Chapter 457: Chapter 454: The Grand Event Begins

"You brat, stop teasing your master!" the Thief Master glared at Feng Hao irritably. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing quietly out the window as if he had something to say.

Feng Hao could tell something was up. He gave a sheepish smile, stood up, and asked, "Master, is there a reason you’ve sought me out so late?"

The Thief Master glanced back at him, then turned to the window again. After a long silence, he finally began to speak slowly.

"Tomorrow is the day the Thief Child will be decided. There’s something I want to tell you."

Feng Hao was puzzled. "What is it? Are you worried that your disciple will lose the competition?"

"Not at all. With your current strength, even Kang Shuai and Sanmei might not be your match." The Thief Master chuckled, his gaze deep and complex. He let out a long, soft sigh.

"Then what do you mean?" Feng Hao frowned, not understanding.

"Xiaofeng, are you... certain you want to be the Thief Child?" the Thief Master asked, suddenly turning around with a complicated expression.

Feng Hao was completely lost, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Uh, isn’t this what you’ve always hoped for?"

The Thief Master gave a bitter smile and said wistfully, "From my perspective as your master, I naturally hope you will become the Thief Child. But this position doesn’t just represent glory and status—it also comes with immense responsibility and a great mission. To become the Thief Child is to be prepared to live and die with our Thief God Hall. This is a choice you must make for yourself."

"Responsibility and a mission?" Feng Hao’s brow furrowed slightly.

"That’s right!" The Thief Master nodded gravely. He silently gazed at the night sky outside the window, his tone calm. "The current state of the universe is intricate and complex. With demonic beasts invading, the starry skies of our domain are destined to fall into chaos as heroes rise to contend for power."

"And the Thief Child must shoulder the mission and hope for the rise of our Thief God Hall. This was the original intention of the ancestors who founded it. So, Xiaofeng... are you certain you want to be the Thief Child?" the Thief Master asked again.

Hearing this, Feng Hao finally understood the Thief Master’s meaning. He smiled, stepped up beside his master, and nodded resolutely. "Your disciple is certain."

The Thief Master looked at Feng Hao in surprise. He stared for a long time, a peculiar light glimmering in his world-weary eyes.

...

The next day, Overlapping Shadow Mountain was festooned with lanterns and banners. Crowds of people bustled about, and a lively atmosphere enveloped the entire mountain range.

Thief God Peak was even more so. Countless thieves, as if drawn by some summons, continuously converged on the mountaintop.

In the vast plaza of Thief God Peak, the Thief God Statue stood majestically, quietly looking down upon the younger generation of thieves below.

And every thief who ascended Thief God Peak, regardless of status, age, or youth, would immediately bow to the Thief God Statue, their eyes filled with deep respect and gratitude.

First thing in the morning, Feng Hao received a message from Lu Linfei. The young couple had rushed over the previous night just to witness Feng Hao become the Thief Child.

After his performance in the Thief Child selection preliminaries, Lu Linfei now held an important position in the local branch hall. Ting Xiaoxue’s family had also gradually become more accepting of their relationship. For this, the young couple was filled with gratitude toward Feng Hao.

Chatting and laughing all the way up Thief God Peak, he attracted the attention of many thieves. It couldn’t be helped; after all, he was the champion of the preliminaries.

Lu Linfei and Ting Xiaoxue, meanwhile, were relentlessly cheering Feng Hao on. By the end, Feng Hao was sick of hearing it, but the two of them still weren’t tired of saying it.

"Alright, this is far enough. I need to go to the waiting area and prepare," Feng Hao said, stopping with a light chuckle.

Lu Linfei nodded excitedly. "Go on, Brother Feng! You’ll definitely become the Thief Child!"

"That’s right! We’ll be cheering for you!" Ting Xiaoxue exclaimed, clinging to Lu Linfei’s arm, her eyes full of excitement.

"..." Feng Hao shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and quickly turned to flee toward the waiting area.

There was nothing he could do. He had already heard those two sentences hundreds of times on the way up. If he heard them again, he was liable to have a mental breakdown.

Inside the waiting area, Ming Xin Yan was already seated. Seeing Feng Hao approach, a provocative smile touched her eyes. "You’re here?"

"Mhm," Feng Hao replied with a faint smile and sat down beside her.

Elsewhere, Fang Jie had also arrived. His expression wasn’t great; he was clearly shaken by Ming Xin Yan’s level. But when he saw that Feng Hao was already Level 51, he was completely dumbfounded.

At the same time, Feng Hao finally saw the three seeded contestants cultivated by the Grand Hall. They were sitting opposite them, on the other side of the battle stage.

As Feng Hao looked at them, the three were also looking his way, their eyes flickering with arrogance and confidence.

"So those are our opponents?" Feng Hao glanced at Ming Xin Yan beside him.

Ming Xin Yan smiled slightly, naturally understanding what Feng Hao meant. She began to introduce them seriously, "The pale-skinned young man in the middle is Wu Qing. The one on the left with the greatsword on his back is Diaron, and the one on the right in the black leather armor is Chen Yanlin."

At this point, Ming Xin Yan suddenly curled her lip into a slight smile. "Besides, I’m your opponent now, too."

Feng Hao was speechless for a moment, then said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Damn, the competition hasn’t even started. Do you have to be so serious? We did all qualify from the preliminaries together. Brother Fang Jie, what do you say?"

Seeing Feng Hao suddenly look at him, he nodded awkwardly. He looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, finally asking, "How did you do it?"

"How did I do what?" Feng Hao asked, confused.

"Your current level, I mean," Fang Jie said with a slight frown.

Realization dawned on Feng Hao, and he smiled mysteriously. "That... you’ll find out when I become the Thief Child."

’According to the Thief Master’s plan, once I’m crowned the Thief Child, I’ll use the momentum to announce the existence of the Life Creation Pill. This will not only build my prestige but also enhance the sect’s cohesiveness.’

Seeing Feng Hao’s mysterious expression, Fang Jie was somewhat annoyed and couldn’t help but snort, "Even though you’ve improved quickly, you’re still only Level 51. You’re destined to end up at the bottom, just like me."

"Is that so?" Feng Hao gave a faint smile, unconcerned. "I don’t see it that way."

Fang Jie paused, then couldn’t help but frown and stare at Feng Hao. His intuition told him that Feng Hao wasn’t as simple as he seemed.

As they spoke, the battle for the title of Thief Child officially began. Amid a deafening roar of cheers, the various leaders of the Grand Hall and Lin Luo’s group of four took their seats. Unsurprisingly, the Thief Master and the Grand Palace Master, Jing Lou, sat in the most central seats.

Following them were the Palace Masters from the major branch halls and some high-ranking Elite Thieves. The spectator stands on both sides curved along the battle stage in an arc, and beyond them were the tens of thousands of fellow thieves who had come to watch.

The entire spectacle was countless times grander than the preliminaries. In addition, even the two rarely seen Honored Elders appeared in the spectator stands. It was none other than Elder Jiang and Elder Yin, whom Feng Hao had met before. The two of them sat to the left and right of the Thief Master and Jing Lou, respectively.

Seeing the two Honored Elders, a rare sight, sent waves of excitement through everyone both on and off the stage. Even Ming Xin Yan and Fang Jie beside Feng Hao cried out in excitement.

"Heavens, I can’t believe even Elder Jiang and Elder Yin are here!" Ming Xin Yan exclaimed, her eyes shining.

Fang Jie, next to her, was just as ecstatic, his gaze toward the two Elders filled with respect and excitement.

Seeing everyone so worked up, Feng Hao was a little surprised. "Hey, sis, are Elder Jiang and Elder Yin that prestigious in the Thief God Hall? Why is everyone so excited?"

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