Working until three in the morning to upload, only to find I couldn't connect to the webpage—the internet was out. So, I just churned out this chapter instead, releasing two at once.

On Mount Mirai, the highest peak of (Wangyue Island).

A vessel, entirely silver, twenty zhang in diameter, constructed entirely of metal, boasted a pair of metallic wings on either side; at a glance, it bore a striking resemblance to some kind of metallic winged beast!

Beside this aircraft stood the Elder, the Temple Emissary in charge of . He stood by the peak's edge, smiling, clad in white robes and possessing white hair, while a gentle breeze fluttered his garments.

In the distance, the villagers from the entire island had gathered here. Looking out, three thousand people stood together, a dense, unbroken mass, heads nodding in motion—an extraordinarily vast assembly.

By the aircraft’s hatch stood two guards, encased in exquisite armor and carrying long sabers on their backs, exuding a deep, resonant aura. As time wore on, a middle-aged man slowly emerged from the vessel. The two guards slightly lowered their heads in a gesture of respect.

The Elder stepped forward with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting: "Your subordinate, Huangpu, envoy of this island, greets the Steward, esteemed sir."

All the villagers in the distance knelt in unison, their vast voices echoing with perfect synchronization: "We greet the Temple Steward, esteemed sir!"

The middle-aged man nodded with a slight smile. "No need for ceremony. Are all the candidates for the God War selected by your island faction present?"

The Elder nodded slightly. "They are." With that, he beckoned toward the distance. From the crowd, Huang Zheng, dressed in brand-new beast hides, stepped out slowly. A smile spread across his face as he quickly approached the middle-aged man, cupping his hands with awe: "Greetings to the Temple Steward, esteemed sir!"

The middle-aged man studied him briefly, then asked the Elder beside him, "Has he reached the Sixth Tier Warrior level?"

"He has," the Elder replied with a smile, nodding. "—No provision from the Qihang Update Group."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly. "Is this the only one? The powerful islands of the Outer Sea each have three slots; you mustn't waste them."

The Elder's expression became slightly awkward. "The other one should be arriving shortly as well."

The middle-aged man frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure crossing his features, yet he said nothing more. Huang Zheng stood to the side, stealing glances at the middle-aged man, filled with reverence, thinking to himself, Truly worthy of being a major figure from the Inner Sea Temple; his bearing is extraordinary. Even the Elder treats him with such humility!

He secretly vowed that in this life, he too would reach such a status!

In the blink of an eye, several hours passed.

The middle-aged man was showing signs of impatience. Just then, a sound of stamping feet echoed from the distance, immediately followed by Huang Zhong arriving swiftly with Ye Chen and Huang Lu.

Upon seeing the pale-gold medal pinned to the middle-aged man's chest, Huang Zhong broke out in a cold sweat. He hurried forward with Ye Chen and the other, cupping his hands respectfully: "I am Huang Zhong, greetings to the Temple Steward, esteemed sir."

"Hm." The middle-aged man nodded casually, not giving the name of this minor figure any thought, then turned toward Ye Chen beside him and stated flatly, "Is this the other one?"

The Elder quickly nodded.

Ye Chen observed the middle-aged man, feeling a pressure as immense as a mountain emanating from him. He was secretly startled; this man had surely reached at least the King Grade Fifth Tier!

Huang Zheng, standing nearby, saw the expressions on Ye Chen and Huang Lu, and his face immediately darkened. However, the memory of being instantly defeated three months prior cast a shadow of fear over him concerning Ye Chen. In an instant, his surging anger shifted entirely toward Huang Lu beside him. He let out a cold snort and sneered at Huang Lu: "What, are you planning to tag along just to gain some insight?"

Huang Lu clenched his fists. "I said I would defeat you!"

Huang Zheng became furious. "A mere Fourth Tier Warrior dares to challenge my dignity? Believe it or not, I'll leave you bedridden for the rest of your life!"

Huang Lu said coldly, "We’ll see who ends up bedridden!"

The Elder pulled the two apart, frowning. "How old are you two, not knowing the rules? Shut your mouths!"

The two glanced at him and sullenly fell silent, daring not utter another word.

"Elder," Ye Chen suddenly interjected, "Huang Lu has also reached the Sixth Tier. Please allow him to participate in the combat as well!"

Both the Elder and Huang Zhong froze for a moment, then looked at Huang Lu with expressions of utter shock. The Elder questioned, "Has he truly reached it?" Huang Zhong wondered aloud, "Wasn't he only Fifth Tier? When did he reach Sixth Tier?"

Ye Chen shrugged. "Yesterday, he found a miraculous fruit in the jungle, ate it, and broke through. If you don't believe me, you can test him."

The middle-aged man waved his hand impatiently. "Let it be settled then. Whether it's true or not will be clear when we reach the Inner Sea. Let's go; I'm in a hurry. You aren't the only island I'm receiving today."

The Elder offered a fawning smile, his gaze still slightly doubtful toward Huang Lu, but he dared not say more. "Then you may depart!"

Huang Zheng, upon hearing Ye Chen's words, felt as if struck by lightning and stood stunned on the spot. Only when he heard the middle-aged man speak did he snap back to reality. Seeing the slight smile playing on Huang Lu's lips intensified the anger in his heart, and he thought venomously, When we reach the Inner Sea, your little trick will be exposed.

Urged by the middle-aged man, the group boarded the flying ship in a great hurry. Huang Lu glanced back among the villagers with a lingering reluctance, failing to spot his father's figure, and followed Ye Chen into the vessel with a sense of dejection. Meanwhile, Huang Zheng boarded with the relatives he had promised to bring, along with that beautiful girl.

Whoosh—

The aircraft began to move slowly, energy fluctuations emitting from its base, providing propulsion. The metallic bird-beast slowly ascended, and under the gaze of the assembled villagers below, it shot toward the distant sky with a swoosh, its speed immense. In the blink of an eye, it became a tiny black speck in everyone’s vision before vanishing.

The hope of the entire village was concentrated upon that flying ship.

The people below waved and shouted.

"Farewell!!!"

"Go get a good ranking!!"

"Bring glory to our !!"

Inside the aircraft, Huang Lu gazed through the clear viewport at as it receded, the entire expanse of the island visible beneath him. He waved silently for a long time, and only after the island—his childhood home—had completely disappeared from view did he quietly turn and sit down on the beast-hide seat.

Opposite him, Huang Zheng sat with his family, chatting animatedly while looking out the window at the azure sea below, filled with excitement and happy conversation. —No provision from the Qihang Update Group.

Ye Chen stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the side of the aircraft, eyes closed, conserving his energy.

About 20 minutes later, the aircraft slowed and stopped above another island. Ye Chen opened his eyes inside the cabin to see many people standing on a grassy slope in the distance. Among them were three figures—two men and one woman—accompanied by four or five individuals. Introduced by the Temple Emissary of that island, they were led into the flying ship.

Then, amid a chorus of farewells, the aircraft slowly started moving again, soaring toward the distance.

Ye Chen was disinclined to watch and closed his eyes to rest.

Huang Zheng and Huang Lu looked at the newcomers—the two men and one woman—with a degree of caution. After introductions, they learned of each other’s origins: the quartet hailed from Wind Boat Island.

After a brief exchange of words, the people from the two islands settled into separate areas, guarded by mutual wariness, for once they reached the Inner Sea, they would be competitors!

Not long after, they arrived at yet another island and received only one person—a dark-clothed youth with swarthy skin, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, his sharp gaze contained within. He was the sole representative from this island participating in the war. When he boarded the aircraft, he brought no one with him; he was utterly alone.

Huang Lu and Huang Zheng proactively greeted the dark-clothed man, but their greetings were ignored; he didn't even spare them a glance.

The dark-clothed youth’s demeanor was cold. He walked directly to an empty seat inside the aircraft, sat down, and then, just like Ye Chen, closed his eyes to rest, showing no interest in the scenery outside the window.

Having picked up participants from three islands, the middle-aged man instructed the pilot to engage the thrust and head directly in one direction. After an hour of travel with no islands sighted, everyone realized that this flying ship was only collecting participants from three Outer Sea islands!

Before long...

In the distance, on the boundless blue sea, an island slowly materialized at the horizon, growing larger and larger. This island was immensely majestic, with continuous mountain ranges and dense, lush greenery swaying in the wind.

"So big!" Huang Lu exclaimed, his mouth agape as he viewed the entire area of the island. "This island is at least twice the size of ours!"

The others surrounding him, who had never left their home island before, were seeing an Inner Sea island for the first time and were astonished by its grandeur.

Just then, a flying ship slowly rose from the island, completely pale gold and extremely luxurious. Its size was much larger than the aircraft Ye Chen and the others were riding—approximately fifty zhang long, resembling an exquisitely beautiful golden bird-monster.

The aircraft carrying Ye Chen and his group appeared rather rudimentary in comparison, like a featherless chick next to that grand vessel.

As the golden aircraft ascended, the middle-aged man quickly ordered the pilot with grave urgency: "That is an Inner Sea island aircraft; there are High Stewards aboard. Do not exceed its speed; that would be disrespectful!"

Only after the golden aircraft had flown far ahead and vanished did Ye Chen's aircraft begin to accelerate its pursuit.

After flying for thirty minutes, Ye Chen and the others occasionally began to see white flying ships approaching from a distance—aircraft collecting participants from other Outer Sea islands. Sometimes, they even spotted some golden aircraft. Whenever these golden vessels appeared, all the white aircraft collectively slowed down, daring not to overtake them.

After another hour passed like this, Ye Chen's party finally arrived slowly in the Inner Sea region.

"We are in the Inner Sea now; increase the aircraft's altitude!" the middle-aged man stated grimly.

Ye Chen and the others were somewhat puzzled, but after traveling a short distance, they understood.

Suddenly, a dark shape appeared in the azure sea, rapidly expanding. Immediately after, the entire calm sea surface abruptly bulged upward into a small mound, water cascading down in shimmering sheets. Monsters, roughly two to three zhang in volume—comparable in size to the white flying ships—were swimming and leaping in the ocean. If the aircraft flew too low, they risked being directly dragged into the sea by some of these creatures with astonishing leaping power; then not even an immortal could save them!

The aircraft flew at high altitude. In the Inner Sea, occasionally a whale-like monster would erupt from the depths, leap high into the air, and crash back into the water, as if playing a game.

Huang Lu, Huang Zheng, and the others seated in the aircraft felt a chilling dread run through them. They had never seen monsters of such colossal size in their entire lives; their faces paled, and cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. ~~~~