"A dazzling diamond! Outside, Catherina saw only a pale, earthy flash of fire and dozens of crimson rays shooting out from the diamond, transforming into the Consuls.

Yang Ying, with a turn of his wrist, put away the single-character sword in his hand. 'The conversion work is finally complete.

Even a weak, transcendent spiritual body is difficult to deal with,' Yang Ying said with a smile. 'Indeed, Officer.

If it were a true Master-level expert, perhaps all of us put together wouldn't stand a chance against him,' Boktana agreed. The deep tremor, formed by vibrating the air with spiritual power, was like the icy winds of the North Pole, making Catherina feel a chill run down her spine.

She had been so focused on the creation that she hadn't noticed it before. 'The voice of the Divine Race is truly strange.

But they must have considered that I don't have spiritual power, as those without it naturally cannot hear telepathic communication, which is why they used spoken words, right?' Thinking this, Catherina let a slight smile touch her lips. 'Leader, since the task is done, we shall take our leave.

If the Leader has any doubts regarding the Holy Light power within this sword, please feel free to ask us. Holy Light belongs to a form of positive energy, and Boktana has greater say in this matter,' Grimorun stated respectfully.

Boktana gave a slight bow in assent. 'Very well.

Since that's the case, you all may go about your business. I shall see you off,' Yang Ying said, calling out to the Consuls, 'Return to the Sanctuary Archives.' The Sanctuary Archives was the main base for the Templar Knights and the Consuls; their usual operational radius was around that area.

A streak of golden light flashed, and the Consuls vanished without a trace. After sending off the Consuls, Yang Ying took Catherina and left the floating continent, returning to the real world.

In the command room, Yang Ying said to Catherina, 'Draft me a message to Kalia and the others. For the next few days, unless something truly important arises, do not disturb me.

I need to study this sword and the Holy Light power.' Catherina nodded and said, 'Yes, Officer.' She smiled faintly and then turned, leaving the command room. After watching her leave, Yang Ying sank his consciousness into the diamond in the sword's hilt.

The space inside the diamond was still as crystalline as before, soft white light reflecting everywhere, though it was much dimmer than last time, no longer dazzling to the eye. If the light from the previous visit was comparable to a searchlight, this time it was more like a flashlight—a vast difference.

However, the light spots inside the diamond still existed. To Yang Ying, this was the best news; the light spots were carriers, and as long as they hadn't extinguished, they could preserve the mysteries of the Holy Light.

Yang Ying separated a strand of his consciousness and touched the light spot again. This time, no illusion manifested.

Only a single thought carrying a calm voice said, 'You have arrived.' 'What about the illusion?' Yang Ying looked around. The illusion that had appeared during his last contact with the spot had left a deep impression on him.

'My remaining power is insufficient to generate an illusion. Without the nourishment of the Holy Light, I can only answer questions and merge with you,' the light spot stated plainly.

Its tone showed no hint that it had been fanatically intent on destroying Yang Ying not long ago. Yang Ying felt a pang of awe for the power of mental control, while simultaneously frowning, 'Still merging!

If we don't merge, can I not wield the power of the Holy Light?' 'Just as the earth does not grow trees from nothing, humans cannot learn the Holy Light out of thin air. Unless the seed of the Holy Light is planted, one cannot possess its power,' the light spot explained to Yang Ying.

It clearly possessed considerable wisdom, using metaphors quite aptly. 'Did all this effort amount to nothing but empty joy?' Yang Ying weighed the situation in his heart.

He felt he should ask clearly, so he inquired, 'If the seed of the Holy Light is planted, what effects will it have?' 'The seed of the Holy Light will take root in your spirit. From then on, your spiritual power will act as the soil, supplying nutrients to the Holy Light.

The stronger your spiritual power, the stronger the Holy Light will become, until you become a Paladin. As for the side effects, all other types of power will be repelled by the Holy Light,' the light spot answered Yang Ying's question.

'All other types of power will be repelled by the Holy Light?' Yang Ying's interest in the Holy Light immediately waned. Everything he had learned so far was quite varied, and he had never considered walking the path of the Holy Light to the end.

The light spot didn't know what Yang Ying was thinking. It simply continued calmly, 'The exclusivity of the Holy Light has its drawbacks, but it also has its advantages.

The power of the Holy Light is higher than energy attributes like fire, ice, or lightning. It has immense utility in attack, defense, and healing.

A Knight who studies the Holy Light has a significant advantage when fighting heretics who master other energies.' Yang Ying snorted. He had seen many principles of cultivation in the Knowledge of Telekinesis.

Although his realm wasn't high, his perspective had a certain foundation, and he immediately countered, 'Although the power of the Holy Light is comprehensive, and it might offer great advantages initially, but...' '...even when trained to its depths, the Holy Light maintains its advantage. The greatest benefit of the Holy Light is that it allows the practicing Knight to more easily break through the mortal frenzy and reach the transcendent realm of a Paladin.

As long as one cultivates the Holy Light step by step, the Holy Light will naturally transform a person into a Saint. While achieving heights by incorporating various strengths yields great accomplishment, the difficulty increases exponentially.' 'How is that possible?' Yang Ying was startled when the light spot said the Holy Light made transcendence easier.

Many books he had read mentioned that reaching the Master realm of transcendence could only be achieved through one's own efforts; no external force could offer assistance. Although he possessed the entire Zerg collective, accumulating spiritual power was almost effortless for him, yet he still had to cross the threshold of transcendence.

The light spot's words immediately stirred his heart. 'As cultivation deepens, the Holy Light occupies an ever-larger proportion of the Knight's spiritual power.

Upon reaching the Paladin realm, all spiritual power converts into pure Holy Light, and the entire being becomes an incarnation of the Holy Light. So-called transcendence is making the essence of one's spirit surpass the mortal.

Since the Holy Light originates from the Divine and represents the Divine Will, it inherently transcends the mortal. Therefore, allowing all spiritual power to transform into Holy Light is equivalent to achieving transcendence,' the light spot explained in detail.

It was originally created to guide Knights accepting the Holy Light, and although its thoughts had changed, its function remained. 'I see.' Yang Ying shook his head after listening.

He felt no joy, but rather immense disappointment. 'This is the transcendence of a Paladin?

Turning one's entire spirit into Holy Light—all Paladins achieving sainthood become the same. The Holy Light erases individual autonomy, replacing human will with Divine Will.

Is this even sainthood?' As he spoke, Yang Ying's voice grew louder, 'This is False Sainthood!' If the light spot hadn't been converted, it probably would have erupted in fury, judging Yang Ying's heretical thoughts, even at the cost of its own destruction. However, having been transformed by mental control, it offered no comment on Yang Ying's words, remaining silent in the center of the diamond space.

'Forget it. What's the point of arguing with a mere spiritual body like you?' Yang Ying gave a self-mocking smile, then changed the subject, 'You just said the Holy Light originates from the Divine.

I ask you, does God truly exist?' 'Of course, it exists!' the light spot answered without hesitation. 'What?' Yang Ying hadn't expected such a definitive answer.

'This contradicts scientific common sense.' 'Scientific common sense must conform to facts, and facts do not have to conform to scientific common sense. The existence of the Divine is a fact, as real as the existence of spiritual power.

If I still had the strength, I could show you several images of divine miracles,' the light spot said. 'Images of divine miracles?

You aren't just making them up, are you?' Yang Yang didn't believe in miracles. Modern computer effects were so realistic that creating a few miracle images would be trivially easy.

'Everything I show is derived from reality. I do not possess the ability to alter those images,' the light spot stated.

'But in modern society, we never hear of any miracles occurring anywhere. Besides, the Catholic Church and the Holy Light Knights Templar have declined.

If God exists, how could He allow such things to happen?' Yang Ying still didn't believe it. 'The absence of miracles in modern society does not mean they didn't occur in ancient times.

How could the thoughts of the Divine be fathomed by mortals?' Although no longer fervent, the light spot still held the Divine in the highest regard. 'Let's drop the issue of the Divine.

Do you have any knowledge of spells other than the Holy Light?' Yang Ying wasn't interested in whether the Divine existed a thousand years ago. He had completely lost interest in the power of the Holy Light, hoping only that this light spot could bring him some other harvest.

Otherwise, all the effort spent converting it would be wasted. 'Yes, to counter the spells of heretics, naturally, I needed to understand them,' the light spot replied calmly.

Throughout their question-and-answer session, Yang Ying realized that this spiritual body possessed an extremely rich store of knowledge, especially deep understanding of Western magic and the spell systems of Arab nations. The theories of both systems were built upon the four elements and shared many commonalities.

As the questioning deepened, Yang Ying gradually immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge. The light spot's dissection of various spells was thorough, and its mastery of how to counteract them was even more refined, directly broadening Yang Ying's perspective and practical combat ability.

With the superior memory of a lower-tier Psychic, Yang Ying absorbed the knowledge like a sponge. He even took out previously acquired materials to review them once more.

The Western magic system described by the light spot, coupled with the Eastern magic system based on the Tai Chi concept, and the modern spell system from the Psychic Temple—Yang Ying committed all three major spell systems to memory, gaining a relatively clear understanding of the developmental path of awakeners on Earth since ancient times."