novelraw Chapter 143 - 142: Stay a Moment
Chapter 143 - 142: Stay a Moment
As he explained, Gu Ming also took a moment to glance at the evolving plot notifications from his system.
To his surprise, the system’s plot display seemed quite normal this time. It read:
「You and your classmate with severe social anxiety are mobbed by the entire student body. Your journal article is being scrutinized under a magnifying glass.」
「They learn that this is the new Cyan Pine Cultivation Technique. Although it’s an updated version, there aren’t many new additions.」
「After learning about this Cultivation Technique, people who thought it was going to be some world-shaking masterpiece are left thinking, ’That’s it?’」
「The students shake their heads, preparing to leave, feeling it was a waste of their time.」
Compared to the lively scene in reality, in the future timeline, everyone practiced the Cyan Pine Skill and had a foundation in the College Entrance Exam Sprint Array Pattern.
With their superior Array Patterns, they naturally looked down on Old Deng’s Health Array Pattern.
Moreover, Gu Ming’s Brain Array Carving Technique was nothing new in the future; it was just common, basic knowledge.
Gu Ming knew that his so-called "update" wasn’t actually all that different from the original Cultivation Technique.
If there were any minor evolutions within it,
they would likely only emerge later in his Cultivation, with inspiration from the system.
’But...’
’Since I’ve come this far, and the system’s plot has already updated to this point...’
’I might as well use this opportunity to push the plot forward.’
Gu Ming had already done some research on how to exploit this system bug.
As far as he knew, if events he experienced in reality were closely connected to those in the future,
then he could guide conversations or public opinion in reality to steer the system’s plot in a desired direction.
Right now, Gu Ming was explaining the differences between the Cyan Pine Skill and the Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique, points that were completely new and fascinating to the crowd.
Although they couldn’t learn it due to the high barrier to entry, just listening could broaden their horizons.
Conversely, in the future, all of this was common knowledge and far too widespread.
Therefore, Gu Ming decided he should do the exact opposite: extensively lecture on the similarities between the Cyan Pine Skill and the Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique.
He should vigorously promote its inherited traits and lecture on the cultivation nodes that were identical to those in the Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique—knowledge that everyone had already studied to death.
After all, this Cultivation Technique was an updated version of the Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to talk about these points.
"Everyone, don’t be discouraged. The foundational cultivation meridians for my technique are actually very similar to those of the original Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique."
"As long as you have that foundation, switching over to this technique isn’t as difficult as you might think."
"You just need to adjust your core concepts, and for the Array part, you can use the Visualization Image to aid your Cultivation."
"Next, I’ll start by discussing the key cultivation points in this Cyan Pine Skill that are inherited directly from the original technique."
Everything Gu Ming said after that were key points about the Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique that their teachers had already covered in class.
At first, everyone listened with great interest.
But after half a minute, they gradually realized something was wrong and began to frown.
"Isn’t this stuff we’ve already heard in class?"
"Come on, tell us something new!"
"Skip it, skip it! We don’t want to hear this!"
The students were getting annoyed and didn’t hold back their complaints.
So many people hadn’t gathered here to listen to Gu Ming drone on about common knowledge; they wanted to hear about the New Technique.
But Gu Ming completely ignored them, stubbornly continuing to recount the material that had already been taught to death in class.
The longer he spoke, the more bored everyone became, and some started to think about leaving.
Before long, the crowd had turned over.
The one-two punch from the journal and the broadcast today had sent Gu Ming’s reputation throughout the school skyrocketing.
As a result, even after two waves of students had left, a continuous stream of new people arrived to hear what Gu Ming had to say.
They arrived full of expectation, but their faces soon took on constipated looks.
Murmurs of dissatisfaction began to ripple through the crowd, but they didn’t affect Gu Ming’s performance in the slightest. In fact, he spoke with even more vigor.
Even Lu You from the next table glanced over at Gu Ming, somewhat puzzled as to why he was lecturing on this topic.
She knew from her own Cultivation of the Cyan Pine Skill that while this was part of the technique, it was by no means the focus.
Wasn’t emphasizing it so much just a way of phoning it in?
But Lu You would never voice her thoughts.
At that moment, she was already exhausted from fending off everyone’s questions.
Everyone, disappointed in her, had stopped asking about the Earth Shifting Technique, which gave her weary mind a rare moment of peace.
Now that she finally had a moment to herself, she perked up her ears and quietly listened to Gu Ming’s lecture.
Although she, too, wanted to hear something new, she found she could keep listening as long as Gu Ming was speaking.
Meanwhile, a faint smile played on Gu Ming’s lips as he spoke with growing passion.
In a place no one else could see,
Gu Ming’s Old Deng Counterattack System was, as expected, beginning to reveal the stark differences between the new and old versions of the Cyan Pine Skill.
As the text in the system updated character by character, Gu Ming’s speaking pace gradually slowed down.
He was multitasking, but most of his attention had shifted to the system, causing the pace of his real-world lecture to slow.
The crowd’s expressions grew increasingly impatient.
However, it was precisely these looks of impatience
that, on the system’s side, sparked wild joy and rapt attention from the students of the future.
「At some point, the students who left have returned.」
「The crowd swells, and people once again gather around you, a look of anticipation on every face.」
This confirmed Gu Ming’s theory on how to exploit the system bug.
He had to act contrary to the system’s predictions to advance the plot; otherwise, it would be difficult to elicit the information he wanted.
The system’s plot now read as follows:
「The new version of the Cyan Pine Skill isn’t as simple as just taking root in the Sea of Consciousness. It also condenses one’s Spiritual Power into individual leaves that float within the Sea of Consciousness.」
「These leaves can all serve as Array Hubs, allowing a Beastmaster to increase their control over an Array much more rapidly.」
「How to condense these leaves, how to refine them, and how to miniaturize smaller Arrays into the very veins of these leaves—these are the improvements in the new version of the Cyan Pine Skill.」
「Upon hearing this, the surrounding students slap their thighs in amazement. ’Hearing your New Technique today is better than ten years of study!’」
And with that, the system’s plot update concluded.
Gu Ming smacked his lips and took a sip of a Cyan Pine-flavored drink. He chugged it down, feeling a refreshing clarity spread through his entire body.
Gu Ming set the cup down, looking at the drink his fan-classmates had brought him. This single cup cost 100 yuan.
Then there was Cyan Treasure’s meal, which cost 2,000 yuan at a minimum.
’These students are really willing to spend,’ he thought, ’not to mention the total cost of my own meal.’
By this point, the students around Gu Ming had dispersed. Four separate crowds had already come and gone.
When the fifth group arrived, they saw Gu Ming eating in silence, showing no intention of speaking again.
They immediately prompted him, "Why’d you stop talking?"
Gu Ming glanced at his system. Seeing no new plot updates, he shook his head and said, "My mouth is dry from all that talking. I’ll continue some other time."