The Strongest Talent Tree

However, just as Xu Long raised his hand to counterattack, Feng Hao vanished from his spot once again.

"You just don’t quit, do you? I refuse to believe you can keep using Shadow Strike forever."

Xu Long cursed under his breath, knowing full well how troublesome Shadow Strike was. With a roar, he frantically channeled his Magic Power, which erupted from his body as a layer of Thunderbolt Gang Qi, once again forcing Feng Hao to retreat.

Having fallen back to a safe distance, Feng Hao couldn’t help but frown. ’Looks like I still underestimated the combat strength of a Crystal Stele student.’ This guy Xu Long was only level forty-two, but his Thunder Secret Technique was strong in both offense and defense, making it difficult for Feng Hao to get close.

"Kid, you dare challenge me with just this little bit of strength? Run out of Magic Power for your Shadow Strike, have you?"

Seeing Feng Hao come to a stop, Xu Long couldn’t help but burst out laughing. He swung his giant axe at Feng Hao. In an instant, arcs of lightning crisscrossed the air with immense power, and every swing unleashed countless sparks of electricity.

BZZT~!

Although Feng Hao could dodge the swings of the giant axe, he couldn’t evade the electrical attacks. Before he knew it, he had lost over ten thousand Qi Blood.

"Who told you I ran out of Magic Power for Shadow Strike?"

The moment the Thunderbolt Gang Qi around Xu Long’s body dissipated, a cold smirk appeared on Feng Hao’s lips. As he unleashed [Dark Force Annihilation], he used Shadow Strike to appear behind Xu Long. A basic attack, [Moon Wheel Dance], and another basic attack—the combo instantly drained all his health.

Before Xu Long could even react, he collapsed weakly to the ground, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

’How is that possible? Over forty thousand Qi Blood, just gone like that?!’

Clad in a full set of [Taiyi] gear, he had never imagined he would be killed in one shot like this. Even those freaks in the top ten of the Crystal Stele couldn’t do something like this. ’Is it because of the Dark Force damage? But my gear clearly has 22 points of Dark Force protection!’

In truth, Feng Hao’s combo wasn’t actually enough to kill him instantly. However, Feng Hao had activated [Black Pupil] at the moment of attack, and the massive damage boost from its aura-concealing effect was no joke.

The arena had already fallen dead silent. Everyone was staring at Feng Hao in disbelief.

A level thirty defeating a level forty-two—and a level forty-two from the Crystal Stele, no less. How could that not be shocking?

If there were people before who didn’t believe Feng Hao could have killed Cao Heng, at this moment, no one doubted the truth of it any longer. Xu Long, ranked sixtieth on the Crystal Stele’s strength department rankings, had been defeated. Utterly crushed!

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into a frenzy of shocked cries:

"Holy crap, Senior Xu Long actually lost? Am I seeing things?"

"Is that guy really only level thirty? You could kill me and I wouldn’t believe it. He must have some kind of item that hides his true power."

"Heh heh, the strength department really got put in its place this time. The so-called number one combat department can’t even beat a student from the alchemy department!"

"You got the guts to say that again? Believe it or not, I’ll beat the crap out of you!" a few nearby strength department students shouted angrily.

"Tch, what’s the big deal about beating me? If you’ve got the guts, go up there and fight Feng Hao!"

"You..." The strength department students were instantly speechless.

Over with Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao, seeing Feng Hao win, they let out a breath of relief amidst their surprise. Houhuiyao was fine, but Xiyue Frost’s feelings were a bit more complex. She gazed at Feng Hao’s figure, unconsciously clenching her fists.

Man Tiaotiao was also dumbfounded, never having expected this outcome. She silently cursed Xu Long for being so useless, even though she wasn’t much better herself.

Meanwhile, Feng Hao, having defeated Xu Long, had no intention of stopping. He scanned his surroundings arrogantly and bellowed, "Who else isn’t convinced? Step right up!"

His words caused an immediate uproar. Countless students were filled with righteous indignation, yet they were powerless to retort.

"Asshole, don’t get too cocky! Today’s only the second day of the competition. The experts from the top fifty of the Crystal Stele haven’t even competed yet. If you have the guts, come back tomorrow!"

"Don’t think you can be so arrogant just because you beat Xu Long. You’ve still got a long way to go!"

"You’re just a piece of trash who got expelled. Do you really think you’re all that?"

...

Facing the crowd’s taunts, Feng Hao remained unmoved. He raised his Su Mu Dagger, pointed it at the surrounding students, and shouted, "Haha, the great Five Provinces Academy doesn’t even have a single person who can fight! Don’t give me all that nonsense. If you’ve got the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one."

His words once again sent a stir through the crowd, but no one dared to step forward and accept the challenge.

Just as everyone was grinding their teeth in frustration, a young Swordsman in white robes leaped out. It was Yun Jiansong, who had been hiding in the crowd.

Yun Jiansong’s appearance immediately drew cheers from the entire arena. Countless strength department students shouted his name, especially the female students, whose eyes lit up as they screamed endlessly.

"Whoa, what’s he doing here?" Houhuiyao said, completely baffled.

Xiyue Frost furrowed her brow in thought. "Yun Jiansong asked me about Feng Hao’s whereabouts before. It seems the two of them know each other."

"If they know each other, why would he step up to fight?" Houhuiyao asked, bewildered.

"Maybe he just wants to spar?" Xiyue Frost mused.

Houhuiyao clicked his tongue, his eyes full of worry. "Brother Feng is strong, but Yun Jiansong is on another level. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen him fight since he broke into the top fifty of the Crystal Stele, have I?"

"Mhm." Xiyue Frost nodded gravely. "Yun Jiansong’s strength is indeed unfathomable."

"So who do you think will win?" Houhuiyao asked, swallowing hard.

Man Tiaotiao, standing to the side, chimed in, her eyes full of infatuation, "Of course my Sword Song will win! How could that bumpkin possibly beat Yun Jiansong?"

"Sister Tiao, whose side are you even on?" Houhuiyao asked, exasperated. Thanks to Xiyue Frost, he was fairly familiar with Man Tiaotiao, but unfortunately, she clearly wasn’t his type.

Man Tiaotiao huffed. "Hmph, I’m on the side of whoever’s more handsome."

"But I think Brother Feng is pretty handsome too," Houhuiyao retorted with a pout.

"Bullshit! He’s not even in the same league as my Sword Song, okay?" Man Tiaotiao said, her eyes filled with disdain.

"Alright, fine. Yun Jiansong is a little bit handsome."

...

Feng Hao stared at Yun Jiansong with surprise, a strange expression on his face. "Yun Jiansong?"

"I wasn’t planning on coming out, but you still owe me a sparring match. Today just happens to be the perfect opportunity," Yun Jiansong said, standing with his sword cradled in his arms, his calm gaze meeting Feng Hao’s.

Feng Hao froze for a moment, only then remembering their conversation from his first time in the Secret Realm. Unfortunately, because of the incident with Cao Heng and Sha Mingliang, he was expelled right after returning from the Secret Realm, and the matter of their sparring match was left unresolved.

"Alright. I’ve been wanting to cross blades with Brother Yun for a while now," Feng Hao said with a light chuckle, instinctively tightening his grip on his dagger.

Yun Jiansong simultaneously drew his own sword. A powerful fighting spirit surged in his resolute eyes as he spoke with pride, "A month ago, I reached fiftieth on the Crystal Stele. Brother Feng had best be prepared."

"Is that so? Now this is getting interesting!" Feng Hao grinned, his expression turning serious.

The meaning behind Yun Jiansong’s words was clear: his current strength was far beyond just fiftieth on the Crystal Stele. It was a bit of a taunt, but more than that, it was a display of pride and confidence.

Feng Hao didn’t find this off-putting at all. In fact, he kind of admired it, because his own shouting and taunting had come from the very same pride and confidence.