The Strongest Talent Tree

Mist and clouds swirled around the Shadow Overlapping Mountain Range as Mei Meimei’s flying vehicle shot into the sky like a streak of light.

Mei Meimei’s wild, manic laughter and Feng Hao’s desperate cries echoed between the silent mountain peaks.

"Sis, please, can’t you slow down a little?" Feng Hao’s face was deathly pale.

"Huh? Fast? I was just thinking we’re a little slow," Mei Meimei muttered dismissively. She completely ignored Feng Hao’s pleas, gunning the engine and throwing her head back to laugh every so often, absolutely giddy with excitement.

Feng Hao sat in the passenger seat in utter despair, feeling like he was on a roller coaster moving at dozens of times the normal speed.

’Sure, this speed would definitely cut down their travel time, but the problem was his body just couldn’t handle it!’

After a whole morning of this heart-pounding ride, the flying vehicle’s speed finally stabilized.

He assumed Mei Meimei had finally grown a conscience, but that wasn’t the case at all. Her eyes twinkled as she gazed out the window, and she said cheerfully, "Xiaowu, it’s already noon. Let’s find a place to grab a bite, shall we?"

"Uh, you didn’t bring any rations when you left?" Feng Hao asked, exasperated.

"We finally get a chance to go out, and you want to eat rations?" Mei Meimei pouted. "Come on, I’ll treat you to a feast."

"No, no, no, we should just hurry," Feng Hao said, shaking his head. "The Five Provinces Academy entrance test is starting soon. I have to get back within five days."

Mei Meimei’s eyes widened in astonishment. "You’ve got to be kidding. It takes at least seven or eight days to get from Mu Country to Beilang Country, doesn’t it?"

"I know," Feng Hao nodded with a wry smile. "We just have to make the best time we can."

"Fine, if that’s how it is, I guess I can reluctantly eat rations for a few days," Mei Meimei said, her enthusiasm clearly deflated. "But I didn’t bring any myself. And once we get to Five States City, you have to treat me to a feast!"

"No problem," Feng Hao readily agreed.

"That’s more like it." Mei Meimei nodded, satisfied. She floored it again, and the vehicle shot forward. "At this speed, we should reach the Mu Country border before nightfall. If you want to save time, we can choose not to take the long way around."

Feng Hao paused, confused. "What do you mean?"

"We have to pass through the Nia Jungle. The normal route avoids the deep jungle as much as possible, since you might run into High-level Flying Magical Beasts. But with my piloting skills, we should be able to shake them. Anyway, it’s your choice," Mei Meimei said nonchalantly.

"How big is the risk?" Feng Hao asked after a moment of consideration.

Mei Meimei replied as she piloted the vehicle, "The risk shouldn’t be too high. But this sort of thing all comes down to luck. If we’re lucky, it’ll be a smooth ride. If we’re not, it’ll be extremely dangerous."

Hearing this, Feng Hao furrowed his brow in thought. After a moment of internal debate, he gritted his teeth and said, "To hell with it. Let’s go straight through the deep jungle!"

"You got it! Hold on tight!" Mei Meimei shouted, kicking the speed up another notch.

Feng Hao’s face went pale. If he hadn’t upgraded to high-end Crystal Eyes, he wouldn’t have even been able to make out the scenery outside.

’I have to admit,’ he thought, ’these high-end Crystal Eyes are a huge help. In terms of visual assistance alone, they’re in a completely different league from the regular ones.’

The two of them forged ahead at incredible speed, only slowing down for a few bites of rations. Before they knew it, they had reached the Mu Country border.

Feng Hao gradually grew accustomed to Mei Meimei’s breakneck piloting. The speed was terrifying, but at least it felt safe.

The sky had gradually dimmed. Gazing down from their high altitude, the ground below was pitch-black, save for a few scattered clusters of light that were clearly human cities or towns.

The flying vehicle continued onward to the northwest.

Soon, a deep, dense, primeval jungle appeared below. From Feng Hao’s perspective, it looked like a patch of gloomy black mist, or perhaps a lightless, deep sea. Cloaked in the night, it gave off a sinister and terrifying feeling.

"We’re now in the airspace above the Nia Jungle. Use your Divine Sense to stay on alert. There are plenty of flying magical beasts that come out at night," Mei Meimei reminded him seriously, her eyes fixed forward as she focused on piloting.

"Understood." Feng Hao didn’t dare let his guard down and hurriedly activated the detection function built into his Crystal Eyes.

The Magic Energy Flying Vehicle was a low-altitude craft, so it was difficult to avoid interference from flying magical beasts. It was especially vulnerable to those that could fly higher than the vehicle, as an attack from above would be very difficult to defend against.

This was when a Divine Sense detection system was needed for vigilance. Since the pilot’s Divine Sense was focused on controlling the vehicle, the job of reconnaissance was best handed over to the co-pilot.

Although Feng Hao’s Divine Sense wasn’t particularly powerful, the assistance from his high-end Crystal Eyes allowed him to detect movement up to three hundred meters away.

"Fourth Sister, how long will it take to cross the Nia Jungle?" Feng Hao asked while he scanned the area.

Mei Meimei frowned in thought. "Taking the normal detour takes over two days. Going straight through should save us about a day."

"So, you’re saying we can cross the War and Magic Alliance Countries in just two days?" Feng Hao was thrilled. At this rate, if they just pushed a little harder, he could absolutely make it back in time for the Five Provinces Academy test.

"That’s right," Mei Meimei confirmed with a nod.

However, reality is often cruel. Just as the flying vehicle entered the airspace above the deep jungle, they were attacked by a swarm of Ghost Bats.

Ghost Bats are typical nocturnal magical beasts, hiding by day and emerging at night. They are also one of the most irritating pack-based magical beasts. Individually, they aren’t strong, maxing out at tier four or five, but when they appear in a swarm, even a tier seven or eight magical beast would have to retreat.

In short, when his Divine Sense detected the swarm of Ghost Bats, the look on Feng Hao’s face was one of pure despair.

"Trouble! A huge swarm of Ghost Bats ahead and to the left!" Feng Hao shouted in alarm.

Mei Meimei frowned slightly. "A swarm of Ghost Bats? That’s not so bad. My armored flying vehicle can handle them."

"What do we do? Ram right through them?" Feng Hao asked grimly.

"They’re just a bunch of stinking bats. Watch this!" Mei Meimei said with a confident smile, then slapped a nearby button.

The next moment, Feng Hao felt the vehicle shudder. Then, a volley of light projectiles erupted from all sides of the craft, like a firework display.

The approaching swarm of Ghost Bats was instantly covered by the barrage. Amid a flurry of pops and cracks, vast numbers of them were killed or wounded.

"Holy crap, this thing is basically a damn fighter jet!" Feng Hao said, completely stunned.

"Hahaha! So? Isn’t my ride totally awesome?" Mei Meimei roared with laughter, not missing the chance to gloat to Feng Hao.

Feng Hao gulped and nodded. "Awesome. It’s fucking awesome!"

"If you like it, I can help you mod your own vehicle. Taking out your average flying magical beast will be a piece of cake," Mei Meimei boasted.

But she didn’t get to be smug for long. A violent gust of wind suddenly slammed into them from the side. If Mei Meimei hadn’t desperately fought to keep the vehicle stable, they would have been sent flying.

Immediately after, the surviving Ghost Bats scattered and fled in every direction, as if they had seen something terrifying.

"Crap. The weapons fire attracted a High-level Magical Beast," Mei Meimei said, her expression grim.