Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Dominant Persona, Abundant Gains

If Saga’s strength was dashing and Lingmeng’s was cold and beautiful, then Link’s could only be described as overbearing. No unnecessary movements, no superfluous words, not even a hint of aesthetic charm or elegance—there was only dominance, a force that disregarded everything in its way. One charge, one punch, one point—just these three simple actions, and under Link’s execution, the meaning of dominance was brought to its zenith.

In the eyes of the people, at this moment, Link didn’t resemble a gentle and refined religious figure at all. He was more like an invincible general charging across the battlefield, unstoppable no matter how many enemies lay ahead. He was strong—undeniably, irresistibly strong. If one had to use a flamboyant phrase to describe it, it would be “uncontrollable dominance radiating from within.”

If there were any way to measure the height of this dominance, one only needed to look to the collectively speechless audience and the shocked, grave expressions of the older generation of masters. Even among those seasoned veterans, few dared claim they could ignore the force that Link displayed.

With a tenfold surge of inner power, Link’s attack could threaten even those at the peak of the fourth tier. To threaten a fourth-tier master with third-tier strength—such a leap in power was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Of course, such a method did not come without its drawbacks. By fighting at tenfold capacity, Link unleashed strength far surpassing his actual level, but it also left his reserves nearly depleted. With just a punch and a single finger, he dropped from full strength to only thirty percent of his internal energy. Now, as he stood coolly over Amon’s corpse, he was actually using the time to adjust his breath and recover, lest anyone notice his exhaustion.

For this reason, in the eyes of the seasoned warriors, Link’s strength must be at least fifth-tier or higher. Why fifth-tier? Hadn’t they seen that he hadn’t even unleashed his battle aura? After his attack, he looked calm and composed, his breathing steady—there was no sign of someone who had just expended a great deal of energy. Clearly, he hadn’t used his full strength, yet had displayed the power of a peak fourth-tier master. Thus, his true strength must be greater still.

This was the benefit of using inner power. No matter how perceptive the experts might be, when faced with a completely unfamiliar force, unless they experienced it firsthand, they would interpret it with their own assumptions and conventional analysis.

And this was Link’s other motive: to establish himself as someone formidable, not to be trifled with—a fifth-tier powerhouse, enough to make all the churches present wary. Even the top-ranked Divine Church of the Bright Moon in the Red Moon province would not dare take him lightly.

Great strength brings great deterrent power and prestige. With the performances of Saga and Lingmeng earlier, after today, the Church of the Father would undoubtedly become the most dazzling new star among all emerging churches, its momentum rivaling even large established churches. When the time came to proselytize on the back of such fame, the results would be twice as great for half the effort.

Of course, this would also put the Church of the Father on every other church’s watch list. But with the Heavenly Spirit Church’s backing, Link could already disregard most mid-sized and small sects. Even the major churches would have to consider whether it was worth their trouble to move against him, knowing that the Church of the Father had powerful patrons.

With Count Losa, the local overlord, as his supporter, even if the major churches saw the Church of the Father rising, they would not dare act recklessly. The larger the organization, the more they had to weigh their actions. Faced with a rising church backed by a provincial lord, even knowing it would one day threaten their own power, they would not dare respond too harshly. At most, they would try to curb its development.

As long as these major religions didn’t resort to violence against the Church of the Father, Link would remain unassailable. Even if they tried other means, as long as his church kept to the straight and narrow—and with the system as his golden ticket—Link had nothing to fear from their petty schemes.

With this battle, Link not only dealt with the traitor’s legacy, but also won immense prestige and benefit—a bounty among bounties. Poor Amon, once a hero of his generation, had no idea he’d become a stepping stone for Link and the Church of the Father’s meteoric rise, and ended up dead and forgotten.

If one were to compare, Amon was not much weaker than Link, and he had excellent equipment. Even if he couldn’t win outright, he wouldn’t have lost easily in a fair fight. But like everyone else, Amon underestimated Link, thinking he had thoroughly studied his foe and thus withheld his trump cards at the start. As a result, Link’s surprise attack killed him in one blow. Had he survived that initial strike, faced with a Link who had exhausted himself, his chances of victory would have been quite good.

But there are no “ifs” in this world. Amon lost the initiative, misjudged his opponent, and paid the price.

Although deaths were rare in the All Saints’ Festival’s dueling tournament, they were not unheard of, and there were no rules against killing. Thus, Link hadn’t even broken the rules. When the host finally recovered from his shock, he announced the result, voice trembling.

This time, there was no chatter, no cheers, no applause—only stunned silence as everyone stared at the dominant figure of Link, cowed by his overwhelming presence and unsure how to respond.

It wasn’t until Count Losa stood up, applauding and loudly praising Link, that the crowd snapped out of their stupor and joined in. Yet many gazed at Link with awe and fear.

If dashing strength inspired reverence, and cold beauty evoked longing, then domineering power bred fear. Link had succeeded in establishing himself as a new, overbearing bishop—one who commanded respect and awe.

Those who had previously mocked and insulted Link now wished they could vanish or dig a hole to hide in. To face such a deadly, domineering figure—one who killed with a single strike—they dared not even meet his gaze, fearing he’d remember them. Even knowing that someone of his caliber would hardly bother with the likes of them, their terror could not be suppressed.

However, for those accustomed to grand occasions, Link’s power, though startling, was not so overwhelming that they couldn’t meet his eyes. In this world where the victor is king, Link’s forceful victory earned him the recognition of most present.

In short order, the leaders of the various churches came forward to congratulate Link with smiles, while no one paid any heed to the Star God Church, who had lost the duel. The followers of the Star God Church quickly retrieved Amon’s corpse and slipped away, deeply resenting Link, yet not daring to show it. His dominant display had left too deep an impression—they could only swallow their anger.

Link noticed their retreat, but paid it no mind. With a written magical contract as evidence, he wasn’t afraid of the Star God Church reneging on their wager—he would simply collect his winnings in due time. For now, his priority was to exchange pleasantries with the other church leaders who had come to congratulate him.

They were wary of this new, powerful church and its founder, but none wished to risk offending him. Remembering their previous cold treatment, they rushed to make amends and befriend Link. Before crossing into this world, Link had plenty of experience with social niceties and false courtesies. He handled them with ease, chatting and laughing as required.

Still, though Link was polite, he wasn’t overly enthusiastic, making it clear he had no intention of deepening these relationships just yet. The others understood this was his moment of celebration, so once they sensed his preference, they took their leave. They had shown their faces, expressed goodwill, and since he hadn’t rejected them, there was no need to linger and risk becoming unwelcome.

After this round of socializing, Link finally managed to send off the various church leaders. Count Losa, though eager to celebrate with Link, had to depart after offering his blessings due to his duties as host—he needed to preside over the important closing ceremony of the festival.

Once the ceremony concluded, Link led his group back to the headquarters of the Heavenly Spirit Church, trailed by countless awestruck gazes. There, a celebratory feast had been prepared in advance. Under Lingfeng’s guidance, the entire leadership of the Heavenly Spirit Church was present, and the festivities began in high spirits.

During the banquet, Count Losa and his son Brand even arrived in disguise to join the celebration. Their presence shocked the church members, for father and son were formidable figures in their own right. To learn they were also devout followers of Link left the congregation astonished.

Yet, being an order accustomed to a life of seclusion and steady temperament, the Heavenly Spirit Church quickly regained their composure, showing no undue restraint despite the presence of such great men. They continued to celebrate with joy and dignity alongside Link and his companions.

After the meal, Link drew Count Losa aside and got straight to the point: “My lord, do you have any items capable of sealing dark creatures?”

“Sealing dark creatures?” Count Losa was taken aback, asking suspiciously, “I do, yes, but why do you ask?”

Upon hearing this, Link’s eyes brightened, and he promptly recounted the matter of the Heavenly Spirit Church’s Third Elder intending to sacrifice herself to seal away a dark demon.

After hearing the story, Count Losa’s expression turned grave and admiring. “The Third Elder is truly a heroine, willing to sacrifice herself to protect the Red Moon province. As its ruler, how could I stand by and do nothing? Elder Lingfeng is right; this mustn’t reach the ears of other churches. If they learn of the demon, they’ll surely come to seize the artifact and try to control the demon for their own ends!”

Link nodded. “Exactly. That’s why we plan to quietly deal with the demon in the Spirit Mountain outside Bass City in a few days. My lord, you truly have a way to seal such a dark demon? Even freshly unsealed, that fiend would still have seventh- or eighth-tier strength!”

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The ranking on the Sanjiang board has dropped again. Rolling about and begging for votes!