The Strongest Talent Tree

When Feng Hao arrived, he was truly taken aback by how plain the City Lord’s Mansion was.

The simple decorations were one thing, but as he walked, he didn’t see a single guard or servant. It completely shattered the image Feng Hao had of what a City Lord’s life should be like.

He followed a gravel path overgrown with weeds until a quaint little pavilion came into view. Inside, at a stone table with stone stools, sat the white-haired Old City Lord, leisurely sipping hot tea. Wisps of steam drifted up, giving the scene an ethereal quality, as if it were both real and an illusion.

"Ah, you’ve come, young man?" The Old City Lord’s eyes crinkled with a smile, his ancient, wrinkled face exceptionally warm and kind.

Feng Hao dared not be disrespectful. He bowed deeply and stepped forward. "Feng Hao greets the Old City Lord. Thank you for your assistance."

"Heh," the Old City Lord chuckled. "There’s no need for such formalities."

Feng Hao grinned. "City Lord, I imagine you asked me to come here because you had something you wanted to tell me?"

"Quite perceptive." The Old City Lord chuckled and nodded, gesturing for Feng Hao to sit. His eyes held a profound depth as he said, "From my observations, you aren’t one of the Ancient Cang People, are you?"

"How did you know?" Feng Hao was aghast. ’Besides me, only my big brother, Lin Luo, knows anything about this. There’s no way Lin Luo has ever met the Old City Lord, so how could he possibly know? Can he read my memories?!’

Seeing Feng Hao’s astonishment, the Old City Lord gave a knowing smile. "There’s no need for suspicion. Once you reach my level, you gain a certain understanding of the cosmos. Your life imprint doesn’t match that of the Ancient Cang Realm. Therefore, this is not your home world."

’No way, he can even tell that?’ Feng Hao was dumbfounded, feeling like his whole worldview had just been turned upside down again.

"Mages can dominate the starry skies and the Ten Thousand Realms; naturally, we have our unique abilities." The Old City Lord paused, then added with profound meaning, "It is not my place to inquire about your origins, but I am rather interested in your bloodline talent. Those blackened eyes... I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before."

Feng Hao’s heart skipped a beat. "You’ve seen a bloodline talent like mine before?" he asked, incredulous.

"That’s right." The Old City Lord nodded thoughtfully, his brow deeply furrowed. "I have a vague impression of it in my memories, but for the life of me, I can’t recall the details."

"Is it because it was too long ago?" Feng Hao asked.

"No, no, no..." The Old City Lord shook his head, lost in thought. "After one’s genes have evolved to the hundredth level, memory becomes exceptionally solid. It’s impossible to simply forget something. This is what I find so strange."

"You’re a Hundred-level Mage?!" Feng Hao’s attention was completely snagged by those words.

The Old City Lord smiled serenely. "It is merely the hundredth level. As long as you cultivate diligently, you too will one day reach the apex of evolution."

Feng Hao chuckled sheepishly. Being praised by such a senior figure made him feel a little giddy.

He had read about the "apex of evolution" in a book before. To put it simply, it was the highest level a Mage could achieve through cultivation—equivalent to reaching the max level in a game. The essence of a Mage’s cultivation was the deep metamorphosis and evolution of their genes, which is why it was called the apex of evolution.

"Um... could I take a look at your genetic data?" Feng Hao asked, blinking with curiosity.

The Old City Lord chuckled in amusement. "If you want to look, then go ahead."

"Thank you, Old City Lord!" Feng Hao said excitedly. The stats of a hundred-level expert weren’t something one got to see every day. Pushing his Divine Sense, his Crystal Eye easily scanned the Old City Lord’s genetic data:

Genetic Level: 100

Qi Blood: 759,380 (23,800)

Vitality: 1,255 (213)

Strength: 1,685 (1,085)

Defense: 22,570 (470)

Speed: 1,825 (325)

Attack Speed: 749 (258)

"HISS...!" Even though he had prepared himself, he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’Judging from his base stats, the Old City Lord is likely a magic-damage type or a Dark Force Mage. And with just these six basic attributes, he could wipe the floor with me. He’s more terrifying than a boss!’

Seeing Feng Hao’s dumbfounded expression, the Old City Lord couldn’t help but tease him. "So, little fellow, what do you think of my genetic data?"

"Insanely, brutally strong!" Feng Hao said, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Heh heh..." The Old City Lord chuckled and shook his head, then changed the subject. "But let’s get back to your bloodline talent."

Feng Hao snapped back to reality and replied thoughtfully, "My bloodline talent is called ’Black Pupils.’ When activated, it doubles my stealth capabilities."

"Doubles your stealth? That’s a decent bloodline." The Old City Lord chuckled. "No wonder you want to join the Thief God Hall. Come to think of it, their legacy is indeed a perfect fit for your bloodline."

"You know about that, too?" Feng Hao cried out in surprise.

The Old City Lord shook his head with a smile. "Heh, Xiaoluan mentioned you had some connection to the Thief God Hall."

It dawned on Feng Hao, and he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. ’If he could see through that too, he’d be beyond terrifying!’

"I hold no prejudice against the Thief God Hall. If you wish to join, I will not stand in your way," the Old City Lord added. "However, it seems the Thief God Hall has been active near Rongcheng recently. I expect the Jinzhou Branch Hall will be established before long."

"The Jinzhou Branch Hall?" Feng Hao paused, then quickly put the pieces together, recalling what his big brother Lin Luo had told him.

’Looks like the ’trouble’ my big brother mentioned was about establishing this Jinzhou Branch Hall.’

Thinking of this, Feng Hao couldn’t help but ask, "I remember the other five major sects already have branches in Jinzhou. Why is the Thief God Hall only establishing one now?"

"They are a grassroots Mage organization, after all. Their claim as the sixth major sect isn’t even recognized by the others. You can imagine how difficult it is for them to establish a branch hall," the Old City Lord said, a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"Is formal standing really that important?" Feng Hao asked with a frown.

"It is, and it isn’t. But here in the Ancient Cang Realm, it is quite important. After all, we fall within the domain of the All Living Beings Sect," the Old City Lord explained.

Feng Hao was completely lost. "All Living Beings Sect?"

"Er, it’s still too early to talk about this. You’ll learn about it naturally in the future," the Old City Lord said with a smiling shake of his head.

...

By the time he left the City Lord’s Mansion, the sun had set. Bathed in the light of the setting sun, Rongcheng looked exceptionally beautiful.

Back at the Miao Medicine Tower, that kid Miao Feng was holed up in the Alchemy Room, engrossed in his Alchemy Techniques. Wang Gui and the other clerks were preparing to close up for the night.

Feng Hao gave them a few brief instructions, then went upstairs to his room and began to cultivate in earnest.

His conversation with the Old City Lord had broadened his horizons immeasurably, making him yearn for power more than ever before!

Time flew by while he cultivated. Early the next morning, he was jolted awake by Miao Feng’s triumphant shouts.

He was just about to head downstairs to see what was going on when Miao Feng burst in, running up the stairs excitedly. The apprentice reeked of herbs, his hair was a complete mess, and he was clutching a pill that looked like an Experience Pill.

"Master, I did it!" Miao Feng yelled, ecstatic.

"You successfully refined an Experience Pill?" Feng Hao was surprised, stepping forward to get a closer look.

But Miao Feng quickly shook his head. "It’s not an Experience Pill."

"Then what is it?" Feng Hao asked, taken aback.

Miao Feng began to explain enthusiastically, "Since I couldn’t manage to refine the Experience Pill, I tried modifying the formula a bit to see if that would work. I didn’t expect to create this by accident."

"A new pill?" Feng Hao said, amazed.

"Mhm!" Miao Feng nodded repeatedly, practically vibrating with excitement.

Feng Hao was delighted. ’Miao Feng really does have a talent for alchemy, developing a new pill as just a Level 4 Alchemist.’ "What are its effects?"

"I tried it myself. It’s like an Experience Pill, but weakened countless times over. It can effectively increase one’s cultivation speed—the efficiency is about the same as absorbing Magic Crystals in an Enhanced Cultivation Pod. Plus, you can take it continuously."

Hearing this, Feng Hao was intrigued. "Let me have a few to try."

"Okay." Miao Feng didn’t waste any time, directly handing a bottle of the new pills to Feng Hao.