Chapter 3, Cultivation in the Sacred Realm

After a year of interaction, Jia Zhengdao discovered that although Griff was hot-tempered and liked to boast, he was indeed a good person. He was diligent in training the two brothers, especially Jia Zhengdao. Given Jia's condition, another teacher would have likely expelled him long ago, but Griff did not.

"108 punches in one second, the speed is acceptable, but only 4 punches are effective attacks, and the power is clearly insufficient." Griff glanced at Aiolia and shook his head

As soon as Griff's words fell, Jia Zhengdao had already dashed toward the boulder like a streak of black lightning. He leaped, raised his elbow, and threw a punch, executing several movements in one fluid motion, remarkably smooth. By the time Jia Zhengdao retracted his fist and steadied his stance, the more than three-meter-high rock had been reduced to a pile of small fragments. Jia Zhengdao then casually shook his hand as if he had just completed a trivial task, smiling as he looked at Griff

If you don't want to go back, then practice hard to regain your status, practice with all your might

The two brothers' mentor was an outstanding paladin, a Class S paladin known as "Lightning Chariot," the Russian named Griev. Griev is an Orthodox Christian and is said to hold a significant position in Russia. Like all paladins, he came to the Sanctuary with a yearning for the sacred armor and stayed for a decade. Russian men typically exhibit three main characteristics: heavy drinking, boastfulness, and aggression, which can be simply summarized as drinking, bragging, and a tendency towards violence. In these three aspects, Griev is no exception, despite his Orthodox faith.

These are quite similar to what Jia Zhengdao learned from the comics in his previous life, only more detailed and specific. What surprised Jia Zhengdao and the books was that the minor characters who often suffered brutal fates upon their appearance in the comics were not simple at all. Each of them, when placed in the outside world, is a top-tier expert. As candidates for the Saints, they have a resounding name—Holy Knights. The biggest difference between Holy Knights and Saints is the Holy Armor. A Holy Knight who can obtain the recognition of the Holy Armor becomes a Saint; conversely, even if one possesses immense power in the Sanctuary, without the Holy Armor, they can only be referred to as a Holy Knight (with the exception of the Pope).

"Hehe, Professor Griff, are you feeling jealous? You should be proud of me," Jia Zhengdao interjected with a smile.

Teacher Griff! My legs are weak, can I crawl down? Ah! Why did you kick me!

Jia Zhengdao stood tall on the training ground strewn with gravel, facing a massive rock over 3 meters high. After a year of hellish training, Jia Zhengdao finally overcame his fear, allowing his soul to fully merge with the body he had claimed. At this moment, Jia Zhengdao was Ai E Luosi, and Ai E Luosi was Jia Zhengdao

"Teacher Griff, I have begun," Jia Zhengdao said to Griff.

"Mr. Grief! Could you please give me a longer lever? Aristotle said that with a long enough lever, I could lift the Earth. Ah! You've hit me again!"

Jia Zhengdao gently patted Aiolia's head and defended him, saying: "Teacher, Aiolia has performed quite well, after all, he is only 7 years old this year"

"Brother, you did it! This is definitely the Sonic Punch!" Aioria exclaimed excitedly

Teacher Griff, please do not mention the figure of 100,000 meters again, it makes me dizzy just hearing it

Today is Professor Griff's last class. Tomorrow morning, Griff will take the "Athens-Moscow" flight back to Russia, while Jia Zhengdao and Aioria have also received notification from the Papal Office that the two brothers will travel to the distant Lushan in China to undergo the second phase of training

Every year, many holy knights from all over the world gather in the Holy Land to pay homage to the Pope, often with a singular purpose: to gain the recognition of the sacred armor. However, there are only 88 genuine pieces of sacred armor in the world. In this situation of many monks and little porridge, becoming a Saint Warrior has become the lifelong pursuit and greatest honor for the vast majority of holy knights

According to Aiolia, the Sanctuary covers a vast area, with the central structure being the Temple of Athena on Mount Acropolis, along with the Papal Hall and the Zodiac, which are built around the Temple of Athena. These fourteen ancient buildings are the most sacred and mysterious entities within the Sanctuary, accessible only to individuals of certain status. As the iconic structure of the Sanctuary, it is said that only the Pope can enter the Temple of Athena freely. The primary gathering place for most people in the Sanctuary is another significant structure—the Ancient Coliseum, which can accommodate 67,000 people, making it the largest venue for events and activities in the Sanctuary. These fourteen ancient buildings are the most sacred and mysterious entities within the Sanctuary, accessible only to individuals of certain status. As the iconic structure of the Sanctuary, it is said that only the Pope can enter the Temple of Athena freely. The primary gathering place for most people in the Sanctuary is another significant structure—the Ancient Coliseum, which can accommodate 67,000 people, making it the largest venue for events and activities in the Sanctuary.

Teacher Griff, could you please give me a hammer? I prefer 'hammering'. Huh? Why does your face look so pale? Why are your fists trembling? Could it be Pa and the library's Jinsen? Ouch! That hurts!

In the future, one of the twelve Gold Saints standing at the pinnacle of the Saints, Aioria, who guards Leo, has the grand ideal of becoming a "great" Bronze Saint! This is truly an aspiration that could make Jia Zhengdao spit blood upon hearing it. However, in the Sanctuary, gold and silver are merely legends; the ones most commonly seen are the Bronze Saints. It is quite normal for little Ai to have such a "great" ideal.

The two brothers are orphans, both native Greeks, and they speak pure Greek. According to Aeolia, they were recommended to the Sanctuary by the village priest four years ago, and they are highly regarded in the Sanctuary, even having received a personal audience with the Pope, who arranged for teachers to train them. As for why they are valued by the Pope, Aeolia himself is not clear.

... ...

The philosopher Qin Shou, from the world where Jia Zhengdao resides, once said, "People are all born from B"

"Ailuo, do not be cowardly like a woman, jump down, this cliff is only 500 meters!"

In the early morning, the training grounds near the Sacred Arena echoed with thunderous roars.

As the master and apprentice chatted and laughed, Aiolia also completed his task, panting heavily while admiring his masterpiece. The enormous rock appeared as if it had been gnawed by a dog, with chunks missing from the east and west, shattered into pieces.

Upon hearing Jia Zhengdao's words, Ai O Li Ya quickly pulled himself out of his frustration, saying, "Teacher, I will continue to work hard and will definitely become a man as strong as my brother." In Ai O Li Ya's eyes, his brother is the strongest; if someone stronger than his brother were to appear, he would choose to ignore them, such as Geli Fu.

"Ai E Luosi! If you keep running and stopping like this, you might as well skip lunch! If you can't even endure a warm-up long run of 100,000 meters, how can you call yourself a paladin?"

"Ai E Luosi! You didn't fall and hurt your head yesterday, did you? Where has your courage gone? Come, use the 'fist pressure' I taught you to break this giant rock!"

Xiao Ai's ideal is to become a Saint Seiya. Jia Zhengdao's current ideal, on the other hand, is to keep up with the training and suffer a little less

Xiao Ai is still a child and has not noticed the changes in her brother; even if she did, she would not care. For these children, the Sanctuary is akin to a hell. Many of the children trained here undergo drastic personality changes for various reasons, with some becoming so extreme that they develop schizophrenia. It is said that there is a pair of exceptionally malicious twins who trained here for 6 years. During one training session, the brother of the twins was injured, and after recovering, his personality underwent a complete reversal, transforming from a vicious troublemaker into an outstanding paladin with excellent character and academic performance, which is truly astonishing.

Although Jia Zhengdao inherited the seemingly perfect body of Ai Luosi and possesses strength and speed far exceeding that of Aiolia, his soul is merely that of a sheltered flower from the 1980s. Therefore, in terms of courage and perseverance, he is significantly lacking compared to Xiao Ai. The first challenge Jia Zhengdao faces in realizing his ideal of "suffering less" is a test of courage. His bravery, when compared to those from the Sanctuary who frequently confront life-and-death situations, is undoubtedly not on the same level as depicted in books. The first challenge Jia Zhengdao faces in realizing his ideal of "suffering less" is a test of courage. His bravery, when compared to those from the Sanctuary who frequently confront life-and-death situations, is undoubtedly not on the same level as depicted in books.

Of course, I am not Chinese; it is you who went to China to learn Classical Chinese. "Jia Zhengdao said with a smile, but in his heart, he felt a tinge of bitterness. The complex feelings of transforming from a descendant of Yan and Huang into a foreigner are truly not something to be shared with outsiders

Aiolia told Jia Zhengdao that his greatest ideal is to become a glorious Bronze Saint, fighting for love and justice

One year later, at the same training ground, a robust and resolute-looking Caucasian man stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Beside him stood a sturdy, golden-haired youth, who was intently focused on a tall figure in the training ground, his eyes filled with excitement and admiration

You certainly understand quite a lot for someone with such a small head, Griff chuckled and said

Returning to the small stone house where the two brothers lived, in just one hour, Jia Zhengdao had extracted everything he wanted to know from Aioria

"Ai E Luosu! What on earth is wrong with you? Has all the training over the past four years gone to the dogs? Lift this stone; it weighs only 3 tons"

"Still feeling proud, you truly do not know what humility is." As the time for separation approaches, Griff has also loosened up a bit today

Let's begin. Griff nodded.

... ...

"Ailuo, you... you might as well return to the village and farm..."

"What are you shouting about?" Griff slapped Aiolia on the head and chuckled, "In one second, 97 punches, of which no more than 20 are effective attacks. We're still far from the speed of sound! Kid, it's your turn.

A young man with 24 years of experience can easily deceive a 7-year-old child