Jiang Donghua, the Outer Academy's Darling

Jiang Donghua rubbed his temples as he walked back to the classroom with a troubled expression.

He had hoped for peaceful days spent traveling between the training grounds, dormitory, and classroom, but reality had dealt him a crushing blow.

The moment he stepped over the classroom threshold, a fragrant breeze washed over him.

"Senior Brother Jiang~ There's an empty seat over here!"

"Junior Brother Donghua, I have some excellent Spirit Tea here. Would you like to try some?"

"Classmate Jiang, could I ask you about this issue with circulating Dou Qi?"

Looking around, Jiang Donghua found that the familiar classroom was packed with unfamiliar faces—and they were all rather pretty female students.

Some were shy, some enthusiastic. Their eyes shimmered as though they wanted nothing more than to swallow Jiang Donghua whole.

"W-What is going on?"

Jiang Donghua froze in the doorway, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Although he had the AFK System to cultivate automatically, who could withstand being surrounded by so many lovely girls every day?

Before transmigrating, he had been an innocent young man who had never even held a girl's hand!

"Ahem!"

A light cough came from behind him.

As if granted a reprieve, Jiang Donghua turned and saw Junior Sister Liu standing in the corridor with her hands on her hips, her little face flushed red with anger.

"You vixens!"

Junior Sister Liu rushed forward in a single stride and stood in front of Jiang Donghua like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

"Senior Brother Jiang still has to go to the Alchemy Room. Move aside!"

The female students immediately became displeased.

"Who are you? What gives you the right to stop us from talking to Senior Brother Jiang?"

"Exactly! Who are you trying to impress by acting so high and mighty?"

As the tension thickened, Jiang Donghua hastily came up with an idea.

"Um, Instructor Mo Xuan is still waiting for me to test some medicine. I'll be going now!"

With that, he slipped away, directly activating Cloud-Chasing Steps to make his escape.

Several junior sisters shouted furiously behind him.

"Senior Brother Jiang! Wait for me!"

After a few leaps, Jiang Donghua had already shot up onto the rooftop.

He wiped away a cold sweat and muttered with lingering fear, "Too terrifying. I need to think of something."

There were at least two or three hundred thousand students in the Outer Academy, and new things happened every day. Surely, in a few days, the attention on him would be replaced by other gossip.

Rather than being treated like a spectacle here, I might as well...

He narrowed his eyes and looked toward the distant mountains and forests.

Ancient trees towered there, while mist curled through the woods. It was the perfect place for secluded cultivation.

In any case, he had the AFK System. Cultivation was cultivation wherever he went.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Donghua immediately began preparing.

He first headed to the Mission Hall, intending to accept several long-term missions to gather Medicinal Herbs.

The moment he arrived at the Mission Hall, the Senior Student in charge of registration recognized him at once.

"Well, if it isn't Jiang Donghua, Junior Brother Jiang—the Outer Academy's big celebrity!"

The surrounding students heard this and cast curious, envious looks his way.

Jiang Donghua paused briefly, then smiled politely.

The Senior Student warmly approached him. "Junior Brother Jiang, are you here to accept missions?"

"Come, come. I happen to have several high-level herb-gathering missions that suit you. Not only are the rewards generous, but the locations are all rich in Spiritual Qi, which will also benefit your cultivation."

As he spoke, he selected several mission scrolls from a pile and handed them to Jiang Donghua.

Delighted, Jiang Donghua accepted the mission scrolls and thanked him.

The Senior Student patted him on the shoulder again. "As Instructor Mo Xuan's prized disciple, you naturally deserve special treatment. I wouldn't give these missions to just anyone, so don't waste my good intentions."

Next, Jiang Donghua went to the Logistics Department and exchanged for enough dried rations and water to last three months.

The steward at the Logistics Department was also extremely welcoming when he saw him. Not only did he quickly pack the supplies, but he also gave Jiang Donghua several practical wilderness survival tools.

"Junior Brother Jiang, are you heading far away?" the steward asked curiously.

"Yes, I accepted several herb-gathering missions," Jiang Donghua answered without changing expression.

"Instructor Mo Xuan said I should become more familiar with the properties of Medicinal Herbs."

The steward nodded approvingly. "As expected of Master Mo Xuan's prized disciple—so diligent! Take these tools with you. They may prove very useful."

Once everything was ready, Jiang Donghua climbed over the academy walls under cover of night.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the brightly lit dormitory area. He could faintly hear several female students asking about his whereabouts.

"Heh. Once you get tired of looking for me, you'll naturally find a new target."

He leaped into the air and vanished into the vast night after a few bounds.

With these conveniences and additional resources, Jiang Donghua felt full of anticipation for his coming period of secluded cultivation.

Jiang Donghua had barely left the academy when news of it reached the Alchemy Department.

Instructor Mo Xuan sat inside the Pill Room, holding a report sent over by the Mission Hall. It detailed the several high-level herb-gathering missions Jiang Donghua had accepted.

He raised his teacup and took a light sip. The furrow in his brow gradually eased.

"This kid..."

Mo Xuan murmured to himself, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Yesterday, he had thought Jiang Donghua was greedy for comfort and unwilling to improve in alchemy. He had even been so angry that he nearly went to drag the boy back himself for a scolding. But now, it seemed that was not the case.

"So he wasn't slacking off. He wanted to make a breakthrough on his own?"

Mo Xuan set down his teacup, a trace of approval flashing through his eyes.

Every mission Jiang Donghua had accepted required venturing deep into dangerous places rich in Spiritual Qi. Some of the herbs were difficult for even ordinary alchemists to identify.

Such missions were usually chosen only by disciples who genuinely wished to temper their alchemy skills.

"Proud little brat."

Mo Xuan shook his head and chuckled.

"You want to secretly advance to a First-grade Alchemist, then amaze everyone?"

Although Jiang Donghua had not said so outright, Mo Xuan had already guessed his intentions. He did not want to break through under everyone's watchful eyes. Instead, he intended to cultivate in seclusion and return only after truly improving his alchemy.

"Fine. This is ten thousand times better than what I imagined."

In high spirits, Mo Xuan casually took a medicinal pill from his sleeve and tossed it to the Nine-Star Battle Master student who had come to report.

"This Qi Circulation Pill can help you break through to Battle Master, increasing your chances by twenty percent."

The student froze for a moment before becoming wildly ecstatic. He clenched the pill tightly in both hands, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Thank you, Master Mo Xuan!"

Mo Xuan waved him away, then picked up his teacup again and gazed out the window with distant eyes.

"Jiang Donghua, don't disappoint me!"

Following the mission map's directions, Jiang Donghua ventured deeper into the mountains and forests.

The farther in he went, the scarcer signs of human activity became. Ancient trees towered all around, their branches and leaves blocking out the sky so thoroughly that even sunlight struggled to penetrate.

The air was filled with dense Spiritual Qi, but it also carried a hint of danger.

"This place truly isn't somewhere ordinary people can come."

Jiang Donghua muttered under his breath, cautiously scanning his surroundings.

Along the way, he encountered an absurd number of magical beasts.

Most of them were powerful, with the weakest being at the level of a One-star Dou Zhe. Several had even reached the peak Fighter level.

He did not dare fight them head-on and could only avoid them whenever possible. When he could not evade them, he reluctantly struck and killed only the weaker ones.

However, just as he climbed over a steep cliff, a savage aura suddenly locked onto him!

"Roar—!"

Accompanied by an ear-splitting roar, a massive black shadow burst from the dense forest. Its crimson beast eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Donghua, its fangs gleaming as drool dripped from its mouth.

"A Seven-Star Battle Master magical beast—the Bloodfang Demonic Wolf!"

Jiang Donghua's pupils contracted as alarm rose within him.

The Bloodfang Demonic Wolf was incredibly fast and bloodthirsty by nature. Once it targeted prey, it would not stop until one of them was dead!

"Damn it, why did I have to run into such a troublesome thing?"

He cursed through gritted teeth and turned to run without hesitation.

"Whoosh—!"

The Bloodfang Demonic Wolf slammed its limbs against the ground and instantly became a bloody afterimage, pursuing him madly!

Jiang Donghua did not dare be careless. Dou Qi surged wildly through his body, and his footwork suddenly changed. His figure became as elusive as drifting clouds and mist—it was the Yellow-Tier High-Grade Movement Combat Skill he had mastered, Cloud-Chasing Steps!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

He darted through the forest at high speed, constantly changing direction with the help of trees and terrain in an attempt to shake off the Bloodfang Demonic Wolf.

However, the beast was far too fast. Several times, it nearly pounced on him!

This can't go on.

Cold sweat appeared on Jiang Donghua's forehead as he rapidly considered a solution.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he spotted a narrow crack in the mountain ahead!

I'll gamble on it!

Without hesitation, he rushed toward it. Just as the Bloodfang Demonic Wolf was about to pounce, his figure flashed and slipped into the mountain crevice!

"Boom!"

The Bloodfang Demonic Wolf's enormous body crashed violently into the rock wall. Broken stones flew everywhere, but it could not squeeze into the narrow gap and could only roar in fury, its claws frantically tearing at the rock.

Jiang Donghua pressed his back against the stone wall and panted heavily, his heart pounding wildly.

"Whew... I finally shook it off..."

But before he could relax, the Bloodfang Demonic Wolf's roar suddenly became even more violent!

"Roar—!!!"

Then, the entire mountainside began to tremble faintly!

"Oh no! Is this beast trying to smash the mountain wall down?!"

Jiang Donghua's expression changed drastically.

He had to leave quickly. Otherwise, if the crevice collapsed, he would either be buried alive or have to face the beast head-on!

Looks like I can only fight!

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He reached behind his back and drew his sword, a longsword glowing red appearing in his palm.

"Since I can't escape, I'll slaughter you!"

A cold light flashed in Jiang Donghua's eyes. Dou Qi surged wildly through his body as blazing flames suddenly ignited around his right palm!

"Blazing Palm!"

Seizing the instant when the Bloodfang Demonic Wolf was stuck in the crevice, he fiercely struck its head with his palm!

"Boom—!"

The flames exploded. The scorching palm force slammed into the Bloodfang Demonic Wolf's forehead, sending flesh and blood flying. Its fur was charred black, and its ghastly white skull was even clearly visible!

"Awoo—!"

The Bloodfang Demonic Wolf let out a miserable howl. Driven mad by the agony, it struggled frantically and actually forced itself out of the mountain crevice!

"Bang!"

Broken stones scattered as the giant wolf landed. Its crimson eyes locked onto Jiang Donghua, foul-smelling drool dripping between its fangs as furious killing intent radiated from its body!

Jiang Donghua's heart tightened, but he quickly calmed down.

"That palm strike weakened it by at least thirty or forty percent!"

The Bloodfang Demonic Wolf's head had been injured, and its movements had noticeably slowed. Its once wind-like speed had become somewhat unsteady.

"Roar—!"

It growled low and lunged at him, but its speed was no longer what it had been!

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Donghua's lips. He activated Cloud-Chasing Steps, his figure drifting like clouds and mist as he easily evaded the attack.

"Beast, now it's my turn!"

With a flick of his right hand, a short sword flashed with cold light. Dou Qi poured into its blade, and the edge immediately gleamed with sharp force!

"Take this!"

"Whoosh—!"

The sword light flashed like lightning, shooting straight for the Bloodfang Demonic Wolf's throat!

The Bloodfang Demonic Wolf instinctively turned its head to dodge, but its injured head made its reaction a fraction too slow. The blade slashed viciously across its foreleg, sending blood spraying!

"Awo!"

The giant wolf howled in pain, its ferocity growing even stronger. Ignoring its injuries, it pounced again!

Jiang Donghua's gaze turned cold. His body suddenly dipped low as he gripped the short sword in reverse and slashed upward with force!

"Squelch!"

The blade pierced precisely into the Bloodfang Demonic Wolf's abdomen, and blood gushed out!

"It's over!"

He exerted force, viciously twisting the short sword before pulling back and retreating at top speed!

Boom!

The Bloodfang Demonic Wolf's massive body crashed heavily to the ground, blood staining the earth red. It struggled a few times before finally drawing its last breath.

Jiang Donghua let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking at the giant wolf lying on the ground, a faint smile curled across his lips.

"A Seven-Star Battle Master–level magical beast... I only managed to kill it through sheer luck."

He stepped forward and skillfully cut open its head, but found no trace of a magic core. He could only carve off several valuable pieces of fur and its claws, storing them in his pack.

"Let's keep moving. This isn't a place to linger."

He raised his head and looked toward the depths of the mountain forest, the fighting spirit in his eyes still unextinguished.

"The real trial has only just begun!"