Beast Pattern

Su Hao's full-force strike carried such power that even Old Liu would have believed it was at the Initial Stage Grandmaster level.

Old Liu rubbed his smooth bald head and said speechlessly, "Your Blood Qi definitely feels like that of an Elite Warrior, but the amount of Blood Qi is a little outrageous. I've never seen this kind of Explosive Force in any High Stage Elite Warrior."

Su Hao nodded. "My father said I was exceptionally gifted. Having a little more than others is normal."

Old Liu could only reluctantly accept Su Hao's explanation.

Su Hao added, "There really is an insurmountable gulf between Elite Warriors and Grandmaster Warriors. That punch just now was the strongest punch I could throw, yet I still couldn't even break through Teacher Liu's defense."

Old Liu nodded. "Grandmaster-level power is not something the Human Race can possess naturally. It was instead summarized through research into Ferocious Beasts. The reason the Human Race's body differs so drastically in strength from Ferocious Beasts is that we lack a special structure."

Su Hao summarized, "Teacher Liu, are you saying Ferocious Beasts have something in their bodies that we Human Race members do not?"

Old Liu said, "That's right. We call the special structure inside Ferocious Beasts a Beast Pattern. Ferocious Beasts are born with them, while the Human Race is not."

"So, to advance to Grandmaster, all you need to do is add an artificial Beast Pattern to your body."

Su Hao suddenly understood. "So that's how it is."

But Old Liu said, "Adding a Beast Pattern isn't as simple as you imagine. Two conditions must be met."

Su Hao asked, "Which two?"

"First, obtain a complete Beast Pattern. Second, successfully imprint the Beast Pattern into your body."

Su Hao could not meet even the first condition. This was also the first time he had heard of the concept of a "Beast Pattern"; he had never come into contact with one at all. So he asked, "Teacher Liu, where can I find a Beast Pattern?"

Old Liu smiled. "There are four ways to obtain a Beast Pattern. First, someone gives you one; your father's inheritance or someone else's inheritance will do. Second, spend a large sum to buy one on the black market. Third, become an Academy student and learn it from the Academy. Fourth, go into the Wilderness and hunt Ferocious Beasts yourself. You can directly choose the third option and select a Beast Pattern from the Academy's collection, though it will cost money."

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Su Hao's face. The moment poor people heard the words "spend money," their hearts began to race. Su Hao cautiously asked, "How much?"

Old Liu chuckled happily. "Don't worry, it's much cheaper than the black market. It only costs 5 Gold Yuan. Didn't you win ten Gold Yuan from Warden Jin, Jin Datong, at the start of term? If you haven't spent it all, now is the perfect time to use it."

Su Hao let out a breath of relief. Over the past half year, he had been focused on studying and had not squandered much money. He had only spent a little on having some small gadgets custom-made for himself, leaving him with 9 Gold Yuan. That was enough. If buying a Beast Pattern had cost twenty or thirty Gold Yuan, he would have been completely stumped.

At this point, Old Liu added, "The lowest black-market price is twenty Gold Yuan, and even then, it's the kind of Beast Pattern with rather weak effects."

Su Hao sucked in a cold breath.

Old Liu then said sternly, "Therefore, after you learn a Beast Pattern from the Academy, you must not casually pass it on or sell it. Otherwise, the Academy has the right to reclaim it at any time."

Su Hao nodded. "Understood."

Su Hao asked again, "Then what about the second point? How do I imprint a Beast Pattern into my body?"

Old Liu rubbed his bald head and said proudly, "This is where the difficulty lies. Even if you obtain a complete Beast Pattern, that does not mean you can smoothly imprint it into your body.

After all, Beast Patterns were born for Ferocious Beasts. If they are imprinted into the human body exactly as they are, it simply will not work.

You must analyze the Core, then make fine adjustments to the Beast Pattern according to the individual's physical condition, achieving compatibility with your body and forming a new Blood Qi Network. Only then does it count as a successful imprint."

Su Hao said in understanding, "I see. It seems advancing to Grandmaster will still take some time."

Old Liu said, "Naturally. Depending on each person's Insight, this process takes from one to five years, or even longer. Those with good Insight and good luck can succeed in about a year, while those with poor Insight and poor luck may see the time stretch out without end.

However, don't be too optimistic. Having a Beast Pattern and time does not guarantee success. Most Elite Warriors, even over their entire lives, cannot find a structure compatible with themselves and fail to imprint it successfully.

So, Xiangwu, whether you can successfully advance to Grandmaster Warrior still depends on yourself."

Su Hao nodded. "Understood. Thank you, Teacher Liu."

"Did you bring money?" Old Liu suddenly asked.

Su Hao nodded. He always carried his money with him. If it got stolen, he would be in trouble.

Old Liu rubbed his bald head, waved a hand, and walked straight outside. "Come with me. I'll take you to choose a Beast Pattern first."

Before long, Su Hao followed Old Liu to the third floor of Lingyun Library. After greeting the administrator, they turned and entered a room.

Old Liu took a large wooden box down from the top of an enormous cabinet. Inside were many scrolls.

Old Liu casually took out one scroll and said, "This is a Beast Pattern. Every scroll depicts a complete Beast Pattern, and all the Academy's scrolls are here. You can choose one you like. For example, the one in my hand has a label that says its Beast Pattern tendency is—Giant Strength."

"That means if you choose this Beast Pattern and successfully imprint it, aside from advancing to Grandmaster, your Blood Qi will gain an affinity for Giant Strength, granting your body immense power. Later on, lifting an entire building will be no difficult task."

Old Liu took out another scroll. "This Beast Pattern is labeled Jumping. It enhances jumping ability. Later on, you might even be able to fly like a flea."

"This one is Hardness, defensive in nature..."

"This one is Control, increasing control over Blood Qi..."

"This one is Shaping, increasing the malleability of Blood Qi..."

"This one is Explosive Force, increasing the explosive intensity of Blood Qi..."

"This one is Phantom..."

"Burning, Corrosion, Freezing, Color Change, coordination, Numbness, Perception, Attachment, recovery, Wound Healing, Rotation, Penetration, Giant..."

There were a total of thirty-three different Beast Patterns.

With so many choices, Su Hao did not know what to choose for the moment, so he asked, "Teacher Liu, what is your Beast Pattern?"

Su Hao did not know that under normal circumstances, one should not ask other Grandmaster Warriors about the effects of their Beast Patterns. But Old Liu had no intention of hiding it from Su Hao and said directly, "Mine is Rotation. I learned it from here as well. However, don't casually ask others about their Beast Patterns in the future. Other than teammates you can rely on in the future, do not easily reveal your own Beast Pattern either. One more trump card means one more measure of safety."

"Understood, Teacher Liu." Su Hao immediately nodded, then asked, "Can I choose two or three?"

Old Liu shook his head. "No. Too many will conflict, and our bodies cannot bear it."

Su Hao indicated that he understood. Then he sat cross-legged on the floor and carefully examined the labels on the scrolls. Whenever he encountered something he did not understand, he asked directly.

After thinking for a moment, Su Hao pulled out one of the Beast Patterns and said to Old Liu, "Teacher Liu, I've chosen. This is the Beast Pattern I want."

Old Liu had been guessing which Beast Pattern Su Hao would ultimately choose. Hearing this, he immediately took it over curiously to inspect it.

When he saw it, he was actually stunned. He confirmed with Su Hao again, "Are you sure you want this one? This Beast Pattern is too complicated. Very, very few people have successfully imprinted it, and it has no particularly powerful offensive ability either. According to those who succeeded, it can only sense an area of around twenty meters. It is practically useless. Think it over again."

Su Hao nodded seriously. "I'm sure! This is the one most suitable for me."

Old Liu nodded and said no more. He had already given his advice; the specific decision still had to be made by Su Hao. Whether Su Hao succeeded or not did not matter much to him. Success would be best, but failure was no great concern either.

He handed the scroll to Su Hao. "Pay 5 Gold Yuan now. Over the next year, you may come to the third floor and borrow the scroll to attempt imprinting the Beast Pattern. After one year, you must pay an annual rental fee of 1 Gold Yuan."

Su Hao's eyelid twitched. They really know how to make money.

He took the scroll and slowly opened it. The label on the scroll read—Perception! Thanks to readers 20200612103305986 and Lone Smoke Under the Moon for their rewards, and Little Dingdang, Wuling Fish Makes a Living Catching People, Reading Without Pitfalls, Hey, Are There Any Good Books, Lovestruck Through Spring and Autumn, and reader 20180501165029078 for their monthly votes.