But the Saint Lord Master had just said, “Let’s go,” so how could Yan Zhen embarrass her? He promptly replied,
“No need, Clan Leader Zi—er, cough—perhaps Zi Ji and I just aren’t meant to be. Pretend we were never here. Goodbye, no need to see us out.”
With that, Yan Zhen turned to slip away, only for Zi Tianjun’s voice to suddenly ring in his ear:
“Brat, don’t think I don’t know. Zi Ji is right there with you.”
Holy crap!
Yan Zhen jolted in shock, struck by that guilty pang like a high school kid caught sneaking off on a date by her dad. He awkwardly sent back a mental message:
“This junior has no idea what Clan Leader Zi means.”
Playing dumb.
Zi Tianjun spoke in a low, ominous tone:
“Enough with the act in front of me. Zi Ji is the next God Maiden of our Heavenly God Clan. I can’t just let you whisk her away like that.”
He stopped using mental messages and spoke aloud instead:
“Friend Yan Zhen, I know you like Zi Ji, and she likes you. That’s why you came here to propose, right? If you leave now, there might not be another chance later.”
Yan Zhen shot him a sidelong glance and snorted disdainfully:
“And do I have a chance right now? Your Heavenly God Clan’s attitude is downright chilling.”
Might as well just kidnap her outright, hmph!
“If I’ve said it, I won’t go back on my word,” Zi Tianjun said, stroking his beard. “But marrying the brightest jewel of our Heavenly God Clan isn’t as simple as you think. Liking each other isn’t enough. There are countless young prodigies in the clan who adore her. You have to prove yourself—show you’re superior to most of them in every way, that you’re truly worthy of Zi Ji—before I can hand my daughter over to you with peace of mind.”
“How do I prove it?”
“I have three trials prepared. Pass them all, and we’ll all be happy—tying the knot with no hard feelings. Fail, and I advise you to let go early and cut your losses.”
Here it comes—the trials.
In the script of his previous life, Zi Tianjun had favored him greatly, but most of the Heavenly God Clan opposed Yan Zhen marrying Zi Xunyi, citing Saint Lord Zichen’s point about her being “the rare God-level Bloodline.” Then came the three trials.
Those trials tested aptitude, temperament, and strength. He had no idea if this life’s trials would match the previous ones.
But whether they did or not, he would pass them. He would prove himself and claim Zi Ji openly and honorably.
Her mother and daughter had waited three years for this moment. How could he back down now?
“I accept the trials, but I hope Clan Leader Zi and the rest of the Heavenly God Clan will keep your word. Don’t renege at the last second.”
Zi Tianjun thought to himself, This kid’s got some spine.
“I stake my personal honor on it. That good enough for you?”
“Fine. Bring it on—I’m not afraid!”
“Not so fast. You must all be tired. Rest first in the Celestial God Palace. We’ll start the trials tomorrow. What do you say, Jialan Fairy?”
This sly old fox… Yan Zhen felt a bit helpless and looked to his Saint Lord Master. Jialan Fairy turned away slightly and said coolly,
“Since Clan Leader Zi insists so kindly, we’ll humbly accept.”
She paused, then added,
“Jialan Holy Land and the Heavenly God Clan have shared nearly a millennium of friendship. I don’t wish to see that alliance end in my generation. But any relationship requires effort from both sides to endure. I hope the Heavenly God Clan understands that as well.”
Jialan Fairy might speak at length, but she only scolded her own people. She ignored outsiders as a rule. For her to say this much meant she already viewed Zi Tianjun as Yan Zhen’s future father-in-law and her old ally from the previous life.
“Of course,” Zi Tianjun replied. “This time, my clan has been rude to our guests. On behalf of everyone, I apologize once more.” A warm smile returned to his face. “Please, follow me.”
Jialan Fairy inclined her head slightly. She flew toward the Celestial God Palace alongside Yan Zhen, Chen Xi, and the Evil Consort, following Zi Tianjun, while the Heavenly God Guards stayed behind to clean up the mess.
Once they reached the main hall, Zi Tianjun ordered refreshments—fruits and tea—to be served. Then he turned to Yan Zhen.
“Alright, Yan Zhen, let Zi Ji out now.”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek awkwardly under the old man’s piercing gaze. With no choice, he opened an entrance to the Fire Refining Starry Sky and summoned Zi Xunyi.
The beautiful woman with flowing purple hair and skirts glided out through the space portal, her expression serene. She bowed in greeting.
“Father, welcome back from seclusion.”
Zi Tianjun smiled faintly.
“No need for formalities, Zi Ji. Come, sit here.”
He patted the seat next to him, but Zi Xunyi ignored the gesture.
“I’ll sit right here.”
She promptly took the spot beside Yan Zhen.
Zi Tianjun: “……”
Zi Xunyi and her father didn’t get along well.
Zi Tianjun had always spent most of his time in seclusion, paying little attention to his wife and daughter. Even when Zi Xunyi’s mother passed away, he remained in closed-door cultivation. From then on, his daughter harbored deep resentment toward him. She grew taciturn herself—speaking in modern terms, she developed some depressive tendencies.
With turmoil brewing in the Heavenly God Clan at the time, they sent her to Jialan Holy Land to interact with the outside world.
In his previous life, Zi Tianjun had taken a liking to Yan Zhen and even played matchmaker for him and Zi Xunyi, which softened their father-daughter bond somewhat. But it never fully healed—it merely returned to a baseline civility, far from the closeness Yan Zhen shared with Yan Yan and Yan Lingji.
This life’s Zi Xunyi had only skimmed those past-life memories, so her attitude toward her father remained as distant as ever.
Zi Tianjun sighed inwardly and turned back to Yan Zhen with a flat tone.
“You’ve got some tricks up your sleeve, kid.”
The words carried double meaning—praising Yan Zhen’s control of a cave heaven at the Mystic Venerable Realm, but also noting how he’d stolen his daughter’s heart.
Yan Zhen pretended not to catch the subtext and replied coolly,
“You’re too kind, Clan Leader Zi. Without some real skills, how dare I propose to the Heavenly God Clan?”
“Confidence is good, but my three trials aren’t a walk in the park. Get cocky, fail them, and there’s no second shot.”
“I’ll pass them no matter what—as long as Clan Leader Zi doesn’t rig the game.”
“I’m not that petty.”
“Oh.”
Zi Tianjun suddenly itched to give the kid a thrashing. Steal his daughter and act all smug? If he married Zi Ji, wouldn’t he walk all over them?
But remembering that his clan had started the offense this time, putting everyone in a sour mood, he could only sigh helplessly.
Looks like no more seclusion for a while. Time to whip the whole clan into shape.
At that moment, Zi Xunyi spoke up:
“What do you plan to test Yan Zhen on, Father?”
Zi Tianjun drawled,
“My son-in-law needs top aptitude, flawless temperament, and overwhelming strength. By my reckoning, friend Yan Zhen doesn’t quite measure up in any of those.”
Zi Xunyi replied coldly,
“Father must have forgotten his reading glasses.”
Zi Tianjun’s face stiffened.
“……”
Yan Zhen coughed twice, signaling his Zi Ji Wife to give the old man some face.
“Our Zhen’er is no slouch,” Chen Xi shot back, displeased. “Aside from Zi Ji, no one in your Heavenly God Clan can match him. If you don’t believe me, Clan Leader Zi, you’ll see for yourself tomorrow.”
Zi Tianjun couldn’t fathom their utter confidence in Yan Zhen. A One-Star Mystic Venerable? That barely scraped by in the Heavenly God Clan—miles behind the Seven-Star prodigies.
“Fair enough. I’ll be watching.”
