Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

"Hmm?!"

The prince of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom frowned deeply when he saw Yang Shengtian pointing at him with such an arrogant attitude. Coldly staring at Yang Shengtian, he said, "Your attitude seems rather disrespectful."

"Heh, is that so?"

Yang Shengtian sneered disdainfully and said, "Respect is reserved for the strong. Weaklings don't deserve respect."

The face of the Vermilion Bird prince darkened completely. He responded coldly, "Are you saying… I'm the weak one?"

"Aren't you?"

Yang Shengtian retorted with a question.

"Fine! Such arrogance!"

The Vermilion Bird prince let out a chilling laugh. "Let's see then who the real weakling is!"

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, intense flames erupted from his body, and a shadowy Vermilion Bird materialized above his head.

"A Companion Vermilion Bird?!"

Some among the Nine Suns Kingdom crowd were visibly shocked. The Companion Vermilion Bird was a rare bloodline talent only a few within the Vermilion Bird royal family could awaken. While it wasn't a true Vermilion Bird, its combat prowess was terrifying.

It was essentially a second entity, creating a two-versus-one situation.

"Trickery! Break!"

Yang Shengtian snorted disdainfully and charged straight ahead, his power surging like a wild dragon unleashed.

Boom!

With one punch, he shattered the Companion Vermilion Bird on the spot, sending flames scattering through the sky.

But at the same time, a fist slammed into his chest, causing him to grunt in pain as he was sent flying backward.

"Fool!"

The Vermilion Bird prince sneered, swiftly pursuing the airborne Yang Shengtian, his movements ghost-like as he closed the gap.

Not only that, but the shattered Vermilion Bird reformed behind him, weaving itself back together from strands of red flame as it resumed its form.

"Enough!"

As Yang Shengtian flew back, he saw the prince rushing toward him. He raised his arms, summoning immense golden handprints that swept forward like the hands of an ancient god, intending to crush everything before them.

But in the next moment, the golden hands were obliterated as the Vermilion Bird pierced through them, hurtling directly toward him.

"Heavenly Gang Boy Technique!"

Yang Shengtian quickly activated a defensive technique once used by Han Diaozi, and a transparent spherical barrier enveloped him.

Boom!

The Vermilion Bird struck the barrier with a deafening crash, disintegrating into countless embers. However, cracks began to spread across the barrier.

Just then, a fist emerged from the scattering flames, smashing into the cracked shield.

Boom!!

A brutal, overpowering force exploded outward, shattering the cracked barrier into countless fragments.

"Ugh!"

Yang Shengtian spat out blood, and before he could be flung away by the force, the Vermilion Bird prince's leg swept across like a dragon's tail.

Thud!

The powerful kick struck Yang Shengtian's chest with immense force, the impact tearing apart his shirt from the back.

He crashed into the ground, disheveled and defeated.

Before he could even get back up, the Vermilion Bird prince descended from the sky, ruthlessly stomping on his chest.

"Ugh!"

Blood spewed from Yang Shengtian's mouth once again. His head jerked upward before slumping back down, his face ashen.

"Heh, now tell me—who's the weak one?"

The Vermilion Bird prince pressed his foot onto Yang Shengtian's chest, glaring down at him with a mocking smile.

"Get off! Get off me!!"

Yang Shengtian's eyes filled with savage fury as he thrashed about like a mad lion, kicking out with his limbs in a frenzy.

Oddly, though, he wasn't unleashing the full power of his inner strength. Normally, he should still have plenty of power left to fight back...

"Stubborn fool!"

The Vermilion Bird prince scoffed, stomping harder until Yang Shengtian was pinned to the ground, unable to move.

"Aaaargh!!"

Yang Shengtian howled in rage, struggling violently, like a turtle flipped on its back, utterly helpless.

His struggles and shouts weren't just out of frustration from defeat, though. His eyes were filled with madness, but it wasn't the shame and fury one might expect from losing a battle. No, it felt more like he was venting—crying out in some sort of protest, a bitter question directed at the world.

"I hate it! I hate it! I'm not willing to accept this! Why do you all treat me like this?! Why?!"

He roared, tears streaming silently from the corners of his eyes, dripping onto the ground.

The Vermilion Bird Kingdom's onlookers were stunned at first but quickly broke into mocking smiles—Is this really the prince of the Nine Suns Kingdom?

What a disgrace!

Even among the royal family of Nine Suns, many of them looked down in embarrassment. This so-called "first genius" of the royal family, usually so arrogant and domineering, was now utterly humiliated.

Only a few showed a more complex expression—mixed with guilt—like the crippled old ancestor and Second Princess Yang Wanying.

"Alright, with one win and one loss for each side, let's move on to the third match," the white-haired youth said.

Hearing this, Qin Zi stepped forward.

He glanced back at Yang Shengtian, lying defeated with a dazed look in his eyes. For some reason, Qin Zi no longer found this person as detestable as before. Instead, there was a hint of pity.

"Forget it."

Casting aside his thoughts, Qin Zi focused on his opponent—a young man who looked too immature to even grow a proper mustache.

"This one's mine! I'll win for sure!" the Vermilion Bird prince declared.

"Heh, too young to grow facial hair, too unreliable to count on!" Qin Zi chuckled and charged toward him.

Boom!

It was as if rivers of power surged within Qin Zi, bursting forth with overwhelming strength.

After his time in the Spirit Pool, Qin Zi's cultivation had risen to the Sixth Layer of the Nirvana Realm, and his divine body had further unlocked its potential. His combat power had skyrocketed, giving him an air of invincibility among those of the same realm.

What does it mean to be invincible?

It means dominating opponents of the same level with ease and even fighting beyond his level when facing ordinary geniuses!

"Die!"

Qin Zi threw a punch, grand and unstoppable. The golden fist strike resembled a river of light tearing through the sky, its momentum unstoppable.

"Defend!"

The Vermilion Bird prince's face turned pale, and he hurriedly activated a defensive martial art—Heavenly Gang Gate.

Boom!

But Qin Zi's punch obliterated his defense with ease, shattering the Vermilion Bird prince's technique.

"How... how is this possible?!"

The Vermilion Bird prince was terrified. He retreated swiftly, dodging and evading, focusing only on defense.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Qin Zi advanced calmly, throwing one punch after another with simple, brute force.

He believed in the concept that overwhelming strength could crush any fancy technique. As long as he kept hammering away, his opponent would eventually crumble.

After all, few could match the raw power and stamina of someone with a divine body.

Sure enough.

Not long after, the Vermilion Bird prince was exhausted. Faced with this human-shaped beast, he felt a growing sense of despair.

"I can't lose. I can't lose! My uncle is watching! If I lose, he'll never invest in me again!"

In a fit of desperation, he remembered a "gift" his uncle had given him upon returning home.

Taking a deep breath, he fixed his gaze on the approaching Qin Zi, his eyes flashing with murderous intent as he growled, "Soul-Chasing Thorn, go!"

Whoosh!

A dark light shot from the prince's forehead.

It moved with blinding speed, piercing through Qin Zi's defenses and stabbing into his forehead!

"Aah!"

Qin Zi let out a pained scream.

"Zhu Hong!!"

The white-haired youth's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected his junior to use such a despicable technique.

Especially with something he had given him.

Though he was a pragmatic person who didn't shy away from underhanded tactics, he found sneak attacks in the midst of battle utterly disgraceful.

In his mind, battle was sacred.

Victory was victory. Defeat was defeat. Even if you lost and refused to admit it, you should never resort to such dirty tricks to claim a win!

"Uncle, I won! We won!"

The Vermilion Bird prince grinned, eager to seek praise.

He didn't realize he had angered his uncle, nor did he understand that he had crossed a line.

After all, everyone had different values—and some people had peculiar fixations.

"Die!!"

Just then, a black light shot out from Qin Zi's forehead, returning the favor as it pierced the prince's brow!

"Ugh!"

The prince coughed up blood, his eyes widening in disbelief. His vision dimmed as he muttered, "This… can't… be!"