The Strongest Talent Tree

The moment Feng Hao saw Fang Jie and Huang Danian fight, his expression grew serious.

On Ring One, the two were locked in a fierce, deadlocked battle. Leveraging his advantages as a Defense Mage, Huang Danian pursued his opponent relentlessly. Fang Jie, on the other hand, used his superior speed and agile footwork, switching between a short dagger and a bow to gradually chip away at Huang Danian’s health.

Although Huang Danian had a "Rebound" talent, it was only effective against energy-based projectile damage. Since arrows weren’t a form of energy damage, Huang Danian had no way to counter Fang Jie.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Fang Jie’s archery seemed impressive. Arrows flew one after another, rarely missing their mark, and each one struck true against Huang Danian’s weak spots.

But Huang Danian was no pushover. With his high-defense armor and immense vitality, his health remained stable.

It couldn’t be helped. Fang Jie specialized in the "Shadow" and "Stealth Kill" legacies and hadn’t delved into the "Instant Death" Demon Pattern. He wasn’t the only one; the vast majority of thieves from the Thief God Hall gave up on the "Instant Death" legacy. After all, the effect of the "Instant Death" Demon Pattern was rather awkward.

If it weren’t for his "Dark Force Fifth Layer" and "Dark Force Double" talents, Feng Hao would have given up on the "Instant Death" Demon Pattern as well.

"Show me what you’ve really got! I have a ’Bloodthirsty’ talent. The lower my Qi Blood gets, the higher my vitality becomes. You can’t outlast me like this."

Huang Danian sneered and brandished his twin hammers. A massive golden hammer materialized above his head and came crashing down in the center of the ring, sending out powerful shockwaves. The terrifying blast radius covered the entire arena.

Fang Jie had no way to dodge. He was sent flying by the shockwave and slammed violently into the ring’s barrier.

"Haha! If you don’t play your trump card now, you’re going to lose!" Huang Danian roared with laughter. His powerful frame shot into the air, and he brought his massive twin hammers crashing down on Fang Jie.

Fang Jie had just regained his footing and had no time to dodge. Left with no other choice, he brandished his short dagger to meet the attack, gritting his teeth. "Since you insist," he sneered, "don’t blame me for what comes next!"

VMMMM!

In the next instant, the short dagger in Fang Jie’s hand erupted in a flash of golden light, its aura magnifying severalfold in a heartbeat.

"What is...?" In mid-air, Huang Danian’s expression changed dramatically.

The spectators below gasped in shock. Even the Referee Elder presiding over the match wore an expression of disbelief. At that moment, all eyes were fixed on Fang Jie’s brilliantly glowing golden dagger.

Feng Hao was the only one who didn’t understand what was happening. Confused, he asked Ming Xin Yan, "Sister Ming, what’s going on with Fang Jie’s weapon?"

"It’s a Divine Soul! A ’Primal’ Divine Soul!" Ming Xin Yan exclaimed, her expression a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Feng Hao asked, stunned, "What the hell is a Divine Soul?"

Ming Xin Yan shot Feng Hao a strange look. She furrowed her brow and explained, "A Divine Soul is a type of Natural Essence. They’re called Divine Souls because, like Dharma Souls, they possess a degree of sentience. They are extremely rare and very difficult to capture."

’Damn it, Essences and Natural Essences are already giving me a headache, and now there’s this Divine Soul thing?’

’At this rate, something even more badass than a Divine Soul will probably show up soon.’

"No matter how amazing it is, it’s still just ’Primal’-grade. Is it really that surprising?" Feng Hao asked, a little confused.

Lu Linfei explained seriously, "Brother Feng, you may not be aware of this, but while regular essences are tied to the level of a Secret Realm, Divine Souls are different. Divine Souls from any Secret Realm are all of the same tier. Moreover, once a Divine Soul’s form is set, it gains a unique and powerful attribute. They are the ultimate essences sought by Hundred-level Experts."

"It’s said that if you collect the Divine Souls from all ten Secret Realms, they produce a powerful resonance effect that causes a fundamental transformation in your overall power!"

"..." Feng Hao was speechless.

’So, to put it bluntly, a Divine Soul is basically end-game gear! A Fourth-rank Mage is wielding an end-game weapon; of course he’s going to be ridiculously strong. No wonder everyone looks so dumbfounded.’

’At this point, Feng Hao really felt the urge to just die. Having to deal with Yanziqing was already a big enough headache, and now some monster with an end-game weapon shows up. Freaking hell, can’t a guy just enjoy the game anymore?’

’Imagine confidently entering a tournament, only for some freak with a top-tier, end-game weapon to suddenly appear. What kind of experience is that?’

While the crowd was still in shock, the situation on the stage had already been completely reversed. The moment Huang Danian brought his hammers down, he was struck by the short dagger.

Although Fang Jie lost a good chunk of his Qi Blood from the hammer strike, Huang Danian was in a much worse state. He lost over thirty thousand of his seventy-thousand-plus Qi Blood in an instant. Even more terrifying, his life force lost its ability to regenerate.

"Fuck this, how the hell am I supposed to fight this? I surrender!" Huang Danian couldn’t help but curse as he leaped off the stage, forfeiting the match.

The Referee Elder gave Fang Jie a meaningful look before loudly announcing the match’s result.

Although the match was over, the crowd’s excitement hadn’t faded in the slightest. Are you kidding? A Divine Soul Weapon appearing in a tournament for Fourth-rank Mages? It was like watching someone use a cheat engine. Who could possibly care about the rest of the competition at this point?

Feng Hao gaped in astonishment, swallowing nervously. "Holy crap... just how strong are these Divine Souls?"

"If I’m not mistaken, that should be a Divine Soul with a Life-Seizing attribute," Ming Xin Yan said in awe, her brow furrowed.

"What’s a Life-Seizing attribute?" Feng Hao asked, confused.

Ming Xin Yan gave a wry smile. "The so-called Life-Seizing attribute is the ability to negate an opponent’s life force regeneration. As long as you land a hit, it takes effect. The duration of the effect depends on the quality of the Divine Soul."

"Does every Divine Soul have that ability?" Feng Hao pressed, surprised.

"Of course not." Ming Xin Yan shook her head and explained, "Unlike regular essences, Divine Souls don’t have fixed attributes. Only after capture can their form be set by stimulating them with a corresponding type of power. As for what attribute it sets into, that’s all up to luck. I’ve heard that many Hundred-level Mages have had mental breakdowns because their Divine Soul settled on a terrible attribute."

"Great. So to put it bluntly, it’s all about luck, right?" Feng Hao complained wearily.

"That’s right. It’s all about luck," Ming Xin Yan said meaningfully. "Speaking of which, I obtained a Divine Soul once myself. It was an Infinite Divine Soul. Unfortunately, it set with a strength-based attribute, so I ended up selling it to a Hundred-level expert for a high price."

At her words, it wasn’t just Feng Hao who was stunned; Lu Linfei and Ting Xiaoxue, standing beside them, were frozen in place as well.

Ting Xiaoxue, in particular, looked utterly heartbroken. "Sister Ming, why didn’t you hold onto it a little longer? My family would have definitely made you a high offer!"

"Hehe, I didn’t know you back then," Ming Xin Yan replied teasingly.

Lu Linfei sighed in admiration. "Tsk, tsk. If I could get my hands on a Divine Soul, I wouldn’t care what attribute it set to. I’d be set for life."

"Keep dreaming. It’s not like Divine Souls are that easy to come by," Ting Xiaoxue said, rolling her eyes.

’At this moment, Feng Hao’s heart was in turmoil. ’Ever since I came to the Ancient Cang Realm,’ he thought, ’I’ve been surrounded by Europeans. Especially the girls—each one is luckier than the last. Meanwhile, I feel like I’m stuck deep in Africa with no way out.’’

’Thinking back, it all made sense now why I ran into that Hundred-level Expert in the Second Secret Realm yesterday. He was probably hunting a Taiyi Divine Soul.’

’If I had known, I would’ve tried my luck no matter what. The worst that could have happened was getting killed and kicked out of the Secret Realm, losing a single level. That’s all.’