Chapter 290: Monster Teacher

Looking around, towering ancient trees blocked the sky and sun, far from the worldly clamor, there was a natural, primitive beauty; occasionally a few fearless small animals could be seen poking their tiny heads out from the bushes, sizing up the unexpected visitors.

Seeing the wheel tracks not far away, the mountain wind blew and the leaves rustled, and only then did this group of students gradually come to their senses.

They were really abandoned here?!

No way, they actually did this!

Many people pulled out their phones, trying to contact the outside world, but there was no signal at all here!

"We're done, no signal at all—just where in this desolate mountain forest have we ended up!"

"Are you sick? Making us trek over mountains and ridges on our own—I protest! This is just messing with us."

"Which school dumps students in the mountains like this? Isn't anyone supposed to look after us? What if something dangerous happens—we are the future pillars of the nation!"

No matter how they shouted, it was all in vain; apart from them, it seemed truly no one else existed around.

Gazing at the endless forest, everyone's eyes filled with dread; they were all inexperienced students who had never seen such a scene.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure what to do; if it weren't for the officials personally leading the way, they would even think this was a prank.

After all, from the start until now, everything has revealed all sorts of strangeness.

Would the officials really be that bored?

Faced with this situation, someone finally broke the deadlock, stepping forward to say: "Let's just follow what they said and keep moving forward."

"Even if we can't find the school, we could go to a high point to see how to leave; maybe we'll get a signal and be able to contact the outside world—anything is better than staying put."

The speaker was Wu Zhenghao; his gaze was calm, seeming out of place among the panicked faces around him.

After a moment's thought, everyone felt his words made sense; after all, besides that, there was no better option.

They had come by car, so they didn't remember the route they took, let alone turning back; they might even get lost, so it was better to keep going forward.

In such a vast forest, getting lost would be extremely dangerous, and most importantly, they had no food with them.

After discussing, the group of students set off toward the distant mountains, a real-life wilderness survival scenario, though these students had no survival experience.

At first, everyone was still chatting a bit, wondering what the officials' intention was in doing this.

No one had heard of incoming freshmen turning into a wilderness survival exercise.

But as time passed, the whole group grew increasingly quiet; the mountains were covered in weeds, and the shrubs stood over half a person tall.

The tall trees blocked the surroundings so tightly that the light grew ever dimmer.

The higher they went, the worse the light became; sturdy trees and ancient vines formed a green ocean.

Gazing ahead, it was endless, with no end in sight—not a school, not even a ghostly shadow could be seen.

Could anyone really have built a school out here?

The environment can subtly affect one's psyche; seeing this, tension spread silently through the group, everyone's expression grew solemn, even giving off a sense of being jumpy at every sound and seeing enemies in every blade of grass.

They feared a tiger or other beast might leap out from the deep woods beside them.

Here, only Wu Zhenghao's condition was somewhat better; he strove to stay calm and rational, observing the surroundings.

As the first person in Great Xia to comprehend the cultivation method, whether in talent or physique, he could be called first-rate.

He carefully walked at the front of the group, holding a thick, long branch to clear the way for his teammates behind.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting westward, the sky gradually dimming, and their vision was increasingly affected.

As the last ray of light was swallowed, the red sun sank into the deep mountains; a black curtain draped the sky, and heaven and earth plunged into total darkness.

During this time, many students kept moving forward; with no light behind them, they turned on their phone flashlights.

They held up their phones; the emitted light barely allowed them to see the path ahead.

This bit of light, compared to the boundless forest, was utterly insignificant—like fireflies crawling slowly in the dark.

The surroundings had completely merged into darkness, making nothing distinguishable; the lush green trees of daytime were now just a murky, twisted, shapeless mass, looking somewhat ferocious and terrifying.

Some timid people in the group had already burst into tears: "I'm a little scared—can we really get out of here?"

"They say there are many beasts at night; we didn't encounter any in the daytime, but who knows about tonight."

"We've walked so long—why haven't we arrived yet? Have we gotten lost? This forest is huge, practically a maze."

"The phone still has no signal—what should we do? I'm starting to miss home."

"If we run into wild animals, we might end up as their dinner."

During the day it was fine; they could still tell direction and see where the mountain lay, but now that night had fallen and visibility was poor, they couldn't see clearly at all, and the surrounding scenery felt completely uniform.

It's not the fault of these college students; they've never experienced such a scene, let alone walking through a dark mountain forest—any adult would feel afraid.

Panic spread quickly through the group, and everyone's complexion turned grim.

Just as everyone sank into despair, someone seemed to spot something: "Hey, look quickly—there seems to be light ahead!"

Everyone hurriedly looked up, and sure enough, not far away there was a faint glimmer of light, like a morning star in the sky, guiding their direction forward.

Seeing this scene, everyone widened their eyes, looked several times, and confirmed it wasn't an illusion.

"There really is something ahead—let's go check it out!"

"Maybe it's the school—don't give up, everyone."

"Heaven never leaves a person without a way—there must still be hope!"

The formerly dispirited crowd now saw hope sparkle in their eyes again; they quickly rallied, cheered each other on, and headed toward where the light emanated.

That light seemed close, within easy reach, yet it was still somewhat distant.

As they moved forward, the originally weak light kept growing brighter, like a lamp lighting the way in the darkness.

After about another hour, the light actually rose slowly into the air, then shot straight up to the horizon, brilliant as fireworks, drawing their attention.

Everyone was somewhat dumbfounded, taking a while to snap out of it, but Wu Zhenghao was the first to react: "Let's speed up!"

Many students again sprinted forward; it's unclear whether they'd grown used to the darkness or for some other reason, but later the group's pace didn't slow—it actually sped up considerably.

When they finally reached the spot where the light was, they stood there stunned.

An ancient-looking gate appeared before them; the earlier sky‑piercing beam of light had been emanating from the gate, a rich golden pillar illuminating the sky, as if a sun were slowly rising.

Everyone instinctively opened their mouths, their expressions somewhat dazed, finding it hard to believe that in such a quiet, dark forest there would be such a bright gate; it was truly shocking.

Under the shining cover, everyone proceeded cautiously, and indeed discovered that there were buildings situated on the mountain peak!

Seeing this scene, only then did the crowd believe that the earlier police officers were not joking; deep in the remote mountains, there really is a new campus!

However, after they cleared up the characters on the signboard, they fell into a daze once again.

"Greater Xia Cultivators Academy?!"

Wu Zhenhao blurted out instinctively, doubting whether he was hallucinating.

This name is really too strange!

In the jungle where darkness spread, a building bathed in light appeared in their view; the contrast of light and darkness created a strong visual impact.

The pitch-black mountains rose and fell endlessly, filled with indescribable loneliness and vastness; everywhere were towering trees and vigorous ancient vines.

Only here, it seemed as if the sun were rising, its light shooting straight to the heavens!

It gave an unreal feeling, and everyone wore a dreamlike expression.

"What place is this exactly?"

"In these barren mountains and ridges, why would such an archaic building appear?"

The crowd stared at each other, carefully observing the surroundings, and couldn't help but widen their eyes, as if seeing something extremely unbelievable.

On the walls of these buildings, mysterious symbols filled the surface, along with incomprehensible graphics; it was the golden light emanating from these things that tore open the boundless darkness.

The originally pitch-black mountains and forests began to show different colors, as strands of starlight fell down, as if the Milky Way flowed through the heavens, draping these buildings in a veil of silver.

Even more so, the words "Greater Xia Cultivators Academy" on the mountain gate appeared magnificent and extraordinary.

The seven characters seemed like a supreme mantra, with boundless power circulating within; merely glancing at them made one's scalp tingle, daring not to stare directly.

Within the team, a considerable commotion arose, and some showed bewildered expressions.

"What on earth is going on?"

"How come I feel these patterns and symbols look like I've seen them somewhere before?"

Someone pondered hard, then slapped their head, saying, "I remember now; it seems I saw these during the college entrance exam."

"No, the college entrance exam didn't have these, but my mind retains images of these things."

Countless students looked at the scene before them, showing expressions of disbelief.

They really aren't dreaming, are they?

Why would such a building appear in these barren mountains and ridges?

And what's the deal with this Greater Xia Cultivators Academy?

A flood of information struck their minds, leaving all the students frozen in place; just as they were shocked and puzzled, the tightly shut doors suddenly swung open.

Accompanied by a creak, an ancient aura rushed forth, drawing everyone's attention to the gate; they instinctively held their breath, curious about what would emerge from inside.

Such a building appearing in the remote mountains already carries an air of eeriness, evoking thoughts of the tales from *Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio*.

Only an old man appeared in their sight; though his hair was white, he was spirited, his demeanor imposing without anger.

The old man looked at the students before him, mouths agape, took a deep breath, and slowly spoke.

"Welcome, students, to the Greater Xia Cultivation Academy."

"This place is an academy jointly created by the Greater Xia Supreme Authority, the Greater Xia Cultivation Bureau, and the Longyuan Mountain Range; here you will step into a new world."

"To counter the impending heavenly and earthly calamity, you will become probationary students, entering the school to study; this is an unprecedented opportunity for you all, and I hope you cherish this hard-won chance."

"You are all the hope and pillars of Greater Xia's future; may you achieve success and protect the vast Greater Xia."

As golden light flowed, the old man's words carried uplifting power that spread in all directions.

This old man is none other than the first director of the Greater Xia Cultivation Bureau, Hua Tiancheng!

The Wu Du Cultivation Academy, as one of the most important parts of the plan, naturally could not miss Hua Tiancheng's presence.

The entire plan centers on Wu Du, radiating outward in all directions, with Greater Xia's high officials regarding Wu Du as the most important strategic point.

Although the academy and Longyuan Mountain are both in Wu Du, they do not belong to the same mountain range—one in the south, the other in the north—so they can be said to be far apart.

These students represent the hope of Greater Xia; if they can achieve success, even possessing only half the strength of the numerous great demons of the Energy Mountain Range, they can definitely become a vital force in resisting the heavenly and earthly calamity.

Hua Tiancheng felt excited and full of anticipation.

However, the over one hundred students below were all bewildered faces, wondering who this person was and what he was saying.

Among the over one hundred students, although there were top scorers, they were ultimately ordinary students, the oldest being no more than eighteen years old.

Who would know anything about cultivation, or the affairs of the Longyuan Mountain Range?

Moreover, with the college entrance exam approaching, they rarely paid attention to current affairs, their focus entirely on the exam, and they didn't even know much recent news.

Let alone those numerous matters that have been blocked!

The young students had no idea what they were about to face; they simply stared at the buildings before them and at the generous, impassioned old man, mouths agape.

"Who am I? Where am I? What should I do?"

"This couldn't be a dream, could it?"

"Really, this isn't some freshman prank or joke, is it?"

"What heavenly and earthly calamity is coming? Do we still need to cultivate, like in fantasy novels?"

Many students also felt that, upon looking at the old man before him, he seemed increasingly familiar; after all, Hua Tiancheng had previously been the overall responsible person for the west-southwest region, and they had seen his image on television.

"I said, why does he look so familiar! Isn't he Hua Tiancheng? The overall responsible person for the southwest region!"

"I'll be damned, it really is him."

"Such a figure actually showing up here, and claiming to be the director of the Greater Xia Cultivation Bureau—this world is truly too fantastical."

Upon learning the old man's identity, others felt their hearts overturned by towering waves.

Even if they were utterly ignorant of worldly affairs, they knew the importance of the position of overall responsible person for Greater Xia's southwest region.

Now Hua Tiancheng has appeared here; could what he previously said not be true!

Everyone's faces showed a bewildered expression, feeling that their whole worldview had been overturned. They didn't understand

Just as everyone had not yet reacted, a rustling sound came from the nearby grass, as if something was rushing toward them at high speed.

A huge black shadow shot out rapidly from the building behind them.

At the moment the black shadow appeared, a terrifying killing intent rushed over them, as if an ancient creature had revived; everyone felt as if a huge stone weighed on their hearts, hardly able to breathe.

At the same time, a mysterious heat current surged within their bodies, constantly moving throughout, countering this sudden pressure.

Everyone still hadn't figured out what was happening to their bodies, and upon seeing the enormously huge black shadow walking toward them from ahead, which stood several meters tall, they instantly showed a stunned expression.

Which normal person would have such a height?

As the black shadow gradually approached, they finally saw its full appearance, involuntarily widening their eyes, with a hint of fear appearing in their pupils.

Because that was not a human at all, but a tiger as huge as a small mountain!

Its build was enormous, its hair stood up like steel, its sharp fangs and claws glinted with cold light, able to tear apart an adult's body with ease, simply terrifying.

The king character on its forehead was even more imposing, striking fear in all directions.

The strangest thing is that it doesn't stand on all fours; instead, it stands on its hind legs like a human, upright!

Its fur all over was oily and shiny, gleaming with a mysterious luster, and around its waist it wore an apron stained with oil spots!

Its appearance was so bizarre that for a moment people forgot the fear brought by the tiger itself, and everyone's gaze became extremely complex.

Even more surprising things were yet to come.

This tiger walked up familiarly to Hua Tiancheng's side, its furry beast paw resting on his shoulder, baring its sharp fangs as it laughed and spoke:

"Haha, you bunch of little radish heads, from now on you'll call me Tiger King; in the time ahead, I will be one of your teachers."

After saying that, it paused, waved its sharp claws, and said: "You'd better not disappoint me, Tiger King, or else I'll take you as my human pets!"

Seeing the tiger standing upright, wearing an apron, speaking human words, and calling itself Tiger King, everyone showed an expression of doubting life.

Really, this isn't a dream, is it?

Why would such a fantastical thing happen here?

If before it was merely a strangely shaped tiger, with their numbers they wouldn't need to fear it especially, after all, many ants can bite down an elephant.

But now this tiger can actually speak!

Everyone's eyes almost popped out, and even the usually steady and mature Wu Zhenghao showed a flustered expression.

What on earth is going on?

A tiger can actually speak!

Compared to the students' shock, Hua Tiancheng appeared much calmer, even with an air of 'seen it all before', as if a tiger speaking were perfectly normal, which instead made them seem to be making a fuss over nothing. (End of chapter)