NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 104: Are You Out of Your Mind?
"What? A Winged Tiger? Are you out of your mind?" Mu Enqing almost jumped in disbelief as he looked at Tang San and Wu Bingji standing before him.
Wu Bingji looked at Tang San with a sense of helplessness in his eyes as if to say, See, I knew it would be like this.
Tang San, however, remained calm and seriously said to Mu Enqing, "Teacher, aren't you there to watch over us in secret? What's the point of choosing a target that we know for sure we can beat? Because the opponent is powerful, we can feel the pressure and get better. Our cultivation levels aren’t really there yet, but if we coordinate well, then we can definitely take on a seventh-order opponent."
Although Mu Enqing had been persuaded by Tang San the day before, he hadn't expected Tang San to be so audacious as to set his sights on a Winged Tiger.
"Kid, do you realize what a Winged Tiger is? An adult Winged Tiger is seventh-order, but eighth-order ones exist as well. Hell, they can even reach the ninth order if they’re lucky and they cultivate long enough. Can you predict what order the Winged Tiger you encounter will be? These creatures can fly, and their flying speed is quite formidable. If you can't fight it, you won't even be able to run away. Choosing a Winged Tiger isn't training; it's more like trying to die an early death. You say you’ve gathered some teammates, did they agree to this?"
Tang San responded calmly, "It would be hard for them to agree considering I haven't told them which demonic beast we will hunt. They'll find out when we find it."
“......”
Mu Enqing's gaze toward Tang San changed significantly, reflecting a mix of surprise and admiration. You're such a daring child. At nine, you're setting out to slay the Winged Tiger. What will you do at nineteen? Challenge the Ancestral Court?
Just then, a stern voice came from outside. "Your bravery is admirable, yet bordering on folly."
Guan Longjiang strode in, his gaze sharp as he looked at Tang San. "Truly the fearlessness of the young and inexperienced. Are you not afraid that this is a march toward death?"
Tang San replied, "We will take good care. Besides, aren't the teachers secretly protecting us? You can't just reap the benefits without risk. I don’t think any truly strong person became strong just thanks to luck. Teacher Guan, this is a shortcut to awaken everyone's bloodline power, and awaken it fully. There are risks, of course, but as long as we are careful and well-prepared, I am very sure that we can manage."
"Nonsense, do you expect all the teachers to accompany you? We might as well do the combat training at the academy and beat you up ourselves, why wait for a demonic beast?" Guan Longjiang retorted, clearly annoyed.
At that moment, another voice spoke up. "Let them go."
Guan Longjiang and Mu Enqing turned their gaze toward the source. It was none other than Zhang Haoxuan: the person in charge of the Redemption Society branch here, the mayor of the academy town, and—most importantly—their superior.
With an odd expression on his face, Zhang Haoxuan approached Guan Longjiang and Mu Enqing. "Tang San has a point. Hard pressure is a critical path for stimulating the growth of our youth. Perhaps our conservative approach is exactly why their growth has been so slow. Each of them possesses unique talent. We've been exploring how to utilize these talents, but what do we have to show for it? Our organization has accumulated knowledge over the years, but you and I know the pace of this accumulation is too slow. At this rate, it might take centuries for humanity to secure a space for survival. If we, as the predecessors, don't take risks, how can we create a better living space for our future generations?"
His arrival was a surprise to everyone but Tang San. Actually, before even approaching Mu Enqing, Tang San had already visited Zhang Haoxuan and shared his thoughts.
Unlike Mu Enqing and Guan Longjiang, Zhang Haoxuan knew of Tang San's potential and multiple abilities. As the overseer of the entire academy town, he had a more far-sighted perspective. Finally, as Tang San’s master, Zhang Haoxuan had much more faith in him than the other teachers had.
"But..." Guan Longjiang was still hesitant.
"I'll go with them. Even if we find a ninth-order Winged Tiger, I won’t have any problem protecting them." Zhang Haoxuan waved his hand, preventing further objections. “This is a critical attempt. If it succeeds, we can adapt it for the Academy’s teachings. Little Tang is right in that the flowers that grow in a greenhouse would not be able to survive wild winds and heavy rains. They will become the core talents of the Society in the future. They need to be trained, and they need to be trained now.”
Well, the mayor was the mayor. He had the final word. What else could be said if he himself accompanied the group for the mission?
Zhang Haoxuan looked at Tang San. “When do you want to start?”
Tang San replied: “Let’s do it tomorrow. I have researched with Senior Brother Bingji about the natural habitat of Winged Tigers in the mountains. It is pretty far away, so searching would take some time. If we were to make preparations today, we can leave tomorrow.
Zhang Haoxuan pressed on. “How many people would be going?”.
“I have already chosen the members for the team. Including eldest senior brother and I, we have a total of five. I think that if our abilities complement each other well, we don’t need more people. If there are too many, it’s going to be difficult to coordinate, and if we need help, it’s also going to be difficult for you to help us at the same time.”
“Alright, then. We will depart first thing tomorrow morning.”
When Tang San and Wu Bingji had left, Guan Longjiang looked at Zhang Haoxuan, saying, “You really dote on your disciple. To think you’d allow him to mess around like this! What if something bad happens?”.
“If anything happens, I will take full responsibility,” Zhang Haoxuan said with no hesitation.
Guan Longjiang said helplessly, “Well, I guess all we can do is be careful. You’ll also have to prepare. Although demonic beasts are unable to reach the god level, you’ll still need to be vigilant.”.
Zhang Haoxuan shook his head. "You absolute armadillo! Sometimes, you are just too cautious. I’ll be honest, I really felt Tang San's words. To do extraordinary things, to allow these children to confront the demon and nymph clans in the future, we can’t just train them in theory. If we don’t test those theories in real life, then what’s the point? Even if there are casualties along the way, as long as the final result is good, the experience we gain is precious, and it's all worth it."
Guan Longjiang smiled and retorted, "That's easy to say, but it hasn't been easy for us to accumulate this much power and these great students! Anyway, you're the boss, so I'll listen to you. Should we invite Elder Si to come along?"
Zhang Haoxuan shook his head. "No need. We need him to stay here and take care of things. There might be trouble if he leaves this area."
Classes, cultivation, meals, cultivation. The day hurried by.
The team members confirmed by Tang San silently left the academy early the following day and gathered at the mountainside.
Wu Bingji, naturally, was the team leader.
The five took advantage of the faint dawn light and quietly headed toward the Kali Mountains.
Wu Bingji led the way, followed by Gu Li. Cheng Zicheng activated her Demonic God Transformation and flew low above them. Du Bai was in the middle, with Tang San bringing up the rear. The five of them were very familiar with the path, so they entered the mountain range and quickly disappeared into the jungle.
As the morning classes began, Guan Longjiang suddenly realized that things were off.
"Hey, what's going on? Where are Du Bai and Gu Li?"
He hadn't asked Tang San and Wu Bingji yesterday about who they were taking with them. In his view, his good disciple, the senior brother of the academy, was always calm and wouldn't act recklessly. They were going to hunt a Winged Tiger, so they would naturally choose the strongest students as teammates.
But, early this morning, as classes began, he discovered that was not the case at all. In addition to the two stars, Cheng Zicheng, Du Bai, and Gu Li had also left.