The Strongest Talent Tree

When fighting a Divine Thought Mage, taking off protective talismans is indeed a good option, since Soul Pressure greatly weakens one’s Divine Sense strength.

Unfortunately, this method was basically useless for Feng Hao, because he only had one such item on him: the [Demon Jade Talisman] Yu Xiaoxiao had given him. It had 15 points of Soul Pressure, and taking it off would only raise his Divine Sense strength from 61 to 76.

To a Divine Thought Mage, there was no difference between 61 and 76 points of Divine Sense strength.

’After all, even Ming Xin Yan had a tough time with her 264 points of Divine Sense, so my paltry amount is even more useless.’

"Actually, you’re not entirely without a chance," Ming Xin Yan said with a sudden smile. "A Divine Thought Secret Technique, like any other Secret Technique, requires using Divine Sense to lock onto the opponent. In other words, as long as your aura concealment can blur his Divine Sense, you have a chance to win."

Feng Hao furrowed his brow in thought. "I’ve considered that, but a Divine Thought Mage’s Divine Sense is high to begin with. Plus, he’s so many levels higher than me. The chances of my aura concealment gaining an advantage are slim."

"Don’t worry. Yanziqing’s Divine Sense isn’t as high as you think," Ming Xin Yan said with a faint smile.

"How do you know?" Feng Hao asked in surprise.

Ming Xin Yan gave him a mysterious look. "In my golden form, I can sense the strength of an opponent’s Divine Sense. It’s a bit vague, but I’m certain Yanziqing’s Divine Sense isn’t much higher than mine."

"That’s a little strange," Feng Hao said with a confused frown. "Don’t Divine Thought Mages primarily cultivate their perception and Divine Thought roots?"

"It is a bit strange," Ming Xin Yan said thoughtfully. "I also get the feeling his aura concealment attribute isn’t low. It’s probably because he joined the Thief God Hall and is following some special path. To be honest, the Thief God Hall really isn’t suited for Divine Thought Mages."

Feng Hao nodded pensively, though a few doubts lingered in his mind.

’Even though the Thief God Hall’s legacy isn’t suited for Divine Thought Mages, I can’t rule out the possibility that Yanziqing discovered some special cultivation path.’

’Take me, for example. To others, I probably seem like a thief who follows the path of hidden power. But only I know that I’m walking another, more extreme path: the path of an Assassin!’

’In terms of combat roles, a thief is more of a generalist, while an Assassin is focused on speed and burst damage. They might seem to have the same origin, but they are completely different.’

After exchanging a few more words with Ming Xin Yan, the second match began.

When Feng Hao stepped onto the arena stage, ready for a quick fight, he was surprised to find his opponent immediately forfeited.

What he expected even less was that his opponent in the third match also forfeited, leaving him at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.

It couldn’t be helped. During Feng Hao’s first match against the rapier-wielding youth, these two opponents had been watching from the audience and were scared half to death by his damage output.

Besides, both were wily veterans who had come up through the Thief God Hall. Knowing they were outmatched, they naturally wouldn’t pick a fight they couldn’t win. After all, the round-robin tournament was set to last a month. If they got injured today, wouldn’t they be at a huge disadvantage tomorrow?

In short, most people thought their decision was a wise one.

And so, his three matches on the first day ended just like that. Bored, Feng Hao went to watch the other contestants fight.

He wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t looked, but what he saw gave him a shock. Besides Ming Xin Yan, Huang Danian, Fang Jie, and Yanziqing, there were many other formidable contestants. Some were in the files Mei Meimei had given him, while others he had never even heard of.

Additionally, Lu Linfei also achieved a perfect record on the first day, drawing a lot of attention. His level was plain to see; among the one hundred current competitors, he was the highest-leveled one.

As for Ming Xin Yan, after she dealt with Yanziqing, she had no more trouble. Once she activated her golden form, she was simply unstoppable.

Gazing at the intense clashes on the arena stages, Feng Hao couldn’t get enough. He didn’t leave Thief God Peak until the matches concluded in the afternoon.

’Good heavens. Compared to these matches, the grand tournament at the Five Provinces Academy was like children playing house.’

Feng Hao sighed with emotion, then turned to walk down Thief God Peak. He got into his Mansa and drove off. As for why he didn’t just drive on Thief God Peak itself—that would be disrespectful to the Thief God Ancestor, and it was strictly forbidden.

It was still early when he returned to the Thief’s Palace East Courtyard. Feng Hao had intended to go to the training grounds to continue forging rare metals, but he suddenly remembered something important.

’Crap, I just realized, I was supposed to contact Solos today.’

With that thought, Feng Hao immediately turned his vehicle around and headed for the [Origin Node] on Thief Peak.

There were three [Origin Nodes] in total within the Shadow Overlapping Mountain Range. One was on the main peak, one on Thief Peak, and the last was in the outer mountain range bordering the Nia Jungle, an area teeming with demonic beasts.

Normally, any place with an [Origin Node] would have a human settlement, especially since many cities lacked one entirely. However, due to the difficult terrain and the prevalence of demonic beasts, no one had ever settled there. After the Thief God Hall occupied the Shadow Overlapping Mountain Range, it became even less likely.

To be honest, Feng Hao’s knowledge of Thief Peak was limited to its silhouette as seen from the sky and a small portion of the Thief’s Palace, so he didn’t know the exact location of the [Origin Node].

However, thanks to the [Listening Stone], he could clearly feel the unique fluctuations of the Origin Node and pinpoint its exact location.

When Feng Hao arrived, he was startled by the sight before him.

The [Origin Node] on Thief Peak was quite peculiar. From a distance, it looked as if more than half of it was buried in the mountainside, with only a small part exposed to the air.

’Damn, I won’t get stuck underground when I try to come back, will I?’ Feng Hao thought, clicking his tongue.

Though he was in a hurry, he decided to ask the Thief Master just to be safe. He initiated a Stone Listening Communication. "Master, I’m at the [Origin Node] on Thief Peak. By the way, is this node functional?"

"Aren’t you in the competition? What are you going to the Origin Secret Realm for?" the Thief Master asked, surprised.

"I need to contact a friend from another realm. I’ll be back by tonight, so it won’t interfere with tomorrow’s matches," Feng Hao answered honestly.

The Thief Master nodded in understanding. "Alright then. I’ll come out and get you."

"Come out and get me?" Feng Hao was stunned. Just as he was about to ask for clarification, he saw the Thief Master walk right out of a nearby cliff face, like a ghost passing through a wall. The sight almost scared him out of his wits.

Seeing Feng Hao’s stunned expression, the Thief Master smiled faintly. "Let’s go. Follow me inside."

"Inside where?" Feng Hao stammered.

"Underground, of course. Aren’t you going to the Origin Secret Realm?" The Thief Master gave a mysterious smile, and without waiting for Feng Hao’s reaction, he grabbed him and pulled him straight toward the cliff.

"What the—!" Feng Hao yelped instinctively as the cliff wall rushed toward them.

However, the expected impact never occurred. In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in a distinctly mechanical-looking underground passageway.

The Thief Master chuckled and explained, "That cliff face was just an illusion. It’s actually the entrance to this base."

Feng Hao swallowed nervously, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What is this base for?" he asked curiously.

"That’s classified. When you are crowned as a Thief, I will naturally tell you."

"But aren’t you afraid of leaks, bringing me in here like this?" Feng Hao asked, finding the situation odd.

"You’re my disciple, so of course you’re qualified to come here," the Thief Master said nonchalantly. "Let’s go. You wanted to get to the Origin Secret Realm, right? Take this elevator down to the bottom of the [Origin Node]."