The Sovereign's Gift

"Perseverance: Passive skill. Activates when stamina falls below 30%, reducing damage taken by 50%."

"Recovery State: Passive skill. After high-intensity exercise, a certain amount of rest will completely clear the fatigue produced by the body, restoring it to peak condition."

"Swift Walk: Active skill. Increases movement speed by 30%."

"Strike the Weak Point: Close-combat skill. Can identify openings in an enemy and deal massive damage."

"Throwing Dagger: Ranged attack skill. Throw daggers to damage enemies. As the level increases, both accuracy and damage will increase."

"What is this..." He clutched his head with one hand. The sudden influx of information made his mind throb slightly, but as his thoughts gradually cleared, Cheng Xiao came back to his senses.

It turned out that as Cheng Xiao's compatibility with Shadow Power grew higher and higher, his level would also continue to rise. Just like Sung Jin-woo, who possessed a system, he would continuously level up, and upon reaching certain levels, he would gain corresponding skills.

The several skills that had appeared in his mind were precisely among the many inheritances the Shadow Monarch had left for Cheng Xiao.

At the same time, a soul ring bearing strange patterns, Dark Purple in color, condensed around Cheng Xiao. This was not a soul ring from the Douluo world, but one formed from the Shadow Power within his body. It was also proof of the Sovereign!

The soul rings condensed by Shadow Power were not formed according to their age, but according to the maximum age Cheng Xiao's body could withstand. In other words, soul rings condensed by Shadow Power would grow stronger as Cheng Xiao's level increased. Such soul rings were Growth Soul Rings!

The strength of Cheng Xiao's first soul ring was not at the hundred-year level, but at the thousand-year level. Though he had not consumed any heavenly treasures to strengthen his body, how could a body nourished by Shadow Power possibly possess the physical qualities of an ordinary soul master?

As Cheng Xiao's first soul ring slowly emerged, the Nether Demon Wolf immediately felt a terror rising from the depths of its soul. That fear transcended bloodlines; it was entirely the suppression of a higher life form. The one-ring soul master before it should have been something it could swat to death with a single paw, so why did it sense an indescribable threat of death from this human?

"Awoo~~"

Realizing that if it did not act, death would be its end, the Nether Demon Wolf threw back its head and howled, seemingly trying to comfort its young heart. Then, its wolf eyes locked tightly onto Cheng Xiao, its fangs bared as it opened its bloody maw and lunged at him.

Yet facing the Nether Demon Wolf as it lunged at him with its bloody maw open, Cheng Xiao expressionlessly raised his arm and extended a finger. A Dark Purple ray shot from his fingertip.

As the Dark Purple light shot from his finger, the Nether Demon Wolf's body froze. A thumb-sized hole filled with the aura of death had appeared in the center of its forehead.

The next moment, the Nether Demon Wolf collapsed weakly at Cheng Xiao's feet. Its wide-open wolf eyes were filled with shock. It could never have imagined that a mere one-ring soul master could kill it so easily, without even the slightest effort.

Of course, the Nether Demon Wolf did not know that the boy standing before it was not Cheng Xiao himself, but the Shadow Monarch using his body, because this was the... power he had left within Cheng Xiao.

Boom—

All the Shadow Power surged forth. Cheng Xiao felt his body go limp and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. The purple light glowing in the depths of his eyes gradually faded away as well.

Ding!

At that moment, an icy, emotionless voice suddenly appeared in Cheng Xiao's mind.

[The system administrator has died. You do not possess the permissions of a system player... Redefining identity... Successor of the Third-Generation Sovereign... The Sovereign's gift has been issued... Good luck.]

"Wolf Slayer Title acquired. When facing beast-type Soul Beasts, all attributes will increase by 40%."

"Unknown Skill MAX: Passive skill. Effect unknown."

"Descent of the Otherworld King (Used)"

"Temporary Recovery State: Instantly restores peak condition (Used)"

The next moment, Cheng Xiao felt the depleted Soul Power within his body recover at a terrifying speed. Immediately afterward, an indescribable sense of comfort welled up inside him. It could not be conveyed through words, as though he had entered the clouds, or reached the height of some blissful paradise. It felt utterly wonderful.

Who knew how long that comfortable sensation lasted? When Cheng Xiao slowly opened his eyes, night had already fallen. Rolling over and climbing to his feet, he discovered in surprise that his body seemed to have undergone some changes after condensing a soul ring. His originally fit body had grown noticeably taller, and even his delicate features had become more handsome.

Lowering his head to look at his arms, he could still see the fundamental changes to his skin despite the darkness. Put simply, it was as though his body had been cleansed.

"Looks like the Newbie Gift Pack the Shadow Monarch left me has come to an end." Cheng Xiao released his martial soul once more, but this time, the previous abnormality did not appear. Only a plume of Dark Purple black mist coiled in his right palm. Within that Dark Purple mist seemed to echo the roars of countless undead and loyal whispers.

Retracting his martial soul, Cheng Xiao immediately sat cross-legged. The enormous amount of information flooding his mind was too much for him to digest at once. Skills like Swift Walk, Strike the Weak Point, and Throwing Dagger all felt instinctively familiar to him, yet he had never actually used them. Right now, he desperately needed to process this information.

Before Cheng Xiao, black mist slowly rose from the corpse of the Nether Demon Wolf that the Shadow Monarch had killed while taking over his body. Before it could take shape, it seemed to receive some sort of summons, transforming into a shadow that slipped into Cheng Xiao's own shadow.

As the black mist entered Cheng Xiao's shadow, a yellow ring gradually rose from the Nether Demon Wolf's corpse. This was the yellow Hundred Year Soul Ring produced by the Nether Demon Wolf, but the energy it emitted was exceptionally faint. Judging by its energy fluctuations, it seemed even weaker than the energy produced by a ten-year Soul Beast's soul ring.

After night had fully fallen, Tang San and Master, who had abandoned Cheng Xiao and fled, were not particularly lucky. Master had kept running while enduring the pain, and his stamina was quickly exhausted.

Their plan to leave the Soul Hunting Forest and call for help was temporarily set aside. Since the Nether Demon Wolf had not caught up to them, they chose to rest beneath a large tree first. They would leave the Soul Hunting Forest after recovering some strength.

Within the pitch-black forest, the first thing that caught the eye was a hastily lit bonfire. Pale yellow flames burned the firewood, producing crackling sounds. Tang San and Master sat around the fire, their faces somewhat pale.

Clearly, their escape had not been easy. Even though they had successfully evaded the Nether Demon Wolf's pursuit, both of them were left panting like oxen from exhaustion.