With Wang Teng's defeat, all the Wang family members around the martial arena wore expressions of shock.
Their eyes were wide open, as if they couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.
Wang Teng was one of the most talented among the younger generation of the Wang family—his age and cultivation level were both the highest.
As the family's genius, he was completely different from those shameful commoner Soul Elders outside who only absorbed ten-year or hundred-year soul rings.
If Wang Chen had defeated those civilian Soul Elders across levels, it wouldn't have surprised them.
But Wang Teng not only possessed a powerful martial soul, his foundation was extremely solid, and his three soul rings followed the optimal yellow-yellow-purple configuration.
Moreover, the combination of his three soul skills was excellent. Whether it was the first soul skill, Fire Erosion, which could stack with other attacks; the second soul skill, Fire Element Amplification, which boosted his own strength; or his thousand-year third soul skill, Explosive Flame Annihilation Strike, its power was formidable even among Soul Elders.
And yet such a powerful Wang Teng—whose strength was already outstanding among peers—was actually defeated by Wang Chen, who was only a Great Soul Master?
On the viewing platform, Wang Teng's parents, who had been quarreling heatedly just moments ago, were now standing frozen, mouths agape, speechless. The pride on their faces instantly vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, Wang Chen's parents were filled with delight, their eyes gleaming with pride. They muttered to each other, "Our son is incredible! We must celebrate tonight!"
An elderly clan member murmured, "Our Wang family has produced such a monstrous talent—our clan will surely prosper! His strength is comparable to the royal family's direct descendants who possess top-tier martial souls! Hahahaha!"
Another clan member agreed, "Wang Chen's performance is truly astonishing. Wang Teng is excellent, yes, but only in the ordinary sense. Compared to Wang Chen, there's a clear difference."
The chief judge, Wang Yuan, was also full of astonishment. He had originally thought Wang Teng would win this duel, but who would have thought—Wang Chen defeated him so quickly.
Such a top-level genius must be reported to the ancestor and nurtured with the full resources of the family. Only then could this flawless gem of talent shine brilliantly and keep the Wang family strong for generations to come.
Wang Chen stood calmly at the center of the martial arena, feeling the stunned, astonished, and admiring gazes of the surrounding Wang clansmen. His expression remained serene, as though his victory had been perfectly natural.
He looked down at Wang Teng, who lay unconscious on the ground after being struck by the butt of his spear, sleeping soundly. Inwardly, Wang Chen thought, "Wang Teng's strength isn't bad—but unfortunately for him, I'm stronger."
In truth, after using his secret technique and with the aid of a peak third-grade soul tool, Wang Chen's raw power was no weaker than Wang Teng's.
At that point, what remained to be compared was soft power—skill, precision, and technique. But unfortunately for Wang Teng, in such aspects, Wang Chen could confidently claim to be second among all the Sun Moon Empire's young generation—and no one would dare claim to be first.
With the black book's ability to record and instantly master techniques, Wang Chen had learned countless things—not just in soul tool crafting, but also in combat techniques, weapon mastery, and martial skill.
Take his spear techniques, for example: when Wang Chen wielded a spear, it was as if it were an extension of his arm—moving with perfect fluidity.
Combined with his exceptionally strong spiritual power, his perception was sharper, his reaction faster, and his sense of timing in battle unmatched.
Thus, though their raw power was similar, Wang Chen utterly crushed Wang Teng in skill.
Wang Teng's strength wasn't poor, but losing to Wang Chen was by no means unjust.
Poor Wang Teng—defeated across a realm. When he woke up, his heart might well shatter.
Amidst the lively chatter of the Wang clan members, several judges entered the arena and carried off the unconscious Wang Teng for treatment.
Though he looked peacefully asleep, his injuries were actually light. Wang Chen had shown restraint—his blow was only strong enough to knock Wang Teng out, causing no serious harm. Otherwise, the judges would have intervened to protect him.
With the Sun Moon Empire's medical standards—and considering that the Wang family had its own healing-type Soul Masters—Wang Teng would likely wake up within a few minutes.
As Wang Teng was carried away, Wang Chen could still feel plenty of remaining energy from his soul rings surging within his body.
He swept his gaze around and said loudly to the younger Wang clan members watching from the edges of the arena:
"Who else wishes to challenge me? Step forward—I'll take you all on!"
He intended to subdue all the younger generation of the Wang family in one go—to establish himself as the undisputed number one among them.
From now on, the best cultivation resources of the Wang family would be his to claim!
And whoever refused to accept that—he would simply defeat them with a single strike.
Carrying the aura of one who had just defeated the three-ring Soul Elder Wang Teng, Wang Chen stood tall. For a time, no one dared respond.
The surrounding Wang youths looked at him—some with fear, some with admiration, and some with flickering eyes, clearly deep in thought.
The silence lasted for a full thirty seconds.
Just as Wang Chen thought no one would step forward, a clear and pleasant voice suddenly rang out.
"Brother Wang Chen, let me have a match with you!"
A beautiful, valiant young girl with a graceful figure called out and swiftly walked to the center of the martial arena.
This girl's name was Wang Mengting. She was the last genius of the Wang family's younger generation—besides Wang Teng and Wang Chen—to have been born with innate soul power of rank nine.
She was slightly younger than Wang Chen, with a soul power level of twenty-seven. In soul tool crafting, she was only at the level of a second-grade Soul Engineer.
As she looked at Wang Chen, Wang Mengting thought to herself, "Wang Chen just defeated Wang Teng—it must have cost him a lot. If I go up now, maybe I can take advantage and defeat him!"
While Wang Mengting was entertaining that happy thought,
the chief judge, Wang Yuan, called down from above, "Wang Chen, do you need to rest and recover first?"
Wang Yuan was not annoyed that Wang Chen and Wang Teng had disrupted the clan competition schedule—after all, geniuses always had special privileges.
And this clan competition was meant to identify the strongest and most outstanding talents for priority training anyway. The result mattered more than the process.
Hearing the elder's words, Wang Mengting's face instantly fell. If Wang Chen were allowed to rest and recover his soul power, how could she possibly defeat him then?
Wang Chen replied to Elder Wang Yuan, "I'm full of energy right now. We can start immediately."
Wang Yuan nodded slightly. "In that case, let the match begin."
As soon as his words fell, Wang Chen shot forward like a phantom, charging at Wang Mengting.
With the propulsion of the peak third-grade soul tool on his back, Wang Chen's speed rivaled that of an agility-type Soul Elder, leaving Wang Mengting completely unable to react.
She tried to use her soul skills and soul tools to intercept him, but Wang Chen was far too fast—she couldn't even lock onto him. The two soul skills she hastily released both missed completely.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Chen was right in front of her. With a swift motion, he struck her flat abdomen hard with the shaft of his spear.