The Strongest Talent Tree

Dark energy bloomed like petals, swirling and whistling around the edge of the Su Mu Dagger.

The youth with the fine sword had no time to dodge and took the full brunt of Rapid Shadow Slash and Moon Wheel Dance. As detected by the Crystal Eye, strings of damage numbers erupted above his head. His Qi Blood, once over 50,000, instantly dropped to just over 20,000.

"Impossible! How can a level thirty-eight deal such high Dark Force damage?" The youth with the fine sword paled, hastily creating distance. "And what’s with this vitality damage? Why did I lose 20 points in an instant? Is the [Instant Kill] Legacy really that strong?"

It wasn’t just him; the crowd watching from below the stage all stared with wide eyes.

Previously, they had only been watching the match through the Holy Realm Projection, which didn’t allow them to use their Crystal Eyes for data analysis. As a result, they had no idea just how high Feng Hao’s damage output was.

And numbers like those often provided the most direct and visceral way to judge a situation.

So when they saw Feng Hao’s damage numbers, they were all dumbfounded, each one of them looking as if they’d just seen a ghost.

"Damn, that damage is just insane, isn’t it? Is he really only level thirty-eight?"

"Aren’t Dark Force Mages supposed to only come into their own around level fifty or sixty? How come I feel like Feng Hao is already there?"

"I’ve seen plenty of Dark Force Mages over the years, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen one like him."

"Say, where did this kid pop up from? Anyone know?"

"I heard he’s from Beilang Country, but who knows if that’s true or not."

"Uh, hasn’t Beilang Country sat out of the Thief Preliminaries for many years?"

"Who knows? Anyway, I’ve asked a lot of my buddies from the other branch halls, and nobody’s heard of him."

"Do you guys think this young thief has a shot at advancing to next year’s championship?"

"I can’t say for sure about the others, but this kid will definitely advance."

"Oh? And why is that?"

A nearby thief lowered his voice. "Brother Zei, there’s something you might not know. They say Feng Hao knows the other four Thieves, and that their relationship is extraordinary. There’s even a rumor that the position of Fifth Thief has already been internally decided for him."

"For real? That’s big news."

"Why would I lie? I was there and saw him laughing and joking around with the four Thieves with my own eyes."

...

While the crowd below was buzzing with discussion, the youth with the fine sword was being completely suppressed by Feng Hao.

Horizontal cuts and sideways slashes. One strike landed, and the second followed right behind it. The rhythm was controlled perfectly. Facing such a high-tempo assault, the youth with the fine sword could only struggle to parry, leaving him no opening to fight back.

A few breaths later, a flaw appeared in the youth’s parry, and Feng Hao seized the opening in an instant.

He thrust out with a [Moon Pierce], depleting the youth’s Qi Blood. At the same time, the Referee Elder entered the ring just in time to save the young man with the fine sword, then turned and announced, "Feng Hao is the victor of this match. Please wait patiently for the subsequent matches."

Feng Hao said nothing, simply smirking as he sheathed his dagger and swaggered off the arena platform.

Immediately after, the next pair of contestants ascended the platform. The crowd that had been gathered around Arena Two instantly thinned by more than half. It couldn’t be helped; after all, they weren’t the popular contestants.

Victorious in his first match, Feng Hao didn’t wander around. Instead, he hurried over to Arena Ten to watch Ming Xin Yan’s match.

By now, the match between Ming Xin Yan and Yanziqing was in its latter half. Ming Xin Yan’s health was still full, while Yanziqing was already down to half.

On the surface, it seemed Ming Xin Yan had the upper hand, but a closer look revealed that her vitality had suffered a severe loss.

This was the terrifying thing about Divine Thought Mages. They could use their Divine Sense to directly harm the soul, thereby damaging one’s vitality and will. Of course, there were also many Divine Sense-type Secret Techniques that targeted Qi Blood.

In short, Ming Xin Yan was in a terrible position. Her vitality was heavily damaged, and what’s more, she had been dragged into one of Yanziqing’s Divine Sense illusions.

It would be fine if she could hold on, but if she couldn’t, she could be declared the loser directly. After all, the arena didn’t have the special protective rules of the Saint Realm. As long as one’s vitality dropped below one-tenth, it was counted as a loss.

’Thankfully, she’s a magic damage build. Her Divine Sense strength should be much higher than other Mages of the same level,’ Feng Hao analyzed with a frown.

As far as he knew, Divine Sense strength was the only attribute that could counter soul damage. From this perspective, Feng Hao was at an absolute disadvantage. If he were to face Yanziqing, he would be guaranteed to lose unless he could insta-kill him right at the start.

’Damn it, I’ve run into my kryptonite.’ Thinking of this, Feng Hao couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

According to the rules of the points-based tournament, he was bound to have a match against Yanziqing. If he couldn’t secure the points from that match, the subsequent competition would become much more difficult.

Just as Feng Hao was wrestling with his thoughts, Ming Xin Yan finally broke free from the illusion. Seeing that her vitality was about to bottom out, there was no longer any need to hold back. She immediately summoned the Three Treasures Bell above her head. Golden light cascaded down, instantly turning her into a golden figure.

’Dammit, I was so close!’ Yanziqing cursed inwardly, his face turning a little pale.

The moment Ming Xin Yan transformed into the golden figure, Yanziqing immediately conceded. He knew his own strength very well; that last illusion technique had been his only chance.

Seeing Yanziqing concede, Ming Xin Yan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief and quickly reverted from her golden state.

As the referee announced her victory, the two of them left the platform one after another. Ming Xin Yan walked over with a light smile.

Due to the severe loss of vitality, Ming Xin Yan’s complexion wasn’t great. Fortunately, vitality would recover on its own at full health. As for how fast it recovered, that varied from person to person.

"You came to watch my match?" Ming Xin Yan teased, pursing her lips.

"Of course," Feng Hao grinned. "And also to check out the legendary Divine Thought Mage."

"Hehe, I think you came to watch Yanziqing, didn’t you?" Ming Xin Yan asked, rolling her eyes with a smile. "If I’m not mistaken, he’s probably the opponent who counters you the most."

Feng Hao looked embarrassed. "Well... we are teammates, after all. How about you tell me what it felt like to fight him?"

"You’re my competitor now. Why should I help you?" Ming Xin Yan looked at Feng Hao with a half-smile.

"Hey now, sis, aren’t you usually so helpful? Why are you getting so stingy?" Feng Hao said, exasperated.

Ming Xin Yan burst out laughing, then turned and said, "I’m just kidding. Come on, we can talk as we walk."

"Haha, I knew I could count on you, sis!" Feng Hao couldn’t resist giving her a thumbs-up as he eagerly followed.

Ming Xin Yan didn’t hold anything back, recounting all the details of her fight with Yanziqing. Her story boiled down to one simple fact: he was incredibly difficult to fight.

After listening to Ming Xin Yan, Feng Hao gained a general understanding of a Divine Thought Mage’s combat style and characteristics, and he began to secretly formulate a counter-strategy in his mind.

"By the way, sis, what’s your Divine Sense strength?" Feng Hao suddenly asked.

Ming Xin Yan answered without hesitation, "Two hundred and sixty-four."

"Whoa, that high?" Feng Hao exclaimed.

Ming Xin Yan explained with a faint smile, "My Perception Root Aptitude is (Divine Sense 7, Divine Sense Strength 2). Plus, I assign two [Gene Points] to my Perception Root every gene level. It’s not strange for it to be this high."

Realization dawned on Feng Hao, leaving him speechless. ’So in the end, it all just comes down to aptitude.’ He had to admit, in that department, he was completely rotten.

"Wait, that’s not right. You’re level forty-four, and it’s exactly two hundred and sixty-four. Aren’t you wearing any protective accessories?" Feng Hao asked again, confused.

"When you know you’re going up against a Divine Thought Mage, you naturally take off all your accessories," Ming Xin Yan chuckled.

"..." Feng Hao was speechless.