The Strongest Talent Tree

Hearing Xiyue Feng’s words, Ye Xiaobao and his three companions had nothing more to say and could only helplessly accept the situation.

The competition was still ongoing, but Feng Hao was still hung up on the matter of ’Lineage’. After wrestling with it for a while, he finally asked again, "Second Brother, Brother San, what exactly is a ’Lineage’?"

Kang Shuai chuckled. "Lineage is something you only get into after level 100. You’ll find out when the time comes."

"’Something you only get into after level 100?’" Feng Hao mused, nodding. He didn’t press the matter, since he was still a long way from level 100.

Time slowly passed, and the tournament on the field came to a close. Beixing Ran had won the championship with her powerful bloodline talent, while Xi Yueyao had only managed to take second place. She stood fuming in the ranks of Class One, her cheeks puffed out as she sulked.

After the combat assessment ended, the atmosphere in the stands grew tense. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the Old City Lord.

"Since the tournament is over, let’s get straight to the fight." The Old City Lord gave a cool smile, his gaze shifting to Xiyue Feng, Dongfang Wuji, and the other two Patriarchs. "Show them what you’re made of. Don’t bring shame to us in Rongcheng."

"Don’t worry, Old City Lord. We know what to do." Xiyue Feng nodded grimly and ascended the battle stage with the other three Patriarchs.

On the other side, Ye Xiaobao, Hu Xun, and their two companions exchanged a look and stepped onto the stage, brimming with confidence.

In an instant, all eyes were on the battle stage, especially the students watching from below, who were almost beside themselves with excitement.

As for Xi Yueyao, she was still fuming from her loss to Beixing Ran. Seeing her dad about to fight the geniuses from the four major sects, she immediately started shouting, "Go, Dad! Beat those bad guys to a pulp!"

"..." The corner of Xiyue Feng’s mouth twitched. The imposing aura he had worked so hard to build up instantly vanished.

The other three Patriarchs were ready. Dongfang Wuji sighed softly. "Old friends, it’s been a long time since we fought together, hasn’t it?"

"It has been a few years," Nanyuan Bo said with a nod.

"In that case, let’s give these youngsters a taste of what we can do," Xiyue Feng said with a cold smirk, pursing his lips.

Hearing the conversation between Xiyue Feng and the others, Ye Xiaobao’s group immediately showed their disdain. As top geniuses from the four major sects, they were absolutely at the pinnacle of their rank among Mages. Dealing with a group of Patriarchs from a small, frontier city would be a piece of cake.

"Why don’t you Patriarchs make the first move? We wouldn’t want to be accused of bullying our elders," Ye Xiaobao said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

Nanyuan Bo couldn’t stand such a provocation. "Bring it on, you juniors!" he roared. "I’d like to see if your five major sects are as legendary as they say!"

"Then you’d better be careful!" Hu Xun grinned, launching the first attack.

The battle erupted in an instant. The clash between Sixth-rank Mages was immense, drawing gasps of shock from the crowd.

The Old City Lord gently waved his sleeve, releasing a barrier that enveloped the stage to prevent the onlookers from being caught in the crossfire.

ROAR~!

The moment the barrier formed, Hu Xun’s attack was already underway. In the blink of an eye, he summoned the phantom of a colossal beast, which roared and charged at Xiyue Feng’s group of four.

But Xiyue Feng and the other Patriarchs were no pushovers. They simultaneously unleashed their Secret Techniques, easily blocking the great beast’s charge.

"Have a taste of our Dongfang Clan’s bloodline!" Dongfang Wuji charged to the front, his body enveloped in an earthy yellow halo. A terrifying gravitational pressure instantly bore down on Ye Xiaobao’s group.

Dugu Xiao’s expression changed the instant he unleashed several blasts of Sword Qi. "This is bad! It’s a gravity-type bloodline talent!"

"Cruise, you hold them off at the front! Dugu Xiao and I will figure something out," Ye Xiaobao said with a grim expression.

Just then, Xiyue Feng charged toward their rear, his longsword raised. A piercingly cold wind howled forth. Amplified by his Ice Bloodline, his Ice Lotus Sword Qi expanded countless times, engulfing Dugu Xiao and his companions in an instant.

At the same time, Nanyuan Bo’s Flame Bloodline erupted, and countless Fireballs rained down like meteorites.

"What the hell is going on?!" Cruise couldn’t help but curse. "Stop holding back, everyone! These four Patriarchs are no joke."

Ye Xiaobao’s group of four, who had been so confident just moments ago, were instantly forced onto the defensive.

A powerful fighting spirit ignited in Dugu Xiao’s eyes as he gasped in surprise. "I never expected a small city like Rongcheng to be hiding four families with bloodline legacies!"

His figure moved at high speed, dodging the Fireball attacks. He swung his longsword, and countless streams of Sword Qi crisscrossed, directly shredding Xiyue Feng’s Ice Lotus Sword Qi.

"My apologies, Xiyue Family Head."

Sword Magic Masters had always been known for their speed, and a top genius from Thousand Blades Valley like Dugu Xiao was frighteningly fast. If not for the gravitational pressure from Dongfang Wuji, he would have been even faster.

With a roar, the gleam of his sword shot toward Xiyue Feng’s vital points, its momentum sharp and menacing.

Xiyue Feng’s expression changed drastically. He dodged in a panic but was still caught by the shockwave of Dugu Xiao’s Sword Qi. The equipment on his body shattered instantly.

"Such terrifying destructive power. The Swordsmanship of Thousand Blades Valley truly lives up to its reputation," Xiyue Feng remarked grimly.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Beixing Kuang had already summoned raging winds to provide support. The howling gales swept up countless Fireballs, quickly forcing Dugu Xiao to retreat.

The battle grew more and more intense. Hu Xun and Ye Xiaobao also unleashed their full power, filling the stage with demonic light and ghostly shadows.

In the stands, Feng Hao watched with his heart in his throat. Through his Crystal Eye’s analysis, he could clearly see the terrifying damage both sides were inflicting.

"So this is a battle between High-level Mages? The sheer power is incredible," Feng Hao said in awe.

Wang Tongqian chuckled. "This is just the warm-up. Dugu Xiao’s group hasn’t even used their strongest Secret Techniques yet. But I have to say, the four Patriarchs of Rongcheng are quite surprising."

"Indeed. The four Patriarchs have excellent teamwork, and their bloodlines complement each other. Their combat strength can’t be underestimated," Kang Shuai said thoughtfully.

"So who do you think will win?" Feng Hao asked with a frown.

Kang Shuai pondered for a long time before answering with some uncertainty, "Probably Dugu Xiao’s side. After all, the legacies of the major sects are no joke."

"Is that so?" Feng Hao looked at the battle stage, half-convinced. His interest was piqued by the beast soul Hu Xun had summoned. "By the way, what’s the deal with that giant beast Hu Xun is controlling? Is it a Fahun?"

"It’s not a Fahun. That’s the ’Soul Control’ legacy from the Ghost Realm. It allows one to fuse the souls of demonic beasts into their Secret Techniques. It’s much weaker compared to a Fahun."

"The ’Soul Control’ legacy?" Feng Hao was taken aback for a moment, then pressed on, "What are the other legacies of the Ghost Realm?"

Kang Shuai smiled and pursed his lips. "Besides ’Soul Control,’ the Ghost Realm also has three other common legacies: ’Soul Devour,’ ’Blood Sacrifice,’ and ’Undeath.’ There’s also the single-character ’Death’ Demon Pattern legacy. In short, they’re all rather grim and terrifying legacies."

"They certainly sound grim," Feng Hao nodded in surprise, feeling he now had a clearer understanding of the Ghost Realm.

Meanwhile, the battle on the stage had reached a fever pitch. After being on the back foot for a short while, Dugu Xiao and the others fully unleashed the power befitting geniuses from major sects. All sorts of dazzling Secret Techniques filled the barrier.

They quickly suppressed Xiyue Feng’s group of four, pushing them to the other side of the stage...