The Strongest Talent Tree

"Has it already been several days?" Feng Hao murmured with a frown. He set Xi Yueyao down and said, "Yao Girl, you head to your class in the Array department. I’m going to find Elder Sun and ask about the situation."

"Go on, go on," Xi Yueyao said, blinking, her eyes sparkling.

Feng Hao nodded, relieved. After warning the two not to cause any trouble again, he quickly left to find Sun Yaowen.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

’It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that old guy, not since he was promoted to Dean. I wonder what he’s been so busy with.’

Meanwhile, after watching Feng Hao walk off into the distance, a wicked smile spread across Xi Yueyao’s face. Her eyes quickly locked onto Xie Xiaoyu, who had just recovered. "You damn girl... you damn girl. Tell me, how should I teach you a lesson?"

Xie Xiaoyu’s expression changed. ’I can’t believe Xi Yueyao still wants to fight.’

"What are you doing? Didn’t we agree to stop fighting?" Xie Xiaoyu said, gritting her teeth.

"Did I say that?" Xi Yueyao played dumb, smirking as she looked at her boys to the side. "Did you guys hear anything?"

"Nope." Her boys all shook their heads.

Seeing them put on this little act right in front of her, Xie Xiaoyu flared up. "So you just want to fight, is that it?" she shouted. "You think I’m afraid of you?"

"Haha, you said it, not me," Xi Yueyao gloated, then yelled, "Alright, boys, get ready to fight!"

In an instant, the battle that had just subsided flared up once more.

Trembling with rage, Xie Xiaoyu pointed her Magic Staff at Xi Yueyao and sneered, "Don’t use your Divine Soul Weapon, if you have the guts!"

"Fine by me." Xi Yueyao arrogantly retracted her Jade Lotus Water Pattern Whip and pulled out the red whip she used before. "Even without a Divine Soul Weapon, I can still beat you to a pulp."

"In your dreams!" Xie Xiaoyu scoffed. Waving her Magic Staff, she yelled, "Everyone, together! Let’s wipe out these bastards!"

"Gahahaha! Boys, charge—!" Xi Yueyao cackled with excitement.

Soon, the two groups were once again locked in a chaotic brawl...

Feng Hao had no idea what transpired after he left. By now, he had arrived at the academy’s Elder Hall, where Dean Sun Yaowen had his office.

The Elder Hall was where all the Elders resided, and it was also the most peaceful place in the Five Provinces Academy.

Feng Hao wandered around for ages but couldn’t find Sun Yaowen’s residence. It was no use; ’all the buildings in this damn place look the same. You get lost just walking around.’

To make matters worse, he couldn’t even use a Listening Stone to contact him. The entire Elder Hall was covered by a special Defensive Array, which, in addition to providing protection, also blocked all fluctuations from the [Origin Node].

Thus, Feng Hao could only continue his search in a confused daze.

He had wanted to ask someone for directions, but after wandering for half the day, he hadn’t seen a single soul. The whole situation was just ridiculous.

"Xiaohai, oh Xiaohai, if only you were a little bigger," Feng Hao sighed in resignation, stroking the kitten in his arms.

It couldn’t be helped. He’d been walking in circles for what felt like half the day, and his feet were killing him. But Xiaohai hadn’t grown up yet; it couldn’t carry him around like its mother, Chief Black Cat.

Just as Feng Hao was silently cursing his luck, he suddenly spotted a stunningly beautiful young woman emerging from a residence up ahead. It was Bai Yin, whom he hadn’t seen in ages.

"Feng Hao? What are you doing here?" Bai Yin had noticed him too, and a pleasant surprise lit up her beautiful eyes.

Feng Hao walked over awkwardly. "Uh, I’m looking for Dean Sun. Do you happen to know where he lives?"

"Oh." Bai Yin’s eyes dimmed as she replied with a hint of disappointment, "The Dean’s residence is deeper inside."

"And which way is ’deeper inside’?" Feng Hao asked, completely lost.

"Never mind, I’ll just take you." Shaking her head, torn between amusement and exasperation, Bai Yin started to lead the way, her graceful figure swaying as she walked.

Feng Hao happily trotted after her. "By the way," he asked curiously, "isn’t this the Elder Hall? Why are you here, senior?"

"I’ve always lived with my Master," Bai Yin replied with a captivating smile.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot you’re Elder Yun’s disciple." Feng Hao slapped his forehead in embarrassment.

As the atmosphere grew awkward again, Feng Hao forced himself to ask some miscellaneous questions.

"By the way, what’s the story behind the Defensive Array here? It can even block fluctuations from the Origin Node?" Feng Hao asked curiously.

Bai Yin chuckled lightly and explained, "The array in the Elder Hall was supposedly developed by studying ancient restrictive seals."

"No wonder." Feng Hao nodded in realization, his gaze drawn to the barrier in the sky above.

Just then, Xiaohai let out a meow, leaped from his arms into Bai Yin’s, and began to nuzzle its head against her chest, looking as blissful as could be.

Feng Hao was completely stunned by this sudden turn of events and nearly let a curse slip.

Bai Yin, however, seemed unfazed. She gently stroked Xiaohai’s head, her eyes filled with adoration. "What a cute Midnight Cat! Where did you get him?"

Feng Hao shot Xiaohai a glare, then laughed awkwardly. "Um... it was a gift from Yaoyao’s grandaunt. She has a Tier Seven Midnight Cat that gave birth to this little rascal not too long ago."

Bai Yin’s delicate frame trembled slightly. "I can tell you like Xi Yueyao a lot," she said, her voice faint.

"Hehe, naturally," Feng Hao said with a wide grin. "My Yao Girl is impossibly cute. Who wouldn’t love her?"

"..." Bai Yin was left speechless and nearly burst out laughing.

’From everything I’ve heard, Xi Yueyao is a complete Little Demon. I really don’t know how Feng Hao finds her cute. Besides him, who could possibly like such a troublesome Little Demon?’

Feng Hao had no idea what Bai Yin was thinking. As far as he was concerned, his Yao Girl was the cutest thing in the world, even when she was making trouble.

"We’re here. The Dean is inside," Bai Yin said, suddenly stopping.

Feng Hao chuckled as he took Xiaohai back, giving the kitten an annoyed flick on the forehead. He then turned to Bai Yin to thank her. "Uh, thanks for showing me the way, senior. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime to repay you."

"You have to keep that promise," Bai Yin said, her eyes filled with delight.

"Don’t worry. It’s just a meal; I can afford it," Feng Hao said with a light smile before turning and walking into Sun Yaowen’s residence.

As she watched Feng Hao enter the residence, it took a long moment for Bai Yin to snap out of her daze. A look of melancholy washed over her beautiful face.

’I should be prettier than Xi Yueyao, right? Then why won’t he even give me a second glance?’ Bai Yin wondered, caressing her own cheek in confusion. ’Or has everyone just been flattering me this whole time? Am I actually not that beautiful?’

To be fair, Bai Yin wasn’t obsessed with her looks like Yao Ying was. She had always cared more about her own strength.

But ever since Feng Hao started occupying her thoughts, she had slowly begun to care about her appearance. She would meticulously get ready every day, and each time she looked in the mirror, she would carefully scrutinize her face, searching for any flaws.

Yet, no matter how hard she looked, she could never find a single blemish. This led her to wonder if there was something wrong with her own aesthetic judgment.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with her aesthetic judgment. The one whose sense of beauty had truly gone off the rails was probably that Feng Hao fellow...