The Strongest Talent Tree

Feng Hao wasn’t the only one who was shocked; so were the VIPs in the stands and the audience below the arena.

Everyone had been misled by Fang Jie’s Divine Soul Weapon. They all thought his greatest strength was close-quarters combat with his short saber, but it turned out his true forte was the bow and arrow.

Even many Bow and Arrow Mages who specialized in archery felt a sense of inadequacy.

On the arena floor, Fang Jie might not have used any flashy Arrow Technique Secret Methods, but every arrow he loosed was incredibly precise. His attack frequency was rapid, with an attack speed of at least five hundred points, possibly even reaching six hundred.

This was precisely why Feng Hao couldn’t close the distance. Every time he used [Rapid Shadow Slash] or [Shadow Assault] to get near, he was forced back by a volley of two or three arrows.

Moreover, each of these arrows locked onto his weak points or vital areas. If they weren’t aimed at his vitals, Feng Hao could have tanked the hits using the phasing effect of [Shadow Assault]. But with his vitals targeted, even that phasing ability couldn’t negate such damage.

Down in the crowd, Ming Xin Yan let out a wry sigh. "I never would have guessed that Fang Jie’s greatest strength is archery."

"Indeed," Lu Linfei lamented. "With such deadly and precise archery, I doubt any of the other Bow and Arrow Mages in this tournament can match him."

"Doesn’t that mean Brother Feng is in danger?" Ting Xiaoxue asked, her voice laced with anxiety.

"If Feng Hao can get into close range, he’ll have a chance. But honestly, it’s incredibly difficult to close the distance against such masterful archery," Ming Xin Yan analyzed, pondering. "And even if he does get close, he’ll still have to deal with the huge problem of that Divine Soul Short Saber. The outcome would still be up in the air."

"Oh no! Then what’s he going to do?" Ting Xiaoxue cried out.

Ming Xin Yan and Lu Linfei exchanged a glance, shaking their heads with wry smiles.

Not far away, the twin female thieves Feng Hao had eliminated in the opening melee were also watching the match. When they witnessed Fang Jie’s archery prowess, their eyes widened, and they gasped.

"That’s some terrifying archery," the Mage thief said in astonishment. "Sister, could you pull off an offensive like that?"

The Archer thief shook her head with a bitter smile. "I’d be lucky if I were even half as good as him."

"But your archery is pretty good, isn’t it? How could you not even be half as skilled as him?" the Mage thief asked, flabbergasted.

"You don’t understand, sister. The more advanced you get in archery, the harder it is to improve. To a layman, the difference might not seem that great, but to someone who truly understands it, the gap is as wide as the heavens and the earth," the Archer thief explained. "If I’m not mistaken, Fang Jie must be following an agility and perception build—focusing on attack speed and Divine Sense. A Bow and Arrow Mage with that build is better suited for head-on combat. I, on the other hand, follow a stealth-focused build, which is better for ambushes."

"So there’s that much complexity to being a Bow and Arrow Mage," the Mage thief mused.

The Archer thief nodded with a smile. "The long and short of it is, Feng Hao is in serious trouble right now."

"Haha, good! Serves him right for eliminating us. Looks like he’s finally getting what he deserves," the Mage thief said, gloating.

...

On the observation platform, a similar wave of astonishment swept through the crowd. Even these knowledgeable and experienced VIPs were marveling at Fang Jie’s archery, a testament to just how skilled he truly was.

Thief Master and Jing Lou, however, wore grave expressions. Thief Master was less concerned because Feng Hao showed no signs of panic, which meant he still had confidence in himself.

Jing Lou, on the other hand, was a different story. He had grown extremely fond of Feng Hao. From what Thief Master had told him to Feng Hao’s mastery of Ninth-Level Alchemy Techniques, everything about him made him the perfect candidate for the title of Fifth Thief.

Even if Feng Hao lost this match, he would still qualify for the battle for the Thief title a year from now. However, if they wanted to secure his position in advance, winning this preliminary tournament was a must. Otherwise, Jing Lou would have a hard time justifying it to the Elder Council.

"Thief Master, do you think Xiaofeng still has a chance?" Jing Lou asked, his brow tightly furrowed.

"There shouldn’t be a problem," Thief Master replied with a light chuckle and a nod. "Xiaofeng’s strength lies not only in his bloodline but also in his extraordinary combat skills and his ability to analyze a battle. See how he isn’t the least bit flustered? He must have a plan."

"Is that so?" Jing Lou asked, only half-convinced as he subconsciously turned his gaze back to the arena.

The Eastern Sub-Palace Master beside them, however, sneered. "Beilang Country is still Beilang Country. It can’t produce any real talent."

Hearing this, Thief Master’s brow furrowed slightly. He let out a soft snort and turned his head, not bothering to engage.

Meanwhile, on the arena floor, the situation was growing dire. Feng Hao had unknowingly lost over half of his Qi Blood. In contrast, after losing a little over thirty thousand Qi Blood at the start, Fang Jie hadn’t taken any more damage. In fact, thanks to his high vitality, he had already regenerated a good portion of his health.

"Just give up!" Fang Jie couldn’t resist taunting him. "In open terrain like this arena, you can’t escape my lock-on."

"Are you sure?"

A playful smile suddenly appeared on Feng Hao’s face, and an imperceptible, cold glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

He had been trading health for Magic Power that entire time. Though he had been hit a few times, his 2-point Mana Gathering ability had helped him recover his Magic Power to over twelve hundred—more than enough to launch a counterattack.

"Heh, still trying to act tough when you’re at death’s door?" Fang Jie sneered, paying no mind to Feng Hao’s words.

At that exact moment, Feng Hao moved!

Under the cover of his Crystal Eye Beauty Lenses, Feng Hao silently activated [Black Pupils]. His stealth stat, originally 715, instantly doubled to 1430. This terrifying level of stealth immediately overwhelmed Fang Jie’s Divine Sense, and the lock-on vanished with it.

Fang Jie immediately sensed something was wrong. To his horror, he found that his Divine Sense could no longer track Feng Hao’s figure, let alone maintain a lock.

As a first-stage evolution of the [Perception Root] ability, a Divine Sense lock-on required an absolute advantage in Divine Sense to work. The current situation—where he lost the lock—could only happen if his opponent’s stealth stat was vastly superior to his own Divine Sense.

"What’s happening? Why did his stealth stat suddenly spike so high?!" Fang Jie cried out in shock.

By now, Feng Hao was already charging forward. Without his Divine Sense advantage, the accuracy of Fang Jie’s shots plummeted, making them incredibly easy to dodge. After a three-part [Shadow Assault], Feng Hao quickly closed the distance and brought Fang Jie into his attack range.

Furthermore, the [Black Pupils] state constantly drained his Magic Power, so Feng Hao didn’t dare waste a second. He immediately used [Rapid Shadow Slash] to lunge forward.

"Damn it!" Fang Jie cursed through gritted teeth. He hastily put away his bow as the Divine Soul Short Saber reappeared in his hand. He slashed toward Feng Hao. "So what if you got close? Facing my Divine Soul Weapon is just another way to die!"

At that moment, the hearts of everyone in the audience were in their throats. With Feng Hao’s current Qi Blood, a single hit from Fang Jie would mean instant defeat. It couldn’t be helped; the damage from a Divine Soul Weapon was just that absurd.

However, just as everyone thought Feng Hao was about to lose, his [Rapid Shadow Slash] didn’t clash with Fang Jie head-on. Instead, during the latter half of the slash, Feng Hao suddenly executed a small sidestep, immediately followed by a [Curved Shadow Assault] that took him behind Fang Jie. He dodged the Divine Soul Short Saber’s attack and, at the same time, swung his Su Mu Dagger in a blur, unleashing a full combo.

BAM! BAM! BAM...

The next moment, as the entire crowd watched, dumbfounded, a wild flurry of dark energy erupted behind Fang Jie. Immediately after, a string of terrifying damage numbers floated up.

Fang Jie, who had been at nearly full health, was instantly killed!