Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

Qin Chuan and Qin Zi arrived at the stone gate and saw the crimson fragment circling outside, as if trying to enter but unable to.

"It seems something inside is calling to it," Qin Chuan remarked with a smile.

"Then please open the gate, Father!" Qin Zi said excitedly.

Qin Chuan shook his head. "I told you, this gate requires you to open it yourself. If you can't, we'll have to come back another time."

Qin Zi pouted. "Fine."

With that, he pressed his hands against the stone gate and pushed with all his might. Brilliant golden light burst forth.

"Ha!"

Qin Zi yelled, his hair turning golden, but the stone gate remained unmoved.

"Try using your blood," Qin Chuan suggested.

Based on his experience, ancient structures like these often recognized bloodlines, not faces. After all, there was no "face-scanning" back in the day.

"Huh?" Qin Zi was momentarily surprised but had no doubt about his father's words. He immediately cut his palm, and blood sprayed onto the stone gate.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The gate trembled violently, and the beast carvings on its surface began to shift. Moments later, the stone gate rumbled open.

"I did it!" Qin Zi shouted in joy, looking at his father with admiration. "Father, how did you know my blood would work?"

"What do you think?" Qin Chuan smiled enigmatically.

"Uh…" Qin Zi knew he wouldn't get a direct answer and resigned himself to his father's mysterious ways.

"Come on, Father! Let's go inside!" Qin Zi called out eagerly as he dashed ahead. Qin Chuan followed behind at a leisurely pace, knowing what lay ahead. He let his son run ahead to be stunned by what he would see, so he could stroll in calmly, maintaining his composed image.

"Ah—"

Soon after, a startled cry echoed from the front.

Qin Zi stood frozen before a desolate battlefield, the sight leaving him pale with shock.

The land ahead was desolate and shattered.

Blood-colored mist drifted through the darkened sky, while broken weapons—swords, spears, and halberds—lay scattered in every direction. Countless strange corpses littered the ground, their blood dyeing the earth a deep red, filling the air with the stench of death.

"Don't be afraid. It's just an ancient battlefield."

A calm and steady voice came from behind. The sound was like a mountain, giving Qin Zi a sense of unprecedented safety.

Qin Zi turned quickly.

His father approached with casual, steady steps, his expression serene, as though he were merely strolling through his backyard.

"Father."

Qin Zi called out, then quickly backed up, shrinking behind Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan glanced at the footprints he had seen before, noting that the illusory figure of the Martial Emperor was now gone. It was possible the Emperor's essence had been depleted, or perhaps certain conditions had not been met to trigger its presence.

Buzz!

At that moment, Qin Zi's body emitted a golden glow, and Night Lingshuang, the golden-haired woman, emerged, standing beside Qin Chuan.

"Brother Qin," she greeted shyly.

"Mm." Qin Chuan nodded, then asked, "You've been around a while. Do you know anything about this place?"

Night Lingshuang nodded and explained, "This is likely one of the battlefields from the war between our world and the Tianheng Tribe around 40,000 years ago. The battles were widespread, so there are many sites like this."

"The Tianheng Tribe—is that a demonic race?" Qin Chuan asked.

"No, they're human, just like us, but from another world. Our world is called the Nine Heavens Realm, and their world is called Tianheng Realm. That's why we call them the Tianheng Tribe, and they call us the Nine Heavens Tribe," Night Lingshuang clarified.

"Why did we go to war?" Qin Chuan continued.

"To seize a divine artifact—a supreme relic that could determine the fate of an entire race." Night Lingshuang's eyes gleamed with intensity.

"And how did it end?" Qin Chuan asked.

"It was a brutal conflict. The Tianheng Tribe was incredibly strong, but in the end, our Nine Heavens Realm won and secured the artifact," she replied with a smile.

Qin Chuan nodded, refraining from asking further questions. He knew that inquiring too much could come off as rude or make him seem inexperienced. It was better to keep up appearances.

"Brother Qin, aren't you curious about the divine artifact?" Night Lingshuang asked, surprised that he had stopped probing.

"It's not that important to me," Qin Chuan smiled and added with a meaningful tone, "Perhaps… I've already seen more extraordinary things."

Night Lingshuang blinked, then blushed slightly.

How embarrassing! She had been boasting about the divine artifact in front of Qin Chuan, a figure from the upper realms who had probably seen countless wonders.

But now that she thought about it… this divine artifact had come from beyond the heavens, possibly from the upper realms.

Buzz!

Just then, the crimson metal fragment in Qin Chuan's hand flew out, transforming into a streak of red light and shooting toward the depths of the ancient battlefield.

"Let's go," Qin Chuan said, leading the way as the trio followed the red light.

After a long chase, the red light disappeared into a pile of corpses and rubble.

Rumble!

The ground shook violently as the rubble collapsed, revealing a massive crimson furnace rising from the earth.

The surface of the furnace was intricately carved with nine phoenixes, their heads protruding from the rim of the furnace, extending in nine different directions, reminiscent of an ancient seismograph, but with phoenix heads instead of dragon heads.

Buzz!!

The furnace radiated intense red light, and for a moment, nine phoenix shadows seemed to soar into the sky, burning with eternal flames as they flew in all directions. One of the phoenixes swooped toward the trio.

Whoosh!

The phoenix's wings flapped as it approached, radiating unimaginable heat. Even from a distance, the searing heat was palpable, turning the air molten.

"Hmph!"

Qin Chuan snorted, and the Black Whale Sword appeared in his hands. Gripping the sword with both hands, he raised it high, unleashing an aura of overwhelming might. A vast, towering figure materialized around him, standing a thousand feet tall, like a god demanding reverence.

It was the Martial Emperor's Sword!

This was the technique he had learned in this very place, containing the intent and invincible spirit of a Martial Emperor's sword strike.

Boom!!

With one slash, the sword descended like divine judgment, shattering the phoenix shadow instantly.

Waves of searing heat rolled outward, carrying torrents of flame, but Qin Chuan erected a protective barrier, blocking all of it.

"Phew…"

Qin Zi let out a sigh of relief, still shaken. "What is that thing? It's terrifying."

"It's likely an Imperial Weapon, and from its aura, it seems to have been crafted by a Martial Emperor from the Tianheng Tribe," Night Lingshuang said seriously.

"How do you know it's from the Tianheng Tribe?" Qin Zi asked in surprise.

"You'll understand once you've seen enough. The aura of the Tianheng Tribe is slightly different from ours," she explained.

"So what do we do now?" Qin Zi asked, his eyes blazing as he stared at the crimson furnace.

"Imperial Weapons usually possess their own consciousness and immense power. Forcing one into submission… would be very difficult," Night Lingshuang said gravely.

"But didn't Father just destroy that phoenix? Can't he suppress it?" Qin Zi frowned.

Night Lingshuang laughed bitterly. "Those nine phoenixes only represent the furnace stretching its limbs after waking up. It hasn't even begun to exert its true strength…"

"What?!" Qin Zi's eyes widened. If that was the furnace barely waking up, how terrifying would it be at full power?

"So what do we—"

Before he could finish, Night Lingshuang suddenly giggled, covering her mouth. "Don't worry. Imperial Weapons generally don't attack unprovoked. Most of the time, they're lazier than pigs."

Qin Zi was stunned once more.

He looked ahead and saw that the crimson furnace's light had dimmed, and it now floated idly in the air, tilting slightly. It even seemed to be breathing softly, as if snoring.

"It's… really sleeping?!" Qin Zi was dumbfounded. After a long pause, he muttered, "Even pigs have nests to sleep in. Isn't it cold just floating there?"

Whoosh!

The moment he finished speaking, the furnace turned into a streak of red light and shot directly into his body, entering his dantian.

"Ah!!"

Qin Zi screamed in panic, frantically inspecting his body, only to find the furnace lying quietly in his dantian, snoring lightly.

"This…"

Qin Zi's face twitched, and he asked tearfully, "Master, my dantian has become its pigsty. What should I do?"

Night Lingshuang was momentarily stunned.

She looked at Qin Chuan, concerned. "Brother Qin, will this be a problem? Imperial Weapons from the Tianheng Tribe and our Nine Heavens people are naturally incompatible. I've never seen anything like this."

Qin Chuan chuckled, exuding confidence. "If it were a problem, I wouldn't have let it happen."

In reality, he had tried to stop the furnace, but it moved too quickly for him to react. However, could he admit that? Of course not!

So he had to maintain an aura of calm and control—if it happened, it was because he allowed it. And if he allowed it, it meant there was no issue.

As for giving the Imperial Weapon to Qin Zi… he didn't feel any loss. What was Qin Zi's was his, after all. It was like investing in a well-fed pig.