Three days later, in the wee hours of dawn, a faint knock sounded at Kanoru's door.
Still seated on the edge of his bed, he stirred slightly, his eyes half-lidded in meditation.
"Commander, land ahead has been spotted," the voice called softly from the other side.
Kanoru's eyes slowly opened.
Without making a sound, he rose from the bed, casting a glance at the two figures still sleeping soundly beneath the covers.
Asuna's arm was loosely draped over Gu Mingzhu's waist, their faces serene and peaceful.
For a moment, he simply stood there, watching them.
His lips curved faintly, but there was also a trace of helplessness in his eyes.
Ever since he had survived the ordeal against the invader, the two had been unstoppable.
Enthusiastic in their relief, they had taken it upon themselves to celebrate his survival—every night.
Kanoru's back ached slightly just thinking about it.
If he hadn't advanced to the Spirit Realm, he was fairly certain that the two of them would have drained him dry.
A wry chuckle slipped past his lips.
With a final glance at the sleeping pair, he quietly slipped out of the room, leaving them undisturbed.
---
Stepping onto the deck, Kanoru was immediately greeted by the cool morning breeze.
The salty scent of the ocean filled the air, and the soft pink hues of dawn painted the horizon.
His eyes narrowed slightly, honing in on the faint outline of land in the distance.
But even from this distance, his enhanced vision—now sharp as an eagle's—allowed him to see clearly.
He could make out the sandy beach soil stretching along the coastline.
Further inland, he spotted clusters of coconut trees, their leaves swaying gently in the wind.
He stood there for a brief moment, simply observing.
Then, with a faint breath, he slowly raised his hand.
The wind stirred in response.
Chakra flowed through his meridians, carrying the wind elemental energy with it.
Without hesitation, Kanoru's feet lifted from the deck, his body slowly rising into the air.
He drifted upward, light as a feather, riding on the currents of wind.
Higher.
Higher.
The ship grew smaller beneath him, its sails billowing softly in the morning breeze.
He continued his ascent, passing through the clouds, the blood moon's faint glow still visible in the morning sky.
From this height, most Spirit Realm cultivators would have no choice but to fall back to the earth.
Only those who had advanced to the Spirit Lord Realm could fly freely.
But Kanoru was different.
His wind elemental affinity allowed him to soar even before reaching the Spirit Lord Realm.
His deep understanding of the element granted him the ability to manipulate the wind at will—making the sky his domain.
He paused mid-air, hovering within the clouds, and slowly swept his gaze across the landscape.
From this vantage point, he could survey the continent ahead.
His eyes narrowed, scanning the land.
And then—he spotted it.
In the distance, scattered among the rolling hills, he made out clusters of small buildings.
Tiny specks of movement—no larger than ants—trailed through fields and along narrow roads.
Villages.
Towns.
But further to the south, something caught his attention.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
By the ocean, he spotted a large city—a sprawling mass of stone and wood structures stretching along the coastline.
And it was under siege.
Even from afar, he could clearly see it.
Thick smoke curled into the morning sky, and faint explosions of elemental energy flashed along the city walls.
But what drew his attention most was the battle itself.
The city was occupied by invaders.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened.
The defenders—the people of the Sacred Continent—were the ones besieging the city.
He could see them—masses of armored warriors and warlocks gathered outside the city walls, launching coordinated attacks against the fortified city.
His gaze shifted toward the city interior, and he spotted familiar figures.
Invaders—their forms distinctly inhuman, some clad in dark, twisted armor, others emanating corrupted auras.
The people of the Sacred Continent were fighting to reclaim their own city.
Kanoru's eyes darkened slightly.
He had seen enough.
Without hesitation, he slowly descended back through the clouds, his figure obscured by the mist.
He soared back toward the ship, the wind carrying him effortlessly.
Within minutes, his feet softly touched down on the deck.
He quickly made his way toward the captain's quarters, where the ship's navigator and helmsman were discussing their course.
Without preamble, Kanoru's voice rang out with calm authority.
"Change direction. Head further north."
The captain's brow furrowed slightly, clearly confused.
"North, Commander?" he asked hesitantly. "The land is straight ahead."
Kanoru's eyes glimmered faintly, his tone firm and unwavering.
"There's a city to the south occupied by the invaders. We'll steer clear of it for now."
The captain's expression stiffened slightly.
Hearing the mention of invaders, he quickly saluted and gave the necessary orders.
The crew bustled into action, swiftly altering the ship's course.
But Kanoru wasn't done.
Once the order was given, he turned on his heels and strode back to the deck.
Without a word, he once again rose into the air, his body light and swift, carried effortlessly by the wind.
He soared upward—piercing through the clouds—and turned toward the city.
This time, he flew with purpose.
Faster.
The wind howled around him, parting in his wake as he sliced through the sky like an arrow.
When he reached the battlefield, he remained high above the clouds, observing the battle below.
But this time, he did not remain hidden.
He slowly descended through the mist, allowing the blood moon's crimson light to reflect off his figure.
And he revealed himself.
The human camp, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of an airborne figure, stared upward in confusion.
Then, they realized.
Gasps rippled through the ranks.
Cries of shock and disbelief spread.
"A spirit realm expert…!" someone shouted.
The cry echoed across the battlefield, drawing the attention of everyone present.
From the human camp, two figures suddenly soared into the sky, their bodies moving swiftly and gracefully through the wind.
Both were Spirit Realm cultivators, and like Kanoru, they comprehended the wind elemental energy.
The first was a man with sharp features and short, silver hair, his robes embroidered with green swirling patterns, marking his affinity with the wind.
Beside him was a woman with long, flowing raven-black hair, dressed in a light, flowing garment that billowed with every gust, the hem traced with silver threads.
Their eyes were piercing and vigilant as they approached, clearly wary of the unknown cultivator who had appeared out of nowhere.
Kanoru hovered in the air, watching them calmly.
But before they could question him, he offered a slight nod and introduced himself.
"I am Kanoru. My people and I arrived near the Sacred Continent by accident, caught in a storm."
His voice was steady, his tone calm but firm.
The two Spirit Realm cultivators exchanged brief glances, then slowly relaxed their postures.
Sensing no hostility from him—and recognizing the wind elemental energy flowing naturally around him—they accepted his explanation without further suspicion.
"I see," the silver-haired man finally spoke. "You must have felt the increase of wind elemental energy the closer you came."
Kanoru's eyes flickered faintly.
Indeed, he had noticed it.
Even before arriving at the continent, he had sensed the concentration of wind elemental energy thickening in the atmosphere.
He hadn't given it much thought at the time, assuming it was a natural occurrence.
But now, he realized that the Sacred Continent's dominant elemental forces were the reason.
Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth.
These four elements governed the continent, their energies thriving in abundance, making elemental comprehension more attainable and breakthroughs more frequent.
The two cultivators then gestured for him to follow, and Kanoru descended with them, flying down toward the human camp.
They led him to a large command tent positioned on a hill overlooking the battlefield.
Inside the tent, several Spirit Realm cultivators were already gathered, their presence filling the space with powerful auras.
At the center of the group sat a woman with regal bearing, exuding an air of noble authority.
She was clad in dark crimson armor with silver inlays, her long chestnut hair tied into a loose braid draped over her shoulder.
Her sharp, azure eyes locked onto Kanoru the moment he entered the tent.
Though she remained seated, her presence was commanding.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly as he immediately sensed the difference in her aura.
She was not an ordinary Spirit Realm cultivator.
She was at the Spirit Lord Realm.
One step above them.
The Lord of the Army.
"Duchess Anelise Zandarin," the woman introduced herself, her voice steady and measured.
Her tone and gaze were calm, but there was no mistaking the sharpness in her eyes—assessing him carefully.
Kanoru met her gaze with his own, his eyes steady and unyielding.
After a brief exchange of formalities, they quickly moved on to the topic at hand.
Anelise and the other Spirit Realm cultivators explained the situation.
The reason they were besieging the city was due to a node located within it.
"A node?" Kanoru asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
Anelise nodded.
Kanoru understood the strategic importance of the nodes; he knew that each infected node strengthened the invaders' hold over the world, slowly corrupting the land under their rule.
The Nightmare Clan—the invaders—were using the node to strengthen themselves.
Within the city, with the node in their control and slowly being infected by the rule of Nightmare, they could display 95% of their strength.
Outside the city, however, their strength would be reduced to 60%.
This was the reason the invaders refused to leave the city.
They remained inside, where they were strongest.
Meanwhile, the Duchess and her forces were awaiting reinforcements from their allied armies to launch a full-scale assault.
But there was a problem.
"The invaders have two Spirit Lord cultivators of their own," Anelise explained grimly.
That was why her forces had not launched a full attack yet.
Despite their Spirit Realm experts, they lacked the power to overwhelm two Spirit Lords.
Kanoru listened quietly, processing the situation.
Eventually, one of the Spirit Realm cultivators—a man with a scarred face and a thick, greying beard—turned to Kanoru.
"You mentioned arriving with your people, Commander Kanoru," the man said. "Are you and your army willing to fight with us? With your forces, we may stand a chance."
The tent fell silent.
All eyes were on him.
But Kanoru's expression remained calm and unreadable.
He slowly shook his head.
"I must decline," he said, his voice steady but resolute.
The atmosphere stiffened slightly.
Before anyone could question his refusal, he continued.
"I've only recently advanced to the Spirit Realm," he explained, his tone calm but firm.
"I have yet to fully grasp my strength. And my people… many of them are still injured from the last battle."
He made no mention of his warlocks killing a Spirit Lord invader just days ago—their weakened state was already proof enough.
The Duchess nodded slowly, understanding his reasoning.
Though disappointed, none of the Spirit Realm cultivators pressed the matter further.
Kanoru's refusal was not seen as cowardice—but rather caution and practicality.
Before he left, however, one of the female Spirit Realm cultivators stepped forward.
She had dark copper hair and piercing green eyes, her figure slender but athletic.
" Kanoru," she said, her voice level but firm, "when you reach Triston City, you should submit the head of the invader you slew along with the node rod."
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Node rod?"
She nodded.
"It's an artifact used by the Nightmare Clan to corrupt the node. You found under the ocean, it's worth fifty Red Merits."
Her lips pressed into a faint smile.
"More than enough to obtain rare resources."
Kanoru nodded once, silently committing the information to memory.
Without further delay, he turned and left the tent.
Once outside, he rose into the air once more, the wind gathering around him.
He ascended swiftly, soaring high into the clouds, and then turned toward the direction of his ship.
The wind carried him swiftly over the terrain, and before long, he spotted the sails of his vessel cutting through the waves.
Returning to the ship, he immediately summoned the captain and informed him of their new destination. He explained the route in detail—sail closer to the shore and continue along the coastline. The moment they spotted the first wide river, they were to enter it. From there, it would take roughly half a day to reach Triston City.
Afterward, Kanoru gathered the rest of his members and shared the plan with them. With everything in order, he returned to his room. Sitting cross-legged, he began comprehending the nature of the wind element. Closing his eyes, he sank into deep meditation, sensing the subtle changes in the flow of the wind and merging his consciousness with its essence.
Time slipped by unnoticed, and before he realized it, the sun had begun to set. The sudden slowing of the ship's motion drew his attention. Opening his eyes, he sensed the ship gliding smoothly into the port of Triston City.
After presenting their merit token to the city guards, they were granted entry without issue. The group's first priority was securing accommodations. They rented a large mansion spacious enough to house all their members. With a place to rest, they spent the night recovering from the long journey.