The Strongest Talent Tree

The next morning, Feng Hao opened his shop as usual, ready to start the day.

But after waiting for a long time, Yao Ying still hadn’t shown up, leaving him completely baffled. ’What’s going on? Did the plan fail? Has she given up?’

Feng Hao frowned slightly but didn’t dwell on it. The grocery store’s business was negligible these days anyway; it made no difference whether Yao Ying came or not.

He casually closed the shop door and drove his Mansa straight to the Thief God Hall.

He collected the Magic Crystals sent by Yu Xiaoxiao. Damn. A full fifty Level 4 Magic Crystals, equivalent to five billion standard Magic Crystals. It looked like business was good.

As his power grew, Feng Hao’s demand for Magic Crystals soared. A single Level 3 Magic Crystal a day was equivalent to one million, and the consumption after advancing to the fourth tier would be even greater. A single Level 4 Magic Crystal was worth one hundred million Magic Crystals—this was no joke!

Most Mages only used Level 3 Magic Crystals to aid their training; ordinary people simply couldn’t afford to use Level 4 ones.

But Feng Hao was different. His gene activity of 48 meant he had to use the best Magic Crystals for his training, or he would never be able to catch up to others.

Fortunately, business had been good recently, so he wouldn’t be short on Magic Crystals for the time being.

After leaving the Thief God Hall, he rushed over to the Central Square of Five Provinces Academy. According to his agreement with Solos, today was the day they were supposed to make contact.

The Central Square was as noisy as ever. But when Feng Hao arrived at the [Origin Node], the surrounding clamor noticeably died down.

It couldn’t be helped. Ever since he’d displayed his awesome power by fighting one against a thousand, Feng Hao had become infamous throughout Five Provinces Academy.

"Holy crap, it’s Feng Hao! Everyone, clear a path!"

"What’s there to be afraid of? Isn’t he just some guy who got expelled?"

"Dude, are you for real, or just pretending not to know? You actually dare to mess with Feng Hao."

"Tch. So he beat Xu Long from the Strength Department. Big deal."

Someone next to him replied with an exasperated look, "Xu Long is nothing! Even the Bai Yin Goddess was no match for him. Seriously, how out of date is your information?"

"What? You’re telling me Senior Sister Bai Yin lost to him?"

"Why would I lie? It happened more than half a month ago, right here. Tons of people saw it."

Someone else chimed in, "That’s right, I was there, too. Lucky for me, I didn’t join those dumbasses when they ganged up on him, or Feng Hao would’ve wrecked me."

"No kidding. It was a total slaughter!"

...

Feng Hao ignored the crowd’s chatter, striding with overwhelming confidence to the base of the [Origin Node]. Just as he was about to enter, he spotted a familiar figure: Yun Jiansong, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Yun Jiansong was now Level 40. Clad in fluttering white robes, his aura was sharp yet restrained, like a fine blade concealed within its sheath.

"Hey, if it isn’t Brother Yun!" Feng Hao said, walking up to greet him warmly.

Yun Jiansong smiled, cradling his sword with the air of a reclusive Swordsman. "Brother Feng, it’s been a while."

"Haha, it has been a while. We should have a proper spar sometime," Feng Hao chuckled.

Yun Jiansong’s expression froze, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Let’s forget about sparring. Brother Feng, you defeated even Senior Sister Bai Yin. I am no match for you."

"Aww, don’t say that." Feng Hao patted Yun Jiansong’s shoulder, continuing to tease him. "Bai Yin is Bai Yin, and you are you. I’m really looking forward to a match with Brother Yun."

"Ahem." Yun Jiansong looked awkward. "If Brother Feng insists, then I can only concede right now."

"Aw, that’s no fun." Feng Hao shook his head in disappointment, then asked with a smile, "By the way, are you heading to a Secret Realm for training, Brother Yun?"

"Yes," Yun Jiansong replied with a cool nod.

"Got a team yet? Want me to take you for a spin in the Second Secret Realm?"

Yun Jiansong was speechless, a strange look on his face. "Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Feng, but I’ve already made plans with others to go to the Fourth Secret Realm."

"..." Feng Hao’s face flushed beet red, mortifyingly embarrassed. "See ya!"

With that, he dove into the Origin Node without a backward glance.

’Can’t be helped. My attempt to act cool was going so well, but I ended up getting completely shut down. Seriously, what’s with these academy kids? Why are they grinding such high-level Secret Realms for fun?’

’Looks like I need to find some time to grind Secret Realms. Being at the Second Secret Realm is just too embarrassing.’

Meanwhile, Yun Jiansong watched Feng Hao dive headfirst into the Origin Node, a strange expression on his cool face. ’His strength is obviously extraordinary, yet he’s still messing around in the Second Secret Realm. What a strange guy.’

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother, we’re here!"

Just as Yun Jiansong was lost in his strange thoughts, Man Tiaotiao came running over cheerfully, followed by a very reluctant Houhuiyao.

Yun Jiansong nodded lightly, his gaze landing on Houhuiyao. "Brother Houhui, you’re a hard man to get ahold of."

"Can’t be helped," Houhuiyao said with a bitter smile. "The guys in the medical department are still too green. The moment I open my door each day, it’s all fucking team invites."

"Does that mean I’m one of the lucky ones, then?" Yun Jiansong chuckled in surprise.

Houhuiyao shot Man Tiaotiao an irritated glance and pursed his lips. "If it weren’t for Sister Tiao’s threats and bribes, I wouldn’t have bothered coming."

"No one will think you’re mute if you just shut up," Man Tiaotiao snapped, her eyes flashing with mortified anger. She shuffled shyly before Yun Jiansong, which, combined with her usual tomboyish image, was just painful to watch. "Senior Brother Yun, don’t mind him. It’s his good fortune to be on a team with you."

"Haha," Yun Jiansong laughed awkwardly. "Actually, the reason I asked you to come was to get Brother Houhui to join us."

The color drained from Man Tiaotiao’s face. Humiliated, she lowered her head and fell silent.

But Houhuiyao was smug. "Haha! Just for that, you can count on me for any team-ups in the future."

"Houhuiyao, are you looking for a beating?!" Man Tiaotiao instantly exploded at his words.

...

By this time, Feng Hao had already entered the Second Secret Realm, the [Taiyi Secret Realm]. Before him stretched a golden desert. The scorching air distorted his vision, and the sand beneath his feet was so hot you could probably fry an egg on it.

"Damn, why did I get teleported to a hellhole like this," Feng Hao grumbled, a dark look on his face.

He looked around. The area was disastrously empty, with nowhere to hide. He had no choice but to sit cross-legged on the scorching sand, activate his [Shadow Cloak], and contact Solos using his Listening Stone.

Fortunately, Solos was already on standby and answered the Stone Listening Communication almost immediately. "Solos, quick, tell me how my family is doing."

"Rest easy, Mad God. Your family is still alive," Solos replied with a smile.

Feng Hao couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief. There was no better news. "Have you seen them?"

"Well..." Solos began with a bitter smile. "The Dragon Maiden is too suspicious. I can’t get anywhere near the Huaxia Region. I sent envoys to negotiate for a month, and I still haven’t gotten a response."

Feng Hao was speechless, then couldn’t help but curse, "Fucking Dream Dragon Immortal! When I get back to Earth, she’s the first one I’m coming for."

"Sigh... you can’t really blame her," Solos lamented. "The situation on Earth is too chaotic right now. Factions are scheming against each other, fighting over resources. It’s only natural for the Dragon Maiden to be wary of me."

"Just do whatever you can to get to Huaxia and pass a message to my family for me."

"Don’t worry," Solos said with a confident smile. "With the resources and books you gave me, Mad God, my settlement has changed dramatically. I’m sure the Dragon Maiden will notice soon enough. When she does, she’ll definitely contact me herself."

Feng Hao couldn’t help but tease, "Tsk, tsk. Spoken like a true former president. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders!"