Within the Hun Clan's Imperial Study Hall, before a golden nanmu desk, a man in white robes sat engrossed in an ancient scroll by the light cast by a Moonlight Stone.
Before him stood a child barely over six years old, dressed in watery blue. The child brazenly sized up the middle-aged man seated on the jade chair.
It was impossible to tell what sort of jade the chair had been crafted from. Even from five meters away, one could still sense a faint energy permeating the surroundings. Bathed in that energy, one's spirit felt invigorated. It was hard to imagine what miraculous effects cultivation atop it might bring.
The energy radiating from the jade chair was exceptionally dense. At first glance, it looked like an immortal jade stone wreathed in mist. Set against his white robes, the middle-aged man holding the ancient scroll appeared refined and elegant.
However, Hun Han knew that the middle-aged man before him was ruthless, cautious, deeply calculating, and willing to stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Hun Han surveyed the Imperial Study Hall. The room's arrangement made use of the supreme yang numbers ninety-nine and ninety-five everywhere. From such details, it was clear that the Hun Clan's ambitions were far from small.
Something's wrong. I've already met Hun Tiandi, so why haven't I received the Character Sign-in reward? Could it be that Character Sign-in requires physical contact with the other party?
Standing within the Imperial Study Hall, Hun Han made this guess to himself.
He had now seen the true face of the famed Hun Tiandi, yet he had not received the Character Sign-in reward. Hun Han guessed that, as with Aunt Qin and Qin Lan, he would have to make physical contact with him before obtaining the mysterious reward.
Damn!
Hun Han clicked his tongue inwardly. Making physical contact with Hun Tiandi would not merely be difficult—it would be extremely difficult.
However, Hun Han's soul came from the twenty-first century. Even with such considerable difficulty, it was no obstacle to him.
"I heard you knelt for an entire day just to see me?"
The room had remained silent for a long time before the middle-aged man seated on the jade chair finally spoke first. Yet even as Hun Tiandi spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the ancient scroll in his hands.
Hun Han answered neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Yes."
"You have quite the nerve. You actually dared to incite others to plead on your behalf. Of the Hun Clan's ninety-five elders, eighteen pleaded for you."
Hun Tiandi's tone was mild, yet it carried an innate authority. He glanced at Hun Han before continuing to read the ancient scroll in his hands.
Hun Han remained calm. "Father, whether that is true or not, I imagine you know better than anyone."
Hun Tiandi pondered for a moment. "You... have no explanation to offer?"
Hun Han replied indifferently, "Since Father already knows the truth, why should I explain anything?"
What Hun Tiandi said was indeed true. After Hun Han had knelt outside the Sacred Hall for an entire day, eighteen elders of the Hun Clan had actually pleaded on his behalf. Besides those eighteen elders, there were also several other important figures.
That had truly given Hun Han quite a fright! For six years, countless people had deliberately kept their distance from him. Yet now, over such a trivial matter—though it was the first time Hun Han had openly caused a stir—it had drawn the attention of so many important people.
Hun Han could not make sense of it no matter how much he thought about it. Perhaps he could only ask Qin Lan or Aunt Qin afterward, since they might know something.
"Enough. Now that you've seen me, you may leave," Hun Tiandi said coolly without taking his eyes off the scroll.
Leave?
That would not do!
Hun Han still needed to complete Character Sign-in on Hun Tiandi and obtain the mysterious reward.
At once, Hun Han dropped to his knees and said emotionally in a tearful voice, "Now that your son has beheld Father's face, even if I were to die alone in a foreign land tomorrow, I would have no regrets. Whenever I miss Father, I would at least have something to hold onto. Ever since I was born, Aunt Qin has raised me. I have never known the warmth of Father's embrace. Father is the Clan Leader of the Hun Clan, burdened with countless duties and immense responsibilities. Your son can understand that. Yet when I see other children always able to enjoy their fathers' embraces... every night in the past, I hoped to see Father just once. In dream after dream, I was with Father; when I awoke, my tears soaked the jade pillow. Though moonlight shines tonight, I still fear this reunion is but a dream. I only hope Father can fulfill this wish of your son!"
Hun Tiandi set down the ancient scroll and, for the first time, turned his gaze toward his thirteenth son.
The two looked at each other in silence.
After a moment, perhaps Hun Tiandi's heart had truly softened. He rose from the jade seat, walked before Hun Han, spread his arms, and opened his embrace.
Seeing this, Hun Han did not hesitate. He opened his arms as well and threw himself into the embrace.
"Ding!"
As Hun Han and Hun Tiandi made physical contact, the system's voice finally rang out.
"Congratulations. You have made physical contact with Hun Tiandi. Would you like to sign in?"
"Sign in!" After going to so much trouble, only an idiot would refuse!
"Ding!" "Congratulations. You have completed a sign-in on Hun Tiandi. Item obtained: Teleportation Star Disk!"
Teleportation Star Disk: Ranked ninth on the Divine Artifact Ranking. It could harness the power of the stars to teleport precisely across tens of millions of kilometers in an instant.
Holy shit, it can teleport tens of millions of kilometers in an instant. That's insane. If I can't beat them, I'll run! This is simply an essential item for home, travel, and roaming the martial world! Haha, not bad, not bad. My acting wasn't for nothing!
Hun Han was overjoyed inwardly. As expected of one of the five strongest experts on the Dou Qi Continent—the reward obtained from signing in on him was such a rare treasure.
On the Dou Qi Continent, treasures were ranked from highest to lowest as Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. Each major rank was further divided into high, middle, and low grades. Above the Heaven rank was the renowned Divine Artifact Ranking!
Hun Han released Hun Tiandi, satisfaction curling at the corners of his mouth. He had obtained a divine artifact! Starting out with a divine artifact—there was probably no one else like him!
To one side, Hun Tiandi stared at Hun Han, slightly taken aback. As the possessor of an Emperor Realm soul, Hun Tiandi could read the deeper meaning in Hun Han's eyes.
Besides satisfaction, Hun Han's eyes held an intense gleam of smugness. It was the look one could only reveal after a scheme had succeeded.
Hun Tiandi was puzzled. He stared doubtfully at Hun Han. With his wisdom, he simply could not figure out what scheme his thirteenth son standing before him had in mind.
"You... may leave now," Hun Tiandi's indifferent voice sounded again.
"So Father's embrace is actually this warm. It feels like bathing in spring sunlight!"
Though the words made him sick, Hun Han continued emotionally, "Father, receiving your embrace today has fulfilled one of my greatest wishes. However, there is one matter concerning Father's reputation, and I hope Father can grant your son's request."
Hearing this, Hun Tiandi asked curiously, "What is it?"
Hun Han replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I wish to enter the Library Pavilion!"
"No!"
Hun Tiandi refused, "According to the rules left behind by our ancestors, only disciples who, at the age of six, possess at least Fighting Qi, Seventh Stage and a bloodline of at least Fifth Grade are qualified to enter the Library Pavilion. Even I cannot break this precedent!"
Hun Han sneered inwardly, his expression calm as he looked slightly up at Hun Tiandi before him.
Knowing the story's course, Hun Han knew that the Hun Tiandi before him was not someone who dutifully followed the rules. In the future, to unify the Dou Qi Continent and defeat the Flame Emperor Xiao Yan, he would sacrifice countless descendants of the Hun Clan.
To put it bluntly, Hun Tiandi simply disliked Hun Han, did not value him, and was unwilling to make an exception for him.
Hun Tiandi's thick brows furrowed slightly. For some reason, as he met Hun Han's gaze, he felt as though he had been seen through. It was as if he were standing naked before Hun Han.
"Father!"
This matter concerned Hun Han's Location Sign-in quest, so he continued emotionally, "Tomorrow, I will travel to a certain region according to the clan's rules. If your son were merely a disciple from an ordinary family, there would naturally be no problem. But your son is the thirteenth son of the Hun Clan's Clan Leader. If I do not have a high-level Dou Technique to put on a show, others may think Father favors one child over another—that a tiger father has a dog son—and Father would be left with a stain on your name and a reputation for scorn."
"Presumptuous!"
Hun Tiandi shouted, his aura spilling forth as sixth-level gale winds roared throughout the palace.
Hun Han clasped his fists, his tone still neither humble nor arrogant. "I would not dare. Everything your son has done is for Father's sake!"
Silence. The scene was utterly silent, save for the howling gale winds.
After a period of silence, the gale winds dissipated. Hun Tiandi said calmly, "Tomorrow, go to the Library Pavilion with the Great Elder!"
Hearing this, Hun Han was delighted. This meant he could complete his Location Sign-in quest. He clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Father!"
"Enough. Leave."
Looking at Hun Tiandi, who had returned to the jade seat and picked up the ancient scroll to continue reading, Hun Han knelt and kowtowed three times. Then he straightened and said to Hun Tiandi, "You... take care."
This time, Hun Han did not call him Father, but addressed him as "you."
No matter how cold Hun Tiandi had been toward Hun Han in the past, he was still Hun Han's biological father. His day of kneeling before the Sacred Hall, together with those three kowtows just now, could be considered a small fulfillment of filial duty.
Hun Han's soul came from the twenty-first century. Only this body of his was related to the other man. Over the past six years, Hun Han had seen clearly how Hun Tiandi had treated him. Since others did not care about him in the slightest, Hun Han naturally would not press his warm face against a cold backside.
Hun Han had had enough of the Hun Clan, this place where human affection was so cold. He did not want to become one of the sacrifices Hun Tiandi would offer up in the future.
Hun Han considered that once he completed the sign-in quest at the Library Pavilion, he would elope with Aunt Qin on the road to assuming his post as city lord. Oh, no—he would take Aunt Qin and leave the Hun Clan.
However, as Hun Han left the Imperial Study Hall, he did not notice Hun Tiandi behind him casting a sidelong glance at his departing figure. Only after Hun Han's silhouette had vanished did a tender sentence emerge from the mouth of that great man: "He really does look so much like you."
Before you continue