Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

Night fell, and the starry sky was like a painting.

On a rooftop deep within the Ziyun Academy, two figures sat cross-legged opposite each other—Qin Chuan and the Lord of Ziyun Palace.

A gentle breeze blew by, the water remained still, and they sipped wine under the moon, reciting poems about the bright moon and singing verses of elegance...

After a long time.

Qin Chuan shook his head in self-mockery and smiled, "After tens of thousands of years, the world has changed beyond recognition, constantly evolving, and now there are new techniques. We old folks are clearly falling behind..."

"Senior, why belittle yourself?"

The Lord of Ziyun Palace shook his head with a smile and said, "If it weren't for your blood-soaked battles back then, protecting the Forbidden Divine Mountain that came from beyond the heavens, how could the Nine Heavens Continent have today's prosperity and glory?"

"Hehe..."

Qin Chuan chuckled again, then fell silent.

It seemed that only silence could calm his complicated emotions.

The Lord of Ziyun Palace said nothing further.

He could understand Qin Chuan's feelings—or at least, he believed he could.

In his view, Qin Chuan must have been a proud and unyielding Martial Emperor in the past.

A lifetime of strength, never yielding to anyone!

But after dying in battle and barely reviving, he found that the world had changed. Not only had the overall strength of the human race increased, but even the cultivation system had evolved! And those who were once his peers had likely reached higher realms, leaving him far behind...

He had a pride and determination that refused to lose to others, but now he was faced with the harsh reality of being outpaced.

How cruel must that be?

After a long silence, Qin Chuan finally spoke in a hoarse voice, with a hint of desolation, "Can you tell me more about this new technique?"

"Of course."

The Lord of Ziyun Palace smiled warmly and began to explain.

"The new technique was actually discovered by the top experts of the human race from within the Forbidden Divine Mountain."

"At first, it was Emperor Dragoncatcher who found some clues. Then, Emperor Sun-Swallower found more traces. Eventually, after deliberate research by the human race, more and more new discoveries were made."

"These findings were scattered, but after tens of thousands of years of research and integration by many Martial Emperors, they finally formed a system."

"Overall, the Forbidden Divine Mountain contains traces of a higher cultivation system. We suspect it originates from the legendary Upper Realm. However, these traces are incomplete and seem to conflict with the rules of our world, making them unsuitable for us to cultivate."

"So, our ancestors in the human race adapted and refined these findings into a new technique that suits our world's characteristics!"

The Lord of Ziyun Palace smiled mysteriously and said, "In fact, below the Martial Emperor realm, there is not much difference between the new technique and the old technique. The real difference is... the new technique allows one to surpass the Martial Emperor realm!"

"What?!"

Qin Chuan's expression showed appropriate shock.

The Lord of Ziyun Palace, enjoying Qin Chuan's reaction, grew even more enthusiastic, the curve of his smile widening.

"Yes, the new technique allows one to surpass the Martial Emperor realm."

"Originally, the limit of our world was the Martial Emperor realm. That was the highest realm allowed by the rules of this world."

"But the new technique carves out a new path, cleverly bypassing the world's rule barriers, allowing us to forcibly create a new higher realm—the Extreme Realm!"

"To put it simply, it's like a house with fully constructed walls. By thinning the walls from the inside, the internal space becomes larger."

Qin Chuan asked, "Aren't you afraid the house will collapse?"

"Hmm, I used to worry about that too, but my master told me it was just unnecessary fear."

The Lord of Ziyun Palace smiled and said:

"Our world is far stronger than we think. The so-called destruction we can cause is just it indulging us, like a mother indulging her child... If it doesn't allow something, we can't do anything."

"My master once said that if the world's rules don't allow it, they will suppress a person's power. Even a Martial Emperor would become as weak as an ordinary person, unable to fly, and even running would make them gasp for breath..."

"Who is your master?"

Qin Chuan suddenly became curious. Someone who could say such things must not be an ordinary person.

At least, they were a wise one.

The Lord of Ziyun Palace showed a look of reverence and said, "My master doesn't like to reveal his name. To outsiders, he simply calls himself... the Hermit of the Eastern Lands."

The Hermit of the Eastern Lands!

Qin Chuan took a sharp breath. For some reason, he felt an immense karmic connection with that name.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Before the Martial Emperor realm, the new technique really has no major difference from the old technique?"

"Not much difference. There might be some strange and novel methods, but the difference in combat power isn't significant."

The Lord of Ziyun Palace confirmed.

Qin Chuan finally felt completely at ease. As long as the difference in combat power wasn't significant, his "invincibility within the same realm" would still hold true.

He knew well that all invincibility is relative—who dares claim true invincibility? Even the strongest Emperors have fallen in the past!

His so-called invincibility came from overwhelming brute force, but if someone else's technique was too strong, able to overcome force with skill, he might not remain invincible.

"I've asked all I wanted. Thank you for your time."

Qin Chuan stood up and politely said.

"Senior, don't you want to take two scrolls of the new technique to study?"

The Lord of Ziyun Palace smiled.

"No need."

Qin Chuan shook his head with a smile, then disappeared into the darkness.

He wouldn't accept rewards without earning them! He had no personal connection with the Lord of Ziyun Palace, and the man's guidance had already been a great favor. Why should he take something more?

He could steal or rob, because that would be earned through his own skill, but he would never accept charity.

Dignity.

It could be spoken of as worthless or masked with humor, but in the end, it cannot be discarded.

The Lord of Ziyun Palace watched Qin Chuan's carefree departure, and an unconscious look of admiration appeared on his face.

"As expected of a senior... Such pride and demeanor, I fall short."

Soon, Qin Chuan returned to his residence.

It was a luxurious palace.

Ziyun Academy had vast resources, encompassing a wide range of mountains, with countless pavilions, towers, and palaces. Naturally, they did not lack one for him.

"Father!"

Qin Zi ran over, saying, "Father, an elder came looking for me just now, one I hadn't seen during the day. He seemed to be from the Lu family, one of the top ten families in the Ziyun Domain."

"What did he want from you?"

Qin Chuan asked.

"Well, I heard... the last elder of their Lu family went to challenge the Starshatter Academy with a young prodigy ten years ago. Something unexpected happened, and the elder was killed by a Starshatter Academy expert from the demon race, then preserved as cured meat..."

Qin Zi suppressed his laughter and said:

"That old cured meat is still hanging outside Starshatter Academy's main gate. The Lu family sees this as a humiliation, and they hope I can challenge Starshatter Academy, sweep through the demon race experts of the same realm, and win back that old cured meat."

Qin Chuan blinked, then asked, "Did you agree?"

"Not yet. That elder seemed a bit arrogant, looking down on me, which made me uncomfortable."

Qin Zi paused, then grinned cheekily, "But of course, the most important thing is... I had to ask for your opinion first!"