The Strongest Talent Tree

"Can we really do this?" Xu Zhenzhen asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Of course, you can." Feng Hao nodded in affirmation. "The three of you possess both talent and beauty. Plus, each of you has a distinct personality—one is graceful and elegant, one is pure and adorable, and one is sexy and bewitching. You’ll have a broad appeal that works on all ages. Forming a group is the perfect move."

Reassured by Feng Hao, Xu Zhenzhen and Li Ting were overjoyed, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Yao Ying gave a dazzling smile, her liquid eyes fixed on Feng Hao as her red lips parted. "If we’re a group, we’ll need a name, won’t we?"

"Heh heh, I’ve already thought of a name," Feng Hao said with a chuckle. "We’ll call you S-H-E!"

"Ess... aych... ee?" The three girls were instantly and utterly confused.

"Uh." Feng Hao froze, just now remembering that the Mage World didn’t have English letters. He quickly backtracked, "Just kidding. It’s better if you three come up with a name yourselves."

Yao Ying nodded thoughtfully and turned to discuss it with Xu Zhenzhen and Li Ting.

Not wanting to disturb them, Feng Hao briefly explained how to use the stage equipment and left the rehearsal room.

「By the time he left the arts department, it was already afternoon.」

He was planning to head back to the general store to check on business, but he received an unexpected Stone Listening Communication. It was from the Young Mistress, Xiyue Frost. "Come to the old place. I need to see you."

"What’s it about?" Feng Hao asked instinctively.

But Xiyue Frost cut off the Stone Listening Communication directly, leaving him completely baffled.

’What the hell? What’s going on?’ Feng Hao wondered. ’I don’t think I’ve done anything to provoke her recently, have I?’ He turned his vehicle around and headed for the old spot outside Five States City.

When he reached the small hill, Xiyue Frost was already waiting for him. Her ribbons fluttered in the gentle breeze, her figure captivating from behind.

"You’re here." Xiyue Frost turned slowly, her expression as icy as ever.

Feng Hao nodded and asked, "You seemed to be in a hurry. What’s up?"

Xiyue Frost didn’t answer. Instead, she tapped her toes lightly and leaped onto the roof of his vehicle, sitting down without a word and just staring quietly at Feng Hao.

Feng Hao chuckled, then without hesitation, he leaped easily onto the roof and sat down casually beside Xiyue Frost.

"What’s wrong? Having second thoughts about life again?" Feng Hao teased.

Xiyue Frost shook her head gently. She produced a Crystal Card from somewhere, her gaze averted as she handed it to Feng Hao. "Here, take this back."

"Uh, you don’t like it?" Feng Hao asked, stunned.

But Xiyue Frost’s cheeks were tinged with red. "Shameless! Take this filthy thing away!"

"Filthy thing?" Feng Hao blinked, then he suddenly realized something. He hastily took the Crystal Card and scanned its contents with his Divine Sense. His expression instantly froze.

’Holy crap. When I gave them to her yesterday, I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally included an "educational film" Crystal Card.’

’Good grief. A guy giving his sister-in-law a dirty movie... The thought alone is mortifying.’

"Ahem, ahem. That... that was a mistake. A complete mistake," Feng Hao explained awkwardly.

Xiyue Frost stared straight at the sky and sighed faintly. "It’s fine. Just don’t let Yaoyao find out."

"Don’t worry, my lips are sealed," Feng Hao nodded gravely.

After he said that, the atmosphere grew awkward again.

After a long while, Xiyue Frost was the first to break the silence. "Tell me about your hometown. If I’m not mistaken, the magic energy there must have only erupted recently, right?"

"Huh? How did you know?" Feng Hao asked, surprised.

Xiyue Frost smiled faintly. "The people in those Crystal Card recordings are all ordinary. It was easy to guess."

’Good point.’ Feng Hao gave a wry smile, then grinned. "I didn’t realize you were so sharp!"

Xiyue Frost gave a faint smile, her gaze turning wistful. "You must miss your hometown a lot, don’t you?"

Feng Hao was taken aback for a moment. He couldn’t help but look up at the sky, a faint smile on his lips. "Of course, I do. My family, my friends, and everything I know is there."

"Is it beautiful there?" Xiyue Frost asked, her eyes glittering.

"Of course. It’s a sapphire-blue planet with all sorts of captivating scenery," Feng Hao said with a light laugh.

...

As they talked, evening fell before they knew it. When it was time to leave, Feng Hao felt a little reluctant for it to end.

This was the first time he had opened up to someone since arriving in the Ancient Cang Realm. The feeling was incredibly refreshing. Though Xiyue Frost was a bit cold, she was an excellent confidante.

In short, when Feng Hao returned to the general store, he felt a peace he had never experienced before.

However, the scene outside the general store instantly shattered that tranquility.

A sea of people had gathered outside the store. Countless young men and women were chattering excitedly about the Crystal Card plots, creating a chaotic scene.

"Look, the boss is back!" a sudden cry drew everyone’s attention.

Countless pairs of eyes instantly locked onto Feng Hao.

"Boss, hurry up! I already finished yesterday’s Crystal Card. Do you have anything similar?"

"You’re finally back! If you hadn’t come back soon, my wife would’ve eaten me alive!"

"Yeah, I took the player home yesterday, and my girlfriend got hooked. She stayed up all night watching ’Let’s Go Watch the Thunderstorm’ and has been nagging me to buy a new one since this morning."

"You weaklings! So what if your girlfriend’s addicted? My mom and dad, my grandpa and grandma are all addicted!"

"WAAAH, Boss, you’ve made me wait for so long!"

"AHHHH! I’m going to die without new Crystal Cards to watch!"

"Boss, if you hadn’t come back, I was about to break down your door!"

...

Faced with a mob of rabid customers, Feng Hao was both happy and exasperated. It took him a good while to squeeze through the crowd. He raised his voice to calm them down, "Everyone, please be quiet and form a line! There are plenty of Crystal Cards, no need to rush."

"How can we not rush? My wife won’t even let me back in the house!"

"Move it, move it! All you line-cutters up front, get the hell out of my way!"

"Fuck, who the hell is groping me? Am I really that handsome?" a uniquely-featured young man roared.

Feng Hao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the scene. He hurriedly opened the shop door and started making sales.

For a time, the entire general store was in chaos. Several full shelves of Crystal Cards were swept clean in an instant. In the end, he had even sold through more than half of the stock in his Spatial Ring.

Looking at the mountain of Magic Crystals piling up in his ring, Feng Hao felt a sense of helplessness.

He had expected Crystal Card sales to explode, but he never imagined it would happen this quickly.

At this rate, the stock in his Spatial Ring definitely wouldn’t last long.

’Damn it. I used to think rich people were just bullshitting when they complained about their troubles. Now I see that making money this fast really is a pain,’ Feng Hao mused with a wry smile. ’This won’t do. I need to hand the business over to Old Qian as soon as possible.’

Just as he was stressing out, a furtive figure slunk into the shop. It was none other than the sleazy young man from yesterday.

"Bro, yesterday’s Crystal Card was damn exciting. You got any new ones?" the sleazy youth asked, his eyes gleaming.

Feng Hao smiled knowingly. "Of course, of course. As many as you want."

"Awesome! Come on, then. Gimme a whole Level 5 Magic Crystal’s worth," the sleazy youth said with a grand wave of his hand.

"..." Feng Hao was speechless.