Soul Emperor Awakening

The Imperial Capital was a world apart. The height of its gates alone completely dwarfed those of Vast Origin City. The towering city walls could hold back a mighty army, and the massive gates exuded a sense of majesty and pressure.

It wasn’t just the domineering architecture; even the guards were at the Essence Pill Stage Level. Lin Xuan had thought Vast Origin City was quite impressive, but the Imperial Capital was on another level entirely—a massive leap upward.

Guards at the Essence Pill Stage might seem like an exaggeration, but it was only natural. The Imperial Capital was the most prosperous city in the Soaring Dragon Empire, and maintaining order was a monumental task. With experts as numerous as the clouds, guards below the Essence Pill Stage would be utterly incapable of handling unexpected incidents.

The leader of the guards even had a Cultivation at the Spirit Pill Stage Level—a rank that would make him a Sect Leader in an ordinary Sect. Here, he was just a team leader!

However, being a guard wasn’t a dead-end job; on the contrary, it was an incredibly demanding mission. They were responsible for the peace and security of the entire Imperial Capital. If anything went wrong, the accountability they faced was immense. That was why they needed formidable Cultivation to keep all manner of emergencies under control.

If troublemakers were at the Essence Pill Stage while the guards were only at the Spirit Refining Stage, how could they possibly cope? When a city is crowded, you get all sorts of people. Here, at the feet of the Great Emperor, order had to be impeccably maintained. If one couldn’t even govern the Imperial Capital properly, how could one speak of ruling the entire Empire?

Many people were entering the Imperial Capital. Even as evening approached, the streets were still a sea of people. As their carriage drove in, they were stopped by the guards. Even though it was a carriage from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, it was still halted for inspection. It was a clear rule: everyone, without exception, had to be checked.

Zi Yi and the others were cooperative. After all, the guards only needed to glance inside the carriage; it wasn’t a full search of their belongings or a body search.

Lin Xuan peered out from the carriage. The majority of the people coming and going were Cultivators. One could say the Imperial Capital was the most densely populated area for Cultivators in the entire Soaring Dragon Empire. Only now did Lin Xuan feel he had truly entered a city where experts were as common as trees in a forest. It wouldn’t be surprising to encounter powerful individuals or even a Sect Leader from some major Sect here.

The Imperial Capital was far more prosperous than any other place, with a greater abundance of resources. Naturally, people flocked here to buy and trade goods.

Looking down the entire street, they were the only ones in a carriage; everyone else had to walk. When people saw the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s carriage, they all respectfully made way, though some muttered curses under their breath, clearly unhappy with the Pavilion.

Not just anyone could ride in a carriage within the Imperial Capital. Only those of high status were permitted to do so. As for those of more ordinary standing, they had to obediently dismount and park their carriages outside the city walls.

It wasn’t that those with low Cultivation had no rights, but rather that the Imperial Capital was too crowded and chaotic. If anyone with a bit of money could ride a carriage, it would be impossible to manage. Therefore, anyone seen riding in a carriage in the Imperial Capital definitely held a high position. For instance, Zi Yi was a vice president. Who would dare provoke a vice president of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?

Thus, there was a long-standing unwritten rule in the Imperial Capital: never provoke the owner of a carriage. Unless, of course, your own backer was powerful enough—then it wasn’t a problem. After all, this was a world where might made right; if you were powerful enough, you could walk all over anyone.

"The Imperial Capital really is in a league of its own. There are just too many Cultivators. Those with an Essence Pill Stage Level Cultivation are everywhere." Lin Xuan sighed. ’With my current Cultivation, I wouldn’t dare to act recklessly here. If I provoked the wrong person, they could crush me with ease.’

"This must be your first time here, Young Master Lin," Zi Yi said from the side. "You’re right, but Essence Pill Stage Cultivators aren’t a dime a dozen. It’s just that right now is the Great Emperor’s birthday, which is why so many people have gathered. Normally, you wouldn’t see so many high-level Cultivators, though it’s not like they’re a rare sight either."

Lin Xuan nodded. He was already aware of this. It wasn’t surprising for the Imperial Capital to have many experts; as the most prosperous city, it was bound to have a higher concentration of them. Plus, with such a large population, you were bound to find Cultivators of all levels. Still, those at the Spirit Pill Stage Level were extremely rare.

One could still break through the Essence Pill Stage, but the Spirit Pill Stage was a massive bottleneck. Not just anyone could reach it.

When their carriage reached the Imperial Palace, they had to dismount. Inside the Imperial Palace, one had to walk; carriages were forbidden. If you ever saw someone riding a carriage within the Imperial Palace, they would have to be someone of the Eldest Prince’s rank. Only those of that level were permitted such a privilege.

For Cultivators of their level, a carriage was far too slow. But it was never about the speed; it was about the status it represented.

The moment Lin Xuan stepped out of the carriage, he felt countless eyes on him. They were undoubtedly the surrounding guards. Security at the Imperial Palace was far stricter than outside; any transgression would likely result in being killed on the spot.

"Miss Zi Yi, it’s been a long time."

Lin Xuan had just stepped down from the carriage when a sycophantic voice reached his ears. He turned to see a handsome young man with a faint smile on his face. Lin Xuan found the man somehow familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

"Ah, it’s Young Master Lu Hua. Regarding your brother, I can only express my deepest sympathies," Zi Yi replied gracefully, a touch of sadness on her face.

’Lu Hua?’

Hearing Zi Yi’s words, Lin Xuan finally understood why the man looked familiar. ’So they’re brothers. No wonder they bear a resemblance.’ Their Cultivation was also impressive, both at the Seventh Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage. ’The Eldest Prince certainly has a lot of talent under his command.’

"There’s nothing to sympathize about. You can only blame him for being too weak!" Lu Hua snorted, a disdainful look in his eyes. He then retrieved a box from his Storage Ring and presented it with a smile. "This is an East Sea Jade Lotus Coral. I’ve heard it’s very beneficial for a woman’s health. Not only can it prolong one’s life, but it can also preserve one’s youthful radiance. I hope you like it, Miss Zi Yi."

’East Sea Jade Lotus Coral.’

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. ’This Lu Hua is ruthless. He doesn’t seem sad at all.’ And now he was being so "thoughtful" as to present an East Sea Jade Lotus Coral as a gift. Such an item was incredibly precious; even at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, it would command an immense price and was primarily purchased by female customers.

Although Zi Yi was a vice president, it didn’t mean she could just take items from the inventory for personal use. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion didn’t belong to her alone.

"I’m sorry, this is far too valuable. Please take it back, Young Master Lu Hua," Zi Yi refused without a second thought. She added with a smile, "It’s getting late. We should head inside, or we’ll be showing disrespect to the Great Emperor."

After speaking, she turned to Lin Xuan and said, "Let’s go, Young Master Lin." As she spoke, she reached out and gently looped her arm through his.

The gesture caught Lin Xuan by surprise, and a wry smile appeared on his face. ’This girl is obviously trying to draw hatred onto me.’ When he looked at Zi Yi, he saw a crafty glint in her eyes. It seemed she was deliberately trying to put him in a tough spot.

’My relationship with the Eldest Prince’s people was already bad, but this just adds fuel to the fire, lighting the fuse ahead of time.’ Still, the debt with the Eldest Prince was one he would definitely collect!

Therefore, he would meet anyone associated with the Eldest Prince with hostility! His relationship with the Eldest Prince hadn’t always been so tense, but ever since the ambush at the Bone Dragon Ruins, he had been truly enraged. Things had escalated to the point of being irreconcilable.

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