It Turned Out They Were Senior Students

"Don't just stand there!"

Jiang Donghua shouted as he ran.

"You two, shout for help! Hurry!"

Liu Yuting was being jostled so badly that her head spun. Hearing that, she instinctively screamed.

"Hel—help!"

Liu Mingyu's voice trembled from all the shaking.

"Th-there's a magical beast—"

The ghostly wails immediately drew the attention of several nearby teams.

A student carrying a long spear stepped out from behind a tree and shouted with a frown.

"What the hell are you yelling about?!"

Without slowing down, Jiang Donghua swept past him with the two of them tucked under his arms, not forgetting to answer.

"A Two-star Dou Master level Crimson Flame Demonic Tiger! Run if you value your lives!"

The student's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to ask more, a thunderous roar came from the distance, and the scorching shockwave even lifted the hem of his clothes.

"Fuck!"

Without another word, he turned and ran.

"Hold on! Reinforcements will be here soon!"

The bespectacled youth wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He held his broken bow across his chest, his voice hoarse yet resolute.

The brawny man with the great axe spat out a mouthful of blood. His axe blade carved a charred mark across the ground.

"Damn it, why is this beast getting fiercer the more we fight it?!"

Strange black-red flames churned around the Crimson Flame Demonic Tiger. Every pounce carried a scorching wave of heat.

The cold-faced youth crossed his twin blades to block, only to be sent flying by a single swipe. His back slammed heavily against a tree trunk, and he let out a muffled groan.

A pale blue light screen gathered at the girl's fingertips, barely blocking a pillar of fire, but cracks instantly spread across it.

The Crimson Flame Demonic Tiger's roar shook leaves from the trees. The black-red flames swirling around its body had scorched the surrounding grass and trees yellow-black.

The four youths stood back-to-back in a circle, every one of them injured.

"Hold on! Didn't those three guys go call for help?"

The great axe wielder panted heavily. Several cracks had already appeared on his axe blade.

The cold-faced youth crossed his twin blades.

"Watch the left! There's something strange about its flames!"

Just then, rustling came from the distant brush.

A student holding a longbow poked his head out.

"Holy shit! There really is a Two-star Dou Master magical beast?!"

Without hesitation, he drew his bow and fired. The arrow, wrapped in pale cyan Dou Qi, shot straight for the demonic tiger's eyes.

The tiger roared in pain and immediately pounced toward the direction the arrow had come from.

"Now's our chance!"

The bespectacled youth's eyes lit up.

"Divide its attention!"

Before long, all the students in the area had been alerted.

Some refused to believe it and insisted on going forward to investigate. Others immediately fled for their lives.

For a time, the forest descended into utter chaos.

"Brother Donghua... I-I'm going to throw up..."

Liu Yuting's little face had gone pale from all the bouncing.

Only then did Jiang Donghua slow down and put the two of them down. He glanced back at the noisy chaos, then grinned.

"See? Didn't we get reinforcements?"

Leaning against a tree trunk, Liu Mingyu dry-heaved twice and weakly gave a thumbs-up.

"Brilliant... truly brilliant!"

More and more students were drawn over by the commotion.

At first, there were only three or five of them, hiding in the distance and firing arrows.

Gradually, their numbers grew to more than a dozen, and some began trying to tie the beast down in close combat.

"Everyone, don't panic! Form a battle formation!"

A senior student shouted commands.

"Those above Five-star Dou Zhe, restrain it from the front with me! Everyone else, provide ranged support!"

The demonic tiger was caught off guard by the sudden siege.

It furiously swung its tail, sending two overeager students flying, but was soon buried beneath even more attacks.

"It's working! Keep going!"

The great axe wielder shouted excitedly and took the opportunity to chop his axe into the demonic tiger's hind leg.

Liu Mingyu and Liu Yuting followed Jiang Donghua and hid behind the crowd.

"Brother Donghua, should we also—"

"Not yet."

Jiang Donghua narrowed his eyes as he observed the battle.

"Let the experts wear it down first. See that? Its movements are already slowing."

Sure enough, as more people joined the siege, more and more wounds appeared on the demonic tiger's body.

It rose upright in fury, trying to launch one final attack, but dozens of streams of Dou Qi struck its chest at once.

Boom!

Amid an ear-splitting explosion, the demonic tiger's enormous body finally crashed to the ground, kicking up dust that filled the sky.

The field fell silent before erupting into thunderous cheers.

"Oh my god! We killed a Two-star Dou Master level magical beast!"

As the demonic tiger fell with a crash, the tense atmosphere finally eased.

Quite a few students collapsed directly onto the ground, gasping for breath, while others excitedly high-fived each other in celebration.

The three of Jiang Donghua stood at the edge of the crowd when Liu Mingyu suddenly burst out laughing.

"Brother Donghua, look. The way those people look at us is completely different now."

It was true. The students who had previously looked at them with disdain now kept glancing over at them.

One student carrying a long spear even walked over and patted Jiang Donghua on the shoulder.

"Brother, thanks for warning us in time. That movement technique of yours is impressive!"

Jiang Donghua grinned and deliberately raised his voice.

"Not at all, not at all. You have to practice your escaping skills too. After all, you can only keep cultivating if you stay alive!"

His words drew a round of good-natured laughter. Even the burly student from earlier came over, scratching his head as he spoke awkwardly.

"About before... I failed to recognize true ability. Your coordination really is something else."

Liu Yuting pressed her lips together, stifling a laugh.

At that moment, the four youths with the bespectacled boy approached while supporting one another. The great axe wielder had a strip of torn cloth wrapped around his chest, blood still seeping through it, yet he was the first to speak.

"Hey! Kid over there!"

Jiang Donghua turned around and saw that although the four looked bedraggled, there was clear approval in their eyes.

"Not bad."

The bespectacled youth adjusted his broken glasses. Though weak, his voice was sincere.

"If you hadn't called so many people over in time, the four of us might have died here today."

Though the cold-faced youth said nothing, he gave a slight nod. The girl who had remained silent all this time was curiously studying Liu Yuting's ice crystal pendant, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes.

The great axe wielder laughed heartily, only to tug at his wound and bare his teeth in pain.

"Hiss—damn it! Still, it was worth it! Kid, your ability to escape is truly unmatched! Scarface Li is convinced!"

"Scarface Li?"

Liu Mingyu repeated instinctively.

"That's right!"

The brawny man thumped his chest.

"Li Tieshan. Because of this scar, everyone calls me Scarface Li."

He pointed at the hideous scar on his left cheek.

"A Wind Blade Wolf in the Trial Area gave it to me last year."

The bespectacled youth smiled faintly.

"Chen Mo, Five-star Dou Zhe."

He pointed to the cold-faced youth beside him.

"This is Ye Han."

Then he pointed at the girl.

"My younger sister, Chen Yuqing."

Jiang Donghua raised his brows.

"Siblings forming a team? Interesting."

He introduced himself openly as well.

"Jiang Donghua, Two-star Dou Master. These are the Liu siblings, Liu Mingyu and Liu Yuting."

Chen Yuqing suddenly spoke, her voice crisp.

"You work well together."

She pointed at Liu Yuting's pendant.

"This is very special."

Liu Yuting instinctively grasped the pendant and smiled a little shyly.

Ye Han suddenly spoke.

"Your movement technique truly is impressive."

It was rare for him to say so many words.

"Remaining calm in that situation was no easy feat."

Scarface Li slung an arm around Jiang Donghua's shoulders carelessly.

"Kid, let's team up sometime! Your knack for early warning is sharper than the magical beasts the academy keeps!"

Chen Mo coughed lightly.

"But next time, could you not run quite so fast? At least give us a warning too."

Jiang Donghua scratched his head sheepishly.

"Well... the situation was urgent then, and besides—"

He blinked mischievously.

"I trusted that with all of your strength, you'd definitely hold out until the reinforcements arrived!"

That drew another round of laughter. Even Ye Han, who always wore a cold expression, had the corners of his mouth lift slightly.

Before leaving, Scarface Li turned back and shouted once more.

"Hey, Jiang Donghua! When the Trial Area opens next time, let's form a team! I'm convinced by your escaping skills!"

Jiang Donghua smiled and waved as he watched them leave.

Liu Mingyu leaned closer and spoke softly.

"Brother Donghua, those people are all pretty strong, especially Chen Mo. He's actually a Five-star Dou Zhe."

Liu Yuting nodded as well.

"And they seem very concerned about the magical beast's abnormality. Maybe they know something."

Jiang Donghua pondered for a moment.

"They probably aren't freshmen. Judging from their strength and coordination, they're most likely last year's students, carrying out a task for the instructors now."

"No wonder."

Liu Mingyu suddenly understood.

"That's what I thought. How could there be so many high-star Dou Zhe among the freshmen? In our class, anyone who reaches two or three stars is already considered top-tier."

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

"The question is, a magical beast of this level should have been cleared out by the instructors. How did one slip through?"

Liu Yuting gripped her ice crystal pendant tightly and said softly.

"Could it be... someone released it on purpose?"

The three exchanged glances, each seeing a trace of gravity in the others' eyes.

"In any case, things haven't been peaceful here lately."

Jiang Donghua withdrew his gaze and patted their shoulders.

"Let's head back to the academy first. We shouldn't stay in this place any longer."

The three headed back along the forest path. In the distance, several instructors hurried over with grim expressions and sealed off the entrance to the Trial Area.