At the same time, the person being talked about far away let out a small sneeze, utterly unrelated to whatever was happening in First Heaven. Right now, Xiao Xueman was gently rubbing his nose, experiencing for the first time the peculiar sensation of being summoned as a parent.

Not because the kid did something bad—actually, quite the opposite.

“…As Xiao Wan’s teacher, I sincerely invite you to give a short speech at the report meeting. Just talk about how you educate your child—Xiao Wan is honestly amazing. He even got first place in the grade this time. To tell you the truth, I’ve been teaching for years. I’ve seen plenty of top students, but Xiao Wan is by far the most outstanding child I’ve ever come across—smart and well-behaved. If he were my kid, I don’t even know how happy I’d be.”

That was some high praise. The speaker was a middle-aged woman, her hair already streaked with white and styled into a neat bun. She was smiling brightly, but if you looked closely, there was a hint of nervousness in her expression, even a faint shyness that made her voice stumble a little—something quite rare.

All because of the person sitting in front of her—the parent she was speaking to.

He was the student’s father, a man. A young man.

He wore a plain linen robe, his hair tied up simply with a wooden hairpin stuck loosely through the knot. Nothing fancy. But under that humble and clean outfit was a face that was, frankly, way too good-looking.

This man had green eyes, a color not uncommon on the Spirit Realm Continent, but on his face, those eyes gleamed like a melted forest glade. Paired with a face so pale it was almost translucent and lips tinged red, every feature was exquisitely refined—beyond words.

No matter your age, beauty like that was impossible to ignore. Someone this stunning? Saying he could steal your soul with just a glance wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

His name seemed to be… Xiao Xueman?

The teacher couldn’t help but tilt her head and glance at the enrollment records to confirm the parent’s name.

It was a bit strange—usually when a school calls the parents, both show up. But for Xiao Wan, only Xiao Xueman had come.

Then again, it was hard to imagine what kind of person could win over someone like him—much less have a child with him.

Still, despite how good-looking he was, there was barely any spiritual power fluctuation coming from him. Practically none. Such a shame. That kind of face, wasted like this.

Beautiful Xiao Xueman listened to the praise, but aside from a faint smile, his expression didn’t waver at all. Even faced with such earnest flattery, he didn’t show any reaction. When he finally spoke, his voice was gentle, but the refusal was clear.

“Teacher Lin, I don’t have any special method for raising Xiao Wan. There’s really nothing I can share with other parents. He’s always been a very obedient child, never gave me any trouble. So, there’s no need for the speech.”

What a lovely voice too…

Teacher Lin was briefly dazed, but her professionalism snapped her right back.

“You really won’t consider it?” she asked, a bit disappointed. “The first-grade parents’ meeting is held in the main auditorium, it’s a big event. Xiao Wan would probably be really happy to see you give a speech on stage.”

“I’ll pass,” Xiao Xueman shook his head, politely refusing again. “Our family’s never been the type to enjoy the spotlight.”

It was a pity, but he’d already turned her down so clearly, and Teacher Lin couldn’t push any further.

She walked him to the door. Outside, a little boy was sitting upright with a tiny schoolbag on his back, seriously munching on a piece of sesame candy. It was something Xiao Xueman had just given him to keep him occupied. The candy was a bit big, so his chubby little face puffed up as he chewed, making him look ridiculously cute.

That was Xiao Wan. He had the same eyes as his dad and looked about seventy percent like Xiao Xueman, only rounder and squishier since he was still a kid. Compared to his father’s flawless features, he was still in the baby-fat stage.

The moment he saw Xiao Xueman come out, his eyes lit up. He hopped off the bench, but held back in front of the teacher—he didn’t reach out to be picked up.

But Xiao Xueman understood his son perfectly. He smiled, bent down, and scooped him up.

“Daddy,” once in his arms, Xiao Wan snuggled up happily and rubbed his cheek against Xiao Xueman’s ear, speaking in a soft, milky voice, “Can we go home now?”

“Mm, let’s go now,” Xiao Xueman said gently, patting his son’s back. “What do you want for dinner?”

“As long as it’s made by you, I’ll love it!”

The two of them walked off like that, and Teacher Lin, watching the sweet father-son pair, couldn’t help but feel her own mood lifted.

What a warm, happy little family.

Xiao Wan had just finished his first year of school. When he first enrolled, his talent wasn’t exactly impressive—actually, it was extremely average.

Everyone on the Spirit Realm Continent is born with spiritual power, but it comes in varying strengths. A person’s potential is judged mainly by their innate talent, and then by how well they’re trained later.

And most of the time, that natural talent is what makes or breaks you. Children go through an awakening at the age of three, where they gain what’s called “preliminary spiritual power,” or spirit force. This spirit force is ranked from Level 1 to Level 9. With continued cultivation, once someone reaches Level 10, it transforms into true spiritual power, marking them as a real spiritual cultivator and officially setting them on the cultivation path.

The higher a child’s spirit force at awakening, the closer they are to becoming a cultivator, and the easier future cultivation becomes.

There are a total of Eighteen Heavens on the continent. First Heaven has the strongest spiritual power and best resources. Things drop off a bit in Second Heaven, and even more as you go down. Every six layers mark a major divide: the Upper Realm, Middle Realm, and Lower Realm.

As for Eighteenth Heaven, it’s a land of chaotic spiritual power—so unstable that no one lives there. So effectively, Seventeenth Heaven is the actual bottom of the continent, the lowest of the Lower Realm, where spiritual power is weak across the board.

Here, most kids awaken at Level 1. Even Level 2 is considered rare talent. Xiao Wan had grown up here. He awakened at age three, just like most of the local children—at Level 1. His knowledge of the upper layers came entirely from books.

Spiritual power also comes in different types—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are the basics. Some rare variants include ice and lightning.

Xiao Wan was found to have wood-type spiritual power, just like his daddy—pretty ordinary and common.

But in Seventeenth Heaven, everyone’s talent is at the bottom rung. Kids begin school right after awakening at age three. At that age, most kids are still babbling and crying, can’t sit still in class, and barely know how to talk.

Xiao Wan really stood out.

He was smart, hardworking, and super disciplined. Whether it was cultural classes or cultivation practice, he always stayed focused—unbelievable for a three-year-old. Just a few days ago, the first-year curriculum ended, and Xiao Wan was one of the rare students who went from Level 1 to Level 2. He also ranked first in cultural classes. With top scores in every category, he naturally became the overall top student of his year.

Now that the term was over, all his schoolbooks had to be brought home. So the two of them didn’t go home right away—Xiao Xueman first headed to the classroom to grab the stack of oversized textbooks.

There were still a few other parents inside packing up their kids’ stuff. When they saw him come in, some of them gave strange looks, stealing several glances.

Xiao Wan’s deskmate was a chubby kid, licking a lollipop that was bigger than his face. It was the first time he’d seen Xiao Wan’s parent.

“Your daddy is so good-looking! Why didn’t you ever tell me?” He pulled Xiao Wan aside, eyes shining, gaze glued to Xiao Xueman like he couldn’t look away. “Seriously, super good-looking!”

Xiao Wan felt a little annoyed. He didn’t like people staring at his daddy. He reached out his little hand to cover the chubby kid’s eyes and came up with a high-sounding excuse:

“Teacher said it’s rude to stare at people. Don’t do that.”

“Okay, okay,” the chubby kid sniffled, reluctantly turning away. He gave his lollipop a lick and added, “Hey, Xiao Wan, I’m not gonna be in this school next term. My big sis married someone from Sixteenth Heaven, and she says I can go study there too. It’s way better than this dump.”

“This place is not a dump,” Xiao Wan shot back.

“You’ve never seen the upper levels, so of course you think it’s fine here,” the chubby kid said seriously—kids at age four really didn’t sugarcoat anything. 

“My sister’s just kind of pretty, and she got to go to Sixteenth Heaven. Your daddy is, like, super pretty—you could have him marry some big shot. Plus, you’re really smart. Then you could go to a way better school.”

“Don’t say that! My daddy would never just marry some random person!” Xiao Wan got mad. “Say that again and I’ll tell your mom you borrowed twenty spirit stones from me to buy candy and still haven’t paid me back. See if she doesn’t whack you!”

Was Xiao Wan a little demon?!

“I won’t say it again!” The chubby kid was terrified. “I’ll pay you back! Uh, before I leave, I promise!”

Meanwhile, Xiao Xueman had finished gathering everything and came over to scoop up Xiao Wan.

“Come on, Xiao Wan. Say goodbye to your classmate.”

Xiao Wan smiled sweetly and waved, “Bye-bye!”

The chubby kid looked up at him, all fear forgotten, licking his lollipop excitedly as he drooled a little again:

“Bye-bye, Xiao Wan! Bye-bye, super pretty Daddy!”

Xiao Xueman found this kid hilarious and let out a quiet chuckle.

After they left the classroom, Xiao Wan called out tentatively: “Daddy.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I got first place.”

“I know,” Xiao Xueman gently patted his son’s chubby cheek. “My little Xiao Wan is amazing.”

Xiao Wan kept biting his candy, but his mind drifted to what that chubby kid had said earlier.

Honestly, he wasn’t jealous. He didn’t need to rely on his daddy to climb higher—he could do it on his own.

There was something he’d intentionally kept from Xiao Xueman. After placing first, the school had awarded him a little certificate and even a scholarship. Xiao Wan had mentioned the certificate but not the scholarship money. He’d spoken to the teacher ahead of time, secretly took the money, and never told his parent.

He was planning to buy something for his daddy as a surprise. He just hadn’t figured out what yet. The teacher, knowing how obedient and filial he was, had naturally agreed to the plan.

He just wanted to make his daddy a little happier.

Leaning against his shoulder, Xiao Wan quietly thought to himself, then spoke up with another topic. “Daddy, the teacher said we should talk to our families about this. The top three students in the grade can go to Sixteenth Heaven next term for a one-week exchange program. Can I go? Teacher said it’s a great opportunity.”

As they were walking, Xiao Xueman suddenly stopped. Xiao Wan instantly sensed the shift in his daddy’s mood—like that one sentence had brought on some sort of unease.

“Do you want to go?” Xiao Xueman asked.

Xiao Wan thought for a bit, then nodded honestly. “I do.”

“If Xiao Wan wants to go, then of course you can.” After a short pause, he heard his daddy reply in a calm voice, no different from usual. “The break is a whole month long, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then go,” Xiao Xueman said.

Going to Sixteenth Heaven really was a great opportunity. Better resources and environment were important for kids still in the early stages of cultivation. The school had worked hard to get this chance. It was only a week. Most importantly, Xiao Wan wanted to go—and that alone was reason enough not to say no.

Hearing this answer, Xiao Wan finally relaxed.

Aside from the exchange program, he had his own little plan. He was saving up his scholarship money to buy something in Sixteenth Heaven that he couldn’t get here—something to gift his daddy.

It was just a shame… the scholarship wasn’t much. What he really wanted to buy was a protective spiritual artifact, but that amount of money wasn’t nearly enough. Still, the exchange was a month away—there was time to figure something out.

On the way home, they didn’t talk about school anymore. Xiao Xueman carried his son, stopping by a street stall to buy a slab of beast meat for dinner.

A few more steps through the market led them right to their front door.

They lived in a modest little courtyard—not big, not small. The front yard had a few counters set up for storing medicine.

Xiao Xueman was a healer. Just an ordinary one, really. But he could make basic hemostatic powder, and it worked well. Many folks in the city hunted spiritual beasts for a living and often got injured, so his business was doing alright—enough to comfortably support him and his son.

Past the front yard was an open-air courtyard. Half of it was a herb garden with some hemostatic grass planted, and the other half was a flower garden with a lush vine-covered trellis. The green leaves formed a dense canopy overhead. Xiao Xueman had even made a little cradle swing for Xiao Wan, with wooden tables and chairs nearby for tea and cool breezes.

The back area was their living space, with a kitchen and bedroom. The place was a little old, but warm and cozy.

Xiao Xueman set his son down in the courtyard, then took the meat into the kitchen to cook. The kitchen had a large window, so he could glance out and see Xiao Wan whenever he looked up.

Out in the courtyard, Xiao Wan was still chewing that sesame candy. Even though first grade had ended and it was technically break time now, he instinctively reached into his little backpack, pulled out a book, set it up on the vine trellis, and sat properly in the garden to read. One glance up, and the book was right in front of him.

While other kids bolted outside like wild horses during break, only Xiao Wan sat there studying seriously.

A faint green mist started to rise around him—the signature of wood-type spiritual power. But what he had now was still just spirit force, barely visible mist. Once he became a true spiritual cultivator, it would turn into a bright green aura.

He was cultivating while reading, and even managed to casually flip the pages of the book in midair with a flick of his finger.

It looked normal enough—but it definitely wasn’t.

First of all, cultivation requires full focus. Second, spirit force, whether it’s Level 1 or Level 9, is in its germination stage. It cannot be used to control objects, not even a little. Only after becoming a cultivator can spiritual power be truly used—this is a rock-solid rule taught across all Heavens, written right into every textbook.

But Xiao Wan had clearly broken those rules.

Even setting aside the multitasking, being able to telekinetically flip pages with just Level 2 spirit force was enough to shock the world. And he was still casually chewing candy while doing it, totally at ease.

If Teacher Lin saw this, she wouldn’t be smiling kindly and inviting Xiao Xueman to give speeches—she’d probably freak out and rush to report it up the school hierarchy, treating him like some monster and sending him off to be dissected and studied.

Xiao Wan knew his cultivation method wasn’t normal. His theory grades were perfect, after all. But when his daddy first saw it, he hadn’t even looked surprised—just completely unsurprised.

“Don’t use this at school, and don’t let anyone see,” Xiao Xueman had told him, calm and direct. “Or it’ll be trouble.”

Xiao Wan always listened to his daddy. He only practiced this way at home and had never been caught.

But even with this unusual method, his progress in cultivation was frustratingly slow.

It had taken him a full year just to go from Level 1 to Level 2 spirit force. Even in Seventeenth Heaven, that wasn’t considered fast—let alone compared to the Upper Realm. If not for his outstanding academic performance, he wouldn’t have been able to clinch that top rank.

“Dinner time,” Xiao Xueman called softly, setting down the soup. “You can keep practicing later.”

Xiao Wan looked a bit dejected. He ran over, sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and started poking at his bowl without much appetite.

Xiao Xueman noticed. “Why’s Xiao Wan not happy?”

“I’m cultivating too slowly,” Xiao Wan mumbled. “I’m not getting anywhere.”

Xiao Xueman smiled. “Other kids are out playing since it’s break. Why not go play a bit too? Daddy thinks you’re putting too much pressure on yourself.”

He was still a kid, after all.

“I don’t like playing,” Xiao Wan said immediately.

“That’s odd—what kind of kid doesn’t like to play? Cultivating all day is exhausting.”

“I want to cultivate. I’m not tired,” Xiao Wan said seriously. “I want to become a cultivator as soon as possible.”

He didn’t say the rest aloud—but he wanted to grow up faster, so he could protect Daddy.

Sometimes, Xiao Xueman got into trouble, either because of his looks or little business conflicts. Thankfully, a few regulars at the pharmacy helped out, so things never got too bad. But young Xiao Wan saw it all and remembered every bit.

In the Spirit Realm Continent, strength rules all. The one with the biggest fists has the final say. He was only four years old, but he already understood that truth deep in his bones.

Even though Xiao Xueman never pressured him to cultivate or said much about it, Seventeenth Heaven was already at rock bottom. Everyone was clawing their way up. Some of it was the environment, some of it was for Daddy, and some… some of it was a weird, unspoken feeling buried deep inside him.

He knew there was something different about him. The weird cultivation method was just one part of it.

A year ago, when he awakened at school and placed his hand on the testing crystal, he had felt it—an overwhelmingly powerful force had surged from within, so hot it made him dizzy. But it only lasted a second. The testing crystal didn’t even pick it up before it faded. In the end, his result was just Level 1 spirit force.

And after that, cultivation was excruciatingly difficult. Even though he was clearly more efficient than his classmates and never slacked off, it still took him a whole year to reach Level 2.

And it only gets harder from here. At this rate, he might not even become a cultivator before adulthood.

Xiao Wan had a strong will. He just couldn’t accept that.

Xiao Xueman finished his soup slowly and said, “I think Xiao Wan’s progress is already great. Didn’t you just get first place?”

Xiao Wan looked up at him and said firmly, “Daddy doesn’t need to comfort me.”

“It’s not comfort, it’s the truth,” Xiao Xueman said seriously. He glanced at the sky. “Still not going out to play?”

“Daddy!”

“You won’t even go with me?” Xiao Xueman chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “Cultivation doesn’t have to be rushed. If you push too hard, you’ll just end up going in circles.”

Nothing is more important than Daddy. Xiao Wan immediately nodded.

That night there was a night market. The streets were bustling, lively as ever.

Xiao Wan finally set down the weight in his heart, sitting on Xiao Xueman’s shoulders, holding a tiny windmill toy. The night breeze spun the little fan with a cheerful whirring sound.

Xiao Xueman heard his son laughing, and his mood lifted a little too.

Xiao Wan was a lot more mature than he’d expected. So young, yet already so sensible. But early maturity wasn’t always a blessing. Sometimes it made him proud—sometimes it made his heart ache.

⸻

Author’s Note:

Alternate title: “The Story of the OP Dragon Baby’s Daddy (Definitely Not a Joke)”

Power level system:

Germination Stage (Spirit Force) → Spiritual Cultivator → Spiritual Soldier → Spiritual Master → Grand Spiritual Master → Spiritual King → Spiritual Saint → Spiritual Venerable → Spiritual Lord → Spiritual God

Each stage has ten sub-levels. Don’t worry if you can’t remember them all—I can’t either. Little Dragon-Overlord Xiao Wan will level up step by step with the plot, so just follow along~ (I’ve written “spirit” so many times I’m starting to forget how to write it…)