As Gu Yueyan watched with a calm facade that barely concealed her inner panic, Dong Chengling said with a smile, "This is a prop embedded with Spirit Energy Coordinates that can ensure your safety. As long as you touch the marker inside with Spiritual Energy when you are in danger, I'll do everything in my power to pull you to my side."

"The range is approximately... covering at least the entirety of Lian Province shouldn't be an issue."

Ren Suo was slightly startled. Looking at the necklace, he remembered the Iron Seat Man he had encountered in the fifth level.

That man had communicated with the interior of the Secret Realm by tearing through space, using the necklace coordinates carried by a Cultivator from the Mysterious Country.

According to him, all the Cultivators from the Mysterious Country present actually had similar necklaces, but only the highest-grade treasures could store enough Spiritual Energy to serve as temporary coordinates for breaking into the Secret Realm.

Ren Suo later observed that the necklaces indeed came in various colors, and the sapphire one destroyed by the Iron Seat Man had been unique, highlighting its rarity.

Now, seeing Dong Chengling's gift, Ren Suo skipped many thought processes and directly asked, "Is this... a reward from the countermeasure system?"

Qiao Muyi's target a few days ago had been Dong Chengling; Ren Suo pieced it all together.

"It's part of it," Dong Chengling said. "Next, I will serve as a special safety advisor to the Lianjiang Countermeasure System. Like you, the important Cultivators in Lianjiang will have similar props, and I will promptly protect them if they encounter danger within the city."

"This is too precious," Ren Suo inhaled sharply. "You should give it to your family instead."

Gu Yueyan also nodded repeatedly, putting the necklace back into the box and pushing it back towards Dong Chengling.

"My family members are not Cultivators, and they are not in Lianjiang..." Dong Chengling said with a smile. "Here, you are my family."

Ren Suo already knew how persistent Dong Chengling was, so he didn't refuse and obediently put on the necklace. Although it felt strange for a man to wear a necklace.

Gu Yueyan, however, hesitated and tried to refuse several times, but in the end, she accepted it, her cheeks flushing as she put on the necklace.

When Ren Suo opened the level selection, he suddenly noticed something off.

The six levels he had already cleared were greyed out and inaccessible, but the seventh level looked terrifying, as if it were about to overflow with black ooze.

It was as if there were dozens of brawny men inside, glaring menacingly.

Ren Suo clicked on the level, and the Corrupted Holy Grail suddenly popped up and said, "You did very well."

Ren Suo was slightly taken aback.

The Corrupted Holy Grail continued, "As the embodiment of human hope and despair, I look forward to you putting an end to it all, Magician.

"You must have realized by now that I, who have been trading with you, am the source of demons, the existence that bestows equal hope and despair to all wishers.

"To gain something, you must pay a corresponding price; that is the meaning of the Holy Grail. Every Magician has the power of the Holy Grail, which is why Magicians can have the Hand of Redemption and can cast magic with the help of offerings.

"The Holy Grail is just an incarnation of power, but the desires and despair of mortals have completely corrupted it. Even though the Holy Grail gave birth to Magicians, it cannot resolve the despair on the fractured earth. In the end, the Holy Grail, enveloping the last remnants of that world, descended upon the new world.

"Now, only you can bring an end to it all."

Ren Suo pressed many buttons and finally brought up the dialogue box: "Aren't you the Holy Grail? Why are you helping me?"

The Corrupted Holy Grail said, "The Holy Grail may be filled with despair but also retains a glimmer of hope. The one helping you is that last tiny spark of hope.

"Magician, your Hand of Redemption has resonated with that lingering hope. Please allow me to use this power to aid your path."

A new list of exchange options popped up from the Holy Grail:

"① Gain three chances of resurrection"

"② Overall strength enhancement (Attack Power, defensive power, Life Value, Mana Points) doubled"

"③ Summon External Aid"

Ren Suo blinked and checked the magician's current status:

Level 100 Holy Hand, Level 0 Magic Arm.

He asked, "What would happen if my Magic Arm level was higher than my Sage level?"

The Corrupted Holy Grail said, "I would still appear, but the power of hope would not be triggered."

Ren Suo had been thinking before: if a normal player, one who didn't spend real money on Krypton Gold, was playing the Saint Hand Style, wouldn't all their companions have to die for them to reach the final stage? It turns out there's a failsafe here; the Holy Grail offers free help as a trump card for those following the Saint Hand Style.

Moreover, the Saint Hand Style was inferior to the Magic Arm Style in the early, middle, and late stages. The fact that the magician's current output was still less than that of other female mages practicing the Magic Arm Style was a clear indication.

If a Saint Hand Style magician had to fight alone, Ren Suo feared it would take him tens of hours to clear a single level.

Ren Suo asked, "Can I only choose one? I want them all."

The Corrupted Holy Grail said, "You can."

Ren Suo paused. Really?

The Corrupted Holy Grail said, "But apart from your first choice, the remaining two will be provided by the power of despair. You should think carefully about what will happen then. For example, three chances to avoid death could turn you into an immobile stone that requires three hits to be destroyed. Doubling your overall strength might prevent you from using offerings, and the summoned external aid could attack you..."

Ren Suo asked, "Can't I buy them with Merit Points either?"

The Corrupted Holy Grail said, "Sorry, there are some things in this world you can't buy, like hope."

Ren Suo asked, "Who exactly are those mages waiting in the Secret Realm? Why can't they seek redemption and make sacrifices?"

The Corrupted Holy Grail said, "They are the last mages, who prayed to the Holy Grail for a magician to come and end the demons. But in response to their despair, the power of despair was granted, and they had to pay a price: they can no longer deal with demons."

Ren Suo asked, "Why are they all women?"

The Corrupted Holy Grail said, "Compared to women, men are more prone to breaking down. The mages who remained until the end were all female."

What a simple reason...

Ren Suo looked at the wish list. Three chances to avoid death meant nothing to a Master Magician. Doubling overall strength, however, could genuinely enhance combat power, but the third option made Ren Suo even more curious.

After saving the game, Ren Suo chose "③ Summon External Aid".

The Corrupted Holy Grail said, "You have many powerful allies, but there is little of hope's power left, so there's a certain limit to their combat power. Please be aware."

Limited combat power?

The next second, a list of options appeared at the center of the screen:

"Assassin, selectable"

"Truth Seeker, selectable"

"Ren Woxing, not selectable"

"Jedi Priest, selectable"

"Devouring the Spirit of the World, not selectable"

"Ilina, not selectable"

Ren Suo complained, "Ren Woxing is a Two-Star and still can't be selected?" Although he also felt that if the Sixth-Generation Family Head Ren Woxing were released, he might be almost as formidable as the Devouring the Spirit of the World. That was a terrifying Cultivator capable of facing thousands alone, and one the final boss might not even be able to scratch.

But the remaining selectable ones... they don't seem to have much Combat Power either...

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