Sacred Cloth Bestowal

Qian Renxue looked down at the Aries Gold Cloth on her body like a curious child.

From time to time, she would reach up to touch the unique ram horns of the Aries constellation, occasionally spinning around to show off to Lin Beiya, having completely forgotten her disheveled appearance from just moments ago.

Watching the little angel acting like she had found a treasure, Lin Beiya revealed a knowing smile. His hypothesis had proven true: the Gold Cloth could indeed be used by others. Furthermore, he could sense that through the summoning of the Athena Statue, the Cloth would immediately return to the statue the moment he willed it.

After a while, Qian Renxue finally grew accustomed to the novelty of the golden armor. She looked at Lin Beiya with her large, sparkling eyes, as if asking if she could keep wearing the Cloth from now on.

However, Lin Beiya was clearly not focused on that point, instead asking in a deep voice:

"Xiao Xue, try to see if you can execute the combat skills attached to the Cloth."

"Ah?"

The sudden change in address caught Qian Renxue off guard. Within Douluo Hall, only her grandfather and the elders addressed her that way, but Qian Renxue's cheeks only flushed slightly, and she did not refute Lin Beiya's choice of words; she did not find it offensive.

"Combat skills? Do you mean that wall you used just now?"

"That's right, try to sense it and give it a go."

"Okay."

Hearing this, Qian Renxue slowly closed her eyes, which were still slightly red and swollen, and began to communicate her mind with the Aries Gold Cloth.

A moment later, the little angel revealed an excited smile.

"Beiya, it really works! Look."

"Crystal Wall!"

A wall manifested, isolating the two of them. Lin Beiya was all too familiar with this skill; it was exactly the Crystal Wall he released when wearing the Gold Cloth. It seemed his guess was correct: those who wore the Gold Cloth could also use its accompanying combat skills.

The experiment was not over yet. Before Qian Renxue could enjoy her success for long, Lin Beiya used the statue to recall the Aries Gold Cloth, and the little angel returned to her disheveled state once more.

The Crystal Wall in front of them dissipated into the air along with it.

"Hey... hey!!!"

"What happened? Where did my clothes go?"

In a state of shock, Qian Renxue looked at Lin Beiya with tears in her eyes.

"Beiya, where is the golden armor? I haven't worn it enough yet!"

"Don't be in such a rush. Try to see if you can still release the Crystal Wall!"

"Oh... oh, I'll try!"

Lin Beiya's question interrupted Qian Renxue's obsession with the Gold Cloth, and the little girl quickly closed her eyes to test the combat skill.

But things did not go as planned. No matter how hard the little angel strained, her cheeks turning bright red, there was no sign of the Crystal Wall appearing again.

"What's going on? Does it mean I can only use the Crystal Wall while wearing the armor?"

"Yes, the combat skills are attached to the Cloth. Perhaps wearing it for a long time will allow you to comprehend the skills yourself, but that is clearly not possible yet."

Qian Renxue glared at Lin Beiya with dissatisfaction, as if blaming him for taking back the Cloth before she could master such a powerful skill.

"Then what are you waiting for? Give the Cloth to me!"

Rolling his eyes, Lin Beiya slapped away the small, fair hand Qian Renxue had reached out.

"I haven't even fully researched my own martial soul yet. You'll have to wait a few days."

"Ah!!"

Hearing that she couldn't wear such beautiful clothes, Qian Renxue was immediately unhappy. Wasn't this just torture?

"Just let me wear it for a few days!"

"How about I trade you for a Soul Tool? This was given to me by my grandfather."

Qian Renxue pointed to the necklace around her neck, which bore an angel pattern, and stared at Lin Beiya with her large, sparkling eyes, hoping to win his consent. This caused the corner of Qian Daoliu's mouth, who was secretly watching the two little ones from afar, to twitch uncontrollably as he cursed his granddaughter for being a spendthrift.

Lin Beiya remained unmoved by the little angel's bribery, raising his hand to shake the ring on his finger as he said:

"No need, I already have a Soul Tool. Coincidentally, it was also given to me by your grandfather."

"Lin Beiya!"

Seeing that her goal could not be achieved, the little angel stomped her feet and glared at him in anger.

Lin Beiya felt a sense of helplessness in his heart and could only offer words of comfort:

"I'll research it for a few days first, and I'll definitely let you wear it later. Besides, if my expectations are correct, my second soul skill will also be a brand-new set of armor. Wouldn't it be better if we each had a set then?"

"Re... really?"

Hearing this, Qian Renxue immediately put away the anger on her face. If there were two sets of armor, that would be even better.

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and go cultivate! Then we'll have armor to wear."

As she spoke, Qian Renxue pushed Lin Beiya toward his home to cultivate, which left him feeling quite helpless.

"Give me a break, Miss. I haven't even had lunch yet!"

He had already slept until noon, and before he could even wake up properly, he had been dragged to the training grounds by Qian Renxue. Now, after such a long delay, his stomach had started to rumble.

Besides, reaching the level of a Soul Grand Master wasn't something that could be done in a day or two. Was she joking?

Fortunately, Qian Renxue realized her actions were a bit nonsensical, and after a couple of awkward coughs, she said:

"Ahem... ahem... then go eat first. Don't fall behind on your cultivation either. This Young Lady will also work hard to reach the Soul Elder realm, and when that time comes, I'll smash that broken wall of yours head-on!"

"Fine, fine, fine. Student Xiao Xue is the most amazing. How about I study the Gold Cloth at night, and you wear it during the day?"

"Really?"

Faced with such a good proposal, Qian Renxue immediately dropped her fierce act and looked at Lin Beiya with a hopeful expression.

"As if there's some reward for lying to you. Alright, I'm off to eat. You should have sword training this afternoon, right? Let's meet at the garden pavilion tomorrow morning."

"Good. If you dare to sleep in again, this Young Lady will..."

Qian Renxue, who had originally intended to say she would beat him up, suddenly remembered that she didn't seem to be Lin Beiya's match anymore, and the words felt incredibly stifling as they reached her lips.

As luck would have it, Lin Beiya looked at her with a teasing expression and said:

"Will what?"

"Oh, go eat your food! You're so annoying!"

The pride in her heart made it impossible for her to say something like "I'll get my grandfather to beat you up," so she could only wave Lin Beiya away as if shooing a fly. At the same time, a fire was lit within her; she decided she must defeat Lin Beiya through her own strength no matter what.

After finishing his late lunch, Lin Beiya returned to his room to begin meditation. Whether it was to activate the subsequent Gold Cloths or to utilize the various ultimate techniques of the Gold Saints, soul power was of the utmost importance.

Today's experiment had made him fully understand the terrifying nature of the Statue Martial Soul. According to his vision, he could eventually become an army of one; it was not impossible to face enemies while accompanied by the Twelve Gold Saints.

He just wasn't sure if a soul master wearing a Gold Cloth could still use their original martial soul. Lin Beiya planned to test this with the little angel tomorrow. If one could still use their original martial soul's soul skills while maintaining the ability to use Gold techniques, the tactical versatility of these cloths would be even greater.

Furthermore, he hadn't forgotten about Shi Tou, the chubby kid who grew up with him in the orphanage. His martial soul was the Great Strength Demon Bull, and as expected, the next Gold Cloth he intended to activate was the Taurus Gold Cloth.

With motivation, sitting in meditation no longer felt so dull. With the ten percent cultivation speed boost from the Gold Cloth, Lin Beiya continued to cultivate his soul power until late into the night before stopping to sleep and welcome the arrival of a new day.