The Strongest Talent Tree

Meanwhile, Huang Danian wore a bewildered expression. It took him a long moment to snap out of it, and he secretly sighed in relief.

If the match hadn’t ended just then, he probably would have been eliminated just like Huo Yuanjia. A favorite to win knocked out in the first round—the mere thought sent a shiver of fear through him.

At that moment, Huang Danian really wanted to go interview Huo Yuanjia and ask him how he was feeling.

"Your luck is really something else," Feng Hao said, glancing at Huang Danian and rolling his eyes.

Huang Danian’s expression stiffened, but he didn’t get too angry. "We’ll see about that in the points match," he snorted.

With that, he led Wu Fei and the Bow and Arrow Mage aside to console their other two teammates who had been eliminated by Feng Hao.

Feng Hao scoffed and walked over to Ming Xin Yan and Lu Linfei.

Thief God Peak was buzzing with excitement, with cheers rising and falling in waves. The one hundred qualifiers stood outside the entrance, basking in the crowd’s adulation.

On the high platform, Jing Lou rose and walked to the front. He gave a light cough, and the crowd quickly fell silent.

"Ahem... The first round of selection is complete. In two days, the points match will officially begin. It will last for one month. The top three contestants with the highest final scores will advance to the battle for the Thief God’s heir one year from now. All one hundred qualifiers, please prepare yourselves."

Jing Lou didn’t say much else. He briefly explained the rules for the upcoming matches and then dismissed the crowd.

Outside the Saint Realm entrance, the one hundred qualifiers were in high spirits. For most of them, just making it this far was satisfaction enough. After all, not everyone possessed the strength to contend for the position of the Thief God’s heir.

Take Lu Linfei, for instance. Standing before Feng Hao, he was so excited he could barely breathe. "Brother Feng, Sister Ming, thank you so much!"

"We’re brothers, no need for thanks. Now hurry up and go celebrate with your girl," Feng Hao teased with a grin.

"Alright, I’ll be going then." Lu Linfei didn’t waste any more words and eagerly pushed his way out of the crowd.

After Lu Linfei left, Feng Hao’s gaze fell on Ming Xin Yan. "We’re opponents from here on out," he said meaningfully. "Got anything you want to say, sis?"

Ming Xin Yan glanced around them and smiled faintly. "It looks like a lot of people have their eyes on you already. You’d better watch yourself."

With that, she departed gracefully with a light laugh.

Feng Hao froze, subconsciously looking around. He was surprised to find that many people were indeed staring at him, which left him completely baffled.

’What’s going on? Did I get more handsome or something?’ Feng Hao wondered, rubbing his chin. He hurriedly fled the scene, feeling like his ass would be on the line if he stayed any longer.

The crowd on Thief God Peak had yet to disperse. All the way down the mountain, people were pointing and whispering, which Feng Hao found utterly bizarre.

This sudden popularity made him very uncomfortable. In any case, the moment he returned to his pavilion, Feng Hao initiated a Stone Listening Communication with the Thief Master. "Master, I didn’t disappoint you, did I?"

"Hehe, you performed well. I am very satisfied," the Thief Master replied with a light chuckle.

"By the way, Master, why do I get the feeling everyone is looking at me strangely?" Feng Hao couldn’t help but ask.

The Thief Master paused, then chuckled. "That’s because your performance in the Saint Realm has won everyone’s approval."

"Uh, you mean everything we did inside the Saint Realm could be seen from the outside?" Feng Hao asked in surprise.

"That’s right."

Feng Hao’s face fell. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner? If I’d known, I would’ve struck a few more badass poses to taunt those old men."

"No need for taunts. They’ve stopped opposing you now," the Thief Master said with a faint smile.

"They’ve stopped already? That’s no fun. I wanted to keep rubbing it in their faces," Feng Hao said, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Alright, that’s enough. I don’t have time to joke around with you. Just focus on preparing for the match in two days."

"I understand."

After he ended the Stone Listening Communication, Feng Hao saw that it was already getting late.

After going next door to chat with Lu Linfei and his girlfriend for a while, Feng Hao returned to his room to cultivate. He had to admit, Ting Xiaoxue’s cooking was excellent. The young couple was so grateful to him that it made him feel a bit embarrassed.

Back in his room, he sat cross-legged on his bed and took out a few Level 3 Magic Crystals and a Life Spirit Pill. Before he could begin cultivating, however, he received a communication from Xiyue Frost.

The moment he extended his Divine Sense into the Listening Stone, he heard Xiyue Frost’s cold, proud voice. "Well? Why haven’t you answered my communications for the past two days?"

"Uh, you can’t blame me for that," Feng Hao explained. "I’ve been in a competition inside a special dimension for the past two days, and it blocks all outside communications."

"The competition has started already? How is it going?" Xiyue Frost’s anger finally subsided, and a hint of concern crept into her voice.

"Don’t worry. You know what I’m capable of, right?" Feng Hao said with a smug grin. Then he changed the subject. "So, what was so urgent that you had to find me?"

"What else could it be?" Xiyue Frost said irritably. "Yaoyao arrived in Five States City."

"And? She’s not mad at me, is she?" Feng Hao asked nervously.

"What do you think?"

Feng Hao gave a helpless, wry smile. "Please tell her that I’ll rush back to see her the second this competition is over. Tell her to be good and wait for me, and to stop complaining."

"That should be enough. That girl won’t even listen to a word I say these days," Xiyue Frost sighed.

"That’s because you’re not using the right approach," Feng Hao chuckled. "By the way, has anything been going on in Five States City lately?"

"What could possibly happen? The academy is on break, so everyone’s out gaining experience. I’m the only one left here with nothing to do but get pestered by Yaoyao every single day," Xiyue Frost said irritably.

"Sounds tough, milady."

"Cut the crap," Xiyue Frost retorted. "I’m hanging up."

"Uh."

After the Stone Listening Communication cut off, Feng Hao couldn’t help but shake his head. All he wanted was to finish the competition quickly and return to Five States City.

He glanced up at the starry sky outside his window. In a daze, the two bright moons seemed to transform into the smiling faces of the Xiyue sisters—one warm and vivacious, the other cool and elegantly reserved...

「The next day.」

Feng Hao had just awoken from his cultivation when he heard a commotion outside his door. A moment later, Lin Luo and the other three came walking in.

Seeing the four of them, Feng Hao hurried forward to greet them. "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Sister, what brings you all here?"

"We’re mainly here to congratulate you on qualifying," said Kang Shuai, as handsome as ever, his eyes smiling. "And second, to have Fourth Sister apologize to you."

"Apologize?" Feng Hao was confused. "Fourth Sister didn’t do anything wrong to me, did she?"

Lin Luo grabbed Mei Meimei, pulled her to the front, and snorted. "You tell him."

"Hey! Why are you guys always picking on me?" Mei Meimei said reluctantly. "The Pulse Wrist Guard didn’t explode, did it?"

"That’s only because Fifth Brother got lucky," Wang Tongqian retorted.

"Hmph!" Mei Meimei huffed indignantly and turned her head away.

Feng Hao was completely lost. "What’s going on?" he asked, his expression strange.

Wang Tongqian stepped forward to explain. "You wouldn’t know this, Fifth Brother, but Sanmei’s Pulse Wrist Guards are highly unstable. Almost every single one of them explodes. To date, not one has remained intact."

"Explodes?" Feng Hao froze. He subconsciously raised his left hand, looking skeptical. "It seems fine to me?"

As he spoke, he raised his left arm, channeled Magic Power into the Pulse Wrist Guard, and fired a test shot out the door.

But who would have thought that right after he fired, the Pulse Wrist Guard would begin to act strangely. "Huh? Why is it suddenly getting so hot?"

"Hot?" Mei Meimei’s eyes widened in alarm. She rushed over to Feng Hao, tore the Pulse Wrist Guard off his arm, and threw it out the door without a second’s hesitation, screaming, "Get down!"

Feng Hao, Lin Luo, and the other two didn’t have time to think. They scrambled to cover their ears and drop to the floor.

The next moment, a tremendous explosion ripped through the sky, and a searing shockwave instantly blasted the small courtyard and the pavilion to smithereens...