The Strongest Talent Tree

At that moment, Feng Hao felt as if he had stumbled into a wolf pack. If he hadn’t seen that West Moon Ridge was also there, he would have turned around and left on the spot.

The tense atmosphere lingered for a long time before West Moon Ridge’s voice broke the silence. With a light chuckle, she waved to Feng Hao and said, "What are you spacing out for? Come here, next to me."

"Oh." Feng Hao glanced around strangely before quickly walking to West Moon Ridge’s side.

The blond youth in the adjacent seat frowned and asked, "Xiyue Envoy, what’s the deal with this third-rank brat?"

"A junior from my clan. Don’t mind him," West Moon Ridge said with a calm smile.

Upon hearing this, someone immediately stood up and retorted with a sneer, "Xiyue Envoy, this is a gathering of the six great sects. Isn’t it inappropriate to have a clan junior here?"

Feng Hao’s heart began to pound wildly. ’Good heavens, this is a gathering of all the major powers. Looks like I’ve stumbled into something big.’

"The six great sects? Since when did your Celestial Eagle Team become the sixth?" several experts from smaller sects nearby jeered.

The sneering man scoffed, "The strength of our Celestial Eagle Team is plain for all to see. It’s only a matter of time before we’re ranked as the sixth great sect. If anyone disagrees, feel free to make a move. I’ll take you on."

The experts from the smaller sects were instantly rendered speechless. As much as they hated to admit it, the man from the Celestial Eagle Team was indeed very powerful.

At the mention of the Celestial Eagle Team, a cold glint flashed in Feng Hao’s eyes, and he subconsciously studied the man for a few extra moments.

West Moon Ridge calmly met the man’s gaze, a sneer playing on her lips. "You must be Hongyan Saber, the one from the Celestial Eagle Team who’s been causing such a stir lately? You do have some skill, I’ll give you that. Unfortunately, this is a discussion for the five great sects, and you have no place to speak."

"Heh, so the Xiyue Envoy insists on shielding this brat?" Hongyan Saber said coldly. "The matter we’re discussing is of grave importance. I doubt the other Envoys wish for outsiders to be involved, do you?"

West Moon Ridge gave a contemptuous smile and swept her gaze over the crowd. "Does anyone here have an objection?"

"This is indeed inappropriate," the blond man from the War and Magic Alliance affirmed in a deep voice.

"What a joke. Since when does my Holy Hall need your approval to do anything?" West Moon Ridge scoffed, unleashing a terrifying aura that instantly spread through the room, suffocating everyone present.

Sweat beaded on Hongyan Saber’s forehead. "Xiyue Envoy, are you trying to provoke the rest of our sects?"

"And what if I am?" West Moon Ridge declared, her voice radiating dominance.

A young man from the Student Union’s upper echelons rose to mediate. "Let’s put this matter to rest. For now, why don’t we all listen to what our brother from the Ghost Realm has to say?"

"At least our brother from the Student Union speaks sense." Hongyan Saber huffed, taking the easy way out and retreating to his seat.

The other experts could only resign themselves to Feng Hao’s presence. They had no choice. Any expert from the other sects at Seventh Rank Mage or higher was killed the moment they neared Rongcheng’s borders. West Moon Ridge was the sole exception.

In other words, the strongest experts present were Sixth-rank Mages at best. West Moon Ridge was the only Seventh Rank Mage among them—and a top-tier one at that. No matter how much they grumbled, they could only swallow their complaints.

West Moon Ridge nodded, satisfied. Her lovely eyes turned to the pale youth from the Ghost Realm. "Alright, little ghoul, everyone’s waiting for you to speak."

The pale youth gave a bitter smile, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as he sighed. "I presume you all know my senior brother, Ghost Ridge. While passing through here, he was warned by a Hundred-level Expert. After returning to the Ghost Realm, he began researching this small city. According to several ancient texts, this place seems to be connected to an ancient restriction. He then dispatched experts to investigate... and you all know the rest."

A collective gasp echoed through the room. "Connected to an ancient restriction?!" they asked in shocked disbelief.

"Correct." The pale youth nodded grimly. "Our Ancient Cang Realm has been cut off from the outside world for far too long. If we can find a way to lift the ancient restriction, it will be a monumental event that benefits the entire world!"

"Are you certain?" West Moon Ridge asked with a frown.

The pale youth looked puzzled. "What’s the matter? Don’t you believe me, Elder Xiyue?"

"That’s not it." West Moon Ridge’s expression was odd. "To be honest, I’m a member of the Xiyue Clan from Rongcheng. I’ve lived here my entire life and have never heard a thing about this."

The moment she said this, the entire room was stunned. All eyes fell upon West Moon Ridge.

"So this is the Xiyue Envoy’s hometown! No wonder you were able to enter safely," the experts from the other four great sects exclaimed in sudden realization.

After hearing this from a local like West Moon Ridge, everyone began to doubt the youth from the Ghost Realm.

The pale youth hadn’t anticipated West Moon Ridge’s background. He gritted his teeth and demanded, "Then how do you explain the mysterious Hundred-level Expert? A Hundred-level Expert presiding over such a remote town... does that seem reasonable to any of you?"

"That does seem a little strange," the others murmured, frowning and nodding as their gazes shifted back to West Moon Ridge.

West Moon Ridge scoffed. "Who says a border town can’t have a Hundred-level Expert? By your logic, does that mean I’ll never be able to reach a hundred levels?"

The pale youth was once again speechless. With West Moon Ridge’s talent and power, it was only a matter of time before she broke through to level one hundred.

At this point, even the pale youth himself began to doubt the accuracy of the Ghost Realm’s intelligence, to say nothing of the experts from the other sects.

And just like that, what was meant to be a grand assembly fizzled out with just a few words from West Moon Ridge.

Staring at the now-empty tavern, Feng Hao was flabbergasted. "They just... left?"

"As if," West Moon Ridge sneered. "Those little brats aren’t stupid. They won’t leave for good until they’re certain about the situation."

Feng Hao nodded pensively and asked, "So... is Rongcheng really connected to an ancient restriction?"

"How should I know?" West Moon Ridge shot him an irritated glare, then stood and snatched Chief Black Cat into her arms. "Let’s go. What are you still spacing out for?"

Feng Hao pouted, speechless, but hurried to catch up. "So, did you have Chief Black Cat bring me here just to listen to those guys talk nonsense?"

"Of course not," West Moon Ridge said as she walked. "The main reason was to have you broaden your horizons. Those people just now are all genius disciples from the five great sects. They’ll be your rivals in the future. There’s no harm in getting familiar with the competition ahead of time."

"Fine," Feng Hao said, unconcerned.

Seeing Feng Hao’s casual attitude, West Moon Ridge said, annoyed, "Don’t be so dismissive. If you want to marry the second young lady of my family, you’ll have to be strong enough to put all these brats in their place."

"..." Feng Hao was speechless, his expression darkening. "Alright, alright, I’m listening seriously, okay?"

Only then did West Moon Ridge nod, satisfied, and began to introduce the others to Feng Hao. "The Ghost Realm sent Hu Xun this time. In Wanglao City, he’s a genius second only to Young Master Ghost, Ghost Ridge. He’s level sixty-three, has mastered the Ghost Realm’s legacy techniques, and is very difficult to deal with."

"That kid from the Student Union, Ye Xiaobao, is the strongest genius of their new generation. He’s level sixty-five. Rumor has it he’s awakened some powerful bloodline talent that he has yet to reveal."

"The one from the War and Magic Alliance is named Cruise. He’s a level sixty-five Defense Mage, and I hear his main focus is the Earth Attribute legacy."

"As for that handsome fellow from Thousand Blades Valley, he’s probably the strongest fighter of the bunch. His name is Dugu Xiao. He’s level sixty-seven, and his talent for Swordsmanship is a rarity in this world. Combined with the domineering legacy of Thousand Blades Valley... even I have to be wary of him," West Moon Ridge said, her expression turning grave.

Feng Hao was taken aback. "He’s that incredible? You can’t even beat him?"

"That’s not quite it," West Moon Ridge said with a faint smile. "I’m just saying Dugu Xiao’s natural talent is truly extraordinary. Besides, Thousand Blades Valley’s [Armor Break] and [Aura Shatter] legacies are inherently overbearing. An average Seventh Rank Mage wouldn’t necessarily be his match."

"Oh." Feng Hao just smiled, unconcerned. In his eyes, these so-called geniuses were nothing special.

’Never mind anything else,’ he thought. ’Once I reach level forty, I’ll be more than ready to play with this little group...’