The Strongest Talent Tree

Unable to find backup at home and no match for Feng Hao herself, Man Tiaotiao could only swallow her pride and ask him to prepare the nutrient solution for her.

Man Tiaotiao had never been so aggrieved in her entire life—though she was the only one who felt that way. "Hey, bumpkin, how about one Level 4 Magic Crystal for two vials?"

"Not for sale," Feng Hao replied without a second thought, his attention focused on the match in the arena.

At that moment, Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao had already entered the arena. Their opponents were two fourth-tier students: a Martial Arts Mage and a Gun Magic Master. It was a common combat duo, combining melee and ranged attacks.

On the surface, Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao were clearly at a disadvantage. After all, they were only Third-tier Mages, and the difference in power was plain to see.

But no one dared to underestimate them. In yesterday’s match, they had already proven just how powerful their combination was, to the point that even the instructors maintaining order had found it incredible.

After yesterday’s shocking performance, several instructors from the medical department had specially arranged to be at the pair’s arena, for the sole purpose of watching them compete.

Outside the combat ring, a large crowd of students from the medical department had gathered to watch Houhuiyao’s match in awe.

As the saying goes, rarity creates value. Treatment Magic Masters had always been considered unsuitable for combat, but Houhuiyao’s appearance overturned that notion with devastatingly effective results. He gave hope to all the Treatment Magic Masters who secretly yearned to fight.

"Teacher Ming, do you think they can make it past the second round?" a few female students from the medical department chirped, gathered around their instructor.

Instructor Ming’s eyes twinkled. "Based on their performance yesterday, getting past the first three rounds shouldn’t be a problem."

"Whoa, the first three rounds? They’re that good?" The female medical students’ eyes sparkled with excitement.

"And that’s just a conservative estimate," Instructor Ming said with a captivating smile, her mature aura making her incredibly approachable. "I discussed it with a few other teachers from the department yesterday. We realized this healing style has immense practical combat value, not just for duos, but for larger teams as well."

"Does that mean we medical students will be able to participate in combat missions in the future?"

"Not only will you be able to participate, but you’ll be in high demand. Once everyone realizes the value of a Healing Mage, there’s bound to be a talent shortage. When that time comes, you girls will be the most sought-after members of any team."

"But I tried to construct a healing Secret Technique yesterday and couldn’t make heads or tails of it," a petite female medical student said, her face scrunched in a frown.

Instructor Ming gave a gentle, close-lipped smile. "Don’t be anxious. Our dean is currently negotiating with Dean Sun to have Houhuiyao transferred to our medical department. He could share a wealth of experience and new concepts with all of you."

"Really? That’s wonderful!" the female medical students cheered.

Meanwhile, the match in the arena had begun. The two fourth-tier students launched the first attack, aiming squarely at Houhuiyao.

After yesterday’s first round, many had figured out the key to this duo’s strategy: to win, they had to take out the Healing Mage as quickly as possible. Otherwise, they would be crushed by Xiyue Frost’s overwhelming offense.

"Haha! I knew you’d come after me! Your old man here was already prepared!"

Seeing his two opponents charge, Houhuiyao showed not a hint of fear. Laughing, he pulled out a helmet to protect his head. Paired with the heavy bone armor he was already wearing, he had essentially achieved full-body protection.

"Boss Xiyue, go for the kill! They can’t do a thing to me," Houhuiyao said with confidence.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A relentless barrage of attacks landed on Houhuiyao, each hit only dealing a little over a thousand damage. The Martial Arts Mage, whose attacks were physical, couldn’t even break one thousand.

"Holy shit! What tier armor are you wearing?" the Martial Arts Mage demanded, his face grim.

Houhuiyao roared with laughter, cast a healing Secret Technique on himself, and his Qi Blood instantly refilled. "Stop wasting your energy!" he cackled. "I’m wearing high-defense Tier Five gear. Your pathetic damage just tickles!"

"Fuck!" The Martial Arts Mage couldn’t help but curse, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks on Houhuiyao.

The Gun Magic Master on the other side was having a massive headache of his own. He frantically pulled the trigger, firing shot after shot. Against Houhuiyao’s ridiculously shameless gear, he was the only one who could deal any meaningful damage.

However, just as he was firing wildly, Xiyue Frost locked onto him as her target.

And so, a bizarre scene unfolded. The Gun Magic Master scrambled around the arena with Xiyue Frost in hot pursuit, while the Martial Arts Mage relentlessly punched and kicked Houhuiyao. Houhuiyao, for his part, remained completely still inside his "turtle shell," occasionally using a healing Secret Technique to top off his health.

The sight left the crowd utterly speechless, the corners of their mouths twitching.

Even the normally composed Instructor Ming wore a strange expression. Shaking her head, she chuckled quietly, "What a shameless strategy. If they keep this up, making it to the finals will be no problem at all."

Feng Hao, watching from the sidelines, was equally speechless, not knowing what to say.

He had, in fact, told Houhuiyao to increase his defense, but not like this. ’A Third-tier Mage wearing Tier Five gear... the defense is insane, but he shouldn’t be able to handle the massive weight debuff.’

’If I’m not mistaken, Houhuiyao probably can’t even move right now, let alone provide emergency healing support!’

"Hmph. This tactic only works in a tournament; it’s useless in a real battle," Feng Hao muttered, curling his lip. "Magical beasts won’t just stand obediently in healing range waiting for you to kill their friends."

Hearing Feng Hao’s analysis, Man Tiaotiao, who was standing beside him, asked curiously, "You know about Healing Mages too?"

"Duh. I’m the one who trained Houhuiyao," Feng Hao said dismissively.

Man Tiaotiao’s eyes lit up as if she’d just discovered a new world. "In that case, could you train one for me, too?"

"Not interested," Feng Hao refused without a moment’s hesitation.

"..." Man Tiaotiao was speechless, and she started jumping up and down in a frustrated fit.

By this point, the match was already decided. The poor Gun Magic Master was quickly smashed out of the arena by a single blow from Xiyue Frost’s sword. The remaining Martial Arts Mage was left utterly helpless. Despite his fourth-tier strength, he had no way to turn the tables.

If he attacked Xiyue Frost, he couldn’t out-damage Houhuiyao’s healing. If he attacked Houhuiyao, he couldn’t kill him.

In his moment of indecision, he was battered into oblivion by Xiyue Frost’s greatsword and collapsed, unable to accept his defeat.

And just like that, amidst a storm of astonished gasps, the duo of Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao claimed victory. Houhuiyao removed his Tier Five Armor and strutted smugly out of the arena.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight that? Might as well just give them the championship trophy now!" the contestants in the waiting area complained indignantly.

"Yeah, that’s basically cheating! Who competes like that?"

"It is strange, though. Healing Mages have always been medics in the rear lines, and then this freak of nature comes along."

"A freak of nature, maybe, but his methods are damn effective."

"True. Having a Mage like that on your team during an expedition would be incredible."

...

Houhuiyao swaggered back over, followed by an exasperated-looking Xiyue Frost.

"Brother Feng, how was my performance? Pretty badass, right?" Houhuiyao asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Badass my ass," Feng Hao said irritably. "I told you to stack defense, not to turn yourself into a statue. A Healing Mage needs to be able to protect himself, but he also needs enough speed to provide support. You’ve saved your own hide, but what happens to your teammate?"

Houhuiyao’s mouth fell open. He frowned in thought for a moment before realization dawned on him. "You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that? As expected of you, Brother Feng. You’re amazing."

Xiyue Frost also furrowed her brow in thought, and a look of approval crossed her face. Her gaze toward Feng Hao was filled with growing astonishment.

"Alright, this match is over. Take me to the individual competition area," Feng Hao said.

Xiyue Frost nodded, but Man Tiaotiao jumped in to object. "The top fifty experts on the Crystal Stele aren’t competing until tomorrow. There’s nothing worth watching today."

"She has a point," Houhuiyao mused. Then his eyes lit up. "Why don’t we go watch the Arts Department’s dance battles?"

"Dance battles?" Feng Hao asked, confused.

Houhuiyao gave him a sleazy grin. "Yeah, showdowns between Dancing Magic Masters. Lots of pretty girls, very easy on the eyes. Besides, Xu Zhenzhen and her friends are competing."

"Xu Zhenzhen’s in it, too? In that case, let’s go check it out. We can cheer them on," Feng Hao said with a thoughtful nod.

And so, the four of them marched in a grand procession toward the Arts Department’s competition area...