At the same time, inside the Second Prince Xu Tianyu's residence.
After receiving the latest news, Xu Tianyu threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"Excellent! I didn't expect the Wang Clan to have such a prodigy. That's the power of a Titled Douluo!
With the Wang Clan's support, let's see who dares compete with me now!
My position as Crown Prince is secured! Hahahaha!!"
"Someone come! Prepare a lavish gift—deliver it to the Wang Clan.
No, forget it, I'll pick the gifts personally!"
Compared to the elated Second Prince Xu Tianyu, his brothers Xu Tiannan and Xu Tianshi were in extremely foul moods upon learning that Wang Chen had slain a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master.
Xu Tiannan was so furious he nearly coughed up blood,
cursing in his heart that the people of the Holy Spirit Cult were all useless trash—
even a Titled Douluo couldn't defeat a mere Soul Emperor.
Truly worthless beyond measure!
——
At that very moment, inside the Xishui Alliance Headquarters.
Zhongli Wu, the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult, was resting in the most luxurious room belonging to one of their subordinate factions.
He sat on a sofa, his face dark enough to drip water as he read the latest report.
He had originally thought sending the Masked Douluo to destroy the Wang Clan would be an easy, effortless task.
But to his shock, that small Wang Clan actually hid such a formidable individual as Wang Chen,
who had not only managed to resist but had even counter-killed the Masked Douluo—without giving him the slightest chance to escape.
For any faction, losing a Titled Douluo-level expert meant losing a top-tier force.
Even Zhongli Wu himself felt heartache at such a loss—
especially since the Masked Douluo was one of the Holy Spirit Cult's core bloodline disciples,
raised and trained by him personally from a young age.
He could command that man however he wished, unlike those stubborn old geezers of the Worship Hall,
who barely even acknowledged him.
As Zhongli Wu stared at the name "Wang Chen" written on the intelligence report, his expression grew even darker.
Not yet fifteen years old, yet already possessing the cultivation of a Soul Emperor—
and with combat power so absurd that he could kill a Titled Douluo.
It was simply beyond comprehension.
His fighting strength was even more terrifying than those who possessed Ultimate Martial Souls.
After all, even Ultimate Martial Souls—
unless they held an elemental advantage—
could, at best, fight on par with a Titled Douluo when at the Soul Sage level.
They couldn't truly win.
But Wang Chen had slain a Titled Douluo as a mere Soul Emperor!
Throughout recorded history, the only one who had ever achieved something even remotely similar
was the Sea God Tang San, ten thousand years ago—
and even he had only barely managed to contend with such an opponent.
Yet this Wang Chen had not merely contended—he had utterly crushed his foe.
And not just any foe—a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master stronger than others of his rank.
Did that mean Wang Chen's combat power already surpassed the Sea God Tang San's of the same level?
And he was even younger than Tang San had been at the time!
That realization made Zhongli Wu's entire body tense.
Could it be that the Sun Moon Empire had produced a new genius with the potential to become a god?
Just the thought of it made his back prickle with cold sweat.
If Wang Chen were allowed to continue growing, he might one day surpass even the Limit Douluo and become the strongest man in the world.
When that happened, the Sun Moon Empire's power would skyrocket.
By then, could the Holy Spirit Cult still hope to coexist peacefully with the empire?
Zhongli Wu knew perfectly well that the reason the Holy Spirit Cult had been able to cooperate with the Sun Moon Empire
was precisely because of its great strength,
which made even the empire wary of acting rashly.
But if the empire's strength one day far surpassed that of the Cult,
it was uncertain whether the Sun Moon Empire would still tolerate their existence.
Their heroes would become my enemies.
At that moment, a searing killing intent ignited in Zhongli Wu's heart.
"Good. Very good," he muttered darkly.
"A Wang Chen under fifteen, yet possessing such power.
Truly an unprecedented, never-before-seen genius.
But no matter how gifted you are—
you killed one of my Holy Spirit Cult's own.
You must pay the price!"
With that, Zhongli Wu's figure blurred and vanished from the room—
heading straight toward the Wang Clan's residence.
——
Meanwhile, the entire Mingdu was in an uproar because of Wang Chen.
At this time, Wang Chen and the members of the Wang Clan had moved to the central district of Mingdu,
to rest within the top-tier aristocratic zone closest to the imperial palace.
This area housed numerous powerful Rank 9 Soul Engineers,
along with their families and relatives, and even members of the royal family itself.
It was equipped with countless advanced detection devices—
soul power scanners, aerial surveillance soul tools, heat-sensing detectors,
and even mental power detection systems.
Even a Limit Douluo could only storm the area by force;
to infiltrate silently was impossible.
The defensive measures here were second only to those protecting the Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace itself,
which was guarded by high-energy compressed array soul tools and the experts of the Worship Hall.
The reason they had moved here instead of resting in the Wang Clan estate at the outskirts of Mingdu
was not merely because that estate had been reduced to ruins after the battle—
but also for the sake of safety.
After all, Wang Chen had just killed a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master of the Holy Spirit Cult,
and his Ring Explosion Secret Technique was still on cooldown.
If the Holy Spirit Cult were to send another Titled Douluo to launch a follow-up attack,
he might not be able to withstand it.
So, for the sake of his life and that of his clan,
after publicly killing the Titled Douluo-level evil soul master,
Wang Chen contacted Ye Yulin and Xu Tianyuan,
the commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, to seek their assistance.
He asked the two of them to help him find a safe residence within the top aristocratic district.
Both Ye Yulin and Xu Tianyuan readily agreed.
Even without their help, Wang Chen—
as someone capable of slaying a Titled Douluo-level opponent—
already had the qualifications to live there.
But given how young he was and the limitless potential he held,
both men wished to befriend such a prodigy early on.
Thus, they pulled some strings and quickly found the Wang Clan a suitable villa in the aristocratic district.
——
Inside the villa.
Wang Chen lay on his bed.
Because of the blood-burning technique he had used during his sixth soul skill,
his face was pale, and his whole body weak.
During his battle with the Titled Douluo-level evil soul master,
Wang Chen had unleashed everything he had—
combat skills, ring explosion, domain—
he had gone all out to achieve victory.
Through that battle, he gained a precise understanding of his true combat strength.
He concluded that he was now capable of fighting—
and even defeating—ordinary Rank 9 Soul Engineers and Titled Douluo.
As Wang Chen was reflecting on his power,
a sharp voice rang out from outside.
"Wang Chen—receive the imperial edict!!"
Wang Chen walked out of the room and saw an elderly eunuch—
dressed in the same ornate court robe as Ye Yulin—
with a pale, beardless face and an aura of immense strength.
The eunuch announced in a loud, formal voice:
"By the mandate of Heaven, His Majesty decrees:
Wang Chen is hereby summoned to enter the palace at noon tomorrow to receive audience with the Emperor.
He must not be late.
Thus is the imperial decree."
Wang Chen cupped his fists respectfully.
"This subject accepts the decree and thanks His Majesty for his grace."
After delivering the decree, the eunuch smiled faintly and said,
"His Majesty greatly appreciates your talent.
I hope you won't let him down."
With that, the eunuch turned and departed.
Wang Chen gazed up at the bright moon and the glittering stars above,
a faint smile curling his lips.
"It's been less than two hours since I killed that evil soul master,
and the Emperor is already impatient to summon me.
I thought the decree would come tomorrow morning,
but it seems I've underestimated my own impact.
Since that's the case,
I'll prepare to enter the palace and meet the Emperor."
A brilliant gleam flashed in his eyes.
"This is the final trial.
Once I pass it—
the vast world will finally be mine."
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