"Zi, you must never reveal that you've absorbed the Primordial Energy of All Things and the Martial Fortune, or it could lead to disaster."
Qin Chuan sternly warned.
"Father, I understand."
Qin Zi nodded seriously.
He had long understood the dangers of standing out, of possessing things others coveted. Too much attention invites jealousy.
What Qin Zi didn't know, however, was that his father's warning wasn't to protect him from being ambushed, but rather to prevent him from being taken under the protection of the Human Sacred Hall!
Yes.
If Qin Zi's abilities—those that surpassed even the Divine Body—were discovered, there was a good chance that the Human Sacred Hall would take special interest in him.
After all...
Who could say that there weren't a few grand figures within the Sacred Hall who genuinely cared for humanity and possessed the grace to nurture a talent like Qin Zi?
If that happened, Qin Zi would immediately become a key figure for humanity, and who would dare to touch him?
And without anyone targeting Qin Zi, how would Qin Chuan's cultivation continue to improve?
Moreover, without anyone trying to provoke his son, there would be fewer chances to earn Father Points. After all, who would bother picking a fight with an absolute genius destined for greatness?
Thus.
Qin Zi had to keep a low profile. Always low profile. Only by playing the role of the underdog and attracting enemies could he continue to grow stronger and face more challenges.
The Demon Clan already knew about Qin Zi absorbing the Primordial Energy of All Things and the Martial Fortune, but they would never speak of it.
They wanted to kill this human prodigy before he became a threat. If they failed, he would grow into an unimaginable danger!
But if the Human Sacred Hall found out, they would surely protect Qin Zi, making him much harder to eliminate...
In short.
Qin Zi was now firmly on the Demon Clan's kill list, but had not made it onto the Human Clan's protection list, thus lowering his overall safety.
The naive little Qin Zi thought that as long as he kept a low profile, he'd remain safe.
Too young.
"We should leave Ziyun Territory."
Qin Chuan said calmly.
"Father, aren't we going to wipe out these demons and reclaim Ziyun Territory?" Qin Zi asked.
"This is a power struggle between the Human Sacred Hall and the Demon Sacred Hall. There's no need for us to get involved, nor could we."
Qin Chuan shook his head and said:
"Besides, what good would reclaiming Ziyun Territory do? Become the domain lord? The Human Sacred Hall might not even approve. Even if they did, why would I want a dead zone, a barren land?"
Hearing this, Qin Zi recalled the earlier scenes of devastation and sighed deeply.
Indeed.
With everyone dead, what was the point of reclaiming the land?
This land never truly belonged to anyone—not the humans, nor the demons. Whoever lived on it was merely its temporary master.
"Let's go."
With that, Qin Chuan led Qin Zi towards the northeast, heading toward the Qingxuan Territory.
Before long, they arrived in Qingxuan Territory, only to find that it had also fallen.
So, they continued to travel, discovering that several territories along the way had also been conquered.
In fact, with his vast Martial Emperor divine sense, Qin Chuan had already known the state of the next territories while they were still in the previous one.
But he deliberately passed through fallen territories, making it seem like they were wandering aimlessly.
He wasn't wandering aimlessly at all!
This was all part of a plan.
He had memorized the map of human territories long ago, and he was leading Qin Zi exactly where he wanted him to go...
One month later.
The father and son finally arrived at their destination—Liyang Territory!
"Swallowing Sun Palace?!"
In a tavern, when Qin Zi heard that the dominant power in Liyang Territory was the Swallowing Sun Palace, he couldn't stay calm.
He took a deep breath.
Then, downing his drink, he felt both a surge of emotions and a sense of determination!
"How did we end up here?"
Qin Chuan asked, feigning confusion.
"Father, you don't know this, but while you were away, a mysterious elder from the Swallowing Sun Palace tested me. He said that if I passed the test, I would be eligible to compete for the position of Divine Son!"
Qin Zi said with deep emotion:
"That elder said if I failed, he would kill me. But now that he's gone and hasn't killed me, it means I passed."
"At first, I didn't care about the so-called position of Divine Son, but now, by sheer coincidence, we've arrived in Liyang Territory."
He sighed again:
"Perhaps... this is fate's arrangement. It seems I have no choice but to become the Divine Son of the Swallowing Sun Palace!"
Hearing this haughty, boastful tone, Qin Chuan chuckled to himself. This kid was showing off, even in front of his father.
But he didn't call him out. Instead, he casually asked, "Do you really want to be the Divine Son?"
"Of course not!"
Qin Zi immediately stood up, speaking righteously:
"The title of Divine Son of the Swallowing Sun Palace means nothing to me! As your son, I have no interest in such insignificant glory or status. I certainly wouldn't fight for it just because it sounds impressive or might give me face when walking outside!"
He took a deep breath and gazed ambitiously out the window, clenching his fists as he declared:
"What I truly want... is to compete against the other Divine Son candidates and defeat them, honing my martial path!"
His voice was full of passion.
His expression, too, was on point.
Even so, as he gazed dramatically into the distance, he couldn't resist sneaking a glance at his father's reaction out of the corner of his eye...
Qin Chuan smiled but said nothing.
Qin Zi grew nervous.
After a long pause, Qin Chuan finally said, "You're grown up now. Do what you want. If you have the ability, don't hold back."
Qin Zi breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, grinning mischievously, he asked, "What if I decide to do something bad, like act lawlessly?"
Not only would it be fine.
It would be amazing!!!
That was Qin Chuan's true thought.
Of course, he didn't say that. Instead, he coolly responded, "Feel free, as long as you don't get yourself killed."
Qin Zi immediately shrank back.
Maybe being a good person was the safer choice after all.
Good always triumphs over evil, after all, and bad guys do tend to end up dead. If Qin Zi had ever wanted to be good, it was mostly out of fear.
After chatting for a while longer, Qin Zi returned to his own room. Naturally, father and son wouldn't share a room—they weren't short on money!
A Martial Emperor and a Realm Emperor staying in a tavern with only one room would be laughable.
"Have you heard..."
Just then, from the main hall below, came the familiar opening line, as if someone was about to share some shocking news.
But the next moment, it was cut off:
"No, and I don't want to."
The person who had been ready to share the news paused, then, realizing they were dealing with someone they couldn't afford to offend, awkwardly muttered:
"Oh, alright then."
And that was the end of it.
Yes, that's all!
Qin Chuan paid no mind to it. He knew that such occurrences happened in every tavern.
These were often small rumors, passed through countless mouths until they became the talk of small people in small places.
In reality, such news wasn't any big secret. At least, for someone of Qin Chuan's level, it held no value.
At best, it might concern matters at the Realm Emperor level, but Martial Emperors simply couldn't be bothered by such trivial things.
So why did he still encounter them?
Because the world doesn't revolve around one person. Things happen because they're meant to happen.
Encountering them was mere coincidence.
"Time for the raffle."
Qin Chuan turned his focus to the dark gold card in his mind, the one inscribed with "Where is my son, Fengxian?"
Buzz!
As soon as his consciousness touched the card, it began to glow, slowly flipping over.
"Ding! Congratulations, you've obtained three Forgiveness Hats!"
"Description: Forgiveness Hat, as the name suggests, once placed on someone's head, no matter what you've done, they will forgive you. This is an ultra-rare item, effective for targets below the Divine Realm!"
Qin Chuan blinked in surprise.
This...
He took a deep breath and, on a whim, asked, "System, what happens if I wear the hat myself?"
Since he didn't have a wife, he wasn't too worried about the implications. This was purely a scientific inquiry, driven by curiosity.
"Uh... zzzt zzzt zzzt..."
The system stuttered, emitting crackling sounds as if it had encountered an unsolvable problem and short-circuited.