Beast Taming: My System is Bugged-Chapter 137 - 136: Catalyzing Life

Qing Bao’s serpentine body arched slightly, the cyan-white ball of light in its mouth spinning rapidly.

The moment the cyan-white pillar of light from Qing Bao sank into the training post, a thick, black, asphalt-like mucus suddenly seeped from the composite material’s surface.

This gelatinous substance defied gravity and climbed upward, carving countless spiraling grooves into the post’s surface. The viscous mucus seemed to sprout strange, tentacle-like growths as it crept higher.

As Qing Bao continued to spray the cyan-white laser, a low, droning sound filled the air.

Three seconds later, the white light dissipated.

Teacher Zhang was about to record the energy value absorbed by the training post when the pen in his hand froze.

The training post no longer looked the same; it was now covered from top to bottom with strange things.

A dense mass of fluffy fungal colonies clung to the testing post’s surface, so filthy it made one’s skin crawl.

"What is this bizarre stuff?" Teacher Zhang muttered.

’It was clearly a Laser Skill, so how did it create such a bizarre result?’

When Gu Ming saw it, he felt his heart sink.

’How is this so different from the light wave I used in the Dream Training?’

’Did something go wrong?’

Gu Ming looked at Qing Bao, who stared back, completely baffled.

"This...?"

Teacher Zhang took two steps closer, and his shoe suddenly stuck to the floor.

He looked down with a startled gasp. A transparent mucus had spread out at some unknown point, seeping from the base of the training post. Under the lights, it shimmered with a strange, mother-of-pearl-like luster.

’This stuff doesn’t seem dangerous, though. Otherwise, my Spiritual Technique would have alerted me to the danger long ago.’

Teacher Zhang walked over to the training room’s toolbox, put on a pair of rubber gloves, then returned to the scene and poked the training post, which was now wearing a new "coat."

It was a layer of moss. He peeled back the vibrant green surface to reveal a gray-green fungal mass underneath, where tiny bubbles were bursting and releasing puffs of pinkish-purple spores.

Gu Ming didn’t get any closer, not understanding what this attack had done.

But he had his system.

A few seconds later, the system’s notifications appeared right on cue.

「You have used Entry Level Plant Life Light Wave in reality for the first time!」

「The Time Dragon has revealed its might for the first time. The training post has been used for a long time, and the fungal colonies on it were catalyzed by the Life Light Wave. Empowered by the Power of Time, they transcended their natural life limits and their growth was accelerated, creating a spectacular fungal bloom that has shocked Teacher Zhang.」

「Teacher Zhang has lived for decades but has never seen such an outlandish skill. He didn’t expect that after its evolution, your Grass and Wood Flood Dragon would possess such an incredible nurturing ability.」

「If you were to take the nurturing exam, this move would definitely make all the examiners take a second look at you. Even among One-star Pet Beasts, this is a top-tier nurturing skill.」

’A nur—a nurturing skill?’

Gu Ming had been waiting with great anticipation, only to find out it was a nurturing-type skill.

Come to think of it, the Plant Life Light Wave was a wave of Life Power. Hitting the training post with it would naturally act as a catalyst for the growth of its fungal colonies.

As for the battles in his dreams, that was another matter entirely.

In his dreams, Qing Bao used its laser on large creatures. Every single move was unleashed with killing intent, so the Life Light Wave was projected with the property of destroying life.

Thinking of this, Gu Ming instantly understood the difference between the two.

’I still need to test this again. Hitting a non-sentient training post won’t reveal the Plant Life Light Wave’s true killing power.’

’But who would be willing to be a living target?’

While Gu Ming was lost in thought, Teacher Zhang had already finished his preliminary examination and reached a conclusion.

"Your skill most likely acted as a catalyst for the fungal colonies on this training post, causing them to reproduce at an accelerated rate."

"I can’t say for sure by how much time it accelerated things, but if my estimate is correct, this skill is far more powerful than I imagined," Teacher Zhang said, shaking his head.

’Based on the growth on the training post’s surface, it seems like it’s been accelerated by several years, if not more.’

’However, the real situation can’t be calculated that simply.’

’First of all, the Plant Life Light Wave is a new move that Qing Bao developed on its own from its Grass and Light Spiritual Roots. It’s a power that comes from within it.’

’A skill like this isn’t a simple catalyst. There must be a deeper mechanism at work, which is what caused the excessive, catalyzed growth on the training post.’

He quickly grew curious. ’What would happen if a Pet Beast was hit by it?’

"Hmm, Ice Heart Fox, how about you go up and give it a try?" Teacher Zhang said to the Ice Heart Fox in the training room.

The Ice Heart Fox shook its head repeatedly. It couldn’t guarantee that it was perfectly clean, either.

If it got sprayed by Qing Bao, all the various bacteria and whatnot on its body would surely multiply at an incredible speed.

It might not be very painful, but it would definitely be very dirty and hard to clean.

The Ice Heart Fox wasn’t Zhang Yunpeng’s Pet Beast; its master had entrusted it to Zhang Yunpeng for training.

Therefore, Zhang Yunpeng could only suggest it. When the fox refused, there was nothing more he could say.

"Alright, I’ll just have to let my own Pet Beast try," Teacher Zhang said, shaking his head.

Teacher Zhang’s Spirit-Seeking Flower Fairy was quite old. Although it was a Three-star and a Grass Attribute Pet Beast, it would still be greatly affected if it was hit by Qing Bao’s Plant Life Light Wave.

He could already foresee two possible outcomes.

Either the Spirit-Seeking Flower Fairy would receive an ultimate tonic, or its internal Life Energy would be destroyed by the light wave.

"Ahem, Teacher, I think we should forget it. Why don’t we wait until this weekend and try the new skill on that Black and White Long-Armed Ape from the woods back at school?" Gu Ming said deliberately.

During his Dream Training, Gu Ming had already started to have doubts about the Black and White Long-Armed Ape. He felt it wasn’t likely to be his grandfather’s Pet Beast.

His intuition told him that this Black and White Long-Armed Ape was definitely connected to the Gu Family, or perhaps to Teacher Zhang.

In short, Gu Ming proposed this idea to test Teacher Zhang’s reaction.

Sure enough, when Teacher Zhang heard that Gu Ming wanted to use the Black and White Long-Armed Ape to test his new skill, he couldn’t maintain his composure. The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily before he said:

"Fine. We can use it as a guinea pig. It’s just a wild ape from the forest, anyway."

Teacher Zhang spoke with an air of indifference, as if the Black and White Long-Armed Ape were truly just a wild Spirit Beast.

But Gu Ming had been staring intently at Teacher Zhang and noticed the subtle change in his expression. It was obvious that Teacher Zhang wasn’t being entirely truthful and was just brushing him off.

’Still, judging by his expression, Teacher Zhang doesn’t seem worried about any side effects the Black and White Long-Armed Ape might suffer from the skill.’

’The Black and White Long-Armed Ape’s true strength is probably far greater than any of the other Pet Beasts here,’ Gu Ming thought.

’Second, the Black and White Long-Armed Ape could be one of the Gu Family’s Pet Beasts.’

’If so, could it be Grandpa’s?’

’But Grandpa is so old. In every respect, he doesn’t seem to meet the conditions for contracting with such a powerful Pet Beast.’

At that moment, the image of those two gambling addicts suddenly surfaced in Gu Ming’s mind.

’Could it be them?’

’But that’s impossible!’

In his memory, the old couple were incorrigible gambling addicts.

They had only shown some remorse in the last month because he was about to take his college entrance exams, a major life event.

Before that, whenever they had even a little money, they would go gamble it away for "a bit of fun," never taking their family seriously.

Gu Ming closed his eyes, thinking about his grandfather, the future inheritance he received at the ancestral hall, the tens of millions his parents had suddenly won in the lottery, and their recent, abrupt change in behavior.

’Wasn’t this as likely as the sun rising in the west?’

It all seemed plausible on the surface, but for the Gu Family, such a happy and perfect life was, in itself, implausible.

It was just that he was in the midst of it all, making it difficult to see the full picture.

It was only now that Gu Ming began to seriously suspect that his parents might be High-star Beastmasters.

After all, "a leopard can’t change its spots," as the old saying goes.

’How could they genuinely repent just because their son was taking his college entrance exams?’

’For their gambling habits to change so drastically in such a short time... Something is definitely wrong!’