The Strongest Talent Tree

There were five of them in total, men and women. Judging by their weapons, they were a well-coordinated team with clearly defined roles.

An Archer and a Gun Magic Master were the first to aim at Feng Hao and his companions. Their leader was a Sword and Shield Mage, and the remaining two were female, apparently Magic-type Mages.

After surrounding Feng Hao’s group, the Sword and Shield Mage stepped forward with a loud laugh and said, "Hand over everything you’ve gathered, or don’t blame us for being ruthless!"

Feng Hao narrowed his eyes. Using his Crystal Eye to scan them, he quickly ascertained the five-person squad’s strength. They were all in their early twenties, and even the highest-leveled member, the Sword and Shield Mage, was only level twenty-six.

Facing opponents of this level, Feng Hao was naturally unafraid. ’Heh,’ he sneered inwardly, then said in a low voice, "Prepare for battle."

At his words, Houhuiyao and Xiyue Frost immediately fell into a combat formation, with Feng Hao and Xiyue Frost in the front and Houhuiyao in the back.

The five-person squad was clearly stunned, not expecting Feng Hao’s group to resist. The lead Sword and Shield Mage burst out in arrogant laughter. "Haha, you really think having two Third-tier Mages means you can beat us?"

"Boss, enough talk. Let’s show them what we’re made of," the Gun Magic Master sneered.

With that, he fired a crimson bullet of light. It struck the ground at Feng Hao’s feet, erupting into a roaring blaze.

"You’re courting death!"

Feng Hao’s expression darkened. He signaled Xiyue Frost to use her Ice Lotus Sword Qi, then leaped through the Sea of Fire, charging toward the Gun Magic Master.

As it turned out, the five-person squad was indeed well-coordinated. The moment Feng Hao passed through the flames, the two Female Mages had already flung their Secret Techniques at him, cutting off his path of attack.

BOOM! BOOM!

The two Secret Techniques exploded violently, kicking up clouds of dust and smoke.

To the five-person squad’s surprise, Feng Hao burst out from between the two Secret Techniques’ explosions in a bizarre posture. With a swing of his Su Mu Dagger, he unleashed a vortex of energy that instantly tore into the Gun Magic Master.

At the same time, Xiyue Frost followed close behind, leaping into the air for a downward slash. Her Vibrating Sword slammed down, shattering the five-person squad’s formation.

"Everyone, be careful! That guy with the dagger has high damage, and he uses penetrating attacks!"

The Gun Magic Master cried out in alarm, hastily swallowing a few Blood Recovery Pills. As he retreated to reposition, he shouted the warning to his teammates.

Meanwhile, the Sword and Shield Mage was already locked in combat with Xiyue Frost and was being steadily beaten back by her ferocious attacks. With Houhuiyao’s healing support, Xiyue Frost could almost completely ignore the potshots from the Bow and Arrow Mage.

"Damn it, why isn’t this woman’s health dropping?" The more the Sword and Shield Mage fought, the more something felt off. It took him a good while to finally spot Houhuiyao in the distance.

Just as he was about to tell his teammates to attack Houhuiyao, something unexpected happened.

HUMMMMM!

A tremendous sound from nearby instantly interrupted the fight. Everyone instinctively turned to look, only to see a pillar of golden light shooting into the sky. A terrifying wave of energy swept over them like a gale-force wind.

After a moment of shock, looks of delight appeared on the faces of the five-person squad. Without a second thought, the lead Sword and Shield Mage abandoned his fight with Xiyue Frost and led his team in a mad dash toward the golden pillar.

The sudden turn of events left Feng Hao dumbfounded. It took him a moment to recover. "What’s going on?"

"A Natural Essence is being unearthed!" Xiyue Frost said, her gaze fixed on the golden pillar, her tone heavy.

"Natural Essence?" Feng Hao asked, confused.

Houhuiyao quickly explained, "There are two types of essences in a Secret Realm: Spirit Beast Essence and Natural Essence. Natural Essences are hidden underground like ore, and when one is unearthed, it causes this kind of phenomenon."

"Is there a difference?" Feng Hao pressed, his brows furrowed.

"Compared to Spirit Beast Essence, Natural Essence is the most suitable type for weapons."

Hearing this, Feng Hao instantly understood the importance of a Natural Essence. Without a second thought, he said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go get it!"

Xiyue Frost said hesitantly, "With that golden light, every Mage in the area will be rushing over to fight for it. It might be difficult for just the three of us. We wouldn’t need to fear Mages below the third tier, but I’m worried there might be some high-level powerhouses present."

"We can worry about that later. Let’s get over there first," Feng Hao said with a smirk, and charged directly toward the pillar of light.

’Snatching loot comes down to skill and luck. How will we know if we can get it if we don’t even try?’

Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao exchanged a glance and could only follow him with a sense of resignation.

The golden pillar wasn’t far, and the three of them soon arrived at the scene. At Feng Hao’s signal, they concealed themselves in a safe spot to observe the situation and wait for the right moment.

In the golden radiance nearby, two parties were already locked in a chaotic battle. The one who had unearthed the Natural Essence was a solo Third-tier Mage. A longsword shone brilliantly in his hand, unleashing countless sword flashes, but under the five-person squad’s assault, he was clearly outmatched.

"That guy won’t last much longer. Should we make our move?" Xiyue Frost asked via her Listening Stone.

"No rush. The mantis hasn’t shown up yet," Feng Hao replied playfully.

Houhuiyao asked in surprise, "Brother Feng, you mean there are other teams around?"

"Mm-hmm," Feng Hao nodded with a faint smile. "Probably more than one. Let’s wait a bit longer."

Hearing this, Xiyue Frost gave Feng Hao a strange look but didn’t press the matter, choosing to wait patiently.

It turned out Feng Hao’s guess was correct. The moment the five-person squad got their hands on the prize, two other groups leaped out from the sidelines. The three factions were quickly embroiled in a chaotic free-for-all.

"Looks like there are no high-level powerhouses after all," Xiyue Frost mused.

Feng Hao glanced at her and asked with a grin, "Only noticing that now?"

"How did you know there weren’t any?" Xiyue Frost asked, puzzled.

"It’s simple. If a High-level Mage were here, would they really need to hide and wait?" Feng Hao said with a faint smile.

Xiyue Frost opened her mouth, at a loss for words.

The melee within the golden radiance continued. The five-person squad had already lost two members, and the other two parties had suffered heavy losses as well.

After waiting quietly for a moment, not many people were left among the three factions. Feng Hao’s eyes were already locked onto the Gun Magic Master, who was holding the Natural Essence. Seizing the right moment, he instantly activated [Black Pupil]. "Xiyue Frost, stay put. Houhuiyao, watch my health."

As he spoke, to the astonishment of his two companions, Feng Hao transformed into a black shadow and silently darted forward.

All three parties were composed of Second Order Mages, and in the middle of a chaotic battle, it was difficult for any of them to notice Feng Hao in his [Black Pupil] state.

It wasn’t until Feng Hao killed the Gun Magic Master and snatched the Natural Essence that the seven remaining combatants snapped to their senses. The last members of the original squad, the Sword and Shield Mage and one Female Mage, let out a furious roar and charged at Feng Hao.

The other two parties also immediately turned to attack Feng Hao!

"Heh heh, a bunch of you with low health dare to fight me?"

Feng Hao let out a sinister grin and activated Moon Wheel Dance. Two crescent-shaped arcs of whirling energy instantly forced everyone back, and he simultaneously adjusted his position to move closer to Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao.

Once he was within healing range, Feng Hao spun around and unleashed two [Dark Moon Strikes]. The seven pursuers had no time to react, and two of them fell instantly.

At the same time, the bit of Qi Blood Feng Hao had lost was instantly replenished by Houhuiyao’s healing.

On the other side, Xiyue Frost let out a sharp cry and charged out. Her Ice Lotus Sword Qi whistled through the air, enveloping the remaining five enemies. She slammed down several basic Sword Qi attacks and, combined with Feng Hao’s powerful damage output, they team-wiped the entire group.