Wang Yuan also knew that Wang Chen was simply too monstrous. Even if everything he said was the truth, it was so shocking that it sounded like complete nonsense.
He understood why the Great Elder didn't believe him. After all, when Wang Chen first told him, he also hadn't believed it. Even when Wang Chen defeated him, he had been stunned for a long while before he could recover.
Wang Yuan gave a bitter smile and said,
"Great Elder, every word I say is true. Not a single lie. How could I joke about something like this?"
The Great Elder looked at Wang Yuan and thought he must be deeply ill, in desperate need of treatment. With a sigh, he said,
"Wang Yuan, let me call a healing-type Soul Master for you."
Wang Yuan's mouth twitched. He turned his head toward Wang Chen, spread his hands, and gave a helpless look that said: See? I can't explain this to him.
Wang Chen nearly laughed out loud at the absurdity of the conversation. But instead, he stepped forward and addressed the Great Elder directly:
"Great Elder, let us spar."
As soon as he spoke, Wang Chen released his soul power without restraint. A wave of soul force spread throughout the hall—its density and purity far superior to that of an ordinary Soul Emperor. The atmosphere instantly grew heavy and oppressive.
At first, the Great Elder thought Wang Chen was just a child talking nonsense, not worth taking seriously.
But the moment Wang Chen released his soul power, the Great Elder was struck as though by lightning. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"This… this soul power… Soul Emperor! How is this possible?!" he exclaimed.
A Soul Emperor under fifteen years old? In his youth, even in his wildest dreams, he had only dared to hope he could reach Soul King before fifteen.
And what's more, he could clearly sense the extraordinary quality of Wang Chen's soul power—it was nearly at the liquid state of a Soul Sage. It was dense, pure, painstakingly cultivated through steady training.
It was absolutely not the hollow, unstable soul power of someone forced upward by drugs.
Wang Chen said calmly,
"Great Elder, I want to be the Patriarch of the Wang Family."
With that, he turned and walked out of the hall toward the trial grounds.
The Great Elder was left frozen in place, his face full of shock.
After a moment, he turned toward Wang Yuan.
"Wang Yuan… everything you said… is it true?"
Wang Yuan patted the Great Elder on the shoulder and said with a smile,
"Great Elder, every word is true. At first, I didn't believe it either. But after I was defeated by Chen'er, I had no choice but to accept it.
A Soul Emperor under fifteen… in terms of talent, no one in the history of the Sun Moon Empire can compare with Chen'er.
His talent is unprecedented—and perhaps will never be matched again.
I believe that under Chen'er's leadership, our Wang Family will definitely become the strongest clan in the Sun Moon Empire!
Go and see for yourself, Great Elder. Once you experience it personally, you'll understand."
Inwardly, Wang Yuan added with a sly grin:
I can't be the only one who's been beaten by Chen'er. Great Elder, it's your turn to taste it, hahaha…
The Great Elder, of course, didn't know what Wang Yuan was thinking. Instead, he gradually digested the shocking truth of Wang Chen's cultivation.
His eyes began to shine. At that moment, he had only one thought: The Wang Family is destined to rise!
Whether the Second Prince ascended the throne or not—even if their entire family was destroyed—so long as Wang Chen lived, his terrifying talent guaranteed he would one day break through to Title Douluo and become a Rank Nine Soul Engineer. Perhaps he might even reach Rank Ten, achieving the level of a Super Douluo at ninety-five ranks—the first of its kind in the history of the Sun Moon Empire.
At that time, the Wang Family would stand unshakable at the Empire's peak.
Even so, while the Great Elder recognized Wang Chen's talent and potential, he still did not believe Wang Chen could defeat Wang Yan.
He knew Wang Yan's strength better than anyone. Even among Soul Douluos, Wang Yan was one of the strongest.
Though he himself was also a Soul Douluo, he couldn't last a few moves against Wang Yan.
Wang Yan might be old, but he wasn't weak. His combat strength was still terrifying. Only Soul Douluos with top-tier martial souls could defeat him.
The Great Elder looked at Wang Chen's departing figure and muttered as he followed,
"Youngsters are always too hot-blooded.
If you want to be a Patriarch, you still need years of training.
Let this old man give you a little lesson. Don't think that just because you defeated Wang Yuan, you can take down a Soul Douluo."
Seeing the Great Elder follow Wang Chen, Wang Yuan couldn't help but laugh,
"Haha, I have to follow too. I can't miss seeing the Great Elder lying on the ground, doubting his life."
Soon, in the vast, empty trial hall, the massive training grounds lit up with glowing golden metal pillars. A golden barrier enveloped the arena, isolating the battle from the outside world.
Wang Chen, the Great Elder, and the excited spectator Wang Yuan all stepped inside.
The Great Elder looked at Wang Chen and said solemnly,
"Chen'er, your talent is extraordinary, but to become Patriarch is still too early for you.
Do you know that Wang Yan is at the eighty-ninth rank, the very peak of Soul Douluo? His mastery of soul tools is astonishing. His personal soul tool, the Black Demon Armor, already has power close to that of a Rank Nine soul tool.
If you cannot even defeat me, then you should wait before thinking of becoming Patriarch."
Wang Chen smiled faintly, his eyes glimmering with fighting spirit.
This was his first time facing a Soul Douluo. He needed to experience it properly.
With that thought, Wang Chen retrieved a set of silver-white soul tool armor from his storage device.
In the Sun Moon Empire, every true high-level Soul Engineer crafted a personal set of armor tailored to their martial soul and body, greatly boosting their strength.
In later years, Kong Deming would go even further, inventing humanoid soul tools far beyond armor, amplifying a Soul Engineer's power to terrifying levels.
The set of armor Wang Chen now wore was Rank Seven.
Not only did it enhance offense and defense, but in its core formation array, he had inscribed a high-level Energy Condensation Array.
This array compressed the user's soul power, allowing it to become denser and stronger in a short burst, effectively raising the user's cultivation.
The downside was the immense soul power consumption.
Once Wang Chen donned the armor, his soul power compressed into a liquid-like state. In terms of quality, it was no weaker than that of a Soul Sage.