Yang Wei's residence sent out word that they were adopting a passive stance.
Yang Zhao's residence hadn't released any statements, but to anyone with eyes, his situation was undoubtedly the worst of all.
With figures like Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu killed right in front of his gates, the forces under his roof had shrunk dramatically after that battle. One faction after another pulled out of the succession war and left Yang Zhao's residence. In less than half a hour, the front gate stood deserted, eerily quiet.
The forces still remaining under Yang Zhao were less than half of what they had been at their peak. In terms of sheer numbers of martial artists, Yang Zhao's residence had plummeted from the most populous to dead last in an instant.
What was more, in terms of expert-level combatants and overall strength, they were no longer in the same league as Yang Kai's residence.
Rumor even had it that Yang Zhao himself had lost his former luster ever since that day—wandering about in a daze from morning to night, moving like a walking corpse, a pitiful sight to behold.
The martial artists who remained at the residence were equally listless, stripped of all fighting spirit.
The succession war, having reached this point, had essentially been decided!
Just as Yang Wei had once surmised, there was simply no need for this battle over the position of future Yang Family Patriarch to continue.
In War City—and throughout Zhongdu for that matter—the majority of people were convinced that Yang Kai would become the next head of the Yang Family, leading the Eight Great Families of Zhongdu, wielding enormous authority, and commanding the world.
Over the past few days, the scene before Yang Kai's residence had been nothing short of spectacular. Visitors came and went in droves, too many to count, like fish crossing a river.
Every last one of them was trying to forge a connection with Yang Kai at this final hour.
Even though they had offered no assistance during the succession war—and some had even been outright enemies of Yang Kai's residence—it was obvious that the war was drawing to a close, and they naturally wanted to catch this last favorable wind.
They weren't expecting to reach any real agreements or formal alliances with Yang Kai. At the very least, they wanted him to recognize their faces.
That way, once Yang Kai became head of the Yang Family, it would be easier to discuss matters.
All of these visitors brought generous gifts, hoping for an audience with Yang Kai—even a few words would suffice.
There were even more who came as matchmakers. Which of these factions, large or small, didn't have a few beautiful daughters? Yang Kai was a man, after all. Men loved beautiful women—that was a truth as old as time itself.
If Yang Kai took a fancy to someone's daughter, she would become the mistress of the Yang Family! Who wouldn't covet such an honor?
The threshold of Yang Kai's residence was practically worn through.
Faced with this flood of visitors, Qiu Yimeng was once again swamped off her feet. Originally, she had no intention of receiving any of them. She despised these opportunistic fence-sitters who changed their faces faster than one could flip a page.
But when Yang Kai heard about it, he actually instructed her to treat them all with warm hospitality. Though Qiu Yimeng didn't understand why, she had no choice but to comply.
For every faction that arrived bearing gifts, Qiu Yimeng personally escorted them inside the residence, exchanged a few pleasantries, accepted the gifts, and sent them on their way.
As for those who came to play matchmaker, the young Miss Qiu blocked them firmly at the door without a shred of politeness and refused them entry.
In just a few short days, Yang Kai's residence had welcomed over a hundred factions, accumulating a staggering amount of wealth and resources at an almost inconceivable pace.
Qiu Yimeng was thoroughly shaken.
Even as the eldest daughter of the Qiu Family, she was stunned by the sheer volume and quality of these materials!
Five days later, the bustle around Yang Kai's residence gradually died down.
Those who had been busy suddenly felt a powerful aura emanating from deep within the compound, laced with energy fluctuations that made their hearts tremble. Every face changed slightly as they turned their gaze toward the source of the aura.
In short order, a crowd had gathered.
"What's going on?" Huo Xingchen called out. He had just acquired a new Artifact from the Baoqi Sect and hadn't even had time to refine it before this happened. He couldn't help but feel startled.
"It seems someone has broken through," Qiu Yimeng said, her delicate brows furrowing. "And more than one person."
"I felt it too—two people breaking through simultaneously..." Fatty Dong nodded gently. The auras that had burst forth were intertwined and overlapping; they didn't belong to a single individual.
"But why do I sense... one of them is Young Master Kai's aura?" Huo Xingchen was baffled. Yang Kai had only broken through to the Shenyou Realm a few days ago. No matter how exceptional his talent or how formidable his abilities, it was impossible to break through again in less than a week, wasn't it?
Did he have to make it this hard for everyone else?
"Let's go have a look and find out." Even Qiu Yimeng couldn't resist her curiosity. She led the group of young people toward the source.
Before long, they arrived in front of Xia Ningshang's room. Before anyone could even raise a hand to knock, the door swung open.
Yang Kai stepped out, with the cold and ethereal Su Yan following behind him. Though both wore calm expressions, anyone could see the hidden joy and exhilaration burning in their eyes.
"What's all this? Why so many people?" Yang Kai frowned.
"Who broke through in here?" Qiu Yimeng craned her neck to peer into the room but saw nothing. Unable to help herself, she swept Yang Kai with her own faint Divine Sense—and her beautiful face went pale. "You actually..."
Among this group of young people, besides Qiu Yimeng, a few others had already reached the Shenyou Realm. Noticing the alarm in her voice, they probed with their own Divine Sense as well, and immediately their expressions shifted.
Yang Kai was already at the second level of the Shenyou Realm!
That meant the aura that had burst forth during the breakthrough just now had indeed been caused by him.
Every pair of eyes in the room went wide as saucers. Every person stared at Yang Kai with undisguised disbelief, their faces awash with shock.
"You broke through by a single minor realm—why is everyone making such a fuss about it?" Yang Kai snorted.