The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 166: Chapter 163: Divine Seal Mountain Range

The mornings in Five States City had a unique charm, a quietude interspersed with faint stirrings of activity that imparted a sense of calm and comfort.

He locked up the shop, brought out his Mansa Vehicle, and waited quietly for Dongfang Qi and Nanyuan Xu to arrive. Next door, the old blacksmith, shirtless, pushed open his door. Upon seeing Feng Hao, a faint smile appeared on his dark, weathered face.

"Opening up so early, sir?" Feng Hao asked with a light laugh, just making conversation.

The old blacksmith grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. His voice was deep and strong. "You’re the young man from the medicine shop next door, aren’t you? I’ve seen you around a few times."

"So you knew who I was?" Feng Hao chuckled, unable to resist chatting for a bit.

To be honest, he was quite interested in the Artifact Refining Shop next door, as he had been studying the Artifact Refining of the Ancient Sect.

The old blacksmith was clearly an Ancient Refiner as well, specifically one from the blacksmith lineage. Unlike Xiong Tianfang’s refining legacy, the blacksmith lineage was more adept at controlling metal materials and had a unique understanding of weapon forging.

It was no exaggeration to say that among the many legacies of the Ancient Sect, only the blacksmith lineage could produce weapons that could compare to the high-end weapons of the new schools.

While organizing his tools, the old blacksmith nodded. "I sometimes smell molten metal from your place. Are you learning Artifact Refining?"

"Huh? You can even smell that, sir?" Feng Hao asked in surprise.

"Heh, after a lifetime of smithing, I can still tell the smell of metal," the old blacksmith said with a faint smile.

Feng Hao was secretly astonished. ’As expected of an Artifact Refiner from the blacksmith lineage. Truly a hidden master.’ "Looks like I’ll have to ask for your guidance sometime, sir."

"Of course, of course. There aren’t many young people who want to learn smithing these days," the old blacksmith agreed readily, nodding.

"Thank you in advance, sir! I’ll have to trouble you for some pointers when I get back," Feng Hao said, pleasantly surprised.

The old blacksmith nodded with a faint smile, picked up his huge Forging Hammer, and returned to his shop. Soon, the CLANG CLANG CLANG of hammering metal rang out.

A few minutes later, two Magic Energy Flying Vehicles landed in front of Feng Hao. Dongfang Qi and Nanyuan Xu poked their heads out the windows, waving and laughing loudly. "Hey, little brother! Hurry up, time to go!"

"You got it." Feng Hao grinned, turned, and slipped into the cabin of his Mansa Vehicle.

The next moment, three Magic Energy Flying Vehicles were soaring side-by-side across the skies of Five States City, heading northwest...

The instant they crossed the border of Five States City, Feng Hao suddenly accelerated. The two behind him shouted as they gave chase.

"Where’s the mission location, you two? Don’t want to accidentally fly past it," Feng Hao communicated using his Divine Sense.

"It’s in the Divine Seal Mountain Range. We won’t get there until tomorrow anyway, so feel free to go full throttle, little brother!" Nanyuan Xu laughed.

Feng Hao nodded in understanding and laughed teasingly. "Well then, you two better keep up! Don’t let me leave you in the dust!"

"Hah, are you trying to provoke us, kid? Nanyuan Xu, what are you waiting for? Show him what a real pro driver looks like!"

"No problem." Nanyuan Xu smiled confidently, instantly gunned it to full power, and shot off in hot pursuit of Feng Hao.

The flying vehicles raced, a blur of speed and excitement as they tore through the sky, having the time of their lives.

They didn’t slow down until the next day, when they reached the vicinity of the Divine Seal Mountain Range and landed on a flat patch of gravel.

"Not bad, little brother! Who knew you could keep up with us?" Dongfang Qi said, clicking his tongue in amazement as he stepped out of his vehicle.

"I’m just average," Feng Hao said, coolly downplaying his skill.

Nanyuan Xu shot them an exasperated look and pulled out a crimson Magic Sword. "Enough chitchat. Let’s get to work. The sooner we finish, the sooner we go home."

"Right." Dongfang Qi nodded in understanding, a sword and shield instantly appearing in his hands. "Same as always. You handle reconnaissance and ranged attacks, I’ll handle the fighting."

"What about me?" Feng Hao asked, stunned.

"You can just watch from the sidelines, little brother. Our target this time is a Fifth-rank Fire Cloud Beast. It’s a bit dangerous for you to join in," Dongfang Qi said with a faint smile.

"You’re looking down on me, aren’t you?" Feng Hao was a little annoyed. He decided to show them a thing or two. Activating Shadow-walk, he instantly vanished.

Nanyuan Xu froze, looking around in shock. "Whoa, where did he go?!"

"What do you mean, ’where did he go’? It’s obviously a stealth Secret Technique, idiot." Dongfang Qi shot him an annoyed glance. A layer of earthy-yellow light rose around his body. His eyes flickered, and a playful smirk touched his lips. "Come on out, little brother. I’ve already found you."

As he spoke, he swung a blast of Sword Qi toward Feng Hao’s hidden location, which landed right at Feng Hao’s feet.

Feng Hao deactivated his Shadow-walk, appearing with an incredulous look on his face. "How did you find me?"

Dongfang Qi chuckled inwardly. "Hehe, my bloodline talent is earth control. As long as you’re on the ground, you can’t escape my perception."

"Alright, you win," Feng Hao said, shaking his head speechlessly.

Nearby, Nanyuan Xu’s eyes were full of admiration. "That stealth Secret Technique of yours is incredible, little brother. Even my Divine Sense couldn’t detect you."

"What’s so incredible about it? Brother Dongfang still found me, didn’t he?" Feng Hao said sullenly.

"You can’t put it that way. He’s an exception," Nanyuan Xu explained. "With a stealth Secret Technique like that, you’re more than qualified to help us."

Dongfang Qi chuckled and nodded. "That’s right. The mission requires the Scale Armor of the Fire Cloud Beast, and the less damage, the better. Since you use subtle-force attacks, you can help minimize the damage."

"Leave it to me," Feng Hao said, immediately satisfied. ’It feels great to be needed.’

"Our flying vehicles aren’t suited for traversing wilderness. We’ll have to rely on your vehicle, little brother," Dongfang Qi continued.

"No problem."

Feng Hao grinned and invited them aboard, then drove the Mansa Vehicle through the mountain forests.

The Divine Seal Mountain Range was the largest mountain range in Beilang Country, stretching for tens of thousands of miles and running through nearly the entire nation. Alongside Breeze Forest, it was known as one of the two great Magical Beast Paradises, home to countless powerful magical beasts.

With the strength of Feng Hao’s trio, they could only operate in the outer mountain ranges. If they ventured deep into the interior, they would likely end up dead.

"Fire Cloud Beasts are very rare. Are we really going to find one just by searching like this?" Feng Hao asked as he drove the Mansa Vehicle.

Dongfang Qi, in the passenger seat, was looking at a map while observing their surroundings. "Don’t worry. We gathered some intel before accepting the mission. There’s an open-air Magma Lake not far from here. The chances of finding a Fire Cloud Beast there are high."

"Alright, I guess I was overthinking it," Feng Hao said with a laugh.

After half an hour of bumpy travel, the surrounding vegetation began to appear withered and dead. Before long, a natural Magma Lake, dark red in color, appeared before the three of them. A wave of scorching heat washed over them, and the air was thick with the smell of burning.

"Let’s explore on foot. There’s no way to drive here," Dongfang Qi said thoughtfully.

Feng Hao nodded in understanding and casually stored the Mansa Vehicle in his Spatial Ring. Following Nanyuan Xu’s lead, they began to explore the area around the Magma Lake.

The area around the Magma Lake was covered in bizarrely shaped, terrifying black rocks formed from cooled lava. Paired with the BUBBLE, BUBBLE sound of the churning magma, the scene was like a vision of hell...

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