Wutan City was a small city in the northeastern province of the Jia Ma Empire. There were well over a hundred such small cities in the Jia Ma Empire, and it had no fame to speak of. Yet a few years ago, because of the name of a genius, even some important figures in the Imperial Capital had heard of it. Unfortunately, that genius's rise had been like a shooting star—his rise was swift, and his fall sudden. Just as those influential people learned that he had advanced to become a Dou Zhe, he lost his talent and became trash inferior even to an ordinary person. Thus, Wutan City, which had only just gained a little renown, became the laughingstock of the nearby Black Flame City and Black Rock City.
On the broad road, scattered pedestrians walked along in twos and threes. Now and then, a carriage passed by, stirring up clouds of dust from the ground and drawing curses from the burly mercenaries on the road.
At that moment, a rather plain-looking carriage approached from the distance. As it traveled, it did not kick up any dust from the extremely dry road. At the same time, a cool chill quietly spread out as it passed. Ahead of the carriage, an old man rode a fairly tall horse, galloping toward Wutan City's gates.
"Damn, that old man is actually a seven-star Great Dou Master." After the carriage and the old man had gone, the mercenaries on the road began talking. One mercenary who had been rather close to the old man spoke first.
In the Jia Ma Empire, anyone below the Dou Wang level could undergo a strength assessment. Major powers such as the Misty Cloud Sect and the Jia Ma Royal Family would then issue robes symbolizing their strength.