The Curtain Rises, the Crown Prince Position

Elder Wang Yuan looked at Wang Chen, who intended to absorb a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring, and could not help but fall into thought. He had personally taken Wang Chen to the family Treasure Vault to obtain his Soul Bone, so he naturally knew that Wang Chen possessed one.

However, even with the enhancement of a Soul Bone, the maximum Soul Ring age one could absorb would only increase by about a thousand years beyond the original limit.

Combined with the various resources the Wang Family had invested in him over the years, he believed that Wang Chen should have no problem absorbing a Soul Ring of around three thousand years.

But a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring exceeded that limit by far too much. Even with special pills or protective Soul Tools, absorbing it would be extraordinarily difficult.

If the absorption failed, it would be no laughing matter.

Elder Wang Yuan did not want Wang Chen to take such a risk and immediately advised, "Chen'er, absorbing a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring as your third Soul Ring is far too dangerous."

Elder Wang Xiaoming also urged, "Chen'er, your grandfather passed away early. As your granduncle, I cannot simply watch you take such a risk. When absorbing Soul Rings, stability should come first. Do not pursue the limit too blindly."

Wang Chen said nothing. He merely threw a punch, and a loud explosion rang out at once.

Elder Wang Yuan and Wang Xiaoming's eyes lit up at the sight of Wang Chen's punch.

Without using Soul Power, he could produce such force. He was already close to the level of a Soul Ancestor...

Wang Chen cupped his hands and said, "Chen'er is confident that I can absorb a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring."

The two elders exchanged a glance and nodded. They had clearly made their decision.

As for the finer details, neither elder asked further. At most, Wang Chen had obtained some Spirit Medicine that strengthened the body.

What powerful Soul Master had not encountered a few small opportunities? If they questioned everything and investigated every matter, taking away every good thing a clansman acquired—

Then who among the clan would still serve the family? If the family could not bring benefits to its members and instead only exploited them, it would sooner or later fall apart.

Elder Wang Yuan said happily, "This old man's judgment was indeed correct. A Rank 30 Soul Elder can absorb a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring. With such a physique, perhaps you will be able to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as your fourth Soul Ring.

"If this continues like a snowball rolling downhill, you will have several more chances of condensing a Soul Core and breaking through to become a Titled Douluo in the future."

Wang Xiaoming said to Elder Wang Yuan, "Enough. Save your praise until we have caught that Golden Giant Tiger."

With that, Wang Xiaoming acted directly. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—seven Soul Rings in the optimal configuration rose around him.

A powerful Soul Power pressure swept toward the Golden Giant Tiger.

Sensing the threat, the Golden Giant Tiger's fur stood on end.

Golden light shone all over its body, while its tiger claws were incomparably sharp. With every swing, they whipped up fierce gusts of wind, easily carving smooth, mirror-like cuts into the surrounding trees and ground.

Golden blades of Soul Power surged toward Wang Xiaoming one after another.

These golden blades possessed astonishing attack power. Even a Soul King would have to avoid them, but unfortunately, its opponent was a Soul Sage.

Wang Xiaoming snorted coldly, and his third Soul Ring lit up. A red pillar of flame, three meters thick, instantly reduced all the blades to nothingness, then continued unabated toward the Golden Giant Tiger.

"Roar!!" Unable to evade in time, the Golden Giant Tiger was struck directly by the red pillar of fire and immediately let out a miserable howl.

The golden fur covering its body was scorched black by the blazing flames.

Fear appeared in the giant tiger's amber eyes. It gave Wang Xiaoming a resentful glare before turning and fleeing.

Wang Xiaoming snorted. "Trying to run?"

A Soul Tool light chain appeared in Wang Xiaoming's hand. The next moment, it transformed into a streak of golden light, rapidly caught up to the giant tiger, and precisely coiled around its four limbs. No matter how it struggled and roared, it could not move in the slightest.

Wang Xiaoming said calmly, "This Sixth Level Binding Soul Tool is not something a five-thousand-year Soul Beast like you can break."

Seeing Wang Xiaoming take action, Elder Wang Yuan was happy to have it easy. He turned to Wang Chen and said, "Chen'er, go. Deliver the final blow to this beast and absorb the Soul Ring. We will stand guard for you."

As he spoke, Elder Wang Yuan took out a pill from his Storage Soul Tool and said, "Chen'er, take this pill now. It can protect the body's meridians and assist a Soul Master in absorbing a Soul Ring."

Wang Chen knew of this kind of pill. Its production process was complex, its ingredients rare, and it was quite precious. After major factions gathered sufficient medicinal ingredients and refined it, they would give it to their own juniors rather than sell it.

Wang Chen accepted the pill without hesitation and swallowed it in one gulp. It melted as soon as it entered his mouth, transforming into streams of energy that flowed into his meridians and formed a protective barrier around them.

Wang Chen walked before the giant tiger. Bound as it was, the tiger lay on the ground, its eyes full of unwillingness and rage.

Wang Chen directly took out the Wind Piercing Spear from his Storage Soul Tool and thrust it into the Golden Giant Tiger's neck.

In an instant, blood spurted out. The Golden Giant Tiger let out one final roar before gradually losing its breath.

After the giant tiger died, a purple Soul Ring condensed above its body.

Wang Chen did not waste any time. He immediately sat cross-legged, circulated his Soul Power, and drew in the purple Soul Ring above the Golden Giant Tiger's body.

The instant the Soul Ring touched Wang Chen, his body shook violently as a powerful, tyrannical force flooded into him.

Wang Chen immediately circulated the Meridian Opening Skill with all his strength, guiding this force through his meridians in an attempt to tame it and fuse it with himself.

The energy within the Soul Ring was overbearing and violent, continuously battering Wang Chen's meridians as though unwilling to submit.

However, Wang Chen's meridians had become extraordinarily resilient after absorbing the Gold of Life. With the pill's protection as well, no matter how fiercely the Soul Ring's energy struck them, his meridians remained as steady as a mountain, suffering no damage whatsoever.

Wang Chen mobilized his Soul Power and continuously besieged the energy within the Soul Ring, integrating it into his body bit by bit to strengthen himself.

Seeing that Wang Chen was absorbing the Soul Ring extremely smoothly, Elder Wang Yuan and Wang Xiaoming could not help but breathe sighs of relief. The two then stood around Wang Chen, guarding him against any foolish Soul Beasts or Soul Masters who might come to disturb him.

Time passed second by second. After nearly two hours, Wang Chen's aura gradually stabilized, and the Soul Ring completely fused into his body.

Wang Chen slowly opened his eyes. He had finished absorbing the Five Thousand Year Soul Ring.

His Soul Power had directly broken through to Rank 32, not far from Rank 33.

Wang Chen had broken through Rank 30 a week ago. Coupled with the greater energy contained in a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring, it was only natural that he advanced several more ranks.

Moreover, strengthened by the Five Thousand Year Soul Ring, Wang Chen's strength far surpassed that of Soul Elders at the same level.

Compared with Soul Elders of the same rank, Wang Chen had a stronger physique, greater strength, faster speed, greater endurance, more abundant Soul Power, and higher-quality Soul Power. It was a complete and utter advantage in every aspect.

In every regard, Wang Chen could now contend with a Soul Ancestor who had just absorbed their fourth Soul Ring.

One had to know that most Soul Masters could only absorb a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring after reaching the Soul Ancestor rank.

Other than the gap in Soul Power and the fact that he had one fewer Soul Ring, Wang Chen was no different from a Soul Ancestor-level Soul Master in other respects.

Especially in terms of Spiritual Power, Wang Chen had reached the Soul King realm, far surpassing Soul Ancestors.

This was why Soul Masters all wanted to absorb higher-age Soul Rings. The greater the Soul Ring's age, the more terrifying its enhancement to a Soul Master.

This was especially true for Titled Douluo. The difference in strength between one who possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and one who did not was immense.

Wang Chen stretched, and Soul Power burst forth. Yellow, yellow, purple—three Soul Rings rose and circled around his body.

As Wang Chen sensed the Soul Skill granted by his third Soul Ring, a smile curved across his lips.

The third Soul Skill of his Artifact Spirit Martial Soul was Condense. Its effect was exceptional, increasing attack power and attack speed by one hundred percent. Its enhancement was vastly stronger than the fifty percent boost provided by his first and second Soul Skills.

It truly deserved to be called a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring. It was entirely different from those trash Hundred Year Soul Rings.

Wang Chen stood and cupped his hands toward Elder Wang Yuan and Wang Xiaoming. "Elders, Chen'er has successfully absorbed my third Soul Ring."

Elder Wang Yuan smiled and waved his hand. "Chen'er, you are good in every way, but you are simply too polite. From now on, just call me Grandpa Wang Yuan. Hahaha."

Wang Xiaoming looked at Wang Chen with a kindly expression, his face full of admiration. "Now that Chen'er has absorbed a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring, this journey has reached a satisfactory conclusion. We should return to Mingdu at once.

"Although the Jingyang Mountain Range is far less dangerous than the Demon Forest, it is still home to many Soul Beasts. We should not linger for long."

Elder Wang Yuan and Wang Xiaoming then unfolded their Flying Soul Tools and took Wang Chen back toward Mingdu.

By the time Wang Chen returned home, it was already night.

As for Elder Wang Yuan and Wang Xiaoming, they naturally returned to their own homes.

The moment Wang Chen arrived home, he immediately entered his cultivation room and began upgrading his Soul Tools.

He first upgraded several commonly used third-level Soul Tools to fourth-level ones.

An ordinary Soul Elder might find using a fourth-level Soul Tool extremely taxing, but Wang Chen was certainly not among them.

Both the quality and quantity of Wang Chen's Soul Power exceeded those of an ordinary Soul Elder.

Most importantly, the Soul Tools he crafted himself suited him best, consuming less Soul Power than ordinary fourth-level Soul Tools.

Besides several commonly used Soul Tools, Wang Chen also made a Flying Soul Tool.

Flying Soul Tools consumed a considerable amount of Soul Power. Even the lowest-grade Flying Soul Tools required the cultivation of a Soul Elder to sustain.

A single night passed in the blink of an eye.

After working through the night, Wang Chen looked at the several Soul Tools on the silver-white Soul Tool crafting table and nodded in satisfaction.

These Soul Tools included a close-combat Soul Tool spear, a long-range Soul Tool, a Soul Tool Thruster, and a Flying Soul Tool. As for defense, Wang Chen had the sixth-level Soul Tool, the Wang Family Young Master Token.

Wang Chen played with these Soul Tools and injected Soul Power into them for inspection. After finding no problems, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

His Artifact Spirit Martial Soul could greatly enhance the power of Soul Tools. The stronger the Soul Tool, the greater the combat strength he could unleash.

Moreover, as his cultivation improved, he would possess more and more Soul Skills, and the enhancements he could provide to Soul Tools would grow ever greater.

He now had three Soul Skills. Once his cultivation reached the Titled Douluo rank and he possessed nine Soul Skills—

If all nine Soul Skills enhanced a Ninth Level Soul Tool at once, the power of that Ninth Level Soul Tool would likely reach an astonishing level.

Wang Chen picked up the fourth-level close-combat Soul Tool, the Wind Piercing Spear, and all three of his Soul Rings lit up at once.

Under the enhancement of the three Soul Skills, the Wind Piercing Spear's power increased dramatically. In particular, Wang Chen's third Soul Skill, Condense, increased attack power by one hundred percent and attack speed by one hundred percent.

It could be said that the enhancement from his third Soul Skill was even greater than that of his first and second Soul Skills combined.

Back when Wang Chen had merely been a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, the Artifact Spirit Martial Soul's enhancement of Soul Tools had not been particularly obvious.

But now that his cultivation had reached the three-ring Soul Elder rank, the Artifact Spirit Martial Soul's enhancement of Soul Tools had become extremely impressive.

With the amplification of three Soul Rings, the Wind Piercing Spear in Wang Chen's hand had reached the peak of a fourth-level Soul Tool, just below a Fifth Level Soul Tool.

Next, Wang Chen used the Secret Art, Ring Tempering.

As energy from the three Soul Rings flowed into Wang Chen's body, his aura rose steadily.

One had to know that Wang Chen's third Soul Ring was a Five Thousand Year Soul Ring. The energy contained within it far exceeded that of his two Hundred Year Soul Rings.

Thus, this Ring Tempering Secret Art enhanced him far more than before. Had Wang Chen's body not been greatly strengthened after absorbing the Gold of Life, he would likely have been unable to withstand so much energy.

Under the enhancement of the Ring Tempering Secret Art, Wang Chen rapidly reached the peak of the Soul Elder rank, then even attained the level of a Soul Ancestor.

Wang Chen tightened his grip on the spear, savoring the thrill of his surging strength.

Wang Chen muttered, "After absorbing my third Soul Ring, my strength has improved far too much. I am afraid many Soul Ancestors are no longer my match."

Holding the Wind Piercing Spear, Wang Chen began to practice with it, steadily familiarizing himself with his dramatically increased strength.

In the days that followed, Wang Chen cultivated every day, crafted Soul Tools, and went out to make arrangements, prepare, and plan for the curtain to rise several years later.

Whenever Meng Hongchen came to find Wang Chen in private, he would also make time to accompany her.

Time passed day by day. Spring turned to autumn, winter turned to spring, and three years flashed by in an instant.

The Imperial Palace of the Sun and Moon Empire, on the day of the grand court assembly.

Within the majestic and magnificent hall, civil and military officials stood in ranks along both sides.

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely solemn. The officials wore splendid court robes and stood neatly according to rank.

At the very top of the steps in the grand hall, Xu Jing, Emperor of the Sun and Moon Empire, sat upon the Dragon Throne.

He wore a dragon robe and an imperial crown. His hair was gray, and his complexion dull. Though aged, his gaze was incomparably imposing, like that of a fearsome old dragon whose authority required no anger.

At that moment, the civil and military officials below, along with the princes, great nobles, guards, and eunuchs, all bowed and cried out wishes of long life.

Xu Jing turned his imposing gaze toward the young man standing at the very front.

The young man appeared to be twenty-three or twenty-four years old. His eyes were bright and spirited. Though he was not exceptionally handsome, he possessed a dignified bearing.

This man was the First Prince, Xu Tianran.

Seated upon the Dragon Throne, Xu Jing declared in a clear voice, "I hereby announce that, from this day forward, Xu Tianran shall be the Crown Prince of the Sun and Moon Empire!"