My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

"Senior, my mother..."

Lin Chong was eager to ask about his mother, but Mu Shishuang interrupted him, saying, "I can't tell you about your mother. You may have to ask your father. If your father agrees... I will only tell you."

"Then...can you tell me about my mother...what kind of person is she?"

Lin Chong, fearing that Mu Shishuang would not agree, added, "Senior, it's just asking what kind of person she is, it shouldn't count, right?"

Wen Qianyi, who was standing to the side, was also amused by Lin Chong's words. She covered her mouth and chuckled, "Shishuang, just answer him. Xiao Chong hasn't seen his mother for so many years."

Lin Chong scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "It's mainly because my father used to tell me every day how beautiful my mother was and how good her personality was. I know a little about her looks today, but I don't know anything about her personality."

Mu Shishuang was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and said, "My sister is much prettier than me, and her personality... is better than mine too!"

She knew very well the gap between herself and her sister. If her sister hadn't gotten into that mess back then, perhaps her sister would be the current leader of the Spirit Clan, and the Spirit Clan wouldn't have fallen apart.

……

Lin Ran, who was busy working on the back mountain, was resting in a bamboo house. In front of him was Qiu Qingzi. The two of them were supervising the work and watching the academy's array masters who were inscribing protective arrays in the pouring rain outside.

"Don't you think what you're doing counts as exploiting students?"

Lin Ran looked at the array masters who were still inscribing arrays in the heavy rain. Among them were students, teachers, and some elders at the Spirit Core Realm.

Qiu Qingzi rolled her eyes at Lin Ran and said speechlessly, "Don't forget, you're the one who ordered me to call people out for you. In the end, it's because you've been exploiting me, you wicked vice dean!"

"Hey, how come you insulted yourself too!"

"I'm not a good person to begin with!"

Lin Ran: "..."

Women are ruthless; they can be so fierce they'll even curse themselves!

"Dong dong!"

The door to the bamboo house suddenly rang.

Qiu Qingzi called out, "Come in!"

A moment later, a girl in academy attire carrying an oil-paper umbrella walked in. She placed the umbrella outside the door, walked in slowly, and respectfully greeted Lin Ran and Qiu Qingzi, "Greetings, Vice Deans!"

"Is something the matter?" Qiu Qingzi asked.

Upon hearing the question, the young woman replied, "Elder Wen asked me to deliver a message to Vice Dean Lin, informing him that his son has arrived at Linghua Academy."

"Hey, Xiao Chong is back?!" Lin Ran was a little surprised. He remembered that Xiao Chong had gone to train. Why is he back so soon?

"Brother, is that fast?"

Qiu Qingzi, standing to the side, complained, "The All-Continent Academy Tournament is about to begin, and your son is still a key player for Tianli Academy. Tianli Academy is definitely thinking of sending your son back as soon as possible to lead the team to compete with Canglong and Shengqiong Academies!"

"We haven't even finished the qualifiers yet, so why don't you guys seem to be in a hurry?" Lin Ran asked curiously.

"There's really no hope this year. Canglong, Shengqiong, Tianli, and even Songling all have their trump cards up their sleeves. What do we have?" Qiu Qingzi retorted.

"The fastest elimination record?" Lin Ran said.

These words silenced Qiu Qingzi. She was the team leader for that record-breaking performance, and she had made a complete fool of herself.

Qiu Qingzi looked at Lin Ran with a gloomy expression, pointed to the door of the bamboo house, and said, "The door is over there. You don't need to supervise this anymore. Go back and check on your son!"

"Thank you for your help, Comrade Qiu. How about coming to my house for a casual dinner tonight?" Lin Ran stood up, and after taking a few steps, she suddenly turned back and asked with a smile.

Looking at the rain outside, Qiu Qingzi didn't turn her head: "Get me a bowl and chopsticks, I'll be there soon. Oh, and... get some of that soup from last time!"

"Okay, okay, remember to be there on time!"

Lin Ran smiled, and the next moment, she transformed into a streak of light, emerged from the bamboo house, and flew into the misty rain.

The pretty girl was still in the room. After Lin Ran left, she continued to report to Qiu Qingzi: "Sister Qiu, everything you asked me to investigate is here!"

A scroll was taken out of the girl's sleeve and respectfully handed to Qiu Qingzi.

Qiu Qingzi took the scroll, used her spiritual power to break the seal on it, and carefully looked at the contents of the scroll.

Outside, the rain was pouring down, and the raindrops were hitting the bamboo house, making a "drip-drip" sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Qiu Qingzi finished reading the scroll in her hand. She let out a soft breath, looked at the scenery outside the window, and muttered to herself, "It seems that this All-Continent Academy Competition is not a friendly affair!"

"Sister Qiu, do we still need our people to continue scouting over there?" the girl asked softly.

"Keep gathering intelligence, and get to me as soon as you have any new information!"

"Yes!"

……

86. A good start

When Lin Ran returned to his courtyard, he was puzzled to find no one in the hall. He released his soul power to investigate and found that a large group of people were in Mu Shishuang's guest room, which surprised him greatly.

"It seems Xiao Chong has met Mu Shishuang!"

Lin Ran walked towards the guest room, wondering if Xiao Chong knew about Qi Qin's situation.

But then he thought, Mu Shishuang probably wouldn't say things that Xiao Chong shouldn't know at this stage without his permission.

Upon arriving at the courtyard outside the guest rooms, Lin Ran saw the open door of the guest rooms. Several people were sitting around a table, drinking tea, chatting, eating sweets and candied fruits, and watching the rain outside, which was quite pleasant.

Lin Ran strode towards them, laughing loudly from afar, "You guys are having a good time here!"

"senior!"

"Father!"

When Wen Qianyi, Lin Chong, and the others saw Lin Ran, they couldn't help but stand up. Wen Qianyi even walked to the door, took the oil-paper umbrella from Lin Ran's hand, placed the water-soaked umbrella against the wall by the door, and then took out a clean towel and handed it to Lin Ran: "Senior, take this and wipe yourself!"

"it is good!"

Lin Ran happily accepted the towel, then walked into the house. When he arrived in front of Lin Chong and looked at his son, whose facial features had become even more defined, for some reason, a mix of emotions welled up inside him.

He gently patted Lin Chong's shoulder and said with a laugh, "You brat, you've already reached the seventh level of the Spirit Pill Realm! Your progress is something even your father would be ashamed of!"

“But Father, you’re already at the peak of the Nirvana Realm, and it won’t be long before you reach the Dragon Transformation Realm. You’re still ahead of me!” Lin Chong said with a grin.

"You brat, I'm way older than you, I'm an old man!"

Upon hearing his father's words, Lin Chong stared wide-eyed at Lin Ran, who looked many times younger, and exclaimed in surprise, "Father, if we go out like this, people will only say that you are my brother. You don't look like an old man at all! Father, can I have a copy of your anti-aging formula?"

What Lin Chong found most strange was his own father's appearance. He seemed to be getting younger and younger, full of vitality, not at all like a decrepit old man.

Upon seeing him this time, he looked so young that he was almost unrecognizable as his father!

"I don't have any beauty-preserving formula. You should ask your sister Wen. She's more reliable than me!" Lin Ran said.

His ability to become so young is also related to the opportunities he has had along the way. Several physical transformations have raised his physical blood and energy levels.

"You two sit down and talk!"

Wen Qianyi invited Lin Ran and his son to sit down, and then poured Lin Ran some hot tea.

The father and son hadn't seen each other for a while, and naturally they had a lot to say when they met again. Occasionally, Wen Qianyi and Ye Wanxi would chime in with a few words, acting as straight men.

On the contrary, Mu Shishuang was somewhat invisible, mainly because... she couldn't get a word in edgewise; there were too many things she didn't understand.

These days of contact with the outside world have made her understand more and more what it means to be "a frog in a well"—she is like a frog at the bottom of a well, confined to her own world.

The father and son soon started talking about the upcoming Continental Academy Competition. Since his son was going to participate in the competition, Lin Ran, as a father, was naturally paying close attention to the situation.

“Son, this continent-wide academy competition is limited to students from academies at the Spirit Core Realm. Academies from all over the continent are participating. Those guys from Azure Dragon Academy and Holy Sky Academy are holding back their big moves. When you encounter them, you have to be extremely careful and don’t underestimate them!” Lin Ran said.

“Father, I will remember this.”

Lin Chong nodded seriously, and then continued, "Father, those who rank among the top in the Continental Academy Competition are qualified to join the super sects of the Central Region's Heart State. I want to join the Sword Sect!"

"Join the Sword Sect?!"

Lin Ran was stunned for a moment. This script for joining the Sword Sect was quite different from the original work. But it seemed that the current storyline was already different from the original work. The female leads either collapsed or were taken into his arms. He was acting like he was taking his own son.

Seeing Lin Ran's expression, Lin Chong quickly asked, "Father, is there a problem with joining the Sword Sect? If so, I can..."

Before Lin Chong could finish speaking, Lin Ran interrupted him, saying, "What's wrong with joining the Sword Sect? The Sword Sect is one of the top eight super sects in the Central Region's Heart Continent, and it's a sect that specializes in sword cultivation. Since you specialize in swordsmanship, there's no sect more suitable for you than the Sword Sect!"

"Besides, it's good that you're joining the Sword Sect. Your father has some connections there. I can ask her to take care of you, and you won't be bullied. You might even be able to become a core disciple in the Sword Sect!"

"Father, is your Sword Sect's network of connections really that powerful?!"

This surprised Lin Chong, as their Tianli Academy and Sword Sect had formed an alliance in the previous secret realm.

According to the elders of the academy, the Sword Sect and their allies have a deep friendship, which is why they formed an alliance. Otherwise, why would outstanding sword cultivators from Tianli Academy be able to be recommended to the Sword Sect for training? It is precisely because of this "deep" friendship.

However, Lin Chong had also learned more about it. Whether they were sword cultivators who were recommended or those who entered through the Continental Academy Competition, it was actually very difficult for them to become core disciples of the Sword Sect. There was no particular reason for this; it was simply because there were too many powerful sword cultivators inside, making it difficult for them to stand out.

The Sword Sect is indeed a paradise for sword cultivators, but that's relative. For ordinary disciples at the bottom, the competition is much fiercer, and the stage is much wider.

However, the resources you acquire may not be as plentiful as in your original location. You'll be unfamiliar with the area and have no one to guide you, making it even harder to succeed.

"It's not that amazing!"

Lin Ran waved his hand dismissively. Indeed, it wasn't that impressive. After all, Meng Qing hadn't yet reached the position of Sword Sect Master. Once Meng Qing took the position, he, with his connections, could probably become a Vice Sect Master or something!

Watching Lin Ran act like a bully, Wen Qianyi rolled her eyes. Lin Chong didn't know about Lin Ran's relationship with Shangguan Mengqing, but she knew it very well.

Those two slept together and did *that*, and Shangguan Mengqing was the designated future sect leader of the Sword Sect. Their relationship was incredibly strong.

"Won't this add some burden to you, Father?" Lin Chong asked with some concern.

He was afraid that his father would owe the other party a huge favor in order to pave the way for him, and favors were much harder to repay than actual debts.

Lin Ran waved her hand and smiled, "Xiao Chong, just do your best, and you can choose the Sword Sect you like when the time comes!"

He wouldn't have any burden at all. The only burden he might worry about is figuring out what to call Shangguan Mengqing in the future.

"However, regarding the Qianlong Ruins discovered at Qianlong Mountain this time, the only information we have about this secret realm so far is that it contains the legacies of many powerful individuals, and those above the Nirvana Realm are not allowed to enter. Apart from that, there is no other information!" Lin Ran said with a sigh after taking a sip of hot tea.

He also wanted to give his son more information, but that was all he knew for now.

"Father, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. Once we enter the secret realm, we'll just have to adapt to the situation!"

Lin Chong didn't care too much about information about the secret realm; he firmly believed in his own abilities.

"Qianlong Mountain? Is that the one in Qianzhou of the Southern Region?"

Hearing this, Mu Shishuang, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly asked a question.