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"Are you the sister Jin Luosha has always been talking about?"

"Yes, Miss has always referred to me that way, but she should accept my new name from now on."

"Hmm, that's not important right now. Could you introduce your background?"

"Certainly. I was created five hundred years ago by the 'Sage of Revered Shadows' as an artificial intelligence, based on the half-sibling of the 'Sage of Light,' the 'Heavenly Song Saintess' Caroline, from the Radiant Temple. Miss Caroline possessed a semi-talent ability called the 'Angel's Sacred Ode,' which enhances the effects and range of blessing-type divine spells through unique singing. However, none of her students learned this ability, so the 'Sage of Light' commissioned the 'Sage of Revered Shadows' to create me, to preserve this ability and await someone gifted enough to revive it. Despite the Temple's efforts over centuries, they found no one until I met Miss, thus completing my mission."

"I see. That explains a lot. But your current abilities seem vastly different from before. What happened?"

"My original purpose wasn't to inherit Miss Caroline's sacred songs but to serve as a test subject for developing self-aware artificial souls. However, due to the experiment's failure, I was repurposed. Initially, I lacked self-awareness and was designed to guide users who matched the mental resonance criteria in learning the sacred songs. When Miss suddenly experienced a mental energy surge, causing her mind to open fully, I inadvertently absorbed the chaotic mental energy and replicated her personality and will, gaining self-awareness. This also unlocked the restrictions left by the 'Sage of Revered Shadows,' restoring my original abilities and name. Additionally, due to the rule of 'obeying the consciousness grantor,' I will forever follow Miss."

"Um... do you know the current location of the Magic Tower? No, more importantly, can you help us leave here?"

"Given the many permissions granted during my creation, I can share the memories of the guardian spirits of the River Styx Tower. Currently, the Magic Tower is located in the Twelfth Plane of the Outer Astral Realm. To return to the Material Plane, we must use a teleportation array. Although the process is complex, there are no technical obstacles, so there's no need to worry. Actually, if Miss could master the power of that holy scarab, she could enter and exit the Magic Tower freely."

"Speaking of which, what exactly is that crystal scarab?"

"It is one of the first-generation companion phantoms, the Holy Scarab, developed by the 'Sage of Revered Shadows' based on the characteristics of companion beasts, originally intended for the 'Sage of Light.' This one was a backup; the others in the crystal vials belong to other sages. As the first generation, their design was purely for the Twelve Sages, without considering ordinary people's capabilities. The Holy Scarab, while in the bottle, is at the level of a Tier 1 beast. Once bonded, it directly absorbs mental energy to grow to the peak of Tier 9. Such massive consumption can only be sustained by the Twelve Sages, hence later phantoms were limited in power and growth speed to prevent harm to hosts. Helping Miss Jin Luosha complete the bonding ritual truly surpasses the original intentions of the Twelve Sages."

"Well, no point dwelling on it. At least I still have my martial aura to protect me." Sensing within, I realized that although I lost my inner strength, the "Ice Hell Thorns Technique," closely tied to my true qi, greatly benefited from its frantic circulation, reaching the sixth level of Moon Flame, the pinnacle of intermediate Sword Grandmaster. The Holy Scarab is indeed powerful, having absorbed ten times more energy than Ice Wind did when evolving. Even if it hasn't reached the level of a super beast, it's close. According to Youlijia, as a modified companion beast, it far exceeds ordinary ones, sharing all abilities with the host, enhancing light magic and divine spell aptitude, and not hindering the host's learning of any magic. Unfortunately, I've lost all my power and cannot bond with another beast myself. Even if I had my power, no one could bond with two beasts simultaneously unless I abandoned Ice Wind, which is unthinkable.

"If you're referring to the high-density life energy within you, although I lack data, I can deduce that you still have a chance to recover. Based on the energy reaction, you still possess highly concentrated life energy seeds. The sudden halt in the Holy Scarab's absorption caused an instant protective closure of the life energy channel, preventing your seeds from absorbing external energy. By bonding with your companion beast, you can reopen the channel and regain your strength."

"Really? That's great news!" It feels like a dying patient suddenly receiving a miraculous elixir. Though I have no regrets about my actions, regaining my power makes everything brighter.

What I didn't realize is that experts like me, who started with external techniques and developed inner strength, rarely lose all their power. All their strength and meridians are imprinted in every inch of their body. Even without guidance, continuing to practice the Golden Bell Shield and the Nine Yin White Bone Claw would gradually restore my inner strength, taking at most three years to surpass my previous level. This principle is recorded in the upper volume of the *Nine Yin Manual*. However, I missed this knowledge. Instead, after my death, North Beggar Hong Qigong, injured by West Poison, lost his power but recovered using the principles of the *Nine Yin Manual*. My fusion with Ice Wind, enhancing my physical strength tenfold, helped reopen my blocked meridians, saving me the trouble of reopening them one by one. Yet, the resulting meridian changes required months of retraining with the *Tendon-Forging and Bone-Refining Chapter* to rebuild my inner strength.