Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

"Uncle Master, wasn't that a bit too harsh?" Su Xuanlong's expression wasn't looking too good.

"It's fine. He'll recover from such a small injury in a few days. You have to polish jade to make it into something valuable. I'm only doing it for his own good," Qin Zi said righteously.

Su Xuanlong nearly exploded with anger!

Che Zhen wasn't just physically injured; his Dao heart had been utterly shattered. Who knew how long it would take for him to recover, if he ever did! He might even be broken beyond repair... And this insane behavior was somehow "for his own good"?

"I'd like to cut off your head to make your shoulders feel lighter!" he cursed internally.

But on the surface, he still held his composure.

At this moment, Qin Zi's eyes suddenly lit up. He smiled and said, "I remember the sect has a Dragon Fish Pond. There's a group of dragon fish in there. I haven't seen them in a few years, I wonder how they've grown."

Swish!

Su Xuanlong's eyelids twitched violently, and his whole body tensed up, unable to suppress the wild power surging within him!

What is this brat trying to do? Go after the dragon fish?!

Dragon fish!!

That was the sect's most prized treasure! In the entire Eastern Domain, there wasn't anything else like it!

Eight thousand years ago, the Sword Emperor had brought this exotic species back from the Dragon Transformation Pool in the distant Western Domain. Although they were fish, they carried the bloodline of true dragons. Their blood had numerous mystical properties, useful for alchemy, weapon forging, or even consumption to greatly enhance one's constitution!

These dragon fish grew extremely slowly and reproduced even slower. After eight thousand years, there were only barely over two hundred of them.

Even within the Eastern Victory Divine Sect, no one dared to consume the dragon fish lightly. Only a thousand years ago, when the Feather Emperor became an Emperor, did the Sword Emperor slaughter a few dragon fish to host a banquet for the Emperors of the Eastern Emperor Palace, the Jiang Family, the Ji Family, and the Chu Family!

In short, the dragon fish were strictly off-limits.

People across the Eastern Domain had heard of the dragon fish, but no one dared to even think of taking them. Mentioning it was forbidden!

Once, a notorious thief with the cultivation of a Ninth Heaven Saint attempted to steal the dragon fish. The Sword Emperor didn't kill him.

But he cut off one of his legs.

Then he pickled the leg and hung it as a ham on the gates of the largest city in the Eastern Domain—Tianhe City—for three years, for all to see.

That thief was never heard from again...

"Uncle Master, the dragon fish grow very slowly. In a hundred years, they only grow an inch or two. A few years won't have made much of a difference," Su Xuanlong said.

No matter what, he had to try to stop this, even if only symbolically. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"Haha, maybe they haven't changed, but I have. Revisiting a place after a few years always stirs up old memories," Qin Zi said nostalgically, his eyes misting with sentiment.

"I remember a few years ago, I was by the pond feeding them spirit grass... how time flies, a few years have passed so quickly..."

Su Xuanlong's mouth twitched violently.

Act!

Keep acting!

A few years ago, this brat was still herding cattle in some remote village. Who even knew about him in the Eastern Victory Divine Sect?

"Lead the way. Let's go see the dragon fish," Qin Zi said, snapping out of his nostalgic musings, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Su Xuanlong hesitated for a moment before sighing deeply. In the end, with a blank expression, he led the way.

Fine, let's go take a look.

If this brat tried to catch a dragon fish, he would definitely stop him. After all, even as the Feather Emperor's disciple, he couldn't just take the dragon fish!

They were raised by the Sword Emperor!

Not only was the Sword Emperor's strength unfathomable, but he was also the Feather Emperor's master. Even the Feather Emperor had to show respect before him.

Before long.

The group arrived at the Dragon Fish Pond.

This was a towering mountain peak surrounded by lush green mountains, with moist clouds and mist lingering around, giving it a dreamlike, rainy atmosphere.

At the summit of the mountain was an irregularly shaped cold pond, about a kilometer in diameter. The pond had no visible banks—it looked as if the mountain peak had been sliced cleanly by a sword, leaving the smooth surface like a mirror.

The water in the pond was crystal clear and icy cold, with faint white mist rising from the surface—cold smoke curling atop the waves.

"Gurgle gurgle."

Qin Zi's group hovered above the pond, peering down. They could vaguely see golden fish swimming deep beneath the surface.

These fish varied in size.

The largest were nearly two meters long, while the smallest were only two or three inches, about the size of loaches.

"Splash!!"

Suddenly, a dragon fish leapt out of the water, soaring three meters into the air and creating a spray of snow-white water.

Its form was fully revealed—a golden dragon's head with a carp's body, a soft, long tail, and scales much larger than those of an ordinary fish. Its entire body exuded a sense of grace and power.

"Little Gold!"

Qin Zi suddenly shouted, rushing forward as if he had seen an old friend, tears of nostalgia brimming in his eyes...

Thud!

However, he slammed directly into an invisible barrier. Su Xuanlong's voice came from behind him, "Uncle Master, to prevent people from stealing the fish, a protective formation has been set around the Dragon Fish Pond."

"Take it down! Can't you see I'm about to reunite with Little Gold? Look at how much it misses me, jumping up to greet me," Qin Zi demanded.

"Well... I'm afraid that's beyond me. This formation was set by the Sword Emperor himself. No one else can deactivate it," Su Xuanlong said with difficulty.

In reality, he was lying!

He came here every day to feed the dragon fish and change the water, so naturally, he had a token to deactivate the formation.

"Really? Then why could I go in five years ago and play with Little Gold?" Qin Zi asked, frowning.

Su Xuanlong's face twitched.

He was almost ready to explode with curses—five years ago, my foot! Do you even know whether you've been in here before?!

Has this brat lied so much that he's started to believe his own nonsense?!

But the words that came out of his mouth were, "Perhaps the Sword Emperor permitted it at the time. After all, you had just become the Feather Emperor's disciple, making you his grand-disciple. He must have indulged you then."

He deliberately sealed the timeline!

By claiming the brat had become the Feather Emperor's disciple five years ago, he could prevent this shameless guy from later claiming, "I was there ten years ago…"

But could Qin Zi be so easily deterred?

He blinked, then frowned and said, "Xuanlong, you must be mistaken. I became the Feather Emperor's disciple at seven years old, which was twelve years ago. You even gave me a gift back then."

Pfft!!

Su Xuanlong nearly spat out blood, and the faces of the nearby elders twitched one after another.

"Hehe, really? Then I must have remembered wrong."

Su Xuanlong took a deep breath and told himself to stay calm. Just endure these few days, and everything will pass.

"Are you sure this formation can't be deactivated?" At this moment, Qin Chuan, who had been watching silently, suddenly asked.

"It really can't be deactivated," Su Xuanlong confirmed.

"And what if it is?" Qin Chuan pressed.

"This formation was set by the Sword Emperor. Without his permission, not even the Feather Emperor can undo it. If it does deactivate... then it means the Sword Emperor has allowed it."

Su Xuanlong said with absolute seriousness.

Internally, he was laughing coldly.

The Sword Emperor's formation—how could you possibly break it? You're dreaming if you think that's possible!

"I think the Sword Emperor has already given his permission."

At this moment, Qin Chuan mysteriously smiled, then turned to Qin Zi and said, "Zi'er, give it a try. See if you can get inside."

"Mm!"

Qin Zi's eyes lit up. He had absolute faith in his father. Since his father said so, there was a good chance it would work.

So, he took another step toward the formation.

Pop!

It was as if he passed through a thin membrane. The formation rippled like water, and suddenly, he was inside.

"How is this possible?!"

Su Xuanlong's expression changed dramatically. His face was filled with shock and disbelief. There was no way the Sword Emperor would allow this brat into the Dragon Fish Pond!

At that moment, Qin Zi flicked his wrists, and a large, pale yellow sack appeared in his hands. He grabbed the mouth of the sack.

"My darlings, you missed me, didn't you? Who wants to come with me? I'll take you out for some fun!"

Qin Zi called out enthusiastically to the dragon fish.

Splash!

Splash!

As soon as he spoke, over a dozen large fish leapt from the water, splashing about wildly as they rushed toward the sack.

These fish appeared lively, but in truth, they were somewhat stiff, like they were cramping. Their eyes even held a look of helpless terror...

"This…"

"This…"

The surrounding elders stared dumbfounded, their expressions dark and uncertain, unsure of how to react.

Qin Zi, while stuffing the fish into the sack, turned and laughed, "Hahaha! These little guys are so playful. Just mentioning going out has them so eager to hop in. My sack can't even hold them all!"

"You! You! You! Stop that right now!"

Finally, Su Xuanlong could no longer hold back. He let out an earth-shattering roar, "You can't take the dragon fish!"

"What?"

Qin Zi turned, dumbfounded, to look at Su Xuanlong, his expression frozen. Yet, his hands continued without pause, quickly tying up the sack stuffed with over a dozen large dragon fish and storing it in his spatial ring.

Spatial rings couldn't hold living creatures, but this special sack could. Unfortunately, its capacity was limited.

Qin Zi walked out of the pond and asked, "Why can't I take them? The Sword Emperor didn't stop me, did he?"

Su Xuanlong's face stiffened.

He was left speechless.

At the same time, his heart was still in turmoil—how on earth did this brat get through the formation? What method did he use?!

What should he do now?

Should he resort to force? No, that was out of the question. They hadn't completely fallen out with each other yet. That line hadn't been crossed.

But at the same time, he couldn't allow this brat to take away the biggest dragon fish. Absolutely not!

Rumble!!

Just as he found himself at an impasse, an overwhelming pressure burst forth from the forbidden grounds of the Eastern Victory Divine Sect, sweeping across the entire area.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Clear footsteps echoed from the sky, as if a god was descending upon the mortal world—noble, majestic, and elegant.

"This aura!"

"This is… the Feather Emperor!!"

Su Xuanlong and the other elders trembled, their eyes blazing with fervor as they looked to the sky.

"Father."

Qin Zi hid behind Qin Chuan, feeling a bit uneasy. He suspected that the Feather Emperor had reached his breaking point and was about to tear off the facade.

He was only at the Third Stage of the Sacred Saint Realm, and when it came to World Emperor powerhouses, he was still very intimidated—naturally so.

"It's fine."

Qin Chuan said calmly.

At this moment, he was very composed.

Because he still had 5.6 points of Patriarch Value. With the World Emperor Possession ability, he could randomly gain the power of a World Emperor.

Even if his luck was bad and he started with a weaker World Emperor's power, he could keep switching. At a rate of one switch every three seconds, eventually, he would land on a powerful enough World Emperor to suppress the Feather Emperor.

Moreover...

There was a high chance he would get the "Showdown Guarantee" card!

He had asked the system about it before—whenever he and his son stirred up trouble in enemy territory and encountered an overwhelming force, there was a chance they'd receive a Showdown Guarantee card. And right now, they were in the Eastern Victory Divine Sect!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At that moment, the footsteps grew clearer. Qin Chuan and Qin Zi looked up to see a handsome young man with black hair and long sideburns, dressed in a blue robe, walking through the air toward them.

"Greetings, Feather Emperor Ancestor!"

"Greetings, Feather Emperor Ancestor!"

Su Xuanlong and the elders were visibly emotional as they knelt mid-air, as if an invisible platform were beneath them.

"Mm."

The Feather Emperor nodded calmly. Then, he smiled and looked at Qin Zi, asking kindly, "Disciple, why haven't you knelt when you've seen your master?"

Boom!

Qin Zi was struck as if by lightning. Suddenly, he recalled the disciples of the Eastern Victory Divine Sect he had forced to kneel under the weight of his title of "Uncle Master."

His face twitched, and out of nowhere, a phrase popped into his mind—

Who has the heavens ever spared!