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**
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, five years have passed.
In the south of the Douluo Continent, Star Luo City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire, remained as bustling as ever. Looking across the capital, a vast number of Soul Masters could be seen traversing the streets, though the majority of the population remained ordinary people.
The folk customs of the Star Luo Empire favored the martial arts, and its culture and style differed greatly from the Heaven Dou Empire.
If the Heaven Dou capital was defined by beautiful and exquisite architecture, then the Star Luo capital was ancient, grand, and imposing. As one of the two great imperial capitals of the Douluo Continent, the daily traffic in and out of Star Luo City was terrifying.
Not only did citizens of Star Luo flock here, but there was no shortage of people from Heaven Dou and its subsidiary kingdoms. The same held true for the Soul Master world; while Soul Masters might be a rarity in small cities, they were numerous in Star Luo City.
In terms of the density of the Soul Master population, Star Luo City stood tied for second alongside Heaven Dou City, surpassed only by the holy land of the Soul Master world, Spirit City.
Today, a special guest arrived in the imperial capital.
A middle-aged man, his face concealed by a black robe, entered Star Luo City accompanied by several youths who appeared to be attendants or followers.
He seemed quite familiar with the city.
Upon entering, he did not wander or sightsee; instead, he moved with a precise objective, heading straight toward the Imperial City at the heart of the capital. However, the companions following him were quite curious about the Star Luo capital, glancing around in all directions as they walked.
After a while, the group arrived outside the gates of the Imperial City.
Seeing a squad of Imperial Guards stationed at the gate just as in years past, the black-robed man's lips curled into a slight smirk. He whispered softly, "Still the same. Though the gate guards are elites of the army, they lack cultivation."
"The Empire is strong, but it isn't a pure Soul Master organization after all. Those Soul Masters who consider themselves part of a different world from ordinary people are unwilling to serve as mere gatekeepers—even the low-level ones."
Shaking his head, he slowly shifted his gaze to the right.
A gold and red notice was posted on the wall beside the Imperial City gate.
With a light chuckle, he led the youths forward.
As they approached, the guards at the gate took notice. They gripped the hilts of their weapons lightly, looking at the group with confusion. Soon, they realized the group's target wasn't the gate itself, but that specific notice. Suspicion began to grow in their hearts.
When the black-robed man reached out and tore down the notice, the guards were stunned. Their suspicion had become reality. One couldn't help but exclaim, "Someone actually took the Recruitment Scroll! I didn't think anyone would really come for it."
"Alright, enough talk. A few of you come with me," said the squad leader, Wang Hai, leading several men over.
Upon reaching them, Wang Hai gave a respectful bow and said, "Sir, looking at you, it seems you have recently arrived in Star Luo City."
"Since you have accepted the Recruitment Scroll, may I ask where you are currently staying and what your honorable name is? Once this is reported to His Majesty, we will need to know where to send the imperial decree."
The black-robed man did not answer immediately.
He closed his eyes in thought, and soon, a voice filled with the vicissitudes of life drifted out.
"Qin Manor, Qin Yi."
"Qin... Qin Manor..." Wang Hai froze, sounding uncertain.
"Sir, by Qin Manor, do you mean the residence of the old General Qin Su?"
"Exactly."
With that, the black-robed man said no more.
He turned and walked away, leaving behind the astonished guards.
"Captain, if he's from the Qin Clan, he should be quite famous in the capital. How come we've never heard of him?"
"Yeah, could he be an impostor?"
Wang Hai shook his head, cutting off their discussion.
"Likely not. I've heard the name Qin Yi before. In fact, that name used to be very famous in the capital, though not for anything good. Time has passed, and not many remember it. Even I didn't expect to see him one day."
Wang Hai's words shocked them.
Their captain truly was well-informed.
"Captain, who exactly is he?"
Watching the receding back of the black-robed man—no, Qin Yi—Wang Hai spoke solemnly, "He is the legitimate son of old General Qin Su and the elder brother of the current head of the Qin Clan, General Qin Qiong."
"Once, he was known as the shame of the Qin Clan. As you know, the Qin Clan is a Soul Master clan that has served the Royal Family for generations and is deeply trusted. Most of the clan's children serve in the military."
"Their inherited Martial Soul, the Overlord Dragon Mace, is a high-level Martial Soul. However, when he awakened his Martial Soul back then, it underwent a malignant mutation into a fire poker. His innate soul power was only Rank 0.5."
"In an instant, he went from the young master of the Qin Clan to a notorious trash. Tell me, how could he not be famous?"
"So that's it. Captain, why is he back then? And why take the Recruitment Scroll? That was set up by His Majesty to find the world's hidden talents."
"If someone considers themselves a genius of the era or a powerhouse who can aid the Empire and bolster national strength, they can take the scroll. If they succeed, they can earn ten thousand gold, high-ranking office, or even be made a marquis."
"Exactly! If he couldn't become a Soul Master and is a cultivation trash like us, then deceiving the Emperor is a death sentence. Even as the old General's son, he wouldn't escape, and he might even implicate the Qin Clan."
The guards shared their thoughts, none of them believing this man had the actual ability to answer the Recruitment Scroll.
Wang Hai was lost in thought.
In his view, this man had experienced extreme highs and lows in his youth, mocked for his trash Martial Soul. Now that he had returned to Star Luo City—his birthplace—and accepted the scroll, could it be that he had actually achieved something? Was he back to wash away his shame?
If that were true, perhaps the Star Luo Empire was about to undergo a massive change.
These were merely the thoughts of a small figure like himself. He couldn't even give a convincing reason for them; perhaps it was just an unrealistic fantasy—a dream that someone with a trash Martial Soul could also become a powerhouse.
After all, his own Martial Soul was also a trash soul. His innate soul power was extremely low, also only Rank 0.5. He couldn't become a Soul Master and had to take the path of an ordinary person, forever barred from the world of the strong.
In the center of the Star Luo capital, Qin Yi led the three youths toward the Qin Manor located in the east of the city. As they drew closer to the Qin Clan's location, even though Qin Yi had traveled the continent for many years, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
He had endured hardships and looked death in the face multiple times just for this day—to wash away his shame. He wanted to tell the world that even though his Martial Soul aptitude was extremely low, he, Qin Yi, was absolutely not trash.
Not only that, he intended to leave his name in the annals of history.
**
Enjoying the story? Support the translation and get early access to future chapters here: www.patr eon.com/c/FanficTranslator
Thanks for reading!
I have 70 advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday