The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 70: Chapter 68: The Tragedy Caused by the Fruit 7

Bai Shaoyang was beyond furious. The Fruit 7 he had been waiting for for over half a year had ended up in someone else’s hands.

As the number one genius and top young master of Ancient Yang City, Bai Shaoyang had never considered himself some tyrannical, spoiled brat. Yet, the current situation was simply unacceptable.

He had just returned from the Academy Tournament, brimming with arrogance. Not only had he achieved an impressive eighth place, but his father, the City Lord, had immediately decided to let him skip a grade and head to an Advanced Academy, making him the future and pride of Ancient Yang City!

And yet, on the very day before he was set to depart for the Five Provinces Academy, the Fruit 7 Crystal Eye he had painstakingly waited over half a year for had vanished into thin air.

"Shopkeeper, get out here now!" His boundless rage erupted in a roar, his eyes locked on what Xiyue Frost was holding.

The Fatty Shopkeeper had just finished filing for reimbursement and was about to scurry back to do some more bootlicking when he suddenly saw Bai Shaoyang. The shopkeeper’s expression instantly soured. He hurried over and whispered urgently, "Young Master Bai, please lower your voice! We can discuss the Fruit 7 later. These three are important figures from our Holy Hall; you can’t afford to offend them."

"So what if they’re important figures from the Holy Hall? Does that give them the right to just steal people’s things?" Bai Shaoyang was young and impetuous, and in his fury, he paid no mind to the name "Holy Hall."

The Fatty Shopkeeper broke out in a cold sweat and quickly apologized to Yue Linglong. "Young Master Bai speaks without thinking, My Lady. I hope you will not take offense."

Xiyue Luan, who had been silent until now, frowned. "Explain what’s going on."

"Um... well, this Fruit 7 was technically pre-ordered by Young Master Bai. But... you, Your Excellency, got to it first, and I couldn’t very well refuse, lest I spoil your mood." The Fatty Shopkeeper wiped away beads of nervous sweat, panicking internally.

Feng Hao scoffed from the side. ’The Fatty Shopkeeper was obviously just trying to suck up to Xiyue Luan, yet he’s making himself sound so pitiful. No wonder he climbed his way up to manager.’

’This Young Master Bai is pretty audacious, though, completely disrespecting the Holy Hall. But really, is this Fruit 7 that big of a deal?’

After hearing the Fatty Shopkeeper’s explanation, Xiyue Luan quickly grasped the situation. He shot the shopkeeper a meaningful glance before turning to Bai Shaoyang. "Young Master Bai, is it? This Fruit 7 now belongs to my niece. If you want one, you’ll have to wait for the next shipment."

"Are you kidding me? I’m leaving for my assessment at the Five Provinces Academy tomorrow! How could I possibly have time to wait?" Bai Shaoyang said through clenched teeth.

Feng Hao and Xiyue Frost looked surprised to hear that Bai Shaoyang was also heading to the Five Provinces Academy. They never expected to run into a future classmate just by stopping somewhere at random.

"That’s your problem, not ours," Xiyue Luan responded coolly, his tone utterly domineering.

Bai Shaoyang couldn’t stand being treated this way. "I’m the one who pre-ordered it!" he demanded furiously. "What gives you the right to just take it?"

"Because the Treasure Pavilion belongs to our Holy Hall," Xiyue Luan said proudly.

"So people from the Holy Hall can be this tyrannical?" Bai Shaoyang asked, resentful.

"Enough with the nonsense," Xiyue Luan said, growing impatient. "If you’ve got the balls, go find your elders and have them fight me. If they win, you can say whatever you like."

Bai Shaoyang was left speechless. Though the elders in his family were powerful, it was a no-brainer that they would never risk offending the Holy Hall over something so trivial. The thought left Bai Shaoyang feeling utterly stifled and wronged.

Feng Hao quietly watched the drama unfold from the sidelines. Xiyue Luan’s overbearing response reminded him of the conversation between Yao Girl and Fatty back when he first joined Class One. ’Exactly the same presence, the same tyranny.’

"Hey, buddy, it’s just a Crystal Eye, right?" Feng Hao said, stepping forward and patting Bai Shaoyang on the shoulder. "It’s no big deal letting a beautiful woman have it."

Bai Shaoyang snapped out of his funk, gritting his teeth and scoffing. "What do you know? The Fruit 7 is standard issue at the Five Provinces Academy! A new student showing up without one can’t even hold their head up high."

"Uh... is that really a thing? Where did you hear that?" Feng Hao asked, dumbfounded.

"Isn’t that what it says in all the commercials?" Bai Shaoyang retorted.

"..." Feng Hao was rendered speechless. And he wasn’t the only one; everyone else there was, too.

This was the first time since he’d arrived in the Mage World that Feng Hao had seen a kid so thoroughly brainwashed by false advertising. Recalling his own days of being duped by unscrupulous commercials back on Earth, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of kinship.

"You actually believe commercials? You’re adorable, you know that?" Feng Hao said, looking at him with pity. It brought back memories of his own difficult past—of drinking a soda without a party magically breaking out, of eating a chocolate bar without silk ribbons majestically flying through the air.

As it turned out, Bai Shaoyang hadn’t heard a word. He gave Feng Hao a strange look. "You’re with them, aren’t you?"

"*Ahem*... More or less," Feng Hao said with an awkward smile, trying again. "But as a future classmate, I feel obligated to give you some advice: don’t take commercials seriously, or you’re going to get scammed."

"So you’re going to the Five Provinces Academy too! No wonder you’re trying to steal my Fruit 7. I’m not that easy to fool!" Bai Shaoyang exclaimed, a look of shocked realization dawning on his face.

Feng Hao was utterly speechless. He felt dumbstruck, inside and out. ’What a fucking waste of breath.’

Xiyue Frost shook her head. "We should go."

"Yeah," Feng Hao and Xiyue Luan both nodded. They had no interest in wasting any more time on this problem child.

But Bai Shaoyang wasn’t about to give up. Seeing the three of them about to leave, he whipped out a massive, bone-handled battle-axe, pointed it at Xiyue Frost, and yelled, "If you’ve got any guts, you’ll fight me for it! Winner takes the Fruit 7!"

"I don’t have any guts," Xiyue Frost replied flatly. Feng Hao, who was standing nearby, nearly choked on a laugh.

Bai Shaoyang was furious but had no comeback. Flustered and exasperated, he shouted, "We’re all new students heading to the Five Provinces Academy! Are you telling me you don’t even have the courage to accept a simple challenge?"

"You’re no match for me," Xiyue Frost stated, her expression unruffled.

"You’re joking! I placed eighth in this year’s Academy Tournament," Bai Shaoyang said proudly, hoisting the battle-axe onto his shoulder.

"Oh," Xiyue Frost replied with a single, casual word, then turned and walked toward the door.

That did it. Bai Shaoyang absolutely exploded. After taking eighth place in the tournament, he couldn’t stand being treated with such contempt. In a fit of pure rage, he snatched up his battle-axe and swung. "This is the last straw! Take this!"

Feng Hao covered his eyes, unable to bear watching what was about to happen. A level-27 hothead from the tournament versus the level-36 Xiyue Frost—the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

Xiyue Luan, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself, watching with great interest from the side.

"Hmph!"

With a soft snort, Xiyue Frost reacted in a flash. She dodged the axe and simultaneously drew her weapon.

What surprised Feng Hao was that Xiyue Frost’s weapon wasn’t the azure Longsword she had used before. It was now a black greatsword, nearly as tall as she was, looking completely disproportionate to her frame.

BANG!

While Feng Hao was still gaping in surprise, Xiyue Frost’s greatsword had already struck Bai Shaoyang. The innate force of the heavy weapon, combined with her terrifying strength, sent him flying in an instant. Man and axe together, he slammed into the shelves behind him.

Xiyue Luan wasn’t just standing by. With a wave of his hand, he sent out a surge of Magic Power to shield the shelves, preventing any unnecessary losses.

"Alright, Xiaoshuang, let’s go," Xiyue Luan said with a faint smile before leading the other two away.

Inside the Treasure Pavilion, only the dumbstruck Fatty Shopkeeper and a few gawking customers remained—along with, of course, the utterly bewildered Bai Shaoyang.

Once Feng Hao’s group was a good distance away, the Fatty Shopkeeper hurried over to help Bai Shaoyang up. "Young Master Bai, are you alright?"

Having lost a great deal of Qi Blood, Bai Shaoyang seemed weak. He got to his feet with the Fatty Shopkeeper’s help, his eyes dull and lifeless. His spirit had been dealt a devastating blow.

"The Five Provinces Academy is too scary... I think I’ll just go next year," Bai Shaoyang stammered, his voice trembling as he stared blankly out the door.

"..." The onlookers were collectively speechless.