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After that, I began to cultivate the "Dragon Transformation Chapter" on Sacred Dragon Mountain. The others also stayed with me on the mountain. After all, none of them were official combatants of the Temple, and the Temple had no intention of recalling them. Instead, they sent two teachers skilled in divine arts and light magic to Sacred Dragon Mountain to teach Jin Luosha. After all, the Temple had high hopes for this little girl, and she did not disappoint. With the help of the "Sacred Scarab" and the "Eternal Holy Chalice," her proficiency in divine arts progressed rapidly. Her magic also broke through to the eighth level under the influence of "Dragon Blood Wine," completely eliminating the risks associated with previously relying on external sources for her magical power. Reaching the tenth level in the future was now inevitable. Her mentors expressed their satisfaction, stating that Jin Luosha would soon be able to cultivate independently without their guidance. For this news, I and the mentors of the Temple laughed heartily for our own reasons.

As for the other Holy Grail Knight, Lansino, he spent his days wandering along the trade routes near Sacred Dragon Mountain, engaging in lively conversations with passing caravans. It was said that he came from the Kutu Tribal Alliance in the central desert of the Mainland. In his youth, he had traveled in the south before joining the Western Radiant Temple. This time, he intended to use his time on Sacred Dragon Mountain to absorb the music and legends of the Eastern Sovereign Dragon and Tiele kingdoms, composing an epic of his own. Given his usual carefree nature within the Temple, there were no plans to mobilize him at the moment, so he was left to his own devices.

During the ice storm, the dragon soul had already been torn apart once by my "One Cut to Divide Heaven and Earth" and "Three Sighs of Heaven and Man," and further damaged by the crystal core. By the time it entered my body through the "Companion Contract," less than thirty percent of its original energy remained. However, even a super magical beast of the lower tenth rank contained an astonishing amount of energy. It took me over half a year to fully assimilate the dragon's power, strengthening my body nine times in total. Now, although I have a human body, my physical constitution has surpassed that of when I was a werewolf. If I can retain this strength when I transform back into a beast form, my physical prowess will reach the level of the orc king, Samantha. Moreover, the dragon king was once known for complete elemental immunity, and my current body has inherited some of that resistance. Even against high-level magic, I can withstand eighty to ninety percent of its power, while lower-level magic is completely ineffective. The only issue is that this constitution also resists divine arts, which means I cannot receive divine healing in the future. Jin Luosha cried over this fact.

In terms of martial arts, due to the enhancement of my constitution, my aura's power naturally soared. Coupled with the experiences of life-and-death battles in the "Dragon Soul Space," my cultivation reached the peak of the tenth level of Sword Master, with the realm of Sword Hero within reach. If it were anyone else, such rapid advancement would be impossible despite similar experiences. However, with my innate true qi as a foundation, as long as my body could handle it, I could seize every opportunity to improve, surpassing others.

However, advancing from Sword Master to Sword Hero is a qualitative leap that defies any pattern. Each person must undergo a unique process to sense the existence of the "Starlit Sea" and harness its vast energy as a source of power. Otherwise, I might already be a Sword Hero. In fact, the gap between Sword Soldier, Sword Hero, Sword Master, and Sword Hero grows increasingly wider. According to historical records, an ordinary orc gold sword soldier can defeat a human Sword Hero, while an orc Sword Hero can match a human Sword Master. But an orc Sword Master, unless they practice the "Emperor Martial Overlord Art" like the lion clan, cannot possibly contend with a human Sword Hero. However, now, I have revised my "Ice Hell Demon Thorn Art," completely abandoning the flashy "Platinum Mirror Demon Armor" and solely enhancing the "Holy Ice Thorn Halo." Its range and effects have almost doubled, making it comparable to the "Emperor Martial Overlord Art." With this aura, I am confident in facing any human Sword Hero except for the "Holy Grail Knights" and "Dragon Emperor Knights."

Regarding my previous martial arts, my cultivation of Nine Yin True Qi did not increase with the enhancement of my constitution but rather decreased due to my forced power boost and the exertion of ultimate techniques. However, the strengthened meridians unexpectedly connected many previously undetectable fine channels. Without the upper volume of the "Nine Yin Manual," I do not know how to utilize this advantage and can only wait for my true qi to gradually adapt to these meridians. Nonetheless, after some time, my internal energy will undoubtedly strengthen again.

What truly surprised me was the unexpected transformation of the "Golden Bell Shield." It seemed that because it was originally a technique for enhancing the body, after my extreme physical enhancement, this once inferior art finally revealed its legendary power. At the peak of the twelfth level of the Golden Bell Shield, an impenetrable layer of invisible qi constantly enveloped my body. Under normal circumstances, there was no abnormality upon contact, but any attack, except for epic-level weapons, could not harm me. The defense of the Golden Bell Shield relies on the body and does not consume internal energy. The deeper layers of my body are even more resilient, so even if an epic divine weapon breaks through my protective qi, it can only leave shallow wounds, far less severe than before, surpassing the "Platinum Mirror Demon Armor" several times over.

Leisurely days seem to pass quickly. On the day after my great accomplishment, a summons arrived from the Temple. The Gold Badge High Priest ordered me to return to the Temple immediately after completing the dragon knight contract. Along with this order came news of the Orc Alliance using the "Doomsday Horn" to crush the alliance of ice plains barbarians and humans, achieving successive victories.

The Temple clearly sensed that war was imminent.

PS: There will be a vote on the book page to decide the fate of Knight Apu and Lansino, which will affect subsequent plot developments. Please give your opinion. Thank you.

Chapter 76: The Northern Country's War Begins Abruptly

The barbarians living in the icy plains of the Northern Country are constrained by harsh conditions, with a total population of no more than one million, divided into two parts. One part consists of scattered tribes living according to ancestral ways on the Arctic tundra, relying on fishing and hunting, numbering about three hundred thousand. The other part left the barren Arctic tundra, crossed the Crystal Canyon, and settled in the northern icy plains. Although the environment here is still not as fertile as the southern regions, it boasts vast forests and abundant game, allowing this part of the barbarian population to grow to around seven or eight hundred thousand. However, the land remains bitterly cold and cannot support more barbarians. Therefore, from early on, they began migrating southward to the grasslands inhabited by orcs.