A Level 10 Soul Scholar! Source of the Seven Sins of the Great Old Ones!

High above the Star Dou Great Forest, the soul ships of the various factions had long since scattered and departed.

The clamor had died down, and silence had returned to the forest. Only deep within the volcano did a terrifying, heart-stopping pressure still linger.

Spirit Hall's luxurious soul ship soared into the sky and sped back toward its headquarters.

Outside the cabin, the ship raced through the air as clouds and mist streamed past.

On deck, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were still visibly shaken, unable to stop themselves from marveling at what they had seen.

"That was vicious. That monster could even kill the Fire Emperor, and I have a feeling that wasn't its full strength."

Chrysanthemum Douluo said, "It was three hundred thousand years old, after all. Forget the Fire Emperor. Old Ghost, believe it or not, even if you and I joined forces, we might not have been able to suppress it."

Ghost Douluo said gravely, "I also noticed something important. That monster was exceptionally well suited to magma terrain. It could draw on the power of the land to strengthen itself, crushing all opponents if it advanced and burrowing underground to escape if it retreated. If it really fought to the death, we might not have been able to keep it there."

Bibi Dong said, "That's why I stopped you from taking action just now. Time and terrain were on its side. If we had forced a fight and failed to kill it outright, allowing such a terrifying existence to remain a hidden threat would have brought endless trouble."

She had seen countless hundred-thousand-year and two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts, but never such a bizarre behemoth with that form and those abilities.

Beside her, Hu Liena blinked her beautiful eyes, suddenly recalling something. "Teacher, when that behemoth turned to stare at our soul ship at the end, its gaze didn't seem hostile. It was more like... a greeting? Could it be that you know that terrifying Soul Beast, Teacher?"

At those words, everyone on deck froze.

Bibi Dong frowned slightly and thought back carefully on Golza's actions before gently shaking her head.

"I've never seen it before. I've heard of every top Soul Beast and ancient exotic beast on the Douluo Continent, but this one alone is completely unknown to me: its origins, its species, and its age."

That was also the greatest puzzle of her trip.

When had the continent gained such an unstoppable, terrifying monster?

"I told you already. Its name is Golza."

Just as everyone was puzzling over it, Qian Lingye, who stood nearby, suddenly spoke up in a leisurely manner, his tone casual and relaxed.

Everyone instantly turned to look at him.

Hu Liena looked curious. "How do you know?"

Qian Lingye chuckled. "I was bored yesterday, so I flipped through a picture book. It had a monster that controlled magma and ruled the land, and its name was Golza. I thought they looked pretty similar."

Chrysanthemum Douluo couldn't help laughing. "Since the young master gave it a name, then from now on, let's call the continent's most mysterious behemoth Golza."

No one took Qian Lingye's words to heart, treating them as nothing more than a child's joke.

As everyone chatted, Qian Lingye suddenly frowned. A searing pain pierced through his right arm.

It felt as though scorching magma were surging wildly through his meridians, burning his flesh and skin.

Qian Lingye immediately made an excuse to leave and hurried back to his private cabin, shutting the door behind him.

He immediately rolled up his right sleeve.

The next second, Qian Lingye's pupils contracted violently!

Seven mysterious, faint black marks had appeared on his once-fair arm!

The seven black marks varied in shade and shape, arranged neatly along the meridians of his arm.

And the first mark at the very top had lit up completely!

It was a lifelike imprint of a volcanic crystal, glowing and burning scarlet. A relentless stream of terrifying heat flowed through his meridians and throughout his body, leaving his entire arm scorching hot, as though it had been shoved into a furnace.

[Ding! Detected that the host's bound Golza has devoured the Earth's Core Magma Crystal Core!]

[First token fusion complete!]

[Special origin: Fire of Wrath · Lava Crystal successfully unlocked!]

[Ultimate objective unlocked: Gather all seven Source of the Seven Sins tokens and ascend to become a Great Old One!]

[Current progress: 1/7]

A string of system notifications flooded his vision.

Qian Lingye stared at the six remaining dim black marks on his arm.

One had an outline resembling an ice crystal, its chill held in check. Two looked like layers of dragon scales, imposing and weighty. The remaining three had bizarre shapes that gave no hint of what they were.

Clearly, these six were the exclusive tokens of the remaining six sources of sin.

Just as Qian Lingye was lost in thought,

Boom-

A violent, immense, and intensely scorching force suddenly erupted from the crystal mark on his right arm!

It washed through his limbs, bones, and internal organs in an instant!

Qian Lingye's whole body jolted. He felt as though he had swallowed an active volcano!

His internal organs burned, and his meridians were flooded with vast amounts of pure power!

There was no need to meditate or let it settle!

His Soul Power Level began to soar without limit!

Level 1!

Level 3!

Level 5!

Level 7!

Level 9!

In the blink of an eye, it rocketed upward!

The final barrier shattered with a roar!

[Congratulations, host! Soul Power breakthrough! Current level: 10 (Peak Soul Scholar)!]

From zero straight to the maximum of level 10!

He reached the ceiling of the Soul Scholar realm in a single step!

Qian Lingye was utterly dumbfounded.

This was beyond outrageous.

For the first half of his life, he hadn't even known what cultivation was, yet a single magma token had made him a max-level Soul Scholar on the spot.

A system really was a system. It simply defied reason.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo had sensed the terrifying surge of power erupting from the cabin and rushed over.

The door opened, and their gazes fell on Qian Lingye.

"Young master... you broke through?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo asked in astonishment.

They'd only been apart for a short while, and he'd broken straight through to the peak of level 10 Soul Scholar?

Hu Liena's beautiful eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.

Bibi Dong hurried forward, her gaze tense yet brimming with delight. "Ye'er, what happened?! Your Soul Power... how did it suddenly reach level 10?"

Qian Lingye suppressed the wild joy in his heart and put on a bewildered expression. "I'm not sure either. I suddenly felt hot all over, and power started running wild inside me. Before I knew it, my Soul Power had risen on its own."

Bibi Dong raised her hand, a faint purple light winding around her fingertips, and gently pressed them to Qian Lingye's wrist, carefully probing his meridians and the source of his Soul Power.

A moment later, her brows were tightly knitted, her face full of confusion.

There was nothing unusual...

His meridians were clear, and his Soul Power was exceptionally pure, nothing like the unstable power of a sudden, temporary surge. Yet the way he had broken through completely defied the logic of an ordinary Soul Master's cultivation!

Hu Liena said, "Could it be because of... heavenly treasures? The medicinal effects of the heavenly treasures little brother has taken over the years have remained hidden in his body. Today, stimulated by the battle between powerful experts outside and the behemoth's pressure, they all erupted at once."

At her words, it suddenly dawned on everyone.

Yes!

That was the only explanation!

Otherwise, it made no sense at all!

Qian Lingye promptly nodded along and waved a fist. "That must be it. No wonder I was burning up just now. Haha, I can finally cultivate!"

Bibi Dong excitedly clasped Qian Lingye's hand. For a moment, she was at a loss, her eyes full of excitement and glistening faintly with tears.

All her worries about Golza were swept away in an instant.

Her son could finally cultivate!

Not only could he cultivate, but he had also broken straight through to level 10!

"Good, good! Good son!"

Bibi Dong's face was full of pride. "Ye'er, show me your Martial Soul."

Everyone's gaze focused on Qian Lingye's palm.

With a thought, Qian Lingye opened his hand.

A mass of hazy, deep black mist slowly rose.

It was like mist, yet not mist; like flame, yet not flame.

As the black mist churned, it gave off a faint, terrifyingly dark presence that seemed capable of devouring everything.

The whole place fell silent.

They were completely baffled.

A Tool Martial Soul?

It didn't look like one.

A Beast Martial Soul?

It had no physical form.

A Plant Martial Soul?

That was even further off the mark.

Everyone present was among the continent's top experts and had seen countless Martial Souls, yet none had ever seen one so bizarre.

Even Bibi Dong, a Limit Douluo, could not see through the true nature of the black mist!

She could only faintly sense that this Martial Soul was of an extremely high grade and possessed an innate, top-tier darkness attribute capable of devouring souls.

Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately cupped his hands and offered his congratulations. "Congratulations, Your Holiness the Pope, congratulations, Your Highness the Holy Son! Heaven has bestowed a holy Martial Soul upon us. Spirit Hall's fortune flourishes, and the Holy Son's future is boundless!"

Ghost Douluo followed close behind. "The Holy Son's future is boundless!"

Bibi Dong's gaze burned. "Yue Guan, go quickly and find a suitable... no, I'll find one myself! My son's Martial Soul is unparalleled, and his First Soul Ring is of vital importance."

The Pope of Spirit Hall was personally helping him find his First Soul Ring.

Across the entire Douluo Continent, he alone received such treatment.

Before long, the soul ship returned safely to Spirit Hall's headquarters.

Everyone went their separate ways, all still immersed in the pleasant surprise of the Holy Son's awakening.

Qian Lingye returned to his private residence, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

A level 10 Soul Scholar.

Source of the Seven Sins progress: 1/7.

The path to becoming a Great Old One had opened!

The process had gone far more smoothly than he had imagined.

At this rate, even though he was only starting to cultivate now, he should soon catch up with his peers, or even surpass them!

Bibi Dong was probably busy helping him find his First Soul Ring now. Thinking of her reaction aboard the soul ship when she learned he could cultivate, Qian Lingye couldn't help giving a wry smile.

Over the years, he had given Bibi Dong plenty to worry about. As both Pope and mother, her feelings were something Qian Lingye, having lived two lives, understood well.

In his previous life, Qian Lingye had been an ordinary person. After graduating from university, he found a job in logistics auditing in the city. It wasn't tiring, but the pay wasn't generous either.

His parents ran a wholesale seafood business in their hometown. They told everyone how well he did in school, always smiling as they spoke. Even though he had ultimately only gotten into an ordinary undergraduate program, his mother had made a great show of arranging a twenty-table banquet. Afterward, she always told people he had made something of himself: he worked in the city and was a city dweller now.

Mothers all over the world were the same. Even the smallest achievement by their sons made them happy.

Pulling his thoughts back, Qian Lingye looked at the system page.

He remembered that he still had one free draw he hadn't used.

Qian Lingye took an excited deep breath, but just as he was about to use the system draw, a notification suddenly sounded.

[Ding! The exclusive authority of Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins has been activated!]

[Wrath, slaughter, never extinguished! Eternally burning fire of wrath, deliver me from depravity... devour my reason, devour my emotions, let me forget that pain, let me forget...]

[Wrath authority effect: All of the host's attributes and the effects of all Soul Skills increase according to the degree of his anger.]

Qian Lingye: "!!"