Beast Taming: Starting from Transmigration and Starting with a Cheat Code

Not everyone has the discerning eye of the Snow-Treading Spirit Sable; at least Sun Yi didn't see it, which is why he still had the will to put up a stubborn resistance.

Even though his mindset was ruined by the bizarre sights and sounds, making it highly likely that he would not be able to reach his usual peak performance, he still maintained hope for victory.

Because he consistently ranks among the top three in this project, and Qin Ming is a complete stranger, if he had such ability, he should have become famous long ago, how could he be unknown?

Sun Yi regained his composure through self-consolation, conquered one difficult problem, and was about to move on to the next.

The page flickered and then locked.

What?!

Sun Yi stared at the settlement interface on the screen, feeling a slight tingling sensation in his fingertips.

His breathing almost stopped for a moment, not because of exhaustion, but because of the dizziness of his mind being turned upside down.

The words "Loading" flashed on the screen, but it sounded like a silent mockery.

"Impossible..." Sun Yi muttered to himself, his voice so soft that only he could hear it. "Five minutes left... I haven't finished answering yet, the outcome is already decided..."

He suddenly looked up at the opposite side.

Qin Ming stood up from his seat, his movements as natural as if he had just finished a routine exercise. The little turtle was still perched on his shoulder, lazily yawning and revealing its pink little tongue.

So relaxed. So casual.

Sun Yi felt a surge of heat rush to his head, which then cooled down instantly, turning into cool beads of sweat that slid down his back.

He recalled the difficult problem he was about to solve—no, it probably wasn't even a "difficult problem" in front of Qin Ming.

Shameful? Angry?

More than anything, it's a profound sense of powerlessness.

It's like you climb a hill with all your might, thinking you'll finally see the scenery, only to look up and find someone already standing on the clouds looking down at you.

"Qin Ming started off so slowly..." Sun Yi's fingers unconsciously curled up. "Was he holding back and toying with me?"

Once the thought surfaced, it grew wildly like a vine. If that were the case, wouldn't all my previous self-comforting and attempts to regain my composure have become a complete joke?

But the next second, Sun Yi forced himself to calm down.

No, it doesn't seem like it.

He recalled Qin Ming's initial state when solving problems—that rigorous, almost rigid process, that habit of repeatedly verifying each step, it didn't seem like a pretense.

So the truth is even harder to accept: Did Qin Ming undergo some kind of...evolution during the assessment? Or rather, did he find a more efficient method?

Sun Yi's gaze fell on the turtle again.

This time, he looked at it more carefully.

The little turtle's carapace is not that of an ordinary turtle; it is covered with fine, silvery-white lines that appear at first glance as random spots. However, upon closer inspection, one can discover that these lines subtly form some kind of mysterious pattern.

His eyes were not the usual dark brown of turtles; there seemed to be a faint light flowing deep within his pupils.

Just as Sun Yi was trying to see more clearly, a white shadow silently landed on the table beside him.

"Waaah—"

The Snow-Treading Sable let out a soft whimper, its long tail swaying slightly behind it.

He didn't look at Sun Yi, but stared intently at Qin Ming, or more precisely, at the tortoise on Qin Ming's shoulder.

Sun Yi's heart sank completely.

He knew the Snow-Treading Sable all too well. As the guardian spirit beast of the Array Academy, the Snow-Treading Sable always maintained an elegant and composed demeanor, and even when facing the academy's top students, it mostly offered encouragement and guidance.

But now, Sun Yi saw a rare look in his eyes, not just simple admiration or surprise, but a complex emotion mixed with excitement, inquiry, and even disbelief.

The last time I saw the Spirit Sable show a similar expression was when Xuan Jin, as a freshman, deciphered the academy's treasured high-level complex array diagram half a year after enrolling.

After that, Xuan Jin's name was engraved on the academy's wall of honor, making him the most dazzling new star in the past decade.

And now...

"Uncle Diao," Sun Yi heard his own voice hoarse, "is he... really that strong?"

The Snow-Treading Sable turned its head, its pale pupils reflecting Sun Yi's pale face. It didn't answer immediately, but instead lightly leaped off the table and strolled to the center of the examination room.

Sunlight streamed in through the high-rise window, gilding the sable's snow-white fur with a golden edge.

He looked up at the frozen score comparison on the big screen, then turned to look in the direction Qin Ming had left. The door had just closed, and the footsteps in the corridor were fading away.

After a long while, the Snow-Treading Sable let out a soft sigh.

"Sun Yi." He rarely addressed him by his given name, his voice resonating directly in Sun Yi's mind, carrying the ethereal quality unique to spirit beasts. "Do you know what the ultimate pursuit of the Way of Formations is?"

Sun Yi paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "It is through spiritual runes that one communicates with heaven and earth, and through the principles of arrays that one governs all things..."

"That's what the textbooks say." The Snow-Treading Sable interrupted him, its tail tip lightly touching the ground. "I'm asking about 'pursuit,' not a definition, but that thing that drives you to keep studying, keep failing, and keep getting back up."

Sun Yi fell silent.

He recalled many things: the ecstasy of successfully constructing the basic spirit-gathering array for the first time; the countless nights he spent trying to understand the principles of nested structures; and his perseverance in staying alone in the training room until dawn after being crushed by Xuan Jin each time.

"I think... it's about understanding how this world works," Sun Yi said slowly. "Through arrays, I can see the patterns of spiritual energy flow and the connections between all things. Then... then perhaps one day, I can create my own 'truth'."

The Snow-Treading Sable nodded.

"So, what if you find someone who sees the world in a completely different way than you?" he asked. "Not a difference in skill level, but a fundamental difference in perspective—just as humans use their eyes to see colors, we use our spiritual energy to perceive fluctuations. There's no superiority or inferiority, just... different."

Sun Yi suddenly looked up: "You mean Qin Ming...?"

"I'm referring to his spirit beast."

The Snow-Treading Spirit Sable's gaze deepened. "While the child's talent is undoubtedly outstanding, what truly makes this assessment 'unfair' is the wondrous resonance between the human and the spirit beast. They aren't solving problems, but rather... having a conversation."

"dialogue?"

"Talk to the formation itself," said the Snow-Treading Sable. "Don't you think that when a formation is complex enough, it's no longer just a bunch of rigid spirit patterns, but a living thing with breath and rhythm? Most spirit masters dissect this living thing when they analyze it; but that tortoise... is different."

Sun Yi opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He finally understood the root of that feeling of powerlessness. It wasn't a gap that effort could bridge, but rather a difference in cognitive dimensions.

Just as you are still learning how to calculate water flow using formulas, some people can already understand the language of rivers.

"Can I... catch up?" When Sun Yi asked this question, he felt a vulnerability that was almost shameful.

But he had to ask—if you don't even have the courage to try, that's true failure.

The Snow-Treading Sable turned around and gently touched Sun Yi's hand with its nose. This was a rare act of intimacy.

"Formations were invented by spirit masters, that's true," he said, "but spirit beasts have lived in this world for hundreds or thousands of times longer than humans. Our way of understanding spiritual power might be closer to its true nature. Sun Yi, if you truly want to become stronger—"

He paused, seemingly considering his words.

"Then don't just think about 'surpassing Qin Ming.' Try to understand the resonance between him and his spirit beast. The path of formations is never a solitary climb; the cooperation between the spirit master and the spirit beast is the most important lesson on this path."

Sun Yi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, the confusion had faded, replaced by a calm determination.

He walked to the control panel that Qin Ming had just used and gently placed his palm on the still warm screen.

"I will," he said. "Next time we meet, I'll bring a new answer."

The Snow-Treading Sable nodded slightly, its figure transforming into a wisp of white mist and dissipating into the air.