Three days later, at the Pristine Way Sect, in the center of the sect master's grand hall.
Fifteen disciples stood in four neat rows.
The first row held five people, all dressed in purple—these were the Core Disciples: Skyler Sikong, Ryan Li, Zong Han, Gu Xie Huajian, and Jian Jiu.
The second row had three people—the Elite Disciples—this time's Elite Grand Tournament first place Leo Li, second place Qin Changqing, and third place Zhou Xiaoxian.
The third row also had three people, the Inner Sect Disciples: from left to right, Ian Song, Yoon Zhengyang, and Harriet Gu.
The fourth row was Fred Feng, Jean Shan, and Lance Easton.
Originally, Lance Easton was only fourth place in the Outer Sect Grand Tournament, but after Ian Song was promoted to the Inner Sect and took first place there, the Outer Sect second, third, and fourth places each moved up one rank.
In addition, two Core Elders stood on either side of the hall; this time, they would be leading Pristine Way Sect's fifteen disciples to Seacoast Province.
Sect master Chen Yuanshan sat high above. First, he spoke earnestly to everyone, then encouraged them, and emphasized that once they reached Holy Spirit Island, they must work hard on their cultivation.
Strangely, though, he didn't mention to everyone how perilous the journey to Holy Spirit Island would be.
After bowing to the sect master,
the two Core Elders led everyone out of the grand hall.
"Caw! Caw!"
Suddenly, a series of loud eagle cries rang out. Everyone instinctively looked up and saw two gigantic Cloud Eagles appear hundreds of meters above.
Both Cloud Eagles had crimson feathers, and when they spread their wings, they covered nearly two hundred meters of sky.
Cloud Eagles are third-tier high-grade demonic beasts, with strength comparable to late-stage Grandmasters.
Under everyone's gaze, the two Cloud Eagles swooped down and landed on the open ground in front of the grand hall.
For a moment, quite a few people looked wary.
"No need to worry, these two Cloud Eagles are Elder Wang's and my mounts!" said the kindly Core Elder.
Of the two Core Elders, one was surnamed Wang and the other Hu. Elder Wang looked stern and gave off a 'keep your distance' vibe, while Elder Hu seemed kind, always wearing a warm, spring-like smile.
"Everyone, get on their backs. They'll carry us to Seacoast Province!" Elder Hu continued.
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone answered in unison and leaped onto the backs of the two Cloud Eagles.
In sync, the Outer, Inner, and Elite Disciples all boarded one Cloud Eagle, while the five Core Disciples took the other.
Next, the two Core Elders each landed on a Cloud Eagle themselves. With that, both Cloud Eagles soared skyward, heading for Seacoast Province.
Feeling the wind whipping past their ears, the three Outer Sect disciples—who had never flown before—looked thrilled.
The three Elite Disciples, on the other hand, were calm. They sat cross-legged on the Cloud Eagle's back and closed their eyes to meditate.
"Junior Brother Huang, I didn't expect that after just over a month, your cultivation has already advanced to the eighth layer of Qi-Refining. Congratulations!"
Yoon Zhengyang said kindly, his eyes warm.
"You're too kind, Senior Brother Yoon," Ian Song replied with a smile.
"By the way, Junior Brother Huang, do you know much about Sanctum Martial Academy?" Yoon Zhengyang changed the subject and asked.
Ian Song thought for a moment and said, "Not much, I just know Sanctum Martial Academy has one dean and five vice-deans, all top Martial Saints."
"Six Martial Saints!"
Yoon Zhengyang was stunned, then got excited. "No wonder it's Sanctum Martial Academy—six Martial Saints on staff!"
Hearing this, the three Outer Sect disciples looked shocked, while the Elite Disciples didn't even blink—they clearly already knew. Harriet Gu showed no reaction, as icy as ever.
Still, Ian Song was sure Harriet Gu knew, since her grandfather was one of Pristine Way Sect's Supreme Elders, and that Core Disciple Gu Xie Huajian was her actual older brother.
The Cloud Eagles flew incredibly fast—at least five hundred kilometers per hour.
But Seacoast Province was over five thousand kilometers away from Pristine Way Sect, so they'd probably arrive after dark.
Seacoast Province was Sea Emperor Sect territory.
Compared to Pristine Way Sect, Sea Emperor Sect was a notch stronger, ruling over four provinces in total.
Nearly five hours later, the two Cloud Eagles had entered Seacoast Province.
Elder Hu, riding the same Cloud Eagle as Ian Song and the others, suddenly spoke: "Once we reach Sea Emperor City, we'll find an inn to stay at. Unless necessary, don't go out—no need to invite trouble!"
"Understood!"
Everyone replied in unison.
Ian Song understood Elder Hu's caution. Although Sea Emperor Sect and Pristine Way Sect were both part of the human alliance, their relationship was far from harmonious. In fact, one province under Sea Emperor Sect used to belong to Pristine Way Sect.
Back during the Human-Demon War, Pristine Way Sect's Martial Saint died, and without a top-tier expert, the sect began to decline.
Pristine Way Sect once ruled seven provinces.
But in the decades after their Martial Saint's death, their territory was gradually eaten away by other sects, until only three provinces remained.
Of course, more than a hundred years have passed since then, and Pristine Way Sect has deliberately kept this quiet. Few know the details, but Dongfang Tianya was one of them—he specifically warned Ian Song before departure not to provoke Sea Emperor Sect.
Half an hour later, a vast city appeared on the horizon.
Ian Song looked into the distance and felt this city was at least ten times larger than Kaiyuan City.
As they neared the city,
a giant flying demonic beast, its feathers gleaming like black iron, burst out from within the city and flew straight toward the two Cloud Eagles from Pristine Way Sect.
"Caw! Caw!"
Both Cloud Eagles let out uneasy cries.
As it drew closer, everyone could see that the giant flying beast had a grotesque human face, with blood-red eyes like copper bells filled with savage fury. On its back stood two black-robed elders.
Elder Hu and Elder Wang, who had been sitting cross-legged on the Cloud Eagles, both stood up, their expressions grave.
"So it's Elder Aolong and Elder Aohu of Sea Emperor Sect. May I ask what business you have with us?" Elder Hu put on a smile and asked politely.
"Demonic beasts are not allowed in the city. Elders from Pristine Way Sect, please enter through the city gates instead," one of the Sea Emperor Sect elders said.
"Since when was this rule in place? How come I never heard of it?" Elder Wang's face darkened as he spoke coldly.
"It's a direct order from our sect master. Please land and enter through the city gates!" The other elder's tone was icy.
Elder Wang was about to retort, but Elder Hu quickly interjected, "Thank you for the reminder. Since it's an order from your sect master, of course we'll comply."
"At least you know your place!" sneered the Sea Emperor Sect elder.
Just then, three more flying demonic beasts, each as large as the Cloud Eagles, approached from the distance, carrying seven or eight people apiece.
"Hahaha, aren't those the two Ao brothers from Sea Emperor Sect? Greetings, greetings!"
An elder riding one of the beasts laughed heartily.
"So it's Brother Ming! It's been years—we must have a drink together!" Aolong and Aohu responded in unison, both grinning.
The two sides chatted and laughed, completely ignoring the Pristine Way Sect group. Soon, they all flew into Sea Emperor City together, leaving the Pristine Way Sect delegation behind.
For a moment, everyone from Pristine Way Sect felt both embarrassed and furious. It was obvious Sea Emperor Sect was deliberately targeting them.