Free Web NovelChapter 373: Chapter 360: Conflicting Paths
President Wei of Wenquxing University’s Array Formation Club stood at the school gate. After waiting for the better part of an hour, he finally saw his master arriving through the air on his "Flying Track."
That Mechanical Pet had Silver Rails wrapped around it. Its rear vents spewed pale blue-green streams of air as it shot through the sky without a sound, moving at extreme Speed.
Elder Huo had the Flying Track hover, let him board, and said directly, "You lead the way."
The latter nodded. After boarding, he greeted the Flying Track in a low voice, connected to the Mechanical Pet with his Divine Sense, and loaded the piloting interface.
WHOOSH.
The Flying Track started up again, flying at a low Speed through the campus. Its Silver Rail left a trailing ribbon of cyan light in the wind, much to the envy of onlookers.
As he piloted it, he explained Gu Ming’s situation to his master.
"Gu Ming got into our university. I checked, and he’s now an official member of the Outdoor Adventure Club. The school’s recent annual project plan includes a research topic centered on his Foundation Establishment Evolution Method."
Elder Huo, of course, remembered Gu Ming.
They had hit it off immediately at the national competition, and he had even given him his business card in person.
The semester had already started, yet the young man still hadn’t contacted him.
Elder Huo had even thought he’d been snatched up by the rival university next door.
Who would have thought the kid had actually enrolled in his own Wenquxing University?
He got into Wenquxing but didn’t even bother to say hello.
And he joined the Outdoor Adventure Club, not the Array Society where he, Elder Huo, worked.
This left Elder Huo feeling a bit peeved and disgruntled.
However, in the face of a monumental paper that surpassed the seven-colored level, none of that mattered.
Right now, all he wanted was to see that top-tier manuscript—the one Counselor Luo had hyped up to be legendary, the one that could very well surpass the Seven-Colored Holy Light Certification.
Elder Huo himself had been fortunate enough to see such a legendary manuscript once before.
That thick stack of paper was incredibly innovative and expansive, brimming with the profound charm of the Great Dao. It had all but demolished his existing knowledge system, only to erect a taller edifice upon the ruins.
Of course, he had only seen such a thing that one time. He had never again encountered such a mind-blowing, foundational work—a super Keystone capable of directly changing the entire Beastmaster development system.
And this paper written by Gu Ming had him filled with curiosity.
Counselor Luo’s descriptions echoed in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
He took a deep breath, just as his Mechanical Pet came to a stop in front of a villa.
Unsurprisingly, the place Gu Ming lived couldn’t possibly be a shared dormitory.
He lived in Villa 30, which befitted his status as a genius.
At the entrance, Counselor Luo was waiting to greet them.
"Elder Huo, you’re here—"
Elder Huo nodded but didn’t reply. He entered at light speed, so eager that he had eyes only for the top-tier paper.
Counselor Luo wasn’t offended. He was well aware of his own standing compared to Elder Huo’s. He simply nodded, bowed slightly, and led Elder Huo inside.
The three of them stepped through the Light and Dark Concealment Array and immediately noticed the interior was significantly brighter than outside.
Upon entering the house, they were met with the scholarly fragrance of Great Dao Gold Paper, so rich that just a single breath was enough to make one’s entire body tremble.
The Array Society President’s expression flickered; he felt that something was wrong. freewebnσvel.cøm
This room contained something that clashed with his Dao Practice.
Counselor Luo also stopped there and announced, "Gu Ming, Mr. Huo has arrived."
Gu Ming immediately walked out from an inner room. He brazenly shook Elder Huo’s hand, showing no signs of stage fright as he said, "Long time no see, Elder Huo."
"You brat, I gave you my card. How come you didn’t look for me after getting into the university?" Elder Huo asked.
"Well... I’m really sorry about that. I got so busy with work that I forgot. The company culture is just too intense, there’s no time to rest." Gu Ming decided to blame it on his company. After all, companies in this era were all monsters of exploitation. It was normal for him to have been recruited by a company before starting university; many talented students were in the same boat.
Gu Ming just hadn’t expected to meet Elder Huo again, much less that he was one of the reviewers for the Seven-star Journal.
Hearing this excuse, Elder Huo felt a little better and decided not to dwell on it.
He took the manuscript directly and began to flip through it.
The moment he touched the manuscript, he felt an immense weight.
His hand was instantly forced downward toward the ground.
But he reacted extremely quickly and pulled his hand back.
And when the papers landed on the floor, they didn’t make a thunderous crash like a mountain collapsing, but simply floated down lightly.
This made Counselor Luo, who was standing behind them, let out a long sigh of relief. Meanwhile, President Wei, a senior, looked on in shock. He could feel an intense pressure that made him afraid to even look directly at the thick stack of Great Dao Gold Paper.
Gu Ming bent down to pick it up again and said, "This manuscript seems a bit too heavy. How about I turn the pages for you to read?"
"Fine."
Elder Huo wasn’t one to fuss over such trivialities.
In fact, the moment he had touched it, he knew this was the real deal.
At a minimum, it was a paper at the Seven-Colored Holy Light Certification Level, and it might even break through to an even higher level.
As Gu Ming slowly turned the pages,
Elder Huo read with rapt attention, his expression gradually changing.
"This... this is directly using the origin of the Great Dao to construct one’s foundation. What ingenious craftsmanship!"
When Elder Huo said this, he almost seemed to be grinding his teeth, and his body began to tremble. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Gu Ming was a little confused. ’What’s wrong with him?’
Elder Huo took a long, deep breath and closed his eyes.
After a long moment, he spoke again. "This paper of yours is dangerous. It cannot be released to the public directly."
Gu Ming didn’t understand the reason and asked humbly, "Then what should I change? A minor revision? Or a major one?"
Writing papers related to Pet Beasts was never a smooth process. Most Beastmasters had to go through submission, review, rejection, revision, rejection, more revision, and sometimes even a complete rewrite from scratch.
However, Gu Ming’s paper had already received certification from the Hall of the Great Dao, so a major revision was impossible. A minor one, however, was feasible.
If the revisions were good, it might even make the paper itself shine brighter, perhaps even adding another color to its light.
Elder Huo nodded. "The weight of this paper is too great. I dare not say how it should be changed, or if it should be changed at all.
"But it’s essential to first publish a preliminary paper to gauge public reception."
Gu Ming hesitated. "I’ve already sent that preliminary Heart Method to the *Flood Dragon Monthly Report*. It’s a Four-star journal."
"That’s good, that’s good. Do you have a second, backup copy? Let me see that Heart Method of yours," Elder Huo said, a look of realization on his face.
"Yes, of course I have one."
"But it’s just a direct printout from a photo I took with my phone.
"It doesn’t have a 100% replication of the Dao Charm. At best, it’s just a bunch of text. You’ll have to extrapolate from it yourself."
Elder Huo didn’t mind. On the contrary, he said, "A reduction in the power of its Dao Practice is actually perfect. It will lessen the impact and make it easier to read."
Gu Ming thought to himself: ’Is the impact really that strong?’
Elder Huo took the photocopied manuscript and read through it at an incredible Speed.
After reading it through, he began to grasp the core of Gu Ming’s Foundation Establishment Evolution Method: to use ancient Dao Practice to construct a Great Dao Foundation for one’s Pet Beasts.
As for why it had such an impact on his existing knowledge system...
It had to do with the path that High-star Beastmasters walked.
Low-star Beastmasters didn’t have this problem, as they hadn’t yet reached the "Path"-walking stage and had not yet set foot on that "road."
