285: It really is a Dou Zong!

Mu Chen's body showed no trace of Dou Qi fluctuations!

There were only two possibilities: either the other party was an ordinary person with no cultivation, or their strength was far superior to his, having reached the supreme realm where aura was completely contained and returned to its natural state!

And Mu Chen, clearly, could not be the first type!

What shocked Qin Xiao even more was Mu Chen's current state.

That face, once pale and bloodless, was now rosy and full of vitality.

There was no longer any hint of illness or melancholy between his brows; instead, there was a sense of peace and composure radiating from within, even carrying an indescribable sense of majesty.

That was a temperament naturally exuding after a leap in life's essence!

How was this still the sickly person with one foot in the grave?!

This was clearly a formidable expert in excellent condition, unfathomably deep!

Just as Qin Xiao's mind went blank, standing rooted to the spot like a block of wood, Mu Chen seemed to notice his arrival, stopped what he was doing, looked up, and gazed at him gently, a familiar smile on his face, yet one with far more confidence than before, and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Oh, it's Junior Brother Qin Xiao. Congratulations on breaking through to Dou Wang. What, do you want to eat at the Medicine Spirit Pavilion today too?"

He pointed to the enormous Demonic Beast on the ground, speaking as casually as if he were talking about buying a large cabbage today.

"Just right, I just went to the back mountain and caught a Sixth-Tier Demonic Beast, an Earth Flame Rhinoceros, that didn't know its place. Its meat is quite tender."

"Once it's cleaned up, everyone can eat together. Consider it a celebration for you."

Sixth-Tier Demonic Beast?

A powerful existence equivalent to a human Dou Huang level?

Caught by him casually? And its meat is tender?!

Qin Xiao opened his mouth, but found he couldn't utter a single syllable.

He looked at Mu Chen's gentle smile, felt the unfathomable, ocean-like aura from him (though he couldn't detect it, the invisible pressure was real), and then listened to those understated yet earth-shattering words.

All his previous doubts, all his sneers, now turned into the most stinging sarcasm, slapping him hard across the face.

It turned out the world hadn't gone crazy.

What was crazy was his own perception, which was still stuck in dozens of days ago.

His newly advanced Dou Wang, the former first on the strong ranking list of the Inner Academy, thunder fire asura, appeared so ridiculous and insignificant before a Dou Zong who could casually capture a Sixth-Tier Demonic Beast and whose aura was as deep as an abyss.

An indescribable complex emotion surged in his heart: shock, shame, and even a sense of powerlessness from being harshly left behind by the tide of the times.

That little thought of showing off earlier had long vanished, replaced only by a profound sense of absurdity and a re-evaluation of his own strength.

Qin Xiao's head buzzed. Almost instinctively, he walked to a stone bench nearby with some awkwardness and sat down.

His gaze was still fixed on the massive corpse of the Earth Flame Rhinoceros, feeling the fierce aura that, even in death, still lingered and made his heart pound.

"No mistake, this is definitely a Dou Huang-level Demonic Beast! And looking at the energy fluctuations, it's probably at least a Five-Star, or even a Six-Star Dou Huang's strength!"

Qin Xiao's heart was in turmoil. With his strength, having just broken through to One-Star Dou Wang, facing such an existence, being able to fortunately escape from its claws would already be a blessing, let alone killing it?

That would be a pipe dream!

But what did Mu Chen just say?

"Just went to the back mountain and caught one that didn't know its place?"

His tone was as casual as if he had gone to the vegetable garden to pull a radish!

The enormous disparity in strength made Qin Xiao's throat dry. He couldn't help but look up at Mu Chen, who was skillfully skinning and deboning, his movements fluid as if completing a work of art. His voice, with a dryness and awe he didn't even notice, asked,

"Senior Brother Mu Chen, what exactly is going on? Your body and this cultivation?"

He truly couldn't connect the unfathomable expert before him, who was single-handedly processing a Sixth-Tier Demonic Beast, with the sickly person from his memory who needed assistance to walk.

Mu Chen heard this, his hands not stopping, only smiling helplessly, a hint of incredulous emotion in his smile. He spread his hands, his tone candid.

"To be honest, Junior Brother Qin Xiao, I'm still a bit confused about the specifics myself."

He pointed to his chest, then to the massive Demonic Beast, and said,

"I can only tell you that my recovery, and even my current cultivation, are all thanks to Brother Jiang."

"That strange illness on me wasn't an illness at all, but an extremely malicious curse."

"It was Jiang Donghua who helped me find the source and resolve it. The process was complex and dangerous, but the result is, well, as you can see."

Mu Chen paused, a look of genuine gratitude and a hint of admiration for Jiang Donghua's abilities on his face, and continued,

"So, if you ask me what happened, I really can't explain it clearly. You'll have to ask the main person later."

He looked at the sky and smiled.

"By my estimate, Donghua should be arriving soon. This Earth Flame Rhinoceros today was specifically prepared for a feast."

Saying this, Mu Chen skillfully cut off a thick foreleg of the Earth Flame Rhinoceros with his knife. The meat of the foreleg showed an enticing marbled pattern, with faint fire-attribute energy flowing within.

He weighed it in his hand and smiled at Qin Xiao.

"You're quite lucky. This thing, after all, is a Demonic Beast of Five or Six-Star Dou Huang strength, a treasure all over. Especially this foreleg meat, I've heard some senior gourmets say long ago that its meat is tender and springy, and the pure fire-attribute energy it contains is greatly beneficial for cultivation. It's a rare delicacy!"

"When Donghua arrives, I'll make it for you all to eat. I guarantee you'll never forget it after one taste!"

Qin Xiao listened to Mu Chen's words, looked at the Demonic Beast meat radiating powerful energy fluctuations, and then heard these keywords, feeling an immense amount of information and his mind becoming even more chaotic.

That New Student Jiang Donghua not only might be a Dou Wang himself, but also capable of solving a curse that even Inner Academy Elders were helpless against, and indirectly created a Dou Zong?!

Just what kind of background did this Jiang Donghua have?!

His initial pride and complacency, which had arisen from breaking through to Dou Wang, were now shattered after personally witnessing Mu Chen's transformation and hearing even more preposterous things about Jiang Donghua.

He sat on the stone bench, watching Mu Chen effortlessly process the Sixth-Tier Demonic Beast that would make most Inner Academy Elders approach with caution, and smelling the exotic aroma of meat that was gradually spreading, only one thought remained in his mind.

This world, it seemed, was truly different from before he went into seclusion.

And the center of all these changes seemed to point to that mysterious New Student, Jiang Donghua.

He was now filled with immense anticipation, yet also a hint of apprehension, wanting to personally see just who this Jiang Donghua was, who could be so highly praised by Mu Chen and create such miracles.