The Strongest Talent Tree

The Central Square was enormous, and with the chaotic crowds from the tournament, getting to the Arts Division’s competition area took some time.

All the way there, Houhuiyao was a picture of triumph, swaggering at the very front. It seemed he’d never felt so vindicated in his life.

Xiyue Frost was her usual quiet self. Man Tiaotiao, irritated with Feng Hao, also kept silent. She was too busy mentally cursing him while also trying to figure out how to get her hands on his Body Refining Nutrient Liquid.

As they walked, Houhuiyao inevitably noticed Feng Hao’s new equipment. His eyes wide with surprise, he asked, "Brother Feng, where’d you buy this gear? The design’s not bad! It could totally go head-to-head with that super cool equipment that’s been all the rage lately."

"What do you mean, ’go head-to-head’? This *is* the stuff Xiong Tianfang made," Feng Hao replied dismissively, secretly laughing to himself.

At his words, Houhuiyao was stunned. Even Xiyue Frost and Man Tiaotiao threw curious glances his way.

"No way! I’ve been trying to get a set at the academy for ages and couldn’t. How did Feng Hao manage it when he’s been outside the whole time?" Houhuiyao exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yeah, right! Senior Xiong Tianfang is busy from dawn till dusk. Why would he possibly craft equipment for you?" Man Tiaotiao said contemptuously.

Feng Hao replied nonchalantly, "If you want a set, you can go ask Xiong Tianfang for a custom order. Just tell him I sent you."

"Brother Feng, you know Senior Xiong Tianfang?" Houhuiyao asked, his eyes lighting up.

"We’re tight," Feng Hao said with a slight smile, then glanced at Man Tiaotiao. He added teasingly, "You, on the other hand, can forget it. After all, like you said, Senior Xiong Tianfang is busy from dawn till dusk. Better not to give him any more trouble."

"Hmph, it’s not like I want any!" Man Tiaotiao huffed, though she didn’t mean it.

In reality, she was already ecstatic. ’I’ll just secretly use Feng Hao’s name to order a set from Xiong Tianfang,’ she planned. Although she was a total tomboy who usually paid no mind to her clothes or appearance, the few pieces of cool equipment Xiong Tianfang had released had her completely smitten.

It was the same for Xiyue Frost. A natural beauty, she usually had no interest in fashion, focused solely on improving her strength. Yet, the appearance of this cool equipment had her feeling tempted too.

"Oh, right," Feng Hao said suddenly. "I’ll have Xiong Tianfang make a set of equipment some other day. When he’s done, could you help me send it to Yaoyao?"

Xiyue Frost froze for a second. The icy mask on her face melted in an instant, revealing a warmth as captivating as the sun over a glacier. "All right. I’ll send you Yaoyao’s measurements tonight."

"That won’t be necessary," Feng Hao chuckled. "I know Yao Girl’s measurements quite well."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Feng Hao felt something was amiss. He turned to see that the sunny expression on Xiyue Frost’s face was gone, replaced by a look of absolute zero. "Yaoyao is still young," she said, her voice frigid. "You’d better not try anything inappropriate."

"Ahem," Feng Hao coughed, explaining awkwardly, "You’re reading too much into it. I saw Yao Girl’s measurements back when we were making equipment for the trial assessment."

Xiyue Frost furrowed her brow in thought. She seemed to recall something like that, so she let the matter drop.

This exchange, however, piqued the curiosity of Houhuiyao and Man Tiaotiao. Houhuiyao was less surprised, having heard Feng Hao mention Xi Yueyao before, but Man Tiaotiao was completely in the dark.

After listening to their conversation, she sidled up to Xiyue Frost with a curious expression and asked, "Xiaoshuang, who’s Yaoyao?"

"My younger sister," Xiyue Frost answered calmly.

The moment Man Tiaotiao heard that, the gossip fiend within her roared to life. She pressed on in disbelief, "You have a younger sister? Then what’s the deal between that country bumpkin and her?"

Xiyue Frost glanced at Feng Hao with a slightly conflicted expression, then pursed her lips and said, "He’s Yaoyao’s boyfriend."

"What the— He’s robbing the cradle!" Man Tiaotiao exclaimed, then said with righteous conviction, "Xiaoshuang, listen to me. That country bumpkin is a total jerk. We absolutely cannot let our sister date a guy like that."

Xiyue Frost frowned and said nothing, seemingly lost in thought.

Of course, Feng Hao wasn’t going to stand for that. He shot Man Tiaotiao a cold glare and said in a low voice, "What business is it of yours, an outsider? Go play in the mud somewhere!"

"Yeah, what business is it of yours, an outsider?" Houhuiyao chimed in, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Man Tiaotiao was struck speechless. She had only wanted to use the opportunity to put Feng Hao down, not expecting to become the public enemy. "Why are you being so aggressive? I was just making a casual comment."

"Hmph!" Feng Hao snorted coldly and ignored her.

Feeling Feng Hao’s anger, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense. No one dared to speak as they walked quietly toward the Arts Division’s competition area.

When the group finally arrived at the Arts Division’s area, the tension at last subsided. Gazing at the enormous crowd of spectators before them, Feng Hao asked, confused, "Where are Xu Zhenzhen and her group?"

"This is for the academic competitions. The Dance Magic tournament is over there," Houhuiyao said, pointing to a different crowd.

Feng Hao chuckled, momentarily speechless, and hurried toward the Dance Magic arena. Even from a distance, he could hear an overwhelming roar of cheers and screams. It looked like a spectacular match was in progress.

When he got closer, he saw it was Xu Zhenzhen’s match. Her opponent, surprisingly, was Yao Ying. No wonder the crowd was so fired up.

"Brother Feng, look! It’s Senior Sister Yao Ying! She’s so damn seductive!" Houhuiyao’s eyes were red with excitement. He quickly joined the flag-waving, cheering mob and began to shout himself hoarse.

Man Tiaotiao curled her lip in disdain. "Hmph, how did that hussy manage to rank second on the campus beauties list? She’s not even close to being as beautiful as my Xiyue Frost."

"You can’t say that," Houhuiyao analyzed excitedly. "Boss Xiyue’s beauty is definitely on par with Yao Ying’s, but her personality is too cold, so it’s only natural she gets overshadowed. Unless, of course, you’re as invincibly beautiful as Senior Sister Bai Yin." Only after he finished did he realize Xiyue Frost was right beside him. He hastily corrected himself, "Boss Xiyue, don’t mind me, I was just spouting nonsense! Yao Ying isn’t even a fraction as beautiful as you!"

"Now *that’s* more like it," Man Tiaotiao nodded, satisfied.

Xiyue Frost paid them no mind at all, her sparkling eyes fixed on the match.

Feng Hao, however, was curious. "Who’s Bai Yin?"

His question immediately drew countless scornful looks from the surrounding crowd, Man Tiaotiao’s included. "You don’t even know who Senior Sister Bai Yin is? And you call yourself a student of Five Provinces Academy, even part-time."

Houhuiyao hurriedly explained, "Brother Feng, you might not be aware, but Senior Sister Bai Yin is the number one beauty on the campus list. She’s a third-year in the Magical Damage Department and has topped their Crystal Stele for two consecutive years. Rumor has it she was accepted as a Direct Disciple by one of the academy’s Supreme Elders. She’s the pride of the entire Five Provinces Academy."

"Oh, so she’s a talented beauty? And here I was thinking she was some legendary figure," Feng Hao said, unimpressed.

"Tch. With your pathetic level of skill, you’re not even fit to carry Senior Sister Bai Yin’s shoes," Man Tiaotiao scoffed.

Feng Hao smirked. "Is that so? If I get the chance, I’ll challenge her to a duel. Then we’ll see who’s carrying whose shoes."

"You’re overestimating yourself," Man Tiaotiao said, her contempt deepening.

As they were talking, a sudden gasp erupted from the crowd, and everyone’s eyes instinctively shot toward the stage.

On the stage, magical lights danced in a dazzling, colorful display. Amidst the magnificent special effects of the Dance Magic, Yao Ying, clad in her revealing equipment, was being completely overwhelmed by Xu Zhenzhen.

"Holy crap, is Xu Zhenzhen really that good? She’s actually overpowering Senior Sister Yao Ying!" Houhuiyao said, incredulous.

Xiyue Frost and Man Tiaotiao were just as astonished. After all, Yao Ying was the two-time defending champion of Dance Magic, while Xu Zhenzhen was only a freshman who had just recently enrolled.

At that moment, in the entire Dance Magic arena, Feng Hao was probably the only one who remained completely unfazed.