The Strongest Talent Tree

Lu Linfei and Ming Xin Yan looked quite relaxed, as their opponents for the day were all rather ordinary.

Seeing Feng Hao rush over, Ming Xin Yan couldn’t help but tease him, "Well, look who’s not in a hurry. You’re always this late."

"It’s just a match. What’s the rush?" Feng Hao said with an unconcerned smile, then turned to look toward the arenas. "What? Don’t you guys have a match in the first round today?"

"I’m in the second round, and Sister Ming is in the third," Lu Linfei said with a light laugh.

Feng Hao’s lips quirked in surprise. "Oh, really? In that case, I’ll head up first. Don’t forget to cheer for me."

"Don’t worry, Brother Feng! I’m an expert when it comes to being in the cheering squad!" Ting Xiaoxue declared, patting her chest confidently.

"Excellent. You’ve got a bright future," Feng Hao said, nodding in satisfaction. He flicked his sleeves and swaggered onto Arena Five, drawing a roar of laughter from his three friends.

With the competition about to start, most of the first-round contestants had already entered the arena area, and Feng Hao’s opponent was among them.

When Feng Hao stepped onto Arena Five, his opponent was already waiting on the platform. He appeared to be a refined and scholarly youth, dressed in a white robe and holding an exquisite folding fan. He had a certain graceful elegance about him—a temperament rarely seen in the Thief God Hall.

Feng Hao studied him for a long moment. ’Something’s odd,’ he thought. ’It’s like this guy is shrouded in mist, completely unfathomable.’

The white-robed youth was sizing up Feng Hao as well, his brow furrowed slightly as if he were already devising a strategy to counter him.

"How should I address you, Brother Zei?" Feng Hao asked with great interest.

Tapping his folding fan, the white-robed youth replied humbly, "This one is He Zhizhang, from the Snow Country."

"He Zhizhang? A fine name!" Feng Hao remarked, his expression turning odd.

"Haha, it’s merely a name, nothing worth mentioning," He Zhizhang said, looking quite pleased. "I’ve heard Brother Feng’s strength is extraordinary. I must ask you to be gentle with me."

"No problem. I’m in a great mood today, so I’ll be sure to be gentle," Feng Hao said with a nodding smile.

"That would be wonderful."

As the two exchanged pleasantries, the Referee Elder took his position. With a surge of magical light, ten curtain-like barriers of light rose up around the arenas.

"Both contestants, prepare yourselves. The match officially begins!" At the Referee Elder’s command, the battle was joined.

He Zhizhang wasted no time on words. His folding fan snapped open with a flourish, its golden-threaded edges shimmering with a halo of light. It was clearly a formidable magical treasure. "Brother Feng, forgive my offense!"

As he spoke, characters coalesced from magical light and began to fly around He Zhizhang, fluttering toward Feng Hao like a swarm of butterflies.

"Whoa, a Literary Magic Master!"

Feng Hao exclaimed in surprise, his twin daggers appearing instantly in his hands. With a light tap of his feet on the arena floor, he moved with nimble, flowing steps, effortlessly dodging the attacks of the magical light characters.

’To be honest, I never thought a Literary Magic Master could fight their way into the ranking tournament,’ Feng Hao mused. ’After all, Literary Magic Masters, just like Dancing Magic Masters, follow a cultivation path that prioritizes style over damage. Their combat effectiveness is usually quite low.’

’They’re also much rarer than Dancing Magic Masters. Most people who enjoy splitting hairs over semantics are just normal folks; those who actually have an aptitude for magic tend not to choose the literary path.’

’When compared to other cultivation paths, the literary one is just awkward. Sometimes, it can’t even hold a candle to the dancing path.’

"Whoa, something’s not right with this damage!" Feng Hao suddenly cried out in alarm.

He discovered that some of the magical light characters were impossible to dodge, especially the ones for "death" and "kill." They were like homing missiles he couldn’t shake off, burrowing into his body in the blink of an eye.

1975!

2331!

1842!

...

According to his Crystal Eye’s analysis, a string of damage numbers floated up from above Feng Hao’s head. He felt no pain or discomfort, but he had somehow inexplicably lost over ten thousand Qi Blood.

’Jeez, there’s something strange about this guy’s literary magic.’ Feng Hao instantly grew serious, a cold light glinting from his daggers as he brandished them.

SWISH! SWISH!

He lunged forward, using a combination of Rapid Shadow Slash and Moon Wheel Dance in an attempt to end the fight quickly.

But He Zhizhang was muttering something under his breath, and in an instant, a circle of strange characters formed around his body. The attack, which should have been enough to kill him instantly, was reduced by more than half. The sight of it nearly gave Feng Hao a heart attack.

"What the hell? It can even block Dark Energy damage?" Feng Hao exclaimed in disbelief.

He Zhizhang smirked. "This is a literary technique I learned from an ancient text. It’s designed specifically to counter Dark Energy damage."

’No way, it’s that incredible?’ Feng Hao was stunned. This completely upended his impression of Literary Magic Masters. ’To think they have a specialized defense against Dark Energy!’

’And Dark Energy is something that not even armor or Gang Qi can stop.’

"Three-Stroke Death Seal!"

Just as Feng Hao was reeling in surprise, He Zhizhang attacked again. Tracing a finger across his folding fan, he flung out three enormous characters for "death" that rushed toward Feng Hao with overwhelming force.

’This feeling...’ Feng Hao was filled with uncertainty. The sensation from these three "death" characters was just like his own mastered "Dark Moon Slaughter."

At this thought, Feng Hao quickly brandished his daggers, the crescent-shaped energy of his "Dark Moon Slaughter" forming a Cross Sword Qi that shot forward to meet the attack.

As it turned out, his mastered "Dark Moon Slaughter" was highly effective, easily shredding the three "death" characters.

He Zhizhang’s face fell in astonishment. As far as he knew, no one had ever broken his Three-Stroke Death Seal like this. Literary magic was a unique form of energy, completely distinct from and unaffected by physical power, magical damage, or Dark Energy.

"Impossible... Why does a Dark Energy Secret Technique have the same kind of aura as literary magic?" He Zhizhang said, finding it unbelievable.

Feng Hao wasn’t one for idle chatter. He immediately used a shadow-strike to press his advantage. The instant "Dark Moon Slaughter" struck He Zhizhang, Feng Hao landed a basic slash on his ribs, emptying his Qi Blood.

With the outcome decided, the Referee Elder announced solemnly, "Feng Hao is the victor of this match. Please prepare for the next."

As he stepped down from the arena, Feng Hao was still mired in confusion and couldn’t help but glance at He Zhizhang a few more times. ’Looks like literary magic and dancing magic aren’t as simple as I thought.’

"Brother Feng, you are truly formidable. I am thoroughly convinced of my defeat," He Zhizhang said. His Qi Blood had been completely depleted, yet he showed no sign of weakness. Dense, strange characters flickered across his skin as his Qi Blood rapidly regenerated.

"Not at all, you’re very strong yourself," Feng Hao replied, a bit awkwardly.

He Zhizhang gave a faint smile, gently waved his fan, and slowly departed...

Frowning to himself, Feng Hao hurried back to Lu Linfei and the other two. He had wanted to ask Ming Xin Yan about Literary Magic Masters, but when he saw what the trio was doing, he was utterly dumbfounded.

The three of them were staring at Arena One with rapt attention, completely absorbed in the duel between Fang Jie and Huang Danian. They hadn’t even noticed his return.

"Hey! What happened to my cheering squad? You can’t just bail on me like that!" Feng Hao grumbled, completely exasperated.

’And to think I was working so hard to put on a show up there, getting ready to give them a performance they’d love!’ he fumed internally. ’Forget the fact that my cheering squad disappeared, they’re watching Fang Jie and Huang Danian’s match instead! How could they do this to me?’

Hearing Feng Hao’s complaint, Lu Linfei was the first to snap out of it, though Ming Xin Yan and Ting Xiaoxue remained focused on the match in Arena One.

"Oh, Brother Feng, you’re finished?" Lu Linfei said, turning around with an embarrassed look. "Quick, come and watch! This match between Fang Jie and Huang Danian is incredible!"

"..." Speechless, Feng Hao shot him a look, then finally turned his gaze toward Arena One.