Ethan stepped onto the main deck of the White-Rhino, and the sheer scale of the naval operation hit him like a physical blow. The ship was a leviathan, easily rivaling the ten-kilometer length of the Invictus. They were moving in a perfect "Arrowhead" formation; the sleek White-Raptors sliced through the waves at the vanguard, while the massive White-Hunters flanked them like iron walls. In the center, the White-Rhino rode the swells with an immovable, terrifying weight, looking less like a ship and more like a floating fortress of white and gold.

Ethan knelt, pressing his palm against the deck’s surface. "Crul " he whispered into his mind. "What is this thing built of? I’ve never felt a material like this."

[Master] Crul’s voice resonated clearly, its sub-routines analyzing the tactile data Ethan was providing. [This is not simple iron. It is Aether-Glass Steel, a rare alloy forged from deep-sea minerals and refined with high-grade spirit essence. Its molecular structure is uniquely porous to spiritual intent, making it the perfect canvas for runic engineering.]

Ethan closed his eyes, and through Crul’s assisted perception, he saw the ship’s true form. Beneath the white paint lay a staggering complexity.

[The entire vessel is a living circuit] Crul explained. [I am detecting hundreds of thousands of interconnected runic arrays. There are Buoyancy Inversion runes to counteract the ship’s massive weight, Mass-Reduction sigils to allow for these speeds, and multi-layered Repulsion Barriers for defense. Every inch of this hull is reinforced with Elemental Tempering runes, allowing it to withstand the crushing pressures of the deep or the heat of a tactical bombardment.]

Ethan’s gaze shifted to the three primary cannons mounted on the central turrets. They were gargantuan, their muzzles wide enough to fit a small carriage. "And those?"

[The ’Dragon’s Breath’ Dual-Spiral Cannons] Crul replied. [They utilize a Dual-Vortex Runic Core. When fired, spiritual energy is forced into two opposing spiral paths. This creates a hyper-compressed spiritual vortex that, upon exiting the barrel, expands into a shockwave with a destructive output exceeding the Golden Core Realm. It is the same class of weaponry used by the Invictus. One direct hit could vaporize a small island.]

"Impressive," Ethan murmured, his heart tightening. "So this is the standard of power in this realm."

[Precisely, Master. These ships are designed to be army-killers. On this side of the horizon, individual strength is often eclipsed by the might of industrialized magic. Without these vessels, crossing the Great Azure Abyss would be a suicide mission.]

"Because of the beasts?" Ethan asked, looking at the dark, churning water.

[Correct. The ocean is teeming with Abyssal Leviathans—creatures that have cultivated for millennia. Their numbers are functionally infinite. However, the White-Rhino emits a High-Frequency Deterrent Aura through its hull runes. It mimics the spiritual signature of a Peak-Stage Golden Core predator. Only the mindless or the truly ancient would dare strike a vessel of this caliber.]

As they spoke, a thin line appeared on the horizon, growing taller and more imposing by the second. It wasn’t land—not at first. It was a gargantuan wall, thousands of feet high, constructed entirely of the same shimmering white metal as the ship. It stretched as far as the eye could see, a gleaming barrier between the wild ocean and the heart of a civilization.

The sun caught the metal, reflecting a blinding, holy light that seemed to announce to the world: "Here lies the Soaring Dragon Kingdom."

The White-Rhino approached the gargantuan white walls of the port, and the sheer mechanical ballet of the arrival left Ethan breathless. This wasn’t just a harbor; it was a vertical city of gears and magic.

As the flagship reached its designated berth, a low hum vibrated through the air. The ship’s Gravity-Dampening Arrays flared to life, glowing with an intense sapphire light. The massive vessel, weighing millions of tons, began to descend toward the water with impossible grace. It touched the surface as soft as a feather, barely creating a ripple in the harbor’s calm waters.

Suddenly, the white metal docks groaned. Colossal mechanical pincers—each the size of a skyscraper—swung out from the harbor walls. With a series of thunderous, metallic clanks, they clamped onto the reinforced docking points of the White-Rhino, securing the beast in its cradle. All around them, the White-Raptors and White-Hunters were undergoing the same ritual, a synchronized display of naval precision.

Ethan stood by the railing, his mouth slightly agape as he watched steam-powered cranes and runic lifts begin to swarm the deck.

"You look like a kid in a candy store, Master," Crul’s voice teased in his mind.

Ethan let out a short, self-deprecating laugh. "Can you blame me? You forget why I became a mechanical engineer in the first place. My dream was to be Tony Stark."

"I remember," Crul replied smoothly. "Though I also recall someone frequently calling you the ’Tony Stark of Temu.’"

Ethan’s brow twitched. "That was you, you snarky piece of code."

"Technically, it wasn’t me," Crul corrected, a hint of digital mischief in its tone. "That was the personality matrix of the system’s previous owner. I merely retained the most... accurate data logs."

"Whatever," Ethan muttered, adjusting the high-collared white jacket Isabella had given him. "Previous owner or not, I’m in a world where the ’Iron Man’ suit is made of spirit-metal and fueled by the souls of the dead. I’ll take what I can get."

As the massive gangplank lowered with a heavy thud, Major Isabella walked past him, her cape fluttering in the salt breeze. She glanced at him, noting his wide-eyed wonder.

"Welcome to the Dragon’s Reach, Ethan," she said, her voice filled with a cold, patriotic pride. "Try to keep your jaw off the floor. We have an audience with the Ministry of War in three hours, and I won’t have my ’guest’ looking like a provincial tourist."

Ethan straightened his posture, his amethyst eyes sharpening. The wonder remained, but the survivor’s coldness returned. He followed her down the ramp, stepping onto the soil of a kingdom that felt like a dream—and a very beautiful trap.

-------------------

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 ??