Ancient Ruin

As Ling Tian opened the door and entered the room, he found his father seated at his desk, much like all those years ago when they came to talk about the professions in which he was going to train.

The room was filled with the scent of aged parchment and the faint aroma of incense, lending an air of serenity and wisdom to the space.

Ling Tian smiled at him and started speaking, "How are you doing, old man? It has been so long that even I have stepped into the God King realm, but you didn't manage to break through after so long."

His father, Yuan Hao, was a figure of dignity and strength, with silver strands threading through his once jet-black hair, a testament to the years of relentless cultivation and the burdens of leadership.

Despite his father's stern exterior, Ling Tian had grown much more casual with him over the years. The rigid formality of their early years had softened, allowing for a more relaxed and affectionate relationship. Ling Tian even felt comfortable making jokes at his father's expense.

Yuan Hao abruptly lifted his head from reading the scroll and said, "WHAT?? You managed to break through the God King realm already?"

His voice echoed through the chamber, filled with a mix of shock and disbelief. The look on his face was one of utter astonishment. He had always known his son was prodigious, but this news was beyond his expectations.

Seeing the disbelief in his father's eyes, Ling Tian decided to confirm his claim.

He released a portion of the pressure unique to the God King realm, a palpable force that filled the room and left no doubt about his newfound power.

The air seemed to crackle with energy, and the sheer intensity of it made the scrolls on the desk flutter slightly.

Yuan Hao calmed down after a long time, his expression shifting from shock to a mixture of pride and acceptance. He took a deep breath, ready to respond, but before he could say anything, Ling Tian started speaking again.

"Old man, I'm afraid I will surpass you soon at this rate. When I started cultivating, you were already at the middle levels of the God King realm, and you have only reached the late stages, not even the peak."

He smirked with satisfaction upon seeing his reaction. His father started speaking at this time.

"You brat, what do you know? Cultivating in the God King realm is even harder than reaching the God Monarch realm from the Qi refining realm. Not everyone is a monster like you who can increase his cultivation as well as his side profession. You were already able to make God Monarch treasures easily when you were at the Peak of the God Monarch realm."

Speaking up to here, his eyes lit up like divine suns, and he laughed out loud before saying.

"Good, good, good. Now we will soon have a God King level alchemist in our clan as well."

Meanwhile, Ling Tian was thinking to himself.

'If I told him that I can already make God Emperor Level treasures, pills, formations, and other stuff, he might die from a heart attack.'

He thought with a smug look on his face. He didn't tell his parents or anyone that he had mastered not only alchemy but many other side professions.

After stopping his laugh, Yuan Hao started speaking.

"So, why did you visit your old man? I'm sure it's not merely for showing off and neither for visiting me."

He looked suspiciously at his son. Ling Tian smiled and talked about the ruins and his plan to explore them with his friend Han Ming. His father had a thoughtful look on his face and said after considering it for a while.

"You can go wherever you want now, after all, you have reached the God King realm. You are a real giant in the Divine plane with this cultivation base. I don't have much to say to you, but always remember that the human heart is the most unpredictable thing in the entire Divine realm. So, you better take care of who to trust and who not to trust."

His father spoke about it to his son with a hint of emotion in his voice. Alas, it looked like he didn't understand his father's underlying meaning. He said with a smile.

"Don't worry, old man, even if everyone in the ruins dies, I won't be one of them."

He spoke with such certainty that even Yuan Hao began to wonder where he was deriving such confidence. He just shook his head and smiled.

"Anyways, before you go, talk with your mother; otherwise, she might be worried sick about you."

Ling Tian just smiled bitterly and thought inwardly.

'I'm not a kid anymore; when will my mother stop worrying about me? Should I tell her about my cultivation realm?'

He started to wonder to himself but dropped the idea upon further thought.

'Nah, it will be too troublesome to explain all this to her; just let nature take its course.'

Just as he was thinking to himself, he reached out to the door of his mother's room and knocked on it twice.

Knock Knock

"Come in, Tian'er."

After hearing his mother's gentle voice, a smile appeared on his face, and he entered the room after opening the gates.

She was seen sitting on a chair at the tea table with tea boiling on top of it. She looked at her son and smiled at him while beckoning for him to come and sit on the chair opposite to him.

"Come and sit here, Tian'er, and have some tea."

She offered Ling Tian tea and started asking about his visit.

"So, why has my good son exited seclusion and decided to visit me?"

She asked in a teasing tone. Ling Tian could only smile wryly and explain himself.

"Mom, you know good well that I was in seclusion to breakthrough the God King realm, that's why I was in seclusion for such a long time."

Her mother only giggled at his explanation and spoke.

"I'm just teasing you; of course, I know why my son was missing for so long."

Ling Tian just sighed helplessly and spoke about why he came here in the first place.

"I was going to an ancient realm with Han Ming to explore it and see if we can find any treasure there. So, I came here to tell you about it and not to worry if I can't return for quite some time."

Bing Xi listened to her son and then just smiled and spoke.

"Just go if you want to explore that ruin, but be careful out there."

She uttered a simple sentence with a gentle smile. Ling Tian then had a small talk with her about his cultivation, and needless to say, his mother was genuinely surprised. Her face then filled with pride.

"After all, you are my son; this much is expected."

She said this with a smug look on her face. Ling Tian just shook his head and stood up to leave while saying to her mother.

"Alright, Mom, I will make some preparations before heading towards the ruins."

Ling Tian's mother just continued to drink the tea with a happy expression on her face after learning about his son's accomplishment in cultivation.