I sensed danger from the elder's invitation, but I couldn't reject it since I was in Thadd Academy. I could only follow the instructor to the elder's office.
On the way there, I tried to get some information from the instructor, but he seemed to have been informed at the last minute and didn't know the elder's purpose.
When we reached the elder's office, the instructor turned to leave. I took a deep breath and pushed open the office door.
The one who had summoned me wasn't the Medicine Research Hall's elder, but the purple-robed elder who had presided over the entrance examination.
This time, he was still wearing a purple robe. Besides him, there was another chubby, bearded middle-aged man in the office. He sat behind a long table with him.
I couldn't tell his race from his face, but it was obvious that his cultivation had surpassed the Monster King's and he had a human face.
The two of them seemed to be discussing something, but they stopped when I entered. The purple-robed elder beckoned for me to come closer and talk.
After I stood in front of them, the purple-robed elder didn't say anything. Instead, it was the chubby bearded man who asked me, "During the Beast Hunting Trial, did you get the Beast Pill that was close to the Mysterious rank?"
I nodded.
The bearded man's eyes were sharp. He stared at me and continued to ask, "Where did you get it from? What kind of monster did you get it from?"
I frowned. It was obvious that they had found out something.
I was still hesitating if I should tell them about the forbidden area, but the bearded man seemed to be impatient. He continued, "According to my investigation, the Beast Pill should have come from the body of a Black Leopard. However, the problem is that there weren't any Black Leopards in the hunting grounds of the low-rank students. Let me ask you again. Where did you get the Beast Pill?"
There was no point in denying it, so I nodded and told him the truth.
Of course, I only told him about how the cat girl had saved us and how we had taken the Beast Pill from the dead Black Leopard.
After listening to my story, the chubby bearded man sneered and shook his head. "The forbidden area is the most secretive place in Thadd Academy. You were so lucky to be taken there by the ferocious beasts … You could have been taken there again if you went to look for it …"
He obviously didn't believe what I had said. His tone was full of mockery.
I frowned, but my heart didn't waver. After all, what I said was the truth.
Although I hid the fact that I used the Dao Qi imprint to find Nam, this was not important.
The bearded man did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he continued to ask, "Where did you go after obtaining the Beast Core of the Dark Leopard?"
This problem was rather thorny. What I had said before, I had the Cat Girl's endorsement, and I even had the excuse that I didn't know that it was a forbidden area in the academy.
However, what we did next was clearly a deliberate intrusion into the forbidden area.
Just as I hesitated and was about to speak, the bearded man spoke again, "I've checked the forbidden area and found the corpse of a Golden-Eyed Wolf Beast. People who can enter and leave the forbidden area won't be interested in this level of beast core.
Apart from that, there are obvious signs of climbing below the cave. "
It was obvious that he had confirmed our whereabouts and knew that we had entered the cave.
With the truth in front of me, I couldn't refute it, so I simply nodded. "That's right. The Beast Core of the Golden-Eyed Wolf Beast was indeed taken by us. The climbing signs below the cave were also left by us."
Intruding into the forbidden area was naturally a serious crime, but the bearded man had directly told me about it. I felt that he didn't seem to have any intention of condemning us.
After I admitted it, the bearded man nodded noncommittally and continued to ask, "Tell me about the situation after you entered the cave."
In reality, after entering the cave, we didn't do anything. We only retreated after being attacked by the loud roar. Thus, I didn't have anything to hide and directly told him about the situation.
Unexpectedly, the bearded man seemed to be more interested in this part of the story. After listening to me, he emphasized that I should tell it again in detail without hiding any details.
I couldn't understand his intentions for the time being, so I cautiously told him about the situation again.
After I finished, the bearded man didn't ask any more questions. Instead, the purple robed elder turned to the bearded man and said, "Dean Xi Bo, it seems that our guess was correct."
Dean Xi Bo?
This bearded man is the Dean of Thadd Academy?
Also, what's their guess?
With so many questions, I couldn't figure out their guess. However, the purple robed elder in front of me and Dean Xi Bo's cultivation base were above the Monster King realm. It was said that Dean Xi Bo was a Monster Saint, which was the Yang God Celestial Master's cultivation base.
I didn't have any chance of escaping from them, so I could only watch the situation develop.
Fortunately, they didn't show any hostility. The short and fat Dean Xi Bo asked me, "So, the loud roar didn't hurt you, right?"
The loud roar didn't hurt me?
My mind raced and I seemed to understand something.
The power of the loud roar could make a ferocious beast that was close to the Monster General realm faint from far away. Yet, we were able to return unscathed … That was what they were concerned about!
This was related to the most fundamental problem. I became more vigilant. As I nodded, I quickly thought of a way to explain it.
After getting my confirmation, Dean Xi Bo raised his hand to support his chin and looked at me with burning eyes. "What I want to know is why the loud roar didn't hurt you."
His face looked rather kind, but his voice had already turned cold.
It was obvious that he wouldn't let me off easily if he didn't get a reasonable explanation.
My mind was spinning fast, but I couldn't find a reasonable explanation for it.
If it was Nam, I could push the blame onto my previous master. However, there were too many loopholes in this explanation. If they were to investigate further, they wouldn't be able to justify themselves.
After a few seconds, I lifted my head to look at Dean Xi Bo and shook my head. "Actually, the loud roar hurt me."
Since I couldn't think of a reason why I wasn't hurt, I might as well do the opposite and admit that I was hurt.
My answer was out of their expectations. Dean Xi Bo and the purple robed elder were astonished. The short and fat bearded Dean extended his hand to grab my arm.
I calmed down and wanted to check my injuries. I didn't need to pretend as I already had severe injuries. I let him check if he wanted to.
As expected of a Monster Saint. After a while, Dean Xi Bo retracted his arm and muttered to himself.
"Your meridians are almost completely damaged … … No, that's not right. With your cultivation, you won't be able to recover from such severe injuries!" He stared at me again.
After finding a reason, the following matters were much easier to handle. I shook my head. "At that time, I was the only one who went in to investigate while the rest of the team searched for the Beast Cores in the surroundings. In the end, I swallowed several Beast Cores, including that of the Golden-eyed Wolf Beast, in one breath. Only then did I manage to survive.
After the trial ended, we obtained the Golden Moon Leaf. With its power, I was able to recover to my current state. "
Fortunately, I had been suppressing my cultivation to the Monster Spirit realm. The Dean and the rest weren't able to see through my cultivation, so this explanation was barely acceptable.
After listening to my explanation, Dean Xi Bo became silent. He seemed to be pondering over my words. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "If you were to go in again, would you be able to withstand the roar?"
My nerves that had just calmed down instantly tensed up again.
He pondered for a long time. So he wanted me to go in again?
Something wasn't right. This was completely different from what I had guessed.
From the beginning to the end, Dean Xi Bo seemed to have some sort of objective. He didn't seem to be interested in my explanation. Only when he said the last sentence did he finally reveal his thoughts.
But what was his objective?
I couldn't understand it, but the objective that he revealed coincided with my thoughts.
With the strength of my body, it naturally wouldn't be a problem for me to withstand the roar. In reality, I was also very interested in going in again. That kind of ferocious beast could possibly have the cultivation of a Monster Saint, which was the Yang Spirit realm.
Moreover, the beast core of a Yang Spirit realm monster could completely repair the meridians!
This was the only chance for me to recover my cultivation in the past six months. Furthermore, the ferocious beast was being suppressed in some kind of formation. Even though it was still very dangerous, it was definitely worth a try.
Since we had the same objective, I naturally wouldn't disappoint him.
However, before agreeing to his request, I felt that I could do something to gain some benefits.
With that thought in mind, I hesitated. "If my cultivation were to recover, I should be able to withstand it. But now, I definitely can't …"
The bearded Dean frowned again. After a while, he exchanged glances with the purple-robed elder and said, "You absorbed the Gold Moon Leaf to recover some of your cultivation. It's obvious that the Gold Moon Leaf is very useful.
What if I give you a few more Gold Moon Leaves? "
This bearded Dean was really able to understand my intentions. He instantly understood what I meant.
I was secretly delighted, but my expression didn't change. I nodded. "If that's the case, I'll definitely be able to recover."
"That's it then!" He seemed to be a little annoyed. He took out five Gold Moon Leaves and passed them to me.