Chapter 95

After processing the furs and other items, Tang Jie continued on his journey.

The Tiger Roar Valley has a terrain that is narrow at the front and wide at the back, like a gourd. The further one goes inside, the wider it becomes. As an artificially created valley, it occupies half of the Qingyun Mountain, not only vast in area but also complex in terrain, with grasslands, lakes, forests, and hills, forming a layout where there are mountains in the lakes, valleys in the mountains, and a world within the valleys.

At this moment, Tang Jie had walked to the edge of a mountain and a water pond. Seeing the clear water, he stopped to scoop some water to drink and looked around to see if there were any spiritual plants worth picking nearby.

However, it seemed that there had been some here before, but they had all been picked by someone else.

Tang Jie didn't mind. After drinking the water, he sat down by a large rock, his head hanging low, lost in thought.

After a while, he felt a slight movement in his heart and looked up towards the distant mountain peak.

He saw that a white-striped tiger had appeared on the distant mountain peak at some point. The tiger was crouching on a large rock, staring at Tang Jie and the Yi Yi in his arms without blinking.

Although Yi Yi was hidden in his arms and not showing her head, at that moment, Tang Jie felt that the tiger's gaze seemed to have penetrated the fabric, seeing through everything.

"Roar..." A low tiger roar came.

The sound was not loud, but it was deep and resonant, echoing throughout the valley.

Hearing the sound, Yi Yi poked her head out and met the white-striped tiger's gaze.

Little Yi Yi didn't feel the tiger's aura and wasn't afraid. Instead, she asked Tang Jie:

"Brother, that tiger is looking at me too! Is it a demon too?"

"Yes, and it's a very powerful demon," Tang Jie replied, his eyes fixed on the tiger without blinking.

"Why doesn't it come over to chase us?" Yi Yi was curious. On this journey, whenever a demon beast discovered Yi Yi, it would inevitably chase them relentlessly, making their escape time much longer than that of ordinary students.

"Because it can't come down," Tang Jie answered. "There's an array on the mountain peak that traps it."

"Ah? Why is there an array trapping it? Aren't the demon beasts in Tiger Roar Valley free?"

"This one is an exception... Yi Yi, do you know where the name Tiger Roar Valley comes from?"

Yi Yi was taken aback: "It can't be because of that big tiger, right?"

Tang Jie nodded: "To be precise, it's because of its ancestor."

"Ancestor?"

"Yes," Tang Jie nodded.

He looked at the white-striped tiger on the mountain peak, which was also looking at him.

Tang Jie sat down on a large rock, facing the tiger, and said loudly: "Yes, in the early days of Tiger Roar Valley, it was actually a place where a demon tiger was imprisoned. This mountain peak was its prison. Many years ago, Xiyue Academy had four major demons: turtle, crane, tiger, and carp. The demon tiger was the third, known as Tiger Third. These four major demons were originally companions of the senior experts of Xiyue, just like you and me now."

"Oh..." Yi Yi nodded, indicating she understood. "What happened later?"

"Later?" Tang Jie smiled. "These four major demons were originally companions of the Xiyue experts. Later, some of these seniors ascended to the heavens, some died, and some went into seclusion. Without their masters, these four major demons stayed in the academy, becoming the academy's guardian demons. However, one day, the demon tiger suddenly betrayed."

"Betrayed?"

"Yes," Tang Jie nodded. "The demon tiger betrayed because it coveted a treasure of Xiyue. Later, the demon tiger stole the treasure and fled, but was caught back by Xiyue. To find the secret treasure, it was imprisoned on Tiger Roar Peak and subjected to the most cruel punishment, being interrogated every night. Every night, the cries of the demon tiger could be heard on Tiger Roar Peak, hence the name Tiger Roar Peak."

"What happened later?" Yi Yi listened to Tang Jie's story, her chin resting on her hand.

"Later... the demon tiger never revealed where it had hidden the secret treasure. Xiyue Academy couldn't get the treasure, so the demon tiger was kept imprisoned until it died on Tiger Roar Peak. However, it wasn't alone; it had a wife and children. After the demon tiger died, its wife and children were still kept here because Xiyue believed that the demon tiger might have passed the secret to its wife or children through blood or other means. They continued to interrogate the demon tiger's descendants but still couldn't get what they wanted. Eventually, Xiyue gave up. They centered on Tiger Roar Peak and created Tiger Roar Valley, making it a training ground for students. Tiger Roar Peak became the final challenge area for students..."

"So this tiger is the only high-grade demon beast!" Yi Yi pointed at the tiger on the mountain peak and exclaimed.

Tang Jie nodded in response: "Yes, it is the only high-grade demon beast in Tiger Roar Valley and a direct descendant of the demon tiger. It is imprisoned here and can only walk on this mountain peak, not leaving it. However, students can enter and exit the mountain peak at will to hunt the demon tiger."

For students, the strength of a high-grade demon beast is too powerful. If the demon tiger were allowed to roam freely in the valley, even the jade tokens might not be able to protect the students' lives.

Because of this, the academy separately imprisoned the demon tiger, giving students the choice. If you don't want to encounter a high-grade demon beast, you can avoid the mountain peak. Of course, if you go up the peak, you are responsible for your own life.

"If that's the case, wouldn't all the demon tigers be dead?" Yi Yi asked.

"No," Tang Jie replied. "Xiyue would catch a demon tiger from outside every so often to mate with the demon tiger on Tiger Roar Peak, ensuring that they don't become extinct. Students are strictly forbidden to kill tiger cubs. If they violate this rule, they will be expelled or even executed! If an old demon tiger dies and a new one hasn't grown up yet, Tiger Roar Peak will be temporarily closed until the new one is ready. The other demon beasts in Tiger Roar Valley are replaced every year, as long as their strength is similar. However, the demon tiger on Tiger Roar Peak has remained unchanged for hundreds of years, always being a descendant of the demon tiger. Over a thousand years, Tiger Roar Peak has been stained red with tiger blood countless times, and no demon tiger has had a good end. This is the punishment for the demon tiger... affecting its descendants!"

As if hearing Tang Jie's words, the tiger on the mountain peak let out a low roar, the sound echoing through the valley, filled with sorrow.

"Too scary," Yi Yi was frightened by the story Tang Jie told.

She was still young, and some things were too cruel for her.

In fact, even for students, this story was somewhat cruel.

But Xiyue Academy did not hide these facts.

Just as the Hall of Heavenly Punishment teaches students to trust Xiyue, Tiger Roar Peak uses another way to show the consequences of betrayal.

Tang Jie, however, smiled and said: "It is indeed cruel for the demon tiger, but isn't it also so for the students? Do you know how many students die each time they kill a demon tiger? High-grade demon beasts are never easy to kill. Relying on numbers, students can indeed kill the demon tiger, but the demon tiger's final counterattack always drags some people down. Don't believe in the jade tokens; an attack from a demon tiger usually kills an ordinary student in one hit. Therefore, most attempts to hunt the demon tiger end in failure. It's not because they can't fight, but because they are afraid of the brutal deaths, they become scared, panic, and run away..."

"Then why do they still go? Is the demon tiger very valuable?"

"Valuable?" Tang Jie raised an eyebrow. "Of course, it's valuable. A high-grade demon beast is much more valuable than a mid- or low-grade one. But how can anything be more valuable than one's life? However, as the only high-grade demon beast, for students, whoever can kill it will create a glorious achievement... This is the greatest honor a Spirit Spring stage student can achieve, even surpassing the records of the Seven Days Hall. This alone is enough to make many people risk their lives. Additionally, there is a rumor that the secret treasure stolen by the demon tiger is still on Tiger Roar Peak, but no one has ever found it. So some students hope to find the treasure and achieve a great leap forward. To find the treasure, they must step over the demon tiger's corpse."

"Wow, if we kill the demon tiger, we can get the treasure, right?" Yi Yi's eyes widened, filled with longing.

Tang Jie found it amusing and pinched her little cheek: "Silly girl, something Xiyue hasn't found in hundreds of years, why would students be able to find it? The secret treasure may have already disappeared from the world, making it impossible for the demon tiger to reveal it, hence the eternal punishment."

"Ugh, stop it, no pinching!" Yi Yi shouted in dissatisfaction.

"However..." Tang Jie suddenly changed his tone: "Even if we can't get the secret treasure, it doesn't mean we can't have other gains. There are always some treasures right there, in front of everyone, but most people overlook them."

"What other gains could there be?"

Tang Jie smiled: "Think about it, Yi Yi. Use your brain. The information is in the story; it's up to you to discover it. Don't rush, you have enough time to think."

"Hmph, I'm not going to think about it," Yi Yi turned her head in anger. "You are a student of the academy, and the Immortal Masters tell you everything, so of course you understand. It's not strange that I can't guess."

Tang Jie replied calmly: "The Masters do indeed tell this story in class, but do you think they tell it in such a cruel and direct way? No, they embellish it, they add details, making everyone believe that everything is the demon tiger's own fault. So the version I told you is not the academy's version, but..."

"Brother Xu?" Yi Yi cleverly picked up the thread.

Tang Jie's gaze dimmed.

After a long time, he finally said: "The story is left by Brother Xu, but the information can only be discovered by us. On Tiger Roar Peak, there is something I need, and no matter what... I must get it!"

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