Family Competition

Jing Hongchen looked at his granddaughter, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

What kind of love potion had that brat Wang Chen fed his precious granddaughter to make her still pine for him after not seeing him for so long?

Jing Hongchen said calmly, "As long as the Crown Prince Position has not been decided, you are not allowed to go looking for that brat from the Wang family."

Meng Hongchen whined coquettishly, "Grandpa~"

Jing Hongchen calmly poured himself a cup of tea, took two sips, and ignored his granddaughter's coquettish tactics.

"Don't throw a tantrum. But Grandpa can promise you this: once the Crown Prince Position is decided, I won't interfere with whatever happens between you and Wang Chen. You're still young. The most important thing right now is to cultivate and build a solid foundation. All right, go cultivate."

When Meng Hongchen heard her grandfather say that he would not interfere with whatever happened between her and Wang Chen Gege in the future, she immediately beamed with joy.

She had not realized at all how significant the words "once the Crown Prince Position is decided" were.

With a single order from His Majesty the Emperor, the atmosphere throughout Mingdu changed.

Yet the three princes continued their endless struggle. The only difference from before was that, instead of fighting separately, the First Prince and Third Prince had joined forces against the Second Prince.

Although the Second Prince, Xu Tianyu, was the strongest, he still found it somewhat difficult to withstand the joint assault of the First Prince, Xu Tianran, and the Third Prince, Xu Tianshi.

Fortunately, the First Prince and Third Prince were not truly of one mind either. Both guarded against the other, and for a time, a stable three-way standoff formed.

While the three princes staged their great battle for the throne,

Wang Chen's life remained highly regular. Every morning, he engraved Soul Tool Core Arrays; every afternoon, he practiced the Ring Tempering skill.

At night, he cultivated his soul power and improved his cultivation. Every day was packed full.

Just like that, more than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the Wang family's Family Competition.

After cultivating for more than half a month, Wang Chen had not broken through to level thirty, but his proficiency with the Ring Tempering skill had greatly improved.

When he first used the Secret Art of Ring Tempering, Wang Chen needed some time to prepare before he could activate the energy within his soul rings and control it to strengthen himself.

But now, Wang Chen had practiced this Secret Art to perfection. With a thought, he could use the Ring Tempering Secret Art to strengthen himself.

It could be said that the Ring Tempering Secret Art posed no problems at all in actual combat. No enemy would be able to seize an opening and interrupt its use.

The weather was clear and sunny on the day of the Family Competition.

All Wang family members without urgent business had returned to the Wang Family Residence. Their faces were filled with excitement and anticipation as they eagerly awaited their children's good results in this competition.

To the south of the Wang Family Residence lay the Martial Arts Arena, where the Family Competition would be held today.

The floor of the Martial Arts Arena was paved with hard refined steel. Tempered by countless sparring matches, it gleamed with a cold luster.

The surrounding spectator stands rose in tiers and could seat several hundred people. They were already completely packed, filled with the Wang family's elders.

As for the young disciples participating in the family competition, they stood within the Martial Arts Arena.

This family competition emphasized fairness, impartiality, and openness.

Under the witness of the many family members, the strongest and most outstanding disciple of the Wang family's younger generation would be selected.

The first-place winner would receive priority access to the Wang family's resources. In the future, any good items the family acquired would be given to him first, and the family would spare no effort in helping him break through to higher realms.

At the center of the Martial Arts Arena, more than a hundred Wang family disciples stood in four lines. At the front of each line was a formidable middle-aged man.

Wang Chen stood in the middle of the first line, dressed in a fitted black outfit, his expression calm.

His goal this time was first place!

And his only opponent was Wang Teng.

With that thought, Wang Chen looked toward a youth standing about 1.7 meters tall, with delicate features and a haughty expression.

Wang Teng stood with his arms folded, his head tilted back and chin raised. He surveyed the Wang family's younger disciples around him with a lofty gaze, nodding or shaking his head as he looked them over.

When Wang Teng's scrutinizing gaze swept over Wang Chen,

the pride in his eyes faded.

Wang Teng had always thought highly of Wang Chen, his younger cousin. After all, both of them were geniuses with Innate Soul Power Level Nine.

Wang Teng knew very well that if he had not been nearly a year older than Wang Chen, he might not have been Wang Chen's match.

But there were no ifs in this world. Thanks to their age difference, he was now a Soul Elder, while Wang Chen was merely a Soul Grandmaster.

The gap between two rings and three rings was enormous, especially since his third soul ring was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

A Thousand-Year Soul Ring enhanced one's attributes and a soul master's physique far more than a hundred-year soul ring.

Wang Teng was extremely confident. If he fought Wang Chen, then with his advantage in soul power, his powerful physique, and the immense might of his thousand-year soul skill, defeating Wang Chen would be a piece of cake.

Wang Teng looked at Wang Chen and said regretfully, "Brother Chen, what a pity. You're nearly a year younger than me. Otherwise, I really might not have been your opponent."

Though Wang Teng's words carried regret, he had already placed himself on the winning side. Clearly, he believed victory was already in his grasp.

Wang Chen looked at Wang Teng's proud face and grinned.

He suddenly wanted to see what Wang Teng's proud expression would turn into after losing to him later.

Seeing the smile on Wang Chen's face, Wang Teng suddenly felt that it was extremely punchable. He especially wanted to hit him.

Wang Teng snorted coldly. "Brother Chen, I advise you to admit defeat later. I know your cultivation is almost at the Soul Elder level too.

"But as long as you haven't become a Soul Elder and haven't absorbed your third soul ring, you will never be my opponent."

After saying that, Wang Teng proudly turned his head away, lifted his chin, and looked as proud as a peacock.

Seeing this amusing sight, Wang Chen nearly burst out laughing. "Cousin Wang Teng, don't talk too big, or you'll lose face if you end up losing."

Wang Teng's ears twitched. He snorted, his face filled with disdain.

"Me, lose? I, Wang Teng, am a Soul Elder. How could I lose to a bunch of Soul Grand Masters like you? If I really lose, I'll find a block of tofu and smash my head into it."

Wang Chen had originally intended to say something, but a shout of "Silence!" rang throughout the Martial Arts Arena.

The Family Competition was about to begin. The middle-aged men at the front of the lines began announcing the details of this Family Competition.

"The Family Competition consists of two rounds. The first round is Soul Tool crafting, while the second round is a contest using martial souls and Soul Tools."