Ming’s Array design was too high-level, far beyond the basics for a novice.’

For most Beastmasters, the Tide Array was too risky and too demanding.

High school Beastmasters generally couldn’t manage it. Even the talented students from the Capital Region didn’t have the means, which was why the Array masters initially thought it was a mistake.

After the new Array Diagram appeared, compared to the initial draft, the Array was much more refined, and the threshold to use it was significantly lower.

This was the very essence of the Array. The Array masters in the group chat began to explain the science behind it while praising the brilliant, finishing touches of Gu Ming’s design.

Looking over at Ah Kun, who was stably providing Mana next to the Pill Furnace, controlling it without causing an explosion or flooding it with water—all of this proved that Gu Ming’s gamble had paid off. He had lowered the entry barrier for using the Tide Array to an extremely low point.

Besides.

The Wave-Swallowing Technique Battle Technique was a renowned, high-end Combat Technique even in the Six or Seven-star Domain.

For the Pet Beast Ah Kun to have learned this technique as a One-star was itself a sign of heaven-defying aptitude.

With its understanding of the Daoist Skill behind the Wave-Swallowing Technique, even if Ah Kun didn’t initially understand Tidal Power, it could learn on the fly under Gu Ming’s guidance. Controlling Tidal Power was a simple matter for it.

It was no wonder everyone had misjudged. Gu Ming didn’t play by the rules, choosing an opening strategy that no high school student would dare to use.

"Good, good. As long as it’s not a mistake, that’s what matters."

Ruan Huaiyi said in the group, letting the Array masters breathe a sigh of relief.

"By the way, is there any possibility of promoting this new Tide Array?"

"Didn’t you all say the entry barrier is very low? Even a Two-star Grouper Fish can control it."

Ruan Huaiyi watched Ah Kun on the big screen, growing more and more satisfied.

"Ahem, this Grouper Fish is not just any Grouper Fish. An ordinary person’s Grouper Fish definitely wouldn’t have this kind of Talent. It would be better to use a Two-star Fish King as a comparison."

"However, with Ah Kun’s current Daoist Skill ability, I’m afraid even a Two-star Fish King isn’t worthy. You’d have to upgrade the specs again."

"Even so, the threshold for this Array is still very low, isn’t it?"

Ruan Huaiyi didn’t understand the technical issues. All he knew was that the Array Gu Ming developed was running with just a single Pet Beast.

’No matter how strong Ah Kun is, it can’t be equivalent to several Fish Kings.’

’If two fish aren’t enough, then just add a few more Fish Kings. Surely that would be enough to run the Tide Array, right?’

Now, he was considering the commercial value of the Tide Array.

The Alchemy Array used in the exam was meant to be for the broader public, developing low-threshold Alchemy Arrays for Low-star Beastmasters.

Alchemy had always started with Three-star Pet Beasts. Those with Pet Beasts below Three-star mostly used specialized Pill Pets to practice, a very high bar to clear.

But Ah Kun wasn’t a professional Pill Pet. It was just using its Daoist Skill ability to manipulate the Tidal Power within the Pill Furnace, using the energy from the ebb and flow of the tide to act on the furnace and rapidly raise its temperature to a thousand degrees.

This point alone lowered the Pet Beast requirement to an extreme low, giving it great potential for widespread adoption.

Of course, to promote this Array, he would have to consult with Gu Ming in detail, have him develop a deeply customized version, and broaden its market appeal.

As he was thinking about this, the retainers in the group replied one after another:

"It’s feasible, very feasible!"

"As long as Gu Ming’s Array can meet the exam’s requirements, it will work."

Ruan Huaiyi began to feel a secret sense of anticipation.

’I sent over two Four-star Pill Furnaces, after all. Gu Ming, you better not fail.’

...

BUZZ—

As the Pill Furnace’s temperature rose, Gu Ming soon saw a fiery red color appear on the surface of the Four-star Pill Furnace.

This was a feature of the Four-star Pill Furnace sent by the Ruan Family:

Besides its powerful drug Refinement capabilities, its most convenient feature was the temperature-based color-changing mechanism.

From five hundred to a thousand degrees, it showed a light red. Upon reaching a thousand degrees, a fiery red, transparent halo would appear. At two thousand degrees, it would be a blue halo. It was very friendly to novices.

The Thousand-eyed Wind Bird on site stood outside the furnace, observing and diligently recording the Array activated within it.

The Pill Furnace’s built-in Array and the new Array Gu Ming had carved were clearly distinct, not encapsulated together, making them very easy to differentiate.

The Array design was judged on the Array itself; the Pill Furnace was just a tool for demonstration.

After the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird had clearly recorded Gu Ming’s complete Array, it was transmitted to the back, where the proctoring teachers recorded it and sent it to the main judging panel for scoring.

At this time, Ruan Huaiyi also made his way to the judging panel to see the latest scores.

The judging panel hadn’t even started grading Gu Ming’s Array yet. There was a long queue.

It wasn’t just Gu Ming who had completed his Array design; other students were also finishing their works one after another.

Scoring Arrays was an incredibly time-consuming task. It couldn’t be rushed.

Ruan Huaiyi took the initiative to find Elder Huo in the crowd, who had a private connection with the Ruan Family, and asked him to take a look—in reality, cutting the line.

Elder Huo had just finished looking at a student’s work and was resting with his eyes closed.

Seeing Ruan Huaiyi approach him, he didn’t refuse. He nodded and instructed a student beside him, "Bring up contestant Gu Ming’s Array Diagram."

"Yes, sir!"

A moment later, Gu Ming’s Array Diagram was brought up.

It was a curved-surface Array, primarily drawn by the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird. The Array lines were composed of green Wind Spiritual Qi, a one-to-one replica of the Array inside the furnace.

At first glance, Elder Huo was a bit baffled. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was in the wrong venue.

"Why is this an Array for a Water Element Pet Beast? Which little genius designed this?"

Hearing this, the other Array masters nearby also turned to look, their faces quickly filling with astonishment.

’This person must have made a mistake.’

’He couldn’t solve the problem, so did he just give up and throw something together?’

The masters on site were all Array experts. They easily deciphered the design philosophy of this Array—to control the furnace temperature using the rhythm of the tides, while also using water for Alchemy.

Elder Huo remembered this was a student the Ruan Family was interested in, so he couldn’t just dismiss it. He began to examine it seriously, even using his own Pet Beast to help with deductions.