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"Well, since we have the time, let's start from the beginning," the old man smiled slightly. "It is said that thousands of years ago, when humans were still vassals to the beasts, the significant disparity in physical attributes meant that human martial aura cultivation could never reach more than one-third of that of the beasts. Later, to compensate for this deficiency, someone created a technique called the 'Beast King Art.' This technique did not involve the cultivation of martial aura but rather incorporated magical beast cores into the body to gain a physique similar to that of the beasts."

"It sounds somewhat like the current Familiars," I recalled the barbarian Sword Grandmaster's fusion with his familiar during the defense of Fontainebleau and couldn't help but say.

"Indeed, Familiars were inspired by the 'Beast King Art,' but while Familiars can only enhance the user's physical attributes during battles, the 'Beast King Art' helps its practitioners significantly improve their cultivation speed and quality. There is a fundamental difference," the Silver-Striped High Priest seemed quite sentimental. "Such a powerful ability has not been passed down to this day; don't you find it strange?"

Lansino and I both nodded in agreement.

"In fact, the 'Beast King Art' has never been lost. Not only that, it is considered the most widely influential technique. Besides Familiars, the 'Divine Weapon Embodiment' of the 'Ancestor of Sword Saints' Leinster, the 'Dragon Martial Aura' of Sacred Dragon Mountain, and even the artificial Sword Heroes of the Temple are all derivatives of it. Leveraging external forces to make up for human inadequacies has always been an unavoidable choice," Ruins sighed and continued, "However, the original 'Beast King Art' could never avoid a major issue: the differences between core and human characteristics. After all, humans are humans, and beasts are beasts. No matter how well they combine, it will never be perfect. Moreover, the higher the level of the magical beast, the more developed its intelligence. Even after death, the will of the beast at the moment of death remains within the core. If the person who combines with it cannot resist, they will become insane. That's why no one cultivates this technique anymore."

"You mentioned earlier that the 'Dragon Martial Aura' is also a derivative of the 'Beast King Art.' Does that mean... they use dragon cores... But dragons have the highest intelligence among all magical beasts. If ordinary magical beasts pose a danger, why are they immune?" I asked, sensing some hidden wisdom.

"That's correct. The 'Dragon Martial Aura' indeed absorbs dragon cores, but not just any dragon cores. They are the cores of dragons that signed contracts with Dragon Knights and died while the contract was still valid," the old man nodded and revealed the answer. "Ordinary dragon cores would cause the person to lose all will once integrated into the body. However, contracted dragons, due to the binding nature of the contract, do not affect their own Dragon Knights. Through the special techniques of the 'Dragon Martial Aura,' the descendants of these Dragon Knights can also avoid harm, allowing the dragon cores to be passed down through generations."

"So, the 'Dragon Emperor Knights' rely on ancestral bloodlines and dragon cores to become Sword Emperors so quickly? Since the era of the 'Dragon Emperor,' nine dragons signed contracts and died in battle. Two of those Dragon Knights had no direct descendants, meaning there can be at most seven Dragon Emperor Knights on Sacred Dragon Mountain now. No wonder the Dragon Knights on Sacred Dragon Mountain are always from the so-called 'Five Dragon Families'—to ensure the bloodline," Lansino, dressed in clown-like attire, looked contemplative, which was quite amusing.

"How do you know so much?" I asked curiously.

"Hmm, don't forget what I do for a living. Don't think I'm just a third-rate wandering bard. Lansino's name is destined to be written in the annals of Mainland culture. How could I not know such basic historical facts?" He then took out three books from his pocket and waved them in front of me. Seeing the titles, I nearly fell over. _The Chronicles of Dragon Lances_, _Floral Language of Dragons_, and _Legends of Dragon Warriors_—all seemed to be about dragons, but the '18+' and 'Adult Edition' labels were puzzling.

"According to our Temple's secret statistics, Sacred Dragon Mountain should actually possess eight to nine usable dragon cores. Excluding the 'Supreme Dragon Saint,' the standard number of 'Dragon Emperor Knights' should be eight, fewer than our 'Holy Grail Knights.' However, the combat power difference is not too significant. Our 'Holy Ice Thorns Halo' is most effective against the 'Emperor Martial Overlord Art,' but in terms of base strength, it is not much stronger than the dual magic-warrior fusion of the 'Dragon Martial Aura,'" the Silver-Striped High Priest continued.

"Therefore, Sacred Dragon Mountain keeps the secrets of the 'Dragon Martial Aura' closely guarded. On one hand, to maintain the sanctity of the holy site, as power gained through means is hard to justify as the second-best in the world and the best among humans. On the other hand, to prevent others from plotting to seize this power, right?" I asked further.

"Exactly. This secret is something Sacred Dragon Mountain won't reveal, and neither can we," the Silver-Striped High Priest smiled slightly and nodded in response.

Understanding the origins and consequences, my desire for the 'Dragon Martial Aura' diminished. Without the bloodline and dragon core, it was out of my reach. Still, I persisted, "High Priest, is there really no way to overcome the limitations of magical beast cores? If a super magical beast had enough power but lost its intelligence, becoming like an idiot, could that solve the problem?"

I asked this because I had several super cores from a mutated Hydra.

"No chance," the old man shook his head. "Your method isn't new. Cultivating high-level magical beasts without intelligence or using magic to erase the mental imprint from the core can prevent harm to the body, but cores are organs of magical beasts. Only the spirit of a magical beast can activate their power. Once that spirit is lost, even a high-level core can only function like a low-level one, rendering it useless."

I knew this to be true. The Hydra had the power of a super magical beast but, due to its low intelligence, could not even use its innate magic, relying only on its basic physical abilities, which was proof enough. I decided not to pursue the matter further and let Lansino continue chatting with the High Priest. I rose and bid farewell.