"There's still a problem with the Cultivation Technique. Training like this won't work."
Teacher Zhang shook his head, having figured out the crux of the issue.
Gu Ming was confused and asked him what the source of the problem was.
"It's not Cyan Treasure's fault. I never finished developing this Cultivation Technique in the first place. The cultivation path for the Breathing Technique still needs to be adjusted.
"You see, Cyan Treasure has the cultivation potential of a Four-star Pet Beast, but after that training session, it only produced a tiny bit of Mana while completely depleting its Physical Strength. That's the problem."
"Sigh... you should just have Cyan Treasure train with a mainstream cultivation method. My technique is just a half-finished product; it still needs to be refined."
Teacher Zhang's words were a wake-up call for Gu Ming.
'So the problem was with its cultivation aptitude.'
He knew the Little Cyan Snake hadn't mutated. Its fast cultivation speed was due to him cheating with Spirit Stones from the future; other Pet Beasts didn't have access to such amazing Cultivation Resources.
Even the popular Spiritual Energy Pills on the market today weren't as effective as Spirit Stones.
Because of this, Gu Ming had to figure out a way to earn Spirit Stones.
An idea struck him. He thought of the unused Sea of Consciousness Expansion Elixir at home.
He had originally planned to sell it for cash, then buy Elixirs for the system's conversion.
When he saw that Teacher Zhang had a special status in his system, his mind started buzzing with ideas.
'Maybe I can use Teacher Zhang to exchange for resources.'
"Teacher Zhang, please just help me reduce the Physical Strength consumption for now. We haven't even tried the natural medicinal bath yet. How can you just declare the Cultivation Technique a failure?"
Teacher Zhang was greatly moved to see that Gu Ming still hadn't given up.
'Fine,' Teacher Zhang thought. 'Let him see for himself and give up.'
'Once he sees there's no effect after the medicinal bath, Gu Ming will surely give up. He's not an idiot; why would he desperately cling to an incomplete Cultivation Technique?'
Lunch ended then and there. Gu Ming followed Teacher Zhang off-campus to purchase some Natural Medicinal Herbs.
Wang Teng had taken his Dumb Flower to train, so he didn't come with them.
Gu Ming waited specifically for Wang Teng to leave, then glanced at the Fiery Monkey and said:
"Teacher Zhang, I want to sell something for cash. Do you know any clients who need Sea of Consciousness Expansion Medicine?"
"I don't, but I can ask around in my group chat for you," Teacher Zhang said.
He didn't refuse Gu Ming, nor did he ask where Gu Ming had gotten a Sea of Consciousness Expansion Elixir.
He first asked Gu Ming what brand the Spirit Medicine was. After Gu Ming sent him a picture from his phone, he understood immediately and started asking around in his group chat.
Soon, someone in the professional cultivation group that Teacher Zhang belonged to responded. They were willing to buy it for eighty percent of the market price.
In other words, a price of eight million.
The elixir sold for ten million on the market. In the second-hand market, it usually went for eight million, and could be haggled down to seven million at the lowest, though that price was rare. Usually, only people in desperate need of cash would sell it that low.
Just as they settled on the price, the two of them were walking out of the Spirit Medicine market.
Teacher Zhang showed him his phone screen and said, "It's a deal. When do you want to make the trade?"
"How about now?" Gu Ming was in a hurry for Spirit Stones and didn't want to wait.
"Let me ask them... They said that's fine. I'll take you to their place," he said, glancing at his phone.
"Teacher Zhang, I don't think I'll go. Could you handle the transaction for me?"
"Also, could you hold on to the money for me? When I need some, I'll just get the cash from you."
"Huh?"
"Oh, and there are some Spirit Medicines I can't purchase myself. Could you buy them for me?"
Gu Ming's rapid-fire requests left Teacher Zhang stunned.
'You trust me that much? You're asking me to hold your money for you?'
Seeing Gu Ming's strange behavior, it was easy for Teacher Zhang to assume that Gu Ming was having family problems.
Zhang Yunpeng didn't know the details of Gu Ming's family situation.
From the way Gu Ming was acting, it was obvious he didn't want his family to know about this money; he wanted to keep it off their books.
"Are you serious?"
"Teacher Zhang, I know what kind of person you are. I feel safe leaving the money with you. If I were to bring it home, they would just squander it all," Gu Ming said, shaking his head as he laid his family's troubles bare for the teacher.
A few minutes later, Teacher Zhang's expression had changed. He now looked at Gu Ming with an expression of pity.
'This poor kid.'
'What did he do in a past life to deserve parents like these?'
"Don't you worry. I'll hold onto the money, and as long as it's yours, I won't touch a single cent of it."
Teacher Zhang declared with conviction, then went with Gu Ming back to the Gu Family residence to retrieve the elixir.
While at the Gu Family residence to get the elixir, Teacher Zhang took the opportunity to look around the house.
The old couple wasn't home, but there were indeed many IOUs scattered in the living room. On top of that, the wall outside the door was covered in blood-red graffiti demanding payment.
A normal family would never live in such a high-stress environment, nor would they put so much pressure on their son.
On the other hand, the fact that Gu Ming could grow up in an environment like this was a testament to his strong will.
His determination to become stronger and wealthier was far greater than that of his peers.
At this thought, Teacher Zhang decided that during the medicinal bath later, he would have to carefully perceive the changes inside the Little Cyan Snake's body and do his best to find the perfect balance between the breathing and the physical training.
Gu Ming came out of his bedroom with the Spirit Medicine and handed it to Teacher Zhang for inspection.
Teacher Zhang had taught countless students and had seen this type of elixir many times. He didn't need to open the bottle. By touching the side of the vial with his finger and using a Spiritual Technique to carefully sense its contents, he could tell it was genuine.
The elixir's concentration was slightly above the standard range. He had gotten a high-quality batch of the standard version, and it was unused.
"Alright, I'll go make the trade. Why don't you start boiling the Natural Medicinal Herbs at home?"
"Okay." Gu Ming nodded and saw Teacher Zhang out.
Once he was alone in the house, Gu Ming dropped his act and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He had gone to all this trouble to have Teacher Zhang sell the elixir and hold the money for him, but it certainly wasn't to hide it from his parents.
He was the one managing the money anyway; taking it home wouldn't have been an issue.
What he was really after was the system's cash-out mechanic. Only by converting the funds through Teacher Zhang could he get Spirit Stones in return.
And just like that, the system's plot began to update.
You complained to Teacher Zhang, speaking of the matter of the "Mountain Rat" suddenly visiting to offer a discipleship gift.
Teacher Zhang asked for details about the discipleship gift. After listening, his expression changed slightly, and he told you to get rid of the items from the "Mountain Rat" as soon as possible.
You pressed for details, but Teacher Zhang just shook his head, refusing to explain why no matter how many times you asked.
After careful consideration, you agreed to quickly dispose of the hot potato.
Teacher Zhang leveraged his network, and a mysterious buyer quickly came to make a deal.
Transaction in progress...
Gu Ming was left speechless as he watched the plot change.
'The plot has gone way off track,' he thought. 'I have no idea where this is going to lead.'
Previously, when Gu Ming had considered taking the elixir himself, the system had warned that he was indulging in a ritual for an Evil God.
But it was just a normal Sea of Consciousness expansion.
Countless people across the country had taken this elixir.
There must have been hundreds of millions of test-takers who had used it over the last decade or so.
If there was a problem with the elixir, this era would have been corrupted by the Evil God long ago.
'You can't take everything the system says seriously.' Gu Ming patted his cheeks, steeling his resolve.
'All I can do is wait.'
Before long, a message came from Teacher Zhang, saying the transaction was complete.
Gu Ming let out a long sigh of relief and looked at the system's message notifications. His joyful expression slowly froze.
Transaction successful. Teacher Zhang received an equivalent value in Spirit Stones.
Unfortunately, on his way back, he discovered that most of the Spirit Stones were polluted by an Evil God and tainted with miasma. Only a small number of them could be absorbed without any restrictions.