244: Earth-rank combat skills?

While an astonishing reversal was unfolding in the forest below, with the New Students counter-killing the Senior Students and skillfully confiscating their Fire Energy...

Higher up, in an invisible area formed by strange energy distorting light, several Inner Academy Elders who were previously in charge of the handover were observing everything happening below.

Their originally leisurely expressions, as if watching a show, had long vanished without a trace.

Instead, there was undisguised shock, and a hint of incredulous astonishment.

When he saw Jiang Donghua send five Senior Students who were Peak Dou Lings flying with a single punch, one Elder couldn't help but gasp.

When they saw twenty Senior Students completely subdued within a minute and forced to hand over all their Fire Energy, the muscles on the faces of several Elders couldn't help but twitch.

Silence lasted for a while.

Finally, an Elder with a more fiery temper couldn't help but laugh and curse, his tone filled with complex and inexpressible emotions.

"Damn it! No wonder Lei Tian, that old fox, was smiling like a cat that stole fish earlier, and he even swore that this year he would show us what a true genius is!"

"So he was waiting for us here! That old ghost, he kept it really quiet!"

Another Elder stroked his beard, the shock in his eyes gradually turning into deep appreciation and pleasant surprise, as he nodded and sighed.

"It's truly unexpected that the Outer Academy could cultivate, no, could recruit such a monstrous existence at Peak Dou Ling!"

"Looking at this situation, with his strength alone, it seems that this batch of New Students successfully passing the trial is already a foregone conclusion! And to complete it with such a crushing victory, how many years has it been since we last saw something like this?"

"It's more than just successfully passing the trial,"

The third Elder interjected, his gaze fixed intently on Jiang Donghua, who was distributing Fire Energy below.

"This kid is practically treating the Fire Energy Hunting Competition as his own resource collection field! The Senior Students are in big trouble, haha!"

The Elder who spoke first seemed to remember something, and his expression became somewhat serious and curious.

"When we go back, we must make Lei Tian show us this kid's detailed information."

"A guy so young who can summon and control real fire must at least be a Fourth-Grade Alchemist!"

He recalled the wisp of icy blue flame on Jiang Donghua's fingertip.

"Plus his absurd Peak Dou Ling strength!"

He paused, his tone taking on a hint of speculation and gravity.

"Could he be a core member from one of those ancient families, like the behemoths of the Central Plains, out for experience?"

This conjecture made several Elders fall silent for a moment.

The foundations of those top Central Plains powers and the successors they cultivated indeed could not be judged by common sense.

If that were truly the case, then Jiang Donghua's performance seemed explainable.

"No matter where he comes from,"

Finally, an Elder concluded, a hopeful smile on his face.

"He is now an Inner Academy Student of our Jia Nan Academy! This is an invaluable treasure! It seems this year's Inner Academy will be exceptionally lively because of this kid!"

The Elders exchanged a smile, their gazes once again turning to the black-haired youth below, their eyes filled with the excitement and anticipation of having discovered a treasure.

They were already eager to see what kind of stir this kid would cause after entering the Inner Academy.

In another part of the forest, a team of five Inner Academy Seniors was aimlessly moving through, their faces filled with irritation and displeasure.

"Damn it, this is really strange!"

A lanky Senior Student couldn't help but kick a nearby tree trunk, cursing.

"How come we haven't encountered a single lone New Student? We can't even see a ghost! Did these New Students collectively burrow underground this year?"

Another team member with a scar on his face also sighed.

"Exactly! At this rate, we might actually lose money! We paid Fire Energy to get in, and if we go back empty-handed, we'll lose even our underwear!"

The captain, a steady-faced youth, didn't speak, but his brows were tightly furrowed, clearly indicating he was also in a bad mood.

The harvest from this hunting competition was indeed far below expectations.

Just as the group was complaining, the captain suddenly looked up sharply, his ears twitching, and his expression instantly became serious as he put a finger to his lips.

"Shh—!"

Seeing this, the other four immediately shut their mouths, falling silent instantly, and vigilantly followed the captain's gaze towards the depths of the dense forest, while quickly concealing their auras and preparing for battle or an ambush.

However, at this moment, the captain's face showed an uncertain expression; he listened carefully for a moment, his eyes filled with confusion, and he hesitantly whispered,

"Something's not right, this movement doesn't sound like one or two people; it sounds like at least twenty or thirty!"

"What? Twenty or thirty people?"

The lanky team member exclaimed in surprise, then quickly lowered his voice.

"How could New Students gather so many people? Aren't they afraid of being wiped out in one go?"

The team members, who had originally been eager to fight, suddenly became a bit calmer and more doubtful upon hearing this.

There were too many people; this already exceeded the range their small team could easily handle.

"Sense them carefully!"

The captain ordered in a low voice.

The five held their breath, cautiously extending their Soul Power in the direction of the movement.

As the distance closed, they finally saw clearly that it was indeed a large team of New Students, numbering twenty or thirty people!

"Holy crap! It really is a group of New Students! And so many of them together?"

The scarred-face team member couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, his face full of disbelief.

"How dare they?"

"That black-haired guy must be their leader, right?"

Another team member also found it unbelievable.

Suddenly, the black-haired youth seemed to sense something, and he abruptly looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of forest trees, landing with precise accuracy in the direction where the five of them were hiding!

Immediately after, the corner of the youth's mouth curved into a playful smile that sent chills down the spines of all five of them.

"Not good!"

An alarm blared in the captain's heart.

"He found us! Retreat quickly!"

The next moment, the five Senior Students only felt a blur before their eyes, as if an almost imperceptible silver electric thread flashed and vanished in the air!

Immediately after, a suffocating sense of oppression appeared beside them without any warning!

The five turned their heads in shock, only to see that the black-haired New Student leader, as they called him, had appeared silently like a ghost less than five steps away from them, they didn't know when!

He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, as if he had merely strolled over, rather than having traversed dozens of meters in an instant!

"This... what speed is this?!"

The lanky Senior Student exclaimed in a hushed voice, which trembled slightly.

"Could it be a Di-rank Dou Technique for movement?!"

The scarred-face team member also turned pale with fright; such terrifying speed was completely beyond their comprehension!

They hadn't even seen how the other party had gotten there!