Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Chapter 297 - 288: The Five Universities, Each With Its Own Specialty

Gu Ming tallied the offers from the several universities.

The schools that had shown genuine interest were Wenquxing University, Venus University, Shifangyu University, Celestial Cloud University, and Red Moon University.

Universities that weren’t as highly ranked as these had already been politely shown the door and were no longer at his house.

Since the top-tier offers from each university were more or less the same, the final decision came down to Gu Ming’s personal preference.

As it happened, each of these universities had its own unique strengths.

Wenquxing University was the nation’s number one private university, strong in all aspects.

Its Cultivation Technique Study program was the best in the country. The university boasted as many as a hundred active authors whose papers had received the Seven-Colored Holy Light, and it had graduated over a thousand students who had earned the same distinction.

One had to understand that the Seven-Colored Holy Light was the highest possible evaluation the Hall of the Great Dao could bestow.

As for any higher level of Holy Light, no one knew if it existed.

At least, in Gu Ming’s understanding, there was no Holy Light beyond the seven colors.

Wenquxing University’s ability to produce so many Cultivation Technique masters truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier institution for cultivation.

The second-ranked school, Venus University, had a significant advantage in fields related to Arrays. It also had over a hundred top experts in Arrays with the Seven-Colored Holy Light Certification, and the caliber of students it graduated was on par with the former, so there’s no need to elaborate further.

The universities that followed—Shifangyu, Celestial Cloud, and Red Moon—while not quite matching the top-tier strength of the first two, still had comprehensive abilities in their respective fields that were among the best in the nation.

What attracted Gu Ming to them, however, were their unique advantages in specialized Pet Beast cultivation.

For example, Shifangyu University was renowned as the nation’s best in the field of Water Element Pet Beast cultivation.

Even the Water Element Beastmasters produced by the country’s number one private university couldn’t compare to those from Shifangyu University; they would be completely crushed by them.

Gu Ming’s Ah Kun was a Water Element Pet Beast, and how to raise it into the legendary Kunpeng was still a mystery.

The System, for its part, had clearly indicated that if he were to study at Shifangyu University, the path to the Kunpeng’s Evolution would have far fewer setbacks.

Next was Celestial Cloud University, which specialized in Flying Pets. Its cultivation path for Flying Dragon Pet Beasts was one of its most famous trademarks.

If Cyan Treasure wanted to evolve into the legendary Cyan Dragon, Celestial Cloud University was also a strong contender.

The last in order, Red Moon University, had conducted deep research into the Beast Taming ruins of a prior civilization.

Nearly eighty percent of all archaeological finds in the country were credited to Red Moon University, and its Earth Element Pet Beast cultivation program was also ranked among the nation’s best.

Gu Ming had gleaned from fragments of information from the System that an archaeology craze was coming in the future.

If he enrolled at Red Moon University now, he might be able to use the System’s key information to make a spectacular name for himself in the world of archaeology.

After reviewing all the options, Gu Ming felt that the unique teaching specialties of every single university were incredibly tempting.

’It would be amazing if there were a university that combined all the strengths of these five,’ he thought.

However, nothing that perfect could exist in reality. Life was always about making choices between what to gain and what to give up.

「During the lunch break.」

The Ruan Family’s representative, Ruan Jingtian, smilingly invited the several university teachers out for a meal.

Ruan Jing, however, stayed behind to have lunch with the Gu Family and discuss the contract between the Ruan Family and the Gu Family.

Now that things had reached this stage, it was no longer a one-sided affair for the Gu Family. After all, the Ruan Family had also played a part in all this.

Without the Ruan Family’s protection, Gu Ming’s journey would not have been so smooth sailing. Therefore, Gu Ming also had to consider the Ruan Family’s wishes.

「At the dinner table.」

The Gu Family Parents chatted and laughed about everyday matters, placing food on Ruan Jing’s plate and showering her with pleasantries, all while subtly trying to probe the Ruan Family’s conditions.

Ruan Jing took a few bites of her food and said with a smile, "There’s no need to be nervous. The Ruan Family’s demands are not high. We will not interfere with Gu Ming’s choice of university."

Hearing this, Mr. Gu let out a sigh of relief, a broad smile spreading across his face.

Mrs. Gu didn’t relax. She stared intently at the woman, whose hair was tucked behind her shoulders and whose expression was one of languid ease, and asked, "Then what can our Gu Ming do to help?"

"First, the Cultivation Visualization Image we discussed previously needs to be delivered."

"Second, after he enrolls in university, he must participate in a club activity that we designate and strive to become a core member within a year."

Gu Ming understood the first point, but not so much the second.

Mrs. Gu, however, understood. ’It seems the Ruan Family has connections within these universities, as well as their own core clubs,’ she realized.

A university club could be seen as a small team, a preparation for entering society after graduation. It could involve combat missions or perhaps research-related tasks.

With Gu Ming’s Talent, he would likely be responsible for research-related tasks if he joined a club.

Clubs were led by teachers, and in theory, any results produced by the students belonged to the supervising teacher and their school.

The researchers had usage rights, but the largest share of the profits was taken by the supervising teacher.

"Anything else?" Mrs. Gu asked.

"That’s all. The Ruan Family only has these two requests," Ruan Jing said, shaking her head. She seemed very easy to talk to.

Mrs. Gu looked skeptical, but if that was truly all, then it was acceptable.

It certainly sounded like a sincere, win-win partnership.

Once this contract was signed, the Gu Family and the Ruan Family would become true partners. Gu Ming would also have successfully connected with the main branch of the Ruan Family, and if he encountered any trouble in his future development, he could ask the Ruan Family for help.

The thoughts spun in Mrs. Gu’s mind for a moment. ’This is great.’ With a smile, she raised her glass to toast Ruan Jing.

As Gu Ming listened to their negotiations, he looked at the System, and a new message appeared.

"With the end of the international competition, your mentor, Zhang Yunpeng, is trapped in the mire of an endless storm, unable to escape.

"You don’t have time to go find him. Admissions officers from numerous universities are beating a path to your door, blocking your entrance.

"Thirty-two years ago, when you failed the exams, no one cared. Now, your house is as bustling and lively as a marketplace.

"Gazing at the black-and-white portraits of your deceased parents and listening to the tempting offers thrown out by dozens of university teachers at the table, you feel happy, but you do not agree immediately. Instead, you carefully scrutinize the hidden traps within the contracts.

"Compared to the new generation of Beastmasters, at fifty years old, you are not looked upon favorably. The offers from the teachers are dozens of times worse than those given to a classmate with severe social anxiety who was also repeating the year.

"Even so, you cherish the opportunity, comparing the conditions one by one.

"You discover that the more highly ranked a school is, the fewer benefits it offers.

"By the time you get to the top ten universities, there are almost no benefits at all. Admitting you is the greatest ’respect’ they can show to a competitor who barely scraped by at the bottom of the national competition.

"You reflect that you have no accomplishments in Cultivation Techniques, Arrays, or other fields. Your knowledge is outdated. The only reason you managed to secure a ticket to the international competition this time was because you were carried by your teammates.

"Your only advantage is your two Pet Beasts with outstanding potential: Time Dragon Cyan Treasure and Juvenile Kunpeng Ah Kun.

"In the eyes of others, however, one is just a Grass and Wood Flood Dragon that only broke through when its lifespan was nearly at its end, and the other is a juvenile Kun-fish.

"Only Elder Ruan of the Hidden Sect knows that your Cyan Treasure possesses a Time Element Talent, and that the Kun-fish is no ordinary fish, but a Kunpeng cub with the potential to soar.

"Elder Ruan has come this time with a Sect mission for you to carry out."

He, who had only ever been going through the motions, completing daily tasks to get his monthly Spirit Stone reward, now smelled something unusual in the air.

’Is the System’s plot entering a new phase?’