Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

The old couple discussed the Visualization Image collaboration without any fear of Gu Ming overhearing.

They were Five-star Beastmasters. Even if they slipped up, the Hidden Mist Butterfly was there to cover for them.

This was the main reason the couple had been able to maintain the status quo for so many years.

The Hidden Mist Butterfly didn’t use Spiritual Control. Instead, it used a combination of Mental Suggestion and illusionary simulations to correct any discrepancies. As a result, major mistakes were rare.

If Gu Ming’s Spiritual Technique reached a high enough level, it would be easy for him to notice something was amiss with this facade.

The couple didn’t plan to hide the truth forever. Their plan was just to keep it up until after the college entrance exams.

Everything was for the college entrance exams. Oh, wait, no. Gu Ming’s goal had now shifted to the competition, which was a much more difficult path to advancement.

If he could earn a direct admission offer from a top university through the competition, not only would his tuition be reduced, but his subsequent expenses would also be much lower. This would be a great benefit to the Gu Family.

To achieve this goal, they couldn’t abandon their current "poor upbringing" plan.

Because no one could predict what kind of psychological impact a sudden revelation of the truth would have on their son.

They couldn’t let it affect their son’s chances of getting into a university. Even if their son ended up resenting them, they had to see it through to the end.

In reality, there were only a few months left until the final competition.

It was sure to be held a month before the college entrance exams, meaning the competition would take place right after midterms.

As long as they could hold out until then, it would be enough.

At that moment, the Hidden Mist Butterfly flapped its wings, sending out a faint ripple.

Mrs. Gu, who was scrolling through her phone, heard her Pet Beast communicating with her and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You’re saying Gu Ming’s Spiritual Power is already very high? That he almost noticed something just now?"

Mrs. Gu put down her phone and looked at the Hidden Mist Butterfly on the sofa, her face a mask of surprise.

The Hidden Mist Butterfly’s body was primarily purple with blue-laced edges. Its black compound eyes reflected the light, and within them, rays seemed to refract through multiple layers of space.

It was a dual Space and Spiritual Element Pet Beast, a High-star Potential cub that Mrs. Gu had found in an Other Dimension Space. She had raised it to its current age of twenty.

Normally, for a Five-star Pet Beast, twenty years old wouldn’t be considered old; it would still be in its prime.

However, the Hidden Mist Butterfly was a rare species and naturally short-lived. At twenty, it was already on the decline, its body growing weaker with each passing year.

The Hidden Mist Butterfly’s greatest wish for its young master was to see him grow up and become a man who could stand on his own two feet before it passed away.

A powerful Beastmaster who could remain resolute and patient even when facing countless debt collectors threatening his parents, biding his time until he amassed enough power to turn the tables and rescue them.

Of course, this was just the Hidden Mist Butterfly’s wild imagination.

In reality, it would never let Mrs. Gu fall into such a predicament.

To get back on topic.

Because the Hidden Mist Butterfly paid extremely close attention to its young master, it had a perfect grasp of the fluctuations in Gu Ming’s Spiritual Power over the past two months.

Gu Ming’s Spiritual Power had grown explosively, rocketing from an extremely low level to the standard of a One-star Beastmaster, and was now sprinting toward the Two-star Beastmaster stage.

Just a moment ago, while Gu Ming was chatting with his parents, the Hidden Mist Butterfly had proactively helped the couple conceal their surprised expressions.

If Gu Ming had seen those expressions, he would definitely have become suspicious.

The Hidden Mist Butterfly had successfully used its Illusion Technique and Mental Suggestion to cover it up right in front of Gu Ming.

But it had noticed that when it used Mental Suggestion on Gu Ming, it had vaguely encountered a trace of resistance and sensed a powerful Cyan Pine Power.

Gu Ming’s Spiritual Will was already approaching that of a true Cyan Pine, possessing an aura that could stand tall against any Spiritual Interference.

It was just a pity that the quality and depth of Gu Ming’s Spiritual Power were still too low. He was still easily penetrated by the Mental Suggestion of a Five-star Pet Beast.

But looking at it from another angle, if Gu Ming could reach this level after just over a month of Cultivation, then after three or four months, it was highly likely he could reach the Spiritual Power standard of a Two-star Beastmaster before the competition.

At that point, there would be a small chance he would detect it if they used Mental Suggestion on him again.

After all, the Cyan Pine Skill emphasized Willpower and tenacity, granting a higher resistance to Skills like Illusion Technique and Mental Suggestion.

Moreover, the Hidden Mist Butterfly lived with Gu Ming constantly. If its words or actions ever contradicted the impression Gu Ming had of it in his mind, he could easily notice the anomaly.

These subtle anomalies might not mean much at first, but as they gradually accumulated, Gu Ming might figure things out.

Hearing this, Mrs. Gu’s expression showed a flash of realization.

Mr. Gu, who was on the phone nearby, also heard the Hidden Mist Butterfly’s message. He paused for a moment, then relayed the information to the old man.

The old man was silent for a few seconds. Instead of being nervous, he chuckled and said:

"So that day is finally almost here, is it?"

When Mr. Gu first came up with this "poor upbringing" plan, there were only four possible outcomes.

The first was that he would go completely insane, losing his mind.

However, given the Spiritual Power Gu Ming was now displaying, that was basically impossible.

The second was the "dropout" outcome.

After all the trouble they went through, instead of cultivating Gu Ming into a talented individual, they would just raise an ordinary person.

He would fail the college entrance exams, end up in a vocational college, or maybe not even manage that, ultimately dropping out to work and toiling away his whole life like a beast of burden.

If it came to that, Mr. Gu would have nothing more to say. He’d just push his son to get married and have children, and let Gu Ming’s next generation try again.

After all, the line of descendants is endless. A generation would eventually rise; it was only a matter of time.

The third was a good outcome.

There might be some bumps along the way, but the plan would ultimately be executed perfectly.

Gu Ming would successfully thrive in all sorts of negative environments and develop the most resilient mental fortitude. No matter what storms he faced, he wouldn’t be easily broken.

The fourth was the perfect outcome.

The very same one the old man had just mused about—the most impossible outcome.

That’s right. Mr. Gu’s original plan had included the possibility of being exposed by Gu Ming.

However, this exposure wouldn’t happen during his preschool years, but right before the college entrance exams.

If his son were to uncover the truth on his own, it would be a joyous occasion for everyone.

If he exposed them himself, it would prove that Gu Ming’s Spiritual Will and Observation Power had both reached an unbelievably high level.

If he could break through the Mental Suggestion of a Five-star Hidden Mist Butterfly and see through its Perfection Level Illusion Technique, it would mean that their son had developed a remarkably complete outlook on life, the world, and his own values. It would also mean his Observation Power was unparalleled among his peers, making him the best of his generation.

Without that, it would be impossible to overcome the Hidden Mist Butterfly’s cognitive manipulation or see through its illusions.

If Gu Ming could achieve that...

...it would still align with their training goals.

Their ultimate goal was to help Gu Ming become a successful individual who surpassed his peers.

Whether their son exposed them himself or they revealed the truth after the college entrance exams, the objective would be met.

However, the fourth outcome was only perfect in theory. In reality, Mr. Gu had never expected it to happen.

After all, given the Hidden Mist Butterfly’s power, how could a mere high school student like Gu Ming possibly have the strength to see through it all?

One had to understand that the gap in Spiritual Power wasn’t just the difference between the sky and the ground. It was the difference between an ant on the ground and the moon in outer space—with the vastness of space in between.

Only by cultivating his spirit to a considerably high level and mastering an observational tool akin to an "astronomical telescope" could he possibly notice and expose the truth.

In Beastmaster terms, that meant his Spiritual Power would need to reach the Two-star Beastmaster level at a minimum—the standard for a university student.

Furthermore, he would also need to develop his Divine Sense. And this Divine Sense couldn’t be weak; it had to possess powerful characteristics, being as hard as steel and as sharp as a blade.

To meet such conditions at the age of eighteen would be monstrously talented—the kind of child that belongs to "other people’s families."

If their son was that incredible, then the couple would have gotten their wish after all.