Chapter 27: Life Link, Energy Link

The next morning, Chu Danqing took Da Bao to set up his stall again.

He had Da Bao watch the stall while he went to retrieve the white fur long robe and silver-scaled cloud brocade.

The tailor’s craftsmanship was excellent; his basic tailoring skill level was likely higher than Chu Danqing’s basic summoning skill level.

Both pieces of gear fitted perfectly, showing not a single trace of alteration.

Chu Danqing put them on immediately.

“Warm in winter, cool in summer—no wonder they’re made from the scales and fur of the White Dragon Fish and Cave Beast.”

“The only pity is they lack a True Spirit.” Chu Danqing looked slightly disappointed.

He glanced at himself—indeed, clothes make the man, saddle makes the horse; dressed in this attire, his appearance and aura had both improved.

Chu Danqing knew why there was no True Spirit.

First, a True Spirit appears on only one item, so only the White Dragon Fish’s Roar and the Devourer’s Grudge carried one.

Second, the silver-scaled cloud brocade was artificially crafted, merely recognized by the Paradise; True Spirits could only be extracted and bestowed by the Paradise, not by human hands.

The only source of True Spirit gear is the Paradise; treasure chests are merely one branch of the Paradise’s output channels.

Precisely because the output channel is singular, the upper limit of awakenings fluctuates.

After retrieving his gear, Chu Danqing hurried back to the stall.

He immediately saw Da Bao struggling to communicate with a Messenger.

Compared to the previous heavy knight, this Messenger was far more composed.

Perhaps he had just arrived and hadn’t yet accumulated any anger.

Chu Danqing rushed over and said, “Sorry, I was occupied and arrived a bit late.”

The Messenger’s gaze was sharp, radiating a blade-like aura.

“Good, the owner’s here.” Without hesitation, he displayed a skill book titled Life Link to Chu Danqing: “A summoning skill. Exchange it for your Devourer’s Grudge.”

【Skill Book: Life Link】

【Type: Active Skill】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Effect: After use, gain the Life Link skill. Link a target within range to share half of their HP damage.】

At first glance, Chu Danqing thought it suited him perfectly—but upon closer inspection, he spotted the flaw.

“This skill is flawed,” Chu Danqing immediately identified the core issue: the phrase “share damage.”

If Da Bao absorbed part of Chu Danqing’s damage, that was fine—Da Bao had high constitution and could drain life.

But if Chu Danqing had to absorb part of Da Bao’s damage, he’d die instantly.

“‘Share damage’ means I must also bear part of my summon’s damage,” Chu Danqing pointed out the drawback.

Still, Chu Danqing really wanted the Life Link skill—it had flaws, but offered many tactical possibilities.

His mind raced through several applications.

The simplest was to link it to an enemy.

For example, have Da Bao link another enemy; when that enemy attacks Da Bao, the linked enemy shares the damage.

Or more directly: link two enemies, and Da Bao attacking one effectively attacks both.

He liked it immensely, yet kept his expression neutral, feigning disinterest.

“I can raise my offer, but it’ll be overpriced—you’ll need to make up the difference,” the Messenger’s face revealed no emotion.

He then showed Chu Danqing another skill book, similar in effect, titled Energy Link.

“It’s a set. Higher value. Make your offer.”

Honestly, if only Life Link were available, Chu Danqing wouldn’t mind missing it.

But now it was a full set—that changed everything.

Chu Danqing realized he could use these skills in far more ways: as damage dealer, controller, even support.

“I’m curious—why don’t you learn them yourself?” Chu Danqing asked.

He didn’t believe the man failed to see their value. Nothing good falls from the sky; traps are far more likely.

If properly used, this pair of skills far surpassed his Devourer’s Grudge in worth.

“That’s none of your business,” the Messenger refused to explain. They were merely buyer and seller—no need for lengthy discourse.

Chu Danqing paused, then placed the Wolf Tooth Necklace on the counter.

“Not enough,” the Messenger said.

“It’s enough. The skill needs upgrading, and its flaws are too obvious,” Chu Danqing refused to raise his offer.

“Your blade must also awaken a True Spirit,” the Messenger countered.

“But my blade has no flaws, and its fully awakened state is Fine quality—it’ll serve you through second tier,” Chu Danqing laid down another card.

“Add eight hundred Paradise Points,” the Messenger paused, then named his bottom price.

Chu Danqing spread his hands: “I don’t have that much. Five hundred, and it’s a deal.”

He had halved his own offer.

The Messenger turned and walked away without a word.

“Eight hundred. Take it or leave it,” Chu Danqing called after him, adding three hundred Paradise Points.

The Messenger halted. “Eight hundred fifty.”

Chu Danqing’s eye twitched—such a high-level type, haggling over fifty Paradise Points?

“Done,” Chu Danqing said without further delay.

【You sold: Devourer’s Grudge, Wolf Tooth Necklace, 850 Paradise Points. Received: Skill Book (Life Link), Skill Book (Energy Link)】

The transaction complete, the Messenger took the items and left without pause.

Chu Danqing, having sold everything, packed up and departed.

He immediately learned both skills; knowledge of Level 1 versions instantly flooded his mind.

Two new skills now appeared in his empty skill slots.

【Life Link (Active) LV.1: Link one target within 10 meters. Share 50% of HP damage. Consume 1 Energy per minute.】

【Energy Link (Active) LV.1: Link one target within 10 meters. Share 50% of Energy damage. Consume 1 Energy per minute.】

“Half the damage shared—interesting.”

“It limits the number of linked targets, but not the number of linked users.”

“Still, there’s a problem: how strong is the link?”

“If the link strength is too weak, I’ll need to find a way to fix it.”

“I need to test it,” Chu Danqing thought, glancing at his remaining 2,650 Paradise Points—he was truly broke.

The Paradise offered testing services, but they cost Paradise Points.

He needed to reserve Points to activate Xu Kequan’s permissions, buy recovery items, and possibly even upgrade these two skills after testing.

He simply couldn’t spare any.

Finally, his gaze fell on Da Bao.

“How about we test it ourselves?” Chu Danqing wasn’t testing damage-sharing efficiency—he was testing link strength.

Da Bao looked confused—he had no idea what was being tested—but nodded when Chu Danqing spoke: “Okay.”

At that moment, Chu Danqing finally understood why the Messenger who bought his Devourer’s Grudge had haggled over fifty Paradise Points.

Paradise Points vanished too quickly—the stronger you were, the more you lacked them.

(End of Chapter)