240: If you can't beat me, leave it to me.

The team advanced cautiously through the dense forest. Jiang Donghua walked at the very front, his Soul Power quietly spreading out like an invisible spiderweb, sensing every rustle around him.

Suddenly, a lithe figure, quiet as a forest sprite, silently drew near him.

It was Bai Ling. At this moment, her face held a sly yet excited smile. She bounced over and leaned close to Jiang Donghua's ear, quickly speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.

“Jiang Donghua, five guys in the canopy to the northwest were watching us just now. Their aura seemed to be around One-star Dou Ling or Two-Star Dou Ling. They should be Inner Academy Seniors.”

“But, well, those five guys muttered a few words and quietly retreated. It looks like they thought we had too many people and were too tough to chew.”

After she finished, she blinked her large eyes and asked with a mixture of curiosity and worry.

“Senior, aren’t we making ourselves too obvious by walking together so openly? Is this really okay?”

Hearing this, Jiang Donghua showed no surprise. Instead, the corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile, an expression suggesting everything was under his control.

He replied in an equally low voice, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable confidence.

“No matter. I am not afraid that they will come; I am afraid that they truly won't come.”

Bai Ling was startled at first, then immediately understood Jiang Donghua's intention: he was deliberately using himself and the entire team as bait to lure the hunters to come to them!

The worry on her face was instantly replaced by excitement, and she nodded vigorously with a grin.

“Great! Knowing that, I feel relieved!”

“I bet several teams will show up soon, right? Hehe, this is going to be lively!”

The large alliance of New Students led by Jiang Donghua traveled a considerable distance through the forest.

Initially, the twenty-odd students who were Peak Great Dou Shi were still filled with apprehension and vigilance.

After all, they had long heard of the notorious reputation of the Inner Academy Seniors.

However, throughout their journey, apart from the initial team of observers that Bai Ling had discovered, they had not encountered any further interception from Senior Students. The forest was unexpectedly quiet.

This abnormal tranquility instead allowed some of the originally tense New Students to gradually relax, even starting to develop a misconception.

“We've walked for so long without incident. It seems those Senior Students know we aren't easy targets, right?”

“Yeah, Senior Jiang is so powerful, and we have so many people. They definitely wouldn't dare to come!”

“Tsk tsk, there really is strength in numbers! It looks like choosing to follow Senior Jiang was the right decision!”

A kind of blind optimism and sense of security began to spread among some of the students.

Their taut nerves slightly relaxed, and they even began conversing in low voices, thinking they might be able to reach the Inner Academy safely just like this.

But they had no idea that deeper within the forest, a more threatening ambush targeting them was quietly taking shape.

In an area along the New Students' required path, where the terrain was slightly rugged and the trees were particularly dense.

A full four teams of Inner Academy Seniors, twenty people in total, had silently completed their rendezvous.

They were hidden behind thick tree trunks, within dense bushes, or lurking beneath the thick layer of fallen leaves, setting up a perfect ambush circle like seasoned hunters.

A Senior Student, who appeared to be the temporarily elected leader and was a Three-Star Dou Ling at the Peak, sensed the slow-moving, mixed-aura team of New Students in the distance. He couldn't help but curl his lip, his tone full of disdain and ease as he chuckled softly to his companions.

“Hmph, I thought they were some tough opponents, but it’s just a few Two-Star Dou Ling and Three-Star Dou Ling dragging along twenty-odd Peak Great Dou Shi as baggage. A disorganized rabble!”

Another Three-Star Dou Ling next to him also sneered.

“Exactly. With our four teams, we can definitely take them! Brothers, cheer up; this is a feast delivered right to our doorstep!”

Their confidence stemmed from the absolute suppression of strength.

The twenty Senior Students gathered here had a truly luxurious strength configuration.

Two Three-Star Dou Ling, six Two-Star Dou Ling, and twelve One-star Dou Ling!

This was an extremely powerful force!

The gap between a Dou Ling Expert and a Peak Great Dou Shi was immense and certainly not something that could be easily bridged by sheer numbers.

A single One-star Dou Ling could easily handle three or four Peak Great Dou Shi, let alone the higher-ranked experts among them.

In their view, apart from the handful of One-star Dou Ling and Two-Star Dou Ling in the opposing New Students team who required slight attention, the remaining twenty-odd Great Dou Master were simply lambs waiting to be slaughtered—they were moving Fire Energy!

“Everyone hide well!”

The leading Senior Student gave the order in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of a hunter.

“Once those dozens of fat sheep obediently walk into our encirclement, we’ll give them the initiation they must accept as New Students!”

“Let them understand that the rules of the Inner Academy are not child’s play like the Outer Academy!”

The team continued forward. Jiang Donghua, walking at the very front, suddenly paused imperceptibly, and the faint smile on his lips deepened slightly.

His powerful Soul Power perception, which far exceeded his peers, had clearly sensed the twenty Dou Ling Expert auras in the area ahead—as conspicuous as torches in the dark—as well as their clumsy ambush formation.

He calmly slowed his pace, waved behind him, and called out softly in a relaxed voice.

“Zhao Ming, Bai Ling, Wang Han, Lin Xiu, the four of you come here for a moment.”

The four people named were all the Dou Ling Expert in this temporary alliance besides him. Hearing the call, they immediately hurried forward and gathered around him, their faces showing questioning expressions.

Jiang Donghua still wore that indifferent smile, as if discussing a trivial matter. He spoke in a voice restricted only to the five of them.

“Up ahead, behind that small slope and the woods, four teams of Inner Academy Seniors are lying in ambush, twenty people in total. It looks like they intend to give us a surprise.”

The four people’s expressions instantly changed upon hearing this!

Lin Xiu, whose temperament was more reserved, couldn't help but frown. He subconsciously glanced at the Great Dou Master students around them who were still unaware and marveling at the strength of their numbers. A worried look appeared on his face, and he spoke with some apprehension.

“Senior Jiang, an ambush? If it were just one or two teams, we might be able to fight our way through, but four teams—twenty Dou Ling Expert!”

“Isn’t this a bit too risky? We only have five people here who truly possess fighting strength!”

Although the other three did not speak, the same worry was evident in their eyes.

The opponent's numbers and strength configuration certainly sounded extremely oppressive.

However, facing this worry, Jiang Donghua merely shook his head gently. His smile remained unchanged, but his tone carried a reassuring, absolute confidence as he spoke.

“No matter, the plan remains unchanged.”

“Wait a moment. You can start by picking opponents you can handle; it’s good practice.”

“As for those you can’t defeat, or those you find tricky, just leave them all to me.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the four, his voice steady yet carrying unquestionable power.

It was just this simple sentence.

At that moment, all the doubts in the hearts of the four instantly vanished!

That's right! What was there to worry about?

The person beside them was not some ordinary One-star Dou Ling or Two-Star Dou Ling, but a ruthless expert at the Peak of Nine-Star Dou Ling!

Even if the Two-Star Dou Ling and Three-Star Dou Ling were strong, and no matter how many there were, they absolutely could not compare to the absolute gap in realm that a Peak Dou Ling represented!

Although their minds were settled, they immediately took action.

Bai Ling, Zhao Ming, and the others quietly dispersed, returning among the Great Dou Master students. They lowered their voices and used the fastest and most concise language to convey the terrifying message that twenty Dou Ling Expert Senior Students were lying in ambush ahead.

At this, the students who had been relaxed and even joking instantly fell silent, their faces turning pale, their bodies tensing up, and even their breathing instinctively becoming lighter!

The easy atmosphere from before vanished completely, replaced by a tension and fear that was nearly solidified.

After all, no matter how you looked at it, those were twenty Dou Ling Expert!

For the vast majority of them, who were still Great Dou Master, this was simply an unimaginable terrifying force, enough to crush them easily!

However, when they looked at the five Dou Ling Expert at the very front of the team.

Especially when they saw the still-straight and calm figure of Jiang Donghua.

Only then was the fear that was almost overwhelming them slightly suppressed.

They clenched their fists, secretly mobilizing the Dou Qi throughout their bodies.

Although they knew the main fight wouldn't involve them, they absolutely could not be a burden!