The Strongest Talent Tree

Arriving at the Central Square again, the sight was still just as breathtaking. Countless students bustled about, creating a magnificent scene.

On the way to the Origin Node, Feng Hao finally witnessed Houhuiyao’s current popularity. Nearly every team wanted to recruit him, and the upperclassmen teams were no exception.

It couldn’t be helped. Although the medical department had started offering combat healing courses, you could count the number of Healing Mages ready for battle on one hand.

Besides, Houhuiyao was a pioneer among combat Healing Mages. With his vast combat experience, impeccable use of Secret Techniques, and his history of teaming up with Bai Yin, he was without a doubt the top healer!

Surprised as he was, Feng Hao didn’t say anything. ’Isn’t this exactly what I wanted to see?’

Houhuiyao seemed used to the attention, nonchalantly chatting with Feng Hao. "Boss, Senior Sister Bai Yin came looking for me again yesterday."

"Why don’t you just turn her down?" Feng Hao said with a sneer.

"I wish I could, but Senior Sister Bai Yin completely ignored me and insisted I set up a meeting with you." Houhuiyao gave a helpless, wry smile. "Oh, and I heard she even went to the store to find you a few days ago, but you weren’t there."

Feng Hao froze. ’Bai Yin went to the general store? How did I not know? Could Yao Ying be hiding it from me on purpose?’

"Just ignore her," Feng Hao said with a frown.

Houhuiyao nodded, speechless, but inwardly he was groaning. Being stuck in the middle was a real pain in the ass.

As they spoke, they arrived at the foot of the Origin Node. The area around it was packed with students preparing for their training expeditions. Some were alone, some were in teams, and there was even a group of upperclassmen acting as hired muscle.

The arrival of Feng Hao’s group immediately drew many eyes. After all, with Xiyue Frost’s recent fame and Houhuiyao, the top healer, in their party, it was hard not to attract attention.

In contrast, Feng Hao and Man Tiaotiao were much more inconspicuous.

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Xiyue Frost turned and extended her slender hand, releasing the power of the Secret Realm. "Let’s not waste time. We’re going in."

"Huh? You’ve already condensed a second-level power?" Feng Hao asked, surprised.

Xiyue Frost gave a calm nod without another word. But Man Tiaotiao, standing to the side, shot him a disdainful look. "You think everyone slacks off like you? Let me show you *my* third-level power."

With that, Man Tiaotiao smugly placed her palm on top of Feng Hao’s, releasing her third-level Taichu Power.

"..." Feng Hao was left speechless. He couldn’t deny it; for various reasons, he had indeed fallen far behind when it came to the power of the Secret Realms.

However, when Houhuiyao placed his hand on the pile, Feng Hao was rendered completely speechless. And he wasn’t the only one—even Xiyue Frost and Man Tiaotiao were stunned.

The kid had actually condensed a fourth-level Tai Shi Power! This meant he had already fought in a fourth-level Secret Realm and could now enter the fifth-level Primordial Secret Realm!

For a Mage, this power was a symbol of strength. For one, a higher power level allowed one to refine higher-level spirit essences. For another, each level of the Origin Secret Realm was more dangerous than the last. Possessing a high-level power was a sign of exceptional overall strength.

At the Five Provinces Academy, most students were at the third or fourth level of power. Only a handful had managed to break into the Fifth Secret Realm, and even they didn’t dare to venture into it lightly. The higher-level Secret Realms were simply too dangerous!

As for the Essence Storage Tank, it was only effective in the first three levels of Secret Realms. The higher the level, the more volatile the Essence Energy became. With the current level of Magic Energy Technology, it was impossible to store fourth-level essence.

"What the hell? What’s going on with you, man?" Feng Hao couldn’t help but swear. Xiyue Frost and Man Tiaotiao also stared at Houhuiyao in disbelief.

Houhuiyao just scratched his head, looking sheepish. "Uh... didn’t I team up with Senior Sister Bai Yin a few times a while ago?"

"Fair enough." Feng Hao nodded, speechless. ’A healer’s ability to just coast along is truly something else.’

Man Tiaotiao grumbled irritably, "And here I thought I was the most impressive one! I can’t believe a Healing Mage stole my thunder. This is so embarrassing!"

"Hehe, I really was just coasting. I can’t fight at all without teammates," Houhuiyao said sheepishly.

"Let’s establish the power link. We can talk once we’re inside," Xiyue Frost said, growing impatient.

Hearing this, the group no longer hesitated. They manipulated the Power within their seas of consciousness to form the link, then leaped into the Origin Node.

After entering the node, two golden patterns appeared in Feng Hao’s sea of consciousness. This was the magic of the Origin Node: once you condensed a power, you could select different levels of Secret Realms through their corresponding patterns.

Feng Hao currently only had a first-level power, so he only had two choices: the first-level Infinite Secret Realm and the second-level Taiyi Secret Realm.

After condensing a second-level power, the pattern for the Triple Secret Realm would appear, and so on.

’This is just like running a damn dungeon!’ Feng Hao grumbled to himself. With a thought, he branded the pattern of the Second Secret Realm onto his Genetic Tree, forming a Node Mark.

The next moment, space distorted. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a world of ice and snow.

A frigid wind howled past, making them shiver uncontrollably. The other three had appeared nearby, and aside from Xiyue Frost, they were all trembling violently, clearly struggling with the cold.

"Jeez, I would’ve worn more layers if I’d known," Houhuiyao stammered, his teeth chattering.

Man Tiaotiao rubbed her hands together. "Should we try re-entering? It’s so cold here, even my Gang Qi can’t block it out."

"No need. Just stand near me," Xiyue Frost said with a faint smile. A faint blue halo emanated from her body, instantly warding off the bone-chilling cold.

Feng Hao couldn’t help but chuckle. "I almost forgot about your frost talent. In that case, let’s start exploring."

"Mhm." Xiyue Frost nodded lightly as a black greatsword materialized in her hand. "My Frost Bloodline is even stronger in this terrain. It would be perfect if we could find an Ice Attribute Magic Soul."

"You have a point. It’s frighteningly cold here, so the chances of an Ice Attribute Magic Soul appearing are high," Houhuiyao said thoughtfully.

Man Tiaotiao chimed in teasingly, "Wouldn’t finding an Ice Soul be even better?"

"Ice Soul?" Houhuiyao shook his head. "Those things are even rarer than Magic Souls. It’s basically impossible."

Feng Hao was completely lost and couldn’t help but ask, "What’s an Ice Soul?"

At his words, Houhuiyao and Man Tiaotiao both shot him odd looks. Houhuiyao didn’t react much—he was used to it by now—but Man Tiaotiao had found another reason to look down on Feng Hao. Her eyes filled with ridicule as she said, "You don’t even know what an Ice Soul is? How did you even get through initiation school?"

"Uh, I actually never went to any initiation school," Feng Hao said with a shrug.

In the Mage World, initiation schools were a form of universal education. While not part of the official academic system, they played a crucial role.

Much of the world’s strange and obscure knowledge could only be learned there. It couldn’t be helped; the students were all young children who hadn’t awakened their magic foundations, so they wouldn’t understand lectures on Demon Patterns. Instead, they were taught strange tales, interesting facts, and all sorts of common knowledge.

Not having attended an initiation school was a shame, in a way. ’But what can you do when you’re an outsider?’