"Dao Cheng Zi, have everyone leave," Lin Feng waved them off.
Dao Cheng Zi nodded, turning and waving at the crowd. Everybody knew they had to leave. They still looked happy. Nobody felt like leaving but as they did, they all looked at Lin Feng in awe, admiration, and respect.
Lin Qiong Sheng watched them go; he didn't understand why those disciples looked at his father like that, he had doubts…
——-
That night, Lin Qiong Sheng was standing in Lin Feng's room. He looked at his father in worry. His father looked calm and composed.
"Father, you really want to manage Tian Dao Yuan?" asked Lin Qiong Sheng, forcing a smile. He didn't understand his father's decision. He didn't know why he had agreed to be Tian Dao Yuan's leader. Even if he received the legacy of Tian Dao Yuan's Ancestor, so what? The Patriarch of the Tian Ji Sect was waiting for him.
He had the strength of the seventh Great Supreme God layer, Lin Feng would never be able to defeat him. Lin Qiong Sheng knew how terrifying his teacher was, and he didn't want his father to die.
But he also knew that his father couldn't stand being humiliated. He was more terrifying when people humiliated him than when people wanted to kill him.
Lin Feng looked back at his son. He could see his son was worried and he was touched, but at the same time he also knew what his son thought, so he was a bit angry too.
"Qiong Sheng, what kind of person do you think your father is?" Lin Feng asked his son.
Lin Qiong Sheng was a bit surprised. He looked at Lin Feng curiously. Why was his father asking him that? But he still pondered the question. He tried and recalled everything his mother had told him about his father, and everything he had seen personally.
In the end, he raised his head and said, "You are very determined and kind. You are very aggressive, but you are also thoughtful and considerate. You are a responsible father and husband."
"Apart from that?" Lin Feng smiled. Lin Qiong Sheng's expression changed again. He thought a bit longer, but then he shook his head, not knowing what Lin Feng meant.
Lin Feng sighed. He was a bit disappointed, having the impression his son didn't believe in him. The reason might be that Lin Feng had never been anything else for Lin Qiong Sheng than an absentee father.
Lin Zhe Tian was different from Lin Qiong Sheng; Lin Zhe Tian had grown up in the Snow Clan. Everybody in the Snow Clan hated Lin Feng, but Zhe Tian knew about his father when he was a child, and he also knew the members of the Snow Clan hated his father.
Therefore, Zhe Tian had always admired his father and considered him a hero. He considered his father someone everybody should fear. Zhe Tian's dream had always been to surpass his father.
But Lin Qiong Sheng was different, as he had grown up in the Holy Spirit Dynasty with Tang You You. He didn't know much about his father. Most things he had heard about his father were things the members of the Holy Spirit Dynasty had told him, but he had never really seen his father in action.
Lin Qiong Sheng and Lin Zhe Tian had different views, but Lin Feng knew he was the only one to blame.
"Qiong Sheng, you don't know me very well, hehe. In your mind, your teacher is terrifyingly strong and your father is just determined and stubborn. You just know your teacher is the Patriarch of the Tian Ji Sect, a pillar in that sect, and a powerful man, who has killed four of Tian Dao Yuan's leaders. You don't know how strong your father is. You also don't know how many people your father has killed, even though their cultivation level was much higher.
"You've been in the Continent of Eternity for a while now. Do you know that I killed Yan Zhen, a high-level Supreme God, when I only had the strength of the low-level Supreme God layer?"
"Do you know that I killed the leader of Jin Lun City?
"Do you know that when I had the strength of the Half-Great Supreme God layer, I killed Fa Kun Lun, the leader of the Fa Lan Empire? Do you know that I annihilated the Ancient Demonic Clan and destroyed Xie Mu's soul jewel?
"Do you know that I killed the Old Servant of Tian Dao Yuan with the help of a few Supreme Elders?" Lin Feng finished seriously. He wanted his son to think. Lin Qiong Sheng remained silent, not knowing what to say.
Indeed, he didn't know much about his father. He had just heard stories, but they rarely had the opportunity to spend time together. In the Tian Ji Sect, the Patriarch influenced him. He kept thinking of how strong and aggressive his teacher was, but he never thought of his father that way. Had he forgotten that his father had become the strongest cultivator of the Continent of the Nine Clouds back in the days?
Lin Qiong Sheng only thought about how terrifying his teacher was, and that nobody could compete with him, but he never thought that many people were absolutely terrified of his father and that when his father wanted to kill someone, he always found them, even if they were in the remotest corners of the world.
All he had thought about were the relations between the Tian Ji Sect and Tian Dao Yuan. He didn't want his father to be injured or killed, so he had threatened Fa Duo to get his father to resign. He had never considered that since his father had become the leader of Tian Dao Yuan, he also had responsibilities.
His father was a responsible man. He didn't let people down after promising them something. Trying to get his father to give up just made him want to be the leader of Tian Dao Yuan even more.
Lin Feng wanted to show his son how strong he was. He didn't want his son to worship his teacher, he wanted his son to worship him. He wanted Qiong Sheng to think his father was a hero.
Lin Feng wasn't jealous or anything, but no father hoped their child would admire someone else more than them. No matter how strong Lin Qiong Sheng's teacher was, he was just his teacher. Lin Feng was his father, and he would be his father forever.
Lin Qiong Sheng remained silent. He realized he had been wrong and felt guilty. He looked at Lin Feng, his lips moved, but he hesitated to talk. Lin Feng stopped him.
"No need to apologize to your father. You are a good and kind son. You are a responsible son, too. I'm not blaming you. I was wrong because I didn't fulfill my responsibilities as a father. However, I will show you that your hero shouldn't be your teacher, but your father.
"Wait and you'll see. Sooner or later, I will show you that I am much more aggressive and much stronger than your teacher," Lin Feng promised, taking a deep breath.
Lin Qiong Sheng nodded. He wanted to see his father like that someday. He had never seen his father do anything amazing, so he didn't have much faith. However, Lin Zhe Tian had never stopped believing in his father.
Lin Qiong Sheng forced a smile, but he could see his father was disappointed.
His father knew he didn't believe in him. He had affection for Lin Feng as his father, but he didn't have faith. Even if he didn't say it, he couldn't hide his feelings from his father.
Naturally, Lin Qiong Sheng felt guilty.
His father was his father. His teacher was his teacher. Telling his father how amazing his teacher was tactless.
Lin Feng didn't intend to leave the matter at that.
Lin Qiong Sheng took a deep breath and looked at the dark sky. It was night already. In the future, he would be in the difficult position of choosing between his teacher and his father.
He should choose a side, and he should have chosen to be on Lin Feng's side without hesitation because they were father and son. But Lin Qiong Sheng's goal was the same as Lin Feng's, he also wanted to become the strongest cultivator in the world, so that his clan could rely on him.
So for him, strength was the most important thing, no matter what the cost was, even if he had to leave his relatives behind for a while. Someday, he would be able to protect them.
Father and son were very similar.
"Anyway, go and take a rest. If you want to stay with me, stay with me; if you want to go back to the Tian Ji Sect, go back tomorrow. I will always respect your decisions," Lin Feng said kindly. No matter what Lin Qiong Sheng did, Lin Feng supported him; it was his duty as a father.
As long as his son became stronger and stronger, that was the most important thing!
He didn't scold his son. He had to learn on his own; from his father, from his teacher, from the world around him.
Lin Qiong Sheng took a deep breath. He felt great pressure. He didn't know what to say, so he just left.
However, he made the decision to spend more time with his father when he could.