32: The timid starve, the bold gorgeous feast.

The dormitories of Jia Nan Academy were brightly lit.

New Students in various rooms gathered in twos and threes, all discussing the same topic.

"Did you hear? A Third-Tier Green-Winged Demonic Condor appeared in the trial zone this afternoon!"

A lanky New Student lowered his voice, gesturing with his hands.

"Its wingspan was several meters long!"

The fatty on the adjacent bed suddenly sat upright.

"Really? Is that true? Isn't that a Magical Beast equivalent to a Great Dou Master?"

"Absolutely true!"

The lanky man leaned in mysteriously.

"My cousin is on duty with the Law Enforcement Team and personally saw Mentor Mo Cang return with the Demonic Condor's corpse."

Around the corner of the corridor, several girls gathered in a circle.

A girl with a ponytail looked pale.

"I was planning to go for a trial tomorrow, but now I think I'll skip it."

"Exactly! That's a flying Magical Beast; there's no way to escape!"

The girl next to her, wearing glasses, pushed up her frames.

At a stone table below the dormitory building, several Senior Students were drinking wine.

A Senior Student with a scar on his face scoffed.

"This year's New Students are really lucky; they encountered such a grand gift on their first day."

"Come on, Old Dao, when we went on our first mission, weren't we also chased by that First-Tier Blazing Tiger until we were scared witless?"

His companion refilled his drink.

The entire academy was enveloped in a peculiar atmosphere.

The New Students were both excited and fearful, while the Senior Students watched with a bit of schadenfreude.

Meanwhile, on Qingyun Peak, where the mentors resided, several mentors sat around in the council hall, their expressions solemn.

"This is already the third incident this month."

The white-haired Elder tapped the table.

"The appearance of high-tier Magical Beasts in the trial zone is no accident."

Mo Cang stood by the window with his arms crossed, the light illuminating the side of his face.

"I examined that Demonic Condor; it had residual dark energy within its body."

At these words, the hall immediately fell silent.

The Gray-Robed Elder, sitting at the head, slowly opened his eyes.

"Blood Demon Sect?"

No one answered, but everyone in their hearts had the answer.

On the second floor of Jia Nan Academy's cafeteria, after several rounds of drinks.

Jiang Donghua suddenly leaned in, mysteriously approaching The Liu Siblings.

"Pack your things tonight; as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow, we'll go hunt Magical Beasts again!"

"Pfft—"

Liu Mingyu spat out a mouthful of soup, his eyes wide.

"Are you crazy? That place now has Third-Tier Magical Beasts!"

Yuting's chopsticks clattered onto the table, and she reached out to touch Jiang Donghua's forehead.

"Brother Donghua, are you drunk?"

Jiang Donghua slapped her hand away, glanced left and right to confirm no one was paying attention, and then lowered his voice.

"Use your brains! With such a big incident today, would the academy let students go to their deaths?"

He picked up his wine glass and took a sip, a glint in his eyes.

"I bet the Elders have already cleared out the high-tier Magical Beasts by now. The timid ones won't dare to go, but the bold ones..."

He grinned.

"They'll probably be stuffed to the gills!"

Liu Mingyu frowned in thought, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table. "You mean the academy will strengthen patrols?"

"More than that!"

Jiang Donghua lowered his voice, rubbing his fingers together.

"If we're careful, we'll definitely get even bigger benefits than today!"

Yuting bit her lower lip, her ice crystal pendant gleaming faintly in the candlelight.

"But what if!"

"There's no 'what if'!"

Jiang Donghua interrupted her.

"We'll just operate along the periphery, and if things look bad, we'll retreat immediately."

He raised his wine glass.

"After this job, you probably won't have to worry about your monthly assessment tasks for the entire year!"

Hearing Jiang Donghua's words, a hint of embarrassment appeared on the faces of the siblings.

Yuting unconsciously clutched the corner of her clothes, while Liu Mingyu lowered his head, staring at his wine glass, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

"Brother Donghua, actually, you don't have to specifically—"

Yuting's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Stop!"

Jiang Donghua suddenly slapped the table, making the dishes clatter, then scratched his head, revealing a slightly awkward smile.

"What are you thinking? Am I, Jiang Donghua, the kind of person who only helps to repay a favor?"

He picked up the wine pot and poured each of them a glass, the wine shimmering with an amber glow in the light.

"To tell you the truth,"

Jiang Donghua lowered his voice.

"I've seen too many dullards in the academy who only know how to bury themselves in cultivation. When it comes to practical combat assessments, they can't even manage the most basic coordination."

He pouted.

"That's truly pathetic."

Liu Mingyu looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"But..."

"No 'buts'!"

Jiang Donghua waved his hand grandly.

"How well do the three of us cooperate? When we killed that withered leaf snake today, it was simply fluid and graceful!"

He suddenly winked.

"Besides, if you feel bad about it..."

He deliberately drew out his tone, leaning in mysteriously.

"If you find any valuable treasures in the future, just remember to think of me first!"

"Pfft—"

Yuting finally couldn't help but laugh, the gloom in her eyes completely gone.

She raised her wine glass, her ice crystal pendant sparkling with a soft glow in the candlelight.

"Then it's a deal! If we find anything good in the future, we'll offer it to Brother Donghua first!"

"Hey, hey, that's not what I meant..."

Jiang Donghua complained, feigning grievance, but saw that Liu Mingyu had already raised his glass, laughing heartily.

The night had not yet receded, and the dormitory area of Jia Nan Academy was still immersed in silence.

Jiang Donghua suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his dark pupils. He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the residual alcohol in his body instantly dispersed, transforming into a wisp of white mist that vanished into the air.

"Whoosh—"

He silently grinned, feeling the abundant Dou Qi within his body, secretly pleased.

"This afk, while it can only afk, is stable."

Ever since he inexplicably became bound to this system, his cultivation speed had been several times faster than ordinary people.

Even when sleeping, eating, or even spacing out, the Dou Qi in his body automatically circulated, slowly improving.

It's time to go back to that place and see if there's anything to be gained.

The trial zone in the early morning was shrouded in a thin mist, eerily quiet, with even the chirping of insects and birds significantly reduced.

The three of them, Jiang Donghua, stood at the entrance, looking at the deep forest ahead, and swallowed in unison.

"Hiss... Why is it so quiet today?"

Liu Mingyu rubbed his arms, feeling a chill down his spine.

Yuting tightened her collar, her ice crystal pendant glowing faintly blue in the morning light, and whispered.

"After the news spread that the Third-Tier Magical Beast was killed yesterday, I guess no one dares to come anymore."

Jiang Donghua grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Isn't that perfect? No one to steal our kills, so we'll get more benefits!"

The three cautiously stepped into the forest, the dry leaves underfoot rustling softly.

Jiang Donghua walked in front, his gaze sharply scanning the surroundings, and whispered.

"According to yesterday's intelligence, the Third-Tier Magical Beasts have been cleared, but there might still be Second-Tier Magical Beasts in the deeper parts of the trial zone, so let's not be too reckless."