Chapter Thirty-Five: The Dragon Saint Cloth and the Descent into Madness

If there were any gaming enthusiasts from Earth present, they would no doubt ridicule Link for both showing off and blatantly plagiarizing, for the words he had just spoken were lifted straight from the classic game “Assassin’s Creed.” Indeed, Link was once again displaying his penchant for imitation. Suddenly recalling that the protagonist of the first “Assassin’s Creed” was also named Altair, he decided, indulging his mischievous side, to name the assassin division “Assassin’s Creed.”

After explaining the story of Assassin’s Creed and Altair to Jack and the others, night had already fallen. Link returned to his room at once, sitting quietly and awaiting the stroke of midnight. Tonight, not only would he receive an achievement reward, but it was also time for the monthly lottery—a moment Link had been eagerly anticipating.

As the clock struck midnight, the system immediately conjured a partial manual containing the middle three levels of the “Nine Yang Divine Skill,” and asked Link if he wanted to proceed with the lottery draw. Naturally, Link did not hesitate, decisively choosing “yes.” The prize wheel appeared before his eyes.

Link’s heart pounded faster with nervous anticipation as the pointer spun rapidly. At last, it stopped on the “Equipment” section.

In an instant, a green light shimmered before him, and then a set of green metal armor materialized. The armor assembled itself into the form of an Oriental dragon, resembling a large model. It was none other than the Dragon Cloth from “Saint Seiya.”

Although this Dragon Cloth was only the lowest-grade Bronze Cloth, it possessed the most durable shield among all the Cloths, offering exceptional defense. Furthermore, all Cloths were inherently powerful, capable of unleashing the wearer’s potential. Even the most basic Bronze Cloth was far superior to ordinary equipment.

As a child of the eighties transported to another world, “Saint Seiya” had left an indelible mark on Link’s youth, filling him with fond memories. He still remembered his boyhood obsession with the Saint Seiya warriors. Now, seeing the familiar Dragon Cloth summoned before him, Link’s heart surged with excitement, and he couldn’t help but reach out to touch the armor.

However, as the effects of the Dragon Cloth were transmitted into his mind, Link froze, then gave a wry smile. “Are you kidding me? I won this from the lottery, so why is it nothing but a cumbersome hunk of metal to me?”

Why did Link say this? The system’s version of the Cloth perfectly replicated the original’s properties: not only offering defense, but also empowering the wearer—but only if the wearer possessed unwavering faith. The stronger the faith, the greater the enhancement, much like the main characters in the original “Saint Seiya,” who would erupt with power whenever they thought of their goddess Athena.

Conversely, if one lacked faith, or did not have faith in Link, then the Cloth would provide no enhancement whatsoever. Instead, it would become unbearably heavy, rendering it impossible to move.

As the leader of the Church of the Father God, Link had no faith—after all, he was the god that others worshipped. How could he have faith in himself? Thus, to Link, this Dragon Cloth was utterly useless—not even as good as a chicken rib, for at least a chicken rib could be eaten. Wearing the Dragon Cloth would actually weaken him considerably.

Thinking of this, Link couldn’t help but complain, “This is outrageous. This was my prize; can’t the system make it usable for me?”

The system, as always, replied with silence.

Link sighed heavily. He had been so excited, thinking his childhood dream was about to come true, only to end up thoroughly disappointed.

Of course, this didn’t mean the Cloth was wasted. While it was useless to Link, it would be a godly artifact for others in the church. For instance, Saga and Aiolos were both eligible to wear the Dragon Cloth, as Link had already designated them as his Saints.

“Should I give it to Saga or Aiolos?” After a moment’s thought, Link decided to give it to Saga first, since Saga had followed him the longest and was the stronger of the two. It was only fair to grant him such a reward.

Link wasn’t worried about betrayal or the Cloth falling into the wrong hands. Saga would never betray him, and even if someone else got hold of it, without faith in Link, it would be nothing but trash. Moreover, anything produced by the system could not be easily seized. Even though Link couldn’t wear the armor himself, he was still its true master. No matter where the Cloth ended up, Link could always sense its location and, as long as it was within a hundred kilometers, summon it back with a mere thought.

“But how am I supposed to carry this thing? Am I expected to lug around a big box like in the anime, or just wear it all the time?” Link stared at the Dragon Cloth, troubled. In the world of Sora, there were no such things as spatial rings; even if they existed, they would be divine artifacts, for space manipulation was considered a godly power, unattainable by mortals. If mortals could master such abilities, traveling between worlds would be a trivial matter.

“If only it could shrink,” Link muttered helplessly. No sooner had he spoken than the Cloth emitted a green glow and rapidly shrank, finally transforming into a thumb-sized green crystal.

Link’s eyes widened in astonishment. He hurried forward to pick up the crystal, and its information instantly flooded his mind.

A smile spread across Link’s face. “Well now, as expected of a system-produced treasure—it can even transform into a portable crystal, something the original never could. Looks like my knock-off Cloth is even better than the real thing.”

With that, Link stowed away the Cloth crystal, then turned his attention to the partial manual recording the middle three levels of the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

After reading it through, the system’s function immediately took effect, allowing Link to master the first six levels of the skill completely. Instantly, he felt his internal energy capacity quadruple, his recovery rate more than double, and his strength soar. He estimated that now, even without using any special techniques, a single palm strike filled with inner force could kill any opponent below the second tier.

Link was overjoyed, but before he could fully savor it, a surge of heat suddenly erupted from his dantian, followed by searing pain that made him gasp for breath. He hurriedly circulated his energy to try to expel the heat.

But he soon discovered that the source of the heat was his own Nine Yang inner force—the more he tried to dispel it, the stronger it burned, as if he were being roasted alive.

“What’s going on? Why is the Nine Yang Divine Skill acting up like this? Am I facing a life-and-death trial? That shouldn’t be; the true fire trial only happens when breaking through the ninth level. I’m only at the sixth—far from any bottleneck. Besides, I learned these techniques instantly through the system, so I shouldn’t be hitting any critical barriers!” Link’s mind raced, searching for answers as the burning sensation intensified, his inner force threatening to spiral out of control. He dared not wait any longer and dashed to the Holy Light Cathedral, using its purifying effect to dispel the blazing energy.

But before he could even catch his breath, the heat returned, startling him. He used the cathedral’s effect again to suppress it.

It was a vicious cycle: the burning would return shortly after being dispelled, each time more quickly, until eventually it recurred every five seconds. This terrified Link, who realized that external forces could no longer solve the problem.

After some thought, Link decisively stopped relying on the cathedral’s purification and instead tried to endure and counteract the heat through his own efforts, resorting to the cathedral only when he was at his limit.

After much struggle, Link still hadn’t solved the problem, but he had figured out the root cause: he wasn’t experiencing a life-or-death trial, but had fallen into a state of energy deviation!

Link sighed deeply. “To think I’d actually experience energy deviation. It seems the system may offer shortcuts and convenience, but it doesn’t allow me to become stronger without effort. Without a solid foundation, even the most supreme martial arts are like castles in the air—beautiful, but always at risk of collapse.”

With this realization, Link began working to suppress the energy deviation. For any martial artist, energy deviation is a nightmare—one wrong move could mean crippling injury or death. If not for the Holy Light Cathedral, Link would have perished.

But precisely because of the cathedral, he now had a chance to overcome the energy deviation. Previously, Link had always stored his inner force in his dantian, rarely circulating it except in battle. This was a mistake; without tempering his body with internal energy, his meridians could not adapt to the powerful Nine Yang force, leaving hidden dangers that had finally erupted when he learned the next three levels.

So, Link’s task now was to continually exercise and refine his body, allowing the Nine Yang energy to circulate through his meridians until they were fully adapted.

That night, Link stayed inside the Holy Light Cathedral, enduring the torment of energy deviation while tempering himself. Though the pain was intense, it was an excellent opportunity for growth. With the cathedral’s protection, he had no fear of losing control and actually managed to turn the situation to his advantage.

One cycle, two cycles, five cycles, ten cycles, sixteen cycles, thirty-two cycles—by dawn, Link had circulated his inner energy through one hundred and eight cycles.

In internal martial arts, one hundred and eight cycles is the threshold. To complete so many cycles in a single night meant that his meridians had fully adapted, allowing his inner force to flow unimpeded throughout his body. If he were to open his Ren and Du meridians, his internal energy would be inexhaustible.

This perfectly matched the effects of the Nine Yang Divine Skill: when one mastered the ninth level, opening the Ren and Du meridians, internal energy would replenish itself endlessly. At that point, he would never have to worry about running out of energy, as his recovery would guarantee a perpetual supply.

Thinking of this, anticipation gleamed in Link’s eyes. “The last three levels of the Nine Yang Divine Skill... I wonder when I’ll be able to draw them. Once I master them, I could fire off Yang Finger strikes like a machine gun.”