Chapter Sixteen: Escaping the Sea of Suffering

Over the next three months, Meng Fan seemed to have entered what could only be described as "hell mode."

For the first time, he truly understood the "joy" of learning.

During the day, he had to follow Yue Huyang’s strict schedule and attend school. At night, Yue Huyang would stretch and manipulate his muscles and bones, give him medicinal baths, and then have him practice standing postures and martial arts forms.

But even after returning to the zoo, Meng Fan was not idle. He began observing animals like tigers, monkeys, and bears with great enthusiasm.

Despite the grueling pace, Meng Fan found himself deeply engaged. On the surface, it looked like he was working nonstop, but in reality, the elementary school curriculum was far too simple for him.

Those almost childish lessons simply went in one ear and out the other; Meng Fan found them utterly pointless.

He could now somewhat understand how Conan must have felt back then.

In class, Meng Fan pretended to listen while secretly practicing his Qi cultivation and the techniques of a Beast Master.

"Young Meng Fan, can you answer this? What is fifteen minus six?" the math teacher called on him, noticing his distraction.

"Teacher, it’s nine!" Meng Fan replied in a deliberately childish voice, standing up.

"Excellent! Young Meng Fan, that’s absolutely correct. Here’s a little red flower sticker as a reward," the teacher said in a tone meant to coax children’s enthusiasm.

Hearing such condescending praise, Meng Fan felt too embarrassed to respond. Didn’t the teacher feel awkward saying such things?

Meng Fan himself felt a wave of despair.

"I have to skip grades. I must skip grades!" he resolved firmly in his heart.

After class, because of his striking appearance—delicate features and milky white skin—he often received little gifts from the girls.

"Meng Fan, I want to give you this really pretty eraser. Will you come play with me?" a little girl asked earnestly.

"No need, really," Meng Fan quickly refused, acting like an unyielding straight boy. Immediately, tears welled up in the girl’s eyes, leaving Meng Fan flustered.

With no other choice, he started to comfort her.

After school, Meng Fan carried his backpack back to the martial arts hall, his steps heavy. I... I’m tainted now (╥ω╥`)!

Yue Huyang, seeing Meng Fan’s expression, was unsurprised. "How was school today?"

Meng Fan complained, "Master, I feel like I was tortured all day!"

"Now I understand what they mean by 'The path to knowledge is diligence, and the sea of learning is endless hardship.' It’s truly an endless sea of suffering!"

"Hahaha!"

Yue Huyang patted Meng Fan’s head. "You’re just too mature for your age."

Meng Fan pouted. "Isn’t being mature a good thing?"

"Excessive wisdom leads to sorrow, and deep feelings shorten life. You should understand such truths by now," Yue Huyang said.

Meng Fan’s face darkened. "Master, do you mean I have to play in the sandbox, pee in the mud with a bunch of little brats, or play house with girls?"

Yue Huyang rubbed his shiny bald forehead and laughed heartily at his apprentice’s plight. "Isn’t that fun?"

"Please spare me!" Meng Fan collapsed on the bed, unwilling to move. "I’d rather practice meditation for two more hours or stand in posture for half an hour than play with a bunch of little brats."

Yue Huyang tapped Meng Fan’s forehead with his thick finger. "You’re acting like a little brat yourself."

"I’m mature in my heart, isn’t that enough?" Meng Fan argued.

After growing accustomed to Yue Huyang, Meng Fan found that his master was actually quite easygoing, frank, and spirited—like a big kid himself.

Though he was seventy-two years old, he was still considered young among the elder supernatural community.

After all, as long as one cultivates Qi successfully, living beyond a hundred years is common among them. In some families, it’s not unusual to have four or even five generations alive simultaneously.

This meant Yue Huyang had at least another thirty good years ahead—enough to see Meng Fan marry and have children.

Sometimes, Yue Huyang joked, "Should we arrange a childhood betrothal for Meng Fan? Start the big life events early?"

But Meng Fan decisively refused.

Why be shackled so young?

Regarding his ambitions, Meng Fan adhered firmly to the family creed passed down through the Li lineage: the more soldiers Han Xin had, the better.

Finding a wife in the "Underneath All" world might be complicated, especially since modern ideals clashed severely with the old Li family values.

But that was a matter for another time.

Yue Huyang looked at the stubborn Meng Fan lying on the bed and sighed helplessly. "Alright, alright. When the time comes, I’ll talk to your school and try to get you promoted."

"What grade do you want to jump to?" he asked.

Meng Fan sprang up in excitement, hands on hips. "Master, let’s do it all at once—straight to sixth grade!"

"Sixth grade? You’ve got some nerve!" Yue Huyang glared at him but then stroked his ‘tiger whiskers’ thoughtfully.

Given Meng Fan’s intellect, jumping straight to sixth grade was definitely manageable—there was no doubt about that.

After all, he had grasped the cultivation methods thoroughly at age three. The meaning was obvious.

As for the knowledge from first to sixth grade, Meng Fan had already demonstrated it all to Yue Huyang long ago. Even if Yue Huyang wanted to push him to study harder, there was no reason to.

In the end, Yue Huyang said, "Normally, students only skip one grade in elementary school, but I’ll talk to Yulin. Maybe we can make it happen."

Meng Fan asked curiously, "Senior Brother? Can he do that?"

Yue Huyang laughed. "Your three senior brothers each have their own futures aside from being my disciples. What exactly they do, you can ask them yourself. Anyway, Yulin should be able to handle this."

Meng Fan nodded and thought to himself: could it be that his three senior brothers had connections everywhere?

Seeing Meng Fan’s sharp mind, Yue Huyang patted his head. "Alright, don’t overthink it. The important thing is to get you out of this misery, right?"

"Good, I’ll wait for your good news, Master."

Just as they spoke, Yue Huyang’s phone suddenly rang.

At first, everything seemed normal as he answered, but as the voice on the other end came through, Yue Huyang’s expression gradually grew serious.

Finally, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Are you sure?"

"It’s not confirmed yet, but it just so happens that in the entire area, there’s only one supernatural being..."

Yue Huyang glanced at Meng Fan and said, "Alright, try to stall them. I’m taking little Fan and heading over now."

"Okay, but I might not be able to hold them off!"