The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 240: Chapter 237: A Drag?

Thief God Peak, the centermost peak of Overlapping Shadow Mountain, was the most sacred place in the Thief God Hall. The Thief God Statue stood here, and it was where many grand ceremonies were held, a practice that had since evolved into a tradition.

As a matter of utmost importance, the selection for the next Thief would naturally be held at Thief God Peak.

This was the first time in recent years that Thief God Peak had been opened. Talented thieves from the various branch halls gathered here, waiting for the qualifiers to begin.

Feng Hao had been studying forging for the past few days, so he arrived rather late. In any case, by the time he got there, Thief God Peak was already packed with people. In the distance, the Thief God Statue, over a hundred meters tall, stood towering over the entire peak.

’So this is the statue of the Thief God Ancestor? He’s actually quite handsome.’ Gazing up at the statue ahead, Feng Hao made his way forward.

The young thieves around had gathered in small groups, having clearly already formed their teams, and were discussing their strategies for the competition.

Blending into the crowd, Feng Hao didn’t stand out much. After all, he was only level thirty-eight, so most of the contestants paid him no mind.

He hadn’t been wandering for long when he saw Lu Linfei waving at him in the distance. "Brother Feng, over here, over here!"

"Whoa, looks like you’ve found quite a few teammates," Feng Hao remarked. He looked over and saw many unfamiliar faces standing beside Lu Linfei, so he quickened his pace to join them.

"Brother Feng, what took you so long? The competition is about to start," Lu Linfei said with a confused look.

Feng Hao gave a casual smile. "Why come so early? As long as I didn’t miss it, it’s fine."

"I guess that’s true." Lu Linfei chuckled, momentarily at a loss for words. He turned to introduce the others to Feng Hao. "Right, Brother Feng, these are the teammates I found. They’re from various branch halls. This is Lv Mingbo, a level forty-six Agile Mage, and the one next to him is Zhang Zilin, a level forty-five Magic Master..."

Lu Linfei went on with the introductions for quite a while, but Feng Hao didn’t retain any of it. He stepped forward with an awkward smile and said, "I’m Feng Hao, from Wolf Country. It’s nice to meet you all."

"You’re the expert Brother Lu was talking about? You’re only level thirty-eight?" Lv Mingbo and the others asked, their brows furrowing.

"Is there a problem?" Feng Hao asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A big one," Zhang Zilin sneered. "The first-round melee is going to be brutal. Someone with your strength will only drag the team down."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Lu Linfei clearly hadn’t expected this and hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "My fellow thieves, you may not be aware, but Brother Feng’s true strength is absolutely on par with a Fourth-rank Mage."

But Lv Mingbo simply looked on with disdain. "Brother Lu, if you want to carry dead weight, that’s your business. But dragging us into it is just uncool."

Many others beside him chimed in, "That’s right. Our team is already in a precarious position as it is. Bringing along a level thirty-eight is definitely out of the question."

"Exactly! There are only a hundred spots available. Aren’t we just asking for trouble by bringing him along?"

Seeing everyone so adamantly opposed, Lu Linfei was completely dumbfounded.

Lv Mingbo seized the opportunity to add, "Given your strength, Brother Lu, we won’t make things difficult for you. As long as you don’t bring this kid along, we’re all still teammates."

"Please, just trust me this one time. Brother Feng’s strength is absolutely not inferior to anyone’s," Lu Linfei pleaded, still trying to convince them.

However, Lv Mingbo and his group showed him no courtesy, sneering instead, "Then don’t blame us for being unreasonable."

With that, Lv Mingbo waved his arm and led the large group away.

"Wait..." Lu Linfei wanted to try and get them to stay, but Feng Hao stopped him with a hand.

Feng Hao’s eyes were filled with disdain. "Forget it. If they can’t even tell who the real dead weight is, we’re better off without them."

"But where are we going to find a team now?" Lu Linfei gave a wry smile. "Brother Feng, even though you’re incredibly strong, it’ll be difficult for just the two of us to make it through the encirclement."

"Who said it’s just the two of us?" Feng Hao asked, a smile playing on his lips.

Lu Linfei froze, then asked excitedly, "You found other teammates, Brother Feng? How many? And how strong are they?"

"Just one. And they seem pretty strong."

"..." Lu Linfei was instantly speechless, his expression caught somewhere between laughter and tears. "Just one? Are you kidding me, Brother Feng?"

"Don’t get so worked up." Feng Hao shot him an exasperated glance and said confidently, "Relax. The three of us will be enough."

"Really?" Lu Linfei asked doubtfully.

He couldn’t help it. Although he had witnessed Feng Hao’s power firsthand, a melee was still a melee. No matter how strong an individual was, they couldn’t possibly withstand being mobbed by everyone else.

"Relax, we’ll definitely qualify, no problem." Feng Hao smirked. Just then, he saw Ming Xin Yan walking toward them and gestured with his chin. "Look, here she comes now."

Lu Linfei instinctively looked over. When he saw it was Ming Xin Yan, he gasped in disbelief, "Holy crap, Ming Xin Yan! Don’t tell me the teammate you mentioned is her, Brother Feng."

"Duh. Can’t you see she’s walking right toward us?" Feng Hao said, rolling his eyes.

Receiving Feng Hao’s confirmation, Lu Linfei was instantly beside himself with excitement, his breathing growing ragged.

Ming Xin Yan had naturally noticed Lu Linfei as well. Her brows knitted slightly as she walked gracefully up to Feng Hao and asked, "And who is this?"

"My buddy, Lu Linfei. Level forty-eight. He’s going to team up with us. You don’t mind, do you, Sis?" Feng Hao chuckled.

Ming Xin Yan replied nonchalantly, "One more person makes no difference. Whatever."

"Tsk, tsk. See? Sis is the best!" Feng Hao couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up. ’As the saying goes, comparisons just make things hurt. Compared to that bunch of idiots from before, Ming Xin Yan is the one with real discernment.’

Lu Linfei also stepped forward excitedly to greet her. "Sister Ming, your name is truly legendary!"

"Heh, is that so?" Ming Xin Yan replied with a faint smile.

"Of course! You’re the favorite to win the whole competition," Lu Linfei said, his eyes filled with adoration.

Ming Xin Yan merely smiled slightly without responding, leaving Lu Linfei feeling incredibly awkward.

...

Meanwhile, on the high platform at the foot of the Thief God Statue, the top brass from the Grand Hall had arrived. Led by Grand Palace Master Jing Lou, the heads of the various departments quickly took their seats. The Thief Master’s status was clearly extraordinary, as he sat in the center beside Jing Lou. Next to them sat Lin Luo and the other three who held the title of Thief, followed by the rest of the high-ranking officials. This seating arrangement alone was enough to show just how high the status of a Thief was in the Thief God Hall.

As the high-ranking officials took their places, the venue gradually quieted down, and all eyes focused on the base of the Thief God Statue.

Jing Lou gave a slight nod to the Thief Master, then rose and walked to the front of the platform. His voice was deep and resonant. "It’s about time. The qualifiers for the Fifth Thief will now officially begin. I will now announce the rules of the competition."

"As in previous years, the first round will be a free-for-all. All contestants will compete in the Thief God Realm. The last one hundred people remaining in the Realm will qualify for the subsequent duels."

"Without further ado, all contestants, prepare to enter. After paying homage to the Thief God, you will enter the Realm."

After he spoke, the entire venue instantly erupted into a clamor. Thousands of contestants surged toward the foot of the Thief God Statue, Feng Hao’s group of three among them.

At the base of the Thief God Statue was an arch-shaped entrance. Within the archway swirled a deep, black vortex, somewhat similar to an Origin Node. Passing through this vortex was the way into the legendary Thief God Realm.

Batch after batch of contestants walked to the base of the statue, bowed, and then vanished into the entrance to the Realm.

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