Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

After returning to the sect, Qin Chuan didn't immediately go to the pit to help the old demon restore his cultivation. Instead, he continued reading. He planned to wait until Shui Qinghan, that kid, squeezed a bit more benefit from the old demon. After all, Shui Qinghan was the brother of his future daughter-in-law.

Why let someone else benefit from it?

Regardless of what the old demon was plotting, at least he had to offer some real advantages to deceive someone, and Shui Qinghan was indeed reaping the benefits.

The old demon was fishing, and Shui Qinghan was eating the bait. Whether or not Shui Qinghan would end up hooked depended on his own cleverness.

Qin Chuan was giving him an opportunity to grow, but that didn't mean he would personally guide and protect him. He wasn't that enthusiastic. As the saying goes, a master shows the door, but cultivation depends on oneself. If Shui Qinghan played himself to death, he'd have no one else to blame.

Another month quickly passed.

One day, a golden invitation arrived from Fenglei Valley, one of the six major sects of the kingdom. It was said that the Spring Thunder Fruit Tree, which had stood for three thousand years and bore fruit once every hundred years, was about to bear fruit again. Fenglei Valley invited all the young talents from across the kingdom to participate in the Spring Thunder Conference.

This was a kind of test to gauge the overall strength of the younger generation in the kingdom.

Although the invitation didn't limit the number of participants, technically, all Seven Martial Sect disciples could attend. However, the invitation specifically named only Qin Zi and Shui Qingrou, making it inappropriate for the Seven Martial Sect to send more disciples.

The Seven Martial Sect had its pride.

Spring Thunder Fruits weren't exactly rare, and the sect wasn't about to shamelessly send more disciples just for a few fruits!

After some discussion, the sect's elders decided that Qin Chuan would lead Qin Zi and Shui Qingrou to Fenglei Valley.

As they spent more time together, the elders of the Seven Martial Sect gradually realized that Elder Qin Chuan's strength was remarkable. Perhaps even the Grand Elder Jia Tianhe wasn't a match for him…

In this world, strength was paramount.

Even though Qin Chuan hadn't done anything to assert his authority, the elders naturally respected him more. His status naturally rose because of his strength, which commanded respect far more effectively than any official position.

The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze blew.

White clouds clustered like piles of cotton.

Amid the clouds, a proud roc was soaring, its speed tremendous, covering three thousand miles in a single beat of its wings, ascending to the heights of the heavens.

Three figures stood on the back of the roc.

At the front was Qin Chuan, hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. His white robe fluttered, giving him an air of dominance.

Behind him, Qin Zi and Shui Qingrou stood awkwardly, their faces slightly flushed as they avoided each other's gaze.

It was clear that they had developed feelings for each other. Now, standing face to face in front of Qin Chuan, there was a difficult-to-describe shyness between them.

"Spring has arrived, everything is waking up, and the air is filled with the scent of hormones… it's that time of year again…"

A magnetic old voice suddenly echoed in Qin Chuan's mind, making him chuckle.

These two youngsters were indeed destined for each other. When the time was right, nothing could stop it.

He just wondered if this kid would turn out to be a womanizer, given that many chosen ones were often philanderers.

They were so blessed with good fortune that they couldn't avoid being surrounded by potential romantic interests.

"Look over there! What's that?" Qin Zi suddenly called out.

Qin Chuan turned his head in the direction Qin Zi was pointing and was surprised by what he saw.

On the ground below, a black dot was moving slowly. A quick scan with his spiritual sense revealed the details.

It was a two-meter-tall giant panda, carrying an old drunkard hugging a large orange gourd on its back!

The panda waddled along lazily, looking like it might collapse and fall asleep at any moment.

The rosy-cheeked, slightly chubby old man with white hair was drinking from his gourd, a silly grin on his face as he muttered, "Good wine, good wine…"

Qin Chuan probed further with his spiritual sense but found the old man to be unremarkable, with no detectable energy fluctuations inside or out.

But such people were often the most dangerous!

"What a big bird…"

The old man seemed to notice Qin Chuan's probing and looked up, bleary-eyed, muttering before taking another swig from his gourd.

Qin Chuan decided it was worth checking out.

Encountering such a peculiar character and not greeting him left an itch in his heart. After all… the man was riding a giant panda!

"Let's go down."

Qin Chuan instructed the roc, and the bird immediately spiraled downwards, landing in front of the giant panda.

The wind generated by the roc's descent blew the panda's black-and-white fur in all directions, making it look like a wild horse's mane.

The panda, squinting against the wind, shrank its neck and turned its head as if to say, "The wind's too strong!"

"Young man, do you… hic… need something?" The chubby old man on the panda's back hiccuped, smiling in a way that matched his mount's lazy demeanor.

"Elder, your mount is quite rare. What kind of beast is it?" Qin Chuan asked with a smile.

"Oh, this lazy creature is called 'Gun Gun.' It's supposedly… a legendary Iron-Eating Beast." The chubby old man gave a self-deprecating smile.

"You're very fortunate, Elder."

Qin Chuan complimented.

"Heh, indeed. I must have built up eight lifetimes' worth of luck to end up with such a perfect mount!"

The old man's expression turned bitter, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, his smile more painful than joyful.

Qin Chuan maintained his composure and asked, "I'm Qin Chuan, an elder of the Seven Martial Sect. May I ask how I should address you, Elder?"

"Me? Heh, I'm just a nobody. There's no need to mention my name."

The old man laughed bitterly and then looked more closely at Qin Zi and Shui Qingrou. He smiled and said, "These two youngsters are quite promising. Guide them well, and they may achieve great things."

"You're too kind, Elder."

Qin Chuan replied politely before extending an invitation, "We're heading to Fenglei Valley for an event. Would you like to join us?"

"Hahaha, you young people go enjoy yourselves. This old man won't get involved. Gun Gun is slow, and we're just a couple of stray dogs wandering wherever the wind takes us. When we can't move anymore, we'll just lie down and rest."

"Young man, perhaps we'll meet again."

The old man waved goodbye to Qin Chuan, then continued on his way atop the giant panda. His departing figure, though a bit comical, carried a hint of melancholy.

"Dad, that old man seems quite powerful," Qin Zi remarked thoughtfully.

"So what if he is? So what if he isn't?" Qin Chuan responded with a mysterious smile. Although he hadn't fully figured out the old man, he wasn't about to show that uncertainty.

When in doubt, fake confidence!