The Strongest Talent Tree

After making some inquiries, the other instructors quickly learned what had just happened. They all turned to Feng Hao, their faces a mixture of shock and suspicion.

The instructors had some knowledge of Feng Hao’s previous killing incident and hadn’t thought much of it. But when they learned he had defeated both Xu Long and Yun Jiansong in succession, they could no longer remain calm.

This was especially true for the instructors from the Main Battle Academy. They stared at Feng Hao with utter disbelief. They could understand his victory over Cao Heng, since a significant amount of poison residue had been found on the body.

But what about Xu Long and Yun Jiansong?

If the death of Cao Heng could be attributed to poison, how could they explain his victories over Xu Long and Yun Jiansong? Furthermore, based on Xu Long’s condition, Feng Hao hadn’t used any poison in their recent bout.

’Does this mean the academy might have overlooked a genius even more fearsome than Yun Jiansong?’ At this thought, the instructors’ hearts began to pound wildly.

If that was the case, it would be a monumental loss. A single Yun Jiansong was enough for them to hold their heads high in the inter-academy ranking tournament. With another genius, one even stronger than him, wouldn’t they soar to unprecedented heights?

As the instructors’ minds reeled, Shi Lingyun strode up to Feng Hao and asked in a heavy voice, "You’re the kid who killed someone?"

"So what if I am? I’m not a student at Five Provinces Academy anymore," Feng Hao retorted, a corner of his mouth twisting up.

"Hmph!" Shi Lingyun snorted, his burly frame radiating the aura of a colossal beast. "I just happened to be away at the time. Otherwise, I would have made sure to see this through with you."

Instructor Liang stepped in to mediate. "Old Shi, Feng Hao was my student, after all. Can’t you cut him some slack for my sake?"

"He was expelled. How is he still your student?" Shi Lingyun responded coldly.

"Heh heh, an expulsion is just an expulsion. The bond between a teacher and student is for life. Weren’t you still your master’s student even after you got expelled?" Instructor Liang said teasingly.

Hearing this, Shi Lingyun shot Instructor Liang a harsh glare, then strode to one side and bellowed, "What are you all gawking at? Get to where you need to be! The competition is about to start!"

The crowd of onlooking students instantly scattered, leaving only a few who were participating in the two-person team event.

Soon after, with Shi Lingyun and the other instructors taking charge, the second day of the competition began in full swing.

Feng Hao watched Shi Lingyun with a curious expression, then looked up at Instructor Liang. "Teacher Liang, that big guy... the head instructor... he was expelled before?"

"Mhm. It’s all ancient history," Instructor Liang said with a faint smile.

"Sounds like he has quite a story," Feng Hao remarked.

Instructor Liang shot him an exasperated look and said with a sigh, "After you’re done watching the competition, come visit the Pharmacy Department. The teachers and students all miss you."

Hearing this, Feng Hao felt a pang of sadness and nodded deeply in agreement.

He was about to offer a few sappy, sentimental lines to set the mood, but Instructor Liang suddenly spun around and took off like a spooked rooster. "We can talk more tonight! I’ve gotta go!"

Feng Hao stood there, dumbfounded, the lines he had just prepared getting stuck in his throat.

"That damn Liang Dong! Why’s he running so fast?" While Feng Hao was still dazed, Man Tiaotiao charged over, muttering curses. Behind her, Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao followed at a leisurely pace.

Seeing Instructor Liang had fled, Man Tiaotiao turned to Feng Hao with a look of annoyance. "Hey, hick! Did you use some kind of dirty trick just now?"

"What do you mean?" Feng Hao asked, confused.

Houhuiyao, following close behind, chuckled and explained, "Brother Feng, you might not know this, but Sister Tiao is Yun Jiansong’s number one fan."

"Oh, you mean my spar with Yun Jiansong?" Feng Hao’s expression cleared. He teased playfully, "Then you should go ask him, shouldn’t you? What’s the point of asking me?"

"Hmph! If I could even get a word in with Sword Song, why would I bother asking you!" Man Tiaotiao grumbled, pouting.

Houhuiyao continued to explain, "Yun Jiansong is now the academy’s resident ’ice prince,’ a title he shares with our own Boss Xiyue."

"Really? I thought he was pretty easy to talk to," Feng Hao said with a mischievous grin.

As expected, Feng Hao’s words made Man Tiaotiao’s jealousy explode. She roared furiously, "You damn hick! Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?"

Feng Hao chuckled and smirked. "I’m just telling the truth. You’re the one reading too much into it."

"You..." Man Tiaotiao was speechless and stomped her foot in frustration.

A rare smile touched Xiyue Frost’s lips. She spoke softly, "We’re up for our match. You and Tiaotiao can wait here. We’ll be quick."

"Good luck," Feng Hao said with a nod and a smile.

"Brother Feng, make sure you watch me dominate out there!" Houhuiyao called back smugly before hurrying after Xiyue Frost toward the competition grounds.

Only Feng Hao and Man Tiaotiao remained, and the atmosphere suddenly grew awkward. Both fell silent, waiting for the match to begin.

As it turned out, Man Tiaotiao couldn’t stand the silence. After hesitating for a long while, she spoke up. "Hey, when you have time, could you refine a few more bottles of that nutrient liquid for me? Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth your while."

"Oh? Not worried I’ll rip you off for your materials anymore?" Feng Hao asked, suppressing a smile.

"Hah! I recently caught a Dharma Soul and made a fortune. I can afford as many materials as I need," Man Tiaotiao said smugly.

Feng Hao was surprised. "Where’d you catch it?" he asked curiously. "I might go try my luck."

"I found it in the Secret Realm. You can forget about it," Man Tiaotiao said with a dismissive pout.

Feng Hao shook his head in disappointment. If she had caught the Dharma Soul in the outside world, he might have been able to follow the trail and find another. But since it was in a Secret Realm... Forget following a trail, just finding the original capture location would be a problem.

"Hey, so are you going to help me or not?" Man Tiaotiao pressed.

"I don’t have time to refine any more, but I happen to have some left over from when I was recovering. It’s not a lot, just eight bottles. I can sell them to you if you’re interested."

Hearing there were eight ready-made bottles of Body Refining Nutrient Liquid, Man Tiaotiao’s eyes instantly lit up. "Yes! Perfect! I’ll take all of them!"

"Alright. One Level 4 Magic Crystal per bottle. Cash on delivery," Feng Hao agreed readily.

"One hundred million Magic Crystals per bottle?! Are you trying to rip off a three-year-old?" Man Tiaotiao’s pretty eyes widened as she planted her hands on her hips and started shouting.

Feng Hao shot her an exasperated look and retorted, "A Level 4 Magic Crystal is the friends-and-family price. For anyone else, I wouldn’t sell it even for a Level 5 Magic Crystal."

"Who do you think you’re kidding!" Man Tiaotiao sneered, gritting her teeth.

"Believe it or not. I’m not exactly short on cash right now, anyway," Feng Hao said with a dismissive laugh, turning his attention back to the ongoing match.

The one thousand tons of cold silver ore he had dug up in the Secret Realm had been processed by Houhuiyao and sold for the astronomical price of thirty billion. After splitting the profits, he was now a minor tycoon with over ten billion to his name.

Seeing Feng Hao ignore her, Man Tiaotiao grew conflicted. Ever since she had used his Body Refining Nutrient Liquid, no other brand would do. She had scoured all of Five States City and couldn’t find anything that even came close.

It was only now that she understood why her parents had been so shocked.

She had even made a special trip home to report the situation to her parents. Her plan was to have them threaten Feng Hao into making more for her, and maybe land a few punches on him to let off some steam.

But when she got home, she discovered that her good-for-nothing parents had vanished. She didn’t need to be a genius to know they’d run off on vacation again...