Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

A few days later, the news of Qin Zi carrying a rare treasure spread like wildfire throughout the Southern Region, becoming common knowledge among all.

No one knew Qin Zi's name, but… there were portraits of him!

Among the elders who spread the news, there were several talented artists who drew an exact likeness of Qin Zi, circulating his image far and wide.

Now, Qin Zi had become a target, akin to a street rat. Countless powerful figures sharpened their knives, eager to rob him.

However, the most powerful Realm Emperors of the Southern Region did not act hastily. They feared the mysterious "great figure" behind him and worried they might share the same fate as the Praying Star Holy Master if they made a wrong move.

Instead of taking direct action, these emperors sent their top disciples, the so-called "Heaven's Chosen," to corner Qin Zi.

After all, they couldn't use brute force on someone so young, but having fellow peers challenge him? That seemed fair.

Thus, the remaining three of the Southern Region's Four Heaven's Chosen, aside from the deceased White Qingtian, were dispatched.

Heaven's Chosen figures are naturally arrogant. In their eyes, they were always the best, and everyone else was just average.

When they heard of White Qingtian's defeat, they felt no fear; instead, they harbored disdain. Hmph, White Qingtian, that loser, actually lost? He doesn't even deserve to be counted among us!

This is the flaw of geniuses. If someone ahead of them fails, that person becomes worthless in their eyes.

With this mentality, the three Heaven's Chosen charged after Qin Zi with reckless confidence, and then...

"Ding! Your son has humiliated a young lord, automatically earning you 6 points of Parental Value!"

"Ding! Your son has humiliated a young lord, automatically earning you 5 points of Parental Value!"

"Ding! Your son has humiliated a young lord, automatically earning you 7 points of Parental Value!"

Lying on a giant boulder outside the Ma Po Cave, Qin Chuan was overjoyed to hear the long-awaited system notifications.

These three notifications didn't come all at once but trickled in over the span of two days.

It seemed that during those two days, Qin Zi had humiliated three different people. Due to the slow spread of information, the later challengers didn't know that the previous ones had already been humiliated, so they confidently walked into the same trap, creating three consecutive tragedies.

"Tsk tsk, 18 points of Parental Value all at once. I now have 22.6 points of Parental Value," Qin Chuan said with satisfaction.

With his pockets full, his confidence naturally surged. He stood up with a flip from the giant rock where he had been lying.

Looking down, he saw a gray, foggy valley, and in the center was an irregular, pitch-black cave entrance. At the top of the entrance, a large goat skull was embedded. Though the skull had no flesh, its hollow eye sockets glowed with eerie green light, flickering ominously.

"Ma Po Cave!" Qin Chuan took a deep breath. This was the place where the Curse of Decay and Growth on his body originated—it was a place full of unknown depths.

It was said that most people who came here gained great fortunes, but a few unlucky ones would become cursed.

Qin Chuan mused to himself. Fortunes and curses—they're all valuable!

With his Parental Value to protect him, the treasures within the cave were his for the taking. Even curses could be subdued and turned into his own abilities.

Thus, after leaving Praying Star Holy Land, he had come directly here to observe the situation, waiting for his son to "earn money" for him.

True. Earning money by fighting—when my son fights, I get money!

Qin Chuan had been observing the area for four days. People came and went constantly, but no one noticed him. Their spiritual senses were automatically blocked when they tried to detect him.

Moreover, with his mastery over the Law of Light, he could bend light around him. If he didn't want to be seen, people standing right in front of him would only see the scenery behind him, as if he were invisible.

"During these four days, many people arrived full of passion and left stumbling in exhaustion… If I didn't know this place was dangerous, I'd almost suspect there's some shady business going on inside."

Qin Chuan chuckled to himself.

He stepped forward, appearing in the valley in an instant, his movements like teleportation. His sudden presence caused a commotion.

"Ah!!"

"Who are you?!"

"Where did you come from?!"

The people emerging from the cave were startled, screaming as they covered their faces with their sleeves.

"Heh."

Qin Chuan smiled and unleashed his emperor's pressure.

"Boom—"

The overwhelming force descended like the wrath of heaven. In the sky above the valley, dark clouds rolled in, and lightning crackled ominously, like the end of the world.

"Ah! A Realm Emperor!"

"This... this…"

"Greetings, Senior!"

The people trembled, some so startled that their pants slipped down, and they lay flat on the ground, exposed and terrified.

"Leave this place," Qin Chuan ordered calmly.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"We're leaving right away!"

"Farewell, Senior!"

The people scrambled to flee, rolling and crawling in their haste.

Even those who were about to exit the cave turned back, fleeing deeper inside.

For most cultivators, encountering a Realm Emperor wasn't good fortune—it was akin to an ant meeting a human. One wrong step, and they could be crushed, with the emperor possibly not even realizing he'd stepped on them.

Soon, the valley became quiet.

Qin Chuan looked at the eerie cave entrance, took a deep breath, and raised his strength to its peak as he prepared to enter.

"Wait a moment."

A raspy voice, tinged with the smell of alcohol, echoed through the valley.

Qin Chuan paused, his expression puzzled. This voice... sounded familiar.

He turned and saw a two-meter-tall giant panda lumbering slowly toward him. The panda had two long white eyebrows hanging above its eyes like dragon whiskers, swaying with every step.

On the panda's back sat a short, chubby old man with white hair. The old man clutched a large orange gourd almost as big as he was, his nose red and his eyes half-closed in a drunken haze.

"Senior?" Qin Chuan exclaimed.

He had encountered this old man once during his journey in the Nine Suns Kingdom. At that time, the old man had been riding the same panda, leaving a deep impression. After all, giant pandas were rare in this world.

In fact, this was the only one he had ever seen!

"Heh heh, young man, we meet again... I didn't expect you to reach the Realm Emperor stage in such a short time. You've even managed to surprise me," the old man said with a cheerful smile.

"I'm honored," Qin Chuan replied humbly. He felt a bit wary of this peculiar old man—people with such strange appearances were rarely simple.

In fact, he even suspected that this old man's surname might be Chi!

After all, aside from a certain legendary figure, Qin Chuan had never heard of anyone who could tame a giant panda as a mount. In fact, even that legendary figure hadn't fully tamed his panda and had suffered greatly at its hands.

"No need to be so modest. I could see you had secrets the first time we met, but my intuition told me it was best not to pry. Heh, I don't know why, but the older I get, the more I trust my instincts... maybe I'm just growing senile."

The old man chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Senior's cultivation is profound, and your mind is serene. It seems you've reached the realm of understanding heaven's will. I'm in awe," Qin Chuan complimented.

"Eh? Understanding heaven's will? Me? I didn't even realize I was that powerful until you said so! Hahaha!" The old man was taken aback but then laughed heartily.

After the old man finished laughing, Qin Chuan asked, "Senior, may I ask why you called out to me just now? Was it just to reminisce?"

"Of course not." The old man's smile faded, and he became serious. "I stopped you because I saw you were about to enter that cursed cave. Let me give you a word of advice—don't go in. The waters here are too deep for you, and you're still too young to handle it."

"What?"

Qin Chuan's face twisted with confusion. For some reason, that warning didn't sound right.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "If this cave is so dangerous, why are you here, Senior?"

The old man took a swig from his gourd and replied matter-of-factly, "Well, you can't handle it, but I am different. No matter how deep the water is in there, I can manage just fine."