Chapter Thirty-Four: The Sacred Armor of the Great Chalice

Just like the Dolphin Saint Mei Yi who had been knocked away earlier, the Southern Fish and Flying Fish Saints were gravely wounded the moment they took a punch from Yin Seventeen. Fortunately, both of them were much stronger than Mei Yi; they managed to barely keep their footing and avoided the humiliation of collapsing to the ground. Yet, their shattered armor and bleeding wounds made it clear to everyone present—they no longer had any strength to continue the fight.

In the audience, a bald Saint sighed, “This newly promoted Silver Saint is truly formidable. With such ease, he dispatched three Bronze Saints, and it seems he hasn't even used his full strength!”

“Exactly!” someone beside him whispered, “Judging from the battle earlier, this new Silver is much stronger than those who’ve just broken through to the Silver rank.”

“I suspect his strength places him in the middle tier among all Silver Saints!” Another Saint nearby couldn’t resist joining the conversation. “I wonder whose disciple he is—so young, yet so powerful! We’ve never heard of him before.”

A prodigy of such caliber, he could hardly believe, was self-taught. Natural talent mattered, of course, but a powerful mentor was indispensable. Only when both were present could such genius be forged.

“Besides the topmost Silver Saints, only those esteemed figures from the Twelve Temples could nurture a disciple like this,” the bald Saint reflected again.

The others nodded in agreement. “Yes, apart from them, there’s no one else who could.”

On the judges’ platform, seeing that the outcome was settled, the Pope declared loudly, “The result is decided!”

“Now, in the name of the Goddess, I affirm the fairness and justice of this Silver Saint promotion battle!”

“I hereby announce: Yin Seventeen has successfully ascended to Silver Saint, and is bestowed the Silver Chalice Saint Cloth!”

As his words faded, cheers and applause erupted from the audience. They had the fortune to witness the birth of a new Silver Saint!

At the same time, the Pope burned his own cosmos, quietly using his telepathy to send a message to a hidden temple in the Sanctuary.

“Altar Saint Murphy, in the name of the Pope, I command you to bring the Chalice Saint Cloth to me immediately!”

“Yes, I obey the Pope’s command!”

Within the temple, a male Saint clad in silver armor faced the direction of the arena, saluted, and then walked deeper into the palace.

Back in the arena, just as the Pope finished announcing, everyone saw a silver radiance shooting from the foot of the sacred mountain. With not a hint of smoke or flame, it landed gently in the arena, materializing into a Saint clad in silver armor, carrying a silver Saint Cloth chest on his back.

“Altar Saint Murphy greets the Pope!” The newcomer knelt on one knee, saluting the judges’ platform.

“Leave the Chalice Saint Cloth and take the Swordfish Saint Cloth back with you!” the Pope commanded.

“Yes!”

Murphy answered, immediately exchanging the chest on his back for the one on the display stand, then vanished again in a flash of silver light.

“Come, young man! This Saint Cloth, symbol of the Goddess’s warrior, is now yours!” The Pope pointed to the silver chest on the display, addressing Yin Seventeen.

“Thank you, Your Holiness!”

Yin Seventeen strode toward the display. As he drew closer to the Saint Cloth chest, his heart could no longer remain calm. At last, he would possess a Saint Cloth of his own!

The entire chest was a silvery-gray, its surface adorned with elaborate reliefs. On its front panel was carved a massive cup—the emblem of the Chalice.

Yin Seventeen placed his right hand on it, igniting his cosmos and letting its aura seep into the chest. As the upper-tier cloth to the Swordfish Saint Cloth, the Chalice Saint Cloth had similar requirements for choosing its master. Since his cosmos matched with the Swordfish Saint Cloth, it would naturally resonate with the Chalice Saint Cloth as well. Yet, as a Silver Cloth, the Chalice was more advanced than the Bronze Swordfish Cloth, demanding greater strength from its user’s cosmos.

Only Saints who had reached the Silver rank could fully unlock the power of a Silver Cloth.

Sensing his cosmos probing it, the Chalice Saint Cloth responded instantly with a surge of joy. Without surprise, Yin Seventeen received its recognition.

“Come, fight alongside me!”

He sent his intention into the chest with his mind.

At his call, the Chalice Saint Cloth resonated with his cosmos, and the chest burst open.

In an instant, before the astonished gazes of all, a pillar of silver light pierced the heavens. From within it, a gigantic silver goblet, edged with blue, emerged slowly.

“So that’s the Chalice Saint Cloth?” a Saint exclaimed in the audience.

The Chalice Saint had not appeared for a long time, and the Cloth had been left unused; for many, this was their first glimpse of its true form.

Clang, clang, clang!

Amid crisp metallic strikes, the short-legged silver goblet split apart, transforming into countless tiny components, which, drawn by the calling cosmos, began to assemble themselves upon him.

Within moments, the pieces of the Chalice Saint Cloth fitted themselves tightly and automatically across Yin Seventeen’s body. Except for the waist, thighs, and elbows, almost every part of him was now protected by the armor.

Moreover, as the Cloth and cosmos complemented each other, the resonance made the heavy armor feel almost weightless to Yin Seventeen, and even his sluggish cosmos seemed easier to command.

“This sensation is indescribable—truly wonderful!” Yin Seventeen rejoiced inwardly.

No wonder, every time there was a Cloth contest, the backup Saints fought so desperately.

Beyond its effect on his cosmos, the Chalice Saint Cloth also brought him many martial inheritances—imprints automatically recorded by the Cloth itself, detailing the techniques of previous Chalice Saints. Thanks to this feature and the similarity of cosmos power, successors could easily learn the former Saints’ techniques after acquiring the Cloth.

But now wasn’t the time to study these legacies—he mustn’t keep the Pope waiting.

Suppressing his joy, Yin Seventeen approached the judges’ platform, knelt on one knee, and saluted, “Chalice Silver Saint Yin Seventeen, greets the Pope!”

In the audience, seeing the Chalice Saint take his place and the promotion battle concluded, people began to leave. The excitement was over—it was time to return to training.

“How does it feel?” the Pope looked at the youth below and asked.

“Good, very good!” Yin Seventeen bowed his head in reply.

“That’s good then!”

The Pope nodded and continued, “I happen to have a troublesome matter here, and was just worrying about finding someone suitable.”

“Although you’ve just become a Silver Saint, your strength is already impressive for your rank.”

“I’ll assign you to handle it!”

At these words, Yin Seventeen’s face fell. He’d barely warmed up his new Chalice Cloth, and now he was being sent out on a mission—how unlucky!

But the Pope was the Pope; open refusal was impossible.

Helpless, he could only brace himself and say, “Your Holiness, I’ve just received the Chalice Saint Cloth and need some time to familiarize myself with its use—may I have a little time to adjust first?”