To be honest, Xiao Wan did have some questions.

Normally, talents like his were inherited. He knew how special he was, so by that logic, there was no way his daddy was as simple as he looked. At the very least, there was no chance he was born and raised in the Seventeenth Heaven.

He’d tried asking Uncle Shen about it in a roundabout way, but Shen Guan always gave him that awkward look.

“Xueman doesn’t want to talk about it,” he said. “Not exactly pleasant memories… it’s all in the past.”

If it really was all in the past, Xiao Wan could’ve let it go. But something in his heart just felt off.

He might’ve found a solution to his own problem, but could Daddy really have nothing left to worry about?

“Daddy,” Xiao Wan tugged on his sleeve, voice soft, “even now… you still don’t want me to go up, do you?”

Xiao Xueman frowned slightly at the question, then leaned in and replied in a similarly quiet voice, like whispering a secret: “That’s right.”

“Why?”

Shen Guan wasn’t completely drunk yet, and his remaining bit of sanity made him want to jump in and stop this conversation—he was afraid Xiao Wan would dig too deep. But before he could say anything, Xiao Xueman answered.

“Xiao Wan has to be careful,” he said, cupping his son’s soft chubby face. His voice was still hushed, like sharing a secret. “If the First Heaven finds us, both you and Daddy will be locked away… locked up forever with no way out. Scary, isn’t it?”

Xiao Wan: “…That is scary.”

Even Shen Guan froze for a moment.

He’d had plenty of drinks with Xiao Xueman before, and he knew the man never spouted nonsense when drunk—only the truth.

Most of the time, Xueman had amazing self-control and knew exactly how much he could drink. This time, he probably drank more because Xiao Wan had made it through that big crisis. He rarely ever let himself go like this.

But that one sentence left Shen Guan at a total loss.

It hit him then—what Xueman had told him in the past was just the tip of the iceberg. So much more was buried deep inside, memories so dark and heavy he wouldn’t even share them with his own child. He just let them rot in silence.

Shen Guan didn’t feel disappointed at being kept in the dark—he just felt sorry for him.

They were close friends, and despite how much time had passed, fate had pulled them back together. Xueman had even saved his life. Honestly, it wasn’t just a life debt—it was probably several. Still, Shen Guan knew he was only a part of Xueman’s long, complicated life. After all, when he first met Xueman, the guy was already someone powerful enough to make Spirit Kings bow their heads.

But Xueman wasn’t someone who had everything handed to him. Just because he didn’t speak of the pain didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

Xiao Wan didn’t ask any more questions after that.

Because Daddy really was drunk now. It was late at night, and exhaustion had caught up to him. Holding his son, he closed his eyes… and passed out.

Xiao Wan and Shen Guan helped get him to bed. Shen Guan, still shaken by what he’d heard, sobered up quite a bit. He sat staring at Xueman’s sleeping face for a long time and finally let out a quiet sigh.

Xiao Wan was there too. He hadn’t left. Hearing that sigh, he turned to look at Shen Guan and said, “Uncle Shen, I get it now.”

Shen Guan: “???”

You do? I don’t even get it, what do you get?

But Xiao Wan had connected a lot of dots—like why Shen Guan came here in the first place. Naturally, his mind filled in the blanks.

Daddy must be wanted too, he thought. He’s been running and hiding from enemies in the Upper Realm, so he’s always so cautious.

“Daddy’s just trying to protect me,” Xiao Wan said. “But I’ll work hard on my cultivation. One day, he won’t have to be afraid of anyone.”

Shen Guan had no idea what conclusions Xiao Wan was jumping to, but honestly, it wasn’t too bad a takeaway.

And looking at it from another angle… it wasn’t completely wrong either.

“You don’t need to think so much about it. You’re still just a kid,” Shen Guan said. “Your daddy and I are here. We’ll protect you.”

—

After second grade ended, school let out for a month.

Xiao Xueman could tell his son was training harder than ever. Maybe it was because he’d finally uncovered the truth about himself, and now he had a direction to aim for.

In that one month, he shot from Spiritual Power Level 4 to Level 6. Technically, it wasn’t a true breakthrough—more like stabilizing and unlocking what was already inside him. That power had been there all along.

Xiao Wan’s control over his dual-type spiritual power had reached a new peak. But as his power grew, so did the dominance of the fire-type vein.

Still, he wasn’t impatient. Even knowing how powerful he could be, he didn’t rush to unlock it all at once—he took each step solidly and carefully.

But now, being five years old and already at Level 6, he stood out way too much in the Seventeenth Heaven.

With the major problem resolved, the natural suppression from this place had become almost irrelevant. It was no longer the right environment for him. Xiao Xueman thought about it and agreed it was time for him to move on.

Changing environments wasn’t a bad thing. It also aligned with Xueman’s goal of traveling and seeing more. In the Lower Realm, it didn’t really matter which layer they chose—Shen Guan’s bounty had been lifted a year ago, and those people weren’t coming here.

Xueman was fully confident in that.

Xiao Wan, though, was stunned when he heard this.

“Is it really okay?” he asked softly. “I mean… I wouldn’t mind staying a little longer.”

For now, he was only releasing what he already had. The surrounding spiritual energy didn’t affect him that much.

“It’s alright,” Xiao Xueman ruffled his hair. “We’d have to leave sooner or later. Better to be prepared.”

They definitely weren’t going to the Sixteenth Heaven, though. After hearing how blindly people there worshipped Wang Tian Dijun, Xueman really didn’t feel like stepping foot there. They’d just skip over it and head for the Fifteenth Heaven instead.

While the three of them were packing up, Xiao Wan hit Level 7. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long for him to brush against the threshold of Spirit Practitioner Tier 3. Might as well start prepping early.

They explained to their regular customers that the shop would be closed for a long trip, and picked a morning to leave.

For people without strong spiritual power, crossing between heavens required transportation. But if your strength was enough, you could just punch through.

Xiao Wan was tucked into Daddy’s arms, face buried in his coat. There was a sudden darkness, and then a roaring wind passed by. After a while, they’d already arrived.

They landed in a forest. No one was around. Xueman held his son and saw lights in the distance.

“We must be near a city,” he said. “Let’s head that way.”

Xueman’s plan was simple. He had money—first, find a place to stay, then deal with everything else. But they hadn’t even entered the city yet before trouble appeared.

The guards at the gate stared at the three of them and asked, “Where are your IDs?”

Xueman and Shen Guan exchanged puzzled looks.

IDs… what?

“No ID, no entry,” the guard said bluntly. “Move aside. You’re blocking the line.”

There was no point in causing conflict, so they moved to the side, full of questions.

“What’s that about?” Shen Guan was just as confused. “Xueman, didn’t you come to the Fifteenth Heaven before?”

Xueman looked even more lost. He had passed through the Fifteenth Heaven before, but it was just a pit stop on the way up. He and Qin Lou stayed here for less than three days before breaking through to the next realm. Who the heck knew what this ‘ID’ business was?

Luckily, Xueman had a very trustworthy face. Plus, he was holding a child, so he looked like someone who needed help. It wasn’t long before someone explained things.

Turned out, the “ID” was basically a personal identification.

People in the Fifteenth Heaven were split into two groups—locals who received an ID at birth, and cultivators who ascended from below. The ceiling of the Sixteenth Heaven was Spirit Knight level. Once you broke through, you’d move up. You couldn’t skip levels. Whether you were from the Seventeenth or Sixteenth Heaven, anyone who became a Spirit Knight had to have some cultivation experience.

And that experience could be proven through one of three major organizations Xiao Wan had seen in the Sixteenth Heaven—the Mercenary Guild, the Arena, and the Grand Market.

The Mercenary Guild gave out medals, which recorded your power level and total mission points. Points could be used to rank up, and your badge would change accordingly. The Arena issued a six-sided pendant, with similar functions. The Grand Market was more business-focused, and its ID came in the form of a ring.

These four types of ID—medal, pendant, ring, and token—were collectively known as “cards.” There were a few rarer ones too, like certifications for alchemists or artifact refiners, but those were rare in this heaven.

Some cultivators were loners and didn’t join any group, but from the city’s perspective, those folks were a bit risky. That’s why the guards only chased off Xueman’s group—they didn’t arrest them.

Seventeenth Heaven didn’t have any of this. It was the bottom layer of the continent—none of the Big Three organizations even had branches there. So there was no system to track anyone.

In the Sixteenth Heaven, class divisions began to form, and identification became more important. The city’s management was more refined. Xiao Wan had been invited there as a guest, and never left the city, so he never learned about this stuff.

As for Xueman and Shen Guan—living this long, it was actually their first time hearing about it.

“The Upper Realm… doesn’t bother with this kind of thing,” Shen Guan muttered, annoyed. “I’ve never had one.”

He’d been raised as the next Fox Clan Patriarch. His talent was overwhelming—born at the top of the world. Who needed an ID?

Besides, the Arena was technically just another organization. Its headquarters were in the First Heaven. Back in the day, Shen Guan had been on equal footing with people like the Mercenary Guild’s leader.

Xueman didn’t have one either. He frowned, staring at the city gate in a daze.

“I did help the Arena once. They gave me something… an Elder Token, I think?” Xueman said, thinking hard. “No clue where I put it.”

“Wouldn’t matter anyway,” Shen Guan sighed. “If you use that here, people would freak. This heaven would never be peaceful again.”

Xiao Wan held onto his daddy’s waist quietly. He didn’t say anything, but his grip on Xueman’s clothes tightened.

“Xiao Wan still needs school,” Xueman mumbled, frustrated. “Why does this have to be so complicated?”

He wasn’t sending Xiao Wan to school for fun. While the cultivation techniques they taught weren’t useful for him, the academic courses were. Things like writing, history, and info about flora and fauna across the eighteen heavens—all of it was valuable.

Xueman had seen a lot, but he couldn’t teach everything or write his own textbooks. Schools were useful, and Xiao Wan studied hard. The basic curriculum didn’t vary much between heavens.

Xueman sighed, but holding his soft little boy made him feel a bit better.

No rush. There’d be a way.

Shen Guan was frowning too. He didn’t have to hide his face anymore—his wanted posters only existed in the Seventeenth Heaven.

He and Xueman had brought enough money and kept their power hidden at Spirit Knight level—nothing flashy. Who knew they’d get blocked at the gate?

Nearby, there was a line of people waiting to enter. One young girl had been sneaking glances at them. She’d overheard them asking around earlier and finally plucked up the courage to say quietly, “There are cities with looser rules… no card needed.”

“Where?”

“About half a day’s ride from here,” she said. “It’s called Shuangfeng City. It’s one of the four biggest cities in the Fifteenth Heaven. Really interesting place. First-timers get tested at the gate. If you’re above Spirit Knight level, you get a pass to enter.”

She hesitated, then added, “It’s kinda chaotic, though. Lots of people.”

Xueman asked the most important thing to him: “Are there schools?”

“Yes, definitely!” she nodded eagerly. “The best school in the Fifteenth Heaven is there!”

Xueman was very pleased.

He thanked the blushing girl and turned to Shen Guan.

“We’re going there.”

—

While Xueman was on his way to the fabled Shuangfeng City, someone very special arrived in the Lower Realm.

Maybe, just maybe… all of this really was fate. And what seemed like coincidence… would inevitably become destiny.

Author’s note:

Totally Irresponsible Mini Skits

Xueman: I want to enter the city.

City Guard: ID, please.

Xueman: I don’t have one. Where do I get it?

Guard: The city’s three major associations can issue it.

Xueman: Then let me in.

Guard: You need an ID to enter.

Xueman: I don’t have one. I need to get inside to get one.

Guard: You need! An! I! D!

Xueman: ……凸(艹皿艹 )