In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 168: The Ruthless Marshal Father (11)

When it came to the most unpopular genre of drama in the Federation nowadays, even people who had zero interest in following shows could answer it with certainty:
Nothing topped beastman mythology dramas—or rather, nothing else even came close.
In fact, whenever the people of the Federation saw headlines about the massive production costs of these kinds of shows, their first reaction was almost always:
“Which illegal organization is laundering money this time?”
The Federation’s citizens had long agreed—unofficially but firmly—that they didn’t like mythological dramas. Not only did they find them utterly ridiculous, but in this era where mechas were king, mythology simply couldn’t compare.
With mechas, you could soar through the skies, dive into the depths of the sea, climb mountains, cross deserts, and even battle interstellar beasts in outer space. Who still cared about ancient, unreliable fantasy stories?
Yet today, the Federation’s netizens found their entire worldview shattered. Aside from being completely dumbfounded, some were actually wondering— “Is it too late to start catching up on those mythological shows now?”
Some disbelieving netizens, relying on their beast forms, even had the wild idea to shift into their beast forms to test things out for themselves.
[Highly suspect this can’t be real. This kind of strength defies science! ing in as a dumb netizen who just tested it personally with my beast form—don’t laugh, but I’ve already got one arm fully immersed in the healing pod…]
[+1 to the guy above. I’m a pangolin, always proud of my beast form’s tough defensive abilities. But after going head-to-head with a mecha just now, I’m laid out completely in the healing pod.]
[Hahaha, also a pangolin here. Was going to try too, but now I’ve quietly shifted back into my human form. Thanks to both of you for your selfless sacrifice!]
…
The netizens, still shocked by Qi Junye’s overwhelming strength, took advantage of the lull between battles to do two things: rewatch the combat footage over and over again, and launch heated discussions and speculations.
But compared to the online viewers’ spiraling thoughts, Liang Qiu, who had just personally experienced the little tiger’s power, was truly shaken.
He stared at his beloved mecha, which had been with him since the age of six. Even when battling senior students, it had never taken damage.
Its construction materials were so tough that even high-level alien beasts could barely dent it.
So why… why today had it gotten smashed in?
Liang Qiu looked at his mecha, then back at the small tiger quietly standing across from him, and just couldn’t figure it out:
How did things end up like this?
The spectators on-site were also stunned, mouths agape, standing up and staring at the battle platform. Liang Qiu had been lying there all this time, and no one had even gone to check on him.
It was Sun Lang who finally snapped out of it. Earlier, he’d been wondering whether to stop the livestream. Now that he’d come to his senses, he signaled the host to do something.
Sun Lang’s hesitation wasn’t out of concern for Liang Qiu. Originally, his plan had been to humiliate Qi Junye, which was why he used his own personal livestream account. But now that Liang Qiu had become the punching bag, continuing the stream felt weird and awkward.
He really wanted to end the stream right then and there to minimize the damage, But one glance at the crowd frantically recording with their quantum brains, and he knew—
Even if he stopped broadcasting, the footage would still hit the internet instantly, frame-for-frame.
Rather than draw criticism from netizens, Sun Lang gritted his teeth and kept the stream running.
Since the match was clearly not going to resume, Sun Lang frowned and checked the chat comments. To prevent Liang Qiu from blaming him later, he decided to send him a private message through his quantum brain.
By the time Liang Qiu stood up again, his shock and panic had already been suppressed.
Looking at Qi Junye across from him, he forced a calm and gentle tone:
“Junye, just now I was wondering why you were so insistent on fighting me. Turns out you came prepared.”
Internally, he cursed Qi Junye as too cunning. By subtly pinning the match on Qi Junye, he then added:
“But you’re mistaken. A mecha’s strength doesn’t just lie in its speed and durability—it’s also about its high-grade weapon systems. I don’t know how your beast form got so powerful, but compared to a real mecha, there’s still a gap. Let’s call it a day. You’ve experienced a mecha duel now, so you can consider that wish fulfilled—no regrets.”
His words, though cloaked in false sincerity, were enough to almost fool anyone who didn’t know the truth. But not everyone was an idiot. Many people found his speech… off.
Still, most people were too preoccupied with the little tiger’s incredible strength to think deeper. All they could feel was a sense of regret that they wouldn’t get to see another round of Qi Junye’s fighting power.
Qi Junye glanced at the still-pretending Liang Qiu and made no comment.
He was confident he could beat Liang Qiu even if he used nano-weapons. But seeing how shocked the audience already was, he figured today’s performance was more than enough.
So, without another word to Liang Qiu, Qi Junye turned and headed toward the stands— where his younger siblings were waiting for him.
The spectators didn’t notice the coldness between the two, only feeling a bit of disappointment that the match had ended so soon.
Still, recalling Liang Qiu’s final words, many felt it kind of made sense.
Although no one knew why Qi Junye’s strength and speed were so overwhelming, they still worried that the little tiger wouldn’t be able to withstand damage from laser fire.
The public’s impression of Liang Qiu hadn’t necessarily worsened, but even just up to this point, their views on Qi Junye had undergone a drastic transformation.
To defeat and damage a mech while still in his juvenile beast form—such power defied logic. Previously, many had secretly mocked Qi Junye, believing he would eventually become useless. But after today, no one dared to say such things again. Because with Qi Junye’s speed, they couldn’t guarantee a weapon would even fire before his tiger claws landed.
Yet compared to the online netizens still heatedly discussing the match, it was the major families of Central Star—who also watched the battle—who were most shocked.
Qi Junye’s unusual and overwhelming strength made them realize that the normally low-key Qi family had been hiding something from them all along. Only now did they start to realize how abnormal Qi Sheng—the Qi family head and Qi Junye’s father—had been in the way he treated Qi Junye’s inability to undergo beast transformation.
As a result, the match that many expected to be the Qi family’s humiliation now made the Central Star’s noble families both curious and wary of the Qi family again. Countless probing attempts came their way, but fortunately, Qi Sheng still had everything under control.
On the Starnet, discussions about Qi Junye’s strength continued to dominate the trending list. Everyone had subconsciously forgotten Liang Qiu’s existence—until a certain entertainment influencer suddenly posted a video update.
[Liang Qiu vs. Qi Junye — The Truth Behind the Battle!]
In the video, the little tiger was sprawled on a cushion, its entire head buried in an ice cream bowl, clearly enjoying himself. When viewers clicked in and saw this, they couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Everyone marveled at how Qi Junye’s eating habits were identical to those of their own younger siblings in their beast forms. Just as they were about to upload photos of their siblings for comparison, four individuals suddenly entered the frame, their harsh curses halting all action.
…
Only after the video finished playing did the viewers react—and erupt in rage.
What genius mech prodigy? What hard-working social media idol? What nonsense about “a sincere desire to spar”? Screw that!
They may be young, but who would’ve thought these four were so vicious and petty behind the scenes?
They discriminated against and ridiculed a classmate who couldn’t undergo beast transformation—and even schemed together to ruin his reputation. Just how malicious could they be?
The netizens couldn’t help but think: if Qi Junye hadn’t possessed such astonishing strength, wouldn’t he have been openly humiliated and crushed by his former classmates today? Outraged by the thought, they flooded Liang Qiu and Sun Lang’s social media accounts with criticism. The other two were quickly doxxed by internet sleuths. In no time, the four boys became targets of collective condemnation across the entire Federation.
As Qi Junye’s popularity finally began to cool down a little, Qi Sheng calmly smiled and set down his lightbrain, pleased to see netizens’ attention redirected.
Though his son was strong and didn’t fear provocation, those boys’ pretentious and disgusting behavior still warranted punishment. He wouldn’t feel satisfied until they were taught a proper lesson.
Meanwhile, in his private quarters, Liang Qiu—now the focus of public scorn—was so enraged he smashed every piece of furniture in sight. He grabbed his communicator and furiously dialed the Liang family’s public relations officer.
“Why the hell hasn’t this been taken care of yet?! What the hell are you people doing?!”
The person on the other end, though feeling incredibly wronged, had to explain patiently due to Liang Qiu’s status: “Young Master Liang, someone from the Qi family is clearly involved in this. We are doing everything we can—”
But Liang Qiu didn’t have the patience to hear any more nonsense. Nearly slamming the communicator down, he instead called Sun Lang.
“How could you screw this up? Didn’t I tell you to activate the signal blocker? How is there a video?!”
Sun Lang was already struggling to deal with the online backlash. Upon hearing Liang Qiu’s accusatory tone, he instinctively wanted to curse back. But he knew this wasn’t the time to fall out with Liang Qiu, so he could only explain calmly, “Young Master Liang, I did turn on the blocker. Xiao Lin even tested it—it shouldn’t have been able to record anything. I don’t know why the jammer failed when it came to Qi Junye.”
Liang Qiu had planned to provoke Qi Junye in public without leaving any evidence behind. Once the four of them approached, the group had activated a military-grade signal jammer capable of blocking all recordings. They thought it was foolproof—never expecting not only to lose the duel, but to have their setup filmed in crystal-clear detail.
Xiao Lin, the red-haired boy in black that day, was Liang Qiu’s cousin. Naturally, Liang Qiu didn’t suspect him. Instead, he reluctantly accepted the possibility that Qi Junye’s maternal family’s advanced tech capabilities were behind the failed jamming. With that, he hung up the call in defeat.
This staged provocation completely wiped away all ridicule, worry, sympathy, and schadenfreude once aimed at Qi Junye. After showing off his strength, Qi Junye returned home and began his cultivation in peace. He paid no mind to the public’s changing opinions—or to Liang Qiu’s now-ruined reputation.
He was destined to be a loser forever. Why waste time or energy on him? Right now, what mattered most was breaking through to the next stage.
Qi Junye was still dissatisfied with his current power level. After all, his father still forbade him from entering the Black Domain Forest.
The more his father blocked him, the more curious Qi Junye became. Just how powerful were the beasts there, to make his father so wary?
Still sprawled on his cushion in cultivation, Qi Junye suddenly remembered his father was home today. He instantly perked up and ran full of energy toward the study.
Over the past two years, the bond between father and son had grown stronger. Perhaps due to his beast form, Qi Junye especially enjoyed curling up in Qi Sheng’s lap to receive head scratches and massages.
So when the door to the study opened and the little tiger entered, with his bright blue eyes and wagging tail full of excitement, Qi Sheng—silently cultivating at his desk—smiled warmly.
A fluffball delivered to his lap. His two years of effort had not been in vain!