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Ye Residence main hall, all the direct descendants of the Ye family were having breakfast here.
The hall was silent except for the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
After breakfast, once the servants cleaned up, Ye Nanxin, sitting at the head seat, cleared his throat to draw the attention of all the Ye family members present.
However, from time to time, they still glanced towards Lin Qian, who sat beside Ye Nanxin.
Facing Lin Qian, the gazes from these Ye family members were all complicated, their thoughts unknown.
However, he could clearly see that the young girl, Ye Lin, was glaring at him with resentment.
After chatting with his future father-in-law yesterday, Lin Qian understood why this young girl was so unwelcoming towards him.
In a small city like Bashan City, producing a direct disciple of the Divine Sword Sect was a remarkable feat.
Ye Xin had become a role model for all the young Ye family members, and Ye Lin especially idolized her cousin.
However, her cousin, whom she regarded as a goddess, was going to be engaged to a "wastrel" without a Martial Soul, naturally making Ye Lin very indignant and feeling unjust for her idolized cousin.
"Yesterday, I received two pieces of good news. The first is that the Inspector from the Wanxiang Sect decided to hold the Bashan Wanxiang Trial at our Ye family, and according to tradition, the Ye family will receive two additional spots," Ye Nanxin's words caused the eyes of the Ye family members present to light up, their joy evident on their faces.
Their Qing Province was controlled by sect forces, divided into territories. Bashan City itself belonged to the Wanxiang Sect.
The City Lord of Bashan City, the head of the Bai family, was an outer disciple of the Wanxiang Sect, but due to limited aptitude, was sent here to manage a city.
Whenever the Wanxiang Sect held a recruitment for disciples, they would send disciples to perform the duties of Inspector, visiting each city under the sect's control to recruit potential disciples with aptitude.
The Wanxiang Sect was the top power in Qing Province, and having family disciples accepted into it brought immense honor.
Even an outer disciple of limited aptitude could become a City Lord, showing the strength of the Wanxiang Sect.
Every time during the Bashan Wanxiang Trial, the spots for any family were limited, allocated based on the influence in the city into upper, middle, and lower tiers.
Lower tier had two spots, middle tier had four, while major families like the Bai, Ye, and Li families each had eight spots.
However, the family hosting the event would receive two additional spots.
Such good fortune had always been exclusively enjoyed by the City Lord's Bai family, so having it fall to the Ye family this time left the Ye family members present puzzled.
"No need to think too much, it's thanks to Lin Qian that we secured the right to host the trial this time!" Ye Nanxin said, patting Lin Qian on the shoulder as he saw everyone discussing, "This lad has gotten quite close with the Wanxiang Sect's Inspector Disciple, and was able to persuade them. Remember to appreciate this lad."
However, Ye Nanxin's words did not convince the crowd, who all looked at Lin Qian with skepticism.
In their view, it must have been Ye Nanxin who bribed that Wanxiang Sect disciple to win such a good thing, but he credited Lin Qian.
A guy without a Martial Soul who could get familiar with a Wanxiang Sect disciple and just talk his way into deciding the venue for such a major event as the Bashan Wanxiang Trial?
What a joke!
But none of the people present could have imagined that Lin Qian, being the true Inspector, had full authority to decide where the Bashan Wanxiang Trial would be held.
He said it would be held at the Ye family, so it would be held at the Ye family, purely a matter of talking.
"The second piece of good news, of course, is that Lin Qian has returned," Ye Nanxin's words left the crowd with peculiar expressions, as they didn't think this was good news.
"I know what you're thinking, but Xinxin's intention has never changed. She won't marry anyone but this lad," Ye Nanxin said calmly as he looked around at the Ye family people before him, "If you have objections, go talk to Xinxin yourself."
Talk to Ye Xin? The crowd couldn't help but shrink their necks, not daring!
Lin Qian and Ye Xin grew up together, childhood sweethearts, with a deep bond between them.
Even though Ye Xin was taken under the wing of a terrifying strong figure from the Divine Sword Sect, nothing changed.
It's said that the master Ye Xin apprenticed to has a great background. Otherwise, it would be impossible to accept such a talented disciple in the territory of the Wanxiang Sect!
Ye Xin's status was above the whole Ye family, who dared to rebuke her?
Moreover, with Ye Nanxin's firm attitude, what they said couldn't oppose it?
All they could do was think to themselves, "A beautiful flower is stuck in cow dung!"
Having said everything, the Ye family members got up and left, leaving only Ye Nanxin and Lin Qian in the main hall.
After everyone left, Ye Nanxin took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Lin Qian.
Lin Qian, taking the letter from Ye Nanxin, had his gaze fixated on it.
The envelope handed by Ye Nanxin was not made of paper; it seemed to be some unknown leather material, with blood-colored patterns like cobwebs covering it, which was quite frightening.
"Uncle Ye, what is this letter..." Lin Qian asked, holding the peculiar letter, looking at Ye Nanxin in confusion.
"This letter was left by your parents, saying it was to be given to you when you turned sixteen." At this, Ye Nanxin couldn't help but laugh, "Coincidentally, you returned right when you turned sixteen. You boy didn't even say where you went."
Ye Nanxin's words made Lin Qian recall that nightmarish place, and his face turned somber, "A... bad place, a place where people eat people!"
"What kind of 'people eat people' place?" Ye Nanxin was amused, shaking his head at Lin Qian's words.
However, after staring at Lin Qian for a while, he sighed helplessly, "But you're unable to cultivate, just an ordinary person. These four years outside must have been hard."
"Suffering through hardship makes one a superior person." Lin Qian didn't mind Ye Nanxin's words, showing his white teeth with a smile.
"Good lad, if your Martial Soul problem can be resolved, Uncle Ye believes your future achievements will certainly not be low." Ye Nanxin nodded firmly at Lin Qian, his expression gratified yet somewhat regretful.
With the awakening of a Martial Soul, a Martial Artist's body would inherently awaken a Martial Soul.
If the awakened Martial Soul was a weapon, one could naturally become a Soul Martial Artist. But if it were a farming tool, one could only become an ordinary citizen, a soul farmer.
For cases where farming tools, scissors, or even teapots were awakened as Martial Souls, the cultivation speed was exceedingly slow.
Lin Qian's situation of having no Martial Soul at all was unprecedented, which is why his parents thought something must have gone wrong and left to seek medical help.
Yet no one knew that Lin Qian did possess a Martial Soul, but it was so peculiar that others couldn't detect it, so they mistakenly thought he had none.
"Alright, I have to go busy myself with the Bashan Wanxiang Trial. The Inspector places high expectations on us, and if we disappoint, it would be troublesome." Ye Nanxin also stood up, said to Lin Qian, and then walked towards the door.
"Uncle Ye, the Inspector of the Wanxiang Sect won't be disappointed," Lin Qian suddenly called out as he saw Ye Nanxin leaving.
"You're not the Inspector, how do you know they won't be disappointed, you brat? Don't fool around and go missing again." Ye Nanxin turned to look at Lin Qian, jokingly scolding as he left with hands behind his back.
Lin Qian shrugged, muttering helplessly, "Uncle Ye, I'm not intentionally hiding things from you; if there were any slip, it would be troublesome."
But immediately after, Lin Qian's attention focused on the letter in his hand.
This letter left by his parents in this lifetime!
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