Able to Bend and Stretch

Jiang Donghua looked coldly at Chen Ming's obsequious face and thought to himself.

I never expected the one backing the Liu siblings' troublemaker to be someone on the verge of becoming a Five-star Dou Master. But isn't this guy a little too good at bending and stretching?

He narrowed his eyes at Chen Ming's smile-plastered face and thought.

He's not giving me any chance to slap his face!

Sure enough, Chen Ming approached with a broad smile.

"Brother Jiang, you truly have an extraordinary bearing! No wonder Master Mo Xuan favors you!"

The sickening flattery made Jiang Donghua want to laugh.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he gave two noncommittal grunts in response.

Seeing this, Chen Ming hurriedly pulled an embroidered pouch from his robes and presented it with both hands.

"These are a few Tier 1 Demonic Beast Cores that I happened to acquire. I hope Brother Jiang will accept them."

His face was full of ingratiating smiles.

"With Brother Jiang's talent and Master Mo Xuan as your mentor, you will surely become a renowned Alchemy Master someday!"

Jiang Donghua glanced at the faintly glowing cores and sneered inwardly.

He's certainly willing to pay the price.

He casually accepted the pouch and weighed it in his palm before suddenly flashing a grin.

"Senior Brother Chen has given such a generous gift. If I refuse it, I'd seem rather unreasonable."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the Liu siblings.

"However... Senior Brother Chen, do you not know who this gift ought to be given to?"

Chen Ming's expression stiffened. He quickly caught on and hastily forced a smile.

"Yes, yes, yes. This junior brother was inconsiderate..."

He turned around, took out another embroidered pouch, and respectfully handed it to the Liu siblings.

"I offended you before. I hope the two of you can forgive me."

Junior Sister Liu curled her lips, about to refuse, but her brother secretly tugged her back.

Senior Brother Liu accepted the pouch and said blandly, "Senior Brother Chen is too polite."

Only then did Jiang Donghua nod in satisfaction.

"Now that's more like it."

He patted Chen Ming on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "Senior Brother Chen is so perceptive. I imagine that in the future... you'll certainly go much farther."

Cold sweat beaded on Chen Ming's forehead as he nodded repeatedly.

"Brother Jiang's teachings are correct."

Once Jiang Donghua had led the Liu siblings away, Chen Ming's smile vanished instantly.

The surrounding students erupted after hearing their exchange.

"What? That kid who's only a Two-star Dou Master actually became Master Mo Xuan's disciple?"

"Heavens! That's a Fifth-grade Alchemist!"

"Who exactly is this kid? How did he make Master Mo Xuan make an exception and accept him as a disciple?"

For a moment, countless gazes filled with either envy or jealousy shot toward Jiang Donghua.

The female students in particular had unusual glimmers in their eyes.

Several curvaceous female students had already begun discreetly adjusting their skirts, their eyes sparkling.

"I heard Master Mo Xuan's disciples receive specially made cultivation pills every month."

"If we can get on good terms with Junior Brother Jiang!"

"Maybe we can even ask Master Mo Xuan to refine pills through him!"

A few particularly pretty female students could no longer hold themselves back. Swaying their hips, they walked toward Jiang Donghua.

"Junior Brother Jiang~"

A girl in a pink gauze dress called out sweetly.

"I heard you became Master Mo Xuan's disciple? Congratulations~"

Another female student with a voluptuous figure pressed right up against him.

"Junior Brother Jiang, I've recently run into a bottleneck in my cultivation. Could I ask you a few questions about alchemy?"

Junior Sister Liu stamped her feet in anger.

"These vixens! They watched us coldly just now, and now they're throwing themselves at him!"

Surrounded so tightly by these suddenly enthusiastic female students that he could barely move, Jiang Donghua couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.

He gave an awkward laugh.

"You're all too kind, Senior Sisters. I've only just joined, so I don't understand anything yet."

"Oh my, Junior Brother Jiang is far too modest~"

"Exactly! If Master Mo Xuan noticed you, you must have something exceptional about you~"

The female students chattered away, looking as though they wanted to devour Jiang Donghua alive.

In the distance, several male students watched with reddened eyes.

"This kid's luck is too good!"

"Hmph, didn't he just stumble into some dumb luck?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. He's Master Mo Xuan's disciple now. We can't afford to offend him!"

Jiang Donghua finally squeezed his way out of the perfumed crowd. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he said to the Liu siblings with lingering fear, "Let's get out of here!"

Senior Brother Liu could not help laughing.

"Junior Brother Jiang, it seems your days ahead won't be too dull!"

Jiang Donghua shook his head helplessly, though inwardly he was groaning.

This is going to be troublesome...

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Ming dragged his three lackeys into a corner with a dark expression.

"Listen carefully, all of you,"

he said in a low voice, wariness flickering in his eyes.

"From now on, none of you are allowed to provoke Jiang Donghua and the other two again."

Chen Xiao clutched his still-aching chest and asked unwillingly, "Senior Brother, are we just letting this go?"

"Idiot!"

Chen Ming smacked the back of his head.

"Do you know what a Fifth-grade Alchemist represents?"

He looked around and lowered his voice even further.

"If Master Mo Xuan gets angry, forget the few of us—even the families behind us could be uprooted with a single word from him!"

The three lackeys' faces instantly turned pale.

"From now on, not only must you avoid offending them,"

Chen Ming said through gritted teeth.

"If you get the chance, help them out a little. Understand?"

"It would be even better if we could make Jiang Donghua owe us a favor—not too big, not too small! If we can't, then we still can't let that guy hate us so much!"

"Yes, yes..."

The three nodded frantically.

Chen Ming gazed in the direction Jiang Donghua had departed, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.

How could he not want revenge?

But in this world where strength reigned supreme, the influence of a Fifth-grade Alchemist was enough to reduce any small faction to ashes.

"Let's go,"

Chen Ming said with a long sigh.

"Remember this: from today onward, Jiang Donghua is someone we cannot afford to provoke."

The three lackeys followed behind dejectedly, none of their former arrogance remaining.

Meanwhile, Jiang Donghua seemed to sense something and glanced back. A faint smile curved his lips.

"It seems this alchemist identity is unexpectedly useful. More precisely, having a Fifth-grade Alchemist backing you is truly as dazzling as a golden signboard."

Jiang Donghua grabbed one sleeve of each Liu sibling, circulated his Dou Qi, and shouted, "Go!"

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

Before his words had even faded, the three of them floated up like drifting clouds. After several rises and falls through the academy corridors, they had thrown off the overly enthusiastic female students without a trace.

"Phew—"

At the edge of a secluded grove, Jiang Donghua finally stopped. Releasing the two of them, he shook his head and sighed.

"When women get enthusiastic, they're truly harder to deal with than Demonic Beasts."

Liu Yuting patted her chest, still shaken.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Jiang Donghua's resolute profile. Her heart raced, warmth rose to her face, and she suddenly let out a soft laugh.

"But Senior Brother Jiang is quite the prize now. I'm afraid scenes like that won't be rare in the future."

Jiang Donghua waved his hand helplessly, then turned serious.

"I've already resolved your worries. Chen Ming's group probably won't dare trouble you again."

Senior Brother Liu solemnly clasped his fists.

"Senior Brother Jiang, we siblings will never forget your great kindness."

"It was only a small effort."

Jiang Donghua waved his hand casually.

"You can cultivate in peace now. If anyone still dares to cause trouble—"

A proud curve rose at the corner of his lips.

"Just give them my name."

Seeing that the two were still hesitant, he added, "If that doesn't work, just throw Master Mo Xuan's name around too."

Liu Yuting lowered her head, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She had already developed an inexplicable affection for this brave and talented Senior Brother Jiang. Yet whenever she saw Jiang Donghua's dazzling brilliance, she could not help but feel inferior.

The gap between them was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.

She could only bury this admiration deep within her heart, not daring to reveal even a fraction of it to her brother.

The Liu siblings exchanged a glance and could only nod silently.

They knew that from this day onward, the distance between themselves and Jiang Donghua would only grow wider, until they disappeared from his sight.