Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

"System, teleport me out of Ma Po Cave!" Qin Chuan quickly commanded, without hesitation.

"Ding! This will consume one point of Parental Value," the system responded, taking advantage of the situation.

"Fine!" Qin Chuan agreed without any hesitation.

"Buzz!"

The next moment, a surge of teleportation power erupted, and Qin Chuan felt the world spinning around him. When everything settled, he found himself outside the valley that housed Ma Po Cave.

Without wasting any time, he flew out of the valley.

At that moment, a deafening explosion rang out.

"Boom—!"

The earth trembled, mountains crumbled, and a terrifying wave of destructive energy surged from the cave entrance, obliterating the entire valley.

Not only that, the destructive force continued to compress and burst from the cave entrance, forming a blinding white beam of light that swept across the landscape, leveling everything in its path. It carved out a trench over a hundred meters wide, stretching all the way to the horizon.

"Ah! Help me, heavens!"

Suddenly, a panicked scream echoed.

Qin Chuan looked up and saw a giant panda and a short, plump old man tumbling out of the beam of light. They were flailing in the air, as if swept away by a flood, and they crashed violently to the ground.

The panda rolled a few times, then flopped over with its legs sticking up in the air, completely motionless. Only its large, round belly rising and falling showed that it was still alive.

The short, plump old man sat up groggily, only to have a massive yellow wine gourd fall from the sky and smack him squarely on the head.

"Ouch!"

He let out a pitiful cry and collapsed back onto the ground.

Qin Chuan hovered in the air, watching the scene with a mix of surprise and amusement. He chuckled and asked, "Senior, what happened to you?"

"Huh, young man? You're still here?" The short, plump old man quickly scrambled to his feet, straightening his robes and acting as if nothing had happened.

His face showed no embarrassment, as if the man who had just tumbled so clumsily wasn't him, and the current composed version of him was the real deal.

"Hehe, Senior mentioned the cave was dangerous and that I might not be able to handle it. But looking at you… it seems even you didn't manage to handle it either?" Qin Chuan teased with a grin.

"Bah! Don't mention it—bad luck!" the short, plump old man spat on the ground, grumbling, "With my strength and skills, navigating that cave should have been a walk in the park. But some idiot triggered a death trap, and even I got caught up in it."

He glanced at Qin Chuan and added, "Good thing you heeded my advice and didn't go inside, or you might not have made it out."

Puffing out his chest proudly, he continued, "There were hundreds of cultivators inside, but only I managed to escape. As for the others… well, in situations like this, not even their bones would remain."

"Indeed, Senior, your strength is unparalleled, and your foresight saved me from danger. If not for your warning, I might have ended up in a bad spot too," Qin Chuan said, nodding earnestly.

He complimented the old man with a straight face, his tone so genuine that the old man never suspected Qin Chuan was the very cause of all the chaos in the cave.

"No need to thank me. As a senior, it's only right to look out for the younger generation. By the way, you must be curious about my name, right? I don't mind telling you—my name is Patriarch Pan Jiang," the short old man said with an air of superiority. Then, as if suddenly remembering something urgent, he added, "Oh, I just remembered I have something important to take care of. I must leave now. Until we meet again."

With that, he hurriedly began to leave.

After walking a dozen meters, he suddenly realized the giant panda was still lying on the ground. With a look of frustration, he cursed under his breath, marched back, lifted the panda with one hand, and swiftly departed.

He left in quite a hurry.

Qin Chuan watched the old man's hurried figure, stroking his chin thoughtfully as his eyes narrowed. It seems that old man isn't in great shape…

He considered following him, but thought better of it.

Even a cornered rabbit will bite. Mysterious figures like that old man likely had countless tricks up their sleeves. If he tried to take advantage of the situation, he might end up getting countered.

Even the boldest villains could misstep if they acted recklessly, and Qin Chuan was no exception. Caution was always a wise choice.

Besides, he wasn't lacking anything right now.

Today, he had gained two Martial Emperor-level inheritances—the Witch Lord Body Refining Manual and the Sun-Swallowing Emperor Manual.

"I left two strands of Qin Zi's hair in that pillar earlier, but that alone isn't enough to shift the blame onto the kid. As his father, it's only right that I pass down a few powerful techniques to him."

With that thought, a kind smile spread across Qin Chuan's face.

"Ding! A five-tribulation Third Heaven Emperor has developed killing intent toward your son. In accordance with the principle of 'a father's love is unshakable,' your strength will temporarily increase to the same level of a Third Heaven First Tribulation Emperor, and you will be unmatched in this realm."

"Ding! Note: Since your opponent is a Third Heaven Saint Emperor, your First Tribulation will be fully equivalent to their five-tribulation level. In this realm, you can easily defeat them."

Suddenly, the system's voice chimed.

"Boom!"

At that moment, Qin Chuan felt a resounding boom within his body, as though the heavens and earth had been created anew.

Whoosh!

Nine types of law energy surged out from his body, and a magnificent small world began to unfold from within him.

It was a spherical, illusory world, like a painting, with mountains and rivers that seemed both real and surreal.

This was his small world.

All Realm Emperors possessed their own small world, which was the source of their power.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

A surge of immense power appeared out of nowhere, flooding into his small world, causing it to rapidly expand. The mountains and rivers inside became clearer, and his aura soared to new heights.

"So much power!"

Qin Chuan clenched his fist, feeling an overwhelming surge of energy flowing through him like a mighty river, as though his arms might explode from the sheer force.

"It seems my invincibility in the same realm is not limited to the fragment continents. Even on the Nine Heavens Main Continent, where I face top-tier emperors who also broke through from the Nine Heavens Saint Realm, I'll still be unbeaten in my realm!"

"The Nine Heavens Main Continent must be incredibly prosperous now. I wonder what kind of geniuses thrive there…"

His eyes filled with anticipation.

Different environments produced different qualities of geniuses. A Realm Emperor who broke through from the Nine Heavens Saint Realm was a shocking existence on the fragment continents, but on the Nine Heavens Main Continent, it might be more common.

After all, with the divine artifact nourishing the continent for tens of thousands of years, it was entirely possible that the Nine Heavens Main Continent had surpassed even the ancient eras.

Who says the present can't surpass the past?

Who says today's cultivators are inferior to those of ancient times?

"Right, I should check on the boy. A five-tribulation emperor is a big leap in power, and it's possible he might actually struggle this time."

At this point, Qin Chuan remembered his son Qin Zi. He quickly pulled out a golden compass and flew in the direction it indicated.

At the center of the compass was a drop of blood—Qin Zi's blood—which Qin Chuan had taken from him openly.

He never needed to explain anything to his son, and Qin Zi never questioned his father's actions. I may not understand why Father does these things, but I trust him—Father would never harm me!

"Whoosh!"

Qin Chuan's current speed was far beyond what it had been before. A streak of golden light tore through the sky, shredding the clouds as it passed.

By all accounts, he shouldn't have to worry about Qin Zi's safety. As a child of destiny, no matter what danger he faced, there would always be a way out.

But sometimes, when the crisis was too overwhelming, there was another possibility—what if he, Qin Chuan, was that way out?

After all, the system had specifically urged him to intervene, so perhaps his appearance was the lifeline fate had left for Qin Zi.

If, due to his assumptions, he allowed his son to lose that one chance at survival, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Therefore, he had to go and see for himself!