Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

"You want to challenge me?" Chu Zhongtian looked at Qin Zhi, asking calmly.

"Yes!" Qin Zhi replied confidently, standing his ground.

"Come back another time," Chu Zhongtian said, his expression serene as always. "I won't accept your challenge today."

"Why? Do you think I'm not qualified?" Qin Zhi pressed.

Chu Zhongtian shook his head and said, "It's not about qualification. I simply don't want to accept."

"Give me a reason!" Qin Zhi insisted, locking eyes with him.

"The gap in our cultivation is too vast. I admit you're quite outstanding, but I've already reached the Saint realm, and you're only in the Tongtian realm," Chu Zhongtian said calmly.

"As a renowned prodigy in the Eastern Domain, you should know that cultivation level doesn't mean everything," Qin Zhi responded.

"Indeed, that's true," Chu Zhongtian nodded, his face still peaceful. "But no matter how you look at it, I'm still much stronger than you. That's a fact."

"If I were to beat you with my superior cultivation, what would be the point? And if I lowered my power to your level, I'd be restricting myself, making the fight meaningless for me as well."

Qin Zhi had to admit that made sense.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He looked at Chu Zhongtian with a fiery gaze. "But what if I'm not weaker than you, even without you suppressing your strength? Then surely you'd have reason to fight me!"

Chu Zhongtian fell silent for a moment, while Qin Zhi stared at him, waiting for a response.

After a long pause, Chu Zhongtian unexpectedly broke into a sly smile. "Then that's even more reason for me not to fight you. If I, with all my strength, can't defeat you, wouldn't that be embarrassing? You think I'm stupid?"

"Enough talking. I'm not fighting you today. You should leave… we'll meet again someday," Chu Zhongtian said, swiftly turning and transforming into a streak of purple light, disappearing into the depths of the Chu family estate with astonishing speed.

"What… what…" Qin Zhi stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the Chu family's gate, which continued to sway from the gust of wind caused by Chu Zhongtian's departure.

This is Chu Zhongtian? he thought.

The Chu family's prodigy?

It was nothing like he had imagined! Shouldn't a prodigy be arrogant and aloof, like Chu Tianze? Someone who valued their pride more than their life, always ready to crush others for the slightest offense?

But this guy… he wasn't following the usual script at all!

"Ah, forget it. This guy's way too smart, and with that thick skin, it's impossible to provoke him. Time to try somewhere else," Qin Zhi muttered to himself, realizing that his attempt to challenge Chu Zhongtian was hopeless. No matter what he did, Chu Zhongtian simply refused to fight. There was nothing more he could do.

Given the Chu family's defenses, even if he threw himself at the gate until he bled to death, he'd never get in.

Resigned, he decided to leave.

"Hmph, I came here to challenge him, but Chu Zhongtian didn't even have the guts to face me. What a coward! I'll be leaving now!" Qin Zhi shouted towards the guards at the gate before flying away, his figure disappearing into the sky.

The Chu family's guards exchanged glances, their expressions strange—this kid sure put on a good show.

…

After leaving the Chu family, Qin Zhi set his sights on challenging the Eastern Victory Divine Sect, one of the two great sacred sects in the Eastern Domain.

Of the three great aristocratic families and the two sacred sects, the Eastern Victory Divine Sect was the closest to the Chu family.

Of course, "close" was relative; the actual distance was still immense. He'd have to cross the vast territories controlled by these two major powers, which spanned numerous regions.

Just the Chu family's dominion alone included dozens of sects like the Yellow Spring Sect, and each of those sects governed large areas.

Whoosh!

In the sky, Qin Zhi rode a giant red feather, the blue sky and white clouds quickly receding behind him.

The feather was a treasure he had obtained from the Fire Phoenix's nest at the Zhou family. It was one of the seven tail feathers of the Fire Phoenix.

While the feather's attack power was average, its speed was astonishing, making it Qin Zhi's preferred mode of transportation.

Using his Tongtian realm cultivation to propel the feather, he could reach speeds comparable to a Saint, which was nothing short of terrifying.

"Hehe, who would've thought I, Qin Zhi, would see this day," Qin Zhi chuckled to himself as he sat cross-legged on the feather.

Now, as he boldly challenged the major forces of the Eastern Domain, not one of them dared to respond to his provocations.

What an incredible feeling of power!

In the past, he wouldn't have dared to dream of such a thing. If he'd tried taunting at their gates before, he'd have been driven away or skewered on the spot.

It was all thanks to his status.

Because he had a great father!

"With 'My father is Qin Chuan!' on my lips, which power in the Eastern Domain would dare not give me face?"

While this world revered strength above all, and personal power was paramount, Qin Zhi couldn't help but revel in the joy of relying on his father.

He didn't want to coast through life, but using his father's name brought him joy.

Boom!

Suddenly, the once peaceful sea of clouds ahead began to churn, rising up in giant waves hundreds of meters high, like a tidal wave crashing toward him.

As the massive cloud reached a certain height, it formed a colossal lion's head, its maw wide open, ready to swallow Qin Zhi whole.

"It's the power of the cloud laws!" Qin Zhi's expression changed as he quickly maneuvered the feather. With a brilliant flash, the feather dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the lion's jaws.

Boom!

The cloud lion's bite missed its target, slamming into the sea of clouds like a water balloon hitting the ground, shattering into countless wisps of vapor that spread in all directions.

"Damn!" Qin Zhi exclaimed as his feather was thrown off course by the shockwave, sending him plummeting. Meanwhile, the feather was swept away into the distance.

"Heh, not bad. If I hadn't been careful, this little brat might've actually escaped," came an elderly voice from the clouds.

Qin Zhi turned to look.

From the billowing clouds, a black-robed elder emerged, standing with his hands behind his back. His figure, shrouded in mist, was incredibly striking.

"Who are you, and what do you want? My father is Qin Chuan!" Qin Zhi said warily.

"Heh, I know your father is Qin Chuan. If he weren't, why would I bother chasing you?" The elder sneered.

"Are you from the Lu family? Or perhaps Chu Tianze sent you?" Qin Zhi's face darkened, realizing that this man had come prepared. Clearly, this was someone who didn't care who his father was, and mentioning Qin Chuan's name could make things worse.

"Heh, why don't you take a guess?" The elder smirked playfully. There was no way he'd reveal the truth, not even in death.

"Senior, if I may speak plainly, killing me isn't worth it. No matter how secretly you do it, the truth will eventually come out. When it does, not only will you die, but your family and friends might as well," Qin Zhi reasoned calmly.

"Hmm, you make a good point," the black-robed elder nodded, then said, "But then again, what if your father dies before the truth comes out? Then who will come after me?"

"You! Your target is my father?!" Qin Zhi's eyes widened in shock.

At first, he had thought that the Lu family or Chu Tianze had sent this assassin, but now he realized it was likely someone else entirely—someone trying to provoke a conflict between his father and the Lu or Chu families, hoping to reap the rewards.

After all, his father's sudden rise to fame as the strongest below the emperor level had threatened many powerful figures.

"Heh, maybe," the elder chuckled cryptically, keeping his intentions vague, making Qin Zhi second-guess himself.

Was this elder really from the Lu family or Chu family, or could he be working for another power in the Eastern Domain? Perhaps he was even an independent assassin hired by someone else.

"What's that?!" Qin Zhi suddenly gasped, pointing behind the elder as if he had seen something terrifying.

"Heh, you think a child's trick like that would work on me?" The elder didn't flinch, watching Qin Zhi's act with amusement.

But before he could finish speaking, his head was gone.

Chomp!