Beast Taming: My System is Bugged-Chapter 114 - 113: Rejection!

「Red Moon City, Red Moon University, Professor Luo’s Office.」

After receiving the digital manuscript by email, the assistant printed out a hard copy and placed it on the edge of Professor Luo’s desk.

Professor Luo was an Array Master at Red Moon University. He owned several Space Element Pet Beasts and specialized in Transmission and Space Sealing Arrays, making him a Combat Beastmaster.

Reviewing manuscripts was only part of his job. Most of the time, he reviewed papers from established figures.

As for submissions from newcomers, he rarely looked at them. If he had to, he’d have his assistant screen them first. If a paper was trash, it was immediately filtered out to avoid wasting his time.

"What manuscript is it?"

His head was bent over the layout of a Space Array, and he didn’t even glance at the new manuscript his assistant had brought.

The assistant briefly relayed the journal editor’s request, which made the professor frown.

’Carving an Array in the brain?’

’What a brazen idea. This person must have a death wish.’

No one in their right mind would choose to carve an Array in their brain.

In Professor Luo’s eyes, Gu Ming’s idea was simply heretical and outrageously audacious.

"Gu Ming... Never heard of him."

Just hearing the idea made Professor Luo’s heart race. His instincts screamed that it was extremely dangerous.

He took the paper and glanced at Gu Ming’s information. The moment he saw "high school senior, class one," his interest plummeted.

’So, it’s either a student or a teacher.’

’A Dual-Colored Technique... ’

The submission stated that it had been accepted by the Hall of the Great Dao, meaning it was a functional Cultivation Technique, not just some baseless theory.

He wasn’t surprised that such a technique could work, just that Gu Ming wasn’t afraid to die trying.

Theoretically, in a world where even zombie pets existed, carving an Array in a person’s brain was certainly feasible. Many Array Masters had researched the concept, proposing the use of Spiritual Power as the Array Material.

But it was far easier said than done. In practice... many people had died.

And "many" was an understatement. The victims numbered in the tens of thousands!

For every Brain Array carved, a test subject died.

These weren’t Spirit Beasts dying, but living, breathing human beings!

A human life was worth far more than that of a Pet Beast. This was a world of Beastmasters, and while wild Spirit Beasts had their own rights, in human society, human life was paramount.

This had gotten to the point where Beastmasters who studied Arrays no longer dared to pursue this line of research, fearing they would be branded as Evil Cultivators, hunted by all.

Because of this, reviewing Gu Ming’s manuscript was a considerable risk.

Even though Gu Ming claimed the Cultivation Technique was functional and had been personally certified and accepted by the Hall of the Great Dao, Professor Luo couldn’t possibly follow Gu Ming’s methodology and find a student to test it.

"You take a look at this paper for me. If it’s dangerous, just reject it."

Professor Luo only gave the rest of the contents a cursory glance before handing it to his assistant for review.

"Yes, Professor."

The assistant took the manuscript and began to read Gu Ming’s work with curiosity.

Arrays were notoriously resource-intensive.

Working under Professor Luo, he was well aware that not even the professor’s own Pet Beasts could guarantee a one hundred percent success rate when carving an Array.

If carving an Array in the Sea of Consciousness failed, the resulting backlash would leave one either injured or crippled—in severe cases, it could cause permanent brain damage.

Yet Gu Ming made no mention of such risks or any failed attempts in his paper. It was as if he’d simply had A Flash of Inspiration, found the method, and then proceeded to describe the Array Map, its intricate details, and his understanding of the principles of the Great Dao behind Old Deng’s Health Array Pattern.

In the paper, Gu Ming also stated that this Array, Cyan Pine, could be adapted to fit many different Arrays.

In other words, the Old Deng’s Health Array Pattern he had pioneered was just one example of an Array he could run stably.

He even expressed his hope that more people would help develop these eleven Spiritual Techniques and create even more compatible Arrays.

Reading this, the assistant gradually broke out in a cold sweat.

Gu Ming’s identity as a high school senior had already been mentioned in the introduction.

And while he guaranteed in the main text that his work had been accepted by the Hall of the Great Dao and marked as a Tri-Colored Technique, the more the assistant read, the more unreliable the whole concept seemed.

’He’s only developed a single Array, yet he’s inviting others to join in and develop more?’

’Isn’t that just sending people to their deaths?’

’This paper is dangerous. Extremely dangerous!’

And so, he reported back to Professor Luo.

"Professor, this Cultivation Technique is very dangerous. The creator only knows a single Array and hasn’t tested its compatibility with different users, nor has he documented the side effects. It’s the product of A Flash of Inspiration, and most likely only works under his specific conditions."

"Reject it. I know this situation when I see it. He got lucky. What should have been a suicide attempt ended up succeeding. An Array like that most likely just happens to be a perfect fit for him personally." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Professor Luo shook his head. As an expert Array Master, he had already foreseen Gu Ming’s likely fate.

"Yes, sir!" The assistant complied and turned to write the reply.

"Oh, and one more thing. Briefly explain to him the dangers of the Brain Array Carving Technique. Tell him not to spread this Cultivation Technique recklessly; it will get people killed."

"Yes, sir!"

...

Chen Chi, editor of the Five-Week Journal, received Professor Luo’s reply.

’As expected, it’s a highly dangerous Cultivation Technique. Rejected, then.’

With that thought, he forwarded the professor’s reply to Gu Ming verbatim.

This month, he had solicited manuscripts from many top experts.

Unfortunately, not a single one of their Cultivation Techniques had been certified by the Hall of the Great Dao.

It was as if all the available paths had already been trodden, with no new ones left to discover.

As this thought crossed his mind, his gaze fell upon the manuscript he had just rejected.

He had waited half a month for a Tri-Colored manuscript like this one.

It was a pity to reject it, but publishing it would have likely damaged the academic standing of the Five-Week Journal.

Besides, the paper was genuinely dangerous. It was better to play it safe.

Chen Chi shook his head and put the dangerous manuscript out of his mind.

「Meanwhile, on Gu Ming’s end.」

He received the reply just as he was getting off work.

Teacher Zhang happened to be there and heard Gu Ming say, "My paper was rejected."

Lu You’s head snapped up. She was also preparing to submit a paper soon; her piece on the Earth Shifting Technique was already finished.

She was stunned to hear that Gu Ming’s submission had failed.

’Even a Tri-Colored Technique got rejected.’

’Things are looking grim.’

’It looks like I’ll only be able to submit my single-colored technique to a minor journal.’

Teacher Zhang consoled him, "Your paper was just too radical. The reviewer probably couldn’t accept the idea of trying to carve an Array in the brain. Just try a different journal. Let me help you think of one..."

Even with the Hall of the Great Dao’s certification clearly noted, it was still rejected by the professor reviewing for the Five-star Level journal. It was obvious the Cultivation Technique was too far ahead of its time and had been misunderstood.

Gu Ming was surprised, but not discouraged.

After all, this was a Cultivation Technique that would one day be used in schools all across the nation. Only he could see its true value.

Gu Ming read the reply. It wasn’t just a simple rejection; it included a long-winded explanation of Array fundamentals, informing him just how dangerous the Brain Array Carving Technique was.

Only then did it dawn on Gu Ming.

’So that’s it. The Cultivation Technique is considered that dangerous. No wonder it didn’t get accepted.’

’In that case, submitting it to a specialized journal for Arrays probably isn’t the best idea.’

’They know too much, and that’s exactly why they’re afraid to publish it.’

’Maybe I should submit it to a less specialized journal and add a clear warning for the general public in the text.’

’Practice with caution and do not randomly modify the Old Deng’s Health Array Pattern.’

And so, he thought of the Four-star journal, the Flood Dragon Monthly Report.

The editor of the Flood Dragon Monthly Report remembered him. Since they were acquainted, he figured the paper would have a better chance of getting accepted.