Reborn as the Candle Dragon, I became the strongest academy guardian beast.

The deeper you go into the mountains, the more ferocious beasts you encounter on the road.

Along the way, Kong Bowen dealt with many ferocious beasts that attempted to attack Professor Chen.

"Found it!"

After Kong Bowen killed a dangerous-level saw-toothed boar, Professor Chen suddenly exclaimed and ran towards the burrow where the saw-toothed boar lived.

Inside the cave, a pale blue herb was quietly growing on a protruding rock.

Its roots penetrated deep into the cracks in the rocks, corroding the ground within several meters around it until nothing could grow, and the entire cave was filled with a strong acidic smell.

"Soul-Melting Grass?" Kong Bowen frowned upon seeing this herb.

He recognized the plant.

Soul-Melting Grass is an officially prohibited herb that is forbidden from being harvested and circulated.

This herb can be used to extract a liquid that is far more corrosive than concentrated sulfuric acid; just a few drops are enough to completely corrode the body of an adult.

The herb Professor Chen wanted to pick was actually the Soul-Melting Grass?

What does he need this for?

Just as Kong Bowen was about to ask a question, he suddenly felt something touch his foot.

He looked down and noticed that the long-haired dog that had always followed Professor Chen had somehow appeared beside him.

"Clatter".

Two drops of liquid seeped from the thick, long hair and dripped onto the ground.

The long-haired dog looked up at Kong Bowen and surprisingly let out a hoarse, pained female voice:

"Brother...it hurts so much..."

At that moment, every hair on Kong Bowen's body stood on end.

He could hardly believe his ears.

This dog can actually make human sounds!

No, is it... really just a dog?

Recalling Junzijian's unusual behavior today, and then thinking about Professor Chen's strange research...

A bad feeling suddenly rose in Kong Bowen's heart.

He suddenly crouched down and raised his hand to lift the thick, long hair covering the long-haired dog's face.

The next moment, Kong Bowen's eyes widened in disbelief.

Beneath the fur, the face is indeed that of a dog.

But he was certain about those eyes.

Those are definitely human eyes!

Those eyes were filled with tears, overflowing with pain, pleading, and despair...

These are complex emotions that only humans possess!

Like a face pieced together from various sources.

This long-haired dog looks neither like a dog nor a human.

It's more like... a monster that's a fusion of a human and a dog.

No wonder Professor Chen claimed that he had developed a potion that could give animals martial spirits, but dared not disclose all the details of his experiments to the public.

No wonder he wanted to pick the Soul-Melting Grass, a forbidden medicine.

Kong Bowen slowly stood up and gripped the Gentleman's Sword tightly in his hand.

He looked at Professor Chen, his voice trembling slightly with anger: "What exactly is this dog? What did you do to it?"

Professor Chen, who was concentrating on collecting herbs, suddenly stopped. He put the Soul-Melting Grass into the bag he was carrying, slowly stood up, and turned around.

"Have we been discovered?"

"They should have gouged out those eyes; that way, there wouldn't be any flaws..."

Professor Chen sighed and looked at Kong Bowen, saying, "Just as you thought, I did conduct a crazy experiment, fusing a human body with an animal body to create a dog with a martial spirit."

"However, could you please turn a blind eye to this?"

"After all, I'm doing this for the sake of the experimental research department. Scientific progress always comes at a price, and compared to that, what is a girl from the slums? In the end, I'm doing it all for humanity!"

"As long as you turn a blind eye and pretend you didn't see anything, you'll have successfully completed your escort mission when you return to Ningchuan City. This is a Level 4 mission, and you'll get at least several hundred thousand in scholarships afterward!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Kong Bowen angrily interrupted Professor Chen's incessant rambling: "For humanity? I think you just can't stand the fall from genius to trash and want to satisfy your pathetic pride with a fake experimental result."

"A person like you doesn't even deserve to be called human!"

Upon hearing these words, the gentleman's sword in Kong Bowen's hand hummed with anger.

"Then it seems there's no point in talking..." Professor Chen paused for a moment, his gentle smile instantly turning cold: "As expected, no one can understand me."

"Since you won't agree, then go die! Perfect, I need more experimental materials!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless black tentacles suddenly emerged from behind Professor Chen, attacking Kong Bowen from all directions.

"How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes with you."

Kong Bowen murmured, and a white light suddenly shone on the Gentleman's Sword, transforming into a pure white light shield that blocked all the attacking tentacles.

Professor Chen frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He had initially thought this tall student was just a simple strength-based martial artist, but now it seemed that the opponent was more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

Professor Chen snorted coldly, and his tentacles suddenly changed shape, transforming into ferocious venomous snakes that bared their fangs and lunged at Kong Bowen once more.

Kong Bowen spoke again: "The forest is dark, the grass rustles in the wind, the general draws his bow at night. At dawn, he searches for the white feather, only to find it embedded in the stone's edge!"

The words fell.

Golden rays of light emerged from behind Kong Bowen, condensing into countless arrows that rained down from the sky.

Several venomous snakes that were lunging at Kong Bowen had their heads pierced instantly, and then their bodies were pierced by a series of falling arrows.

These tentacles were connected to Professor Chen's body. When the tentacles broke off, his face turned noticeably paler.

Professor Chen was puzzled, unable to understand what kind of martial spirit the other party possessed, or how they could have so many strange skills.

"Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which manifests in various forms. Below, it becomes rivers and mountains; above, it becomes the sun and stars."

At that moment, Kong Bowen softly recited "Ode to Righteousness," exuding a righteous and incorruptible aura!

Several black tentacles that were entangled with Kong Bowen suddenly became uncontrollable and retreated in fear.

Without the tentacles blocking his way, Kong Bowen took a step forward and appeared in front of Professor Chen the next second.

"cut!"

As the voice faded, a sword slashed out, and Professor Chen's head fell to the ground instantly.

Kong Bowen, however, felt no joy at the victory.

He turned his head and looked at the long-haired dog, who was staring blankly at everything, with a look of pity in his eyes.

He knew that the child who had been integrated into the long-haired dog's body could never be brought back to life.

"What do you want me to do?" Kong Bowen lowered his head, his voice very soft.

"Kill...me..." A painful sound squeezed out from deep in the long-haired dog's throat.

"As you wish."

Kong Bowen sighed softly and slowly drew his Gentleman's Sword.

"Clang!"

The Gentleman's Sword emitted a mournful, soft cry.

Kong Bowen ended this pitiful life with the fastest sword strike of his life.