Where Is Dad

The youth Qin Lu from the Chu region once had a warm and loving family. Though they weren’t wealthy and his parents held no power or influence, their deep affection for each other filled their modest home with tenderness, allowing him to grow up bathed in love.

But in his sixteenth year, disaster struck.

Cultivators suddenly launched a hostile attack on Danyang City, some even reaching the Nascent Soul stage. At this critical moment of life and death, when the city faced annihilation at the hands of these cultivators… his "gentle and virtuous" mother stepped forward as the hero. She raised her sword, unleashed a towering blade aura, and with a single strike, annihilated the enemies.

For sixteen years, he had lived with her day and night—only now did he realize his mother was actually a sword immortal capable of cleaving through the nine heavens with a single stroke. His father, it turned out, was the foremost alchemist in the Land of Immortal Legacy. Even the lazy old cat at home was a terrifying great demon.

This revelation should have been a delightful surprise, something to celebrate. But who could have guessed that after slaying the enemies, his parents seemed to face another crisis? They left in such haste they didn’t even have time to explain.

In a single night, his happy life was overturned. His warm, loving family shattered, leaving him utterly alone.

He had been a flower blooming in a greenhouse—now the greenhouse was gone, and he was abruptly exposed to the elements, forced to endure wind, sun, and storms on his own.

How could he bear it?

Qin Lu sat in his family’s courtyard all night. At dawn the next day, he pulled out the sword his father had left in the yard, wrapped it in tattered cloth, and carried it on his back as he sought out his uncle, Li Shiwen.

He was certain his parents loved him, but they had left in such a rush they hadn’t even had time to speak to him.

He believed they must have encountered an enemy too powerful to resist.

If his parents were in danger, then as their son, he had to help them—no matter what. He was sixteen now, an adult by Chu law.

He was a grown man.

His father had once said that a man must, at the very least, protect his family.

Now that he was an adult, it was his duty to shoulder that responsibility. He would find his parents and keep them safe.

"You want to go looking for your father and mother?" Li Shiwen’s expression was complicated.

Qin Lu didn’t understand why, but he nodded firmly.

What he didn’t know was how his parents appeared in Li Shiwen’s eyes:

His mother, Li Shiyin, was utterly unreliable—whimsical, playful, and far more interested in picking fights than raising a son.

As for his father, Qin Ran? A schemer through and through, black-hearted from head to toe. If everyone in the Land of Immortal Legacy died, he’d still be the last one standing.

Li Shiwen had recently heard rumors that the Xuanqin Prime Minister was one of Qin Ran’s clones, and that the recently disbanded "Yuan Organization" had also been secretly controlled by another of his clones… The entire Land of Immortal Legacy was his chessboard.

For such a man to leave his son behind? It was deliberate—no, a thousand times deliberate.

Given Qin Ran’s ruthlessness, Li Shiwen didn’t dare speak carelessly. After some thought, he said, "Go to the Dao Sword Sect and take a look."

In his opinion, Qin Ran had ties to the Dao Sword Sect, so there would at least be some connections there. At the very least, Li An was still in the sect. If Qin Lu went there, it would be best for him to stay and train.

…He simply didn’t think Qin Lu stood a chance of finding Qin Ran on his own.

Qin Lu accepted his advice but then asked for help: "I’ve heard the Dao Sword Sect is in the Hengduan Mountains, southeast of Northern Chu. It’s far and dangerous. Uncle, could you teach me a couple of immortal techniques? One for travel, one for self-defense."

"Your mother never taught you?" Li Shiwen was astonished.

Li Shiyin, with her flamboyant personality, hadn’t shown off in front of her own son?!

"No," Qin Lu shook his head.

"Your father?"

"Neither."

"But I don’t cultivate either!" Li Shiwen frowned.

After some thought, he hurried back inside and dug out a stack of drawings, handing them to Qin Lu. "These are sketches your cousin made while practicing swordplay. See if they’re any use."

Qin Lu took them and examined each carefully.

"Actually, your cousin’s sword techniques were all taught by your mother," Li Shiwen mused, watching Qin Lu—now a young man—and couldn’t help reminiscing. "When he was little, he was mischievous and often failed to complete the tasks your mother set. Afraid of being punished, he’d sketch the sword techniques in advance, then cram the night before inspections, hoping to master them overnight…"

He was still rambling when Qin Lu handed the drawings back.

"What?" Li Shiwen sighed. "No use?"

"No," Qin Lu shook his head. "I’ve learned them."

"…What?" Li Shiwen froze.

Qin Lu took the sword wrapped in tattered cloth from his back, held it for a moment, then let it hover before him. He stepped onto the blade, wobbled briefly, then steadied himself.

He flew shakily around the Li family courtyard before returning, sheathed the sword, and bowed to Li Shiwen. "Thank you, Uncle. I’ll head to the Dao Sword Sect now."

"…Huh?" Li Shiwen was still stunned.

What in the world? He mastered sword flight in an instant?!

Worried, he asked, "How many techniques did you learn?"

"Two. One for flying, one for sword aura." Qin Lu condensed a blade aura to demonstrate.

"…Hmm." Li Shiwen didn’t know how to respond.

"Uncle, I’ll visit again later."

With that, Qin Lu mounted his sword and flew off before Li Shiwen could react.

Standing in the yard, Li Shiwen watched Qin Lu’s retreating figure, then stared at the crude sketches in his hands, deeply questioning reality.

How could anyone learn sword techniques from these scribbles?!

Suddenly remembering something, he shouted after Qin Lu, "Money! Money! Come back and take some silver!"

But Qin Lu was already too far away to hear.

Only after flying for half a day, his stomach growling by noon, did Qin Lu realize he had no money on him.

All he had were the few coins his parents had given him as pocket money—barely enough for anything.

Worse, after taking stock, he found he owned nothing but the clothes on his back (worn for two days), a sword of uncertain value, a pouch holding his savings (103 copper coins in total), and sheer determination.

How was he supposed to reach the Dao Sword Sect like this?

After some thought, he hatched a plan. He landed outside a small, unremarkable town, slung the sword over his shoulder, and swaggered in. After wandering the streets, he spent three coins on steamed buns, ate them, and left.

Sure enough, shortly after exiting the town, two burly men cornered him in a mountain pass, intent on stealing what looked like a priceless sword.

Using his newly learned sword aura, Qin Lu fought them both, took a few hits, but ultimately knocked them out and took their silver.

Then, under their dumbfounded stares, he mounted his sword and flew away.

The two men exchanged glances, tasting the flavor of entrapment for the first time.

The family upbringing had been strict—Qin Lu had rarely fought growing up, so this scuffle provided him with a wealth of experience.

Moreover, he realized that the swordplay his mother had taught him during playtime was, in fact, legitimate sword techniques with profound depth.

This discovery was confirmed in the series of battles that followed… Unbeknownst to him, his mother had been teaching him proper, highly advanced sword techniques all along.

The distance from Danyang City to the Dao Sword Sect was a mere thought for Li Shiyin—a few minutes by sword flight. But for Qin Lu, it took over a month, filled with countless trials along the way.

By the time he stood before the towering gates of the Dao Sword Sect, he was already a battle-hardened swordsman, covered in scars.

Gazing up at the grand, hundred-zhang-high sect gates from the streets of the nearby town, Qin Lu imagined the scenes of his parents’ past here… and pondered how he would enter.

The line of hopeful entrants stretched from the sect gates all the way to the distant mountain ridge.

He had queued up from that ridge, but from what he’d observed, very few made it in. Most arrived excited, only to leave dejected.

After much deliberation, when his turn finally came, he still couldn’t figure out what made him special enough for the two insincerely smiling disciples to let him in.

"Name?" one asked with a fake smile.

"Qin Lu."

"Cultivation level?"

"Mid-stage Foundation Establishment."

"Sect affiliation?"

"Rogue cultivator."

"Why have you come to the Dao Sword Sect?"

"To find someone."

"Who?"

Qin Lu hesitated, unsure of his father’s reputation here, then answered, "The Sword Custodian Elder of the Dao Sword Sect, Li An."

"The Sword Custodian Elder?" The disciple’s fake smile turned genuine. "What’s your relationship with him?"

"He’s my cousin."

"Does the Sword Custodian Elder have such a cousin?" he asked the disciple beside him.

"Never heard of it," the other replied, adding his opinion. "How could the Sword Custodian Elder have a sixteen-year-old cousin still at Foundation Establishment?"

Their verdict was final: "Come back another time. The Sword Custodian Elder is far too busy to see you."

After waiting in line for half a day, he was dismissed with just two questions. The young man stood to the side, scratching his head, unsure what to do next.

Just as he was about to leave, someone called out to him from the shorter queue reserved for sect applicants: "Hey, kid, what’s your name?"

He turned to see an ethereally handsome man, his transcendent aura marking him as a high-level cultivator.

Qin Lu clasped his fists respectfully. "This junior is Qin Lu—'Qin' as in 'three people and grain,' 'Lu' as in 'path.'"

"You’re surnamed Qin?" The man’s expression turned serious. "What’s your relation to Li An?"

"My cousin," Qin Lu replied.

The man nodded, stood up, and approached Qin Lu, scrutinizing him before patting his shoulder with a smile. "I’m Dong Zhongyuan. You can call me Uncle Dong."

"Uncle Dong!" Qin Lu called obediently, then asked, "Do you know my parents?"

Dong Zhongyuan chuckled, though Qin Lu couldn’t decipher the mockery in it—it didn’t seem directed at his parents, but at someone else.

"I do know them. But remember, you must never mention their names in the Dao Sword Sect, nor claim to be their son," Dong Zhongyuan warned.

Qin Lu wanted to ask why, but held back—if it could be explained, Uncle Dong would have done so already.

…So, just what kind of unforgivable thing had that pretty-boy father of his done? Did he leave the Dao Sword Sect voluntarily, or was he kicked out?!

"Good, you’re definitely his son!" Dong Zhongyuan laughed, grabbing Qin Lu’s arm. "Come, I’ll take you to see Li An."

Qin Lu followed Dong Zhongyuan into the Dao Sword Sect, marveling at its majestic scenery as they flew toward the Master Peak.

Along the way, he asked, "Uncle Dong, how did you recognize me?"

"Two reasons. First, your mother—she was once on the Geniuses Ranking of the Dao Sword Sect. I oversee the ranking and sensed her bloodline in you." Dong Zhongyuan pointed at the sword wrapped in tattered cloth on Qin Lu’s back. "Second, that sword of yours—hide it better. It’s a high-grade weapon, undoubtedly your father’s legacy, your bonded sword."

Qin Lu nodded.

…So his mother really was extraordinary—the Geniuses Ranking sounded impressive.

"In the Dao Sword Sect, there are two people you must be especially wary of," Dong Zhongyuan cautioned. "Sect Leader Gu Yueming and Dan Peak Chief Zhang Junyi. Never let them learn your identity."

What the—?! Qin Lu was stunned.

The sect leader and a peak chief?

On his first visit, he already had to avoid the highest authorities of the Dao Sword Sect?

Were they his father’s enemies? Did that mean he’d walked straight into the lion’s den?

Dong Zhongyuan brought Qin Lu to the Butler Hall on the Master Peak, where they found Sword Custodian Elder Li An. After handing Qin Lu over, Dong Zhongyuan left.

"What are you doing here?" Li An was shocked to see Qin Lu. "Your father didn’t take you with him when he fled?!"

"The situation was urgent—there was no time," Qin Lu replied.

"Urgent…" Li An scoffed, not buying it for a second.

Since when did Qin Ran face emergencies? Every corner of the Land of Immortal Legacy was under his control. It was clear—Qin Ran had left Qin Lu behind on purpose.

"How did you get to the Dao Sword Sect?" Li An asked.

"I wanted to find my father, so my uncle told me to come here and look for you," Qin Lu said.

Li An sighed. "You shouldn’t have come. The Dao Sword Sect is in turbulent times."

The current situation:

With the Dao Sword Sect’s support, Xuanqin had unified the Land of Immortal Legacy. In return, the Dao Sword Sect absorbed smaller sects under Xuanqin’s aid. Together, they eradicated the hidden demonic faction, the Yuan Organization.

With the human realm unified, the immortal realm consolidated, and demonic forces purged, the stage was set for sweeping change.

The Land of Immortal Legacy stood on the brink of its greatest upheaval in history.

Yet, at this very moment, the imperial court and the sects were locked in dispute over the allocation of immortal positions after Xuanqin’s transformation into a celestial dynasty.

Entangled interests, restless hearts—these were indeed turbulent times.

Li An studied Qin Lu, then thought of his father. Suddenly, it dawned on him—Qin Lu was left behind deliberately by Qin Ran…

Does this mean Qin Ran intends for Qin Lu to join this epochal transformation? And if Qin Lu, as Qin Ran's son, enters this chaotic situation, he would become the pivotal piece to break the stalemate...

Li An understood. He took Qin Lu out of the Butler Hall and brought him to his residence.

"The current situation is complex, and your identity is sensitive. Stay here for now and don’t act recklessly," Li An said. "I’ll go find someone who might know where your father went."

"My identity is sensitive?" Qin Lu mulled over these words. After all his recent experiences, he finally realized that his parents were indeed prominent figures in Xuanqin.

Here in the Dao Sword Sect, with an "Uncle Dong" and a cousin, he couldn’t help but feel like a prince who had been cast into the mortal world.

Qin Lu stayed at the Dao Sword Sect for half a year. During this time, aside from avoiding detection by Gu Yueming and Zhang Junyi, he spent all his time cultivating.

Only when he seriously began his training did he realize what kind of physique his parents had left him.

To name just two advantages:

First was his speed in mastering new techniques. When it came to swordplay, he could learn simple techniques just by glancing at them—so much so that during fights, he could pick up his opponent’s moves mid-battle. Even the more complex techniques only took him a few extra days. He had yet to encounter a sword technique he couldn’t learn.

Second was the speed of his cultivation progress. His cousin Li An repeatedly panicked, begging him to slow down and not advance so quickly.

This was the foundation his father had left him.

His father always said the Li family’s genes were strong, and that Qin Lu had inherited his mother’s physique and intellect. But his cousin insisted he had his mother’s body and his father’s brain.

Six months later, he reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, with a solid foundation capable of challenging Golden Core cultivators.

One day, his cousin brought someone to see him. The figure felt familiar, and when the man removed his hood, Qin Lu exclaimed, "Dad?"

The man shook his head. "I’m not your father."

"Then you…" Qin Lu pointed at him, confused. "Why do you look exactly like him?"

The Dao Sword Sect incarnation of Qin Ran hesitated, unwilling to explain that he was a clone. Instead, he said, "The reasons are complicated, and you don’t need to know. I don’t know where your father is, but someone in Xuanqin does."

"Who knows?"

"The Xuanqin Chief Minister."

"How do I find him?"

"The question is how to make him come to you," the Dao Sword Sect incarnation replied.

"What should I do?"

"In two years, the Dao Sword Sect will hold the 'Knock on the Dao’s Gate' tournament," the incarnation explained. "If you rank in the top ten and become one of the sect’s geniuses, the Xuanqin Chief Minister will personally receive you and induct you into the court. That’s your chance to ask about your parents."

"I understand. If you want someone’s help, you have to make yourself valuable," Qin Lu nodded.

Hearing this, the strange man who looked exactly like his father patted his head approvingly, just as his father would.

To secure a spot in the top ten, Qin Lu ventured out to train. He journeyed deep into the Hengduan Mountains, eventually reaching the mist-shrouded lands at their heart.

There, he encountered an ancient tree that called him the "child of an old friend," ghostly monkeys that hunted him by scent, and a vengeful spirit named Jian Yuanjie, who harbored deep resentment toward his father...

After narrowly escaping the mistlands with his life, his cultivation reached the mid-Golden Core stage. Returning to the Dao Sword Sect, he participated in the Knock on the Dao’s Gate tournament under his cousin’s arrangements.

After numerous battles, he barely managed to squeeze into the Geniuses Ranking with his mid-Golden Core strength.

Only then did it dawn on him: by participating in the tournament, hadn’t he just exposed himself to his father’s enemies—Zhang Junyi and Gu Yueming?

He finally realized he had been used as a pawn.

His cousin and his father’s clone had deceived and sold him out. For the first time, the young man tasted the bitterness of betrayal.

But by then, he was already a piece on the board, with no chance to retreat.

Thus, as the pivotal piece to break the stalemate, he was swept into the unprecedented upheaval of the Land of Immortal Legacy, personally driving the transformation of an ordinary dynasty into a cultivation empire.

Struggling to survive in the political whirlpool of Xuanqin, enduring life-and-death battles and betrayals, he finally stood before the final boss of the court faction—the Xuanqin Chief Minister—only to find the man eerily familiar.

"Dad?" His pupils trembled.

The Chief Minister smiled and shook his head, just as the "father" in the Dao Sword Sect had years ago. "I’m not your father."

"Then who are you?" Qin Lu pressed.

"You already know the answer, don’t you?" the Xuanqin incarnation replied with a laugh.

Qin Lu was no longer the greenhorn he once was. He had weathered countless life-and-death trials.

He now knew the man behind the rise of the Dao Sword Sect and the unification of Xuanqin. He understood what kind of person his father truly was.

And he knew that the Land of Immortal Legacy was littered with his father’s clones.

"Do you know where my parents went?" he asked.

"They left the Land of Immortal Legacy," the Xuanqin incarnation said.

"Where exactly?"

The incarnation clasped his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. "Perhaps it has something to do with the 'Yuan Organization.'"

Though betrayed by his cousin, Qin Lu ultimately belonged to the sect faction—meaning the Dao Sword Sect incarnation was sect-aligned, while the Xuanqin incarnation was court-aligned.

Yet now he discovered that both incarnations were his father’s clones...

For a moment, his brain short-circuited.

"Why are you two opposing each other?" he blurted out foolishly.

The Xuanqin incarnation smiled and explained the higher-level game beyond mere "quota numbers":

"The art of rulership lies in balance. From the Xuanqin Emperor’s perspective, it doesn’t matter whether cultivators belong to the sects or the court—they’re all Xuanqin’s cultivators. What matters is maintaining equilibrium between the two.

"But with me in both the court and the sects, I don’t care which side cultivators choose. I can adjust the numbers on both sides..."

A chill ran down Qin Lu’s spine. So, in truth, this was a game between the Xuanqin Emperor and his father’s clone?

"Conflicts of power become conflicts of interest. To resolve such conflicts, there are two methods your father once taught the Dao Sword Sect—though I wonder if they remember," the Xuanqin incarnation continued. "I’ll teach them to you now: expansion and reduction.

"Expansion means making the pie bigger. Reduction means shrinking the number of people sharing it.

"Xuanqin has only just transformed into a cultivation dynasty. The nation is unstable, its strength insufficient to wage external wars and expand the pie. So the Emperor and I reached an understanding—to reduce the number of sharers..."

The Xuanqin Emperor wouldn’t be reduced. Neither would his father’s clone. That left only...

Qin Lu’s heart skipped a beat.

The Dao Sword Sect.

They were going to make the sect their scapegoat.

And as he thought it over, he realized he was still the pivotal piece to break the stalemate.

The situation was a labyrinth of schemes within schemes, traps within traps. Behind the mist lay yet more mist. Gu Yueming, his father’s clones, the Xuanqin Emperor—each was an ancient monster, each more terrifying than the last.

The current situation was as tense as a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.

These old monsters were too terrifying. Qin Lu knew deep down that he was no match for them. He remembered the name his father had given him…

He wanted to run away.

But he couldn’t. There was no escape for him.

The turmoil in Xuanqin erupted, battles broke out, and chaos ensued as multiple factions clashed…

Another two years passed.

The Dao Sword Sect fell into decline, and the situation in Xuanqin cleared once more. The emperor of Xuanqin regained control and began his purge.

Before the purge reached him, before the next phase of Xuanqin’s grand game unfolded, Qin Lu’s Xuanqin incarnation sent him through a long-distance teleportation array bound for the Tianhai Region.

"You might find the original there," he said.

"What about you?" Qin Lu asked.

"I still have my uses. I won’t die," the Xuanqin incarnation replied. "Even if I do, I’m just one of your father’s countless incarnations."

Upon arriving in the Tianhai Region via the Yuan Organization’s teleportation array, Qin Lu climbed the ranks of the Yuan Organization, continuing his search for his father.

Yet, after following the clues, enduring countless trials, and reaching the Nascent Soul stage, when he finally ascended to the upper echelons of the Yuan Organization and found his father… he discovered yet another incarnation.

This one even had a wife of his own…

Qin Lu wasn’t sure if this counted as his father cheating.

By now, over six hundred years had passed since he first set out with his sword to find his father. He no longer cared about locating the original—he just wanted to know how many incarnations his father had and where in the world each one had wandered.

And as he wished, over the next few millennia, he encountered his father’s incarnations in various forms, lives, and races across the 960 Domains.

He always managed to find his father in the most bizarre places.

It wasn’t until this year, after transcending the Immortal Tribulation and ascending as a True Immortal, that he finally met his father’s original self.

"Still an incarnation?" he asked with a smirk.

Qin Ran strode forward and pulled Qin Lu into a tight embrace, laughing heartily. "Of course not!

"So, how was the journey? Fun?" He raised an eyebrow at Qin Lu.

Qin Lu rolled his eyes. "Boring as hell!"

He glanced at his father’s cultivation level and scoffed, "You’re only a True Immortal too?"

Pointing at Li Shiyin, he added, "Mom’s way stronger than you!"

"She hogged all the resources, of course she’s stronger," Qin Ran chuckled. "Your mom’s already a Golden Immortal, on the verge of becoming a Great Luo Golden Immortal. A Great Luo Sword Immortal, at that! We can afford to be a little more arrogant now."

"Yeah, yeah, as if you’d dare!" Qin Lu sneered. "Above Great Luo Golden Immortals are Mystic Immortals, and Mystic Immortals have nine tiers. Beyond them are Dao Ancestors, and above even them lies the Unfathomable Great Desolation…"

"Hahaha!" Qin Ran laughed. "That’s exactly why you should enjoy life while you can and cherish every moment. Don’t overthink it.

"Come on, let’s grab a drink somewhere."

Chasing the Wind, now a divine beast, shrank to the size of a kitten and leaped onto Qin Ran’s shoulder, grinning at Qin Lu. "All these years, we’ve been keeping an eye on you. We dropped by to check on you now and then."

"Really? Then why didn’t you lift a finger during all my life-or-death crises?" Qin Lu asked skeptically.

Li Shiyin reached out and pinched his ear. "If I hadn’t intervened, you’d have died hundreds of times!"

"Hundreds?" Qin Lu pointed at Qin Ran. "Most of those were his schemes! He deliberately dragged me into them!"

"Oh?" Qin Ran feigned surprise. "You figured that out?"

"You think I’m stupid?" Qin Lu said smugly.

"Your intelligence is about on par with your mom’s…"

"Qin Ran?" A sword’s aura flickered ominously in the air.

"Ahem!" Qin Ran coughed. "Let’s just go get that drink!"

The family of four—Qin Ran in the middle, Chasing the Wind perched on his right shoulder, Li Shiyin clinging to his side while dragging Qin Lu by the ear—walked off into the void.