Chapter 266 - 263: Facing Yanziqing

Chapter 266: Chapter 263: Facing Yanziqing

Feng Hao couldn’t help but gasp. He asked in amazement, "A racial bloodline can be that powerful?"

"It’s nothing. The vast world is full of wonders, and there are many even more peculiar races beyond our realm." The Thief Master chuckled nonchalantly. "In fact, in some ways, your mutated bloodline is the strongest of all."

"I’d love to see the universe beyond the Ancient Cang Realm," Feng Hao sighed.

"Haha, you’ll get your chance." The Thief Master gave him a mysterious smile. His wise eyes studied Feng Hao for a moment before he grinned. "Alright, if you don’t have any other questions, you should go cultivate."

Feng Hao paused, considering. "Actually, I do have a few questions I’d like to ask."

"Go on, what is it?" the Thief Master said with a faint smile.

"It’s nothing major. It’s just that during yesterday’s match, I ran into a formidable Literary Magic Master. I’m just curious because, in my experience, Literary Magic Masters and Dancing Magic Masters usually have low combat power. But the one I fought yesterday was... strange."

Hearing this, the Thief Master burst into laughter. "Haha, I was wondering what kind of question it would be. So it’s about that."

"Is it that strange?" Feng Hao asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Not really. A lot of people who don’t understand the full picture think the same way." The Thief Master chuckled and explained, "Every path a Mage can take has its own reason for being, and Literary and Dance Skills are no exception. They just have a different starting point."

"Traditionally, Mages gain power by evolving their magic genes, which gives them a significant advantage in the early stages of cultivation. But Literary and Dance Skills start from the conceptual level, allowing them to come into contact with the Power of Law sooner. That’s why they seem weaker at the beginning."

"As cultivation reaches the later stages, that gap continuously shrinks. Some exceptional Literary and Dancing Magic Masters even gain a considerable advantage after level one hundred." The Thief Master explained earnestly. "Does that make sense to you now?"

"I get it now." Feng Hao nodded thoughtfully. "It’s like with Alchemy Techniques. A regular Alchemist starts by learning to make tiered medicines, which shows results faster. But the Literary and Dance Skills are like starting directly with pharmacology—it’s obscure and hard to grasp at first, but once you understand it, you see a fundamental improvement."

"Exactly. That’s the principle," the Thief Master said with a satisfied nod.

In short, after the Thief Master’s explanation, Feng Hao finally understood the true essence of Literary and Dance Skills.

To put it simply, no profession is inherently superior or inferior. Every school of Mages has its own reason to exist.

Inside the Enhanced Cultivation Pod, an oppressive pain gradually spread through his entire body. Under this high-intensity cultivation, his progress advanced by leaps and bounds...

The differences between Literary Magic Masters and Combat Mages kept replaying in Feng Hao’s mind. It was so consuming that even the pain from the cultivation pod seemed to lessen. In a daze, he felt as though he had grasped some profound truth, yet at the same time, it was like he hadn’t caught anything at all.

The next day, when he opened his eyes after his cultivation session, he felt as if his soul and consciousness had been elevated.

Time trickled by day after day, and the point-based tournament continued as scheduled. Before he knew it, half a month had passed.

During that half-month, Feng Hao cultivated frantically in the Enhanced Cultivation Pod every day, drawing closer and closer to the fourth tier.

As for the tournament, he had barely encountered any strong opponents. The only one who had been difficult to handle was that guy, Huang Danian.

It had to be said, Huang Danian was indeed an outstanding Defense Mage. Especially on a terrain-limited arena stage, he could gain a significant advantage. Because of this, Feng Hao had gone through quite a bit of trouble to defeat him.

Unlike Feng Hao’s unbroken winning streak, Lu Linfei and Ming Xin Yan’s situations were much worse.

There was no need to elaborate on Lu Linfei. His strength wasn’t top-tier to begin with. He had a high level of forty-eight, but his main focus was speed. Over the past half-month, he had lost quite a few matches. It couldn’t be helped; on a small stage like the arena, speed was severely restricted.

Ming Xin Yan, on the other hand, was doing much better. Aside from losing one match when she faced Fang Jie, she maintained a perfect winning record in all her other fights. With no formidable opponents left for her, her ranking in the tournament was more or less locked in.

The training grounds were as quiet as ever. Mei Meimei was also her usual self, holed up in a corner every day researching her "Pulse" weapon. The only difference was that her level had become sixty-five.

That’s right. After getting the Tier Six Life Creation Pill half a month ago, Mei Meimei had taken it that very night.

Feng Hao really had nothing to say about this impulsive young woman.

After leaving the Enhanced Cultivation Pod, washing off the sweat, and bidding farewell to the Thief Master, he drove his Mansa all the way to Thief God Peak for the competition. His third opponent today was the Divine Thought Mage, Yanziqing—one of the opponents who gave him the biggest headaches.

After more than half a month of competition, Feng Hao’s strength had earned everyone’s recognition. As a result, when he arrived at Thief God Peak, he attracted a lot of discussion from the onlookers.

Feng Hao paid it little mind and walked straight through the crowded throng of people to meet up with Ming Xin Yan and the other two.

"So? Are you confident you can beat Yanziqing?" Ming Xin Yan asked with a slight smile.

Feng Hao frowned in response. "Not yet. I’ll know after we fight."

"In any case, you’d better be careful." Ming Xin Yan said seriously, "From what I’ve observed, Yanziqing’s strength has improved a lot recently, especially his Divine Sense and its intensity. It’s much higher than before."

Feng Hao’s face darkened. "What’s the deal? Is he specifically targeting me?"

"It’s very possible," Ming Xin Yan nodded thoughtfully.

"..." Feng Hao shook his head, speechless. He looked toward the arena with a wry smile. "Whatever. I’ll just focus on getting the points from the first two matches."

As they spoke, golden curtains of light rose up, forming barriers, and the competition officially began.

The contestants from all sides clashed like dragons and tigers, showcasing the power of the Thief God Hall’s younger generation and drawing waves of cheers and applause.

Feng Hao’s first two matches were no surprise. His first opponent was a Gun Magic Master, a typical "squishy" class. Two swift slashes, and it was an instant kill.

In the second match, he faced a female thief who used dual blades. Her strength was decent, but her skill with the blades was lackluster. Feng Hao toyed with her easily.

After defeating the dual-blading thief, Feng Hao waited patiently below the stage for two rounds, adjusting himself to his peak condition. Then, it was time for his duel with Yanziqing, which was also the most anticipated match of the day.

"Go, Brother Feng!" Lu Linfei said, his eyes full of earnestness.

"Go, Brother Feng! You’re the best!" Ting Xiaoxue echoed.

Although Ming Xin Yan didn’t say anything, her eyes said it all.

Feng Hao nodded to the three of them, took a deep breath, and, amidst the expectant cheers of the crowd, strode onto the arena stage.

Yanziqing was already on the stage. When he saw Feng Hao, a playful glint flashed in his eyes. To be honest, he had been paying close attention to Feng Hao’s matches for a while now.

To him, it didn’t matter how strong Feng Hao was. His low level alone meant he could never be a worthy opponent.

This was because among the many paths for Mages, the Divine Thought Mage was the class with the strongest level suppression. This was especially true after their "Perception Root System" evolved into the third stage, "Divine Sense Oppression." In their eyes, Low-level Mages posed no threat whatsoever.