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"Mr. Windxuan's request, we will naturally comply with. However, please allow Helen to speak frankly: such a statement will not relieve Mr. Windxuan of his troubles. Most people would not dare to make a move on Saint Spirit Mountain, and they would naturally speculate whether Mr. Windxuan has retained copies or other items. Even if the chances are slim, those driven by greed do not listen to reason. As for the Holy Grail Knights, do you think it is safer to be a Holy Grail Knight with a background from the Temple, or one without a background but destined to join the Temple and become a Holy Grail Knight?"

"This..." I feigned hesitation.

"Moreover, if they were to make a move, their first choice would likely not be you but Miss Jin Luosha. However, if you stay at the Temple, no one would dare to disturb you, and Miss Jin Luosha would receive the best education." The Holy Maiden of Radiance gazed at me and continued, "You may not be fully aware of the situation regarding the Holy Grail Knights. In fact, their status is extraordinary. Unless there is a major crisis, they might not receive orders to act for several years. Like your thoughts, they spend most of their time improving their martial arts. There is no better place in the human world than Saint Spirit Mountain for practicing martial arts. We have almost all the martial arts records from the human world and a large number of orc martial arts materials. Every expert in the Temple will selflessly guide you in your martial arts training. Not only can you become a Sword Emperor, but even becoming a Sword Saint is not a dream. Additionally, the true usage of the 'Divine Punishment Light Thunder' is preserved in the secret library of the Temple. Once you become a Holy Grail Knight, that information will be accessible to you."

"This... let me consider it further."

Success, finally deceived him (her).

In perfect unison, both Helen and I had the same thought at this moment.

Chapter 60: Leisurely Thoughts Must Be Discussed While Sitting

After several days of discussion, I finally "reluctantly" joined the Radiant Temple and became a Holy Grail Knight. The news of the appearance of the tenth Holy Grail Knight on Saint Spirit Mountain spread rapidly across the Mainland as the new year arrived.

Before "Sword Saint Ancestor" Reinster achieved the realm of the Saint, the twelve Holy Grail Knights of the Radiant Temple were the only force capable of resisting the supreme orc warriors. Nine hundred years ago, shortly after the death of "Emperor Fenglong" Chris, the century-old "Fenglong Empire" crumbled. During its peak, ten Dragon Knights dwindled to just two. The human forces, which had been painstakingly accumulated, were on the brink of being wiped out by the orcs. At that critical moment, the orc forces suddenly produced four Sword Emperors who had mastered the "Emperor Martial Overlord Technique." Apart from the Lion Emperor leading the army against the elves, the other three led small armies and devastated the humans. These Sword Emperors, with their unparalleled power, could ignore the size of the army and directly break through formations to assassinate enemy commanders, greatly impacting the battlefield. Without equivalent experts, humans were powerless in both direct confrontations and individual duels.

To reverse the decline, the twelve High Priests of the Radiant Temple sacrificed their lives to open the "Eternal Holy Grail" and pray to the God of Light for strength. Originally, the "Eternal Holy Grail" functioned similarly to the orc "Eye of War God," producing holy water that enhanced the priests' understanding of light magic and reopened the spiritual channel to the divine realm. Praying for a second miracle was unprecedented, but the God of Light ultimately answered the prayers and bestowed the power of "Holy Blood" upon twelve human experts. As a reward for the first activation of a new ability of the artifact, the effects of this Holy Blood far surpassed later instances. These experts, originally hovering around the level of Sword Masters, not only immediately activated the "Holy Ice Thorns Aura" but also reached the Sword Emperor realm. With these powerful warriors, humans finally managed to resist the orc attacks and withdrew all vital forces before the orcs could mobilize a full-scale assault, preserving the seeds of human revival.

Since "Holy Blood" is a second miracle, it cannot be used infinitely like the first miracle, "Holy Water." Each portion of Holy Blood requires the lifelong cultivation of a priest reaching the level of a High Priest, equivalent to a ninth-level mage. Only when these powers are infused into the "Eternal Holy Grail" does "Holy Blood" emerge. The production of Holy Blood requires only power, not skill, so there is a group of devout ascetics who train their divine powers throughout their lives but rarely participate in battles or seek positions. Upon their death, they infuse their power into the Holy Grail to produce "Holy Blood," ensuring that the Temple can select a "Holy Blood" successor each year. However, this Holy Blood no longer possesses the ability to directly elevate the drinker to the Sword Emperor level. A greater limitation is that regardless of how many people drink the Holy Blood or how devout and talented they are, the number of "Holy Ice Thorns Auras" can never exceed twelve, set by the rule of the God of Light (though it does not apply to me). Thus, the Holy Grail Knights always numbered twelve.

Despite this, apart from practitioners of the "Emperor Martial Overlord Technique," the Holy Grail Knights remain formidable warriors capable of overpowering all types of orc warriors. Although the Holy Blood no longer directly elevates one's rank, it significantly enhances the compatibility between the body and holy-type qi. Even those who have not awakened the "Holy Ice Thorns Aura" benefit greatly, and once they do awaken it, the benefits multiply. Since the Temple selects only exceptionally talented individuals as "Holy Blood" successors, among the current nine Holy Grail Knights, seven are Sword Emperors, and the remaining two are top-tier Sword Masters. This advantage makes every selection of a "Holy Blood" successor fiercely contested, and the Temple cannot control every slot. To maintain the stable number of Holy Grail Knights, they turn a blind eye to some "Holy Blood" flowing into the hands of the nobility.

Of course, as Catherine once told me, external assistance, no matter how much, affects the development of martial arts. Although "Holy Blood" is extremely pure, it still makes the path to becoming a Sword Saint more difficult for Holy Grail Knights. So far, only one Sword Saint-level Holy Grail Knight has emerged, the "Radiant Sword Saint" who faced "Sword Saint" Leimen a hundred years ago and leaped off a cliff. The "Eternal Sword Saint" killed by Leimen over a hundred years ago and the current "Divinely Blessed Holy Knight" were not Holy Grail Knights. However, the "Divinely Blessed Holy Knight" remains a mysterious figure, with few knowing his true identity. Nevertheless, this characteristic of "Holy Blood" also convinces the Temple that my "Holy Ice Thorns Aura" is genuine, as even the orc alliance's greatest martial genius, orc king Samantha, did not achieve the seventh-level Moon Flame Qi at age sixteen.