256: Lei Lie, an old acquaintance

The New Students of Donghua Pavilion selected a slightly old but quite large pavilion with a good location to serve as their base.

Once the address was chosen, everyone immediately began the renovation work with great enthusiasm.

For this group of elites from various departments of the Outer Academy, renovating a building was not difficult.

Several students who cultivated Earth and Wood Attribute Dou Qi particularly showed off their skills.

As the Earth Attribute Dou Qi surged, the ground became flat and sturdy, and the walls seemed to come alive, automatically patching cracks, reinforcing, and thickening themselves.

When Wood Attribute Dou Qi circulated, the beams and pillars creaked and were reborn; damaged doors and windows were quickly repaired or even reshaped, and vines wrapped around them, adding a touch of natural vitality.

The entire renovation process was highly efficient and seemed effortless; a brand-new Donghua Pavilion was taking shape at a visible speed.

Just as everyone was working enthusiastically and looking forward to the future.

"R-Report, Leader! This is bad!"

Niu Er, a New Student guarding the main entrance, ran in stumbling and panicked, shouting breathlessly at Jiang Donghua, who was directing the renovation.

The noisy construction site instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes focused on Niu Er.

Jiang Donghua raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, "Why are you so flustered?"

Niu Er swallowed hard, pointed outside, and stammered.

"A Senior Student is outside! His aura is so strong! He said he wants to come in and see you!"

"A Senior Student? Asking specifically to see Brother Jiang?"

"At this time? What does he want to do?"

"Could he be looking for trouble?"

The New Students immediately started discussing amongst themselves, and the recently relaxed atmosphere instantly became tense again.

Instead of being afraid, many people showed excited expressions, anticipating a good show.

"Heh! There's actually someone not afraid of death who dares to come here and challenge us?"

"Exactly! Who in the entire Inner Academy doesn't know that our leader easily defeated Senior Chen Ming, who was ranked twenty-fifth on the strong ranking list? To dare to come now, he must absolutely be a formidable powerhouse!"

"It's definitely going to be a head-to-head battle! We've got a show to watch!"

Almost everyone's first reaction was: those who come are not friendly, and those who are friendly do not come!

Since the opponent dared to come alone despite knowing Jiang Donghua's brilliant record, he must be a ruthless individual with extreme confidence in his own strength!

This could very well be the beginning of a fierce struggle between two great heroes!

Even Lin Xiu, Bai Ling, and the others looked serious, secretly circulating the Dou Qi within their bodies, preparing to deal with any sudden situation.

After all, the Inner Academy was full of hidden masters, and none of the monsters ranked high on the strong ranking list could be underestimated.

Everyone's gaze turned back to Jiang Donghua, waiting for his decision.

Jiang Donghua showed no trace of nervousness on his face, instead revealing a thoughtful expression.

He brushed the dust off his hands and said lightly.

"What is there to panic about? A visitor is a guest; invite him in. I want to see which Senior Student has graced us with his presence."

His composure instantly influenced the crowd, calming their agitated moods considerably.

Niu Er quickly agreed and hurried back out.

The entire Donghua Pavilion construction site quieted down. Everyone looked toward the entrance with anticipation, both nervous and excited, wanting to know who this mysterious Senior Student was, daring to visit while their leader's reputation was at its peak.

While everyone held their breath, nervously looking toward the entrance and preparing for a potential fierce battle, Jiang Donghua subtly twitched his nose.

As a Fourth-Grade Alchemist Master, he was extremely sensitive to all kinds of scents, especially the aroma of medicinal ingredients.

An extremely rich, clean fragrance, mixed with the scents of various rare medicinal ingredients, along with a faint, strange scorched smell of being struck by lightning, accompanied by a powerful and majestic vitality, wafted in from outside the entrance.

This smell was somewhat familiar.

A trace of confusion flashed in Jiang Donghua's eyes, but then, as if realizing something, a genuine smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Sure enough, before anyone appeared, a hearty, booming voice, loud and full of vigor like muffled thunder, preceded him, seemingly causing the rafters to hum.

"Wahahaha! Old Lei heard from far away that this batch of New Students produced an unreasonably fierce one named Jiang! I was wondering if it was you! I didn't expect it really to be Brother Jiang!"

Before the voice faded, a tall, burly figure, like a giant bear, practically blocked the light of the entire doorway and strode in quickly.

The person was wearing tight-fitting clothes that were slightly damaged, stained with dirt, and had some scorch marks. The muscles on his exposed arms were bulging, filled with explosive power.

He wore a hearty, even rugged smile on his face, and carried a huge staff on his shoulder.

He completely ignored the surrounding New Students who were treating him as a great enemy and staring dumbfounded. His gaze locked directly onto Jiang Donghua in the center of the room, and he laughed heartily.

"The moment I heard you arrived, I rushed back from the mountains right away! I brought you a welcome gift!"

"These past few days, I, Old Lei, had several fierce fights with a few Guardian Magical Beasts in the deep forests and grabbed some good stuff! I figured you, being a Master Alchemist, would definitely like these medicinal ingredients!"

Seeing this familiar figure and hearing these straightforward, hearty words, the smile on Jiang Donghua's face fully blossomed, and he stepped forward to greet him.

"Lei Lie! It really is you, old fellow!"

He turned and waved his hand casually at Lin Xiu, Bai Ling, and the others behind him, who were still somewhat bewildered and hadn't grasped the situation, explaining.

"No need to be nervous, it's an acquaintance."

He looked at Lei Lie, his tone carrying the familiarity of a reunion after a long separation.

"This is Senior Student Lei Lie. I had the good fortune of meeting him last year while training outside. He has a hearty disposition and is a true man."

He deliberately emphasized his tone and added a sentence.

"His staff technique is truly masterful and incredibly powerful!"

Hearing Jiang Donghua's introduction, especially the final comment on his strength, the New Students finally realized the situation. Their tense nerves instantly relaxed, replaced by immense curiosity.

So he wasn't here to challenge them; he was the leader's old acquaintance, and such a unique and imposing powerhouse at that!

Judging by his demeanor, this Senior Student named Lei Lie must possess extraordinary strength!

Lei Lie chuckled, then casually reached in and fumbled around a bit before carefully pulling out several herbs of strange shapes, shimmering with different lusters and emitting rich energy fluctuations.

One of them was entirely crimson like fire, yet its leaves displayed ice-crystal-like patterns, emanating a strange aura of ice and fire fusion.

Another was wrapped in fine silver electrical arcs, crackling audibly, and yet another looked as if it were carved from black jade, emitting heavy, condensed Earth Attribute energy.

The moment these few herbs appeared, the surrounding Heaven and Earth energy seemed to become slightly more active, and the rich medicinal fragrance made many people cultivating the Wood Attribute or requiring pure energy feel refreshed and delighted.

Lei Lie held these herbs, which were clearly extraordinary, out toward Jiang Donghua and said boisterously.

"Here, Brother Jiang, take a look, these things should be decent, right? Old Lei doesn't understand this stuff, I just thought the energy was quite abundant!"

Jiang Donghua's gaze swept over the medicinal ingredients. A trace of imperceptible surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He picked up the herb interwoven with ice and fire, examined it carefully, and asked in a calm tone.