The Strongest Talent Tree

The upgrade from Infinite Equipment to Taixu Equipment most noticeably improved his Qi Blood, defense, and stealth. His speed also received a considerable boost, greatly enhancing Feng Hao’s combat prowess.

This was especially true for the stealth attribute; once his [Black Pupil] bloodline was activated, the boost would double, and the effects would be staggering.

’It’s a shame my Divine Sense strength is a major weakness,’ Feng Hao thought. ’Otherwise, I could wear more accessories and my stats would be much higher.’

Feng Hao sighed inwardly and opened his attribute panel:

Gene Level: 40

Qi Blood: 94250 (11450)

Vitality: 164 (32)

Magic Power: 2104

Qi Accumulation: 2

Strength: 528 (248)

Hidden Strength: 2210/3806

Magic Damage: 280

Defense: 2648 (69)

Gang Qi: 1267

Speed: 1607 (170)

Attack Speed: 426 (162)

Divine Sense: 550

Stealth: 1007

Divine Sense Strength: 65

Weak Point Enhancement: 113

Compared to his previous stats, the improvements from the Taixu Essence were stark. Of course, it was a trade-off; while his Qi Blood and defense had increased, his Divine Sense and Gang Qi had dropped significantly.

After all, his previous Infinite Essence had provided boosts to Divine Sense and Gang Qi.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he stretched his limbs. The Ghost Silkworm Silk equipment felt quite nice; at the very least, it was comfortable.

The only downside was its appearance. There was nothing to be done about it; this Ghost Silkworm Silk set had been crafted by the Grand Hall’s Artifact Refiners, so its looks couldn’t possibly compare to the cool design of his [Feng Armor].

"Oh? Brother Feng, you’re done with the fusion?" Seeing Feng Hao stir, Sirlius finally found an opportunity to escape Xi Yueyao’s pestering.

In less than an hour, he had been verbally torn to shreds by Xi Yueyao. Not only had he failed to get any information out of her, she had managed to dig up every last detail about him.

Feng Hao chuckled and nodded, then glanced around. As the Natural Essences were fused one after another, the golden light above the basin had also vanished.

The Mages had left the basin as soon as they finished their fusions, so now only the three of them remained.

"We should get going too," Feng Hao said with a light smile, looking at Sirlius. "Brother Xilu, are you planning to continue exploring?"

"Of course. I only got here three or four days ago. I plan to stay for at least half a month before heading back."

"In that case, why don’t we team up?" Feng Hao asked tentatively.

"I was thinking the same thing," Sirlius said with a smile, pointing behind him. "Earlier, when I was chasing the Water Luminous Beast, I detected a lot of energy fluctuations over there. If you two trust me, why don’t we head that way?"

"Sounds good. It’s all the same to me," Feng Hao said, unconcerned.

But Xi Yueyao wasn’t having it. Puffing out her cheeks, she grumbled, "But I think going that other way would be better."

Feng Hao froze for a moment, his brow furrowing. "You’re sure you want to go that way, girl?"

"Yep. I have a good feeling about that way," Xi Yueyao replied with a firm nod.

Yao Girl’s intuition was always uncannily accurate, so Feng Hao didn’t question it. Sirlius, however, was completely baffled.

"That direction leads deeper into the Hill Forest. Further on, it’ll likely become mountainous terrain. Generally, there are very few opportunities to be found in the mountains. Are you sure you want to head that way?" Sirlius asked, a peculiar expression on his face.

"Tch! What’s wrong with the mountains?" the girl pouted with a soft snort. "You just need to know that if you follow me, good things will happen."

Without waiting to see Sirlius’s reaction, she grabbed Feng Hao and started walking in the direction her intuition pointed.

"This..." Sirlius stood frozen in place.

Feng Hao shot Yao Girl an exasperated look before turning back to Sirlius. "You should probably come with us, Brother Xilu. This girl’s intuition is always spot-on."

"Can you really rely on intuition for something like this?" Sirlius asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Feng Hao merely smiled without saying a word, but Xi Yueyao was growing impatient. "Hey, are you coming or not?"

Sirlius hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and hurried to catch up. "Alright, then. I’ll follow you for a while."

"Good choice," Xi Yueyao nodded with satisfaction, swaggering ahead to take the lead. "Don’t you worry. My luck is amazing. You can’t go wrong following me."

Sirlius shook his head in resignation and turned to Feng Hao with a wry smile. "With a partner like that, you must have your hands full, eh, Brother Feng?"

"It’s not so bad," Feng Hao said with a small smile. "She might be a bit of a troublemaker, but when it comes to luck, she’s very reliable."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Sirlius asked, surprised.

"What do you think of this basin, Brother Xilu?" Feng Hao asked with a smile.

Sirlius paused, then nodded in astonishment. "Is that even a question? For so many Natural Essences to be unearthed at once, this place is an absolute treasure trove."

"So how do you think we found it?"

"A treasure trove like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find, not something you can actively search for..." As he said this, Sirlius suddenly froze, then asked in disbelief, "Don’t tell me you found it by following her intuition? How is that possible?"

"Heh," Feng Hao just chuckled and walked on ahead.

Sirlius stood rooted to the spot in stunned disbelief, finding it hard to accept that answer. After all, something like luck was just too far-fetched.

"Hey, Brother Feng, wait up! Were you being serious just now?" Sirlius asked, his face a mask of conflict as he hurried to catch up.

And so, for the rest of their journey, Sirlius remained fixated on this question, pestering Feng Hao about it relentlessly until Feng Hao felt a headache coming on.

...

「Time trickled by, and in the blink of an eye, the better part of a day had passed.」

Traveling on foot was exhausting, but fortunately, they had a Summoner like Sirlius with them. For the rest of the way, they left the travel to the Water Luminous Beast.

As a dual-attribute Earth and Water Spirit Beast, the Water Luminous Beast had immense stamina, and overland travel was its forte.

The nights in the Secret Realm were nothing special, just a little dimmer than the days.

The three of them sat together on the Water Luminous Beast’s back, laughing and sharing amusing stories.

As they journeyed onward, the surrounding Hill Forest terrain grew more and more rugged. In the distance, they could already see the hazy outline of a mountain range.

"That’s weird. How come we haven’t run into any Spirit Beasts?" Xi Yueyao asked, leaning lazily against Feng Hao and pouting in boredom.

Sirlius chuckled. "With the Water Luminous Beast around, ordinary Spirit Beasts wouldn’t dare come near us."

"You Summoners have it pretty rough, then. You don’t even get to run into normal Spirit Beasts. If it were me, I’d have died of boredom by now," Xi Yueyao said, giving him a sympathetic look.

"I wouldn’t put it that way. At the end of the day, safety is the most important thing when exploring a Secret Realm," Sirlius said with a faint smile.

Just then, the Water Luminous Beast suddenly halted. It lowered its head, sniffed at the ground, and let out a low growl.

"What is it?" Feng Hao asked, frowning.

"Yeah, why’d it stop?" the girl asked, her face full of curiosity.

Sirlius was also puzzled. He focused his senses for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed in delight, "From what the Water Luminous Beast is telling me, there should be a large mineral deposit right beneath us!"

"Really? I didn’t detect anything," Feng Hao said, instinctively probing the ground with his Divine Sense, but he came up empty.

"This deposit must be very deep. The Water Luminous Beast has an innate affinity for the earth, allowing it to sense ore deep underground," Sirlius explained with a chuckle.

Feng Hao’s interest was immediately piqued. "Whoa, so Summoned Beasts can help with treasure hunting, too?"

"But of course," Sirlius said with a proud smile. He hopped off the Water Luminous Beast’s back, took out a fancy-looking mining machine, and began to prospect the ground below.