While their detachment fleet survived without any losses, the same could not be said about the rest of the fleet. Battles continued to ravage both sides in a never-ending dance between the two admirals. Admiral Aura was never entirely on the defensive, nor was Admiral Kang entirely on the offensive. The two swapped sides as the tides dictated, leading to sudden explosive conflicts followed by long uneventful periods of rest. The ship carrying the Sword King and his disciples saw another two minor battles, and another major one. Perhaps Admiral Aura noticed their unusual resilience, but she placed them in more active roles in the conflict. Although Sword King Sin saw through her plan, he allowed it to happen. Hidek and Lanar were thus forced to engage every time. Eventually, the losses on the empire's fleet prompted them to retreat, concluding the three-day long conflict. The kingdom's fleet did not escape unscathed either, though the situation was much better than the first battle. Two days later, they arrived at the Yunyun Stronghold!
"We made it out alive!" a mercenary cried upon touching land.
"It's a miracle!" another sighed. "I never want to step foot on another ship again."
"Damn it! Why did the admiral assign us so many battles? That wasn't worth the pay!"
"Who cares about that? We should be glad we're still alive! Drinks are on me tonight!"
"Why the glum face, Owen?" Someone leaned on his shoulders like old friends. Unfortunately, the thick stench of alcohol made it anything but pleasant.
"I've been thinking… who protected us in those battles? Those pirates and their ships… It was clearly not the work of someone normal."
"Who cares about that? Let's celebrate!" The woman intoxicated herself further before seeing something that caught her eye. "Oh, look at them! They're the three that were hiding below deck while we were fighting, right? Looks like they lucked out!" She burst out in laughter.
"Stop it!" Owen shouted.
The port was swimming with people due to the fleet's arrival, and coupled with the large distance between them, Owen wagered that they could not hear what was said. Still, for whatever reason, he felt nervous whenever he thought about those three. They were not people you could mock! They might even be responsible for killing those pirates! Sword King Sin and Hidek paid no mind since they knew Lanar would not. Lanar gave the woman a sideways glance from across the crowd, which submerged the woman in a sea of bloodlust. She instantly sobered up, stumbled back, and froze in fear. Lanar's eyes were cold and emotionless like a monster ready to devour her whole! She screamed! Lanar snorted derisively and released his gaze. He would have killed her if she said anything else. Owen gave them one last look before they disappeared into the crowd.
"What should we do next, master?" Hidek asked.
The Sword King pondered. According to his instincts, he knew that Benedict and his fortuitous encounter were here. The problem was that he knew the general direction, and not the precise location. Coming to the stronghold was as far as his gut instincts would take him. However, this was good enough. He closed his eyes and utilized his Martial Energy. His Core also stirred, bringing out waves of Magic Energy to the surface. His technique then activated, releasing a vast invisible field from him. It propagated throughout the stronghold, piercing through all walls and structures, and fully encapsulated the Yunyun Stronghold. In his mind, the world was revealed before him! He could see everything! It was his True Perception!
While Elizabeth and her friends were talking, Sir Winstin felt someone's gaze fall upon him. He was startled! It was far stronger and more pervasive than anything he felt before, as though all his secrets were laid bare to see. As a Perception Realm Master, he stood at the zenith of the human world. He had seen everything already. Yet, this power shattered those preconceptions! He immediately released his perception to search for the source, but it was too far away. He could not sense it! Sir Winstin was shaken since this was a power that transcended Perception Realm Master. Was it a legendary Instinct Realm or Blue Depth Core? He turned grim. Was the Featherwind Sect attacking again?
In another room, Lady Mingyu Loon was guarding over Imperian Qiang when she jumped to attention. She never cared about her image, and thus she never cared about people's gazes, yet this feeling was different. The feeling of the Sword King's True Perception was incredibly creepy, as though she watched by a thousand peering eyes! It was extremely unsettling! She also searched with her senses but to no avail. This meant whoever was responsible surpassed her in sensory ability! Lady Mingyu drew her sword and grew serious, bursting out with fighting intent, which scared Imperian Qiang. She wanted to deal this unknown threat!
Elsewhere, Protector Chang remained by Princess Xiuying and Ming's side, except there was someone else present. It was Cardinal Hui Wai-Wing, the former leader of the Four Cardinals and the Imperial Sentinels! Following the Battle of Liguang, he came to an agreement with the Imperial Princesses, which allowed him to serve as their new Protector. Like a statue, the man refrained from doing anything unnecessary. However, he suddenly flinched and tensed up. It was as though a god was peering down on him! He could do nothing against their scrutiny! Cardinal Hui grabbed his bow, nocked an arrow, and extended his senses outward. A Perception Realm Master should be more than enough to reveal whoever it was! A look of incredulity soon appeared on his face though. Entirely evading his detection meant they were Half-Instinct Realms or stronger! Who could it be?
Benedict was startled when he felt that terrifying presence and unlike the three Perception Realm Masters, his demeanor was far less composed. That was a given considering the Sword King was two whole Realms above him. There was a monstrous difference between them! Despite that, Benedict found this presence to be strangely familiar. The question was why? Aside from these four, every other Perception Realm and Condensed Drop Core in the Yunyun Stronghold sensed the Sword King's True Perception! In the blink of an eye, the Sword King managed to alert everyone of his existence!
Hidek and Lanar were speechless. By unleashing a True Perception this boldly in a city rife with experts, it was practically announcing their presence! Everyone knew they were here now! Then what was the point in acting discreetly on the ship? It seemed pointless. The two disciples grew restless. They might be experienced Perception Realm Masters bordering on Half-Instinct Realm, possessing near-perfect control over Martial Energy and outstanding swordsmanship prowess yet, they were still unconfident to clash with the Yunyun Stronghold! That was a force exceeding one hundred thousand soldiers! Not to mention, it was backed by the Alzar Kingdom. No matter how strong they became, the thought of clashing with one of the three human civilizations sounded suicidal. Hidek and Lanar hoped their master would not go overboard.
Meanwhile, the Sword King looked on in amusement since he did not expect to find Sir Winstin and Cardinal Hui here. One was the strongest knight in the Alzar Kingdom, and the other was the strongest sentinel in the Xingyuu Empire. Both were here meaning something interesting was happening behind the scenes. There was also a woman who was equal in strength that he did not recognize. That said, he considered none of them as a real threat. The difference in power between those that wielded Martial Energy and those that did not… was as far apart as heaven and earth! They stood on different levels from the very start. Once again, he was disappointed by the absence of possible rivals. Was his good fortune truly here? Something else gained his interest though.
Princess Elizabeth was still alive! He heard the rumors about the Battle of Liguang, so he was curious why she allowed those rumors to spread. It should be detrimental to the kingdom. Furthermore, her strength, Half-Condensed Drop, was a surprising discovery. Very few people attained the power of a Condensed Drop Core, and they were considered the strongest Arcanists in the world. A princess achieving that was outside his expectations.
As for Benedict, he improved to Fundamental Realm Master, one minor realm since the Sword King saw him last. Although it was fast by normal standards, Benedict barely managed to pass his master's high standards. Anyone slower would not be his disciple anymore! Improving minor realms was not hard, the real problem was tackling the barrier to Perception Realm. It would thoroughly divide those who were talented and those who were trash! If Benedict could not break through, then their master-disciple relationship was over. Unfortunately, Shirley and Freon were too weak to enter his notice.