216: Jiang Donghua, who keeps his true abilities hidden

"Boom—!"

Wang Meng's powerful and heavy Rock Collapse Fist slammed down fiercely, instantly cracking the surface of the arena. Broken stones flew everywhere, and smoke and dust billowed!

Everyone widened their eyes, staring intently at the swirling dust cloud, eager to see the result.

"How is it? Can Jiang Donghua block it?"

"Wang Meng's rock-attributed Dou Qi is notoriously hard. Even if he couldn't block it, he shouldn't be too badly off, right?"

"Bang!"

A burly figure suddenly flew backward out of the smoke and dust, crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena, even causing the protective barrier to tremble violently!

The entire venue instantly fell silent!

Because the one who flew out was actually Wang Meng!

The rock armor on his body cracked inch by inch, his chest was sunken, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with disbelief!

As the dust cleared, Jiang Donghua still stood in his original spot, not even a corner of his clothes ruffled.

He slowly withdrew his fist, his expression calm, as if he had merely swatted away a fly.

"Rock attribute? Strong defense?"

"Too bad. In front of me, it's no different from something made of paper."

The entire venue erupted in an uproar!

"One... one move?!"

"Wang Meng is an Eight-Star Great Dou Master! An existence that even a Dou Ling would struggle to break the defense of! He was instantly defeated just like that?!"

"What kind of monster is this Jiang Donghua?!"

At this moment, everyone completely realized that Jiang Donghua's strength was absolutely not that of the fiftieth place on the fengyun ranking!

Not even top ten!

He was definitely in the top tier of the Outer Academy—top five, or perhaps even higher!

The faces of the geniuses ranked high on the fengyun ranking all changed at this moment.

"This guy hid his strength too well!"

"It seems the variables in this selection competition are greater than we imagined!"

Below the arena, the group of female students already had shining eyes, their cheeks flushed with excitement.

"Senior Brother Jiang is too strong! This is what a true genius looks like!"

"Ahhh! I want to join the Alchemy Department! I want to follow Senior Brother Jiang!"

Jiang Donghua lightly glanced below the stage, the corner of his mouth slightly lifted.

"Who else?"

These three understated words instantly silenced the entire square.

No one dared to answer!

"Jiang Donghua, wins!"

As the Elder's voice fell, the entire square plunged into a brief silence, followed by an even more intense burst of discussion.

"If I'm not mistaken, he should possess the strength of around a Three-Star Dou Ling."

"Three-Star Dou Ling strength—that's considered mid-level even in the Inner Academy, right?"

"When did the Alchemy Department produce such a monster? Isn't he an Alchemist? How is his combat power fiercer than that of a regular profession?!"

"Damn it, how are we supposed to compete in this selection competition? Just send him straight into the Inner Academy already!"

Among the crowd, the fengyun ranking experts who had initially held onto a glimmer of hope now all had solemn expressions.

"Three-Star Dou Ling... it seems we need to reassess his threat."

"Hmph, even if he is a Dou Ling, I don't believe he can crush everyone along the way!"

However, if they knew that what Jiang Donghua had revealed was merely the tip of the iceberg... they would probably lose the courage to even stand!

After all, who could have imagined that the true strength of an Alchemist who was usually lazy and low-key had already surpassed the scope of the Outer Academy's understanding?

Listening to the surrounding discussions, the corner of Jiang Donghua's mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

"Three-Star Dou Ling? Heh..."

He shook his head, offered no explanation, and simply walked slowly down the arena.

Just as he left, on the high platform on the other side of the square, several figures were silently watching everything.

"This kid is interesting."

"The Alchemy Department hid such a treasure, and it's only being exposed now?"

"It seems this Inner Academy selection won't be boring."

Jiang Donghua seemed to sense something, his steps pausing slightly, his gaze vaguely sweeping toward the high platform.

"Oh? Have I finally attracted attention?"

He chuckled softly, then stopped lingering and walked straight toward the resting area.

Behind him, the entire Outer Academy was already shaking because of him!

For the next two days, Jiang Donghua's name seemed to become a nightmare that Outer Academy Students desperately avoided.

"Next match: yellow rank class one, Jiang Donghua, versus Xuan Rank Class Fifty-Six, Liu Pang!"

As soon as the Elder's voice fell, a commotion arose below the stage.

"Where's Liu Pang? He hasn't forfeited again, has he?"

"Hahaha, does that even need asking? Who dares to fight Jiang Donghua? Isn't that just seeking humiliation?"

Sure enough, not long after, Liu Pang's classmate shouted loudly.

"Elder! Liu Pang says his old injury has recurred, and he cannot participate today!"

The audience immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Old injury recurred? We saw him jumping around just yesterday!"

"If he's a coward, he's a coward; why look for excuses!"

Standing on the arena, Jiang Donghua shook his head helplessly.

"How boring."

He had originally hoped to encounter a few opponents with some backbone, but now it seemed that these so-called geniuses of the Outer Academy lacked the courage to even fight when faced with an absolute gap in strength.

However, this was fine too; at least it saved him time.

However, what gave him a bigger headache than his opponents avoiding battle was the group of fierce female students!

As soon as he stepped off the arena, he was surrounded by a flock of beautiful women, making escape impossible.

"Senior Brother Jiang! You looked so handsome just now!"

"Senior Brother Jiang, could you give me some pointers on my Dou Technique?"

"Senior Brother Jiang, these are snacks I made myself, please try some!"

Jiang Donghua frowned slightly, subtly took half a step back, and his tone was cold.

"Sorry, I'm not interested."

But how could these female students give up so easily?

"Oh, Senior Brother Jiang, don't be so cold!"

"Exactly! We just want to make friends with you!"

One of the bolder female students even reached out directly, trying to hook her arm into his.

Jiang Donghua's gaze turned cold, his figure flickered slightly, and he instantly avoided her.

"Show some self-respect."

His voice was quiet, but it carried undeniable authority, causing the female student to freeze instantly, her face flushing red.

Seeing this, the others dared not be presumptuous anymore and could only reluctantly step back a few paces, but the fervor in their eyes did not diminish at all.

Jiang Donghua felt helpless internally.

"Red Silk just returned to Central Province. If she found out I was surrounded by a group of women..."

Just imagining that scene made him shiver involuntarily.

She absolutely cannot know!

He quickened his pace, swiftly leaving the square, but faint calls still came from behind him.

"Senior Brother Jiang! See you tomorrow!"

"Senior Brother Jiang, I will always support you!"

Jiang Donghua didn't look back, sighing inwardly.

"Why are these women more troublesome than my opponents?"

It seemed that in the coming days, he would have to find a way to avoid these fervent admirers.

On the third day, the Inner Academy selection competition entered the white-hot stage.

After two days of fierce competition, those lacking strength had already been eliminated. Now, everyone standing on the arena was a true elite of the Outer Academy.

At the very least, they possessed the strength of a Seven-Star Great Dou Master!

The atmosphere in the square was more solemn than the previous two days. The eyes of the surrounding students contained less frivolity and more reverence.

After all, anyone who could reach this stage was a formidable character with a few tricks up their sleeve.

"Next match: yellow rank class one, Jiang Donghua, versus Xuan Rank Class One Hundred and Seven, Zhu Pang!"

As soon as the Elder's voice fell, a low murmur of discussion arose below the stage.

"Zhu Pang? That big fatty with the ice attribute?"

"Don't judge him by his size. His ice-attributed Dou Qi is extremely malicious; if you're not careful, you'll be frozen into an ice sculpture!"

"Hehe, now this will be interesting. Jiang Donghua can't possibly defeat him in one move again, can he?"

Under everyone's gaze, a rotund fatty slowly walked onto the arena, his face covered in oily sweat, his robes mostly soaked through, looking exactly like a steamed bun just pulled out of a steamer.