Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Chapter 303 - 293: Cohabitation

Teacher Huang finished explaining the housing arrangements, a broad smile on his face.

Lu You was stunned. Given her social anxiety, there was no way she could ask Gu Ming if she could stay with him.

’If I asked that, wouldn’t it be like I’m asking to move in together?’

She could never bring herself to say it.

On second thought, Gu Ming didn’t mind the idea of a man and a woman sharing a large villa.

After all, his mom had told him to take good care of Lu You.

Moreover, Lu You’s family situation was difficult, and very few people supported her education. Leaving her to live alone was a real concern.

Furthermore, he also wanted to provide Mouse Treasure with a temporary supply of Spirit Stones. Living together would make it convenient for him to set up an Array and cultivate in secret.

’All things considered, inviting her to live with him is actually the best option.’

’But would she refuse because we’re a man and a woman?’

Gu Ming snuck a glance at her. She had her head lowered, her small hands twisting together anxiously, looking like she wanted to say something.

The Mouse Treasure beside her was also getting anxious, scratching its head and wondering if it should speak for its master.

At that moment, the system’s plot updated.

"You’ve just arrived at Wenquxing University and have already run into an Epic-level problem."

"The university’s housing is full. Students from the previous year are still squatting in the dorms and haven’t left yet."

"Teacher Huang has given you a housing subsidy and told you to find a place off-campus."

"But this is the Capital, after all. If your housing is too shabby, you might be targeted by unknown Loose Cultivators. Teacher Huang gave you a casual reminder; whether you heed it is up to you."

"Considering your classmate’s severe social anxiety and fragile nature, and the risk of her running into trouble while living alone, you suggest that you two rent together. This would ease the financial burden and allow you to look out for each other."

"Your severely socially anxious classmate, unable to speak up for herself, is once again captured by your social gravity field. With teary eyes, she nods."

"This is exactly what she wanted. After all, she’s in an unfamiliar place, and interacting with strangers is terrifying. She can’t imagine how she would communicate with people without you and Cyan Treasure Ah Kun around. Just the thought of it makes her feel like she’s suffocating."

’Isn’t this... a little over the top?’

Gu Ming finished reading the system’s plot update. The reality was a little different, but then he glanced over at Lu You, who was so nervous she was fiddling with her fingers.

Mouse Treasure couldn’t hold back any longer. It started gesturing to Gu Ming, trying to show him that its master wanted to go.

Gu Ming took a deep breath.

"Why don’t you come stay at my place?"

Gu Ming paused, thinking that was too direct. He quickly added a few more reasons, like how the cultivation equipment was too valuable and it would be a waste to let it sit unused.

By taking turns using it, they could get the most out of what the university provided.

As Gu Ming listed off these various reasons, Lu You barely hesitated. Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, the tips of her ears turning red again before she even noticed.

"I... I’d like that..."

Her voice was barely a whisper, and her nod was slight.

Mouse Treasure, on the other hand, jumped up and cheered, wanting so badly to hug Gu Ming’s leg and declare, "You are my second master now!"

Teacher Huang nodded. This was what he’d been hoping for all along; he’d simply waited a minute for them to confirm it.

He performed a few simple operations on his computer, then took out two Jade Tokens and waited a moment by a device.

With a flash of light from an Array, he handed the Jade Tokens to them.

"Your identity information has already been recorded in these Jade Tokens."

"You can go to the villa recorded on the Jade Tokens and move in now."

Gu Ming looked down at his Jade Token. It was marked with "Villa No. 30" and also indicated "Third Level Authority."

"Also, I’ve upgraded your library access to that of an honors student."

"You can freely access all books on the first three floors."

"If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can spend Credit Points to ask a university teacher for an explanation."

Hearing about Credit Points, Gu Ming took the initiative to ask, "How do we earn Credit Points?"

"Credit Points? Attend classes on time, complete your assignments, or finish commissions posted by campus faculty, like searching for Spirit Medicine, Elixir crafting, and so on."

"You can also earn Credit Points if you write a thesis that gets certified by the Hall of the Great Dao and published in a three-star or higher journal, or if you participate in some large-scale Beastmaster competitions."

Teacher Huang counted on his fingers, patiently repeating the instructions he gave to new students every year.

He usually couldn’t be bothered with the spiel. Typically, this information was passed on by advisors or other teachers once students were settled in their new classes.

But Gu Ming was the national Champion Scholar, so he was naturally given special attention. For Teacher Huang to explain it personally lent more weight to the occasion.

"On the campus network, professors can set their status to show they are available for student consultations."

"Some professors have specific student prerequisites, like reaching a certain standard in a particular Cultivation Technique, so be sure to check before you approach them. You also have access to the high-star Dao Fields on campus; if you’re out of Credit Points, you can pay cash to get in. You’ll have to look up the details yourself."

"It’s summer break right now; school doesn’t start until September."

"Before then, you can study on your own. We won’t interfere with your summer cultivation plans, and we won’t stop you even if you want to get a part-time job."

Gu Ming nodded. He now had a basic understanding of what university life would be like.

Just as Gu Ming was about to leave, Teacher Huang looked at his two Pet Beasts, then at Lu You’s Mouse Treasure. He remembered something else and waved them over.

"However, Lu You, I suggest you first focus on developing your Spiritual Power."

"Look, Gu Ming already has two Pet Beasts, while you only have one. You’ll definitely be at a disadvantage when freshman year starts."

"This is Wenquxing University. The competition among Beastmasters is fierce. Students who make it into this university fight desperately to raise their Spiritual Power."

"The professors here will create detailed development plans for your Pet Beasts. You should contract a second Pet Beast as soon as possible, before those courses begin..."

After Teacher Huang finished speaking, he waved his hand, dismissing them.

Gu Ming left the room and looked at Lu You.

She, in turn, looked at her Mouse Treasure, her mind reeling.

’Am I really capable of contracting a second Pet Beast?’

’She didn’t really understand.’

Mouse Treasure also looked at Gu Ming, tilting its head.

’Gu Ming is the same age as Master, and he already has two Pet Beasts. Doesn’t that mean Master can get another one too?’

"Let’s go back to the house and test your Spiritual Power. You have a Sword of Spiritual Sense now, so you can probably contract a second Pet Beast," Gu Ming said.

The Sword of Spiritual Sense was a product of the Ultimate Thought, but it didn’t mean Lu You’s Sea of Consciousness had expanded.

Furthermore, most of Lu You’s Cultivation Resources were used for Mouse Treasure. She herself rarely took the supplements meant for Beastmasters, so the strength of her Sea of Consciousness was far inferior to Gu Ming’s.

Lu You nodded. The Zhuangyuan Villa was full of training equipment, making it very convenient since they wouldn’t have to go elsewhere for tests.

「A short while later.」

Gu Ming found Villa No. 30.

The villa looked small from the outside, but upon entering, they found a massive living room of over two hundred square meters.

Each training room on the first floor was like a hidden world unto itself.

When Gu Ming stepped through the door of a room, the space inside was on a completely different scale.

This was especially true for the combat training room, which was a hundred times larger than the living room.

Pet Beasts could fight freely inside, with plenty of room to maneuver and build momentum without any restrictions.

Lu You entered the house, her face blushing. She took a moment to compose herself before following Gu Ming up and down the stairs, looking at every room. Afterward, they returned to the ability testing room on the first floor to measure the capacity of her Sea of Consciousness and the strength of her Spiritual Power.

The testing tool was a Crystal Ball with a one-meter radius, much larger than the one from high school. It integrated eight sets of Arrays and could test not only a Pet Beast’s abilities but also a Beastmaster’s Spiritual Power.

Lu You placed her small hands on its surface, rubbing gently. A single star slowly lit up inside the Crystal Ball, followed by half a star.

Then, a blurry image of a sword appeared beneath the starlight; it was her Sword of Courageous Spiritual Sense.

"Your Spiritual Power is half a star shy of the standard for contracting a second pet..." Gu Ming murmured, studying the results.