“Qin Mo… Your Excellency is actually… a prince.” Giulio muttered to himself.

“So, he really wasn’t…the Earl.” Elisa murmured.

Qin Mo returned the young men's greetings slightly, then walked straight behind them. There stood an elderly man dressed in the Great Xia Dynasty robes, who was none other than Chen Xuanji, the former Deputy Commander of the Central Army and Lord of the City of Trade, and now the Great Xia Special Envoy to the Holy Temple.

"Special Envoy Chen, how have you been?" Qin Mo clasped his hands in a slight bow and nodded, as a gesture of greeting.

"Your Highness Prince Heng is even more dignified than before." Chen Xuanji nodded slightly and also bowed.

He dared not fail to pay his respects. Back when Qin Mo was still the heir apparent, he had been asked to set Qin Mo up, only to have his own future ruined and be driven out of the power center of Great Xia. Now that Qin Mo had ascended the throne as a prince and his power had greatly increased, Chen Xuanji was green with envy.

He had worked hard to get this opportunity to serve as a special envoy to the temple. After his term expired, he would finally be able to return to the Great Xia court. At this critical juncture, he was unwilling to offend Qin Mo, since everyone in the top circles of Great Xia knew that Qin Mo and the Empress had a very special relationship!

"Special Envoy Chen, when did twenty outstanding talents from Great Xia come to the Holy Temple for further studies? Why haven't I heard a word about it?" Qin Mo skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point, asking for details.

Chen Xuanji's expression remained unchanged. "I received the imperial decree in the trading city, ordering me to come to Xizhou to take over as special envoy. I don't know the details very well, but I heard that it seems to be related to the war situation in the north."

"Is it related to the war situation in the north?"

"Yes, in the past, the imperial court has repeatedly requested that the Holy Temple open its doors to students of our Great Xia, but the Holy Temple has always refused our request on the grounds that Great Xia is too passive in the war against the orcs. This time, after Great Xia defeated the orcs in the north, the Holy Temple finally agreed to invite twenty outstanding talents of Great Xia to study at the Holy Temple every year."

Qin Mo looked at the various flags in the square, which were obviously representatives of different duchies and city-states, preparing to enter the temple for further study.

"What exactly is it in the temple that's so coveted, that makes these people flock to it?"

Qin Mo thought to himself that his memories were incomplete, and Allen didn't know the details of the Temple either. He had asked Wang Yushi, who only gave him the answer, "It would be stupid not to go to the Temple." This led him to this place thousands of miles away inexplicably.

With the heavy sound of the city gates opening, the five large doors of the Temple of Sages slowly opened, and a group of priests dressed in red robes came out first, followed by Templar Knights in bright armor.

A stir ran through the crowd in the small square as a rare sight of high-ranking priests and Templar Knights appeared in large numbers, creating a powerful visual impact – this was the true essence of the Temple.

"quiet!"

A priest dressed in a purple divine robe stepped forward from the crowd and shouted loudly. His voice was not very loud, but it carried throughout the entire small square. This was the first "strong person" Qin Mo had seen since arriving in Xizhou.

"Everyone be quiet and follow the instructions of the clergy. Step forward one by one to verify your identity. Anyone who makes a sound... will be disqualified!" The purple-robed priest's stern gaze swept across the entire square, and the square immediately fell silent.

"This is a high priest, but his strength is only equivalent to the Earth Realm. He's just putting on an act!"

Chen Xuanji, however, dismissed the high priest's words. He was a prominent figure in Great Xia and naturally had no reservations. Moreover, he was Great Xia's special envoy to the Holy Temple; if he were to be silenced by a mere high priest, what would become of Great Xia's dignity?

The purple-robed high priest's gaze swept over, and when he saw Chen Xuanji's unyielding eyes, he coldly said, "Great Xia is the farthest from the Western Continent. Since you are guests from afar, please let the cultivators from Great Xia come forward first!"

The young people of Daxia all looked at Chen Xuanji. After seeing Chen Xuanji nod slightly, they stepped forward one by one, took out their invitations, and after being checked by several red-robed priests, they entered the temple one by one.

Qin Mo frowned because he noticed that the invitations others had were different from his own.

"Your Highness, it's your turn." The twenty people from Great Xia had already entered smoothly, and Chen Xuanji reminded Qin Mo.

Qin Mo climbed the steps, skipping over them, and several priestesses simultaneously gave him "close attention," staring intently at him.

Elisa was also watching intently, her obsession being whether Qin Mo had received an invitation from the Temple. Although she had given up all hope of resolving her initial doubts, some obsessions only dissipate when one hits a wall.

"I'm sorry, sir, you cannot go in!"

The high priest's words made Elisa jerk up her head, looking at the tall, handsome figure on the steps. Want to chat with more like-minded people about "Sailing and Conquest"? Follow "Youdu Literature" on WeChat to read novels, discuss life, and find kindred spirits!