TGDS Chapter 71.1

The Good Dad System (Arc 10) Chapter 71.1: The Villain’s Dad in the Cultivation Novels (1)

Atop Yueming Mountain, surrounded by clouds and mist, stands a towering hall. Its style is largely similar, constructed from white spiritual stone and carved with various designs. The most common depiction is of a nine-day fairy embracing the moon. This is likely due to the story of the founder of the Lanyue Sect, passed down through generations. Legend has it that long ago, the Lanyue Sect’s founder created a unique technique, ultimately stepping onto the stars and entering the moon, piercing the clouds with a single sword strike, and ascending to heaven. The sword he left behind was inscribed with the words “Lanyue,” and the technique he passed down is known as the “Nine Heavens Lanyue Dafa.”

Over the years, the Lanyue Sect expanded, encompassing nearly a hundred surrounding peaks. The main hall on the main peak is particularly magnificent. It’s said that the gemstone inlaid at the top is a stone from the moon, though this is merely legend. In the center of the hall stands a white jade plaque inscribed with the three characters “Shengyun Hall.”

Once inside the hall, the chill outside was completely unnoticed; instead, it felt warm as spring. Palace lanterns hung all around, but there were no candles inside, only luminous pearls of various shapes, emitting a brilliant light that illuminated the hall as if it were daytime. In the center of the hall sat a long table, piled high with various books and stacks of jade discs. A handsome man leaned his head against the table, reading with a pen, seemingly troubled.

“Master! Master! When are we going to practice swordplay?” A child’s voice, seemingly unrelated to the scene, suddenly rang out from behind the hall. The barefoot boy, with long hair draped over his shoulders, wore a small-sized robe of the same style as the man. His eyes sparkled, and he clutched a long sword that was almost as tall as himself. He tried to appear serious, but his expression betrayed excitement.

Pei Naochun glanced over helplessly. Over the past few days, he’d already become quite experienced. He pulled out a pair of tiny shoes barely big enough for a hand and a dark blue headband from the mustard seed space. “Come over here first.”

Seeing the two key items, Pei Mingzhen rubbed his head, remembering that just before nap time, he’d untied his bun. He stuck out his tongue and sheepishly walked over to his father’s side, obediently standing still, awaiting his father’s care. The sword had become a small crutch, supporting his body.

“I’ve told you several times, it’s cold outside the palace. You need to wear shoes if you go out.” Pei Naochun spoke without a trace of anger. His touch was gentle, gently tidying Pei Mingzhen’s hair, simply adjusting the corners and tying it into a bun, and that was it. “Also, I’ve already told you, if you like swordsmanship, practice it. You don’t need to learn from me.” He leaned over to help with the shoes, his usually cold face now filled with tenderness.

With his father holding his feet, Pei Mingzhen felt a little itchy, giggled, and said, “I don’t want to learn swordsmanship anymore. I want to practice swordsmanship like the master!” Just half a month ago, he was still a free-range child, being taken care of by his senior brothers. This time, his father came out of retreat and suddenly thought of him, so he took him to his side. Such a happy day was getting less and less, and he was reluctant to leave!

Pei Naochun couldn’t help but tapped Pei Mingzhen’s little head: “You are naughty, and you still call me master.”

“Just call you master!” Pei Mingzhen’s little head shook when he was tapped. He shook his head and said happily, “My father is the most powerful master!”

“Who said I am the most powerful?” Pei Naochun raised his eyebrows. In Lanyue Sect, there are still several great elders. They are stuck at the gate of ascending to the upper realm. They have been in retreat for many years and their strength is superb. Compared with his strength, they are much better.

“That’s what I said!” Pei Mingzhen put his hands on his hips, “My senior brothers all said so too! Daddy is the best anyway!”

“Okay.” He just smiled, picked up Pei Mingzhen and held him in his arms, “Do you want to be the headmaster in the future?”

Pei Mingzhen shook his head, as if he was lost in thought. He didn’t know that children like him were particularly cute when they imitated adults: “Is it fun to be the headmaster?” He opened his eyes wide with curiosity, “My senior brothers said I want to be the headmaster! What’s it called… inheriting the mantle! Yes, I want to be the headmaster like daddy.”

“Do you like it yourself?” Pei Naochun asked again, he stretched out his hand and pointed at the large stack of documents in front of him, “When you become the headmaster, all these will belong to you.”

In the past few days, Pei Mingzhen has been with his father. He watched with his own eyes as his father revised these documents again and again. After he finally eliminated a little, someone immediately sent new ones. It can be said that there are endless. He immediately showed a timid expression: “So many? Can’t I ask my senior brothers to help revise them together?”

“No,” Pei Naochun shook his head firmly. “This is the Master’s responsibility.”

Pei Mingzhen, shaking his head and waving his hands, refused: “Then I won’t…” Sword practice was still fun.

Pei Naochun said nothing, simply watching Pei Mingzhen, still a child. He glanced around bored, dangling his short legs, his carefree demeanor betraying no sign of his imminent death in less than a century.

Of course, none of this would ever happen in this lifetime.

Pei Naochun was genuinely surprised when he saw the soul before him upon entering the dark space. The man was clad in a moon-white robe. Despite the supposedly windless darkness, the robe didn’t droop; instead, it fluttered gently in the breeze. The embroidery on the robe was crafted from a single-colored silk thread, yet the thread itself was meticulously crafted, shimmering faintly from different angles. The flowing satin, juxtaposed against the shimmering silk, was captivating enough to behold. Looking up, he was met with the soul’s strikingly handsome features. His black hair was tied in a bun, his expression impassive, and possessed a commanding presence.

At a glance, it was clear this man was no ordinary mortal.

“Are you the mission leader?” The man raised his eyes, sizing him up before regaining his composure. His voice reached Pei Naochun’s ears clearly. “From now on, I’ll leave everything in your hands.” He was supposed to be ruthless, but at that moment, his eyes were filled with suppressed pain and hatred.

…

This time, Pei Naochun was about to enter a world that was a standard male-oriented cultivation novel. Set in the world of seeking immortals and asking for the way, it told the story of the protagonist, Xiang Wentian, who had a rough childhood and encountered numerous difficulties, yet remained indomitable. In the end, he defeated gods and Buddhas, finally achieving enlightenment and shattering the void.

Of course, with the proliferation of novels like this, there were some inevitable clichés.

For example, the story began with a rather unspectacular break-off of an engagement.

The parents of the hero Xiang Wentian were once some of the most powerful people in Xingyun City. Although they were only slightly better than ordinary people in the entire world of cultivation, they could already call the shots in Xingyun City. So when Xiang Wentian was just born, they arranged for him to marry Lin Lianxing, the daughter of the city lord of Xingyun City. However, the world of cultivation has always been turbulent and the strong are the kings. A monster invaded near Xingyun City, and the hero’s parents and all the cultivators in the city went to drive away the monster. Although they were united, their strength was insufficient. Not only did they fail to drive it away, they also ended up dead. The once wealthy Xiang family was left with only the six-year-old Xiang Wentian.

Money can move people’s hearts, and this is true everywhere. Less than two years after his parents passed away, many cultivators in the surrounding area were eyeing them covetously, wanting to seize the skills or rare treasures they left behind. Although Xiang Wentian was young, he was shrewd. Without hesitation, he immediately packed up most of the things in his home and handed them over to the Lord of Xingyun City, hoping that the friendship between the two families and these treasures could move the other party’s heart and gain protection. Fortunately, the Lord of Xingyun City still maintained some moral principles. After taking the things, he took Xiang Wentian to the City Lord’s Mansion. From then on, he lived a hard life living under someone else’s roof.

Time passed, and when Xiang Wentian was twelve years old, the Lanyue Sect, the leader of the nine major sects, came to recruit disciples. Anyone with access to information would not miss such good news. Xiang Wentian and Lin Lianxing went for the test together. Lin Lianxing had excellent qualifications, with both water and wood spiritual roots. After the test, he had hope of entering the inner sect; while Xiang Wentian had the standard male protagonist qualifications, with five spiritual roots. With such qualifications, he would not be able to achieve anything good anywhere, and at best he would be an outer sect disciple doing odd jobs.

As soon as the aptitude test results came out, the Lord of Xingyun City changed his mind. In the world of cultivation, being affiliated with one of the nine major sects was like being protected by a 360-degree, all-encompassing shield, guaranteeing a safe and meteoric rise. He knew his daughter’s potential was limitless, and he also wanted to ensure a suitable match. What if Lin Lianxing became an inner disciple, focusing on cultivation? Would he still be forced to marry a handyman? As a father, he always considered the future. Without hesitation, he immediately proposed to Xiang Wentian to break off the engagement.

Xiang Wentian immediately agreed, with his only request being that he follow Lin Lianxing to the Lanyue Sect. He said he wanted to seek an opportunity to ascend to the Heavenly Gate, gain strength, and avenge his parents. But in reality, he was being pragmatic. In the world of cultivation, human life was like an ant. If he didn’t become stronger, even his own life would be in jeopardy, let alone anything else. He wanted to become stronger, even stronger!

From this point on, the main text of “Cultivation: Questioning the Way of Heaven” officially begins. In the first half of the book, Xiang Wentian strives to rise in the outer sect of the Lanyue Sect, but he suffers numerous humiliations: he’s given the worst assignments, the outer sect steward embezzles spirit stones and elixirs, and the inner and outer sects are divided… Undeterred, the protagonist, by chance, learns the method for purifying spiritual roots, and his cultivation progresses rapidly.

As in most novels, among the many minor villains, the author also provides the protagonist with a destined enemy early on: Pei Mingzhen, the son of the Lanyue Sect’s leader. This person’s upbringing is completely different from Xiang Wentian’s. As the son of the leader, he has been afforded the best since childhood, with everything from techniques to weapons, spirit stones, and elixirs. His parents are both cultivators, and while his aptitude isn’t exceptional, he possesses both mutant thunder and water spirit roots, making him a natural fit for his practice and making rapid progress.

In reality, the conflict between Pei Mingzhen and Xiang Wentian in the novel feels rather forced, for a simple reason: the word “woman.”

After Lin Lianxing entered the Lanyue Sect, she ascended to the inner sect and became a disciple of an elder, where she unexpectedly met Pei Mingzhen. The two, handsome and attractive, had much in common, and soon developed a rather ambiguous relationship, even planning to become Taoist companions once the sect leader emerged from seclusion. Word of this spread to the outer sect, causing the hero considerable suffering. He was even bullied into handling animal feces in the spirit beast garden. He once questioned the situation, only to receive a simple response: “Don’t you consider your own weight? You’ve offended Senior Brother Mingzhen. Who would give you face? If I torture you to death, I might even gain something.”

This was essentially just the outer sect members’ spontaneous exclusion and bullying, seeking to curry favor with the leader, yet it was still blamed on Pei Mingzhen.

The story unfolds, and soon the sect’s grand competition arrives. The sect leader has already emerged from retreat, and Xiang Wentian attends the competition, which is the only way for outer disciples to enter the inner sect. At the outset, Xiang Wentian, his black dagger in hand, steps onto the sword-asking arena. That day, the sky is overcast, and a fierce wind gusts. He simply declares, “Outer disciple Xiang Wentian, challenge Senior Brother Pei Mingzhen to a duel!” Everyone laughed, thinking he’s overestimating his abilities.