The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

In the front hall of the Ye Mansion, all the direct descendants of the Ye family were gathered for breakfast.

Silence reigned during the meal, with only the clinking of chopsticks and bowls breaking the quiet.

After breakfast, the servants swiftly cleared the table, and Ye Nanxin, who was seated at the head, cleared his throat to draw the attention of everyone present.

However, the members of the Ye family still occasionally cast glances at Lin Qian, who was seated beside Ye Nanxin.

The looks they gave Lin Qian were filled with complex emotions, each person seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

Lin Qian, for his part, could clearly see that the young girl, Ye Lin, was glaring at him with intense resentment.

After the chat he had with his future father-in-law yesterday, Lin Qian understood why this young girl harbored such disdain for him.

In a small city like Bashan, it was a rare and extraordinary achievement for someone to become a direct disciple of the Divine Sword Sect.

Ye Xin had become a role model for the younger generation of the Ye family, and Ye Lin, in particular, idolized her cousin.

However, for Ye Lin, seeing her goddess-like cousin betrothed to a "useless" person without a martial soul was infuriating. She felt it was a great injustice to the person she admired most.

"Yesterday, I received two pieces of good news. The first is that the Myriad Image Sect has decided to hold the Bashan Trial at our Ye family residence. As a result, the Ye family will receive two additional slots," Ye Nanxin announced, his words causing the eyes of every Ye family member present to light up with joy.

Qingzhou was controlled by sects that divided the territories among themselves, and Bashan City was under the jurisdiction of the Myriad Image Sect.

The head of the Bai family, who was also the city lord, was an outer disciple of the Myriad Image Sect. However, due to his limited potential, he had been assigned to manage a city.

Every time the Myriad Image Sect opened its doors to recruit disciples, they would send disciples as inspectors to the cities under their control to enforce the sect's influence and recruit talented individuals.

The Myriad Image Sect was one of the top forces in Qingzhou, and having a family member accepted into the sect was a tremendous honor.

Even someone with limited talent who became an outer disciple could be appointed as a city lord, which spoke volumes about the power of the Myriad Image Sect.

For each Bashan Trial, the number of slots for each family was limited and allocated based on their influence. Smaller families received two slots, medium families four, and the top three families—Bai, Ye, and Li—each received eight slots.

However, the family hosting the trial would receive an additional two slots.

This privilege had always been exclusively enjoyed by the Bai family, the city lords, so it was a surprise to everyone that the trial would be held at the Ye family this time, leaving them puzzled.

"Don't overthink it. The reason we secured the right to host the trial this time is all thanks to Lin Qian!" Ye Nanxin said, patting Lin Qian on the shoulder. "This kid got in good with the Myriad Image Sect disciples and even managed to convince them. Remember to appreciate what he's done."

However, Ye Nanxin's words did not convince everyone. They all looked at Lin Qian with suspicion.

In their minds, it was more likely that Ye Nanxin had bribed the Myriad Image Sect disciples to secure this opportunity, then attributed the success to Lin Qian.

How could a person without a martial soul possibly befriend the disciples of the Myriad Image Sect and persuade them to decide such an important matter with just a few words?

It sounded like a joke!

Yet, none of them could have imagined that Lin Qian, as the true inspector, had the final say on where the Bashan Trial would be held. All it took was a word from him, and the trial was set for the Ye family.

"The second piece of good news is, of course, that Lin Qian has returned." Ye Nanxin's words caused a mix of awkward expressions among the crowd—they did not consider this to be good news at all.

"I know what you're all thinking, but let me make this clear: Xin'er has never changed her mind. She will marry no one but him," Ye Nanxin said, sweeping his gaze over the Ye family members. "If you have any objections, you can take them up with her yourself."

Talk to Ye Xin? The crowd shrank back in fear—they wouldn't dare!

Lin Qian and Ye Xin had grown up together, their bond deep and unbreakable.

Even after Ye Xin was taken in as a disciple by a powerful figure from the Divine Sword Sect, her feelings had not changed.

It was rumored that Ye Xin's master was a figure of great influence. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to accept such a talented disciple within the territory of the Myriad Image Sect!

Ye Xin's status was exceptional within the Ye family—who would dare to challenge her?

And with Ye Nanxin's firm stance, who among them could oppose the family head's decision?

All they could do was grumble internally, thinking, "A beautiful flower planted in a pile of manure!"

With everything that needed to be said out in the open, the Ye family members stood and left, leaving only Ye Nanxin and Lin Qian in the hall.

After the others had gone, Ye Nanxin took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Lin Qian.

As soon as Lin Qian took the letter, his attention was completely captivated by it.

The envelope that Ye Nanxin handed him was not made of paper; it seemed to be crafted from some unknown leather, covered in blood-red lines that crisscrossed like a web, making it quite intimidating.

"Uncle Ye, this letter is…?" Lin Qian asked, holding the strange letter and looking at Ye Nanxin in confusion.

"This letter was left by your parents. They said it should be given to you when you turned sixteen," Ye Nanxin replied with a smile. "It's quite a coincidence that you returned just in time for your sixteenth birthday. But you still haven't told me where you've been all this time."

Ye Nanxin's words brought back memories of that nightmarish place, causing Lin Qian's expression to darken. "A… terrible place, where people eat each other!"

"What kind of place is that?" Ye Nanxin shook his head in amusement at Lin Qian's words.

However, after observing Lin Qian for a while, he sighed helplessly. "But without the ability to cultivate, you were just an ordinary person. I imagine you've suffered a great deal over the past four years."

"Enduring the greatest hardships is the only way to rise above others," Lin Qian said with a smile, showing his white teeth, unconcerned by Ye Nanxin's words.

"Good boy. If you can solve your martial soul problem, I believe your future achievements will be extraordinary," Ye Nanxin said, nodding heavily at Lin Qian with a look of satisfaction, though there was a hint of regret in his eyes.

When a martial soul awakens, a warrior's martial soul is supposed to awaken as well.

If the awakened martial soul is a weapon, the individual can become a Soul Martialist. But if it's something mundane like a farming tool, they can only become a commoner, perhaps a Soul Farmer.

Those who awaken mundane martial souls, like farming tools, scissors, or even teapots, have incredibly slow cultivation speeds.

Lin Qian's case of having no martial soul was unprecedented, which is why his parents in this life believed something must have gone wrong and left to seek a cure.

But what no one knew was that Lin Qian did indeed have a martial soul—it was just too strange for others to detect, leading them to mistakenly believe he had none.

"Alright, I need to get busy with the preparations for the Bashan Trial. The Myriad Image Sect inspector has high expectations, and if we let them down, there will be trouble." Ye Nanxin rose to his feet, ready to leave after speaking to Lin Qian.

"Uncle Ye, the Myriad Image Sect inspector will not be disappointed," Lin Qian suddenly called out as Ye Nanxin was leaving.

"You're not the inspector, so how can you be sure? Don't go wandering off again, you rascal," Ye Nanxin laughed, scolding him good-naturedly as he walked away with his hands behind his back.

Lin Qian shrugged, muttering to himself, "Uncle Ye, I didn't mean to keep this from you, but if anything goes wrong, it could be disastrous."

With that, Lin Qian's attention shifted back to the letter in his hand.

This was the letter left behind by his parents in this life!