From the outside, Meng Hongchen was no longer a little girl—she had already grown into a young woman.
She now stood over one meter seventy, her chest full, her waist slender, her hips round and perky, and her long legs straight and shapely.
Things she hadn't understood before, she gradually came to realize.
For example, why did her grandfather always obstruct her from meeting with her Brother Wang Chen, and why, even if they did meet, it had to be in secret.
It was because the Wang family had sided with the Second Prince and had become entangled in the deadly whirlpool of imperial succession. Her grandfather didn't want her dragged into such turmoil.
And now that the First Prince, Xu Natural, had become Crown Prince, the Wang family—who had backed the Second Prince—was bound to suffer.
Meng Hongchen's heart tightened with anxiety. She couldn't help worrying about her Brother Wang Chen.
Very quickly, she thought of her grandfather.
If Brother Wang Chen is in danger, I'll beg Grandpa to save him. With Grandpa's strength, saving him would be no problem at all.
With that thought, her uneasy heart calmed somewhat. She paced back and forth in her room, scenes of her time with Wang Chen flashing unbidden through her mind.
"Brother Wang Chen has seemed so busy lately. I wonder how he is now… Tomorrow, I'll go to our meeting place and see if he's left me a reply," she murmured to herself.
Meanwhile, in the Ordinary Alliance branch trial grounds—
As Zhang Ming's massive Martial Soul True Body crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, the entire arena fell silent.
Members of both the Ordinary Alliance and the Evening Water Alliance stared dumbstruck, jaws hanging wide.
A moment later, the Ordinary Alliance branch erupted in cheers.
"Sir won! Sir is amazing!!"
"Sir may look fierce, but his strength is terrifying! He defeated Evening Water's Soul Saint Zhang Ming in just a few moves!"
While they rejoiced, the Evening Water branch members were struck with disbelief.
"Impossible! How could this nameless branch leader of the Ordinary Alliance be so strong?"
"Minister Zhang Ming is a Soul Saint! Not just any Soul Saint, either—he's defeated multiple Soul Saints before. How could he be beaten so easily?"
"He didn't even use Martial Soul True Body, yet he still crushed our minister. His strength is terrifying!"
Wang Chen looked down calmly at Zhang Ming, who had been forced to release his True Body.
Ordinary Soul Saints… to him, they were nothing special. He didn't even need to use his hidden trump cards to defeat them.
He stepped forward and, as agreed, stripped Zhang Ming of all his soul tools, placing them neatly into his storage device.
As a Soul Saint, Zhang Ming's possessions weren't lacking. He had several seventh-grade soul tools.
Though Wang Chen had no use for them, selling them would net at least three million gold soul coins—a hefty profit.
He then cast a cold glance at the Evening Water members. Under his gaze, their faces drained of blood, their legs trembled, and sweat poured down their backs. Each feared he might kill them the very next second.
"Scram," Wang Chen said icily.
The Evening Water members almost wept in relief. Carrying their heavily wounded and unconscious minister, they fled as if death itself were at their heels, terrified Wang Chen might change his mind if they lingered.
Wang Chen hadn't killed them because the three great underground powers of Mingdu maintained a delicate balance.
If he killed a Soul Saint, the Evening Water Alliance would be forced to retaliate. A Contra or even a Title Douluo could appear in response.
After all, Soul Saints were no trivial characters. For any faction, each one was a precious asset. Losing even a single Soul Saint was painful.
Killing Zhang Ming outright would only bring unnecessary trouble—especially now, when Xu Natural had just ascended as Crown Prince. Wang Chen had no wish to stir up more chaos.
After wrapping up this minor incident, Wang Chen ordered his noisy subordinates back to their duties.
He then left the Ordinary Alliance branch, checked in on his own covertly recruited men, gave them further instructions, and finally turned toward the Wang Family estate.
He had spent much time away recently, working to improve his strength and expand his influence. It had been far too long since he last saw home.
And with Xu Natural becoming Crown Prince, the Wang household would surely be in turmoil. He needed to see how his parents were faring.
Mingdu, Wang Family estate.
As news of Xu Natural's appointment as Crown Prince spread, the atmosphere in the Wang household grew heavier and heavier.
The clansmen were no fools. They knew very well—once Xu Natural ascended the throne, the Wang family, as supporters of the Second Prince, would be in dire straits.
And so, resentment toward their clan head, Wang Yan, became inevitable.
After all, when Wang Yan had first insisted on supporting the Second Prince, many elders had opposed him. Some had argued fiercely against entangling themselves in imperial strife, preferring to quietly build the family's strength.
But Wang Yan's prestige within the family had been too high, and his strength unmatched. With sheer authority, he had crushed all opposition and pushed forward his chosen path.
Now, however, with the Second Prince defeated and Xu Natural enthroned as Crown Prince, Wang Yan's decision had plunged the Wang family into crisis.
His reputation collapsed overnight. The elders who had once opposed him grew emboldened, demanding to confront him directly in a family council.
Wang Family Ancestral Hall.
Wang Yan sat at the head seat, facing the ancestral tablets, with the twelve clan elders gathered on either side.
Each of these elders was a Soul Saint, above level 70.
The First Elder, strongest of them all, had broken through the bottleneck just last year, stepping into the realm of Soul Douluo.
He was also the one who had most strongly opposed Wang Yan's decision to back the Second Prince.
The hall's atmosphere was stifling, like the air before a storm. None dared speak carelessly.
Finally, the First Elder broke the silence. His sharp gaze fixed on Wang Yan, his voice low but heavy with restrained fury:
"Clan Head, we warned you not to meddle in royal affairs, but you ignored us. Now that the Second Prince has lost and Crown Prince Xu Natural sits above us, do you realize the danger you've brought upon our family? How do you plan to protect us from this disaster?"
The Third Elder immediately followed, his voice stern:
Clan Head, our Wang family has built its foundation over generations. Are we to see it destroyed because of one rash decision? What of the future of our juniors? What of their lives?