Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, seven days went by.
The visions Qin Wudao had triggered in the ancestral temple square, his conflict with the First Elder Qin Yuan, and the news of his three-month deathmatch against Qin Tianlong had long since spread throughout the entire Qin Family, and were beginning to reach the ears of powers friendly to the family.
In a short time, the name Qin Wudao transformed from a synonym for "trash" into something known to everyone in the Qin Family, high and low.
Yet, this fame was not entirely filled with praise.
The vast majority of the Qin clansmen, upon learning that Qin Wudao had not only survived but had awakened a mysterious constitution and set a three-month deadline, did not react with surprise. Instead, their first reactions were skepticism and dissatisfaction, even laced with hidden hostility.
"Hmph, a trash with a Nirvana Emperor Fetus—so what if he got lucky and awakened some constitution?"
"Exactly! To dare challenge Brother Tianlong, who is in the King Realm, while only in the Divine Sea Realm? He’s just asking for humiliation!"
"I think he’s just doing this for attention! He even caused Brother Tianlong’s dragon bone to suffer damage; he is a sinner of this family!"
"He doesn't consider the family's greater good at all. No matter how high his talent is, a person like that will be a scourge in the future!"
"True. Trash will always be trash. In three months, let's see how he dies at the Dragon Gate Ceremony!"
No one sympathized with his plight, and no one believed he could work a miracle.
The remnants of the First Elder Qin Yuan's faction were even acting with duplicity in the shadows. They began to withhold the cultivation resources designated for Qin Wudao as a reserve Emperor Son, attempting to use this method to slow his cultivation speed and ensure his inevitable defeat in three months.
Inside the Zichen Hall, Qin Wudao remained entirely indifferent to all the noise from the outside world. He was single-mindedly immersed in his cultivation.
He sat cross-legged beside a spirit well, his body wreathed in spiritual mist. Although those people had withheld the resources that should have been his, it could not affect his progress. Relying on the 100,000 top-grade spirit stones he had obtained through daily check-ins, he continuously consolidated his cultivation in the early Divine Sea Realm, quickly pushing it upward. Soon, he had broken through to the mid Divine Sea Realm, and then the late Divine Sea Realm!
Just then, a figure quietly appeared outside the hall.
The newcomer had a towering frame and a majestic countenance; it was none other than the Patriarch of the Qin Family, Qin Zhan.
Qin Zhan watched his son, who was sitting in deep meditation inside the hall. His eyes were complex, filled with relief and worry, but above all, a profound sense of guilt. He waved away the attendants outside the hall and walked in alone.
"Wudao." Qin Zhan spoke, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible fatigue.
"Father."
"Do not concern yourself with the rumors outside. Just focus on your cultivation."
"I know," Qin Wudao nodded.
Qin Zhan hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping short, finally letting out a sigh. "All these years... I have failed you."
He took out an archaic storage ring and handed it to Qin Wudao. "Inside are some cultivation resources I have accumulated over the years. Perhaps they will be of some use to you. As for the family... although I am the Patriarch, I have been away fighting for the family for many years, and many things are now beyond my control. The forces of Qin Yuan's faction are deeply entrenched, and it is difficult for me to fully stop their petty schemes."
His words revealed a deep sense of helplessness. The position of Patriarch seemed glorious, but in reality, it was heavily constrained, especially since he was rarely in the clan; much of his power had already been hollowed out by the First Elder's Faction.
"Thank you, Father."
Qin Wudao took the storage ring and swept his divine sense through it; it contained many rare spirit stones and medicinal pills.
"Between father and son, there is no need for thanks," Qin Zhan waved his hand. "But Wudao, the three-month deadline you set with Tianlong is truly too dangerous."
"Do you know how vast the gap is between the Divine Sea Realm and the King Realm? Between them lie two major realms: the Tongxuan Realm and the Array Formation Realm! Each breakthrough between major realms requires immense opportunity and the accumulation of time. Ordinary cultivators might spend their entire lives without ever reaching the King Realm from the Divine Sea. Even the top geniuses require years, or even over a decade, of grueling training."
"Qin Tianlong is already at the peak of the Mid King Realm. Even with his dragon bone damaged and his cultivation level dropped, he is far beyond anything the Divine Sea Realm can compare to. Three months is too short; it is simply too difficult."
Qin Zhan's tone was heavy. He did not want his son to fall into despair again right after seeing a flicker of hope.
Listening to his father, Qin Wudao thought for a moment and asked, "Father, what do you think of my current cultivation speed?"
Qin Zhan sent out a wisp of divine sense to carefully gauge the energy of Qin Wudao's cultivation.
The next instant, the breathing of this Patriarch, who led a massive family and had weathered countless storms, actually faltered for a moment. "Divine... Divine Sea Realm peak?! You are only one step away from breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm?!"
Qin Wudao nodded in confirmation.
A flash of imperceptible astonishment crossed Qin Zhan's eyes. It had only been seven or eight days! To go from a dying, crippled man to skipping past the Body Tempering and Qi Gathering realms directly into the early Divine Sea Realm was already a miracle. Now, he had actually soared all the way from the early Divine Sea Realm to the peak of the Divine Sea Realm?!
What kind of terrifying cultivation speed was this? Even though he had been campaigning abroad for years and had seen countless young geniuses, compared to his own son, they were far behind. Such a rate of improvement was unprecedented. He hadn't even seen such accounts in any ancient texts.
Qin Wudao had been imprisoned in the Abandoning Dust Hall shortly after his birth and had no clear concept of the normal cultivation speed in this world. Seeing his father's unusual expression, he was somewhat puzzled. "Father, is it too slow?"
"Slow?!"
"No... it is too fast! So fast that even I find it inconceivable!"
"With this level of cultivation speed, if you have sufficient resources to support you, in three months, you may very well have the chance to catch up to Qin Tianlong, and perhaps even... surpass him!"
Qin Zhan felt a surge of joy, but he quickly calmed himself. "However, with your cultivation increasing so rapidly, is your foundation stable? Do your corresponding techniques and martial skills keep pace? Having the cultivation level without the matching combat power is not enough."
Just as Qin Zhan was worrying, the system's notification sound suddenly echoed in Qin Wudao's mind.
[Ding! Detected dense heritage Dao rhyme in the Qin Family Armory. Requirements for a check-in met.]
The family Armory!
Qin Wudao’s heart stirred. He immediately said to Qin Zhan, "Father, now that my cultivation has improved, I am lacking in suitable techniques and martial skills to defend myself. Could you take me to the family Armory to have a look?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhan hesitated. He was worried that if his son acquired too many techniques, he would be unable to master them all, becoming distracted and hindering his cultivation and the consolidation of his combat power. But then, on second thought, without powerful techniques and martial skills, relying solely on his cultivation level would indeed make it difficult to defeat the deeply-rooted Qin Tianlong.
Qin Zhan finally nodded. "Very well, I will take you to the Armory. But remember, techniques are valued for their quality, not their quantity; choosing what is best for you is the key. I will observe from the side, and if you become greedy for progress and your cultivation or combat power starts to stagnate, I will certainly stop you."
Qin Zhan decided to supervise him personally, also wanting to see his son's level of insight when it came to choosing techniques.
"I understand, Father."
Qin Wudao nodded in agreement. He did not know his father's many concerns. He only wanted to check in at the Armory, obtain stronger techniques or combat skills, become more powerful, and then, in three months, trample the cousin who had stolen everything from him into the dirt!
He would let that Mystic Ancestor, who did nothing but use moral kidnapping, know that he was wrong—wrong in the most egregious way possible!