Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Chapter 360 - 347: Rapid Mastery

As a new member, Gu Ming gained access to read designated books as part of his newcomer benefits.

He browsed through the books in the newcomer’s section and found that it was entirely stocked with materials related to archaeological knowledge.

For example, the complete *Chronological Identification* series and the complete *Array General Knowledge* series were full sets, not individual books.

*Array Breaking* was a standalone volume, and there was only one book related to Mysterious Element Pet Beasts, titled *Mysterious Trace Identification*.

There weren’t any more advanced books on Mysterious Element Pet Beasts in the newcomer’s section; they were all kept in an area that required Contribution Points to access.

’Looks like I’ll have to go on missions with the club to earn Contribution Points if I want a chance to read the books on Mysterious Pet Beasts.’

However, the club president, Ruan Qitian, soon informed Gu Ming and Lu You of their roles in the club. They were to focus on archaeological research, not serve as primary combatants.

After all, the club had no need for freshmen to act as combatants; those positions were usually filled by third and fourth-year students.

First and second-year students generally followed the team to learn through practice, improving their skills in archaeology and Array Breaking.

Gu Ming breathed a sigh of relief after learning about his future club duties.

’It’s a good thing I don’t have to participate in combat missions.’

He then began to look through the club’s collection of ancient texts, starting with the first volume of *Chronological Identification*.

"You are reading *Chronological Identification*..."

"This book contains the rich principles of the Great Dao of identification. Reading the entire series will grant the Entry Level Chronological Identification Skills."

To Gu Ming’s surprise, the system didn’t display any other book titles when he read *Chronological Identification*.

And reading the whole set would grant him the Entry Level Identification Skills.

"The system is actually being this generous?"

He thought for a moment and quickly understood why.

The Outdoor Adventure Club’s collection was no ordinary one. For the next thirty-two years, the club’s Library Pavilion would be known for its collection of ancient books and relics from the pre-civilization era.

Every ancient book accepted into this collection was a treasure that could be preserved for many years.

This was unlike most books in the university library, which were constantly updated and replaced over time.

Newcomers joining the club’s Library Pavilion in later generations would also be reading most of these same books.

Because of this, when he read a book here, it was *the* book in the system’s eyes. The present and the future were synchronized, preventing any misalignments that could trigger a bug.

With this realization, Gu Ming settled down and began to study the text intently, word by word. He used his Beastmaster’s enhanced memory to commit the contents of the book to heart.

By the time he finished reading the entire *Chronological Identification* series, the sun was already setting outside.

In a daze, he realized he had been reading for the entire afternoon, completely unaware of the passage of time.

Meanwhile, his three Pet Beasts were in the club’s training room, having exchanged newcomer points for Cultivation time and been diligently practicing ever since.

When Gu Ming exited his reading state, a system prompt appeared:

"You have mastered the Entry Level Chronological Identification Skills."

On the Skills panel, a progress bar appeared next to the now Entry Level Identification Skills.

It indicated that Gu Ming was one hundred Skill Level points away from the Master Level of Chronological Identification Skills.

’It only requires one hundred Skill Level points? I guess this isn’t a very powerful skill.’

Gu Ming put the books back, took his Pet Beasts to the cafeteria for a hearty meal, and then returned to the club to continue reading.

Lu You was also reading, but her focus was different from Gu Ming’s. She was primarily looking at books related to Arrays.

Gu Ming wanted to test how quickly he could raise his Chronological Identification Skill Level, so he spent the entire night engrossed in the books.

Since he had already memorized the content on the first read-through, his second and third readings were extremely fast. He managed to go through the series nearly ten times in one night.

His Skill Level increased by a few points each time. After pulling an all-nighter, he finally grinded it up to Master Level.

Upon reaching this level, he suddenly had a distinct feeling:

He could no longer gain Skill Level by reading the principles of the Great Dao from the pages. From now on, he would have to improve through practical application.

When he checked the requirements for the next level of proficiency, it was still one hundred points.

Only one hundred Skill Level points to advance to Master Level?

’Is the Chronological Identification Skill really this easy to level up?’

However, based on Gu Ming’s current Master Level understanding, it wasn’t that simple.

The number of excavated ancient, pre-civilization ruins in the country was limited. Every time one was discovered, it was immediately claimed by major research institutes and universities.

Fortunately, Wenquxing University, the top-tier private institution Gu Ming had enrolled in, controlled a wealth of pre-civilization ancient sites. This gave the Outdoor Adventure Club a wider selection of places to explore.

The entire club had over 200 members from all different school years.

During the recent three-day recruitment period, the president and senior members were still busy recruiting newcomers. Gu Ming didn’t know how many other freshmen he would be competing with.

If the Basic Level expeditions were scheduled months from now, his chance to increase his Skill Level would be postponed indefinitely.

Gu Ming realized that as long as he could get into a pre-civilization ruin for some hands-on exploration, his Chronological Identification Skill Level would surely soar.

After all, there weren’t many people in the country who could even use this kind of skill.

To put it bluntly, this skill relied on Divine Sense and extensive practical experience, combined with the judgment methods and material characteristics memorized from books.

As long as he had opportunities to practice, increasing his Skill Level wouldn’t actually be difficult.

What he lacked most right now was the on-the-spot inspiration that came from actual identification work.

That was the most valuable experience for increasing his Skill Level in the future.

After finishing the book, Gu Ming sent a message to the club president, who was out recruiting, to ask when the next Outdoor Adventure Club expedition would be.

It was already past eight in the evening, the peak time for Beastmasters to engage in their Cultivation.

The president replied instantly: "Why are you in such a hurry to go on an expedition? Finish familiarizing yourself with *Chronological Identification* and *Array General Knowledge* first."

"If I finish those two, will I get a chance to go?" Gu Ming pressed.

He hadn’t joined the club to slack off; he was here to improve his abilities.

A straightforward question like Gu Ming’s didn’t annoy the president. On the contrary, it made him even happier.

Ruan Qitian needed exactly this kind of energetic and driven new member, not someone who got in through connections to build up their resume and ride on others’ coattails.

"Our book collection is full of treasures. By reading, you can at least reach Master Level. Once you hit a bottleneck, we’ll take you out for practical experience."

"Give me another two or three days, and I’ll finish the rest," Gu Ming said.

"Don’t make empty boasts. When the time comes, I’ll personally verify your identification ability. If you haven’t reached the Master Level standard, I’ll punish you by making you do the club’s cleaning chores."

"Does that mean if my skills are up to par, you’ll definitely take me on the next expedition?"

"Haha, you wish! But... it’s not out of the question. After all, you’re the national competition champion. It’s good for you to get some experience early on."

Gu Ming put his phone away and began reading the first volume of *Array General Knowledge*.

The complete series consisted of five volumes. Each was an ancient tome with aged pages, yet every word was imbued with profound principles.

The text inside was written in the script of an ancient nation from the pre-civilization era, which differed significantly from the modern script of the Great Zhou.

However, because the books contained the Supreme Heavenly Dao Principle, Gu Ming could understand them without much trouble.

"Array Knowledge Skill Level +1"