The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 192: Chapter 189: Help Me

"There are actually people who’ve never had basic schooling? For real?" Man Tiaotiao found it hard to believe.

Feng Hao shrugged. "What’s the big deal?"

"Of course it’s strange," Man Tiaotiao said in all seriousness.

Houhuiyao was also surprised. After all, people in the Mage World who hadn’t had basic schooling were very rare. Among the three of them, only Xiyue Frost was calm. She explained softly, "An Ice Soul is a type of Ice Attribute Magic Soul, but it’s far more powerful. It’s also unique."

"So, simply put, it’s still a Magic Soul, right?" Feng Hao said, unconcerned.

Man Tiaotiao immediately shot back scornfully, "What do you know? An Ice Soul is way more powerful than a Magic Soul."

"Is that so?" Feng Hao asked, surprised.

Xiyue Frost continued to explain, "An Ice Soul is the materialization of the essence of the ice element. It truly can’t be compared to a Magic Soul. Any single Ice Soul can elevate a Mage’s strength by an entire tier. If I were to obtain one, my power boost would be even greater."

"The materialization of an element’s essence? Does that mean other elements have them too?" Feng Hao pressed on curiously.

"Of course. Any element can evolve into its essence. The essence of ice is called an Ice Soul. The essence of fire is called a Fire Seed. The essence of wind is called a Wind Spirit. Beyond those, there are also Wood Sprites, Earth Spirits, Thunder Attractions, and so on."

Feng Hao’s head was starting to spin. So many new terms were being thrown at him at once, and it was a lot to take in.

"Has anyone ever actually obtained one of these elemental essences?" Feng Hao asked.

"Yes, yes!" Houhuiyao chimed in enthusiastically. "I heard that a Supreme Elder at the Five Provinces Academy possesses a Wind Spirit. He’s been guarding the academy for centuries, and no one dares to cross him. Then there’s Master Wen Shui, the president of the Artifact Refiner Association. The reason he became the number one Artifact Refiner in the Ancient Cang Realm is all thanks to his Cuiyan Fire Seed."

Hearing that the Five Provinces Academy housed an elemental essence, Feng Hao grew even more curious. ’I’ll have to find a chance to see it for myself,’ he thought.

...

The four continued walking, laughing and joking as they went.

They pressed on against the frigid wind, the ice and snow crunching underfoot. As time went on, they found they had covered a great distance without even realizing it.

Just as the group was complaining about the lack of Spirit Beasts, a horde of white figures burst forth from a deep glacial valley nearby. A piercing shriek echoed across the snowscape as countless ice spikes rained down from all directions like a torrential storm.

"Oh no, it’s a swarm of Snow Demons!" Xiyue Frost cried out, hastily activating her Ice Domain. Frigid energy roared and coalesced into a massive cyclone of cold air, pulling the descending storm of ice spikes into its vortex.

Feng Hao and the other two didn’t dare let their guard down. They quickly assumed a battle-ready state and used the Crystal Eye to scan the creatures.

[Snow Demon] (Taiyi Spirit Beast)

Level: 12-Star

Qi Blood: 99,500

Life Force: 102

Strength: 343

Defense: 1,250

Speed: 608

Claw/Fang Damage: 184

Ice Attribute Damage: 957

Fur Protection: 25 (Frost Protection: 75)

Judging by the data alone, they didn’t seem too formidable. The problem was that there wasn’t just one—there were hundreds, maybe thousands. To make matters worse, the Snow Demons could fly at low altitudes, making them even more difficult to handle.

"What should we do? Are we going to fight them?" Houhuiyao asked, his voice betraying his nervousness.

Xiyue Frost’s brow furrowed in thought. "There are too many. We should retreat for now."

Just as the others were preparing to retreat, Feng Hao noticed something odd. "Wait," he said, puzzled. "It doesn’t look like we’re their target. There’s something down below the glacier."

The three of them stopped and instinctively glanced back. They saw the swarm of Snow Demons was frantically attacking something below the glacier. From their vantage point, they couldn’t see what was going on down there.

"Huh, they really aren’t after us?" Man Tiaotiao said, surprised.

Houhuiyao frowned. "Could there be other Mages down there?" he guessed.

The words had barely left his mouth when several jets of fire shot up from below the glacier. There really were other Mages there.

Feng Hao shot Houhuiyao a stunned look, then said after a moment’s thought, "Should we go down and check it out?"

"Better not," Xiyue Frost cautioned, frowning. "People in the Secret Realm can be treacherous. Who knows if they’d repay kindness with betrayal? We don’t even know how many of them there are. It’s best to be careful."

"Xiaoshuang is right. I got screwed over last time," Man Tiaotiao said, grinding her teeth.

Houhuiyao didn’t say anything, but from his expression, it was clear he silently agreed with Xiyue Frost’s decision.

Feng Hao was speechless. He stared at the dancing flames below the glacier, unwilling to leave. ’As they say, fortune favors the bold. A gathering of Snow Demons this large must be guarding some kind of treasure.’

"Don’t you guys think there might be something good down there?" Feng Hao said with a mysterious air. "Maybe it’s that Ice Soul you were talking about."

"No way! An Ice Soul isn’t that easy to find," Man Tiaotiao scoffed.

Xiyue Frost gave Feng Hao a thoughtful look, then said hesitantly, "Alright, let’s go take a look."

"That’s more like it!" Feng Hao nodded in satisfaction. He waved a hand and said, "You all wait here. I’ll go invisible and scout ahead."

"Let me go with you," Xiyue Frost said with a frown.

"No need. I can handle myself for a while." Feng Hao refused her kind offer without hesitation and dashed out from the protection of the Ice Domain. A bone-chilling wind immediately engulfed him.

Feng Hao couldn’t help but shiver. He quickly entered his "Shadow Stealth" state and began sneaking toward the glacier.

It turned out that Shadow Stealth was quite powerful; the hundreds, even thousands, of Snow Demons failed to notice him at all.

Thus, relying on the powerful effects of Shadow Stealth, Feng Hao successfully crept to the glacier’s edge. He hadn’t known what to expect, but the sight gave him a start. The chasm below was at least two hundred meters deep, its floor a forest of sharp, cone-like ice pillars, resembling a natural deathtrap.

’Good grief, lucky I didn’t just jump down. With terrain like this, the Snow Demon swarm would toy with you until you’re dead,’ Feng Hao thought, clicking his tongue in amazement.

He continued scanning and soon spotted a figure. To his surprise, there was only one person in the chasm. ’Holy crap, who dares to mess around in a place like this all by themselves? Is this guy out of his mind?’

’You’re on your own, buddy. I’m out of here.’ Watching the figure flee pathetically at the bottom of the chasm, Feng Hao gave a helpless smile and turned to leave.

He had just turned when he felt a powerful fluctuation of Divine Sense—clearly a probe from the person below.

’Huh? He can detect me even while I’m in Shadow Stealth? This guy’s no amateur!’

Despite his surprise, Feng Hao still intended to leave. It couldn’t be helped; the terrain at the bottom of the chasm was abysmal for fending off an attack from a swarm of Snow Demons.

Just then, a cry from the bottom of the chasm caught Feng Hao’s attention, making him freeze on the spot.

"Help me! Help me!"

At first, Feng Hao thought he’d misheard. But after listening carefully, he confirmed that the cry was indeed "Help me!" In an instant, his heart began to pound wildly.

Without a second thought, he turned and leaped into the glacial chasm.

THUD!

Even a Third-tier Mage couldn’t handle a fall from over two hundred meters. When he landed, a churning wave rolled through him, and his Qi Blood instantly dropped by more than ten thousand.

But Feng Hao was in no mood to worry about that. He hastily swallowed a Blood Recovery Pill and charged toward the person who might just be a fellow countryman from Earth.

’You gotta hold on, buddy!’

Feng Hao prayed frantically as he sprinted forward...

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