Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

It was early morning.

In the central square of Minghao City.

The outskirts of the square were already packed with a sea of people, while the elevated core area of the square was filled with alchemy furnaces.

At least a thousand of them! The scene was quite spectacular.

Facing north, a grand platform had been erected, clearly meant for important figures.

"I'm so excited! Master Pang Qi is about to appear. He's our family's savior."

"What, you actually have a connection with Master Pang Qi?"

"Of course! When I was little, I had an enormous appetite, and my mother wasn't in good health. If I hadn't taken Master Pang Qi's pills…"

"You mean that famous pill recipe of Master Pang Qi's?"

"Yeah, although it might sound a bit improper, Master Pang Qi's recipe has indeed benefited many children."

"True, but I think… his initial intention wasn't just to help kids…"

"What do you mean?"

"My father also spent a fortune on one of those pills back then, but I wasn't even a big eater as a child. It was mostly my wet nurse taking care of me."

There was a moment of silence around them.

"Hey, what are you all talking about! What we should be focusing on now is who's most likely to win the alchemy competition!"

"How about the Four Young Lords?"

"That's hard to say. The talent for alchemy is different from the talent for cultivation; the two aren't directly related."

"I've heard that the Chen family's little princess has had an extraordinarily strong spiritual power since childhood. She should be well-suited for alchemy, right?"

"In theory, yes, but whether it works out, we'll have to wait and see. Even adults understand that principle."

"Brother, that's a bit much, woof, woof, woof…"

Boom—

Suddenly, a powerful and scorching pressure swept over the crowd like a tidal wave, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Everyone turned their heads simultaneously.

Two figures, radiating an overwhelming aura, were approaching, surrounded by a large contingent of city guards.

It was none other than City Lord Bai Chen and Master Pang Qi!

Bai Chen was a stern-looking middle-aged man, while Master Pang Qi was a burly elder with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a luxurious alchemist's robe.

As they approached, the crowd fell silent, the once noisy and bustling square now as quiet as a mouse.

The people instinctively made way, creating a wide path as the City Lord and Master Pang Qi, along with their guards, ascended the platform.

"Everyone knows what day it is today, so I won't say much."

"Master Pang Qi is here in person; this is a great opportunity for all you young people. I hope you make the most of it."

Standing on the platform, Bai Chen looked down at the crowd with authority and said, "Those young participants who are present, please take your positions."

Whoosh! Instantly, a massive group of young people swarmed toward the thousand alchemy furnaces in the center of the square like a dark wave of ants.

"Get out of my way!"

"Move aside!"

"This furnace is mine!"

It was clear that there were not enough furnaces to go around, and the young participants began to brawl.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Ah!"

"Pfft—"

Within a few exchanges, many were injured.

"City Lord, they're fighting! This violates the rules!" someone shouted indignantly after being knocked away.

From the platform, Bai Chen said calmly, "Master Pang Qi didn't say fighting was forbidden. If you can't even secure an alchemy furnace, how do you expect to make pills?"

In this world, there is no absolute fairness. Even fairness must be fought for! Those who were injured fell silent, glaring at the alchemy furnaces with frustration.

Of course, some were unwilling to give up. After failing to secure one furnace, they tried to seize another.

Some actually succeeded, but more often than not, they ended up failing again and again, eventually leaving the competition with heavy injuries.

Qin Zi was among the crowd.

"Bang!"

He punched the thirteenth competitor away—a young man at the fourth level of the Yuan Dan realm—but even he was quickly defeated.

The other young participants, who had been eyeing his furnace, decided to give up.

He successfully claimed an alchemy furnace.

"So, you're Qin Zi?"

At that moment, a slightly arrogant voice rang out.

Qin Zi turned to face the yellow-clad young man who had spoken and responded calmly, "Yes, that's me."

Whoosh! Almost instantly, many of those around turned to look.

Qin Zi!

So, this was Qin Zi?!

The rumored top genius of Minghao City? The one said to surpass even the Four Young Lords?

"Hahaha, so it's really you. I'm Gao Feng. I've long heard that Brother Qin is the top genius of Minghao City. Seeing you today, you truly live up to the reputation."

The yellow-clad young man spoke with hidden malice.

"Thanks for the compliment."

Qin Zi replied coolly.

"Hmm?"

Gao Feng was taken aback. He had expected the other party to panic and explain that the rumors weren't true, allowing him to continue with his plan to ruin Qin Zi's reputation.

But unexpectedly, Qin Zi simply accepted the compliment! What does that mean? Is he admitting it??

Gao Feng had intended to trap him with flattery, but now that Qin Zi had acknowledged it, he felt as if he'd swallowed a fly.

"Well then! As expected of Minghao City's top genius. I'd like to experience your skills firsthand. Would you be willing?"

Gao Feng asked with a fake smile.

"Not willing."

Qin Zi said calmly.

"Hmm?" Gao Feng frowned, his tone turning cold. "Are you saying you look down on me, Brother Qin?"

"Yes."

Qin Zi nodded, a playful smirk on his face. "Or do you still think you're someone important?"

Slap! It was like a slap in the face, striking down the other party's arrogant attitude without mercy.

You think I look down on you? Well, yes, I do! So what? Who do you think you are?

"You… arrogant!!"

Gao Feng froze for a moment, his face turning an ugly shade of red as he became truly enraged.

Normally, when he made such a statement, others would respect his position and avoid offending him.

But today… when he brazenly presented his face to be slapped, the other party didn't hesitate to oblige.

Now, instead of making Qin Zi look bad, Gao Feng himself looked like a fool, his face burning with shame.

"It's not arrogance on my part; it's you humiliating yourself."

Qin Zi said calmly. "Don't assume you're better than others just because you're from the Gao family."

"I know the Gao family is one of the three major families in Minghao City, but you… I really don't recognize you!"

Slap, slap, slap! Each simple sentence was like a slap across the face, striking the same spot repeatedly until it nearly swelled.

"You!!"

Gao Feng wanted to lash out but suddenly thought of something, and he calmed down, sneering coldly:

"You wouldn't actually believe those rumors about yourself being the top genius in Minghao City, would you? Have you listened to the lies so much that even you believe them?"

"Hmph, don't you understand the principle that the higher the tree, the more wind it catches? Yet here you are, gloating like a fool. How utterly ridiculous!"

He wasn't about to resort to violence.

In his mind, resorting to violence meant he had lost the argument, and he didn't want to stoop that low.

He wanted to use sharp words to make this sharp-tongued brat speechless, to make him lose his temper, and then defeat him soundly, crushing him on all fronts!

However, Qin Zi wasn't angered by his words. Instead, he wore a teasing smile.

"The higher the tree, the more wind it catches… Exactly. I join an alchemy competition, and here you come, acting like a breeze."

"But I suspect this breeze… is coming from the corpse's, you know, eye."

Corpse's eye?

Gao Feng was momentarily confused, then suddenly realized what it meant. His anger flared like wildfire, exploding on the spot! "You're asking for death!!"

He roared, his body surging with powerful energy as he clenched his fist and charged at Qin Zi.

All that talk about sharp words and complete dominance went out the window. Once you lose control, you end up slapping yourself in the face! Slap, slap, slap!!