Wang Chen said,
"Great Elder, please guide me!"
As a Soul Douluo facing a mere Soul Emperor, the Great Elder naturally put on some airs and did not wish to strike first.
Instead, he said,
"Come then, let me see your strength."
Wang Chen's eyes sharpened, and he immediately went all out. His weapon spirit possessed him, and the upgraded Rank Seven soul tool, the Breaking Wind Spear, appeared in his hand.
With the illusion of the golden soul tool ring on his left hand concealing the truth, four pitch-black soul rings lit up: the first, second, third, and fifth.
First Soul Skill: Attack!
Second Soul Skill: Break!
Third Soul Skill: Condense!
Fifth Soul Skill: Soul!
Under the amplification of four ten-thousand-year soul skills, the power of the Breaking Wind Spear became astonishingly fearsome.
Especially now, with the Rank Seven soul tool armor on his body, his offensive ability reached an even more terrifying level.
It could be said that just with his soul tool and these four soul skills, Wang Chen was enough to defeat the majority of Soul Saints.
Then, Wang Chen's fourth soul ring lit up.
His Fourth Soul Skill, Instant (瞬), allowed him to teleport fifty meters. It had a five-minute cooldown, but by burning twice the soul power, it could be used again, up to three consecutive times.
Wang Chen's figure flickered, instantly appearing behind the Great Elder.
At that moment, the Great Elder only felt Wang Chen vanish before his eyes, and then—an icy killing intent surged against his back, making cold sweat pour down.
If not for releasing his spiritual power to constantly sense his surroundings, he might really have been wounded by this strike.
The Great Elder thought inwardly:
This boy, Wang Chen, is impressive—his attack is clean and decisive, with no hesitation. Most Soul Saints facing such a teleporting backstab wouldn't have time to defend and would be killed on the spot. No wonder Wang Yuan lost to him.
As a Soul Douluo, the Great Elder locked his spiritual sense onto Wang Chen behind him.
Eight soul rings rose around him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—the optimal configuration. His first, third, fifth, and sixth soul rings lit up simultaneously.
The first, third, and fifth soul skills were all buffs. The sixth was a rapid control skill.
A six-pointed star soul power formation instantly appeared under Wang Chen's feet, locking his body firmly in place.
Wang Chen felt as if the very air had solidified into crystal. Breaking free would demand no small amount of soul power.
As expected of a Soul Douluo. Their reaction speed far surpasses that of Soul Saints, Wang Chen thought.
The Great Elder turned as he said,
"Chen'er, this is my sixth soul skill. Even most Soul Douluos cannot break free immediately. As a Soul Emperor, don't waste your effort."
But Wang Chen only smiled, and his fourth soul ring lit up again.
Second teleport activated!
The Great Elder's face changed—Wang Chen's body vanished once more, reappearing at his flank. Continuous teleportation? Impossible!
Generally, the more powerful a soul skill, the stricter its limitations. Invulnerability and teleportation skills always came with heavy restrictions. Otherwise, they'd be unstoppable.
Before the Great Elder could react, Wang Chen thrust out his spear. But this strike was completely different from the last.
He activated the combat technique Sovereign's Dominion. His spirit, soul power, and will fused into one, massively amplifying the power of the Breaking Wind Spear.
The might of this spear was such that even a Soul Douluo had to take it seriously.
Feeling its threat, the Great Elder furrowed his brows. For the first time, he no longer dared to treat Wang Chen as a junior.
In the end, strength was the true measure. Wang Chen's performance had already earned his respect.
He now regarded Wang Chen as an equal opponent.
The Great Elder's seventh soul ring lit up—Martial Soul True Body!
His talent in soul tools was average, so he had focused on the path of a Soul Master, relying primarily on soul skills in combat.
Watching from the side, Wang Yuan thought gleefully:
The Great Elder's been forced into this, huh?
For high-level Soul Masters, only after unleashing their Martial Soul True Body did they fight at full strength. Without it, they were like completely different beings.
With his Martial Soul True Body activated, the Great Elder's strength skyrocketed.
His fourth soul ring shone. Augmented by his first, third, and fifth buffs and empowered by his true body, even his fourth skill's power was terrifying.
Soul power gathered, condensing into a blazing sphere that clashed with Wang Chen's spear strike.
The violent impact shattered the air into vacuum ripples, while cracks spiderwebbed across the trial platform's reinforced ground.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Chen and the Great Elder exchanged over ten blows.
The recoil forced Wang Chen back more than ten steps—clearly, he was slightly at a disadvantage.
The Great Elder was secretly astonished. A Soul Emperor battling a Soul Douluo to this degree, even forcing him to use his true body—this was unheard of.
He said to Wang Chen,
"Chen'er, your strength is remarkable. But if you wish to become Patriarch, you'll need at least two more years of cultivation.
Once you break through to Soul Sage and awaken your Martial Soul True Body, you'll definitely be able to defeat Wang Yan. But for now, the gap remains."
But Wang Chen shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.
A faint smile curved his lips as he said,
"Great Elder, now I'll get serious."
As his words fell, Wang Chen's aura exploded. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation surged from Soul Emperor to Soul Sage, climbing further to the level of a high-tier Soul Sage.
He had activated his secret art—Ring Tempering (淬环)!
Before, Wang Chen had only two hundred-year soul rings, so the technique's effect was limited. Now, with six ten-thousand-year soul rings, the boost it granted was overwhelming.
The Great Elder's expression changed as he sensed Wang Chen's skyrocketing might.
Moments later—
Thud!
The Great Elder collapsed heavily onto the cold floor, staring blankly upward, his faith shaken.
After a long silence, he finally looked at Wang Chen with blazing eyes and declared,
The Wang Family has suffered under Wang Yan for far too long… Today, at last, we have our new Patriarch!