Wang Chen said, "Great Elder, please give me your guidance!"
As a Contra-level powerhouse, the Great Elder naturally carried himself with authority when facing Wang Chen, who was merely an Emperor-ranked soul master, unwilling to take the initiative to attack first.
He said calmly to Wang Chen, "Come, let me see your strength."
Wang Chen's eyes sharpened, and he instantly unleashed his full power. His Weapon Spirit possessed his body, and the upgraded Windbreaking Spear, now a level-seven soul tool, appeared in his hand.
Under the illusionary image projected by the golden soul tool ring on his left hand, his first, second, third, and fifth soul rings—four pitch-black ten-thousand-year rings—lit up simultaneously.
First Soul Skill: Strike!
Second Soul Skill: Break!
Third Soul Skill: Condense!
Fifth Soul Skill: Soul!
With the amplification of four ten-thousand-year soul skills from his Weapon Spirit, the offensive power of Wang Chen's Windbreaking Spear became astonishingly great.
Especially now that he was wearing level-seven soul tool armor, his attack power became even more terrifying.
It could be said that just with his soul tools and those four soul skills, Wang Chen was already strong enough to defeat the vast majority of Soul Saints.
Immediately after, Wang Chen's fourth soul ring lit up.
His fourth soul skill was called Instant, which allowed him to teleport fifty meters. After use, it had a cooldown of five minutes. However, by consuming twice the amount of soul power, he could use it consecutively—though at most three times in a row.
With a flash, Wang Chen's figure disappeared and instantly appeared behind the Great Elder.
At that moment, the Great Elder only felt Wang Chen vanish from before him, and the next instant, an icy killing intent brushed across his back, causing cold sweat to pour down his spine.
If not for keeping his spiritual power extended to sense all movements around him, he might have truly been injured by this sneak attack.
The Great Elder thought inwardly, This kid Wang Chen is impressive—his strikes are clean and precise, without the slightest hesitation.
Most Soul Saints would find it difficult to react in time to an attack from behind like that, and would probably be killed on the spot. No wonder Wang Yuan lost to him.
As a Contra-level expert, the Great Elder locked his spiritual sense onto Wang Chen's position behind him.
Yellow, purple, and black soul rings—eight in total, in perfect configuration—rose around his body. Then, his first, third, fifth, and sixth soul rings lit up together.
The Great Elder's first, third, and fifth soul skills were all amplification-type skills, while his sixth soul skill was an instant-control type ability.
A six-pointed soul power array appeared under Wang Chen's feet, completely binding his body in place.
Wang Chen immediately felt the air around him harden like crystal—breaking free would consume a great deal of soul power.
He thought to himself, As expected of a Contra-level powerhouse. He's on a completely different level from a Soul Saint—the reaction speed alone is vastly superior.
As he turned around, the Great Elder said, "Chen'er, this old man's sixth soul skill— even most Contra-level experts can't easily break free. You, a Soul Emperor, should save your strength."
But Wang Chen only smiled faintly, and his fourth soul ring lit up again.
Second teleportation—activate!
The Great Elder turned his head, only to find Wang Chen's figure had vanished again—now appearing to his flank. Continuous teleportation? Impossible!
Generally, the stronger the soul skill, the stricter its limitations. Skills like Invincible Golden Body or teleportation had severe restrictions; otherwise, they would make one completely invincible.
Before the Great Elder could react, Wang Chen thrust his spear forward once again—but this time, the strike was completely different from before.
Sovereign's Domination Combat Technique—activate!
Spiritual power, soul power, and will merged as the devastating combat technique infused the Windbreaking Spear, massively boosting its destructive potential.
This strike carried power so immense that even a Contra-level powerhouse had to take it seriously.
Feeling the terrifying force behind Wang Chen's thrust, the Great Elder frowned deeply. He no longer dared to treat Wang Chen as a mere junior.
In the end, strength was what spoke loudest among soul masters—and Wang Chen's performance had already earned the Great Elder's respect.
He now regarded Wang Chen as a true equal.
Then, the Great Elder's seventh soul ring lit up.
Martial Soul True Body—activate!
The Great Elder wasn't particularly gifted in soul tool mastery, so his main cultivation path was as a soul master, relying primarily on soul skills in battle.
Watching from the side, Wang Yuan thought inwardly, The Great Elder has been forced to go all out.
For high-level soul masters, only when they used their Martial Soul True Body were they truly fighting at full power.
Using or not using Martial Soul True Body was like being on entirely different levels.
Once activated, the Great Elder's strength increased dramatically.
Facing Wang Chen's strike, the Great Elder's fourth soul ring shone. With the amplification of his first, third, and fifth skills—and now his Martial Soul True Body—the power of his fourth soul skill became truly terrifying.
A beam of concentrated soul power condensed around the Great Elder, and a massive blast of energy collided with Wang Chen's Windbreaking Spear.
The impact was so powerful that the very air rippled into a vacuum zone, and cracks spidered across the solid floor of the trial arena under the sheer shockwaves of their battle.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Chen and the Great Elder had already clashed more than ten times.
The immense recoil from each collision forced Wang Chen back over ten steps—clearly, he was at a slight disadvantage.
The Great Elder was secretly shocked by Wang Chen's strength.
For someone at the Soul Emperor level to fight him, a Contra, to such an extent—even forcing him to use his Martial Soul True Body—was nothing short of astounding.
The Great Elder said to Wang Chen, "Chen'er, your strength is formidable, but if you wish to become the Patriarch, you'll need at least another two years of training.
Once your cultivation breaks through to Soul Saint and you gain your Martial Soul True Body, you'll surely be able to defeat Wang Yan. But for now, there's still a gap."
Wang Chen shook his head, refusing the elder's assessment.
A faint smile curved his lips as he said, "Great Elder, I'm going to get serious now."
As soon as he spoke, Wang Chen's aura suddenly exploded—within seconds, his cultivation surged past the Soul Emperor level, breaking into Soul Saint, and climbing rapidly until it reached High Soul Saint.
Secret Technique—Ring Tempering, activate!
Previously, when Wang Chen had only possessed two hundred-year soul rings, the Ring Tempering Secret Technique's effect had been average. But now that he had six ten-thousand-year soul rings, the amplification it brought was unimaginable.
The Great Elder's expression darkened immediately—he knew something bad was coming.
Moments later—
With a loud thud, the Great Elder fell backward onto the cold ground, utterly dazed, questioning his very life choices.
After a long while, he finally recovered and stared at Wang Chen with eyes blazing with excitement.
"The Wang Family has suffered under Wang Yan for too long. Today, we finally welcome our new Patriarch!"