Wang Chen lowered his gaze to look at the fallen Wang Yan, then raised his head to glance around at the surrounding elders.
"I will be the Patriarch. Who agrees, and who opposes?"
The Second Elder and the others looked at Wang Yan, who had been knocked to the ground, then turned to the terrifyingly powerful, almost godlike Wang Chen, and all of them swallowed hard in disbelief.
The Wang Family Patriarch, Wang Yan—whose strength was at the peak of the Contra realm—had actually been defeated by Wang Chen, a youth not even fifteen years old.
If they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it.
At this moment, the image of Patriarch Wang Yan in their minds completely collapsed.
In its place, a new image arose—taller, mightier, and more awe-inspiring: the new Patriarch, Wang Chen.
The Great Elder and the others, seeing Wang Yan blasted to the ground by Wang Chen's three spear strikes, could not contain their excitement. They immediately shouted loudly,
"Greetings to Patriarch Wang Chen!"
Wang Chen turned his gaze toward the Second Elder and the others. Carrying the overwhelming aura of having just defeated Wang Yan, he took a single step forward and said,
"You oppose?"
Facing Wang Chen's terrifying pressure, the Second Elder and the rest trembled uncontrollably, even taking an involuntary step backward.
Even the peak-Contral-level Wang Yan had been defeated in just three strikes—how could they, mere Soul Saints, dare utter a single word of dissent?
Besides, compared to following the old Patriarch Wang Yan—whose feet were already halfway into the coffin—it was clearly far more promising to follow the new Patriarch, Wang Chen, who possessed greater talent, strength, and youth, with a limitless future ahead.
After all, whether they followed Wang Yan or Wang Chen, it was still within the family. Why cling to the old when the new had greater potential and power?
The Second Elder and the others immediately switched allegiance, kneeling and bowing to Wang Chen.
"Greetings to Patriarch Wang Chen!"
The Great Elder, seeing the Second Elder—who had always been at odds with him—and his faction kneeling and saluting Wang Chen, couldn't help feeling extremely satisfied inside.
With the submission of all twelve elders, the entire Wang Family now fell completely under Wang Chen's control.
The Wang Family was a great clan bound together by blood. Each of the twelve elders had many clansmen and descendants behind them.
These twelve elders represented twelve main family branches, each connecting to countless smaller lines. The Patriarch was the arrowhead of all these lines, leading the clan forward.
Wang Chen looked at the twelve elders and said,
"As for my succession as Patriarch—do not announce it publicly yet. For now, only the twelve of you are to know."
The twelve elders were all old and wise; they immediately understood what Wang Chen meant.
The new Patriarch's talent was simply too astonishing—and, coupled with his young age, revealing this news prematurely could easily draw unnecessary attention and trouble.
That trouble could be good or bad. Perhaps a top powerhouse might seek to take him as a disciple, but it was just as likely that others would seek to suppress or eliminate him.
Rather than boasting now, it would be wiser to wait a few years—until Wang Chen's strength reached the point where he could truly influence the fate of the entire Sun Moon Empire.
Only then would the Wang Family's true rise begin.
Thinking of the Wang Family standing proudly atop the Sun Moon Empire, all twelve elders trembled with excitement.
The elders immediately replied in unison,
"As the Patriarch commands."
Wang Chen nodded slightly, then lowered his head to look at the gravely injured, unconscious former Patriarch, Wang Yan, pondering for a moment.
He decided that once Wang Yan recovered, he would have him continue managing relations with the Second Prince, while Wang Chen himself focused entirely on cultivation.
Unfortunately, his current strength still wasn't enough.
If he had the power of a Super Douluo, he wouldn't need to care about princes or royal factions at all.
If he reached the realm of an Ultimate Douluo, even the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire himself would no longer matter.
At that level, power itself became the ultimate law.
When one's strength reached the peak of the world, political struggles and worldly schemes ceased to matter—because the strong were the situation itself.
But right now, Wang Chen's strength wasn't enough.
Even with the Ring Explosion Secret Technique, he could only barely save his life against a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse.
Therefore, he still needed Wang Yan to maintain relations with the Second Prince.
If the Wang Family were to withdraw from the struggle for the throne now, cutting ties abruptly, it would bring enormous trouble.
Even ignoring attacks from rival factions, the Second Prince alone would never let a "traitor" off easily.
Did they think the imperial succession struggle was something one could just quit at will? What a joke.
If they withdrew now, it would take tremendous effort and countless risks to clean up the resulting mess—something Wang Chen had no interest in dealing with.
What he wanted most now was to focus on cultivation and growth, not waste his precious time entangled in political games and scheming.
Only those without a future spent their lives in such meaningless struggles—like Wang Yan.
Wang Chen, whose potential was boundless, would never waste time on such things.
That was precisely why Wang Yan still had his uses.
After another year of growth, Wang Chen estimated that his soul power would break through to the Soul Saint realm.
Once he obtained his Martial Soul True Body, his strength would undergo an immense leap.
Then, he would truly be free—able to soar through the skies and roam the seas without limit.
As for whether Wang Yan would betray him, Wang Chen wasn't worried.
Because Wang Chen's existence actually benefited Wang Yan—Wang Chen's rise would also bring him glory and safety.
In the face of such mutual interests, the humiliation of being defeated today would mean nothing.
After finishing his thoughts, Wang Chen turned to the Great Elder.
"Take the former Patriarch Wang Yan for treatment. Once he wakes, inform me."
The Great Elder nodded respectfully.
"Yes, Patriarch."
After speaking, the Great Elder carried Wang Yan away for healing.
Wang Chen then gave a few more instructions and was preparing to rest when—
A group of figures clad in imperial-colored soul tool armor appeared above the Wang Family estate.
At their head was none other than Xu Tianyuan, Commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion.
The Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion had always been responsible for the defense of Mingdu. Whenever a powerful fluctuation of soul power occurred within the city, they would arrive immediately to investigate.
If it turned out to be a soul tool experiment or a sparring match between strong soul masters that caused no casualties or damage, the legion would simply observe and then withdraw.
But if the disturbance caused massive destruction or casualties—or if it involved a foreign invader—the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion would take action.
As one of the Five National Defense Hands of the Sun Moon Empire, their strength was immense. Even Super Douluo would avoid direct confrontation with them.
Once they initiated a linked attack using their networked soul tools, they could even erase an entire small city from the map.
Unless one was an Ultimate Douluo capable of manipulating spatial power, anyone else who tried to face them head-on would die instantly.
Xu Tianyuan floated midair, overlooking the Wang Family estate, and thought to himself,
"The soul power fluctuation just now reached the Titled Douluo level.
Could it be that old fool Wang Yan broke through? Or… has an outsider invaded the Wang Family and started a battle?"
Wang Chen looked up at the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion in the sky and said to the Third Elder,
"Third Elder, go handle them."
The Third Elder bowed.
"Yes, Patriarch. Leave it to me. It was just a normal sparring match—once the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion confirms that there were no casualties or major damage, they'll leave."
Wang Chen nodded slightly, then turned and walked back toward his residence.