Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

After parting ways with the royal family, Qin Chuan returned to the Seven Martial Sect and immediately went into seclusion to practice the Azure Lotus Sword Art.

At this point, it was the only sword technique he had to cultivate, as he didn't have access to any other high-level techniques or manuals.

Currently, his divine abilities included the Nine Dragon Battle Aura, Hell Lotus, Undying Golden Bell, and Three Flowers Converging at the Apex.

However, these divine abilities had been granted to him directly by the system, and all the insights and energy required had been injected into his body instantly, making them complete.

So, there was no need to practice them further.

Once again, he felt a sense of poverty—despite having an abundance of resources, he lacked high-grade treasures and legacies.

"I can't keep relying on the system's rewards. I need to take matters into my own hands and seek out more treasures and techniques!"

Self-reliance is the key to prosperity.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

He remembered the strange cave where Qin Zi had once kidnapped Princess Chu Yun of the Southern King's household. That cave had released an old demon.

Inside the cave was a peculiar stone door. Back then, when he had tried to peer into it with his soul sense, he was almost struck by a backlash!

"Maybe, with my current strength, I can check it out."

Without further hesitation, he set off immediately.

With his current speed, he could cover thousands of miles in the blink of an eye, moving so fast it was almost unbelievable.

It didn't take long before he arrived at the strange cave.

"Boom!"

With a simple palm strike, he sent a torrent of flames surging through the dark cave, burning away any lurking shadows, insects, or bats in an instant.

Walking leisurely, he passed through the long, dark tunnel and finally arrived at the stone door.

The stone door was towering and imposing, with carvings of various fearsome beasts adorning its surface, giving it an eerie and heavy presence.

Buzz!

A glow emanated from Qin Chuan's forehead as powerful strands of Saint-level soul force wove together, probing toward the stone door.

Boom—

Just like last time, as soon as his soul sense touched the stone door, a wave of backlash came crashing over him like a tidal wave.

In an instant, Qin Chuan felt as if his soul was engulfed in a sea of flames. However, he was no longer the same as before. Aside from a slight sensation of heat, he felt no real discomfort.

Thus, his soul force continued to push forward through the fire, eventually penetrating the stone door and spreading throughout the space beyond.

Whoosh!

The scene before him opened up.

It was a gray, desolate space, with black clouds filling the sky. Lightning occasionally pierced the darkness, briefly illuminating the devastated land below.

This was a battlefield ravaged by war.

Corpses were piled up like statues, frozen in various poses. Broken swords were stabbed into the ground, spears skewered bodies, and the remains of an ancient, brutal conflict were scattered everywhere.

"Kill—"

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the space, filled with boundless killing intent and warlike spirit, sending shivers down one's spine!

Buzz!

A pair of massive footprints lit up, and out of them, a giant shadow was projected, seemingly belonging to the one who had left those prints.

It was the vague silhouette of a towering middle-aged man wielding a giant sword. With a swift motion, he unleashed a terrifying horizontal slash.

Boom!!

The sword energy was unparalleled, causing devastation in its path, shattering all laws of the universe, splitting yin and yang, and even distorting time and space!

Though Qin Chuan was watching from the side, the moment he saw it, it felt as if the sword strike was aimed directly at him.

Pfft!

His soul was instantly obliterated, and his physical body suffered the backlash, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his face turned deathly pale.

"What a terrifying sword!"

"A strike from ancient times, and even after countless eons, a mere trace of its residual aura could still wound my soul!"

He was in shock.

Could this have been the work of a Martial Emperor?!

"If this sword is so powerful, just comprehending even a sliver of its essence would be like gaining a formidable divine ability!"

At the thought of this, his breathing quickened.

However, he pondered for a moment. If every glance resulted in a backlash like this, how many times would he need to endure such pain to comprehend the technique?

Moreover, he would need time to heal after each injury.

He checked his spatial ring, finding over a hundred soul-recovery pills and about the same number of spiritual herbs with similar effects. This meant he had enough resources for over two hundred recoveries.

"And since the injuries aren't that severe, I don't need to heal every time. One treatment should hold me for three instances of backlash!"

"In other words, I have over six hundred opportunities to study the sword. If I can't succeed after six hundred tries, I'll have to give up."

Determined, he took a pill and began recovering before sending his soul force back into the stone door.

"Kill—"

Pfft!

"Kill—"

Pfft!

…

Again and again, Qin Chuan pushed himself, enduring the backlash from the sword's residual aura, healing, and then diving back in, repeatedly pushing himself to his limits.

Half a month passed like this.

He was injured, healed, and injured again, only to discover with joy that his soul had become increasingly resilient.

He could now withstand nine instances of backlash!

This development reduced his consumption of pills and herbs by two-thirds, allowing him to continue his endeavor for far longer.

Otherwise, he would have had to retreat days ago.

Buzz!!

Finally, after over fifteen hundred attempts, he once again spat out blood. But this time, a shadow was born in his mind.

It was the essence of that sword strike.

In his mind, a vague figure stood, mimicking the same motion, the same momentum, as it swung the sword.

"Kill!!"

Drawing his Azure Lotus Sword, Qin Chuan slashed horizontally, replicating the aura he had glimpsed. Instantly, the sword light surged with overwhelming power.

Boom!!

The sword light struck the stone door, producing a thunderous boom as stone fragments exploded, and a cloud of dust billowed up.

When the dust cleared, a faint sword mark could be seen etched into the previously indestructible stone door!

After unleashing this sword strike, Qin Chuan was overcome with an unprecedented sense of exhaustion, as though all his strength had been drained. Even his soul felt dizzy.

It was as if his body had been completely emptied!

"This sword is incredibly powerful, but with my current strength, I can only use it once. I can't rely on it easily."

He assessed his condition and decided to treat this newfound technique as a trump card—every man needs an ace up his sleeve!

After taking a few recovery pills and adjusting his condition, he left the cave.

The space beyond the stone door was vast and held many more secrets, but he wasn't inclined to explore further.

Greed knows no bounds!

If just glimpsing a residual sword aura left him injured, encountering real danger might mean his death on the spot.

In fact, if he had been any weaker or if the sword aura had been any stronger, he would have died half a month ago!

To come out alive and with a fragment of that sword's essence was already a stroke of incredible luck...

…

Soon, Qin Chuan returned to the Seven Martial Sect.

He discovered that Qin Zi had been back for several days and, according to rumors, had been visiting Shui Qingrou's residence every night.

They were likely "exchanging insights" about cultivation.

Even more surprising was that Qin Zi's cultivation had already reached the Heaven-reaching Realm, and he was now at the second stage of that realm!

His progress was astounding… though still slower than Qin Chuan's. But for a normal person, it was already quite impressive.

"Xiao Zi, with your current strength, it's hard to find opponents among the younger generation in the Seven Nations."

"But cultivation is like rowing against the current—if you don't advance, you'll fall behind. To grow stronger, you must compete with the most exceptional talents."

"So... it's time for us to go to the Eastern Domain."

Qin Chuan looked at his son and said this in all seriousness.

"Huh?"

Qin Zi was startled and hesitantly asked, "Can I bring Junior Sister Qingrou with me?"

"What do you think?"

Qin Chuan gave him a half-smile in return.

He already knew that Qin Zi had developed a relationship with Shui Qingrou. As for the specifics, well, who could say?

Everyone has their own story.

Some are passionate, some are quiet, and some… make a lot of noise. But those details are known only to them.

"Uhh…"

Faced with his father's gaze, Qin Zi felt a bit guilty, even ashamed—after all, this was supposed to be a training journey, not a vacation!

At that moment, Qin Chuan smiled mysteriously and said, "Don't worry about Shui Qingrou. She has her own path to follow. Perhaps... her destined master is already on their way to find her."

"Huh?"

Qin Zi was taken aback, staring into his father's deep, enigmatic eyes. He couldn't help but feel that his father was becoming more and more unfathomable.