Your disciple? Ask him if he recognizes you.

Silence.

A silence so awkward it could destabilize the Dao Heart of a Golden Immortal.

Taiyi Zhenren maintained his pose, holding his fly whisk, radiating the aura of an immortal, hovering in mid-air. However, the arrogance and anger on his face were visibly solidifying at an observable rate.

He had envisioned countless possibilities.

Perhaps that ignorant wild immortal would step forward to debate destiny with him.

Perhaps Li Jing and his wife would cry, unwilling to be separated from their flesh and blood, staging a tragic mortal drama.

But he had never expected this situation.

No response.

No attention.

The young man sitting on the stone stool seemed not to have heard his majestic declaration invoking the name of a Saint at all. He was still looking down, playing with the child in his arms, completely at ease.

And the Spirit Pearl, who should have been the protagonist of destiny and felt an overwhelming sense of closeness upon seeing him, was currently burying his head in the young man's arms, not even bothering to glance at him.

He, the dignified Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, a personal disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, had descended to the mortal realm to announce a Saint's decree.

The result? He was treated as if he were air.

This was ten thousand times more embarrassing than being openly refuted or contradicted!

A feeling of humiliation began to sprout in Taiyi Zhenren's Primordial Spirit.

However, he was, after all, an old Golden Immortal who had lived through countless aeons. His state of mind and cultivation were far beyond those of ordinary immortals.

After a brief moment of losing composure, he quickly adjusted his mindset, attributing this disregard to the other party's ignorance and foolishness.

A frog in a well, how can it know the vastness of the heavens?

How can mortals understand even a fraction of a Saint's grand design?

Taiyi Zhenren took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, and put on a facade of a compassionate and wise elder once more.

Seeing that Qin Feng remained silent, he assumed the man had tacitly agreed but was too proud to admit it.

Very well, since the esteemed one doesn't know what's good for him, I shall solve the problem at its root.

Taiyi Zhenren's gaze swept past Qin Feng, landing directly on the exquisitely carved doll. His tone instantly became gentle and kind, filled with allure.

"Child, do you know your origins?"

"You are a Spirit Pearl nurtured by the Heavenly Dao, bearing great destiny, destined to shine brightly in my Chan Sect. I am your destined master, Taiyi Zhenren."

He began to persuade him earnestly, attempting to brainwash this newborn "Spirit Pearl" with his words, whose mind was still undeveloped.

"As long as you join my sect, you will immediately be ranked among the immortals, become a named disciple of a Saint, and enjoy the top-tier resources in the Three Realms."

"The immortal peaches and jade liquid of Kunlun Mountain, the supreme divine methods of the Saint's dojo, and countless Innate Spiritual Treasures will all be at your disposal!"

"In the future, you will surely have a place on the Investiture of the Gods, be conferred a divine position, be indestructible through all tribulations, live as long as heaven and earth, and receive offerings from billions of incense. What glory is this? This is your innate destiny!"

Taiyi Zhenren spoke with increasing excitement, as if he could already see Nezha joining his sect, charging into battle during the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, and making an immortal contribution to the Chan Sect.

The blueprint he painted was too beautiful, too tempting.

Let alone mortals, even ordinary gods and immortals would likely lose their Dao Heart immediately and wish to prostrate themselves in submission.

Li Jing, standing nearby, listened with fervent excitement, his body trembling.

A Saint's disciple!

Ranked among the immortals!

A divine position on the Investiture of the Gods!

This... this was simply ascending to heaven in one step!

If his son could have such a fortune, he would die without regret!

He almost couldn't help but speak up and agree on his son's behalf.

However, all his excitement and fantasies were shattered in the next second by a crisp sound.

"Click."

A light sound.

Qin Feng finally put down the teacup in his hand.

He never looked up at Taiyi Zhenren in the sky, as if he were truly just a mass of air.

He merely lowered his head, looking at Nezha in his arms, who was blinking his big eyes, seemingly trying to digest Taiyi Zhenren's words. A playful smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

The sound was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Disciple, this noisy Daoist says that destiny dictates you should become his disciple, and you can even be conferred a god in the future. It sounds quite impressive."

"What do you think?"

These words, spoken so lightly, were like a casual inquiry during idle conversation.

But to Taiyi Zhenren's ears, they were no less than a thunderclap!

"Noisy Daoist?"

How dare he describe himself, a Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect, as "noisy"?

What made him even more indignant was that Qin Feng had no intention of conversing with him at all. Instead, he directly threw the question to that three-year-old child.

This was extreme contempt.

It was as if he were saying, "You, Taiyi Zhenren, don't even have the qualifications to converse with me."

"Your destiny, your glory, your so-called heavenly mandate, are all inferior to a single word from my disciple."

Taiyi Zhenren's face instantly turned the color of liver. The serene immortal energy that had surrounded him began to fluctuate violently, clearly indicating his extreme anger.

As for Li Jing, it was as if he had been doused with a basin of ice water from head to toe, causing him to shiver.

It's over!

This senior didn't even take Senior Brother Taiyi seriously!

He actually... actually let Nezha decide for himself?

What could a three-year-old child understand about heavenly mandates or being a Saint's disciple!

This was simply outrageous!

However, Nezha's subsequent reaction left everyone completely dumbfounded.

The little brat, after hearing Qin Feng's question, not only showed no longing or hesitation, but instead looked as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

He had been reshaped by Qin Feng's wisp of Chaos Origin, his intellect had opened early, and his foundation was so profound that it surpassed ordinary understanding.

Heavenly mandate? Saint?

In his pure perception, which originated from Chaos, these things were not as important as a single hair on his Master's head.

Nezha stretched out his lotus-root-like arms and tightly hugged Qin Feng's neck, as if declaring his allegiance.

Only then did he turn his little face, looking up at the Daoist with a livid expression in mid-air.

He made a face at Taiyi Zhenren, sticking out his tender pink tongue.

His voice, though childlike, was incredibly clear, filled with contempt and disdain from the depths of his soul, echoing throughout the General's Mansion.

"Ugly Daoist, who do you think you are!"

"You think you're worthy of being my Master?"

BOOM!

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Space appeared to freeze in this instant.

Li Jing's eyes widened dramatically, almost bulging out of their sockets. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a sound, feeling as if his heart had stopped beating.

Lady Yin, even more terrified, instinctively covered her mouth, her face drained of color.

Those household guards and maids kneeling on the ground felt as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had caved in, their souls scattered.

He's gone mad!

This young master, who had just appeared, actually dared to call an immortal an ugly old man? And ask who he thought he was?

And in mid-air, Taiyi Zhenren's expression was completely frozen.

The dignified demeanor he had maintained, the pride of a Saint's disciple, the majesty of a Great Power Golden Immortal – all of it was shattered by this innocent child's words at this moment.

Shattered into nothingness.

However, this was not the end.

Nezha seemed to feel that one insult was not enough. He hugged Qin Feng's neck, puffed out his small chest with pride, and with all his might, loudly declared.

"My Master is the greatest hero in the world!"

"You're not even fit to carry his shoes!"

As the words fell.

Silence descended upon the world.

If the first sentence was an unexpected sharp blade that pierced Taiyi Zhenren's pride, Then the latter sentence was a Chaos divine hammer weighing billions of tons, carrying unparalleled humiliation, and smashing heavily, without any pretense, onto his face.

Not fit to carry his shoes!

These five words, like an indelible brand, were deeply etched onto Taiyi Zhenren's Primordial Spirit.

"Buzz--"

Taiyi Zhenren's mind buzzed, turning blank.

The Jade Purity Immortal Light protecting his body flickered violently as his mind faltered, almost dissipating on the spot.

The color drained from his youthful face, which had an old man's beard, turning pale, and then flushed a dark purple from extreme rage.

Humiliation!

This was unprecedented, naked humiliation!

He, Taiyi Zhenren, who had listened to the Dao in Purple霄 Palace, become a disciple of a Saint, and roamed the Primordial World for countless years, had never suffered such a grievous insult!

And to be so insulted by a "disciple" he considered his to begin with, in front of countless onlookers!

A killing intent, terrifying enough to burn mountains and boil seas, could no longer be contained and erupted from Taiyi Zhenren with a roar!