Wang Chen's black eyes shone brilliantly, as if containing a sky full of dazzling stars.
The great storm he had stirred up was about to reach its final stage.
As long as he handled the Emperor properly, he would be able to live without worry for a very long time.
If he were given another five years to grow, Wang Chen was confident that even Limit Douluo would no longer be able to do anything to him.
By that time, he would be able to roam freely under the heavens, go wherever he pleased, stand in an invincible position, and laugh as he watched the winds and clouds shift.
Wang Chen casually tossed the imperial decree into his storage-type soul tool, then turned to the many members of the Wang Clan around him and said,
"From now on, this will be the new Wang Clan estate. Build it up well."
"Yes, Clan Chief!"
All the clan members gazed at Wang Chen with burning admiration.
Clearly, they had been completely awed by the strength he had displayed earlier.
Whether soul masters or soul engineers, all respected strength—there was no doubt about that.
Especially since Wang Chen shared their bloodline; their fortunes were tied together.
If he prospered, they would all benefit.
Because of that, they were wholeheartedly loyal to him.
Seeing this, Wang Chen smiled faintly, then turned and walked toward the villa.
At that moment, on the second floor of the villa, Juzi was crouched by the kitchen window, peeking outside with bright, excited eyes.
From the battle two hours earlier, and now this imperial edict, she was certain—Wang Chen's future was limitless.
He was destined to stand at the very summit of the Sun Moon Empire.
If she could cling to him, her dream of avenging herself against the White Tiger Duke might finally become reality.
Now was the time to display her intelligence.
Tomorrow at noon, Wang Chen would be entering the palace to meet the Emperor in person.
Juzi knew the Xu royal family members were all petty and suspicious by nature.
If something went wrong during that audience—if Wang Chen said the wrong thing and displeased Xu Jing—
his future could become perilous in an instant.
She planned to offer him advice, helping him pass the imperial audience smoothly while also proving her own value—
so that Wang Chen would begin to notice and appreciate her.
Then, when he eventually stood at the empire's peak and seized great power,
she would be able to rely on him to achieve her revenge.
As a food-type soul master of weak strength, Juzi knew very clearly
that she could never take revenge on her own.
Therefore, she had to depend on someone strong.
Clenching her small fists, she understood perfectly—
today was her last opportunity.
Once Wang Chen passed the audience with the Emperor,
his path ahead would be smooth and unstoppable.
Reaching the top of the Sun Moon Empire would only be a matter of time.
By then, even if she wanted to attach herself to him,
she wouldn't even have a chance to line up, let alone earn his attention.
Juzi's face showed deep contemplation as she thought about how to approach Wang Chen later and what to say.
——
Inside the villa's bedroom.
Wang Chen lay on his bed, thinking about what attitude he should adopt when he met Emperor Xu Jing tomorrow at noon.
He had never met Xu Jing before,
but judging by how the man had seized the throne through treachery,
massacred the royal palace,
and treated his own sons like venomous insects—
forcing them to fight each other to the death to pick out the most capable heir—
Wang Chen could easily tell that Xu Jing was definitely a warlord type of emperor,
absolutely not some benevolent ruler.
Therefore, Wang Chen planned to disguise his personality and demeanor when meeting him.
He knew that the talent and power he had already displayed were terrifying enough.
If he also appeared to be mentally mature, scheming, and ambitious,
he would very likely provoke the Emperor's suspicion.
When that happened, Xu Jing might very well think,
"This Wang Chen—he's born rebellious. Once his strength grows, he's certain to seize my throne.
He cannot be allowed to live; I must eliminate him early to protect my dynasty."
If it ever came to that, things would become very troublesome indeed.
To avoid such a situation, Wang Chen thought for a while and decided to disguise himself as—
a youth who was wholeheartedly devoted to cultivation,
a freakishly strong prodigy,
but simple-minded, pure, loyal, and easily won over.
Pretending to be that kind of person wouldn't be difficult.
After all, Wang Chen had rarely shown himself in public over the years.
He spent almost all his time training—practically a cultivation maniac.
His only regular interactions were with Meng Hongchen and Ye Guyi.
Even within the Wang Clan, most ordinary clan members had only learned tonight that Wang Chen was their clan chief.
They barely knew him, let alone his personality.
Among the entire Wang Clan, only the elders and Wang Yan had some understanding of his character.
And since Wang Yan and the elders were all tied to Wang Chen by shared interests,
they would never go around spreading rumors about him being ambitious or calculating.
As Wang Chen was pondering how best to play his role—
Knock, knock, knock.
"Clan Chief, it's getting late. We've come to give you your massage and prepare your bath," a maid's voice said from outside.
Hearing this, Wang Chen slowly opened his eyes,
feeling the emptiness within his body from the large amount of blood energy he had burned.
He decided to soak in a medicinal bath to ease his exhaustion while continuing to think about how to act tomorrow.
"Come in," Wang Chen said calmly.
Creak— the door opened.
Dressed as a maid and with makeup disguising her appearance, Juzi followed behind four other maids,
holding several bottles and jars as she walked in with her head lowered.
To gain this opportunity to meet Wang Chen face-to-face, Juzi had resorted to spending heavily—
using her wealth to bribe the regular attendants into letting her replace one of them for tonight's service.
The lead maid said to Wang Chen,
"Sir, one of our sisters isn't feeling well today, so we found someone to substitute for her.
Her name is Zhang Ju." (Juzi's fake name.)
Clearly, the maids were a bit worried that Juzi might cause trouble later,
so they took the initiative to inform Wang Chen first.
That way, if anything went wrong, they could easily distance themselves from the issue.
Even small figures had their own ways of surviving,
and before powerful people, caution was always rule number one.
Juzi didn't mind their words.
In fact, she was secretly pleased.
When she talked with Wang Chen later,
he would surely notice she wasn't one of his usual attendants and might question it.
Now that the other maids had already explained in advance,
everything would flow even more smoothly.
Wang Chen casually glanced at the "new maid."
He saw that the substitute maid was a rather pretty woman, despite her makeup,
though her cultivation was mediocre and her soul power somewhat unstable.
Wang Chen didn't care in the slightest.
His relationship with these maids was no different from that between the palace maids and the Emperor.
Although palace maids lived close to the Emperor,
the gap between them was vast—
they could only watch him from afar, nothing more.
Wang Chen might not be the Emperor,
but the distance between him and these attendants was still enormous.
Waving his hand casually, he said indifferently,
"It doesn't matter. Go ahead and start."
As long as they didn't disturb his medicinal bath and rest, he didn't care who served him.
At his signal, the maids began their work.
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