'Could it be that Gu Ming's family story was wrong?'
Teacher Zhang remained composed and didn't outwardly accept the title of the Cultivation Technique's creator.
"I only developed the framework for the Cultivation Technique. Cyan Treasure figured out more than half of the Breathing Technique on its own. Your son's Pet Beast just has great comprehension..."
At this point, Teacher Zhang hesitated. He wanted to persuade the old couple to stop gambling and give their child a future.
'Look, Cyan Treasure even came up with its own original Cultivation Technique.'
'Shouldn't you at least give it a chance at a future?'
If they kept gambling, when would the Little Cyan Snake ever get resources? Relying solely on Gu Ming's efforts wasn't a wise choice.
However, seeing the large crowd of onlookers gathered at the door—all drawn by the Dao Radiance from the original Cultivation Technique—he knew it wasn't the right time to persuade them. He could only talk about other things.
...
As Teacher Zhang went up to chat, Gu Ming finally had a moment to check the system's skill progress bar.
[Entry Level: 2/3000]
He had to practice the technique three thousand times to reach the next Skill Level!
Seeing such a long progress bar, Gu Ming felt this was more like it.
The higher the number, the harder it was to practice, which also meant it was more powerful.
In truth, even without the system's quantified data, Gu Ming could sense how difficult this Cultivation Technique was.
It required a Pet Beast to have passable skill in three areas—Breathing Technique, exercise, and Refinement—and to multitask all three when cultivating the technique.
How could a naturally active Pet Beast possibly sit still? From its very conception, this Cultivation Technique had an extremely high threshold for focus, with comprehension being a secondary requirement.
Luckily, he had the system's quantification. If Cyan Treasure was half-hearted during its Cultivation, the system panel would show +0 EXP, allowing him to monitor whether it was slacking off.
Just then, he noticed some messages he had missed in the history log.
[Cyan Treasure has successfully created an original Cultivation Technique, triggering its induction into the Hall of the Great Dao. Achievement Points +1]
[Watching the Time Dragon become the source of the Green Treasure Breathing Technique, you have taken another solid step on the path of Old Deng's comeback.]
[Next Step Recommendation: You can create a Visualization Image to further spread the renown of Time Dragon Cyan Treasure.]
Oho, +1 Achievement Point.
Now he had an additional ten days of Dream Training time. 'Excellent.'
"Cyan Treasure, how do you feel?" Gu Ming asked.
Cyan Treasure shook its head about. It was the first time it had felt the baptism of the Hall of the Great Dao's Dao Radiance. Its mind felt clearer than ever, its comprehension had soared, and it wanted to cultivate.
If it could cultivate with a Spirit Stone right now while soaking in a medicinal bath, the progress bar would definitely shoot up.
But with a crowd at the door and people in the living room, it wasn't convenient to take out a Spirit Stone for Cultivation.
Gu Ming had the same idea and whispered into his mom's ear.
Mrs. Gu and Teacher Zhang understood and immediately went to disperse the crowd.
Half a minute later, the entrance to the Gu Family home was quiet. Mrs. Gu had led everyone away so they wouldn't disturb Cyan Treasure's Cultivation.
Meanwhile, Gu Ming said goodbye to Teacher Zhang at the door. He needed to supervise Cyan Treasure's Cultivation. Its comprehension was temporarily boosted, so it was the perfect time to train hard.
Teacher Zhang also wanted to have a serious talk with Gu Ming's parents and preferred Gu Ming not to be present so they could speak freely. He instructed, "You stay inside and supervise Cyan Treasure. Don't worry about class this afternoon; I'll ask for a leave of absence for you."
"Thanks, Teacher."
"Hah, it's no big deal. As long as you master the Entry Level of this Cultivation Technique, I'll be able to create a Branded Visualization Image and take it home so my daughter's Snake Pet can practice it too."
As Zhang Yunpeng said this, a look of yearning for a better life flashed across his face.
Yes, this was Zhang Yunpeng's lifelong dream.
In this Beast Taming Society, people were weighed down by three great mountains. The cost of children's education and Pet Beast-related expenses were two of those mountains, crushing him to the point he could barely breathe.
The third mountain, healthcare, was another story entirely. Pharmaceutical giants controlled most of the Elixirs for healing illnesses and injuries. Furthermore, the High-star Evolution paths for Healing Pet Beasts were monopolized by a few major pharmaceutical families, so not everyone could own a Two-star or higher Healing Pet Beast.
Monthly medical expenses were another huge expenditure. You could only save this money if your Pet Beast didn't participate in combat-related work.
Zhang Yunpeng knew that after spending over a decade to finally lift the mountains of his own education and Pet Beast expenses, he immediately had to shoulder the mountains of his children's education and their Pet Beasts. To say it wasn't tiring would be a lie.
But what could he do?
He had already made it through the first half of his life. There was nothing to do but keep carrying those mountains forward. In any case, his social class was fixed for this lifetime; he couldn't advance even a little.
His hope lay with his children.
As long as his daughter could get into a better university and achieve a good ranking with minimal Cultivation Resources, the chance for class mobility still existed.
"You don't have to see me out. Go back, Cultivation is more important," Teacher Zhang urged seriously.
"Yes, sir."
Gu Ming had some questions, but seeing Teacher Zhang in a hurry, he didn't feel right holding him back. He just nodded and closed the door.
Teacher Zhang let out a long breath and headed downstairs. He was going to find a different place to have a long talk with the Gu Family Parents.
'Gu Ming has a great disposition,' he thought. 'He's the most driven young man I've seen in my entire teaching career.'
'Besides, Cyan Treasure's aptitude is the first of its kind I've seen in over a decade. It's a Pet Beast with the potential to punch far above its weight.'
'As long as he doesn't fall into the pit of serial loans or the traps of future genius-clauses, Gu Ming can absolutely achieve class mobility through his own willpower and Cyan Treasure's potential, rising from the bottom to the middle-class line.'
Filled with confidence, Teacher Zhang went downstairs and found the two parents.
Downstairs, the noisy neighbors had already dispersed. Mrs. Gu had a sharp tongue and had satisfied the neighbors' curiosity with just a few words.
Teacher Zhang was puzzled. 'Someone with such impressive eloquence is a gambling addict? She could clearly work several part-time jobs, just like him.'
'What a waste of Talent.'
"Shall we find another place to talk?" Zhang Yunpeng asked the two parents.
As it happened, the parents also wanted to learn more about Zhang Yunpeng's character and the sudden appearance of the original Cultivation Technique, so they both nodded.
...
Indoors.
Gu Ming moved the medicinal bath cauldron into his bedroom, closed and locked the door, and took out the Spirit Stones from his drawer.
Dream Training Space, activate!
In the blink of an eye, Gu Ming and his Pet Beasts entered the training space constructed from dreams.
"Here, try cultivating your technique while holding the Spirit Stone," Gu Ming said.
Cyan Treasure nodded. It soaked in the medicinal bath cauldron while coiling its body around the Spirit Stone, its skin in direct contact with it.
It took a deep breath, and the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Stone was automatically drawn into its mouth, flowing through all the meridians in its body. Simultaneously, the muscles all over its body rippled rapidly as it performed a full-body Refinement.
With the Spirit Stone, the Cultivation bottleneck vanished. Cyan Treasure's Cultivation speed increased by leaps and bounds, as the misty Spiritual Qi quickly turned into a trickling stream flowing within its body.
Compared to practicing the Breathing Technique without a Spirit Stone, the efficiency was more than ten times greater.
[Green Treasure Breathing Technique EXP +1]
'This speed is ridiculous, but Dream Realm Cultivation doesn't increase one's Cultivation, only Skill Level.'
Gu Ming's eyelid twitched as he watched. He felt it was a bit of a waste.
He turned and tossed a Spirit Stone to Ah Kun, who was staring with longing eyes.
"Here, Ah Kun, you try refining one too," Gu Ming said.
Ah Kun couldn't wait. 'I'm not trying to steal Big Bro Cyan Treasure's Cultivation Resources,' it thought. 'Master gave it to me willingly. I didn't ask for it.'
It opened its mouth and popped the stone in, using the Seven-Word Mantra to rapidly refine it. The Spirit Stone immediately turned into pure Mana and entered its body.
[Devouring Secret Technique EXP +1]
Similarly, its Mana Value didn't budge.
'It seems you can't get stronger by consuming Spirit Stones in the dream. It only increases Skill Level.'
The two Pet Beasts began to train endlessly, and Gu Ming also immersed himself in the Cultivation of the "Cyan Pine" Cultivation Technique.