The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 168: Chapter 165: Surging Undercurrents

Jinzhou Rongcheng, a northwestern border city of the Beilang Country. It sat adjacent to the Divine Seal Mountain Range, surrounded by peaks and isolated from the rest of the world—a very inconspicuous little city.

For thousands of years, even the Beilang Country’s administration had rarely paid it any mind.

Recently, however, the eyes of all the major powers had gathered on this small city. The cause was a secret operation by the Ghost Realm’s Wandering City, during which a large number of their experts had been lost here. As soon as this news broke, it immediately drew attention from all sides.

As one of the five major powers, it was impossible for the Wandering City to pay attention to a small city for no reason. In other words, this little border city named Rongcheng was very likely hiding some kind of unknown Secret Realm.

This was the main reason why the various powers were all sending people over.

It was no joke. A secret that could compel the Wandering City to deploy so many experts was definitely not a simple matter!

When Feng Hao’s group of three arrived in Rongcheng, they could clearly sense a change in the city. The originally peaceful town was suddenly filled with a large number of experts. Any normal person could tell that something was wrong.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, the three of them deliberately put away their Magic Energy Flying Vehicle outside the city and walked into Rongcheng on foot.

"Something’s not right. Since when does Rongcheng have so many experts?" Nanyuan Xu said, his expression grave as he scanned their surroundings.

Dongfang Qi also frowned. "It really is strange. Little brother, let’s part ways for now. I need to go home and ask about the situation."

"Alright." Feng Hao nodded grimly and watched the two of them leave.

Although he knew beforehand that Rongcheng had been chaotic recently, the current situation still exceeded his imagination. The bustling streets of Rongcheng were filled with a repressive atmosphere, giving off the feeling of a brewing undercurrent.

He hurried back to the Miao Medicine Tower. After more than half a year, the Miao Medicine Tower hadn’t changed at all, though its business was much hotter than before.

Walking into the Miao Medicine Tower, he was met with a wave of familiar warmth. Several special envoys from the Thief God Hall were diligently managing the shop’s business. When they saw Feng Hao return, their faces lit up with surprise.

"The boss is back?" The Shopkeeper sized Feng Hao up for a moment, a look of astonishment on his face. "Huh, it’s only been half a year and you’re already a High-Rank Thief!"

"Uncle Yang, please don’t tease me." Feng Hao gave a wry smile, then asked seriously, "What’s the recent situation in Rongcheng?"

"Let’s talk inside." Shopkeeper Yang’s expression tensed. He nervously pulled him down to the basement where the [Business Terminal] was located and said with a solemn look, "I’m not too clear on the specific details either. I only know that people from all the major sects have arrived. And a few days ago, we got word from headquarters that our people from the Thief God Hall are also on their way here. They should arrive in the next day or two."

Feng Hao’s expression grew even more solemn. He nodded and said, "Uncle Yang, you can go back to your work. I’m going to drop by the Xiyue Family."

"Alright." Shopkeeper Yang turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and added, "You can ask Zei Zi about the specifics. He should know something."

"Okay, I got it." Feng Hao nodded in understanding, then looked up and asked, "By the way, where’s that kid, Miao Feng?"

Shopkeeper Yang pursed his lips into a smile. "Rongcheng Academy is holding its trial assessment recently. The Young Boss is participating in the competition."

"Trial assessment?" Feng Hao was slightly taken aback and couldn’t help but shake his head with a sigh. To think it was time for another year’s trial assessment. Recalling the scenes from when he had participated, he felt a wave of nostalgia.

After leaving the Miao Medicine Tower, he headed toward Xiyue Manor.

Along the way, Feng Hao wrestled with whether he should ask about Lin Luo. After all, Lin Luo had warned him repeatedly not to come back, yet here he was.

As for the [Origin Node], that wasn’t much of a problem. Although Rongcheng didn’t have one, several nearby cities did. He could enter the fluctuation range of an [Origin Node] with just a one or two-hour drive.

’Forget it, I’ll deal with that later.’ After wrestling with the thought for a while, he had already arrived at the gate of Xiyue Manor.

The guards clearly recognized Feng Hao, so they didn’t stop him.

The main reason Feng Hao had come to the Xiyue Family was to visit his future father-in-law, Xiyue Feng, and to see if the Yao Girl was home.

But not long after he entered, a black shadow descended from the sky and blocked his path. Immediately after, a furry paw landed on his head and began to ruffle his hair wildly.

"Chief Black Cat?" Feng Hao pushed the paw away in surprise and asked, astonished, "Xiyue Luan is back too?"

Chief Black Cat was as aloof as ever. It gave an affirmative nod while extending a paw toward him.

Feng Hao couldn’t help but laugh. He chuckled, tossed it a few Qi Recovery Pills, and walked straight toward the interior of the manor.

When he saw Xiyue Feng again, he could clearly sense the worry on his face.

Xiyue Feng, however, looked completely surprised to see Feng Hao. His expression was odd as he said, "Why did you brat run back here?"

"Hehe, I just missed Yaoyao a little, you know?" Feng Hao grinned.

For a rare moment, a trace of gratification appeared on Xiyue Feng’s face. He then shook his head with a wry smile and said, "You’ve really come back at a terrible time. Rongcheng is a total mess right now. You need to be careful."

"What exactly happened?" Feng Hao asked grimly.

But Xiyue Feng just waved his hand impatiently. "You’re not qualified to know about this matter yet. We can talk about it after you marry Yaoyao."

"Uh, what could be so mysterious?" Feng Hao said, stunned.

"Why are you asking so many questions?!" Xiyue Feng snapped irritably. "The second girl is participating in the trial assessment. If you want to find her, go to the back mountain and the Breeze Forest. Stop bothering me here."

Feng Hao pursed his lips in surprise but didn’t press further. However, from Xiyue Feng’s expression, it was obvious he was worried about something.

"Um... can I take Brother Miao with me?" Feng Hao asked as he turned around.

"Go, go, just don’t lose him," Xiyue Feng said impatiently.

"Got it."

Feng Hao laughed in satisfaction, flashed over, and leaped onto Chief Black Cat’s back. He waved his hand grandly and said, "Chief Black Cat, take me to find Yaoyao."

"MEOW~!" Chief Black Cat let out a confident cry, took a few light leaps, and instantly vaulted out of Xiyue Manor, galloping toward the Breeze Forest.

They hadn’t gone far when Chief Black Cat suddenly changed direction, leaving Feng Hao completely baffled.

’Doesn’t Chief Black Cat have a built-in navigation system? Did it get dumber after not seeing it for half a year?’

"Hey, where are you taking me?" Feng Hao asked, exasperated. "The Breeze Forest is that way."

However, Chief Black Cat paid him no mind. It galloped on its own accord to a main street in Rongcheng, leaped from rooftop to rooftop, and soon landed at the entrance of a tavern.

"What are we doing here? Don’t tell me there’s a female cat here?" Feng Hao was completely confused.

Chief Black Cat’s body trembled slightly, and it gestured for him to get off.

Although Feng Hao didn’t understand, he was sensible enough to jump down. After he landed, Chief Black Cat quickly shrank to a smaller form and nestled into Feng Hao’s arms like a king.

"You want me to go inside?" Feng Hao asked, surprised.

Chief Black Cat gave a haughty nod, then settled into his arms and started licking its paws, looking as smug as could be.

Feng Hao clicked his tongue and walked into the tavern doubtfully. The moment he stepped inside, the scene within left him dumbfounded.

The small tavern was filled with all sorts of expert Mages, and Xiyue Luan was among them. The whole scene looked like a martial arts assembly from a wuxia film, and right now, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on him.

"What the hell? What’s going on?" Feng Hao said, completely bewildered.

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