This was the Practice Class. Now that the students had all contracted their Pet Beasts, the subject of Spiritual Techniques was formally introduced.
If a Beastmaster wanted to contract a second Pet Beast without relying on pills, they had to use a Cultivation Technique to cultivate their Spiritual Power, expanding the capacity and depth of their Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.
This was a painstaking process that required a great deal of time.
Half a year wasn't nearly enough. Even with arduous cultivation every day, it would still take about two years.
Having explained this, the teacher of the Practice Class casually wrote the names of several medicines on the blackboard.
"Arduous cultivation is out of fashion these days. The proper path is to use Spirit Medicine reasonably and strike a balance between training and rest.
"For example, these medicines are very suitable for teenagers. They won't cause harm by rushing your development, and they can also gently nourish your Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.
"Take them continuously for eight to ten months, and you can accumulate the spiritual strength required to accommodate a second Pet Beast."
Having said that, the teacher circled the 'eight to ten months' on the blackboard.
"So, what is the significance of these numbers? Wang Teng, please stand up and answer."
Wang Teng was in the middle of asking Gu Ming about his Little Cyan Snake, wanting to know what kind of mutation it had.
But the teacher caught him slacking off. Unembarrassed, Wang Teng shot to his feet and stared at the blackboard.
After a few seconds, he still couldn't figure it out.
He had never considered this question, and there was nothing about it in the textbook. 'Crap,' he thought, 'it must have been a new point the teacher just made. I completely missed it.'
Desperate, he kicked his deskmate, Gu Ming, under the table, silently pleading for help.
Gu Ming shook his head, unwilling to help.
Wang Teng grew anxious. 'How can my good buddy bail on me at a critical moment like this?'
It wasn't that Gu Ming wouldn't help; he had already sensed the teacher's real intention.
'Is this all just to sell Spirit Medicine?'
'I wonder how big his commission is,' he thought.
Seeing that Wang Teng couldn't answer, Teacher Luo of the Practice Class looked displeased and chided him.
"Wang Teng, pay attention in class!
"You're currently ranked fifteenth. With a little more effort, you could surpass your deskmate. Stop slacking off.
"Getting back on topic, seven to eight months from now is when university will have already started.
"Once you're in college, you can't get by fighting with just one Pet Beast. Even students of the Cultivation Element need two helpers.
"If you can't manage that, you'll fall behind everyone else.
"Mastering the proper pace for scientific cultivation is the main focus for the next few months. Does everyone understand?"
...
'So it really was about selling those medicines.'
Gu Ming hadn't been wrong about the teacher's intentions, but he hadn't considered the point Teacher Luo made about starting college.
Gu Ming had originally planned to take the path of an Ascetic Monk, relying on slow and steady practice.
But the teacher said that arduous cultivation would take two years.
He definitely couldn't wait two years to contract a second Pet Beast; by then, it would be far too late.
'Does that mean I have no choice but to buy the medicine?'
Gu Ming's expression remained neutral as he continued to listen to the lecture.
After pitching the various medicines and hinting that students could get them from him at a discount, Teacher Luo moved on to the main topic of the Practice Class: teaching them the Cultivation Technique for the Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.
Some students had already started practicing this type of Cultivation Technique—namely, the ones who had come of age early.
Nearly half the class had only gotten their Pet Beasts during winter break. Teacher Luo took out a Visualization Scroll and had everyone read the text in their books. Once they had memorized it, they were to begin the Visualization.
"Students who have already learned this can sit and begin their practice. Those who have finished memorizing can start the Visualization now."
Gu Ming opened his textbook. He had already memorized this passage last semester. He never expected it was actually the text for a Cultivation Technique that just needed to be paired with a Visualization Image for cultivation.
Rashly cultivating a Spiritual Technique for the Sea of Spiritual Consciousness before coming of age was risky and could affect a Beastmaster's brain development, which was why Gu Ming was only starting now.
Since Gu Ming had already memorized it, he held the text in his mind and fixed his eyes on the Scroll.
The unfurled Visualization Image was of a pine tree standing on a lone mountain, remaining as immovable as the mountain itself no matter how the wind and rain battered it.
"Imagine you are a lone pine. Imagine the wind and rain lashing against your body.
"The more you become like the tree, the more indomitable you will be, and the more you will temper your Sea of Spiritual Consciousness. This is the method of spiritual refining."
The teacher patrolled the classroom, offering a pointer or two from time to time.
When he reached Gu Ming's side, he made a point to glance at Gu Ming's Little Cyan Snake.
'The former top student of his grade, and he contracted a Mutated Little Cyan Snake.'
'The Little Cyan Snake itself is very weak. In sixty years, there has never been a single Three-star case, which proves its potential is capped.'
'Countless Beastmasters have tried the mutation and Evolution route. If that path were viable, there would have been news reports about a Three-star Cyan Snake long ago.'
Therefore, Teacher Luo was not optimistic about Gu Ming's choice. Still, it had mutated, and its Mana Points were high.
'If he takes this Mutated Little Cyan Snake to the college entrance exam, he might... just might... be able to scrape by with the minimum score for a second-tier university.'
'Under these circumstances, Gu Ming is the student who needs a second Pet Beast the most.'
'Once he's in college, he can't possibly rely on just the Little Cyan Snake. He'll definitely be desperate to contract a second Pet Beast to improve his competitiveness.'
Teacher Luo rubbed his stubble. Sensing that Gu Ming was a potential customer, he stopped to perceive Gu Ming's condition and offer some guidance.
"The Visualization process isn't just about experiencing the cultivation atmosphere in the image. More importantly, as you immerse yourself in it, don't forget to cultivate your own Spiritual Power.
"Here, let me help you stimulate your Baihui Acupoint so you can feel what it's like to circulate this technique properly."
As he spoke, he reached out and lightly tapped the top of Gu Ming's head.
A faint pulse of Spiritual Power, like a Silver Needle, pricked him gently, causing Gu Ming's mind to jolt.
The stimulus wasn't painful. Instead, it made his consciousness feel ethereal, as if his mind had been set free.
Gu Ming gradually felt his Sea of Spiritual Consciousness begin to loosen. The hazy surface of his Sea of Consciousness started to ripple, as if a great wind and torrential rain were sweeping across it.
He could perceive the movement of the water, a fluctuation created by the external stimulus.
It was as if he were on a small sailboat, facing a dark and turbulent sea. Upon hearing a distant voice, he suddenly found his bearings and hurriedly began to cultivate according to the feeling in his mind.
At the same time, new plot prompts began to scroll across his system's interface.
「You resume your cultivation of the Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique and discover that after years of iteration, the technique has been altered beyond recognition, its fundamental principles changed too drastically.」
「As you feel the spiritual stimulation from your teacher, you hesitate.
「Will you choose the Spiritual Technique from thirty-two years in the past, or the most recently revised version of the Cultivation Method?」
Gu Ming cultivated for a short while, a light sweat breaking out on his forehead.
It had taken an immense effort just to mobilize a tiny bit of Spiritual Power within his Sea of Consciousness.
By now, the teacher had moved on to guide the next student he was focusing on.
Gu Ming seized the opportunity to check the plot prompts from his system.
'Huh? A Cultivation Technique from thirty-two years in the future?'
'Can I trust this?'
'This system feels a little devious,' Gu Ming thought. 'It says the original, orthodox Cultivation Technique has been changed drastically, but it doesn't say how. Who would dare to practice something like that?'
But as soon as he dismissed the thought, he couldn't help but wonder—what if the future version was better?
'Even that Five-star Beastmaster, Zhou Ruoyun, sent her daughter back to attend Qing Lake High School.'
'With her wealth and insight, a Five-star Beastmaster wouldn't sabotage her own daughter. That means the quality of education at Qing Lake High School thirty-two years from now must be excellent.'
'I'll do it!'
The moment Gu Ming made the decision, the prompt updated.
「You have chosen to learn the new version of the Cultivation Technique: *Cyan Pine*.」