As Qin Zi's cultivation improved, the geniuses he humiliated grew more formidable, and naturally, the contributions to his father's points increased.
"Rumble!"
"Poof!"
"Ah!"
After a long period of intense battle, several geniuses let out agonized screams, flying out in various poses, each release of youth energy more spectacular than the last.
Meanwhile, Qin Chuan's balance of fatherhood points surged to 315, an unprecedented windfall.
After that, no more geniuses came to challenge him.
After all, the range of the earlier water pillar phenomenon was limited, and not everyone had seen it. Even those who did see it wouldn't necessarily come.
The market, in a sense, was already saturated.
And so, Qin Xiaozhu (Qin Zi) happily noticed that the barrier of light surrounding the abyss rapidly weakened.
It was like a bubble—one poke, and it would burst.
"Break!"
Filled with high spirits, Qin Zi wielded his Fire Dragon Spear and fiercely stabbed into the barrier.
"Pop!"
With a soft sound, the spear pierced through the barrier. Qin Zi, like a dragon, dove headfirst into the abyss.
From below came a series of startled exclamations.
"Ugh! What's this formation? I'm stuck! Oh!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
It sounded like explosions echoed from the depths of the abyss, accompanied by violent tremors. The scene below was in utter chaos.
Qin Chuan had laid numerous formations around the cave. Although he had left vulnerabilities, breaking through them was far from easy. For someone like Qin Zi, it was as if he were walking a tightrope—one wrong step, and it would be his end.
Yet, under the guidance of the blonde-haired woman, Qin Zi narrowly navigated his way to the deepest part of the cave.
"This... What is this?!"
Qin Zi was stunned when he saw the scene inside the cave. His eyes widened in shock, and his breath nearly stopped.
In the center of the cave was a massive pool, its waters sparkling like starlight, radiating an astonishing spiritual energy.
At the heart of the pool was a small flowerbed, dense with flourishing flowers and plants.
There were hundreds of them.
Each exuded a captivating fragrance, and the scent rose into the air, forming beautiful illusions—colorful butterflies danced, birds circled, bees gathered nectar. The sight was mesmerizing.
"These herbs are no ordinary plants! And this pool—just by looking at it, I can tell it's meant for body refinement!"
Qin Zi wiped the drool from his mouth and prepared to harvest the immortal herbs.
Just then, he noticed a headless stone statue standing at the edge of the pool. Or rather, the statue's head had weathered away and had shattered into pieces on the ground.
In the statue's hands was a golden book, its aura majestic, exuding an overwhelming sense of grandeur and authority.
"Buzz!"
As if sensing Qin Zi's gaze, the golden book suddenly glowed, and words began floating out of it.
"The Sutra of the Ten Directions of Thick Earth!"
Qin Zi read aloud, and at the same time, an exclamation echoed in his mind.
"The Sutra of the Ten Directions of Thick Earth? It's actually the Sutra of the Ten Directions of Thick Earth!"
The blonde-haired woman emerged from Qin Zi's body, her eyes fixated on the golden book, her breathing quick and heavy.
"Master, you've heard of it?"
Qin Zi asked.
"Of course! The Sutra of the Ten Directions of Thick Earth was created by one of the leaders of the Tianheng Clan, the Thick Earth Emperor! It harnesses the boundless power of the earth, with strength as vast as the land itself. It's considered the most powerful earth-attribute emperor-level scripture!"
The blonde woman replied excitedly.
"Is the Thick Earth Emperor still alive?"
Qin Zi asked, his concern growing.
If the creator of the emperor scripture were still alive, they might sense him using it. He'd only recently begun to consider this potential danger.
"The Thick Earth Emperor has already fallen."
The blonde-haired woman sighed.
"But he was indeed incredibly powerful. Back then, our Jiucang Clan paid a heavy price to kill him. Even titans like Dragon Emperor, Sun-Swallowing Emperor, and my ancestor, Night Emperor, were severely injured and took a thousand years to recover."
Qin Zi breathed a sigh of relief.
Dead was good.
That meant no lingering threats.
As for being discovered by the Jiucang Clan... he wasn't too worried. After all, he already possessed the Tianheng Clan's imperial weapon and had secretly cultivated the Wu God Hall's Body Refining Scripture.
If he were to be exposed, he would've been doomed long ago.
But getting caught wasn't that easy.
Take the Body Refining Scripture, for instance. He'd used it many times, yet no one had recognized it—not once!
There were countless techniques and divine arts in the world, many of which bore similarities. With information not flowing freely, there was little risk of exposure.
Unless he was extraordinarily unlucky.
Or… unless he had a father like his.
"Whoosh!"
Qin Zi stretched out his right hand, conjuring an energy hand that reached for the golden book. However, as soon as he touched it, the golden book exploded into countless golden words, flying toward him.
Having seen this kind of situation before, Qin Zi didn't panic and allowed the words to flow into his mind.
Soon, he had absorbed the entire Sutra of the Ten Directions of Thick Earth, and after a quick glance through it, he was amazed by its depth.
"This time, I've hit the jackpot!"
Qin Zi took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and approached the spiritual pool.
He carefully used his divine sense to guide the immortal herbs, causing them to gently rise from the flowerbed on their own.
After safely storing the herbs, he turned his attention to the not-too-large spiritual pool.
Propping his chin on his right hand, he thought for a moment before looking at the blonde-haired woman.
"Master, how should I use this spiritual pool?"
The blonde woman's expression turned serious. She inspected the pool carefully and, after a moment of uncertainty, said:
"If it were an ordinary pool, you'd just soak in it for body refinement. But this one… there's a peculiar fragrance to it, and it's full of vitality. I think… you can drink it."
Qin Zi nodded.
"I'll try licking it first."
He knelt by the pool, extended his tongue, and cautiously dipped it into the water's surface.
"Slurp…"
The moment his tongue touched the water, a sweet taste exploded across his taste buds, and his mind cleared instantly.
He felt refreshed and invigorated!
"Haha! This is amazing! Good thing I tasted it first—bathing in it would've been such a waste!"
Qin Zi shouted in delight.
"Well, go ahead and store it."
The blonde-haired woman handed him a spatial jade bottle.
Qin Zi glanced at the shimmering pool, licked his lips, and then looked at the blonde woman with puppy-dog eyes, pleading:
"Master, can I just drink a little first? Just one sip, like Kuafu chasing the sun."
The blonde woman gave him a strange look—all of this belonged to him anyway, why was he in such a hurry?
Still, since her disciple had asked, she couldn't refuse. She awkwardly replied:
"Well... go ahead."
Overjoyed, Qin Zi bent down and began drinking from the pool like a puppy, making slurping sounds.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a massive suction force erupted from within him, and the pool's water surged upward like a column, streaming into his mouth.
"Huh?!"
Qin Zi's eyes widened in shock. At first, he thought it was the Nine Phoenix Furnace, but in the next moment, he realized with horror that it was the golden words of the Sutra of the Ten Directions of Thick Earth.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"
The golden words swirled like moths in his mind, absorbing the pool's water and converting it into spiritual energy. The light they emitted grew brighter and brighter, eventually becoming like a miniature sun.
"Something's wrong!"
Qin Zi realized the danger and tried to resist, to stop drinking, but his body wouldn't obey.
"Zi'er!"
The blonde-haired woman noticed the abnormality too. She transformed into a golden light and entered Qin Zi's body, attempting to shatter the golden words.
Boom!
However, the golden words pulsed, releasing a powerful aura that pressed down on the blonde woman's soul.
Poof!
Her soul shattered into countless fragments, which flew out of Qin Zi's body before reforming into a weakened human form. She gritted her teeth and shouted:
"Who's playing tricks here?!"
Meanwhile, the golden words continued swirling, their light growing more and more brilliant until Qin Zi's body became almost transparent under its glow.
Whoosh!
In the center of the swirling golden words, a faint, blurry figure began to materialize. Its features were unclear, but its overwhelming authority was unmistakable.
"Hahaha! Finally, a divine body has obtained the Sutra of the Ten Directions of Thick Earth, awakening the spirit I left within it. With this divine body, I will reclaim my scattered true soul. I, the Thick Earth Emperor, shall return!"
The figure laughed wildly.
The Thick Earth Emperor!!
In an instant, both Qin Zi and the blonde-haired woman turned pale, their hearts trembling violently as they felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
For figures of such magnitude, even ordinary Martial Emperors would cower in fear. To them, the Thick Earth Emperor was nothing short of a legend!