The Martial Unity

The Floating Sect had a remarkable amount of shelters that were meant to protect the civilian members of the sect from such calamities. In many ways, the civilian workforce of the Floating Sect was just as important as the guardians. They were the backbone of the sect, doing all the invisible non-flashy background work that was absolutely vital to maintaining the Floating Sect.

Furthermore, unlike how it used to be with the guardians, there was no constant supply of skilled labor to the Floating Sect.

The Floating Sect was not concerned too much about the guardians because there was an influx of highly qualified Martial Squires into the Floating Sect every day. There were different filters that ensured that only qualified elites entered the ranks of the Floating Sect out of the surplus influx of Martial Squires.

However, there was no surplus of an influx of skilled labor into the Floating Sect. It was actually quite difficult for the Floating Sect to acquire skilled labor and get them to join the sect.

For one, they required members to permanently become a part of the Floating Sect and commit everything to the sect. This alone was a difficult condition that would turn ninety percent of the workforce away. Yet it wasn't only the deep commitment that was expected of any member, but also the fact that once they joined the sect and entered the island, they could essentially forget ever leaving the island.

Due to the fact that the island was so isolated from human civilization, the same would naturally come to be the case for its members. It was simply too expensive to be able to facilitate frequent trips back and forth for its non-Martial Artist members who could not sky-walk.

Furthermore, the human members of the sect would be expected to reside and work in an extremely hazardous environment for the human body. Direct exposure would lead to instantaneous death on the spot.

Although there were many precautions, safe areas, and fail-safes, the sheer stress of being in an environment that would kill you in less than a heartbeat was something that ordinary people could not handle.

These conditions filtered out an overwhelming majority of the workforce in the Kaddar Region to even consider applying to the Floating Sect. The sect had actually gone through a lot of difficulties and had to bleed a lot to be able to obtain the skilled labor that they needed to build a fully functioning and self-sufficient sect from scratch.

Thus the workforce that they had at the moment was extremely precious, thus the Floating Sect had not skimped out when it came to the shelters that were designed to protect them in exactly these circumstances.

Rui extended his senses as he watched the hordes of people migrating downwards into corridors that would lead to heavily reinforced bunkers.

The guardians, on the other hand, did not evacuate. Unlike the civilians or even the Martial Apprentices, they were not frail enough to die just by being in the presence of a Senior-level battle. In fact, they would be on a cautionary standby. Although most of them were not strong enough to fight against a Martial Senior even when their Martial Hearts were exhausted, they could not afford to be treated as frail glass vases that needed to be protected.

They were called guardians for a reason, they were expected to step up to protect when the time came, even if their resistance was futile.

This was not pleasant, however, he did not see the kind of resistance he was expecting. Then again, the Martial Squires of the sect were cut from a different cloth, no one who was that averse to stepping up even if it meant death could make it past the challenger trial to become a member in the first place.

Pussies were filtered around even before they entered the sect. Even snakes like Serokin were not that cowardly.

A brief amount of time passed as the two of them prepared for the incoming attack. Having adorned their Martial attire, they quickly ensured that they were at their peaks, having consumed rejuvenation potions and extremely nutrition-dense food pills.

"When we get back to the Kandrian Empire, we have stories to tell alright," Kane murmured as he stretched a bit, loosening his body up.

"True," Rui mused with an indulgent smirk. "You can impress Fae when you tell her how you hunted down a Martial Senior as a Martial Squire."

Kane glared at him.

"Kidding," Rui chuckled, he was about to make another joke at Kane's expense, yet suddenly, something changed.

The two of them froze as their Primordial Instincts felt a faint wave of peril.

The world grew icier as a profoundly deep field of pressure began to wring the very air around them.

The fauna and flora on the island shivered as all sentient beings could sense a tremendous amount of unadulterated power.

Rui used Tempestuous Feel to extend his senses extremely deep across the entirety of the island trying to gauge what was happening.

Even if he knew.

The pressure was unmistakable. It was overwhelming. Domineering.

It also reminded him of the sheer magnitude of what he was undertaking by agreeing to fight them. They were monsters from his perspective, and feeling the bloodlust that he was feeling reminded him that it was not a joke.

He could very easily die in the blink of an eye. Just the sheer sensation made the confidence that he had gained from forcing Senior Xanarn to use her Martial Art deflate a bit. He didn't feel hopeless, far from it, but it certainly tempered his assessment of the risks associated with fighting Martial Seniors.

The two of them quickly scrambled in the direction of the pressure as Rui expanded his senses to be able to perceive the battle to the best of his abilities.

RUMBLE

Tremor rippled through the entire island as the very bedrock of the island began shaking!

"They've begun," Rui murmured as his eyes narrowed.