Crimson Flame Demonic Tiger, a Tier 2 Demonic Beast

As the three ventured deeper into the Trial Area, the surrounding mist gradually thinned, yet the silence in the forest became increasingly unsettling.

The dead leaves beneath their feet rustled softly.

Jiang Donghua walked at the front, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings as Dou Qi circulated slowly through his body, ready to handle any sudden situation.

Liu Mingyu followed closely behind, gripping a longsword tightly in his hand.

Liu Yuting remained in the middle, the Ice Crystal Pendant giving off a faint blue glow beneath the morning light.

"Tsk, the people who came today really aren't pushovers..."

Jiang Donghua's gaze swept over several distant teams from the corner of his eye, and he silently remained on guard.

Anyone who still dared enter the Trial Area at such a time was a formidable figure with considerable strength. Four-star and Five-star Dou Masters were everywhere, and there were even a few senior students with deep, steady auras leading teams.

As for their team, a Two-star Dou Master bringing along two burdens who had not even stepped into the Dou Zhe realm—it was practically like sheep walking into a pack of wolves, conspicuous beyond belief.

Sure enough, before they had gone far, several assessing gazes fell upon them.

"Heh, a Two-star Dou Master? And he brought two rookies who aren't even Dou Zhe?"

Not far away, a burly student sneered, his eyes full of disdain. His companion beside him also scoffed.

"There's a limit to showing off. Don't end up not even knowing how you died."

Liu Mingyu's expression changed slightly, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the sword hilt.

Liu Yuting bit her lip and said softly.

"Brother Donghua, maybe we..."

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Jiang Donghua grinned, a trace of arrogance flashing through his eyes.

"They can be strong all they want. We'll get what we can get. It doesn't conflict with them."

He deliberately raised his voice so everyone around could hear him clearly.

"Besides, the Trial Area doesn't belong to anyone's family. We'll walk however we want. Who are we bothering?"

The burly student frowned and was about to lash out when his companion pulled him back.

"Forget it. Why argue with a few people who don't know their limits? They'll have plenty of time to cry later."

Jiang Donghua shrugged and continued forward without caring in the slightest. He knew clearly that in a place like this, danger did not come solely from Demonic Beasts; it could just as easily come from the covetousness of other students.

If they really encountered some treasure, there was no guarantee someone would not get greedy.

"Mingyu, Yuting, no matter what happens later, don't stray too far from me."

He spoke in a low voice, his tone unusually serious.

The Liu siblings exchanged a glance and silently nodded.

Just then—

"Rustle, rustle~"

An unusual sound suddenly came from the bushes ahead.

Jiang Donghua's pupils contracted as he abruptly raised a hand, signaling them to stop.

The three held their breath and stared fixedly at the swaying shadow.

The next second.

"Roar—!"

A black shadow suddenly shot out, carrying a foul wind straight at them!

"Whoosh—"

The Shadow Wolf's howl was abruptly cut short as its body crashed to the ground. Blood gushed from its mouth, mixed with shattered organs. A black arrow was deeply embedded in its back, its shaft still trembling faintly—it had clearly pierced straight through its heart.

Jiang Donghua and the other two froze where they stood. Before they could react, rustling sounds came from the bushes ahead.

"Tap, tap..."

Several figures slowly emerged. At their head was a lean young man wearing silver-rimmed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses calm and sharp.

He held a black short bow in his hand, its string still trembling slightly. The arrow from earlier had clearly come from him.

"Sorry, we'd been watching this one for a long time."

The bespectacled youth adjusted his glasses. His tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable air.

Behind him were two men and a woman. One of the tall, sturdy men carried a massive axe over his shoulder and grinned.

"You three are pretty lucky. If you'd taken one more step forward, that beast might have ambushed you."

The other girl crossed her arms and swept her gaze over Jiang Donghua's group. Her eyes paused for an extra moment on Liu Yuting's Ice Crystal Pendant, and a strange glint flashed through them.

Jiang Donghua narrowed his eyes, rapidly weighing the situation.

The bespectacled youth, the burly man with the giant axe, the mysterious girl, and the cold young man who had remained silent the entire time, with dual blades at his waist.

This team's overall strength probably far surpassed that of the three of them!

Liu Mingyu instinctively tightened his grip on his shortsword and said in a low voice.

"Brother Donghua, we..."

Jiang Donghua raised a hand to signal him not to act rashly. Then he grinned, putting on a harmless expression.

"Thank you all for lending a hand. Otherwise, we really might have suffered a big loss."

The bespectacled youth nodded faintly, but his gaze settled on Jiang Donghua. He seemed somewhat interested that a Two-star Dou Master dared lead a team so deep into the Trial Area.

"You've got some nerve, coming in at a time like this."

His tone was calm, but there was a hint of probing in it.

Jiang Donghua shrugged and smiled.

"Fortune comes with risk. Besides, the academy wouldn't really send us here to die, would it?"

The bespectacled youth gave no opinion. He merely adjusted his glasses lightly, and a cold gleam reflected off the lenses.

"Let's hope your luck stays this good."

With that, he waved a hand. The burly man behind him strode forward, pulled the arrow from the Shadow Wolf's back, and casually tossed it to the bespectacled youth.

"Let's go. Don't waste time."

The four turned and left, quickly disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.

Only then did Liu Yuting let out a breath and say quietly.

"Brother Donghua, they... seem really strong."

Jiang Donghua stared in the direction they had left, a trace of gravity flashing through his eyes.

"They are indeed strong. That guy with the glasses is at least a Five-star Dou Master."

Liu Mingyu sucked in a breath.

"Five-star?! Then why would they be targeting a Tier 1 Shadow Wolf?"

"With their strength, even a peak Fighter would definitely be no match for them."

"Coming here to hunt Shadow Wolves that are only around three or four stars—they're being a bit too cautious, aren't they?"

Time passed in a blur, and the blazing sun hung high overhead.

"Gulp—"

Liu Mingyu took a swig of water. He chewed the dry rations in his mouth for a long while before barely managing to swallow, unable to stop himself from complaining.

"What is this? We've walked for half the day and haven't even gotten a single beast hair!"

Liu Yuting took small bites of a flatbread. The Ice Crystal Pendant glimmered faintly in the sunlight as she said softly.

"Looks like Brother Donghua was right. The academy really did clear out most of the high-tier Demonic Beasts, but the remaining ones have all been snatched up by those experts."

Jiang Donghua leaned against an ancient tree, a blade of grass between his lips, but his eyes continued to scan the surroundings sharply.

Logically speaking, even if the academy had cleared out the high-tier Demonic Beasts, the low-tier ones should not have been so scarce.

Yet along the way, they had encountered very few Demonic Beast corpses.

Moreover, every one of them had been killed in a single strike, clean and efficient. They had clearly been hunted by extremely powerful teams.

"Tsk, looks like this trip was for nothing."

He spat out the grass stem, clapped his hands, and stood up.

Liu Mingyu sighed.

"How about we head back? If we go any deeper, we probably won't get any benefits either."

Jiang Donghua narrowed his eyes and looked toward the depths of the forest.

After pondering for a moment, he suddenly grinned.

"No rush. Since we're here, we can't go back empty-handed."

Liu Yuting blinked.

"Brother Donghua, you aren't thinking of going deeper, are you?"

Jiang Donghua lowered his voice mysteriously.

"Think about it. Why are all those experts heading deeper in? The Demonic Beasts around the outskirts have all been killed, but no one has returned from deeper inside. What does that mean?"

Liu Mingyu froze.

"It means... there's still prey deeper inside?"

Jiang Donghua snapped his fingers.

"That's right! And it's probably something big!"

The siblings exchanged looks, and Liu Yuting hesitated.

"But even those experts haven't come back. What about us?"

A crafty glint flashed through Jiang Donghua's eyes.

"We're not competing with them. We'll watch from a distance. If there's an opportunity, we'll act. If there isn't, we'll retreat."

He paused and lowered his voice.

"Besides, don't you find it strange? So many high-tier Demonic Beasts suddenly appeared in the Trial Area, and the academy urgently cleared them out, yet those experts seem to have known something beforehand and headed straight for the depths!"

Liu Mingyu's pupils contracted.

"You mean they know the inside story?"

Jiang Donghua smiled meaningfully.

"Come on, let's follow them and take a look. Maybe we'll pick up some treasure!"

The three packed their things and once again headed deeper into the forest.

However, they had not gone far when an intense surge of energy suddenly came from the dense forest ahead!

"Boom—!"

The ground trembled slightly, followed by an earth-shaking beast roar that rang through the heavens!

Jiang Donghua's expression changed.

"With that kind of commotion, it's at least a Tier 2 Demonic Beast!"

Liu Yuting nervously grabbed her brother's sleeve.

"Are we still going over?"

Excitement flashed through Jiang Donghua's eyes.

"Of course! How can we miss a show like this?"

His figure flashed as he rushed toward the source of the sound first. The Liu siblings exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and followed.

When they pushed aside the final clump of bushes, the sight before them made all three freeze on the spot.

"Roar—!"

An enormous Crimson Flame Demonic Tiger was roaring madly, blazing flames burning all around its body.

And standing opposite it was none other than the bespectacled team from before!

Only, their situation was far from good.

The bespectacled youth's short bow had already broken, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The burly man with the giant axe was half-kneeling on the ground, a savage claw mark across his chest.

The cold young man stood protectively before the girl, his dual blades crossed as he barely held back the Demonic Tiger's assault.

"Damn it, why did this beast suddenly go berserk?!"

The burly man with the giant axe growled through clenched teeth.

The bespectacled youth wiped away the blood from his mouth, his expression grave.

"Something's wrong. Its eyes are black!"

Just as he was thinking, the Crimson Flame Demonic Tiger suddenly threw back its head and let out a thunderous roar. The flames around its body abruptly surged, transforming into a sea of fire that swept toward them!

"Not good! Retreat!"

The bespectacled youth shouted sharply.

However, it was already too late.

The sea of fire instantly engulfed the entire area, and the scorching heat twisted even the air!

"Run!"

Without another word, Jiang Donghua grabbed the Liu siblings by the backs of their collars, one in each hand, as Dou Qi erupted from within him!

"Yellow-tier Advanced Dou Technique—Cloud-Chasing Steps!"

The airflow beneath his feet suddenly spun, and the three shot backward like arrows released from a bow!

Liu Yuting cried out in surprise and nearly bit her tongue, while Liu Mingyu was yanked into a stumble and nearly fell over.

"Brother Donghua! You?"

"Quit talking! Go head-to-head with a Dou Master-level beast? In your dreams!"

Without looking back, Jiang Donghua ran with the wind beneath his feet, faster than a rabbit.

"Hang in there!"

"I'm going to get reinforcements!"

His shout was powerful and full of vigor, echoing through the forest and even overpowering the Crimson Flame Demonic Tiger's roar.

The bespectacled youth and the other three had already been struggling to hold on. When they suddenly heard that shout, they nearly coughed up blood in fury.