Chapter 111: Copying the Gold Saints to the Extreme

“Paul Pierce, the most loyal warrior of Shampoo City, and the most trusted friend of Alexander, in the name of the King of Shampoo City, I now grant you this legendary sword. May loyalty, honor, and justice accompany you for the rest of your life.”

Sun Fei vaguely remembered this passage after reading the royal collection.

Pierce stood there in a daze, looking at Sun Fei in disbelief. It was only when the burly man Drogba beside him gently nudged him that the white-haired warrior finally reacted. He knelt on one knee before Sun Fei, placed his right fist over his heart, and felt the pulse of his blood. Following the knightly customs of the Azeroth Continent, he made his vow—

“Pierce is willing to devote his entire life to serve his one and only master, His Majesty Alexander!”

Sun Fei smiled and lightly tapped Pierce’s shoulders with the blade of the Sacred Sword Excalibur. Just as he was about to follow the ritual described in the book, turning the hilt to formally present the golden magic sword to the loyal warrior kneeling before him, the elusive and mysterious cold voice unexpectedly echoed in Sun Fei’s mind once again—

“Young warrior, you have triggered one of the Three Divine Skills, the 【Bestowal】 Divine Skill. Do you confirm that you wish to bestow this Excalibur upon the warrior Paul Pierce kneeling before you?”

Sun Fei hesitated for a moment, then immediately chose 【Confirm】.

In the next instant, Sun Fei felt his hand lighten. The golden sacred sword in his grasp transformed into a beam of golden light, bursting forth with a dazzling, brilliant radiance in the stone hall. It spun around and slowly flew toward Paul Pierce, who was kneeling on the ground, finally disappearing into the forehead of the white-haired warrior.

This scene left everyone in the stone hall utterly shocked.

This was… a Divine Miracle!

The other burly men looked at Sun Fei with completely changed expressions. If before they admired Sun Fei because, as a king, he displayed extraordinary personal strength and noble royal qualities, now their gaze was that of fervent believers looking upon the supreme deity in their hearts.

No one but a god could perform such a divine feat as the one they had just witnessed.

However, Sun Fei had no time to bask in the moment. His eyes were fixed on Pierce. The sudden transformation of Excalibur into a golden light and its disappearance into Pierce’s forehead was something he had not anticipated. Sun Fei wanted to know what effects the so-called 【Bestowal】, one of the Three Divine Skills, would actually have.

A few seconds later, Pierce, who had been kneeling on one knee, opened his eyes as if he had digested something, and stood up.

With that stance, his aura changed abruptly—not only had his presence intensified several times over, but the feeling he gave off was entirely different. He stood there, his body straight as an unsheathed sword, sharp and unstoppable. Pierce himself did not seem surprised by this change, as if he had learned some secret during those few seconds with his eyes closed.

“Pierce, show your companions the power of the Sacred Sword Excalibur!”

Sun Fei said with a smile, feigning calm. In truth, at that moment, the king was growing impatient. What he really wanted to say was, “Pierce, quickly show me the abilities of the mutated Sacred Sword Excalibur…”

“As you command, Your Majesty!”

After asking those around him to step back a little, Pierce gently closed his eyes, as if channeling some incredible energy within his body. When he opened his eyes again, he suddenly extended his right arm, fingers held together like a sword’s edge. With a light flick of his fingertips toward a square stone block about two meters in front of him, there was a soft hiss. Before anyone could react, they heard a loud clang as the stone split cleanly in two. The cut was incredibly smooth, as if the stone had been sliced by a legendary, peerless blade.

Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss!

Gasps filled the hall, and everyone, including Sun Fei, widened their eyes in astonishment.

It was simply outrageous!

So sharp!

Was this the power of the Sacred Sword Excalibur after being transformed by the 【Bestowal】 skill, one of the Three Divine Skills? Sun Fei felt an urge to clutch his chest. Everyone present knew just how hard the rocks of the Underground Grotto Labyrinth were. Even if they weren’t as strong as refined steel, their hardness wasn’t far off. Yet, with just a light flick from Pierce, it was instantly cut in half. The effect was exactly like the sacred sword wielded by the Golden Saint Capricorn Shura from the anime in Sun Fei’s memories—unstoppable, able to destroy any substance in the world.

A golden light flashed.

The ancient sword with a faint golden hue appeared in Pierce’s hand. He could actually merge the sacred sword completely into his body or manifest it at will. It was simply miraculous. Sun Fei nodded to himself, thinking, Could this be the legendary state of unity between man and sword, where the man is the sword and the sword is the man—the realm of the sword-man?

“Pierce, my friend, you truly possess the heart of a real warrior.”

Sun Fei was overjoyed and blurted out the first excuse he could think of to explain the miraculous scene: “You have gained the recognition of the Sacred Sword Excalibur. From now on, you will gradually master its true power. Henceforth, you are one of the Twelve Golden Knights under Alexander’s command, with the title and rank of… Capricorn!”

The Capricorn Golden Knight.

In reality, this was the Capricorn Golden Saint.

The title sounded a bit odd and didn’t roll off the tongue as smoothly as names like Rose, Tulip, or others. Still, it was an enviable and noble knightly title, especially for the white-haired warrior Paul Pierce. It meant that from that day on, he had officially left his fate as a common warrior behind and become a true noble with the status of a knight on the Azeroth Continent.

His companions looked at him with envy and congratulated him one after another.

But bestowing the Sacred Sword Excalibur upon Pierce was only the beginning.

Sun Fei’s plan to enhance the strength of Shampoo City’s leaders was still ongoing.

In the next moment, Sun Fei smiled and gently unfolded his hand in the air.

A soft golden glow illuminated the entire stone hall. A beautifully crafted, golden-hued bull-shaped helmet appeared in his hand. The moment it appeared, it caught everyone’s attention, especially the two curved, menacing golden horns that pointed toward the sky, silently emanating an indescribable sharpness, as if they could pierce the void at any moment. Under the golden light, the helmet emitted a faint, chilling aura.

“This is the helmet part of a set of magic armor called the 【Taurus Gold Cloth】. Although it’s only one piece, it possesses incredible defensive capabilities. Of course, its offensive power will make any enemy tremble. Look, especially at this pair of fearsome horns—they can shatter almost any opponent…” Sun Fei’s tone carried an irresistible allure. His gaze swept over the faces of the men before finally resting on the long-haired, burly man Didier Drogba. “Didier, my friend, come and receive your reward. This helmet will become your closest battle companion from now on.”

Didier Drogba was stunned.

Just moments before, he had been teasing Pierce for his flustered reaction when Sun Fei called his name. Now, his own reaction was even more exaggerated than Pierce’s. It wasn’t until Sun Fei called his name for the third time that he snapped out of it and knelt on one knee before Sun Fei with an expression of disbelief.

“May glory, justice, and cheers always be with you, my friend. Here and now, in the name of the King of Shampoo City, I grant you the Golden Bull Helmet. From now on, you are one of the Twelve Golden Knights of Shampoo City, with the title and rank of… Taurus!”

Sun Fei’s words once again triggered the 【Bestowal】 Divine Skill, one of the Three Divine Skills. The Golden Bull Helmet transformed into a brilliant, dazzling golden light, spinning in the stone hall before slowly merging into Drogba’s forehead.

The bootleg version of the Taurus Golden Saint had appeared.

Just like Paul Pierce before him, under the effects of the 【Bestowal】 Divine Skill, the Golden Bull Helmet also underwent a transformation. Drogba could hide the helmet within his body and summon it when needed. With the helmet on, Drogba’s physical defense nearly doubled. Imitating a bull’s charge, he could shatter a large boulder with a single headbutt.

The two pieces of magical equipment forged by Charsi using elemental gems had undergone unexpected transformations under the effects of Sun Fei’s 【Bestowal】 Divine Skill. It seemed the king had taken another firm step down the path of becoming a charlatan. And his whimsical dream of creating the Twelve Golden Saints of another world had gained even greater potential due to the accidental triggering of the 【Bestowal】 Divine Skill. For Sun Fei, besides the Twelve Gold Cloths, he also needed to find a way to help his future ‘Saints’ master their own unique killing techniques. For example, a bootleg version of Capricorn Shura’s ultimate move, the Holy Sword, and a bootleg version of Taurus Aldebaran’s ultimate move, the Great Horn.

This would be a long and entertaining journey.

Apart from Pierce and Drogba, the remaining burly men were eagerly waiting for Sun Fei to produce more equipment, preferably one for each of them. But they were disappointed—Sun Fei did not bring out any more gear afterward. Pierce and Drogba were the warriors who had achieved the most in battle, so it was only right that they received rewards. As for the others, according to Sun Fei’s plan, they would have to earn their equipment through meritorious deeds. Otherwise, things that came too easily were often not truly valued.

Next, Sun Fei began another plan.

He took out the 【Hulk Potion】, with dosages recalculated based on each strongman’s actual strength level. He wrote each person’s name on the potion bottles. After receiving them, they immediately drank the potions right there in the stone hall. Sun Fei began using the 【Hulk Potion】 to enhance the strength of the twenty brave warriors of Stone Bridge.

After more than half a month of brutal training, these strongmen had achieved a qualitative improvement in their physical strength. They had finally reached the level where they could take the 【Hulk Potion】. However, their original strength was slightly lower than that of Brook, Cech, and Oleg, so the effects of the potion might not be as pronounced as before. Still, it was enough to elevate their strength to the level of a One-Star Warrior.

The blonde young man Fernando Torres, who had been following Pierce and the others in their brutal training for the past half month, finally got his wish and received a 【Hulk Potion】 of his own. Although the excruciating pain after drinking the potion nearly made him wish for death, once the effects wore off and he felt the sudden surge of immense power in his body, Torres, like every strongman around him, roared with excitement.