The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 252: Chapter 249: Moving into the Thief’s Palace

Once the explosion ended, the air was thick with a scorched smell. The attic’s doors and windows were shattered, and the small courtyard was utterly barren.

Everyone snapped out of their shocked stupor. After exchanging glances, they all turned to look at Mei Meimei, who stood off to the side with her head bowed in silence.

Kang Shuai casually snapped his folding fan shut, dissipating the protective light barrier around them. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sanmei, what do you have to say for yourself this time?"

"Um..." Mei Meimei stammered. "It was a complete accident! A complete accident!"

Hearing this, Lin Luo and the other two rolled their eyes in unison.

As for Feng Hao, he stared at the devastated attic and courtyard, a wave of fear washing over him. His expression darkened as he looked at Mei Meimei. "Fourth Sister, are you messing with me?"

"Okay, fine, this one’s on me." Mei Meimei pouted, her eyes filled with guilt.

Lin Luo said irritably, "Good, as long as you know. From now on, don’t bring out any of your half-finished prototypes."

"I know, I know~!" Mei Meimei grumbled.

Such a huge commotion naturally attracted a crowd of onlookers. The young couple next door, Lu Linfei and Ting Xiaoxue, even thought Feng Hao was under attack and rushed over almost immediately.

In addition, many other contestants from the surrounding area also came running. In no time, a large group of their peers had gathered outside the small courtyard.

After the first round’s free-for-all, Feng Hao’s name had spread throughout the Grand Hall. His every move drew attention, to say nothing of a massive explosion.

"Brother Feng, what happened?" Lu Linfei and Ting Xiaoxue asked, looking at Feng Hao in alarm. Only then did they notice Lin Luo and his three companions, which nearly scared them witless.

And they weren’t the only ones. All the contestants who had come to see what was happening were intimidated by the sight.

Feng Hao glanced at the ruined courtyard and shook his head with a wry smile. "It’s nothing. Just a little equipment malfunction. It blew up."

"As long as no one was hurt." Lu Linfei breathed a silent sigh of relief. Then, with a reserved expression, he said, "Well, we won’t disturb you then."

With that, he pulled Ting Xiaoxue along and hurried away...

After seeing off the young couple, a squad on Magic Energy Vehicles sped over. The leader, a man in black, had a composed demeanor but radiated a murderous aura. His gaze quickly locked onto Lin Luo and his three companions.

"Four Thieves, may I ask what just happened?" the man in black asked, his brow furrowed.

Lin Luo chuckled. "I didn’t think we’d attract the patrol team. No need to worry, Captain Cheng. It was just a small problem with Sanmei’s equipment."

"I thought someone was attacking the Grand Hall," Captain Cheng said, breaking into a disbelieving laugh. "If that’s all it was, then we won’t disturb you further."

"Alright. Take care," Lin Luo said with a light smile, seeing them off.

Watching the patrol team’s imposing departure, Feng Hao couldn’t help but ask, "Big Brother, who are those guys? They seem incredibly strong."

Lin Luo pursed his lips and explained, "They’re the patrol team. Their main duty is to maintain security in the Grand Hall. Only masters can get in."

Feng Hao nodded in understanding.

"This place is probably unlivable now," Lin Luo said with a grimace, looking around. "You might as well just come with us to the Thief’s Palace."

"Uh, is that okay?" Feng Hao asked, taken aback.

"What’s not okay about it? You’ll have to move in sooner or later anyway," Wang Tongqian said nonchalantly.

And so, under countless shocked and suspicious gazes, Feng Hao was led away by Lin Luo and the others in the direction of the Thief’s Palace.

After the five of them left, a fierce discussion erupted among the onlookers. Everyone was speculating about Feng Hao’s true identity.

"’Feng Hao knows the Thieves? Don’t tell me the position of Fifth Thief has already been decided behind the scenes?’"

"’No way! The preliminary qualifiers aren’t even over yet!’"

"’It does seem unlikely. I bet Feng Hao is related to one of the Thieves.’"

Three houses down, Ming Xin Yan stood gracefully on a rooftop, her beautiful eyes flashing. ’The position of Thief is mine. I don’t care who you are—I will defeat you in the point-based matches.’

...

The news that Feng Hao knew the Thieves spread quickly. Many contestants’ expressions turned grave upon hearing it.

For those with a real chance at competing for the position of Thief, this was undoubtedly an ominous sign.

Unfortunately, Feng Hao was oblivious to all this. He was currently being settled into the Thief’s Palace East Courtyard—the manor designated for the Fifth Thief.

Feng Hao felt rather awkward about it. "Big Brother, is this really okay?"

"Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken to the Thief Master. As long as he gives the nod, no one will dare to object," Lin Luo said with a soft laugh. "Besides, this place was prepared for you anyway. Moving in a little early is no big deal."

"But I can’t help feeling like an impostor," Feng Hao said, a bit embarrassed.

Wang Tongqian laughed from the side. "Why overthink it? Just settle in for now."

"Exactly!" Mei Meimei chimed in.

Kang Shuai shot her a glare. "And this is all because of you, isn’t it?" he said irritably.

"Oh, come on, that’s all in the past." Mei Meimei casually slung an arm over Feng Hao’s shoulder, grinning as she asked, "Xiaowu wouldn’t blame me, right?"

Feng Hao, feeling uncomfortably crushed by Mount Everest, said with a strained expression, "Just as long as you don’t get me into any more trouble."

"Haha, Xiaowu is just the cutest!" Mei Meimei roared with laughter. "Come on, Big Sis will take you for a spin."

"I’ll pass on the joyride. I’d like to live a little longer." Recalling Mei Meimei’s insane driving, Feng Hao felt a fresh wave of fear.

Lin Luo said irritably, "Racing is all you ever think about. We have business to attend to. Brother Feng is your responsibility now."

"I know, I know," Mei Meimei said nonchalantly.

Lin Luo and the other two exchanged a look, then shook their heads helplessly and departed.

The moment the three of them were gone, Mei Meimei completely let loose. Without another word, she started dragging Feng Hao toward the training grounds. "Come on, come on! Help Big Sis forge some metals."

"Uh..." Before Feng Hao could even react, he was dragged into the training grounds.

He then saw Mei Meimei pull out a pile of multicolored metals from out of nowhere. Her eyes glittered. "See this? This is Big Sis’s entire stash. Forge as much of it as you can for me."

Feng Hao gasped. "Whoa! Purple Flowing Gold, Water Cloud Steel, Tri-color Mica... Good heavens, these are all rare metals!"

"Just tell me, can you forge them or not?" Mei Meimei asked nonchalantly.

"Forging them is no problem," Feng Hao said after a moment of thought. "The key is the refinement level—I can’t make any guarantees about that."

"As long as you can forge them, it’s fine. The refinement level doesn’t matter," Mei Meimei said dismissively.

"Then I’ll get started?" Feng Hao confirmed one last time.

To be honest, faced with so many rare metals, he was already itching to begin.

"Yes, yes, go on, hurry up," Mei Meimei said, a bit antsy. "Start with this piece of Purple Flowing Gold. Level-three refinement is all I need. My improved Pulse Wrist Guard is just waiting on this part."

Feng Hao’s expression darkened. "An improved Pulse Wrist Guard?"

"That’s right. As long as your forging is up to snuff, this version will be perfectly stable," Mei Meimei said, brimming with confidence.

Feng Hao wasted no more time. He immediately set up his forging equipment, took his Forging Hammer in hand, and instantly entered the zone. In no time, the ceaseless sound of CLANG, CLANG, CLANG filled the air.

Time flew by as he forged, and before he knew it, evening had arrived.

After forging the Purple Flowing Gold to level three, Feng Hao could clearly feel that his forging skill had improved. His control over the subtle force, in particular, had become more and more adept.

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