The Strongest Talent Tree

His consciousness blurred for a moment. When his vision cleared, he had already appeared inside the Infinite Secret Realm.

Before him was a flat, green plain. The endless expanse of emerald stretched to the horizon, and the air was filled with the fragrance of fresh grass. A cool breeze brushed against his face, a refreshing sensation.

Feng Hao scanned his surroundings and found Houhuiyao and Xiyue Frost nearby. He let out a soft chuckle and went to join them.

"Looks like our luck is good this time. We teleported into a grassland," Feng Hao said with a satisfied smile.

Xiyue Frost gave a slight nod in response. A hint of pleasure touched her otherwise placid expression as she curiously sized up their surroundings.

Houhuiyao, on the other hand, was much more excited. He bounced around like a wild horse running free. "Haha, this Secret Realm really is amazing, just like in the books! Such a beautiful view. It would be great if we could camp here."

"Get serious. This place isn’t as safe as you think. We could run into a Spirit Beast at any moment," Feng Hao said irritably.

"Hehe, I was just admiring the view. I’ll listen to Brother Feng from now on," Houhuiyao said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

Feng Hao chuckled to himself and looked at Xiyue Frost. "You’re the highest level, so I’ll leave the scouting to you. There probably aren’t many Spirit Beasts in a grassland like this. Let’s just pick a direction and start moving."

"Wait. I sense the fluctuations of a Listening Stone nearby," Xiyue Frost said pensively.

"..." Feng Hao was completely dumbfounded, staring blankly at Xiyue Frost.

’What the hell, it can’t be this much of a coincidence, can it? We just got here and we’ve already run into a Listening Stone? Are the Xiyue Family sisters both illegitimate daughters of the Goddess of Fortune or something?’

’Never mind that girl, Xi Yueyao, whose luck is just absurd. I didn’t expect Xiyue Frost to be this amazing too.’

Following Xiyue Frost, they soon found the Listening Stones in a puddle of collected rainwater. A dozen or so spherical, walnut-sized stones lay scattered in the water.

"They’re really here? Our luck is pretty good!" Houhuiyao said excitedly.

Xiyue Frost calmly picked up three Listening Stones and tossed one to Feng Hao and Houhuiyao each. "Let’s fuse with these first. If we get separated by accident, it’ll be easier to stay in contact."

Feng Hao stared dumbfounded at the Listening Stone in his hand, not knowing what to say. Last time, it took so many days of searching to find one, but this time they found them right after entering. He wasn’t sure if his own luck had turned or if he was benefiting from Xiyue Frost’s.

In any case, finding the Listening Stones was a good thing. Feng Hao stopped worrying about it, sat down cross-legged on the spot, and began to fuse with his.

The Listening Stone is a special ore unique to Secret Realms. It is said to be formed from the condensation of special spatial fluctuations within the realm. If taken outside, it immediately turns into an ordinary rock.

Therefore, a Listening Stone can only be fused with inside a Secret Realm to activate its miraculous abilities!

The method of fusing with a Listening Stone was simple, almost the same as fusing with a Magic Soul. It just needed to be guided by Magic Power into the sea of consciousness and integrated with one’s Divine Sense. The only difference was that the Listening Stone needed to reside within the main trunk of the Genetic Tree to ensure it wouldn’t change back after returning to the outside world.

The moment the Listening Stone merged into the trunk of his Genetic Tree, Feng Hao clearly felt something new appear within his Divine Sense.

’So this is the Listening Stone? It really is amazing!’

When he opened his eyes, Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao had also finished fusing. The three of them looked at each other and exchanged their Spiritual Marks.

Once the Listening Stone recorded Xiyue Frost’s and Houhuiyao’s Spiritual Marks, Feng Hao truly understood its miraculous nature. Through the Spiritual Marks, he could freely communicate with them using his Divine Sense, and could even transmit images and text. It was no wonder people in the Mage World didn’t need cell phones. With an advanced communication method like this, phones were completely useless.

’It makes sense, when you think about it,’ he thought. ’Divine Sense is a kind of four-dimensional vision, which is amazing in itself. A communication ability built on that would naturally be anything but simple.’

After briefly getting used to communicating with the Listening Stones, the trio set off on their Spirit Beast hunt.

As they walked across the boundless grassland, their sense of distance began to blur. Even though they walked for a long time, it always felt like they hadn’t gone very far.

Finally, after trekking for some time, a herd of yak-like Spirit Beasts appeared ahead. Compared to the yaks on Earth, these were far larger and more robust. Their dark brown horns glinted with an eerie light, a clear sign of their deadly power.

"Herbivorous Spirit Beasts probably won’t attack on their own. Let’s scout out their stats first," Feng Hao said thoughtfully, leading the others to sneak closer.

[Iron-Backed Yak] (Infinite Spirit Beast)

Level: 8-Star

Qi Blood: 13,500

Vitality: 121

Strength: 1,030

Defense: 1,452

Speed: 508

Hoof and Horn Damage: 147

Pelt Protection: 22 (Hidden-Force Protection: 12)

"It’s a defensive Spirit Beast with average attack power. It shouldn’t be too difficult to kill," Feng Hao mused, continuing his scan. "A rough sense tells me there are over thirty of them, all around 10-Star."

Xiyue Frost frowned. "Iron-Backed Yaks are herd animals. Killing one isn’t hard, but the real danger is drawing the entire herd’s aggro."

"Hehe, we both have large-scale Secret Techniques. We should be able to handle it," Feng Hao said, his eyes glinting.

"Are you sure?" Xiyue Frost asked gravely.

"It would be a little dangerous with just the two of us, but it’s a different story with Houhuiyao," Feng Hao said with a mysterious smile. He tightened his grip on the Su Mu Dagger and began to approach the herd. "Get ready to fight. Follow my lead."

As he spoke, Feng Hao was already charging forward. He raised his hand and unleashed a "Dark Moon Massacre," instantly agitating the herd.

MOO! MOO! MOO! MOO...

The thirty-plus Iron-Backed Yaks charged toward Feng Hao as if on command, their hooves thundering.

Feng Hao obviously wasn’t going to just stand there and get trampled. He kited the herd, drawing them toward Xiyue Frost. "Xiyue Frost, with me! Houhuiyao, watch your position. Keep your Magic Power up and do your best to heal us."

"Don’t worry, Brother Feng, I’ll get it done!" Houhuiyao shouted. His body was trembling; although he was a little scared, this being his first battle, the rush of adrenaline and fighting spirit had already drowned out his fear.

Although Xiyue Frost didn’t understand Feng Hao’s intentions, she decisively charged in to support him, dragging her greatsword.

BOOM!

The black greatsword swept down, instantly throwing the herd into disarray. A few of the Iron-Backed Yaks roared and charged toward Xiyue Frost.

"Ice Lotus Sword Qi."

Unflinching in the face of danger, Xiyue Frost unleashed her Ice Lotus Sword Qi. Countless ice flowers swept over the Iron-Backed Yaks, instantly coating them in a layer of frost. Their charging speed slowed noticeably, and they lost a large amount of Qi Blood as the ice flowers shredded them.

Xiyue Frost had been confident in handling seven or eight Iron-Backed Yaks on her own. What she hadn’t expected was for Feng Hao to bring the entire herd charging over to her.

"Wouldn’t it have been better to pick them off one by one? Why did you lead them all over here?" Xiyue Frost asked, her eyes filled with confusion.

"It’s more efficient to group them up," Feng Hao grinned, spinning around to unleash a Moon Wheel Dance. Under the monitoring of his Crystal Eye, a huge swath of damage numbers appeared. "Don’t be afraid to lose some Qi Blood. As long as it’s not a fatal blow, just tank it."

WHOOSH!

Just as Xiyue Frost was momentarily stunned, a flash of white light surged into Feng Hao’s body. The one-third of his Qi Blood he had lost was instantly restored—it was a healing Secret Technique from Houhuiyao, who stood a short distance away.

"This...?" Xiyue Frost was dumbstruck, turning to look at Houhuiyao in disbelief.

At that moment, something seemed to click.

It was just that in her mind, Treatment Magic Masters either worked in hospitals treating patients or healed the wounded from behind the front lines. She had never imagined they could use Secret Techniques like a Combat Mage and apply them directly in battle.