Subduing His Peers

As Wang Teng fell, every member of the Wang Family in the Martial Arts Arena wore a shocked expression.

They stared wide-eyed, hardly daring to believe what had just happened was real.

Wang Teng was among the most gifted of the Wang Family's younger generation, and he also had the highest age and cultivation.

As a genius of the Wang Family, he was completely different from those embarrassing commoner Soul Elders outside who only absorbed ten-year and hundred-year Soul Rings.

If those commoner Soul Elders had been defeated by Wang Chen across a cultivation gap, they would not have been so shocked.

But Wang Teng not only possessed a powerful martial soul, his foundations were also solid. His three Soul Rings were the optimal yellow, yellow, purple combination.

Moreover, the Soul Skills of his three Soul Rings were exceptionally well-matched. Whether it was his first Soul Skill, Fire Erosion, which could stack with other attacks, or his second Soul Skill, Fire Element Amplification, which enhanced himself.

Or his powerful Thousand-Year Third Soul Skill, Exploding Flame Destruction Kill—his strength was impressive even among Soul Elders.

Yet Wang Teng, who was formidable even among those of the same rank, had actually been defeated by Wang Chen, a Soul Grandmaster?

In the stands, Wang Teng's parents, who had been arguing fiercely just moments ago, now stood there with their mouths agape, unable to say a word. The pride on their faces vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, Wang Chen's parents were filled with delight, their eyes gleaming with pride. They murmured, "My son is truly amazing. We have to celebrate properly tonight."

An elderly clansman muttered, "Our Wang Family has actually produced such a monster. The Wang Family is going to flourish. With this kind of strength, he is probably no weaker than the direct descendants of the imperial family who possess top-tier martial souls. Hahahaha."

Another Wang Family member chimed in, "Wang Chen's performance is truly unexpected. Wang Teng is outstanding as well, but only outstanding in the ordinary sense. Compared to Wang Chen, there is clearly a gap."

Elder Wang Yuan, the head referee, was equally astonished. He had originally believed Wang Teng would win this match, but who could have expected Wang Chen to defeat Wang Teng so quickly?

Such a top-tier genius had to be reported to the ancestor. The family's resources had to be devoted to nurturing him, so that Wang Chen, this uncut gem, could shine brilliantly and ensure the family's enduring prosperity.

Wang Chen stood in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, calmly taking in the shocked, astonished, disbelieving, excited, and proud gazes of the Wang Family members around him, as though his victory had been only natural.

Wang Chen lowered his head and looked at Wang Teng, who had been knocked unconscious by a blow from his spear shaft and lay peacefully asleep on the ground. Wang Teng isn't weak, but unfortunately, I'm stronger.

In truth, after using the Secret Art and with the aid of the Third Grade Peak Soul Tool, there was no longer any gap in raw strength between Wang Chen and Wang Teng.

What mattered now was soft strength. Unfortunately for Wang Teng, when it came to soft strengths such as technique, Wang Chen dared to call himself second among the younger generation of the entire Sun and Moon Empire—and no one would be qualified to call themselves first.

With the Black Book's records and its power of rapid learning, Wang Chen had learned far too much. He had not merely mastered countless techniques in crafting Soul Tools.

In combat techniques, fighting methods, and the use of all kinds of weapons, there was nothing Wang Chen did not excel at.

Take spear techniques, for example. With a long spear in hand, it was like an extension of Wang Chen's arm, responding as effortlessly as his fingers.

On top of that, Wang Chen's Spiritual Power was stronger, granting him sharper observation, faster reactions, and a more exquisite grasp of combat timing.

With their raw strength nearly equal and Wang Chen overwhelmingly superior in soft strength across the board, how could Wang Teng possibly avoid defeat?

Wang Teng's strength was indeed decent, but losing to Wang Chen was hardly unfair.

Poor Wang Teng had been defeated by someone below his cultivation realm. When he woke up, his martial heart would probably shatter.

Amid the Wang Family members' enthusiastic discussion, several referees entered the Martial Arts Arena and carried the unconscious Wang Teng away for treatment.

Though Wang Teng appeared to be sleeping peacefully, his injuries were actually minor. Wang Chen had held back; the force he used had merely been enough to knock Wang Teng unconscious, at most leaving him lightly injured. Otherwise, the referees would have intervened to protect him earlier.

Given the Sun and Moon Empire's medical standards, and the fact that the Wang Family had healing-type soul masters, Wang Teng would probably regain consciousness within minutes.

As Wang Teng was carried away by the referees for treatment, Wang Chen sensed that there was still a considerable amount of energy left in his body from the Soul Rings he had activated.

Wang Chen swept his gaze around and called loudly to the younger Wang Family members watching at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, "Who else wants to challenge me? Step forward, and I'll take you all on!"

He intended to subdue every member of the Wang Family's younger generation in one go and establish himself as the undisputed number one among them.

From now on, the Wang Family's best cultivation resources were reserved for Wang Chen!

Anyone who refused to accept it would be knocked flat with a single strike of his spear.

Carrying the momentum of having defeated Wang Teng, a Three-Ring Soul Elder, Wang Chen found that no one dared respond for a moment.

Some of the Wang Family disciples around him looked at Wang Chen with fear, others with admiration and worship, while still others had flickering eyes, their thoughts unknown.

The silence lasted for a full half minute.

Just as Wang Chen thought no one would accept his challenge, a crisp and pleasant voice rang out.

"Big Brother Wang Chen, let me test myself against you!"

A beautiful young girl with a heroic air and a slender figure called out loudly, then swiftly arrived at the center of the Martial Arts Arena.

This girl was named Wang Mengting. Aside from Wang Teng and Wang Chen, she was the last genius among the Wang Family's younger generation whose Innate Soul Power had reached level nine.

She was even younger than Wang Chen, and her soul power was only level twenty-seven. Her Soul Tool crafting ability was merely at the level of a second-grade Soul Engineer.

Wang Mengting looked at Wang Chen and thought, Wang Chen just defeated Wang Teng, so he must have expended a great deal. If I go up now, I can take advantage of his exhaustion. I might even be able to defeat him.

Just as Wang Mengting was indulging in that pleasant fantasy.

Elder Wang Yuan, the head referee in midair, said to Wang Chen, "Wang Chen, do you need to rest and adjust your condition?"

Elder Wang Yuan was not annoyed by Wang Chen and Wang Teng disrupting the Family Competition's usual procedures. Geniuses always had privileges.

Besides, the purpose of this Family Competition had been to select the strongest and most outstanding geniuses for preferential resource allocation. Since the result was right, the process did not matter to him.

When Wang Mengting heard Elder Wang Yuan's words, her expression immediately fell. If Wang Chen was allowed to rest and recover his soul power and stamina, how could she possibly defeat him?

Wang Chen said to Elder Wang Yuan, "I'm full of energy right now. We can start immediately."

Elder Wang Yuan nodded, then announced, "In that case, the match begins."

The moment Wang Yuan's words fell, Wang Chen shot toward Wang Mengting like a phantom.

Propelled fiercely by the Third Grade Peak Soul Tool on his back, Wang Chen's speed, comparable to that of an agility-type battle Soul Elder, left Wang Mengting unable to react at all.

Wang Mengting wanted to use her Soul Skills and Soul Tools to intercept Wang Chen.

But Wang Chen was too fast. She could not lock onto him at all, and the two Soul Skills she fired at random both missed completely.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Chen arrived before Wang Mengting and slammed the shaft of his spear heavily into her flat abdomen.