Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Chapter 324 - 312: A Shock to the Adoption Circle, the Illusory Color Butterfly Appears

When it comes to adoptions at a university, it’s best to go with a source you know and trust.

Anyone just trying to make a quick buck would have already sold their Pet Beasts to a corporation. The young ones left at the university are all waiting to be adopted.

Without an introduction, it would be difficult for outsiders like Gu Ming and Lu You to get in touch with anyone on the inside.

When Yuan Ge heard Gu Ming was helping Lu You find the local Pet Beast adoption circle, he saw Lu You’s flustered expression, and his instincts kicked in.

’Isn’t this my time to shine?’

He immediately put his social network to use, posting in local campus and club group chats. He asked if any students were looking for someone to adopt their Pet Beasts, explaining that two incoming freshmen from Wenquxing University were searching for their second ones.

Less than ten seconds after he posted, his campus and club group chats blew up with responses.

"For real?"

"Someone from Wenquxing University is really here?"

"It’s the national champion’s sidekick, but the champ himself is here too. Here, check it out, this is a picture of them and their Pet Beasts..."

Seeing everyone so enthusiastically demanding photos, Yuan Ge asked for their permission. Once they agreed, he posted pictures of the pair and their Pet Beasts.

Gu Ming’s fame as the national champion, along with his Breathing Technique and mind-based Array Carving Technique, had gone mildly viral online, so many university students had heard of him.

After seeing the photos, everyone was pretty sure it was the real deal.

Three seconds later, both group chats exploded, with dozens of messages flooding the screen in an instant.

This left Yuan Ge a little bewildered.

’Why is everyone so excited?’

Someone in the chat had the same question.

Luckily, someone else chimed in with an explanation.

When students from top-tier universities come looking for young Pet Beasts, they’re always given a warm welcome.

As incoming freshmen, any second Pet Beast they contracted at this stage would surely be raised as one of their primary combatants.

At the very least, it meant all sorts of top-tier university resources would be poured into this second Pet Beast to enhance its combat strength.

This was essentially a fantastic investment in a young pet’s growth, offering it a top-tier environment to be raised in.

Because of this, many students from slightly less prestigious universities were more than happy to have students from top academies adopt their newborn Pet Beasts.

For third and fourth-year Beastmasters, summer break wasn’t really a vacation. Anyone who wanted to keep improving would either stay on campus for Cultivation or get busy with a part-time job.

This was also the time when many students’ Pet Beasts bred and had offspring.

With no heavy coursework to worry about, everyone had at least a little free time.

Those who didn’t want their Pet Beast’s lineage to end would look for a match of the same species among their classmates’ pets.

Winter and summer breaks were the peak seasons for university Beastmasters to find new homes for their pets, so Gu Ming had arrived at the perfect time.

Yuan Ge had never known about this "adopt, don’t shop" circle before.

He had fought his way into a university in the Capital through the grueling college entrance exams.

He’d heard the competition in Zhou Capital was incredibly fierce.

As soon as he arrived in Zhou Capital, he heard an admissions officer advise everyone to contract their second Pet Beast during the summer break.

So, he had hastily taken the most obvious route: going to a high-end Pet Beast specialty shop and taking out a loan to buy a Pet Beast with High-star Level potential.

Back then, he had looked up guides on choosing one’s second Pet Beast.

The guides he found back then had no mention of these university adoption circles. Even now, after three years of university life, he was still clueless. It was clear he’d been stuck in an information bubble.

Now, as he stared at the group chat, he saw just how many students were looking for people to adopt their Pet Beasts.

He looked at the photos they posted of their little darlings; every single one was adorable.

And when he looked at their Star Level potential, he saw they were all at least Four-star Level.

There wasn’t a single Three-star Level Potential Pet Beast in sight.

He even saw a few rare hatchlings with Five-star Level potential.

After all, what Beastmaster who made it into a university in the Capital would contract a Low-star Potential Pet Beast? Their graduates aimed to finish with Three or Four-star pets, so raising a Four-star Potential hatchling was the bare minimum.

As the logic of the situation dawned on him, Yuan Ge felt like he could cough up blood from sheer frustration, his heart crying out in silent agony:

’What the hell was I thinking back then? I completely missed this gold mine and ran off to take on massive debt just to improve myself!’

But there was no medicine for regret.

He’d already started down this path, and there was no turning back.

Yuan Ge glanced up at Gu Ming, sighing to himself. ’This guy Gu Ming knows so much. As expected of the national champion, he’s the real deal. He’s even better than me at finding a cost-effective Pet Beast.’

All he could do was sigh; there was nothing more to say.

"Gu Ming, a lot of people have posted pictures in these two groups. Want to take a look?" He offered up his phone, forcing a pained smile.

Gu Ming took the phone but handed it to Lu You, who was standing beside him. He then turned to Yuan Ge. "What’s wrong? You don’t look so good."

"N-nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking... maybe I’ll look for my third Pet Beast through the university adoption network..."

Yuan Ge tried his best to keep smiling, but he just couldn’t hold it together.

The thought of his massive debt sent a wave of sorrow crashing over him.

Comparing yourself to others will only drive you mad.

Endless regret burned within him.

The Outer Disciple sees his Pet Beast’s legacy perfectly passed on and weeps tears of joy.

Hearing that a classmate with severe social anxiety wanted a new pet, he recommended you to the local university’s adoption group, where you became instantly popular...

Gu Ming just assumed he meant it and turned to look at the phone in Lu You’s hands.

The ones still on campus at this time of year were upperclassmen, master’s students, and Ph.D. candidates, all of whom had their reasons for staying.

They communicated frequently with local alumni and had set up adoption groups that were passed down from one student generation to the next, forming their own little community.

’Wenquxing University probably has similar adoption groups,’ Gu Ming thought. ’I just don’t know how to get into them.’

Lu You scrolled through the pictures posted by the enthusiastic group members. There was a dazzling variety, almost too many to take in, so she had to look through them one by one.

A Cloud Rabbit cub with Four-star Level potential, only half a month old. It looked like a fluffy white cloud, covered in soft, long white fur. It had short, rounded ears, pink eyes, and paw pads that resembled marshmallows.

A video demonstrated its innate ability—it generated smoke wherever it stepped!

Still in its Juvenile Stage, the video showed it hopping all over a bed like a little cotton ball, leaving faint wisps of vapor in its wake. Soon, it had covered the entire bed in a layer of fluffy clouds.

The Beastmaster then dove onto the bed, sinking completely into the "cloud mattress" with a blissful expression. It looked so warm and cozy—the cuteness was off the charts.

Lu You looked tempted, but when she saw the Pet Beast’s listed Skill set, she hesitated.

A Four-star Cloud Rabbit wasn’t particularly strong. Many of its Skills were more for show than actual utility, making it a bit of a "trophy pet."

Initially, Lu You hadn’t been concerned with being competitive. She just wanted an adorable Pet Beast and had planned to adopt a cute little one.

But now that she was at a top university and constantly around Gu Ming, the pressure was immense. She didn’t want to hold him back.

She, who had previously not cared about a Pet Beast’s strength, was now starting to pay close attention to a new pet’s Talent and potential.

She reluctantly tore her eyes away and looked at a few other Pet Beasts.

The Illusory Color Butterfly was an exceptionally rare and high-quality Pet Beast that one of the group members had put up for adoption.

It had Five-star Level potential, was a Spiritual Element Pet Beast, and possessed powerful Illusion Abilities.

Judging by the video, it was still in its larval stage and hadn’t yet pupated, so you couldn’t tell what it would look like as an adult.

However, its owner had thoughtfully included a picture of its mother.

The adult butterfly’s wings had a colored-glass texture. They were translucent and refracted the sunlight into a myriad of colored specks. When paired with the abilities of a Water Element Pet Beast, it would be wreathed in halos of rainbows—an absolutely dreamlike sight.

Its adult appearance alone was enough to completely overshadow any Four-star Potential Pet Beast, making Lu You’s breath catch in her throat.

Hiss—

Lu You turned her head and saw that Gu Ming had also gasped.

Clearly, even Gu Ming was impressed. Its potential strength was immense, no less than that of the Hidden Mist Butterfly his mother had contracted.