City Lord's Mansion

Just then, a young teenager rode swiftly down the street on horseback, continuously cracking the whip in his hand. Behind the horse followed a small unit of soldiers clad in black armor, though there were only a few dozen of them.

Pedestrians on the street quickly moved aside to avoid being struck by the galloping horse.

Qian Renxue and Bi Zihan watched the horse charge straight toward them without any intention of dodging. Qian Renxue had just been about to stop the horse when Bi Zihan moved a little faster than she did.

Black Soul Power gathered in Bi Zihan's hand. Just as the horse was about to crash into them, his Soul Power formed a barrier before them, forcibly bringing the horse to a halt. Yet the horse seemed to have been badly startled. It reared up on its hind legs and threw the teenager from its back, sending him crashing heavily onto the ground.

After doing all that, Bi Zihan and Qian Renxue prepared to leave without paying the teenager any attention.

After getting up from the ground, the teenager said angrily, "Stop those two!"

The moment his words fell, the soldiers drew their weapons. Sharp blades pointed at Qian Renxue and Bi Zihan as they surrounded the pair.

Bi Zihan swept his gaze over the soldiers before looking at the teenager and saying indifferently, "There are regulations in the city. Unless there is an emergency, no one is permitted to ride at full speed through the streets. You'd better have these soldiers stand down. Otherwise, the consequences are not something you can bear."

There were no fluctuations of Soul Power coming from these soldiers, which made it clear that they were merely ordinary people. Of course, there was another possibility: their Soul Power might have far surpassed Bi Zihan's, which was why he could not sense its fluctuations.

But this was merely a remote little city. There were not even many Soul Elders above Rank 30 here, so how could these soldiers possibly possess more Soul Power than Bi Zihan? Besides, Bi Zihan was no ordinary Soul Elder. Even an average Soul King might not be his match. Unless they were peak Soul Kings or Soul Emperors, he would not have been unable to sense any Soul Power fluctuations at all.

Upon hearing that, the teenager repeatedly looked Qian Renxue and Bi Zihan over. When he saw their luxurious clothing and the Soul Tools they wore, his brows furrowed.

"Which family or sect do you two belong to? Tell me, and perhaps I'll forgive your offense this time." After some thought, the teenager decided it was best to ascertain their identities before deciding how to deal with them.

After all, Soul Tools were not something ordinary people could afford. Those who could use them were generally either wealthy or influential.

"We are people you cannot afford to offend. Don't go looking for trouble when there's none. Otherwise, your City Lord's Mansion won't be able to bear the consequences." Qian Renxue gave a soft laugh, paying no attention at all to such a minor City Lord's Mansion.

At that moment, someone who appeared to be the captain stepped over to the teenager's side and said quietly, "Young Master, their identities seem far from simple. Why don't we let them leave for now? Once we return, you can have the City Lord investigate their backgrounds before deciding how to handle this matter."

Hearing this, the teenager looked the two over once more. Since he could not figure out their identities or backgrounds, he did not dare order anyone to attack, lest they truly be people he could not afford to provoke.

"Forget it. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you leave." The teenager waved his hand. Seeing this, the soldiers immediately put away their weapons and dispersed the encirclement, allowing the two to leave.

Bi Zihan and Qian Renxue merely glanced at the teenager as though he did not exist, then continued strolling down the street in a leisurely manner.

Watching the way they left without the slightest sign of panic, the teenager became even more convinced that their identities were extraordinary. Otherwise, no matter how composed an ordinary person might be, they would still be somewhat flustered.

After the teenager left with his men, the street soon became lively again. Hawking merchants and the endless stream of pedestrians made the street bustle with activity.

Outside Nuoding City, a young man dressed in Spirit Hall attire entered Holy Soul Village. At his side was an elderly man with an aged face.

Qing Sheng looked at the old man beside him and asked with a hint of arrogance, "Old Village Chief, how many children in your village need to awaken their martial souls this year?"

"Honored Lord Soul Master, only five children in Holy Soul Village will be awakening their martial souls this year. I hope one of them can become a soul master." A hopeful expression appeared on the old man's face.

"If soul masters were so easy to come by, they would not be the noblest profession on the continent. By the way, are there any people surnamed Tang in your village?" The young man clasped his hands behind his back and seemed to ask the question casually.

The old man nodded. "There are only two people surnamed Tang in our village. One is the blacksmith Tang Hao, and the other is his son, Tang San. They both arrived in the village three years ago."

Upon hearing this, the young man quietly committed the old man's words to memory and said arrogantly, "Let's awaken the children's martial souls first. I still have several villages left to visit."

"Of course. We'll have to trouble you, Lord Soul Master." A smile appeared on the old man's face as he stopped before a wooden house in the center of the village.

The wooden house before them was the Martial Soul Branch Hall established in every village. Normally, no one was stationed in the Martial Soul Branch Hall. It was opened only during the annual martial soul awakening ceremony for the children to awaken their martial souls.

Five children who had reached the age of six were waiting in front of the wooden house. After the young man led the five children inside, he began awakening their martial souls.

About an hour later, the young man had just emerged from the wooden house when the old man stepped forward and asked, "Honored Lord Soul Master, are there any children in our village who can become soul masters?"

"More or less the same as every other year. They either have useless martial souls or no Soul Power. Not a single one can become a soul master. I still need to awaken martial souls in other villages, so I'll be leaving first." The young man glanced at the old man before walking directly out of Holy Soul Village.

Every deacon of the Spirit Hall Branch had designated villages where they performed martial soul awakenings, so he was quite familiar with Holy Soul Village. In particular, he had nearly grown tired of hearing the same few lines the Old Village Chief said every year.

After leaving Holy Soul Village, the young man did not head to the other villages to conduct martial soul awakenings. Instead, he prepared to return directly to the Martial Soul Main Hall in Nuoding City and report the information he had gathered to His Holiness the Pope.