The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 235: Chapter 232: Pre-Match Preparations

The dagger swung, immense power converging at its tip!

The mastered Dark Moon Kill was no longer a Basic Secret Skill, a fact made obvious by the sheer power of the move.

The eagle-nosed youth was clearly startled by the power of the attack. He hastily tried to block with his Longsword, but unfortunately for him, such a defense was completely useless against Feng Hao.

With a slight adjustment of its angle, the attack easily bypassed the Longsword’s block and struck the eagle-nosed youth’s shoulder.

The Crystal Eye showed the eagle-nosed youth’s Qi Blood instantly plummeting.

"Damn it! Who is this kid? Why have I never heard of him?" The eagle-nosed youth’s face turned grim. He unleashed a backhanded wave of Sword Qi to force Feng Hao back, seizing the opportunity to retreat to the side and create distance.

Unfortunately, Feng Hao moved like a phantom, easily blocking his path and greeting him with a Moon Wheel Dance.

BAM! BAM!

The eagle-nosed youth’s face was deathly pale. Gritting his teeth, he swung his Longsword down at Feng Hao. The resulting blast of air split in two, instantly sending Feng Hao flying a great distance.

As it turned out, the eagle-nosed man did have some real strength; he had simply underestimated his opponent at first and been caught off guard by Feng Hao.

"To push me this far at level thirty-eight... you’ve got some nerve, kid," the eagle-nosed youth said coldly.

"You talk too much." Feng Hao gave a wry smile. As he shot forward, he instantly activated Shadow Hide.

The eagle-nosed youth was about to fire back a few more taunts, but then he saw Feng Hao suddenly vanish. His expression instantly soured. "Fuck! It’s a Shadow Secret Technique!"

As a member of the Thief God Hall, the eagle-nosed youth knew exactly how difficult the Shadow lineage was to deal with. Without a second to spare, he hastily activated a Secret Technique, commanding countless sword phantoms to circle around him and guard against Feng Hao’s ambush.

Unfortunately for him, Feng Hao paid no mind to the damage from the sword phantoms. He used Rapid Shadow Slash to charge straight through, enduring their shredding attacks as he raised his hand to deliver a Moon Stab.

The eagle-nosed youth was about to counterattack, only to discover that his health was completely gone.

’What’s happening? Didn’t I still have over twenty thousand Qi Blood?’ The eagle-nosed youth was aghast. A wave of weakness washed over him, and he collapsed to the ground.

It couldn’t be helped. Moon Stab was difficult to perceive on its own, and with Rapid Shadow Slash providing cover, the eagle-nosed youth hadn’t noticed it at all.

"Brother Lu, hurry! Let’s give him a good beating while we can." Feng Hao casually slipped his dagger into his Spatial Ring and lunged at the eagle-nosed youth bare-fisted, not forgetting to call out to Lu Linfei.

Lu Linfei was already dumbstruck. He snapped back to his senses only after hearing Feng Hao’s call and, with a loud cry, charged toward the eagle-nosed youth.

The poor eagle-nosed youth had just begun to recover when he saw Feng Hao and Lu Linfei descending upon him. His eyes shot wide, and he passed out.

Feng Hao had no intention of letting him off easy. He went over and started pummeling him with fists and feet. Lu Linfei was even more vicious; he aimed for the eagle-nosed youth’s face and started kicking it relentlessly, growing more and more excited as he did.

A few rooftops away, Ming Xin Yan stood elegantly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Being so close, she had of course heard the commotion. In fact, she had leaped onto her roof to watch the moment Feng Hao kicked the door in.

’It seems there’s another strong rival. I just didn’t expect it to be this guy.’ Ming Xin Yan’s Dai Mei furrowed slightly. Recalling the day Feng Hao had asked her for directions, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

...

Feng Hao had no idea Ming Xin Yan was observing from nearby. After beating the eagle-nosed youth to within an inch of his life, he tossed him out the door.

"So, feel better now?" Feng Hao asked with a smile, dusting himself off.

"Thanks, Brother Feng," Lu Linfei said gratefully.

"Nothing to thank me for. You got hurt because of me, after all." Feng Hao chuckled. "By the way, where’s Xiaoxue?"

Lu Linfei gave a wry laugh. "Xiaoxue went to buy me some medicine. She should be back soon. But what about you, Brother Feng? Where have you been these last few days? We haven’t heard a peep from you."

"Don’t ask. The last few days have been hell. I’d rather not talk about it." Feng Hao waved a hand dismissively, then chuckled. "Come on, let’s head inside for a few drinks. You can tell me about any rivals worth noting."

"Now that’s something I can help with," Lu Linfei laughed, and the two began to drink and chat.

It had to be said that Lu Linfei was quite knowledgeable about the current state of the competition. His information was far more comprehensive than what Mei Meimei had provided.

With the competition fast approaching, the participants from the various branch halls had all arrived. Many had already begun forming alliances to prepare for the first round of eliminations.

According to the rules for the preliminaries, only one hundred contestants would advance after the initial battle royale. In such a chaotic free-for-all, individual strength counted for much less, making alliances the best choice.

For most participants, simply advancing past the first round was considered successfully clearing the preliminaries and would be a great boon to their future prospects. This was exactly why Lu Linfei had entered the competition.

After all, the Thief Preliminaries were not just for selecting official Thieves; they were also a test for the younger generation of the Thief God Hall. As a rule, anyone who advanced from the preliminaries would earn the attention of the Grand Hall and be given better opportunities for growth.

A significant portion of the current higher-ups in the Thief God Hall’s various branch halls were former contestants who had successfully advanced in past Thief Preliminaries.

Of course, achieving a higher rank in the subsequent rounds of the competition would lead to an even brighter future.

Feng Hao’s goal was to become a [Thief], so he wasn’t concerned with all that. His current task was to find a decent team to avoid being ganged up on and eliminated in the initial battle royale.

"In that case, Brother Lu, why don’t you team up with me?" Feng Hao asked.

Those were the exact words Lu Linfei had been waiting to hear. He nodded excitedly. "I’d be delighted!"

Feng Hao thoughtfully sized Lu Linfei up for a moment, then said with a teasing smirk, "To be honest, you’re still a little weak right now."

"Well..." Lu Linfei lowered his head, his face flushing.

"But that’s alright." Feng Hao smiled mysteriously and tossed him a bottle of Tier Four Experience Pills. "We’re brothers, aren’t we? Think of this as a gift."

Lu Linfei asked in confusion, "What kind of pills are these?"

"Experience Pills. They can directly increase your genetic level. You can take up to five per tier, which should raise your genetic level by about five."

"What?" Lu Linfei’s eyes went wide. He stared at the bottle in his hand in disbelief. "Brother Feng, you’re not joking, are you?"

"Why would I joke about that?" Feng Hao rolled his eyes. "Just try them tonight and you’ll see," he said, slightly annoyed.

Lu Linfei stood stunned for a long moment. He carefully put the bottle away and then, to Feng Hao’s utter astonishment, dropped to his knees before him. "I will never forget this incredible kindness for as long as I live!"

Feng Hao was taken aback and hurried to pull him up. "Whoa, what are you doing? It’s just a few pills."

But Lu Linfei looked up, his eyes full of sincerity. "To you, Brother Feng, it might just be a few pills. But to me, it’s the hope of spending my life together with Xiaoxue."

"’Spending your life together’... must you be so dramatic? Get up already," Feng Hao said, exasperated.

Only then did Lu Linfei get to his feet, his gaze toward Feng Hao now filled with deep respect.

Feng Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Just make sure you invite me to the wedding," he said good-naturedly.

"I definitely won’t forget," Lu Linfei nodded firmly.

"Alright then. If there’s nothing else, head back and get to your training." Feng Hao shooed him away with an exasperated look, worried the kid was about to make another grand gesture. "Oh, and see if you can find any other potential teammates worth recruiting."

"Don’t worry, Brother Feng. Leave it to me," Lu Linfei replied. He then departed with the solemnity of one who had just received an imperial decree.

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