Free Web NovelChapter 689: Chapter 689: Paying for loyalty
The Vice Sect Leader let out a slow breath, his sharp gaze turning back toward the inner courtyard where Ethan and his inner circle were waiting.
"Let us move out immediately," said the Vice Leader, his tone shifting into a deeply serious register. "We now have a brand-new elder of the Sea Spirit Realm among our ranks. If the two of us advance together alongside the crushing fire support of your Invictus dreadnoughts, we can approach the northwest zone without a single issue. Have the Immortal Doctor’s family and personal staff board the primary flagship right now to guarantee their safety."
The General violently stiffened, his jaw dropping slightly as his eyes widened in unadulterated disbelief.
"How can that possibly be accurate?" asked the General, his voice cracking slightly beneath his heavy ceremonial helmet. "An entirely new Sea Spirit Realm master appearing on this barren frontier is impossible! Why was I not immediately briefed on an matter of this magnitude before our departure?"
"The entire breakthrough literally just concluded a few hours ago, all thanks to the miraculous medical intervention of the Immortal Doctor," the Vice Leader explained with a faint, knowing smirk. "That is the exact reason I originally requested an Invictus dreadnought to serve as our primary transport escort. I didn’t ask for it out of fear, but rather because I wanted to grant the doctor an astronomical amount of prestige and public weight upon his official arrival at the capital. But now that you have mistakenly brought a full battle fortress group along with you, the outcome is even better. It will give his entrance an undeniable, world-shattering presence."
He leaned in closer to the General, his expression turning dead serious as his voice dropped into an icy, unyielding whisper.
"We must guarantee his total, unbroken loyalty to our pavilion," the Vice Leader commanded. "With the current geopolitical pressure from both the Crimson and Thunderdragon sects, a divine asset like the Immortal Doctor is a piece we cannot afford to lose. There is zero margin for administrative or errors."
"I understand," said the General, his military discipline overriding his shock. "We shall execute your request immediately."
Ethan smoothly led his household toward the colossal boarding ramp. Louisa, Mary, and the assistants stared up at the monster in pur0e awe as they were warmly welcomed aboard by the elite guards. The attendants bowed deeply, guiding Ethan’s family directly to a massive, luxurious master suite located at the dead center of the beast—the most secure zone within the entire hull.
The ship was magnificent, a literal flying city and a logical fortress operating with precision. Once they had fully settled into their quarters, the Vice Sect Leader politely requested a private audience with Ethan and Heidy, his demeanor exceptionally courteous.
While they walked the wide, reinforced corridors, the General proudly began to detail the vessel’s technical specifications. "This flagship shares a similar structural outline to the Rhino cruisers utilized by the Soaring Dragon Kingdom. However, this specific masterpiece was manufactured directly by the Black Army Merchant guild. It belongs to the Impenetrable-class heavy transport line."
The General patted the thick metal bulkhead with a grin. "It is engineered to easily withstand direct, high-potency strikes from a Sea Spirit Realm master. It is admittedly slower than a standard cruiser, but its structural defenses are ironclad."
Ethan nodded politely, but his mind was already sharp, silently comparing this vessel to the exact Rhino he had boarded alongside Princess Isabella. Despite the General’s immense pride, this ship felt noticeably weaker, lacking the raw, oppressive energy density of the imperial cruiser.
Crul, analyze the structural data, Ethan commanded internally, his mind linking to his hidden AI core. Run a battle simulation between a standard Rhino and this Impenetrable-class vessel.
"Understood, Master," Crul’s synthetic voice echoed instantly inside his consciousness. "Data compilation. After executing 100,000 simulated combat encounters, the Rhino cruiser achieves a 100% win rate in a strict one-on-one engagement. The Rhino possesses a significantly faster defensive barrier matrix, its thrusters generate greater directional force, and its primary weapon batteries operate at a higher destructive tier with superior cargo capacity."
The AI paused for a millisecond before dropping a grim calculation. freёwebnovel.com
"However, I must warn you that the Black Army Merchant guild is far more dangerous than our initial metrics suggested. While the Rhino is forged from rare Aether-Glass Steel, this vessel utilizes a vastly inferior grade of common steel refined to mimic a similar resistance level. This means its industrial production line is at least 100 times faster and 10 times cheaper to manufacture. If the Black Army Merchant guild produces these in mass, a squad of just 10 of these vessels would thoroughly annihilate a single Rhino."
"Go right inside," said the General, offering a formal nod as he gestured toward a set of heavily reinforced blast doors. "The Vice Sect Leader is waiting for you both."
Ethan and Heidy smoothly stepped forward into the command sector, their footsteps echoing softly against the pristine metal floor plates while the armored General followed a few paces behind them.
The heavy doors hissed open, granting them entry directly onto the main command bridge. Ethan’s sharp amethyst eyes instantly scanned the entire layout, his clinical mind mapping out the and runic architecture of the control deck. The center of command was surprisingly compact but required immense, synchronized coordination; it required five separate operators sitting at dedicated runic consoles to pilot, stabilize, and navigate the colossal vessel simultaneously.
Beyond the central hub, the weapon management arrays were entirely decentralized. Rather than utilizing a unified firing matrix, each primary super-cannon across the hull had to be operated individually by dedicated artillery specialists. It was a rugged, highly functional design built for total battlefield redundancy—a true logical fortress of the Black Army Merchant guild.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
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Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.
