These methods weren’t Void Walking, but rather various applications derived from the systems of various Attributes.

For example, when it came to Walking on Water with the Earth Element, the Earth Shifting Technique was the most basic solution.

An advanced solution extending from the Earth Shifting Technique was to firmly control the soil under one’s feet.

This involved using Earth Element Mana to control the soil and detach it from the ground. It broke away from the conventional cultivation mindset that required a connection to the earth, instead treating the soil attached to one’s feet as a single, moving unit.

Making soil float on water was inherently difficult, as it would always sink to the bottom.

To make the soil float and provide lift, one had to work on the soil itself:

Add a Spatial Attribute to the soil, or implant a Floating Array, transforming it into "Celestial Soil."

Gu Ming sifted through the new knowledge of research papers in his mind. Many unfamiliar place names and technical terms appeared, making it somewhat difficult for him to follow.

Fortunately, he already knew that thirty-two years in the future, there would be many ways to achieve walking on water.

No wonder the competition question of the future would be upgraded from Walking on Water to "Void Walking."

This placed an extremely high demand on a Beastmaster’s technical knowledge, making it a truly rigorous test.

As for the future question, Gu Ming currently had no clue.

His goal was to solve the current competition question. The two problems weren’t even in the same dimension of difficulty.

Following the new knowledge in his mind, Gu Ming had Cyan Treasure bring over some soil, then went online to search for materials and purchased them with a single click.

Luckily, these materials were all stocked locally. That very afternoon, he received a delivery brought by a Pet Beast.

He opened the package on the spot and immediately began to modify and upgrade the soil.

Nearby, Lu You had also been wrestling with the research papers on walking on water for quite some time.

Teacher Zhong and Teacher Zhang were nearby, offering academic guidance.

They had expected Gu Ming to ask frequent questions, but it was Lu You who ended up asking the most.

Gu Ming, however, was full of confidence, completely focused on modifying the soil.

The pair of teachers exchanged glances. While they didn’t doubt his brilliant ideas, they were curious to see what he planned to transform the soil into.

A moment later, Gu Ming finished the modification.

The soil before him now possessed a Spatial Attribute and slowly began to float in the air.

Unimpeded, the soil continued to rise until it was floating above Gu Ming’s head.

Only then did he have Cyan Treasure use the Earth Shifting Technique to control the soil and move it beneath its body.

Now, when Cyan Treasure walked on water while manipulating the soil, its movement was extremely fast. It no longer needed to wait for mud to flow from the bottom of the water, with its reaction time shortened to mere microseconds.

This massively boosted its speed while walking on water, far surpassing the full speed Mouse Treasure had achieved that morning using the same Earth Shifting Technique.

Teacher Zhong and Teacher Zhang didn’t need to measure the speed in detail. A simple visual comparison was enough to see that Gu Ming’s new method was both fast and stable.

"With this, even deep-sea environments wouldn’t be a problem. That’s a guaranteed A+, and it might even earn the highest S Level rating," Teacher Zhong muttered to himself, his face a mask of astonishment.

An S Level rating was extremely rare in the history of the competition. Most participants could only achieve an A+ or lower, making S Level ratings few and far between.

In decades of competitions, only nine people had ever received one. At all other times, A+ was the de facto highest rating.

Only by producing a truly innovative and revolutionary result could one hope to achieve an S Level rating.

Gu Ming’s current problem-solving approach was simply heaven-defying.

When the soil Cyan Treasure had been manipulating returned to his side, the floating mass re-condensed under his control, forming a small sphere.

Having gone to the trouble of creating this floating soil, Gu Ming certainly didn’t want it to just fly off into the sky.

He had Cyan Treasure encase the floating soil in ordinary rocks to add weight and prevent it from drifting away, then sealed it in a box.

He could take it out later if it proved useful, but it was no big deal if he never used it again.

After all, the material wasn’t particularly precious; Gu Ming had only spent a few thousand to create it.

Just then, Teacher Zhong finally walked over to understand the principle behind the modification. He learned that it was mixed with mineral substances possessing the Spatial Attribute, and that some casting materials for an Array had been miniaturized and integrated into the soil.

The specific operation seemed a bit complex. The small ball of earth contained sixty-four Array Points, with each small earthen node being about ten centimeters square.

When the soil spread out like a serpentine carpet beneath Cyan Treasure’s body, the sections of soil would move alternately as it traveled through the water. Simultaneously, the Array Points would constantly shift and link with the other points. This generated a floating capability, providing the lift needed to support Cyan Treasure’s movement on the water’s surface.

Upon first hearing this, Teacher Zhong felt his brain go smooth. He instinctively rubbed his head.

He searched his memory but couldn’t find a single similar case.

’In other words, Gu Ming had inadvertently created a new type of Array. Could this be a first for the entire field?’

After thinking for a long time, Teacher Zhong finally managed to blurt out, "Is this a detachable Dynamic Change Array?"

Gu Ming nodded without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Teacher Zhang’s ears perked up as if he had heard something unbelievable, and he looked over toward Cyan Treasure.

Teacher Zhong pressed Gu Ming, "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"What did I do?" Gu Ming asked with a look of pure innocence, as if he truly had no idea he had just done something monumental.

’All I did was make an Array.’

’Is a dynamic Array really that rare?’

’It shouldn’t be that hard of a concept to come up with.’

However, both Teacher Zhong and Teacher Zhang knew that Arrays demanded flawless precision. They were part of an extremely strict and refined Daoist Skill System.

The slightest change to the "Array Points" and their "connecting lines" would cause an Array to deviate from its intended path, perform a completely different function, or even fail entirely.

Moreover, with Cyan Treasure moving so quickly, the frequency of the Array’s changes had to be incredibly high.

To be able to form a stable Floating Array under such intense fluctuations...

If that wasn’t astounding, what was?

Gu Ming genuinely didn’t understand.

But after hearing Teacher Zhong’s explanation, he wasn’t an idiot. He realized that he had, without knowing it, created a highly valuable classification of Array that did not yet exist in the current timeline.

Clearly, this was worthy of a research paper.

"Teachers, what level of journal do you think I could submit this dynamic Floating Array to?"

The question stumped both teachers.

After all, this was a new type of Array that Gu Ming had pioneered. It was so novel they didn’t even know which journal to recommend he submit it to.

The evaluation standards for Beastmaster journals were typically based on the upper limits of Daoist Skills for Pet Beasts of a corresponding Star Level.

If it had a certification from the Hall of the Great Dao, it was simpler; they would just look at how many colors of Holy Light it produced and make a comprehensive assessment.

The two teachers were uncertain. Teacher Zhong shook his head and suggested, "Write the paper first and have it archived by the Hall of the Great Dao.

"We’ll see how many tiers of Holy Light colors it receives, and then we can evaluate it."

Gu Ming nodded in agreement.

Just then, Teacher Zhang suddenly held up a hand. "Wait."

"Hm?" Gu Ming looked up at him.

"You’ll be at a disadvantage if you submit a new discovery like this directly. The high-star journals might not recognize its value.

"You’d be better off saving it as a trump card for the competition. If you astound the examiners with it, getting an S Level rating directly isn’t out of the question.

"Remember, the competition is a gathering of geniuses, and the examiners are mostly Seven-star Level Beastmaster titans. There are bound to be reviewers from high-star journals among them.

"If they take a liking to your Array theory, especially with a ready-made demonstration from your Pet Beast, they’ll be fighting over each other to accept your paper."

Teacher Zhang’s strategic thinking made Gu Ming’s eyes light up.

The Foundation Establishment Evolution Method he had developed a while back was too advanced to be publicized, lest other genius students use it and demolish Cyan Treasure’s competitive edge.

This new Array theory was different, however. It wouldn’t negatively impact Cyan Treasure in the competition, and it would be a great way to rack up extra points—killing two birds with one stone.

Teacher Zhang turned his head to Teacher Zhong and said, "Old Zhong, don’t you go stealing my student’s discovery."

Teacher Zhong looked exasperated. "Do I look like that kind of person?

"Right now, the only thing I care about is the Great Dao Foundation inside Cyan Treasure’s Dantian. Nothing else, no matter how good, can compare to that."

Gu Ming’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he knew that Teacher Zhong was a man who could spot true value. ’The Foundation Establishment Evolution Method is indeed far more significant than any other Cultivation Technique.’