Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Chapter 166 - 164: Gathering Light Particles

How could the current Ma Tianba possibly compare to Cultivation insights from thirty-two years in the future?

The moment the experience was poured into Cyan Treasure’s mind, it naturally synchronized with the Green Treasure Breathing Technique.

Cyan Treasure closed its eyes, its mouth opening and closing. Its body wriggled naturally, its skin bulging and receding as it guided the endless Life Light Particles to roll throughout its body. They flowed into every part, undergoing a complete Refinement.

At that moment, Cyan Treasure wasn’t just cultivating Grass Attribute Mana. It had also, for the first time, successfully cultivated Light Mana.

After cultivating for just the time it takes an incense stick to burn, it felt utterly famished. Every last drop of energy had been wrung from its body, leaving it unable to even open its mouth for another deep breath.

A quick mental calculation revealed that the energy consumption of the Green Treasure Breathing Technique had instantly increased by four to five times, if not more.

For every bit of Light Mana it refined—the "Life Energy" required for Foundation Establishment—it had to convert four to five times that amount from its own muscle energy.

In other words, it needed to eat meat.

Its Breathing Technique could normally restore its Physical Ability as it breathed, but now it couldn’t keep up with the energy consumed by the Refinement of Light Mana.

When Gu Ming sensed Cyan Treasure’s condition, he was about to call his grandfather and head back to their old house to get some food.

But then, Ma Tianba shook its head.

’Why go to all that trouble?’

’Just eat my food. How much can a One-star Pet Beast possibly consume?’

With that, it retrieved its stored meat from its Alternate Space.

The meat Ma Tianba had stored was the most nourishing of the nourishing. Every piece it set down on the ground radiated a hazy, spiritual glow.

The mere scent of it made Cyan Treasure’s appetite surge, and it began to drool uncontrollably.

It wagged its little snake-like tail and looked up with wide eyes, as if to ask, ’Is this really for me to eat?’

’Back home, ingredients like these would be considered priceless delicacies. Not even the Gu Family could afford to eat something this good for every meal.’

Hmph—

Ma Tianba snorted. "I said eat, so eat. Stop asking so many questions!"

’Well, now I have to eat,’ it thought. ’After all, Ma Tianba is "forcing" me.’

Cyan Treasure chose a random piece of meat—one that was white with a reddish tinge, brimming with Life Energy and a sacred aura. Not knowing what kind of meat it was, it went right up and took two bites.

The moment the meat entered its mouth, it melted, transforming into warm, white currents that surged into its stomach. It was instantly converted into boundless energy, and Cyan Treasure felt full in a flash.

When it tried to open its mouth for another bite, it found its stomach felt heavy. It couldn’t eat anymore.

Cyan Treasure’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’Wh-what kind of food is this? It’s so filling! I’m full after just two bites.’

Its body was small, and its mouth was tiny. Its two bites were truly just two small nibbles from the meter-high slab of meat.

Gu Ming’s eyes lit up as well. "What kind of meat is this?" he asked.

Ma Tianba didn’t answer. It was only interested in Cultivation and couldn’t be bothered with such boring questions. Besides, even if it gave the name, Gu Ming probably wouldn’t recognize which Spirit Beast the meat came from anyway.

The old man, however, looked thoughtful. With his decades of experience, he could make an educated guess as to which Spirit Beast the meat belonged to.

"It might be the flesh of a Spirit Light Mouse, a Four-star Level Spirit Beast at the very least. On the open market, the price..."

The old man shook his head, trailing off without stating the price.

Gu Ming acted surprised at the right moment. In truth, he had never heard of this Spirit Beast, but its Four-star Level Realm was enough to tell him just how nutritious this Spiritual Flesh must be.

After finishing the meat, Cyan Treasure once again used the Green Treasure Breathing Technique and the Earth Shifting Technique to perform a full-body Refinement, opening its mouth to inhale a sea of clouds.

If it continued cultivating at this rate, "rebar" formed from condensed Light Mana would soon appear inside its body, slowly erecting a framework within those four deep pits.

All the while, Ma Tianba was scrutinizing Cyan Treasure with its Divine Sense. It watched with great relish, perfectly mimicking Cyan Treasure’s Cultivation and building the foundation for a Bronze Tripod in its own Dantian.

Gu Ming looked over at Ma Tianba. He said nothing, but a question suddenly formed in his mind.

’It’s already at the Six-star Level. Is Foundation Establishment even useful for it at this point?’

He glanced at his system, but it offered no response.

’Looks like it’s not time to trigger the bug yet,’ he thought.

...

「That weekend.」

Teacher Zhang brought Lu You and Gu Ming’s parents to the forest to train.

They had no idea what to expect, and the sight that greeted them was a shock.

As they entered the woods, they saw streams of what looked like white light particles flying toward the forest’s core.

The deeper they went, the denser the particles became, gradually forming trickles that were visible to the naked eye.

Pushing aside some bushes, they saw streams of light from all directions converging into a vast sea of clouds above two Pet Beasts.

The grassy clearing seemed to be shrouded in a luminous white mist. Cyan Treasure was at the center of it all, drawing in the sea of clouds; half of the light stream was being sucked directly into its mouth.

As for Ma Tianba, its breathing was perfectly synchronized with Cyan Treasure’s, and it was also ravenously devouring the streams of light.

Ma Tianba’s Skill Level with the Green Treasure Breathing Technique was nowhere near as high as Cyan Treasure’s.

It was relying entirely on the strength of its own Cultivation to forcefully draw in the streams of light.

The two of them were like a pair of super-powered air pumps, madly drawing in the "light particles" from the entire forest, which gradually created a snowball effect.

This, in turn, drew in more and more streams of light, which formed a "river" visible to the naked eye.

Just by standing there, Teacher Zhang could feel the pores all over his body relax, filling him with a sense of pleasant contentment.

When Mouse Treasure saw this, its face lit up with joy.

It scurried next to Cyan Treasure and also began using the Green Treasure Breathing Technique, attempting to inhale some of the light stream for itself.

It thought it could absorb the light just like the other two, but since it lacked a Light Spiritual Root, all it managed to inhale was Earth Attribute Spiritual Qi.

At best, by breathing next to Cyan Treasure, it managed to catch a few stray Life Light Particles.

Coincidentally, Mouse Treasure was also cultivating Life Energy. After the particles entered its system, it transported them to a patch of soil made from Grass Spiritual Qi, causing its Earth Spiritual Root to flower and bear fruit. This accelerated its Life Energy gains, though its efficiency was nowhere near as outrageous as Cyan Treasure’s.

Lu You took in the scene and silently sighed in relief.

When she heard at school that Gu Ming had taken three consecutive days off, she had been worried that he was sick or that something had happened to his Pet Beast.

Now it seemed he was perfectly fine; he had just snuck off to the forest for some extra training.

Gu Ming suddenly opened his eyes. He walked over to Mouse Treasure and began explaining the concept of Foundation Establishment.

He planned to teach the Foundation Establishment Method to the Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster, and for a simple reason.

The Foundation Establishment Method Cyan Treasure was currently practicing was still in an exploratory phase.

Even with the Dragon Race’s Bronze Tripod as a reference, the later stages of the Foundation Establishment process were a complete mystery. They were flying blind, unable to even cautiously feel their way forward.

Gu Ming’s only option was to open up another path and have all three Spirit Beasts explore it together.

That way, they could all share their experiences with one another.

Naturally, Mouse Treasure wasn’t going to pass up any chance to improve, so it listened with all its might.

However, the Foundation Establishment Method was still a bit too profound for it.

As it listened, it started to get dizzy, and its eyes began to swirl.

Left with no other choice, it pleaded with its master, Lu You, for help, hoping she could also listen to the lesson and then teach it herself.

A little shyly, Lu You went to Mouse Treasure’s side and became a student herself, listening to Gu Ming’s lesson.

Although she had no idea if this Foundation Establishment Method was dangerous or even suitable for a Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster’s Cultivation, she subconsciously chose to trust Gu Ming and the temporary Evolution plan he had devised for Mouse Treasure.

The Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster’s original plan for its Two-star Evolution was to use the Frozen Pill Method again, accumulate a deep reserve of Mana, and finally use the Splitting Inner Core method to divide its Inner Core and reach the Two-star Level.

That path to Evolution didn’t have particularly high requirements for a Pet Beast’s Talent, and at the very least, it was a method she could comprehend.

But the Foundation Establishment Method Gu Ming was teaching was completely different.

It either required immense Talent or was heavily dependent on a high-quality environment rich in Life Energy.

She looked around at the mist of light particles blanketing the grass. ’Isn’t this the exact Life Energy needed for Foundation Establishment?’

’So that’s how it is.’

’No wonder Gu Ming had to take time off from school.’

’All my questions are answered,’ she thought, ’and now I understand why Gu Ming thinks Mouse Treasure can cultivate this way, too.’