Chapter 88: Upgrade
White extended in every direction without a wall, floor, or horizon.
Wuxia sat at the centre of the empty space with his legs crossed, a black scythe rested across his lap, its pale curved blade surrounded by faint grey mist.
Almost nothing remained of the staff it had once been.
His eyes suddenly opened and the darkness inside them spread across his pupils before slowly retreating, at the same time a series of notifications rang through the silent space.
[Soul Monarch Authority advancement complete.]
[Authority Level increased: Level 1 → Level 2.]
[Authority capacity expanded.]
[Maximum Soul Army capacity increased: 3,000 → 10,000.]
[Existing Authority skills have evolved.]
Wuxia straightened slightly as another panel opened before him.
[Soul Extraction has evolved into Soul Harvest.]
[Soul Harvest: Extract Soul Power, Death Energy and compatible soul imprints from defeated targets.]
[Extraction efficiency and compatibility detection have increased.]
The notification disappeared before another replaced it.
[Soul Perception has evolved into Death Perception.]
[Death Perception: Observe souls, spiritual structures, death energy and abnormalities concealed within living or dead targets.]
[Perception range and resistance penetration have increased.]
Wuxia’s expression brightened as the changes continued.
[Soul Threads have evolved into Monarch Threads.]
[Monarch Threads: Create stronger connections with souls, Soul Soldiers and marked targets.]
[Control distance, durability and transmission efficiency have increased.]
[Soul Force has evolved into Monarch’s Grasp.]
[Monarch’s Grasp: Exert direct force through the user’s Authority.]
[Strength depends upon Authority Level, Soul Power expenditure and the target’s resistance.]
The skills were not merely stronger versions of what he had possessed before, instead each one had become more closely connected to the Authority itself, reducing the amount of Soul Power required to maintain the same effect.
Another notification appeared.
[Descent has evolved into Dimensional Descent.]
Wuxia’s attention immediately settled on it.
[Dimensional Descent: Descend into a Soul Soldier regardless of the distance or dimensional boundary separating it from the user.]
[The user may temporarily transmit a portion of their Authority, perception and combat control through the selected Soul Soldier.]
[Maximum continuous descent duration: Thirty minutes]
[Cooldown after activation: Three days.]
[Current limitation: Only one active descent may be maintained.]
A smile slowly appeared across Wuxia’s face.
The original Descent had already allowed him to control Varkhiel directly, but it depended upon their connection remaining within a manageable distance. If Xingluo or one of his soldiers became trapped inside another isolated space, that distance could become a serious weakness.
Dimensional Descent removed that restriction, as long as the Soul Soldier remained connected to his Authority, Wuxia could reach it.
The final evolved skill appeared next.
[Soul Armament has evolved into Death Armament.]
[Death Armament: Condense stored Death Energy into weapons, armour or temporary enhancements compatible with the user’s soul.]
[Bound equipment may now be strengthened through Death Energy.]
Before Wuxia could examine the changes further, two unfamiliar panels opened beside the first.
[New Authority skill acquired: Soul Ascension.]
[Soul Ascension: Defeated targets may produce Soul Shards during Soul Harvest.]
[Soul Shards may be consumed to improve the quality, attributes or retained abilities of a Soul Soldier.]
[Every Soul Soldier possesses an inherent growth limit determined by its original soul, bloodline and compatibility.]
[Soul Ascension cannot raise a Soul Soldier beyond its inherent limit.]
Wuxia read the notification twice, until now, the quality of a Soul Soldier had been decided almost completely when it was extracted.
He could repair it, strengthen it temporarily or sacrifice weaker soldiers to reinforce a stronger one but he had possessed no stable method of permanently improving an existing soldier.
Soul Ascension changed that, Varkhiel and the Twin Demon Flood Dragons already possessed powerful foundations. If their inherent limits were high enough, Soul Shards could push them far beyond their current ranks.
However, ordinary soldiers would still remain ordinary, no amount of Soul Shards could turn a weak soul with no potential into something equal to Varkhiel.
The restriction did not disappoint Wuxia, it just prevented him from wasting valuable resources on soldiers that could never provide a worthwhile return.
He moved his attention toward the second new skill.
[New Authority skill acquired: God of Death.]
The panel remained dark beneath the name.
[Current state: Unavailable.]
[Activation Requirement: Create a suitable Avatar capable of containing the user’s soul and Authority.]
[Upon activation, the user may descend into the Avatar and temporarily exist within the living world through a physical vessel.]
Wuxia’s smile disappeared as he leaned closer.
[Maximum descent duration: Seven days.]
[Actual duration depends upon the Avatar’s quality, compatibility and structural stability.]
[Cooldown after descent: Thirty days.]
[Additional functions will become available after the first successful activation.]
For several breaths, Wuxia did nothing except stare at the notification.
God of Death would not restore his original body, but it offered something he had believed impossible since awakening inside Xingluo’s room.
A way to physically return to the living world.
The duration depended upon the Avatar he created, and even the best possible vessel could only support him for seven days before the skill entered a month-long cooldown. However, seven days with a real body were far different from remaining an invisible soul unable to touch most objects.
The skill also referred to additional functions that the system refused to reveal.
Wuxia dismissed the panels and opened the Authority interface.
[Soul Monarch Authority: Level 2.]
[Soul Power: 100,000/5,000,000.]
[Death Energy: 100,000/1,000,000.]
[Soul Army Capacity: 10,000.]
[Active Soul Soldiers: 2894.]
His satisfaction lasted until he noticed the Soul Power requirement, Five million.
Wuxia stared at the number before checking it again, as though another look might remove one of the zeroes.
It did not.
Second-transition monsters provided roughly ten times more Soul Power than most first-transition beasts, while elite monsters, bosses and creatures with special bloodlines could provide considerably more.
Even then, gathering five million would require an absurd number of extractions unless he repeatedly encountered targets like the Twin Demon Flood Dragons or Yue Qianyin.
Such monsters were not waiting around every corner to be harvested.
Wuxia released a slow breath. "At this rate, I really need to start using my protagonist luck."
The words left his mouth before he fully considered them, he remained silent for a moment, then looked away from the panel.
Damn it, Xingluo’s webnovel addiction is starting to affect me.
Despite the requirement, his mood remained good.
His army limit had increased by more than three times, every original skill had evolved and Soul Ascension gave his strongest soldiers a permanent path forward. God of Death also offered him the possibility of possessing a physical body again, even if only temporarily.
Five million Soul Power was excessive, but it was not impossible, Wuxia lowered his gaze toward the scythe resting across his lap.
A final panel opened above it.
[Bound weapon evolution complete.]
[Name: Death Monarch’s Scythe.]
[Type: Growth-type Soul Weapon.]
[Current Grade: Epic.]
[Bound User: Shen Wuxia.]
[Primary Energy: Death Energy.]
[Ability: Death Harvest.]
[Automatically absorbs uncontrolled Death Energy within range. Absorption may be suppressed or directed by the wielder.]
[Ability: Soul Severance.]
[Attacks may directly damage souls, spiritual bodies and manifested Authority constructs.]
[Ability: Reaper’s Mark.]
[Targets wounded by the scythe become easier to perceive, pursue and harvest.]
[Growth Requirement: Authority advancement, Death Energy and recognition from higher forms of Death.]
Wuxia closed one hand around the shaft.
The weapon responded immediately, grey mist flowed from the markings and wrapped around his fingers without resisting him, while the pale blade released a pressure that made the surrounding white space tremble.
It had reached Epic grade, yet the panel still identified it as a growth-type weapon.
Wuxia stood and gave it a short swing and the blade crossed the empty space without resistance, leaving a thin black line behind it that remained visible for several breaths before closing.
Its weight felt almost nonexistent inside his hands, but the power gathered along its edge was heavier than anything his old staff had possessed.
Before he could test it again, the white space began breaking apart as cracks spread beneath his feet and crossed the empty sky as the advancement space rejected his presence. The notifications disappeared one after another, while the scythe dissolved into grey mist and entered his soul.
Wuxia felt the Anchor Link return.
The roars of beasts, the collapse of stone and the repeated impacts shaking the fortress replaced the silence. His perception crossed the remaining distance instantly, and the white space shattered around him.
Wuxia appeared beside Xingluo upon the damaged battlement, her sword was covered in blood, several cracks had spread across her armour and the defensive line in front of her was being pushed back beneath another wave of monsters.
She turned sharply as his presence returned.
You finally woke up.
Wuxia looked across the battlefield, then felt the evolved Authority settle throughout his soul.
It seems I missed a few things.