Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

"This cave has more to it than meets the eye. Let's go inside and take a look."

Qin Chuan glanced at the pitch-black cave and spoke calmly.

The cave wasn't originally very deep.

But when that old man burst out, he broke through a stone wall, as if he had pierced a membrane, revealing an even deeper cave inside.

The dark and deep cave seemed to swallow life itself!

"This... could it be dangerous?"

Qin Zi asked instinctively, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he nearly slapped himself.

What a stupid question!

With his father here, what danger could there be? What monster or demon would dare to act recklessly in front of his father?

"Let's go. You lead the way."

Qin Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he spoke.

Qin Zi was momentarily stunned.

Then he quickly realized that his father was clearly trying to train his courage! Thinking back to his earlier cowardly words, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Father was surely disappointed in him.

Determined to redeem himself, Qin Zi resolved to show his father his bravery, to prove that he, Qin Zi, was no coward!

With that, he straightened his back and headed toward the cave.

But despite his newfound courage, as he looked at the dark and deep cave, Qin Zi couldn't help but feel his breath grow heavier.

His whole body tensed up.

He proceeded cautiously, with his upper body slightly leaning back, his feet shuffling along the ground as he moved forward, as if afraid of stepping on a trap.

"Sigh..."

Behind him, Qin Chuan sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his tone. "With your father here, what is there to fear?"

"I!!"

Qin Zi's face turned red.

Qin Chuan continued in a calm voice, "To overcome fear, the best method is to confront it, or even... to provoke it."

"Provoke fear?"

Qin Zi was somewhat puzzled.

"To put it simply, no matter what's inside this cave, you should act arrogantly. The more arrogant, the better."

Qin Chuan explained.

"Then... what should I do?"

Qin Zi was still at a loss.

"Curse, curse as fiercely as you can! No matter what that unknown entity is, how strong it might be, imagine it as utterly worthless!"

Qin Chuan's voice was firm and powerful.

Qin Zi's body trembled violently, then his eyes lit up with excitement as he nodded, "I get it!!"

He took a deep breath and began shouting angrily into the cave.

"Listen up, you bastard inside the cave! Your grandpa is here, and your great-grandpa too, so get out here and greet us!"

"Are you too ashamed to show your face? Did your father mate with a wild boar in the mountains, making you too ugly to see anyone?"

"Sigh, what a sin! I already got him a whole pen of sows back home, why did he have to disgrace himself like that in the mountains..."

Qin Zi cursed fluently, showing a natural talent for it.

As the arrogant and vulgar curses echoed through the cave, the fear of the unknown in his heart genuinely began to diminish.

Gradually, his back straightened, and his steps became more confident, no longer cautious like before.

Walking arrogantly makes the monsters tremble! Qin Chuan, listening to his son's innate cursing ability, nodded in satisfaction.

This way, he would be safe.

However, contrary to Qin Chuan's expectations, the long dark cave held no lurking monsters or demons.

They walked for a long time without encountering any danger.

Finally, they reached the end of the cave.

A narrow crack seemed to split the mountain overhead, allowing a ray of white light to shine down, illuminating the scene ahead.

It was a massive stone door!! The stone door stood over ten meters tall and seven or eight meters wide, ancient and imposing, with various fierce beasts carved into its surface, as if their ferocity was meant to suppress something inside.

"Father, this..."

Qin Zi turned to look at his father.

Qin Chuan gazed at the massive stone door, frowning slightly. He then stepped forward and gently placed his right hand on the door.

"Buzz!"

A light shone from his forehead, and his powerful soul force spread out, flowing through his hand and onto the stone door.

He intended to probe it.

"Boom!"

However, in his perception, it felt as if an overwhelming torrent surged forward, directly shattering his soul force! Moreover, this torrent seemed to want to backfire on him, its violent power nearly making him spit blood on the spot!

But his Prison-Suppressing Cauldron in the dantian vibrated, releasing a suppressing force that neutralized the torrent.

That was close!

He almost lost face!

Qin Chuan felt a lingering fear, but his expression remained unchanged, adhering to his usual calm demeanor.

He slowly withdrew his hand and once again stood with his hands behind his back, his serene expression revealing nothing of what had just occurred.

"Father, what happened?"

Qin Zi asked eagerly.

Qin Chuan didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked up at the top of the stone door, a deep and inscrutable smile on his face.

"Heh, interesting..."

Then, before Qin Zi could ask again, Qin Chuan looked at him and smiled, "Don't ask. With your current strength, knowing won't do you any good, it'll only add to your worries."

"There's a great opportunity inside, but it's of no use to me. I'll leave it here for you to claim in the future."

With that, he turned and walked out of the cave, his steps leisurely and confident, a mysterious smile on his face.

"A great opportunity!"

Qin Zi licked his lips, his breathing quickening. He had absolute faith in his father's words.

He could tell.

When his father placed his hand on the stone door earlier, he must have used some mysterious method to perceive what lay inside! "Let's go. Since your father wants you to return later, it means you can't enter now, and going in wouldn't do any good."

The blonde woman advised.

"Mm."

Qin Zi nodded. He reluctantly touched the stone door but immediately felt a sharp pain.

"Hiss!"

He quickly withdrew his hand, finding tiny beads of blood where it felt like he'd been pricked by needles.

"There really is something strange here."

Qin Zi took a deep breath, suppressing his curiosity, and swiftly left the cave.

What he didn't know was.

After he left, the stone door absorbed the blood he had left behind. The carvings on it seemed to come to life, and then, the door slowly opened...

However, finding no one entering, it closed again after a while.

...

When Qin Chuan returned to the Seven Martial Sect with Qin Zi, they immediately drew a strong crowd, as if everyone was eager to see a new bride.

After all, such a big event had occurred, and Qin Zi had been at the center of it all.

Naturally, everyone was curious to see if the rumored protagonist had changed in any way since returning.

It seemed they wanted to get to know him all over again.

"Wow, that's Senior Brother Qin Zi. I never noticed before, but he's actually so handsome!"

"And he's really strong too."

"Yeah, to hold off five Nirvana Realm experts and successfully escape—that's an impressive feat."

"Who do you think is stronger, him or Senior Brother Zhao Yunsheng?"

"Well... Senior Brother Zhao has always been the sect's top genius, but now... it's hard to say."

"Hey, Senior Brother Zhao is here!"

Soon, someone noticed a figure silently passing by—it was Zhao Yunsheng.

The senior disciple of the Seven Martial Sect hurried by, seemingly ignoring the chatter and not wanting to be seen.

But he was still surrounded.

"Senior Brother Zhao, a lot of people are speculating about who's stronger, you or Senior Brother Qin Zi. What do you think?"

One disciple asked with a smile.

He dared to ask because everyone knew Senior Brother Zhao had a gentle temperament and never minded such things.

"Heh, how would I know if we haven't fought?"

Zhao Yunsheng smiled and shook his head gently. "Besides, we're all fellow disciples, so what does it matter who's stronger?"

"Senior Brother Zhao is right. But as they say, there can be no first in literature, but in martial arts, there must be a winner. It's still worth figuring out."

Another disciple insisted.

"The road ahead is long. Even if there's a difference in strength now, it's only temporary. Why take it so seriously?"

"The strong might grow complacent and be overtaken, while the weak, if they work hard, can catch up. So instead of worrying about this, why not focus on your cultivation?"

Zhao Yunsheng chuckled and playfully knocked each disciple on the head before striding off.

The group was stunned.

Then they slowly came to their senses, staring blankly at Zhao Yunsheng's retreating figure and touching the spots where they had been hit.

"Senior Brother Zhao... is so graceful."

"Mm-hmm."

"I feel the same."

Their hearts warmed.

That gentle knock, though light, broke down the invisible barrier between people, crossing the boundaries of status and rank.

Just imagine—if your boss or idol playfully knocked you on the head, wouldn't you feel a sense of closeness?

However, what they didn't know was that their easygoing Senior Brother Zhao's expression grew increasingly cold after he turned away.

Even turning grim.

He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists tightly inside his sleeves.

Did he care about such rumors? He cared a lot!! He could be kind and gentle to his junior brothers and sisters, show no airs, and even bend down to care for many.

But... he must be bending down, not looking up at others! That was his bottom line!

Zhao Yunsheng was the son of Sect Master Zhao Panlong, and he had carried a mission since childhood—to become the Seven Martial Sect's top genius, and eventually, its strongest warrior! No one could stand in his way!

"Qin Zi... don't think you can defeat me!!"