Chapter 66: Monster Academy
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He forced himself to muster a smile—one that looked even more wretched than a weeping face—and pointed at himself.
"Sir... as you can see, I’m in quite a state..."
Tang Hao’s frown deepened. Silently, he removed his own cloak—a garment equally worn and faded, yet at least still intact—and tossed it over to him.
Yu Xiaogang clutched the cloak as if it were a priceless treasure, hurriedly wrapping it tightly around himself to conceal his filth-caked body and his wretched, exposed state.
Tang Hao wasted no further words; he strode into the cell, grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the shoulder as if he were merely a scrawny chicken, hoisted him up, turned around, and walked right back out.
"Er..."
Scarface watched the two figures rapidly vanish into the distance. He opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately just smacked his lips, muttering softly with a hint of regret.
"Oh... my Rose... I’m going to miss you..."
Then, he rolled over and went right back to snoring.
...
Just outside Notting City, within a sparse grove of small trees...
A makeshift, humble campsite had been set up here.
A bonfire, nearly burnt out, flickered in the center, flanked by two thick logs serving as benches. Lying on the ground beside the fire were two unconscious children—none other than Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Tang Hao released his grip, and Yu Xiaogang stumbled a few steps before finally regaining his balance.
Collecting himself, Yu Xiaogang’s gaze first fell upon the area beside the bonfire; he exclaimed in astonishment, "Little San? And Xiao Wu? What happened to them?"
"I knocked them out and brought them out here," Tang Hao replied, his voice cold as ice.
"You... who are you?" Yu Xiaogang asked hesitantly, failing to recognize Tang Hao.
"I am Little San’s father—Tang Hao."
"You are... the Clear Sky Douluo?"
"Enough. There is no need to bring up titles from the past."
Tang Hao waved his hand to cut him off, speaking in a frigid tone.
"You two can no longer remain in Notting City. Do you have anywhere else to go?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang’s mind raced as he quickly weighed his options. His connections across the continent were limited, and having offended the Spirit Hall, there were precious few places left that were both accessible and relatively safe...
"Soto City!" His eyes lit up. "I have an old friend in Soto City, and... there is a very unique academy located there."
"That will suffice," Tang Hao replied succinctly. He raised his hand and gave a flick; a streak of dark light shot toward Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang instinctively caught it; the object felt cold and heavy in his hand. He lowered his gaze to examine it, and his heart gave a sudden, violent lurch!
It was a token—pitch-black in color—with six different Spirit patterns intricately carved into its face.
The Pope’s Token!
"This..." Yu Xiaogang’s hands trembled with sheer excitement. With this token in his possession, navigating and conducting business in many places would become infinitely easier!
"From now on, watch your step."
Tang Hao’s voice carried a warning tone.
"Also, remember to have Xiao San spend more time with that girl. Ideally... you should get her to fall in love with him."
Yu Xiaogang paused for a moment, then immediately grasped Tang Hao’s intent.
That girl—the one named Xiao Wu—possessed extraordinary talent; if she could be bound to Tang San’s side, she would prove to be a tremendous asset in the future.
"I understand!" Yu Xiaogang hurriedly bowed, his voice filled with gratitude.
When he raised his head, however, the space before him was already empty. Just as he had arrived, Tang Hao had vanished without a sound.
The night breeze swept past, and the campfire crackled softly.
Yu Xiaogang clutched the Pope’s Decree tightly; feeling its cool, icy touch, the light in his eyes was rekindled.
Humiliation, pain, despair... all of it was in the past.
He still had a future; he still had Tang San—a disciple of exceptional talent—and he still possessed this Pope’s Decree, along with the escape route waiting for him in Soto City...
"Bibi Dong... the Spirit Hall... Jiang Xue’er..." He murmured these names under his breath, a glint of venomous malice flashing through his eyes.
"Just you wait... for the humiliation I suffered today, I will exact a hundredfold retribution in the days to come!"
...
The following morning.
Tang San and Xiao Wu woke up almost simultaneously.
"Ugh..." Both of them clutched the back of their necks, their brows furrowed in pain. A dull ache throbbed there—clearly the result of a heavy, forceful blow.
"What happened last night?"
"I think... I was knocked unconscious?"
"Where are we?"
The two sat up, gazing around in bewilderment. When they realized they were stranded in the desolate wilderness—rather than safely within the dormitories of Nuoding Academy—expressions of sheer terror appeared on both their faces.
"Tea... Teacher?!"
Tang San, with his keen eyesight, spotted Yu Xiaogang sitting atop a fallen log, using a twig to poke at the smoldering embers of the campfire.
However, Yu Xiaogang’s appearance at that moment was, to put it mildly, far from flattering.
He was clad in clothes so tattered that their original form was barely discernible, draped over which was an equally worn and oversized gray cloak.
His hair was disheveled and matted, his face bore bruises, and his entire being exuded an indescribable stench—a foul blend of sweat, mildew, and some other dubious odor.
Tang San and Xiao Wu instinctively held their breath, their stomachs churning with nausea.
Seeing that the two had awakened, Yu Xiaogang set aside the twig he was holding and struggled to force out a gentle smile; yet, on his filthy face, that smile appeared grotesquely twisted.
"Little San, Xiao Wu... you’re awake."
Why does Teacher sound so childish when he speaks?
"Teacher, what exactly is going on? Why are we here?" Tang San asked, suppressing his discomfort.
Yu Xiaogang sighed and began to spin a lie: "Little San, those despicable scoundrels at the Spirit Hall—in their bid to seize the Elder’s Token I hold—actually falsely accused me of theft! They imprisoned me and subjected me to brutal interrogation. Last night, I finally managed to find an opportunity to escape; fearing they might come after you two as well, I brought you both out with me."
He paused, his tone turning earnest: "We can no longer remain in Nuoding City. I want you to come with me to another place—a very special academy. It is known as the ’Monster Academy,’ and it accepts only true geniuses and monsters."
Upon hearing this, the doubts in Tang San’s mind deepened.
With Teacher’s current level of cultivation... could he really have escaped from the heavily guarded dungeons of the Spirit Hall branch temple? And could he really have managed to carry the two of us out of the academy dormitories without alerting a single soul?
No sooner had this thought arisen than he violently shook his head, a wave of self-reproach washing over him.
No! How could I possibly doubt Teacher? He risked his life solely to save us! To harbor such critical thoughts against him in my heart is utterly disrespectful!
He forcibly suppressed his doubts, shifting his attention instead to the "Monster Academy."
An academy that accepts only geniuses and monsters? That actually sounds like a perfect fit for me...
"Alright, I’ll do as you say, Teacher," Tang San nodded. "What does that have to do with me?!"
Xiao Wu suddenly bristled with indignation. She shot to her feet, her pink eyes glaring at Yu Xiaogang, brimming with fury.
"You two—master and disciple—are the ones who got into trouble! By what right did you forcibly drag me out here with you?! I was doing just fine back at Nuoding Academy!"
Although she and Tang San were on good terms now, they hadn’t yet formally established a brother-sister relationship.
This bizarre experience—being inexplicably kidnapped and hauled out into the desolate wilderness—left her feeling both shocked and enraged.
Yu Xiaogang had anticipated exactly this reaction from Xiao Wu, so he quickly adopted a gentle, amiable tone.
"Xiao Wu, please don’t be angry. You are a genius born with innate full Spirit Power; a place like Nuoding Academy truly stifles your natural talent. I brought you out here for your own good. That ’Monster Academy’ not only employs teaching methods perfectly tailored for geniuses, but it also features powerhouses at the Spirit Saint rank who personally instruct the students. Only there can you truly unleash your potential and grow rapidly."
"A Spirit Saint?!" Xiao Wu and Tang San exclaimed in unison.
In a small backwater like Nuoding City, a Spirit Saint was practically a figure of legend. Even the Dean of Nuoding Academy was merely a Spirit Elder.
Tang San felt an even greater surge of delight and quickly chimed in to persuade her: "That’s right, Xiao Wu! Teacher really does have our best interests at heart. With a Spirit Saint guiding us, our cultivation speed is bound to accelerate significantly! Please, just come along with us!"
Gazing into Tang San’s sincere eyes, Xiao Wu suddenly felt a subtle stirring deep within her heart.
It was as if a voice kept whispering to her: Follow him... follow Tang San... stay by his side...
The sensation was both abrupt and uncanny. Xiao Wu shook her head to clear her thoughts; still... if there really were Spirit Saints there...
She bit her lip, and the anger in her pink eyes gradually faded, replaced by a flicker of hesitation and anticipation.
"Alright then... fine. But—if that academy turns out to be not nearly as good as you claim, I’m walking out immediately!"
"Rest assured, you absolutely won’t be disappointed," Yu Xiaogang promised, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
The trio quickly packed up their belongings, extinguished their campfire, determined their bearings, and set off toward the city of Soto.
...
And not long after they had departed... The Spirit Hall branch in Notting City erupted into utter chaos.
"CRASH—!!!"
The door to Matthew’s office was violently smashed open. A young deacon stumbled and scrambled inside, his face ashen white as paper, his voice pitching high and shrill from sheer terror.
"Master Matthew! It’s bad! Something terrible has happened!"
Matthew, who had been attending to his paperwork, looked up, his brows furrowed in displeasure. "What is the meaning of this panic? Have you no decorum? What is the matter?"
"Yu... Yu Xiaogang has escaped!" The deacon’s voice was thick with the sound of weeping.
"The dungeon guards... they’re all dead! The cell doors were violently smashed open! Yu Xiaogang is gone!"
"What?!" Matthew shot to his feet; the chair behind him toppled over, crashing loudly against the floor.
"What did you say?! Say it again!"
"Yu Xiaogang... he was broken out! The guards... they’ve all been killed!"
The deacon was on the verge of tears.
Matthew let his hands fall to his sides and staggered backward; he had to brace himself against his desk to keep from collapsing.
Instantly, his forehead was beaded with cold sweat.
Yu Xiaogang broken out... the guards killed...
This was far more than a simple prisoner escape. It signified that a powerful external force had intervened—an open act of defiance against Spirit Hall!
And what was even more terrifying...
Yu Xiaogang was the very prisoner he had been ordered to detain—the one he was preparing to hand over to His Highness for personal judgment.
Now, the prisoner was lost, and the guards were dead...
"Quick..."
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain his composure, and issued a hoarse command: "Notify every available deacon! Initiate a covert search throughout the entire city..."
"Y-yes... Yes, sir!"
The deacon scrambled back out of the room.
Matthew slumped back into his chair, buried his face in his hands, and let out a groan of pure agony and despair.
He knew, with absolute certainty, that his days of comfort and ease were likely at an end.