The Strongest Talent Tree

Yao Ying gritted her teeth. "You all need to leave, quickly. Don’t let them hear you."

"Oh." The few female students nodded in confusion and scurried away, glancing back every so often with utterly bizarre expressions.

"What do you think is wrong with Senior Sister Yao Ying?" a petite, cute-looking female student asked in a low voice.

A curvy female student beside her said meaningfully, "I’d bet there’s something wrong with her, nine times out of ten. And it’s not a small problem."

"That’s right," someone quickly chimed in. "A lot of people have seen her acting all weird lately, like she’s possessed or something."

"It’s such a shame. To think the academy’s number two beauty has actually lost her mind. Do you think she suffered some kind of devastating blow?"

"It’s very possible. Didn’t she just say she was catching a cheater? She must have suffered a blow in the love department."

"No way! Isn’t Senior Sister Yao Ying famously arrogant? Besides, I’ve never heard of her having a boyfriend."

"Who says she doesn’t? Have you forgotten that monster named Feng Hao?"

"Are the rumors true, then? Did Yao Ying really date Feng Hao?" The gossip-hungry spirits of the female students were instantly ignited.

"From the looks of it, it’s almost certainly true."

"Why don’t we go over and see what’s really going on?" someone suggested.

The curvy student who seemed to be the leader shook her head. "Forget it. A heartbroken woman is a terrifying thing. If she notices us, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Sister Wang is right. Once Yao Ying loses it, none of us will be able to stop her."

...

Inside the rehearsal room, Xu Zhenzhen and Li Ting were diligently familiarizing themselves with the upbeat song and dance routines from the Crystal Card, while Feng Hao’s own preparations had come to a close.

Looking at the simple yet high-end, grand, and classy stage before him, Feng Hao’s heart swelled with a sense of accomplishment.

"Alright, ladies! Time to hit the... uh... I mean, time to rehearse!" Feng Hao yelled at the top of his lungs.

Xu Zhenzhen and Li Ting quickly stopped practicing. When they saw Feng Hao’s masterpiece, they couldn’t help but cover their mouths and exclaim, "Wow, what a beautiful stage! How did you do this?"

"It was nothing. We can make do with this for now. There’ll be even better ones in the future," Feng Hao said with a light chuckle and a grin.

As he spoke, the two beautiful girls eagerly climbed onto the stage and began spinning around in excitement. Xu Zhenzhen remained relatively composed, but Li Ting couldn’t hide her excitement, her bell-like laughter echoing throughout the rehearsal room.

It couldn’t be helped. For a Dancing Magic Master, the stage was their ultimate goal and dream.

"Let’s start already! I can’t wait!" Li Ting said, her beautiful eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Alright, then. First, show me what you’ve learned so far." Without another word, Feng Hao plopped down on a nearby lounge chair to watch.

Under the control of his Divine Sense, the speakers on both sides of the stage instantly activated. Accompanied by the magnificent lights overhead, the entire stage immediately became a dazzling, colorful spectacle.

Xu Zhenzhen and Li Ting exchanged a look and began to move with the rhythm. It was the first dance number from the Crystal Card’s video.

The two beauties danced with great focus and professionalism, but Feng Hao watched with a deep frown.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Feng Hao suddenly shouted. "There are so many graceful moves. Why did you skip all of them?"

Xu Zhenzhen was taken aback. "But didn’t you teach us to omit all the flashy but impractical moves?"

"..." Feng Hao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Come on, we’re putting on a show, not fighting a battle! Performance-type dance magic is *supposed* to be flashy!"

"Oh, alright. We’ll try," the two beauties said, nodding in understanding.

Soon, the rhythm started again. This time, following Feng Hao’s instructions, the two of them fully unleashed the "flashy" dance.

Streaks of brilliant magical light swirled on the stage, and combined with the dazzling stage lighting, the effect was immediate.

"Hahaha, now that’s more like it!" Feng Hao laughed in satisfaction. "Hey, you, loosen up your movements a little. You need to show off your... assets... as much as possible. Trust me, the audience eats that stuff up."

"Whoa, Sister Ting! I was talking to Xu Zhenzhen, not you! Your chest is too small. Be as conservative as you can with the chest-thrusting moves."

Li Ting pouted, feeling wronged, and turned her head away with an indignant huff.

"Great, just like that! As expected of professional dancers, coaching you is a breeze!" Feng Hao clapped and cheered nonstop.

A few minutes later, the music ended. Xu Zhenzhen and Li Ting looked at Feng Hao, their eyes full of expectation. "Senior Brother, how did we do?"

"Excellent!" Feng Hao gave them a big thumbs-up without hesitation. "By the way, how are your singing skills? If you can, try to learn the songs as well. Singing and dancing at the same time will have an even better effect. After all, we’re going for the whole ’talented idol’ package."

"That shouldn’t be a problem. We Dancing Magic Masters are exposed to music theory from a young age," Li Ting said with a nod.

"Oh, that’s perfect! Come on, sing a few lines for me," Feng Hao said, pleasantly surprised.

Xu Zhenzhen and Li Ting exchanged a glance and sang a few lines a cappella, which was enough to blow Feng Hao’s mind.

Their voices and singing skills weren’t just "okay"—they were astronomically good. Compared to them, even the most talented female singers on Earth simply couldn’t compete.

It couldn’t be helped. Mages were Mages, after all; they had advantages over ordinary people in many ways.

Besides, singing and dancing had always been inseparable. As Dancing Magic Masters, they had already been exposed to music, which gave them a unique, innate advantage when it came to singing.

"It’s a sure thing! A total lock! With voices like these, dancing like this, and faces like yours, if you two don’t get famous, I’ll go eat shit!"

Feng Hao’s heart surged with excitement as he began to sketch out a blueprint for the future in his mind.

Having received Feng Hao’s approval, the two beauties were also thrilled. They threw themselves back into their work on the stage, practicing the song and dance from the Crystal Card over and over again.

Watching the diligent figures working hard on the stage, Feng Hao was extremely satisfied. ’Once I make them famous,’ he thought, ’I’ll be able to smugly tell all the haters: "Do you have any idea how hard they work?"’

"Who’s outside? Why are you sneaking around?"

Suddenly, a faint noise from outside the door caught Feng Hao’s attention.

Yao Ying had been eavesdropping outside. Perhaps because she was angry, she accidentally bumped the door to the rehearsal room, and her heart instantly seized with panic.

On top of that, Feng Hao’s cold shout made her legs go weak, and she stumbled, crashing right into the room.

For a moment, the atmosphere became deathly still and awkward.

"Senior Sister Yao Ying?" Xu Zhenzhen and Li Ting stopped rehearsing, stunned, and stared at the doorway in confusion.

Feng Hao was also startled by Yao Ying’s sudden appearance. He frowned and demanded, "It’s you? What are you doing here?"

"I..." Yao Ying stammered in a panic, "I was just passing by and heard the music inside was really unique, so I... I took a peek."

"Is that so." Feng Hao nodded doubtfully, then said, "If there’s nothing else, you should go. Don’t interrupt our rehearsal."

Hearing this, Yao Ying was filled with anger and felt deeply wronged, but for some reason, she always became timid and hesitant whenever she faced Feng Hao.

"We were friends, at least! Do you have to be so heartless?!" Yao Ying said, gritting her teeth.

"Tch. You just worked as a shop clerk for a few days. Who said we were friends? What, are you here for your wages?" Feng Hao sneered. "Hmph! You left without so much as a word, and you still expect to get paid? Not a chance!"