The Strongest Talent Tree

By the time he returned to Five States City, half a month had passed. After bidding farewell to Xiyue Frost and Houhuiyao, Feng Hao hurried back to the pharmacy alone.

The half-month of training in the Secret Realm had been quite fruitful. He had finished collecting the essences needed for Tier 3 equipment, with the exception of the Su Mu Dagger; after all, Natural Essences weren’t something you could just stumble upon.

In addition, Xiyue Frost had also finished reforging her full set of equipment, becoming a formidable Heavy Sword Warrior.

But Houhuiyao’s gains were undoubtedly the greatest. His two healing Secret Techniques had unknowingly reached 100 proficiency. Although his combat power was still pathetic, his healing ability was now off the charts. To put it simply, a single Secret Technique could easily restore over ten thousand health.

When they parted ways, following Feng Hao’s advice, Houhuiyao had begun studying some life-saving Secret Techniques, gradually moving closer to the Priest class.

As for the thousand-plus tons of cold-silver ore, he had also entrusted it to Houhuiyao to handle. After all, the guy was very well-connected.

Back at the pharmacy, the interior was just as he had left it. The shelves were completely bare, devoid of any medicine. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the place had been looted and robbed.

’I wonder when Big Bro will get here?’

He sighed softly, went back to his room upstairs, and washed off the dust from his travels, feeling incredibly refreshed.

Just as he was about to lie down and relax on his bed, he heard a customer’s inquiry from downstairs. He reluctantly went down and saw an elegantly dressed old man surveying the surroundings, as if trying to discern something.

"Can I help you, sir? This shop specializes in alchemy, and we never rip off our customers," Feng Hao said, stepping forward to greet him with practiced ease.

The old man’s brow furrowed. "This is a pharmacy?" he asked, his expression strange.

"Doesn’t the banner outside say so?" Feng Hao asked, puzzled.

"My eyes aren’t failing me yet. There’s no banner outside," the old man said, annoyed.

Feng Hao froze. He instinctively went outside to look, and his face immediately darkened. He couldn’t help but yell out into the street, "What the hell?! Which little brat was blind enough to mess with my shopfront!"

He probably hadn’t noticed when he got back, but the banner outside that read "Professional Alchemy" had vanished.

"Ah, my apologies. I just returned from my training. It was probably some of the neighborhood kids having fun who took the banner," Feng Hao said apologetically as he returned to the shop, looking embarrassed.

The old man paid it no mind. He looked around the shop one more time and was about to leave. "Since it’s a pharmacy, I won’t disturb you any further."

"Alright, take care," Feng Hao said, bowing as he saw him out.

Feng Hao was about to go upstairs to make a new banner when another customer walked in just as he placed his left foot on the stairs.

"Hold on, young man. Do you offer design services here?" a shifty-eyed middle-aged man asked as he crept inside.

"Design my ass! This is a pharmacy!" Feng Hao replied, speechless.

"Oh, my mistake. Wrong place," the middle-aged man said, a look of disappointment on his face as he sighed and turned to leave.

After seeing the middle-aged man out, Feng Hao dashed upstairs, found a random piece of cloth, and with a flourish of his brush, wrote the two large words, "Professional Alchemy." He then hung it outside the shop door with satisfaction, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Just as Feng Hao was about to go back upstairs to lie down for a bit, another customer walked in.

’Damn it, what’s going on? I usually don’t see a single customer for days. What’s with today?’ Feng Hao grumbled inwardly, then put on a smile and went to greet him. "Can I help you with anything?"

The man pointed to the banner outside, his expression strange. "This is a pharmacy?!"

"...Can’t you read?" Feng Hao asked, his face darkening.

"Are you sure it’s a pharmacy?" the man asked, knitting his brows for confirmation.

"How about I refine a few pills for you to try?" Feng Hao retorted, exasperated.

"Never mind. I must have the wrong place," the man said, shaking his head in disappointment as he sighed and left.

Feng Hao stood behind the counter, completely baffled. This was all so strange. ’Did something happen during the half-month I was away? Why are so many people suddenly showing up?’

’No, wait. Those three people clearly had the same goal. Could they be old customers of this shop?’

Feng Hao racked his brain but couldn’t figure it out. Helpless, he could only resign himself to looking after the shop.

Just as he expected, a few minutes later, several more perplexing people came in. Without exception, they all asked strange questions before leaving with disappointed looks on their faces.

Just as Feng Hao was completely bewildered, a familiar, beautiful figure walked in. It was none other than Yao Ying from the Five Provinces Academy.

"Holy crap, is that Five States’ Number One Vixen?" Feng Hao blurted out subconsciously upon seeing her.

What he found even more incredible was that Yao Ying was actually wearing the revealing-style equipment he had designed. Paired with her stunning looks, she was devastatingly alluring.

Yao Ying naturally heard what Feng Hao called her. Her brow furrowed, and she asked coldly, "So it’s you, punk. What, after getting expelled, you’re working at this shop?"

"Something like that," Feng Hao said with a shrug.

"Then what are you standing around for? Get your boss," Yao Ying said, her eyes full of contempt.

To be honest, she had no real impression of Feng Hao. If it weren’t for the recent murder incident, someone like him would never have registered on her radar.

Feng Hao clicked his tongue and asked with a smile, "And for what reason might you be looking for our boss, Miss?"

"You’re just an employee. You’re not qualified to know. Stop wasting my time and get your boss out here," Yao Ying said impatiently.

"Heh heh, my apologies, but I’m the only one here. I’m the boss and the employee," Feng Hao said with a mischievous grin.

Yao Ying’s expression froze. A hint of embarrassment crossed her beautiful face, and her dislike for Feng Hao intensified. She gritted her teeth. "Are you messing with me?"

"I wouldn’t dare!" Feng Hao replied playfully, looking up to ask, "So, what kind of pills do you need? I’m quite the professional, you know."

"As if I would need you to refine pills for me," Yao Ying sneered. After her beautiful eyes scanned the surroundings, she frowned and asked, "Are you good friends with Xiong Tianfang?"

"Yeah, why?" Feng Hao nodded, confused.

Hearing this, a look of great anticipation appeared on Yao Ying’s face. She asked in a soft, gentle voice, "Then do you know where Xiong Tianfang got his recent design blueprints? There’s a reward if you tell me~"

Feng Hao couldn’t quite stomach Yao Ying’s sudden change in attitude. "I just got back from a Secret Realm. I don’t know," he said with a look of disgust.

"Tch, and here I thought you actually knew something!" Yao Ying’s expression instantly changed back. She shot Feng Hao a contemptuous glance, then swayed her proud figure as she elegantly walked away.

Feng Hao was completely floored. It was the first time in his life he had met such a materialistic and opportunistic woman. If she thought you were useful, she would speak softly and try to entice you in every way possible. The moment she realized you had no value, she would immediately switch to an attitude of utter disdain.

’No wonder they call her the Five States’ Number One Vixen. What a goddamn piece of work!’

As the saying goes, there are oddballs everywhere, but especially in the Otherworld. Since he’d crossed over, he had met a whole bunch of them, and Feng Hao could only feel helpless about it.

Snapping back to his senses, he stopped dwelling on it. However, Yao Ying’s questioning had served as a reminder. If he wasn’t mistaken, the whole series of strange events today was related to the design blueprints he had drawn.

He just couldn’t understand it. They were just a few cosmetic designs. Was it really enough to attract this much attention?