The Strongest Talent Tree

Bai Yin quietly waited for her opponent to take the stage. Below, her fans were already fired up, their screams and cheers rising and falling in waves.

Before long, a handsome young man mounted the battle stage under immense pressure. The Magic Energy Gun in his hand trembled. He was so nervous partly because of the crowd’s cheers, and partly because of Bai Yin’s formidable strength.

"Hello, Senior Sister Bai Yin. I am Zhao Zhenglin, a third-year from the Reconnaissance Department. I look forward to your guidance," Zhao Zhenglin said, averting his gaze.

He couldn’t help it. Bai Yin’s charm was too great; if he looked at her for too long, he would surely find it impossible to strike.

Bai Yin hummed softly in acknowledgment. With a gentle flip of her fair hand, she summoned a multicolored Treasure Pearl. "Let’s just begin."

Unlike a weapon, the Treasure Pearl is a magical artifact commonly used by Mages specializing in Magic Damage Spells. It possesses no direct offensive power but provides a powerful boost to Magic. Strictly speaking, such artifacts should be classified as [Accessories] rather than weapons.

Hearing Bai Yin’s response, Zhao Zhenglin subconsciously tightened his grip on his Magic Energy Gun. He nodded and said, "Senior Sister, my apologies in advance!"

SWOOSH!

The battle ignited with Zhao Zhenglin’s first shot.

The light bullets from the Magic Energy Gun were extremely fast and normally difficult to dodge. As a Magic-type Mage, Bai Yin’s speed was a disadvantage compared to a Reconnaissance-type Mage, so she could only defend with Gang Qi.

The colorful Treasure Pearl floated and spun in her hand. With a flicker of magical light, it erected a Gang Qi shield, easily blocking the light bullet’s attack.

"Don’t hold back. I’m not that fragile," Bai Yin said, her brows furrowing slightly. She could clearly tell Zhao Zhenglin wasn’t using his full strength.

This wasn’t the first time she had encountered such a situation. Perhaps because of her beauty, almost every male student she fought went easy on her, much to her frustration.

At her words, Zhao Zhenglin gave a wry smile, gritted his teeth, raised his Magic Energy Gun, and began to fire wildly.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The light bullets collided with the Gang Qi shield, sending out ripples. Soon, Bai Yin’s Gang Qi shield could no longer hold and shattered like glass.

"Now that’s more like it." Bai Yin smiled, pursing her lips. Her graceful figure constantly dodged, and as she did her best to evade, the Treasure Pearl in her hand flared with magical light. In an instant, it condensed a volley of ice spikes that shot toward Zhao Zhenglin.

Zhao Zhenglin was no pushover, either. He used his superior speed to easily evade the ice spikes and continuously increased the distance between them.

They were both long-range Mages, but the Magic Energy Gun’s range far exceeded that of a Magic Master. If not for the arena’s boundaries, Zhao Zhenglin could even retreat hundreds of meters away to fight.

Bai Yin naturally understood Zhao Zhenglin’s intent. A stunningly beautiful smile graced her lips. With a flip of her Treasure Pearl, her delicate form instantly rose into the air and drifted toward Zhao Zhenglin like a Fairy descending to the mortal world.

While pursuing him, she once again erected a Gang Qi shield and hurled bowl-sized magic orbs at Zhao Zhenglin as if they were free.

Seeing Bai Yin drawing closer, Zhao Zhenglin hurriedly unleashed a Gun Secret Technique. The crimson light bullet had just left the muzzle when it transformed into a raging fire, completely engulfing Bai Yin. He used the opportunity to retreat in another direction.

Unfortunately for him, Bai Yin’s Divine Sense had already locked onto him. A fierce gale howled forth, sweeping the flames into a Fire Dragon Tornado that completely blocked Zhao Zhenglin’s path of retreat.

"Rain Style!"

After landing, Bai Yin didn’t stop her assault. While controlling the Fire Dragon Tornado with her Divine Sense, she shouted and activated her Treasure Pearl.

The next moment, dark clouds gathered above the battle stage. Gray raindrops fell in a deluge, instantly reducing Zhao Zhenglin to half-health.

Corroded by the rain, Zhao Zhenglin’s speed was greatly reduced. He was soon enveloped by the pursuing Fire Dragon Tornado, and his Qi Blood plummeted at a visible rate. Only after he was defeated with critical health remaining did Bai Yin allow the Fire Dragon Tornado to dissipate.

"Thank you, Senior Sister, for going easy on me." Zhao Zhenglin forced a stiff smile and staggered off the battle stage.

After Bai Yin’s victory, the cheers and screams from below grew even more fervent, echoing throughout Central Square.

On the observation platform, the academy’s upper echelon nodded in satisfaction. Xuchang couldn’t help but voice his praise, "That girl Bai Yin improves so quickly. Her control over Magic, in particular, is so good even I feel inadequate in comparison."

"Old Xu, no need to be so modest. After all, her Inner Ring bloodline is plain to see. That innate energy control is not something we can compare to," chuckled the white-haired dean of the Magic Damage Department at his side.

Xuchang chuckled, then asked with a smile, "I hear Bai Yin is currently pushing to break through to the fifth rank. If she needs any resources, just let me know."

"Would the Supreme Elder’s disciple ever lack resources?" the dean of the Magic Damage Department said with a smirk.

"Alright, I suppose I was overthinking it." Xuchang chuckled again. He looked at Bai Yin on the field, his eyes filled with satisfaction and approval.

Hearing their conversation, Sun Yaowen looked annoyed and said, "I say, Old Xu, aren’t you being a bit too biased? No way! Our Alchemy Department just produced a genius Healing Mage who also needs plenty of resources to be cultivated."

"Stop making a scene. Since when is your Alchemy Department short on money?" Xuchang retorted irritably.

"You can’t put it like that. Whether we lack money is a matter of our ability, but whether you give resources is a matter of your attitude," Sun Yaowen said indignantly. "Our Alchemy Department’s Houhuiyao has pioneered a new path for Treatment Magic Masters. How can we not invest heavily in its development? Right, Little Yueyue?"

The woman called Little Yueyue, ****, shot him a sharp glare, then said after a moment of thought, "The Houhuiyao has indeed changed the current situation for Treatment Magic Masters. It is worthy of strong support."

"Healing Mages participating in combat... I’ve heard about this," Xuchang said, frowning in thought. "The feasibility still needs to be evaluated."

"Evaluate my ass! A freshman from the Strength Department and a Healing Mage won the two-person team competition. Do you even need to ask if it’s effective?" Sun Yaowen sneered, gritting his teeth.

Xuchang was taken aback for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Which freshman is that powerful?"

A middle-aged Elder beside him said meaningfully, "It’s Xiyue Frost."

"Xiyue Frost? Then it’s no wonder." Xuchang nodded in sudden understanding. He recalled the fear of being dominated by West Moon Ridge back in the day and couldn’t help but shudder. "Lao Li, we must make this student a top priority for cultivation."

"Rest assured. Xiyue Frost’s entrance exam score was the highest. The academy has been paying special attention to her all along," Dean Li said with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Sun Yaowen almost died of anger. He shot to his feet and rebuked, "Old Xu, what’s the meaning of this? What about our Alchemy Department’s Houhuiyao?"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing! Can’t we just give him high-level cultivation privileges?" Xuchang said impatiently.

"High-level isn’t enough! It has to be top-level!" Sun Yaowen demanded, puffing out his beard and glaring.

"Fine, top-level it is. It doesn’t make much difference anyway," Xuchang nodded helplessly.

"Now that’s more like it." Sun Yaowen was instantly satisfied, his face wreathed in smiles.

...

Meanwhile, Feng Hao had finished watching Bai Yin’s match and was slightly surprised.

’To be honest, Bai Yin’s strength is quite impressive. Her control over Magic, in particular, is the kind of skill you’d only see from a high-end Mage.’

’If she were any other type, I really wouldn’t be able to beat her; the gap in our levels and equipment is just too big. But she just had to be a Magic-type Mage, which makes things a bit awkward.’

’After all, in the eyes of a top-tier Assassin, what’s the difference between a Mage and a salted fish?’