City of Sin
Yanyu Jiangnan
Every drop of the Archeron family bloodline is stained with sin. The only hope of his family, Richard Archeron - a youth with the blood of elves and demons - walks on a battleground of annihilation and rebirth, willing his way through boiling lava and icy depths, killing on a field of despair to strike down the lofty figures above him, until one day he grasps his blade and finds no more enemies to kill.
Progression: Xuanhuan/western-xianxia hybrid with an explicit numbered-level ladder: mages, priests and warriors climb numbered levels (Richard rises from a weak low-level mage toward legendary tiers), layered with runecrafting/runeword mastery tiers for rune knights and planar-conquest advancement (exploring and harvesting resources from conquered planes, offerings to gods). Structured advancement is the central engine of the story: Richard Archeron's growth in level, runes and planar holdings drives every arc.
Goodreads
