The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 78: Chapter 76: A Wished-For Bout

Xiyue Frost was furious. She had been in high spirits earlier after going with her great-aunt to meet the future dean, but the moment she returned, she witnessed Feng Hao’s atrocity. The man was actually abusing Miaomiao! How could she possibly tolerate that?

"A massage? Is *this* how you give a massage? How about I give you one instead?" Xiyue Frost said, her face an icy mask.

Feng Hao cleared his throat and pursed his lips in annoyance. "Please, think before you speak. Chief Black Cat is a Tier Six Magical Beast. How could a Mage in his twenties like me possibly bully it?"

Xiyue Frost faltered. On second thought, that did make sense. She had just been blinded by rage, and coupled with her already poor impression of Feng Hao, she hadn’t stopped to think.

But even so, Xiyue Frost couldn’t stand it. "You still can’t treat him like that! Miaomiao is adorable."

"Alright, this is between me and Chief Black Cat. Can you please not get involved?" Feng Hao was speechless. ’Women are all the same when it comes to cute creatures,’ he thought. ’Even a cold, aloof woman like Xiyue Frost is no exception.’

"Miaomiao is my great-aunt’s magical beast. Why can’t I get involved?" Xiyue Frost retorted with a cold snort.

"Chief Black Cat himself hasn’t said a thing. What are you getting worked up for?" Feng Hao shot back, annoyed.

At his words, Xiyue Frost’s temper flared, her chest heaving. "Such a foul mouth! Are you trying to pick a fight with me? Don’t think I won’t teach you a lesson just because Yaoyao has your back!"

"Oh? If you want to fight, just say so. Why all the useless chatter?" Feng Hao’s own temper flared, and he whipped out his Dark Moon Dagger.

"You asked for this. Don’t blame me for taking advantage of your low level." Xiyue Frost was seeing red.

Feng Hao didn’t back down an inch. "Hmph. It’s not yet certain who’ll win and who’ll lose!"

"Fine! If you’ve got the guts, follow me to the activity area!"

Completely incensed, Xiyue Frost threw out the challenge and stalked off toward the activity area. Feng Hao, fearless as ever, followed right behind her.

Chief Black Cat lay there, utterly bewildered. He wanted to say something but, being unable to speak human, could only watch as the two stormed out...

Feng Hao had been wanting to test his skills against Xiyue Frost ever since she reached the third tier. He just hadn’t expected the opportunity to arise so suddenly.

Just two days ago, he wouldn’t have had much confidence in defeating her. But things were different now that he had grafted West Moon Ridge’s talent. With enough Qi Blood to back him up, he had the confidence for a direct confrontation. With his level of control, he was pretty sure he could wipe the floor with her.

The "activity area" was a special venue for guests to train and exercise. Most decent-sized hotels had a few such rooms. After all, in a world dominated by Mages, a bit of violent sparring was always a popular pastime.

The hotel where Feng Hao was staying was upper-mid-range, equipped with three large activity areas: one on the rooftop, one indoors, and one outdoors. Xiyue Frost chose the outdoor one.

The outdoor area was more spacious, after all—and more durable.

With the entrance examinations drawing near, the hotel was filled with prospective students who had arrived early. Young people are restless, so the activity areas had naturally become the most popular spots.

When Feng Hao and Xiyue Frost arrived, the outdoor area was already bustling with young people, most of them around level thirty. They all looked like prospective students for the Five Provinces Academy.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Feng Hao asked as Xiyue Frost came to a halt.

Xiyue Frost pointed to a nearby sparring platform. "We’ll fight on that platform," she said coldly. "Your Genetic Tree is a tier lower than mine. I’ll give you a free hit."

’Hmph. Like I need you to go easy on me. You’re just someone I’ve beaten before.’ Feng Hao taunted her deliberately. He had no choice; with Xiyue Frost’s proud and competitive nature, she would never fight him with her full strength unless he provoked her.

As expected, at the two words "defeated foe," Xiyue Frost’s face contorted, and she gritted her teeth. "You bastard! Today, I’ll show you who the defeated foe really is!"

"Yeah, yeah, let’s just get to it." Feng Hao, tired of the banter, vaulted onto the sparring platform.

Xiyue Frost followed close behind. The instant she set foot on the platform, she drew a black greatsword from her Spatial Ring. Her entire aura shifted. With a talent like [Lifting the Heavy as if Light], the feel of wielding a heavy weapon was completely different.

At the same time, the other prospective students in the area noticed the commotion. Seeing the palpable tension between the two, they knew a good show was about to start and eagerly gathered around.

"Judging by their levels, they must be prospective students for this year’s exams, just like us," a sharp-featured young man commented, manipulating a Crystal Eye.

"Probably. Aren’t all the young people in the big hotels prospective students right now? Still, that kid on the platform has some nerve, being willing to lay a hand on such a beauty."

"That kid’s a complete moron if you ask me. He’s only level twenty-one and he’s daring to fight a level thirty-six. I have no idea how he even graduated from his junior academy."

"What do you guys know? This dude’s playing 4D chess. He’s putting his life on the line to hit on a girl!"

"I see! A truly epic and moving tale of courtship," a man beside him said, suddenly enlightened.

"Tsk, tsk. I’m not worthy!"

"Speaking of which, does anyone know who that beauty is?" a voice called out from the crowd.

A moment later, someone shouted back, "If I’m not mistaken, she competed in last year’s Academy Hegemony Tournament. And her ranking wasn’t low, either."

"Oh? So this brother is an expert who’s competed in the tournament? My apologies, I failed to recognize you."

"Not at all, not at all. I only ranked somewhere in the one-hundreds. It’s nothing to brag about."

"In the one-hundreds? Then you should have no problem with the exam tomorrow! Damn, I can’t believe I’m meeting a genius who ranked that high in the Hegemony Tournament!"

"Yeah! The top expert from my academy only managed to rank in the two-hundreds," someone else exclaimed.

The young man being praised couldn’t help but look smug, his every gesture suddenly taking on the air of a seasoned master.

Meanwhile, on the platform, the fight had begun. Feng Hao initiated the attack, a pair of daggers flashing in his hands. He had no other choice. The level gap was so wide that he had no advantage in speed or attack rate; in fact, he was at a slight disadvantage.

Fortunately, his stealth attribute was decent. After activating [Black Pupil], he could clearly interfere with Xiyue Frost’s ability to lock on to him.

The reason Feng Hao had become the number one Assassin in the game *Mage* was his ability to identify his advantages in a fight and build his strategy around them, maximizing his strengths.

"Hmph! You’re so much slower than me. Let’s see you dodge this!"

Xiyue Frost snorted with confidence and began swinging her black greatsword in a wild flurry of attacks. After the special training she’d received from West Moon Ridge, her practical combat skills had improved dramatically. She wouldn’t be led around by the nose by Feng Hao like last time.

Feng Hao didn’t reply, instead immersing himself completely in the fight. It had been a long time since he’d had a battle like this, not since he first crossed over. It felt as if every pore in his body was roaring with excitement.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Seeing Feng Hao deftly evade her attack, Xiyue Frost was forced to use her full strength. With a sharp cry, magical light surged from her greatsword as she brought it crashing down on Feng Hao’s position.

BOOM!

The greatsword slammed into the ground, sending out shockwaves of energy that seemed powerful enough to crack the platform itself.

Though Feng Hao dodged the direct hit, Xiyue Frost’s Secret Technique was clearly more complex than that. The resulting shockwave slammed into him like a sledgehammer, the immense force knocking him back several steps. His Qi Blood had dropped by over three thousand points.

’As expected of a Berserker. Such a brutish attack,’ Feng Hao thought, clicking his tongue.

’Just getting grazed by the shockwave cost me over three thousand Qi Blood. What would have happened if I’d taken a direct hit?’

Luckily, his current health pool could absorb that much damage. Before, Xiyue Frost wouldn’t have even needed to aim for him; she could have just smashed the ground a few times and the shockwaves alone would have been enough to kill him.