Chapter 448: Chapter 445: Bloodline Advancement Talent

Why would a core matrix show up in a small pond outside the city?

Moreover, it was the core matrix for a large-scale array. The cost of any such array was no joke, and no one would build one without good reason.

"Huh? This looks like the Array Matrix the Root Cutting Sect used to seal the city." Xi Yueyao seemed to have figured something out.

Feng Hao was stunned. "The Root Cutting Sect’s city-sealing array? How could you tell?"

"Hmph. That’s because I’m a genius Array Master," Xi Yueyao said with a smug smile. With the help of the children, she quickly cleaned off the core matrix and casually stored it in her Spatial Ring.

"Great job, little ones! Come on, a box of Pipi Candy for everyone." Xi Yueyao seemed very interested in the Root Cutting Sect’s city-sealing array. Amid her excitement, she didn’t forget to reward the children.

Feng Hao naturally understood Yao Girl’s intentions and felt a surge of excitement.

’If she can really figure out the Root Cutting Sect’s great city-sealing array, it’ll be an incredible boon. After all, I’ve personally experienced how powerful that array is.’

"Are you sure you can do it?" Feng Hao asked, his expression serious.

Xi Yueyao proudly lifted her chin, puffed out her chest, and said, "I told you, I’m a genius Array Master."

...

In the evening, after taking the children back to a nearby village, the young couple rushed back to the general store.

Back at the store, Xi Yueyao immediately began her research on the great city-sealing array.

Feng Hao didn’t understand Demon Pattern Arrays, so he couldn’t be of much help. Instead, he settled down and began to cultivate.

As it turned out, the city-sealing array was terrifyingly complex. Several days passed before Xi Yueyao finally started to make some headway.

Seeing Xi Yueyao so engrossed in her research, Feng Hao was careful not to disturb her. He peacefully looked after the shop each day, trained Xiaohai on the side, and cultivated as usual at night. The days passed calmly.

Things in Five States City, however, were not so calm. The Five Provinces Academy’s annual grand tournament had already begun.

For various reasons, this year’s tournament was receiving a great deal of attention; even City Lord Zhong Yuntao was in personal attendance.

Tempered by the recent disaster and timed with the Magic Tide, the current Five Provinces Academy was overflowing with talent. Elites emerged one after another from every department, making the competition incredibly fierce.

Among the competitors, the one drawing the most attention was none other than Yun Jiansong. Already exceptionally strong, he had grown even more powerful after receiving the Sun Sword Saint’s inheritance.

Most importantly, he had also received personal guidance from the Sword Saint’s remnant will. No one knew his true strength now.

Although Feng Hao spent his days with Yao Girl, he heard plenty about the tournament from Zhang Meng and his two underlings.

First was the performance of Zhang Meng’s trio. Since joining the Thief God Hall, the three of them had grown a lot. Zhang Meng, in particular, was unstoppable with his ultimate move that fused five inheritances, one-shotting his way into the second round.

Then there were the veteran contestants like Bai Yin, Xie Kuangfeng, Dongfang Qi, and Nanyuan Xu. Although this year’s tournament was a clash of titans with many new faces, their competitive edge remained sharp.

Next were Xiyue Frost and Man Tiaotiao. Needless to say, after grafting a talent, Xiyue Frost had become terrifyingly powerful. With a greatsword in hand, she swept through countless opponents!

As for Man Tiaotiao, her performance took many by surprise.

For Feng Hao, however, it was entirely expected. After all, Wing Chun was no joke, not to mention she also wielded a Divine Soul Weapon.

Sometime ago, while learning the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms from Barbarian Three Punches, Feng Hao had sparred with her many times. He had to admit, Man Tiaotiao had a unique gift for martial arts. She had even developed her own style of Wing Chun.

Besides them, many new dark horses had emerged. Some had undergone a qualitative leap in strength after advancing their talents, while others had awakened hidden bloodline talents.

To sum it up, this year’s competition was incredibly fierce. As City Lord Zhong Yuntao put it, this was a "Golden Generation!"

Of course, this was all assuming Xi Yueyao didn’t compete. If she had, her Ice-Split Blood Armor alone would have been enough for her to sweep the competition.

For the past few days, the entire Five States City had been immersed in talk of the tournament, buzzing with constant excitement.

Feng Hao and Xi Yueyao, on the other hand, led a much quieter life. She focused on her array research while he focused on his cultivation. They would occasionally flirt or tease Xiaohai, and their days passed in relaxed comfort.

As time went on, the tournament grew even more intense.

At the same time, through diligent cultivation, Feng Hao broke through to level forty-five. For him, this was a transformation of epic proportions.

He swallowed the five Life Creation Pills he had prepared beforehand, and a surging medicinal power coursed through his entire body.

Level forty-six... Level forty-seven... Level forty-eight...

The frenzied convergence of magical energy continued late into the night. When he opened his eyes again, he was already a Fifth-rank Mage.

As he advanced, his Genetic Tree also grew a fifth Talent Branch. A stream of genetic information accompanied it, flooding into Feng Hao’s mind:

[Black Pupil Advancement: After activating Black Pupil, you can perceive the target’s weaknesses.]

’A bloodline advancement talent?’ Feng Hao was momentarily stunned, and he couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

’Although bloodline advancement talents are rare, at my current stage, I would have preferred to awaken a different type of talent. After all, grafting a Talent Tree requires talents of the same origin, and that’s hard to achieve with a bloodline advancement talent.’

’In other words, it would be difficult for my fifth-rank talent to find a suitable branch to graft.’

’Forget it. I should first see what this advanced weakness perception does,’ Feng Hao sighed to himself, then activated the Bloodline Power within him.

His eyes quickly turned black, showing no difference from before.

But when his gaze fell upon the sleeping Xi Yueyao beside him, he was utterly stunned.

In his Black Pupil’s vision, a red aura had appeared around Yao Girl, its color varying in shade. It felt just like a thermal image from Earth—the deeper the red, the more fatal the weakness.

’Holy cow, this talent is incredible!’ Feng Hao couldn’t help but gulp, his heart wild with joy.

’I thought a bloodline advancement would just be so-so, but I never expected it to be this powerful and practical.’

’With this bloodline ability, I’ll have a huge advantage in battle. After all, exploiting weaknesses is crucial in fights between experts.’

’As a Mage’s rank increases, their weak points also become more resilient. Therefore, aside from a few obvious vital spots, exploiting other weaknesses is often just a matter of guesswork.’

’But with this bloodline advancement talent, I can clearly identify the severity of every single weak point on an opponent’s body.’

’For a top-tier gamer like me, this is without a doubt a massive buff!’

’Even though it’ll be hard to find a suitable branch to graft, this single talent is worth two ordinary ones.’

Snapping out of his pleasant surprise, Feng Hao tried shifting his gaze to Xiaohai by the bed. It turned out the advanced ability of his Black Pupil was just as effective on magical beasts.

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