Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

Thud!

A sharp flash of golden light sliced through the air, and Feng Xiao's body suddenly stiffened before collapsing to the ground. His eyes remained wide open, filled with terror.

Coincidentally, his corpse fell directly onto the body of the old man, their bodies aligning almost perfectly.

Of course, they weren't face-to-face; their positions were reversed, creating a fitting "Victory Pose" for a "Winner of the Battle Royale."

"After killing someone, the evidence must be destroyed. As the saying goes, 'Leave no traces when you kill,' or it will lead to endless trouble."

Qin Chuan raised his right hand, releasing the Pure Yang Fire, unique to a Pure Yang realm expert, enveloping the two corpses.

Soon, the two were reduced to ashes.

Qin Chuan scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense, erasing any trace of his presence.

Then, he carefully unfolded a neatly folded white silk handkerchief. Inside were several strands of black hair.

These were Qin Zi's hairs, which Qin Chuan had quietly collected over time.

"Although it's unlikely this spot will be discovered, it's better to cover all bases and take care of the details."

He used his spiritual power to pick out three strands of hair and casually scattered them around the area, allowing them to fall naturally.

Wherever they landed, they stayed, making it appear more authentic.

After ensuring everything was in place, he was ready to leave.

But after taking a few steps, he paused, turning back to the ground where two space rings lay partially covered by ashes.

"I almost forgot. Taking the space rings is essential; leaving them behind doesn't match that kid's style."

With a wave of his hand, the two space rings flew into his palm. Only then did he fly away, skimming low over the ground as he left the scene.

…

Three more days passed.

Bai Chen and Qin Zi returned to Minghao City, but Qin Chuan had intentionally delayed his return.

So, when Bai Chen brought Qin Zi back to the mansion, Qin Zi was immediately taken aback.

"W-where's my father?"

Returning home after being away, Qin Zi found the house empty, leaving him with an indescribable sense of loss.

Along with this, a wave of instinctual panic washed over him—had something happened to his father? Had his father abandoned him?

Though his rational mind told him these were impossible, his emotions left him feeling uneasy and uncertain.

"Qin Zi."

Bai Chen patted his shoulder, comforting him. "Don't worry, your father just went out to handle some matters."

"He told me a few days ago that he had something else to take care of, which is why he asked me to take you to Wujiang City."

"Really?"

Qin Zi looked at Bai Chen, searching for confirmation.

"Do I look like someone who would lie?" Bai Chen replied calmly.

"That's a relief," Qin Zi sighed in relief, patting his chest as a smile returned to his face.

"Do you need anything else? If not, I'll take my leave," Bai Chen said.

"No, there's nothing else. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Uncle Bai," Qin Zi said gratefully.

"It was nothing, no need to thank me."

Bai Chen smiled warmly, feeling quite pleased with the title of "Uncle Bai." It made him feel the relationship between them had grown closer.

After a brief exchange, Bai Chen left the mansion.

Now, the large mansion was left with just Qin Zi and a few timid maids.

Under normal circumstances, he might have closed the door and indulged in something more enjoyable.

But right now, he wasn't in the mood.

Instead, he pulled out a chair and sat in the courtyard, facing the gate, waiting for his father to return.

And so, he waited… for half a day!

By dusk, with the sky painted in brilliant reds and oranges, turning half of Minghao City into a glowing hue, something finally happened.

Whoosh!!

Suddenly, a dazzling golden light shot across the sky from the horizon, like a sharp sword slicing through the radiant sunset.

Thud!

The golden light landed in the courtyard, materializing into a figure kneeling on one knee, seemingly intoxicated.

With his head hanging low, disheveled hair falling over his face, the figure exuded an aura of sorrow and desolation.

"Father?!"

Qin Zi leaped up from his chair, shocked at the sight before him—how could his father have ended up in such a state?

"Let's go inside."

Qin Chuan slowly stood up, swaying slightly. His voice was calm, yet it carried a deep, raspy undertone.

Qin Zi rushed over to support him, instantly hit by the strong smell of alcohol.

"Father, what happened? Why are you so drunk?" Qin Zi asked, his voice filled with concern and worry.

"Heh, it's nothing. I was just paying respects to an old friend."

Qin Chuan, still unsteady on his feet, managed a wry smile. "This old friend loved to drink, so I had a few with him…"

"An old friend?!"

Qin Zi's eyes widened.

He felt surprised but also realized it made perfect sense.

Given his father's cultivation level, it was only natural that he would have met a few friends along the way. It would be stranger if he hadn't.

No one is an island unto themselves.

Soon, Qin Zi had helped Qin Chuan into the living room, where he laid him down on a chair covered with tiger skin.

He closed the door and then asked, "Father, could you tell me about your past? I never knew you had friends like these."

His father was too mysterious!

As his only son, Qin Zi felt he had the right to know about his father's past.

Moreover, he had a lingering question that had puzzled him for a long time, one that even his master couldn't figure out.

And that was…

His father was only in his thirties now, and his cultivation had been sealed shortly after Qin Zi was born.

In other words, his father would have been only around twenty when his cultivation was sealed.

But from what his father had said before, it seemed that he had already reached the ninth level of cultivation by then, perhaps even beyond that!

What did that mean?

A Martial Emperor at the age of twenty?!

Impossible, right?

It couldn't be true!!

Yet, from his father's actions over the past few months, it seemed it wasn't a lie, even his master appeared to fear him.

What was going on?

He couldn't figure it out. It didn't make sense!

So, taking this chance, he decided to ask.

"Heh, little Zi, I know what you're wondering. Since you've asked, I won't hide anything from you."

Qin Chuan's gaze deepened as he looked at Qin Zi, a slightly tipsy smile on his face. "Actually… this is my second life."

"What?!"

Qin Zi's eyes went wide with shock.

Even the golden-haired woman inside the ring was stunned, as if struck by lightning, left speechless.

"Surprised? I thought you might have figured it out."

Qin Chuan chuckled and shook his head. "Cultivation isn't easy, and it gets even harder in the later stages. Many people train for thousands of years without reaching the Martial Emperor realm. How could I have done it by the age of twenty?"

"At the very least, it should take until you're thirty or forty."

He paused, then smiled. "The reason I reached the Martial Emperor realm at twenty, and even surpassed it, is that in my previous life, I already attained that level and had the insights that come with it."

"So, in this life, as I retrained, I encountered no bottlenecks. Everything progressed smoothly, and I easily reached that level."

As his son stared at him in stunned silence, Qin Chuan continued, "In fact, I wasn't from this world in my previous life. I came from the higher realm, which is where your mother's family is from."

"And in this life, after awakening my past memories, I quietly cultivated in the Qin family, surpassing the Martial Emperor realm by the age of eighteen."

"Since my past grudges and passions were all in the higher realm, and there was nothing here to hold my interest, I shattered the void and ascended to the higher realm once I surpassed the Martial Emperor realm."

"So, I don't know much about this world, nor do I have many friends here, maybe just one or two."

"That old friend was someone I met at sixteen, an older man with whom I shared a deep connection… Unfortunately, after spending two years in the higher realm and returning with your mother, I found that he had already passed away."

As he spoke, a look of melancholy returned to his eyes, as if he couldn't let go of the memories…

"So that's how it is…"

Qin Zi's eyes were dazed, but his mind was suddenly clear, as if the fog had lifted to reveal the truth.

And it wasn't just him.

Even the golden-haired woman in the ring was breathing heavily, her gaze vacant as she muttered to herself, "So that's it… That's it…"

She finally understood.

She understood everything!!