The Strongest Talent Tree

After seeing Lu Linfei out, Feng Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He cleaned up the shattered door fragments, then removed a door from upstairs. Using a mechanical workbench to cut and modify it, he managed to replace the front door. As for the missing door upstairs, that was no longer his problem.

Back in his bedroom, he cleared out the belongings of the aquiline-nosed youth and began a new session of cultivation.

As he cultivated late into the night, a problem arose. It wasn’t a major issue; he had simply run out of Level 3 Magic Crystals.

’Thank goodness for the Gathering Power Compressor. Otherwise, where would I get more Magic Crystals in the middle of the night?’

At a time like this, he had to admit just how important the compressor was for a Mage.

With a faint smile, he walked out the door and placed the Gathering Power Compressor in the center of the small courtyard. The night sky was dark and profound. The hazy glow of two moons faced one another, their contrasting warm and cool light intermingling to paint the night with vibrant color.

Unfortunately, Feng Hao was no poet and had no mind for composing verses. The beautiful moon was something to be looked at, nothing more. Humming a little tune, he stuffed handfuls of Level 2 Magic Crystals into the compressor, locked the valve, and began to furiously work it.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The deafening roar shattered the silence. In the dimly lit residential area, lights began to flicker on, one after another, spreading like wildfire. A chorus of curses filled the night sky.

"Fuck! Who the hell is that? Are you going to let anyone get any rest?"

"What fiend dares disturb Master Thief’s peaceful cultivation?!"

"Hey, asshole to the southeast! Whatever you’re doing, cut it out, or this young master is going to tear you a new one!"

"Damn it, I pulled three all-nighters just to get to the Grand Hall! Can’t a guy get one night of peaceful sleep?"

"Public disturbance! Public disturbance! This is a blatant public disturbance!"

...

Faced with the sudden deluge of curses, Feng Hao froze. It was only then he remembered that compressing Magic Crystals right now might be a bit inappropriate.

Fortunately, his recent furious efforts had already produced more than ten Level 3 Magic Crystals, which was enough for the rest of the night’s cultivation.

As the cursing grew louder, Feng Hao had a stroke of genius. He quickly stored the compressor in his ring and, at the top of his lungs, began to shout along, "Holy shit! Which family raised such an unruly kid? Who’s making all this fucking racket in the middle of the night?"

And just like that, Feng Hao successfully blended in with the chorus of angry shouts, casting aside any shred of guilt.

Aside from the contestants in the few pavilions closest to him, no one knew who the bastard behind the midnight disturbance was. In any case, the whole farce blew over.

Once the lights gradually went out, Feng Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling a bit guilty, he slipped back into his room and resumed his cultivation.

What he didn’t know was that three doors down, Ming Xin Yan was standing on her rooftop, gritting her teeth. She had witnessed his entire shameless act from start to finish.

’Absolutely shameless!’ Ming Xin Yan gritted her teeth, her silk pajamas fluttering in the wind, creating a certain unique beauty.

For the past few days, Ming Xin Yan had to deal with hordes of people trying to team up with her. She had finally gotten a chance to rest for the night, only to be jolted awake by Feng Hao’s commotion.

As the saying goes, everyone’s a little grumpy when they’re woken up, and Ming Xin Yan was no exception.

But just as she was about to go and confront Feng Hao, she saw him putting on an act, shouting and yelling as if he were the real victim.

’If I’d known you were this kind of person, I never should have taken you to the cafeteria that day. It would’ve served you right to starve to death, you bastard!’

After muttering a few more resentful curses, Ming Xin Yan’s anger finally subsided a little. She shot a vicious glare in Feng Hao’s direction, then floated gracefully back to her room.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.

After a full night of cultivation, Feng Hao felt refreshed and invigorated, having completely forgotten about the events of the previous night.

"Tsk tsk, the mountain environment really is something else. This air, this scenery... it’s like a paradise on earth!" Feng Hao couldn’t help but sigh in admiration as he pushed open his door and gazed at the beautiful view outside his courtyard.

Unfortunately, he had barely begun to enjoy the view when a menacing-looking group of people stormed in. Leading them was none other than the aquiline-nosed youth from the day before.

’No, that’s not right. After the "special care" Lu Linfei had given him, he could no longer be called the aquiline-nosed youth. He should be called the Geoduck youth.’

"You little thief! Today, one of us is going to die!" the Geoduck youth slurred, his speech unclear.

"Sigh... When will this cycle of revenge ever end?" Feng Hao lamented with a sigh, then suddenly turned his head and shouted, "Xiaoluzi, we’ve got a fight! Get over here for backup!"

A response quickly came from the courtyard next door: "Don’t worry, Brother Feng! Lin Fei is on his way!"

As he spoke, two figures—a man and a woman—vaulted over the wall. It was the young couple, Lu Linfei and Ting Xiaoxue. Lu Linfei had clearly taken an Experience Pill; his gene level had soared from forty-three to forty-eight, and his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.

In short, the Geoduck youth was stunned, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

The burly youth next to the Geoduck youth was also startled. His eyes flickered with shock and suspicion as he said, "Yingzai, didn’t you say there was only one level forty-three? Where did this level forty-eight expert come from?"

"How should I know? The kid was clearly level forty-three yesterday. I even gave him a beating," the Geoduck youth said, confused.

"So you’re telling me he cultivated from level forty-three to forty-eight overnight? Who are you kidding!" the burly youth retorted irritably.

The Geoduck youth was on the verge of tears. "Brother Niu, I’m really not lying."

The youth named Niu looked at him sympathetically. "Poor Yingzai, you’ve been beaten silly. Don’t you worry, all of us brothers will get revenge for you."

"..." The Geoduck youth didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Hearing their conversation, Feng Hao had to stifle a laugh. He couldn’t help but call out, "Hey! Are you guys going to fight or not?"

The Niu youth quickly snapped back to reality. He hoisted his broadaxe onto his shoulder, took a few steps forward, and said, "Get the hell out of the way. Let the level-forty-eight talk to me."

Feng Hao was taken aback and shot a helpless look at Lu Linfei.

But Lu Linfei’s eyes were shining with excitement. "Brother Feng, don’t waste your breath on them! Let’s just go! I can’t wait!"

"Count me in," Ting Xiaoxue chimed in.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get ’em!" Feng Hao smirked. The Su Mu Dagger instantly appeared in his hand as he charged straight for the Niu youth, unleashing a [Moon Wheel Dance] right in his face.

The Niu youth’s gang was instantly thrown into chaos. A swath of terrifying damage numbers floated up, and screams rang out endlessly.

Meanwhile, the young couple Lu Linfei and Ting Xiaoxue had also joined the fray. After his level-up, Lu Linfei was incredibly formidable. His speed, in particular, completely overwhelmed everyone on the field. Combined with the support from Ting Xiaoxue’s wide-area Secret Technique, they successfully suppressed the enemy team.

The Niu youth seemed to be a Gang Qi Defense Mage. Seeing his underlings scattered by the assault, he hastily raised a pale blue Gang Qi shield and swung his broadaxe at Feng Hao.

"You dare act so arrogant at just level thirty-eight? Come! Have a taste of Master Niu’s axe!"

With a swing of the broadaxe, a massive wave of blue energy swept forward with terrifying force.

But to Feng Hao, such a slow attack was completely useless. He dodged the wave of blue energy with a preemptive leap and, while still in mid-air, executed a [Rapid Shadow Slash] to land precisely in front of the Niu youth.

PFFT! PFFT!

The instant he landed, his daggers, held in forward and reverse grips, flashed in a crisscross pattern. Two blasts from [Dark Moon Slaughter] combined into an X-shaped wave of energy aimed straight for the Niu youth’s face.