Five months had passed in the Wang Clan.
During these five months, many things had happened—starting with the explosive news of the engagement between Wang Ming and Wang Mei. With both of them being top talents of the clan—one the sole daughter of the Seventh Elder, and the other a promising young genius,the engagement shook the entire inner circle of the clan.
Two months after the initial announcement, the engagement ceremony was officially held. All elders of the clan attended, regardless of which faction they belonged to. Their presence demonstrated a show of unity amidst the undercurrents of conflict—a public statement that, despite inner power struggles, the Wang Clan stood united before outsiders.
Although the Clan Leader did not attend the ceremony in person, he still sent gifts to both Wang Ming and Wang Mei. Despite his known disagreements with Wang Ming, he still showcased a front that everything within the clan was harmonious. This engagement alone brought massive shifts in the political landscape of the clan.
Before, the Clan Leader had momentum. But with this so-called betrayal by Wang Ming, that momentum was halted significantly.
A rank three talent without backing might not necessarily be considered a future elder. After all, breaking through to the next realm was never guaranteed. But a rank three talent with the support of a strong background gained an undeniable edge one that greatly increased the chances of future breakthroughs.
Previously, Wang Ming's talent was only seen as potential. Even with the support of the Clan Leader, he was treated no better than a well-trained dog raised for the sole purpose of suppressing the younger generation from the First Elder's faction.
Now, things had completely changed.
With his engagement to the daughter of an elder, and the marriage already fixed, Wang Ming had transitioned from being an outsider to being considered true family. The level of resources and support now available to him were beyond anything he could have imagined under the Clan Leader's wing.
This shift in allegiance brought a major disruption to the clan's internal political scene. The First Elder's faction had struck two targets with one arrow.
First, they broke the long-standing stereotype that their faction favored bloodline over talent. Second, they dealt a heavy blow to the Clan Leader's dominance. In fact, several elders who had previously supported the Clan Leader now started moving closer to the First Elder.
This shift caused the balance of power within the clan to tilt.
The original stalemate of seven versus seven among the top factions was broken.
With three rank three talents emerging within the First Elder's faction combined with the open support of the Supreme Elder,the First Elder had gained a momentum in his conflict with the Clan Leader that he had never possessed before.