"It's not that I haven't thought of it before but..." the fourth prince muttered and then fell deep in thought.
Yun Clan was one of the strongest clans in the empire. The current head of the clan, Yun Zhan, was even the general of the empire's army. Although Yun Zhan's influence in the army wasn't as great as the head of the Yu Clan, Yun Zhan was just as strong, if not, stronger than Yu Yinye.
The clan master of Yun Clan had three sons in total, two of which weren't in the capital right now. The last time the fourth prince heard, the eldest became a disciple of a sect while the youngest was out doing missions assigned to him by his father. The two were both geniuses not inferior to anyone here in the banquet. Those two had the ability to compete for the clan master position and would definitely shine no matter where they were placed but the one that stood out the most among Yun Zhan's son was none other than Yun Ling.
The Yun Clan was different from other clans. Normally, other clan masters could decide who would inherit their position should they retire. That wasn't the case for the Yun Clan. In the Yun Clan, the clan master position would be decided through a battle. This was to ensure that the clan master would always be the best in the clan. Even if one was just a servant in the clan, as long as they have the blood of Yun running in their veins, they could become the clan master if they have the skill for it.
With this knowledge, the fourth prince knew that Yun Ling would certainly become the clan master in the future. Among the younger generation in the Yun Clan, no one could compare to Yun Ling, not even his siblings.
If the fourth prince wanted to get the Yun Clan on his side, all he had to do was to get close to Yun Ling and get his support. He would certainly become a big help for the fourth prince once he becomes the clan master in the future.
That was easier said than done, however. Yun Ling wasn't interested in the princes' competition for the throne. He always kept his distance from any of the princes in the empire. Other princes have, in fact, tried to get close to Yun Ling before but they were all shunned and humiliated by him. The fourth prince who was thinking the same as the other princes learned from their mistakes and decided not to do the same lest he be humiliated like his other siblings.
The fourth prince looked at him and smiled.
"That's not a bad idea but how do you suggest we go about getting the Yun Clan's support?"
The fourth prince's supporter was a bit excited, thinking that the time to show his worth to the fourth prince has finally come.
"The Yun Clan doesn't have a proper heir for the clan master position right now since that position is won through a battle in their clan. But based on what I know, the second son of the current clan master, Yun Ling, has the best chance of winning that competition. What the fourth prince should do is to befriend and get close to him!"
"Oh, that's a good idea."
"Man, I didn't know you had it in you. Are you perhaps a genius?"
The other people around the fourth prince started flattering him while the man rubbed his head in embarrassment.
The fourth prince was smiling however he was secretly looking at them in disdain. He hid his disappointment as he thought, 'Genius? What genius? Anyone with a decent brain can think of that, it's just that some of you guys are too dumb. If it were not because you have powerful backers, I wouldn't want to associate myself with any of you. You guys might be geniuses in cultivation but that's the only thing you're good for.'
"Hmm, I suppose it's possible to get the Yun Clan's support," the fourth prince hummed as he thought of something, nodding.
"Are you going to use my plan, Fourth Prince?"
The fourth prince had a hard time hiding his contempt for him and the others. Befriend Yun Ling? He would only be inviting humiliation for himself if he did that just like his brothers.
"That's a secret for now," the fourth prince said good-naturedly but there was a cold glint in his eyes. He had already thought of something regarding the Yun Clan for a while now.
Question: It's almost certain that Yun Ling will become the clan master in the future but he cannot get his support no matter what. What does he do?
Answer: Get close to someone else in the Yun Clan. Get their support and do anything to make sure they'll win the competition for the clan master position.
The fourth prince smirked as he thought of a certain aide in the Yun Clan. Years ago, he ordered some people to investigate their clan so he would know how to go about getting their cooperation the best. The security was too tight however so he wasn't able to get much. Still, his efforts weren't fruitless. He found out about the other talented person in the clan, second only to Yun ling. A treasure hidden in dirt, waiting to be uncovered by the fourth prince himself.
Just as he was thinking about how to approach that person, a loud announcement broke him out of his thoughts.
"The crown prince has arrived!"
Everyone, including the fourth prince, turned their attention towards the newcomer.
The new arrival was by no means handsome, he was average at best. However, he was someone the more you look at, the more handsome he gets. Just like the fourth prince, he had a blonde-hair that fits well with his face. He also has a certain type of intimidating aura that gets people to be respectful or formal with him rather easily.
He was the crown prince, the one who was going to inherit the throne in the future.
Behind the crown prince were two men in full black metal armor. They were no other than the crown prince's personal guards, one of the powerful experts in the empire.
"The crown prince..."
"So that's the crown prince, another one of the capital's three supreme geniuses on the same level as Yu Shan."
"Yu Shan and Crown Prince, that's two of the three supreme geniuses. Who's the other one?"
"You don't know? Ah, I forgot, you're not from the capital. It's no other than..."
The arrival of the crown prince had gotten even more attention than Yu Shan's arrival. Almost all people were discussing or talking about him. Some workers even abandoned their task just to take a look at the crown prince. Their behaviors were understandable since the one they were looking at was the crown prince, the future emperor of the empire.
"Those two guards are probably at the Four Transformation Realm, right? One realm above us Core Formation cultivators."
"Even the crown prince's guards are stronger than us, huh. Damn, I feel so inferior."
"Your outlooks are too shallow. They might be in the Four Transformation Realm but could they compare to us? How old are they? Probably fifty or something right? In the future, we'll reach that realm too and might even surpass it."
"You're right. We're not even thirty yet we're already in the Core Formation Realm. We'll reach Four Transformations sooner or later."
While these people were still busy looking and talking about the crown prince, another announcement rang out once again.
"The Yun Clan's second son has arrived!"
Everyone went silent for a short moment.
"It's from the Yun Clan's..."
"It's another one of the capital's three supreme geniuses, Yun Ling."