Breaking Through to Level 20! Kyrieloids!

Outside Spirit City, atop a mountain.

Qian Lingye withdrew his hand and staggered, the dark Soul Power around him roiling as fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.

He took several deep breaths, bracing his hands on his legs. Only after a long while did he recover.

It seemed he still couldn't intervene from afar too often in the future.

Although Dark Contract's skill description said that space placed no restrictions between him and his summoned beasts, he had acted across ten thousand miles. For him as he was now, it was still too much of a strain.

[Ding! The Earth Vein's essence has successfully fused with Gagi. Main quest complete!]

The system notification suddenly rang out.

Qian Lingye's eyes lit up. Ha, heaven did not disappoint those who worked hard. It seemed Golza and Gagi had succeeded.

Just then, a searing heat suddenly spread through Qian Lingye's right arm.

Beside the Seven Sins Mark on his arm, the outline of a second, blank mark appeared. A ring of dense, golden-yellow Earth Vein power flowed slowly into it, filling the mark bit by bit.

Vast, abundant power swept through his meridians and across his body, an indescribably soothing sensation soaking into his flesh and blood.

I'm about to level up!

Qian Lingye was ecstatic. His Soul Power surged wildly without the slightest obstruction.

Level 11!

Level 12!

Level 13!

Level 14!

The barriers in his Soul Power shattered one after another as he advanced like a hot knife through bamboo, soaring all the way up in less than the time it took an incense stick to burn!

[Ding! Congratulations, host. Your Soul Power has broken through, successfully reaching level 20!]

Qian Lingye clenched his fists, feeling the robust Soul Power coursing ceaselessly through his body. He was thrilled.

Level 20!

He had actually broken through to level 20!

It had taken only a fleeting moment.

And by his reckoning, it had taken him less than a week to break through from level 0 to level 20!

It was like a dream.

Feeling the power surging endlessly within him, Qian Lingye's heart surged with it. This felt incredible.

Moreover, after he broke through to become a level 20 Soul Grandmaster, his Soul Power had undergone a qualitative change.

Combined with the heaven-defying boost from the Dark Divine Ring, his actual combat strength had long surpassed that of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster.

He reckoned he could even take on a high-level Soul Elder head-on!

The surprises weren't over yet, and Qian Lingye waited quietly.

Sure enough, before long, another system notification rang out.

[Ding! Authority of Pride of the Seven Deadly Sins activated!]

The corners of Qian Lingye's mouth rose slightly. Here it was—the main event.

Having witnessed the terrifying power of the Authority of Wrath, he was full of anticipation for the remaining authorities.

The Authority of Wrath alone had doubled the boost from his Dark Contract, directly raising Golza and Gagi's strength by half a major realm. It was truly heaven-defying.

So what brutally powerful effect would this Authority of Pride have?

[After you leave, no one will ever see my face again, and no one will ever hear my voice again...]

[Authority of Pride effect: Never Bow.]

Qian Lingye: "..."

What the heck is this?

This damn description is way too brief.

He could at least understand the Authority of Wrath, but what was Never Bow supposed to mean?

[Great Old Ones are solitary wanderers beyond the Three Realms, unbound by any rule in the world. Your pride will not permit you to bow to anyone. No matter what strength, bloodline, or methods your opponent possesses... even the pressure of a true god cannot shake your will!]

After hearing that explanation, Qian Lingye had some idea of what it meant.

To be precise, this Authority of Pride was a form of super armor.

Generally speaking, when two Soul Masters fought, if the gap between their realms was too great-say, a Soul Grandmaster against a Titled Douluo—the Soul Grandmaster would be intimidated and suppressed by the other's pressure even if the Titled Douluo did nothing.

Certain powerful bloodlines also possessed suppressive power. This was especially true among Soul Beasts: ancient true dragon and phoenix bloodlines, for example, exerted an immense suppressive force on ordinary Soul Masters, especially those with Beast Martial Souls.

Then there were special methods, Soul Skills, or formations...

All three could cause a drastic decline in one's condition, preventing one from exerting one's full strength.

With the Omnipotence of Pride, however, he could become completely immune to these negative effects.

From Qian Lingye's literal understanding, that should be about the size of it.

But he felt the Authority of Pride's effect was less direct than the Authority of Wrath's. After all, he fought most of his battles through Golza and Gagi and rarely acted himself.

Besides, with Bibi Dong at his side, there wasn't a single Titled Douluo in the world who currently dared exert pressure on him.

All right. Having it is better than not.

Qian Lingye looked at the unconscious Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. Just as he was racking his brains over what to do with them, a clatter of chaotic hoofbeats suddenly came from the distant mountain woods.

A band of roughly a dozen mountain horse bandits rode along the mountain path into the wilds.

The three bandits at the front had powerful presences and distinct Soul Power fluctuations. All of them were level 30 Battle Soul Elders.

They were roaming bandits on the run. Seeing how secluded and deserted the place was, they had intended to stop and rest, but one glance was enough for them to spot Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing lying unconscious in the grass.

Both girls were stunningly beautiful and slender. Even in sleep, their delicate, graceful bearing was hard to conceal.

Greed instantly flashed in the bandit chief's eyes, and he gave a vicious grin. "Who would've thought such exquisite beauties were hiding out here in the middle of nowhere! Looks like we brothers have struck it lucky today!"

The bandits broke into lecherous grins and approached the two girls without a shred of restraint, completely ignoring Qian Lingye as he stood quietly nearby.

In their eyes, Qian Lingye was young, no more than an insignificant child they could kill with a casual swipe in a moment.

At the sight, a chill instantly settled in Qian Lingye's eyes.

Taking advantage of others in their distress-despicable and filthy.

He had just broken through; this was the perfect chance to test his strength on these ants who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth!

[Authority of Wrath activated. All attributes and Soul Skills boosted by 30%!]

With a thought from Qian Lingye, light flowed over the Dark Divine Ring. Strength boosted! Speed boosted!

His strength, speed, and physical explosiveness soared in waves. Then he immediately unleashed the exclusive Soul Skill he had copied from Zhu Zhuqing.

"Netherworld Hundred Claws!"

Pitch-black, razor-sharp claw shadows instantly filled the entire expanse. Countless tiny dark claws descended in a dense barrage, swift as lightning, with a piercing shriek as they tore through the air!

These level 30 Soul Elders were already experts in the eyes of ordinary people, but before Qian Lingye, they were too fragile to withstand a single blow.

There was no trash talk. Before the bandits could even scream, the three Soul Elder leaders and every last bandit were torn apart by the claw shadows. Heads rolled to the ground, and several startled horses reared up and ran off.

With that single move, deathly silence returned to the mountain woods.

Qian Lingye remained impassive and casually dispersed the lingering dust.

With a fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring, level 20 Soul Power, and the boost from the Authority of Wrath, his killing power was now more than ten times greater than before.

"This system really is something."

Immediately afterward, another notification sounded.

[Ding! New system module unlocked: Faith System.]

Faith System?

[System description: The host may establish a cult and gather believers. The faith of believers can be converted into Faith Points. Faith Points can accelerate the host's cultivation, strengthen the host's essence, and boost the combat strength of all summoned beasts.]

Qian Lingye considered it carefully, a flicker of interest in his eyes.

Faith was an interesting ability.

Until now, he had only had the two giant beasts, Golza and Gagi. They excelled only at frontal assaults, making it difficult for him to lay plans in secret across the continent.

Now that he had this system, it was time to start cultivating a force of his own.

He remembered that this quest also came with an advanced draw as a reward.

[Ding! Issuing quest reward: one advanced draw. Draw now?]

"Draw now!"

Qian Lingye could hardly wait. The reward from an advanced draw was bound to be extraordinary.

[Ding! Draw successful! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the race: Kyrieloids!]

A dim light flashed before him, and two black-robed figures appeared out of thin air, a man and a woman, both wreathed in a faint dark presence.

The two landed and knelt on one knee in unison, their voices low and synchronized.

"Greetings, master."

Qian Lingye's eyes filled with surprise. They were actually Kyrieloids!

He clearly remembered that second-generation Kyrieloids had three forms, and at their peak, their combat strength was enough to rival a Giant of Light.

This race excelled at bewitching people's hearts, and the two before him were their human forms.

The man was a prophet, the woman a priestess, and both were absolutely loyal to him at the level of their souls.

As expected of an advanced draw!

A Kyrieloid's individual combat strength surpassed even Golza and Gagi's, and their human forms made it easy for them to act in secret in the human world.

He had just been worrying about how to gather faith, and now the people he needed had appeared.

"Prophet, priestess."

Qian Lingye looked up at the pair and gave his orders. "Infiltrate the various regions of the Douluo Continent and spread a message. Say that a calamity is about to descend and rule this continent, and that only by joining... hmm, let's call it the Great Old One Cult... can people survive the catastrophe. Work out the wording yourselves, and make it as convincing as possible."

"We obey your command, master!"

The two bowed and accepted their orders. Their figures became two dark afterimages that vanished among the mountain woods in an instant, heading to different parts of the continent to spread the prophecy.

Qian Lingye watched the direction they had gone, a smile curving his lips.

At this rate, before long, rumors of the end of the world would sweep across the entire Douluo Continent, and an endless stream of faith power would be his.

With all his arrangements taken care of, Qian Lingye turned his gaze to his side.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing lay quietly on the soft grass. After being restrained by Gagi earlier, they had remained asleep.

Now the two girls' eyelashes trembled gently, and faint murmurs escaped their lips.

Are they awake...?