Explosion of Strength

Following Spark Town, the Taros Family quickly established two more cities: Black Stone City and Black Iron City. However, these cities were not so much built as they were simply existing cities seized and renamed.

Today, the Taros Family possesses three cities. Even though they are all considered bottom-tier, the combined population of these three cities reaches a staggering twenty million, a figure that is both shocking and a source of joy for many.

Of these twenty million people, Spark Town alone accounts for the majority. Without the territorial support provided by Karl, life for commoners in the Yulan Continent—a world of magic—remains incredibly difficult. Many small towns have populations of only a few tens of thousands, with larger ones reaching only a hundred thousand or so.

Governing three cities as the founder of the Taros Family and its only Saint Realm powerhouse, Karl holds higher expectations for these territories. With the three cities supporting one another, Karl expanded his territory on a larger scale, using his own residence as the center. Within this expanded area, anyone who considers themselves under Karl's rule is automatically recognized as a resident of his territory once they reach the level of a Level 3 Warrior.

However, the Karl of today is no longer the man who struggled to fill a quota of a few tens of thousands. After consolidating the other two cities, the number of Level 3 Warriors under Karl's command has truly exceeded the million mark.

After all, this is a top-tier magic world. Unless they are born with disabilities or are frail and sickly, everyone in the Yulan Continent begins rigorous training from a young age. Under such a social climate, Level 1 Warriors of fifteen or sixteen are countless. Furthermore, while the Yulan Continent appears peaceful, that is only from the perspective of those at the Saint Realm. For commoners, life is arduous; becoming a warrior is the only way to change their circumstances, and once they become warriors, the fastest way to improve their situation is to enlist in the military.

Even though the mortality rate for soldiers is over fifty percent, when their ten-year service ends, parents see their sixteen-year-old child—who possessed the strength of a Level 1 Warrior—return as a capable hand for the territory. As for those who do not return, they may grieve for a while, but life must go on.

This is the cruelty of the bottom rungs of the Yulan Continent, yet in Karl's territory, such scenes are avoided as much as possible.

Governing the three cities, Karl focused on the radiation range of his territory within the system. In the presence of the three cities' nobles and envoys from various counts and marquises, Karl named this territory the Tianfeng Prefecture.

Karl named it after his own Saint Realm attribute. Spark Town, Black Stone City, and Black Iron City would all serve as garrison cities protecting the Tianfeng Prefecture. As for the top priority after controlling a prefecture, it is naturally to control a true prefectural city.

Following the fall of the Anlan Kingdom, several prefectural city lord positions were left vacant. Karl quickly took full control, and the Taros Family completed another relocation.

Perhaps years from now, members of the Taros Family might mention the ancestral grounds in the former Spark Town, but for now, no one will think of it.

A prefectural city has a sphere of influence far exceeding that of a county town. While Level 9 Warriors may seem insignificant in the eyes of the Saint Realm, they actually wield immense power.

Karl's decision to occupy the prefectural city caused other ambitious Level 9 experts to halt their plans upon hearing the news. After all, in their eyes, the Taros Family boasts three Level 9 experts, one of whom is suspected to be at the peak of the Ninth Level. Under such family prestige, even if other Level 9 experts covet the benefits of a prefectural city, the Anlan Kingdom has already fallen, and there are plenty of ownerless counties throughout the old kingdom's territory. It is not worth offending a powerhouse suspected of being at the peak of the Ninth Level for the sake of a single city.

Yulan Calendar, year 8325.

On a day as ordinary as any other, Karl, having accumulated Battle Qi for nearly thirty years, finally completed the final step.

[Auto-Cultivation System]

[Host: Karl]

[Age: 300]

[Level: Saint Realm (10000/10000)]

[Family: Taros (Level 2)]

[Territory: Spark Town (Level 2)]

[Faith: None]

[Cultivation: Saint Realm (10000/10000) Momentum of Heaven and Earth (10000/10000)]

"The day has finally arrived."

Karl looked at the time he had spent—nearly thirty years—his age having gone from under two hundred and seventy to three hundred. The time delayed during this period was for his eldest son; after all, he was his only son. Delaying a bit of time for his sake allowed him to live stably until Karl stepped into the Peak Saint Realm, and perhaps even gave him a chance to reach the Saint Realm himself in the future.

"It was only a matter of a few years, after all."

Looking at his Battle Qi, which had reached its limit, he felt as if his body were completely filled, unable to increase even a fraction more. This was the limit of the Early Saint Realm.

Accompanying this was Karl's comprehension of the Momentum of Heaven and Earth. Although, for Karl, much of this Momentum was something he knew how to perform but did not necessarily truly understand.

This feeling was like an exam paper where every question was something he had either seen the prototype of or had practiced before, yet how many people could truly hand in a perfect score?

In Karl's view, the Momentum of Heaven and Earth was perhaps an exam paper, and the question bank was the entire world. When his comprehension of the Momentum of Heaven and Earth was complete, it was equivalent to having seen every question in the world.

But to use the Momentum of Heaven and Earth to comprehend the Mysteries of the Laws, one must submit a perfect score.

"Unfortunately, I don't need to comprehend it myself."

How could mere self-cultivation ever compare to the reliability of the system's point-adding?

"System, add points!"

Karl's gaze swept over the Elemental Seed in the Mall that he had coveted for so long.

He still felt a hint of regret in his heart; the system was, after all, too rigid.

Ten million points vanished in an instant, and a seed belonging to the [Wind Element] appeared before Karl's eyes.

As the [Wind Element] merged into his soul, Karl suddenly felt his soul trembling.

This feeling was as if his life were undergoing a metamorphosis. He looked up at his surroundings, and there were clearly more things present than before.

"So this is what the legendary realm of 'seeing mountains as mountains, then not as mountains, and finally as mountains again' feels like."

After merging with the [Wind Element], when Karl looked around, he clearly sensed a pale cyan element present in the world. He knew this was the Wind Element.

"Is this an improvement in elemental affinity?" Karl wondered.

After all, by conventional logic, without high elemental affinity, it is basically difficult to reach the Saint Realm. Even the protagonist of the original story had to first enter the Saint Realm as a warrior, gaining the transformation of soul and body brought by the eternal life of the Saint Realm, before his magical ability could successfully reach the Saint Realm level. Later, relying on his peak Saint Realm defensive capabilities, he entered the Yulan Continent's hundred-fold accelerator and eventually reached the God Level in a short time.