The closer Asher’s vessel got to the Grimwood Continent, the more frequently it encountered aquatic beasts.

Asher tried fighting a few of them, hoping they would reveal their Domains.

However, they were far too intelligent.

After exchanging blows for a short while and realizing they couldn’t easily deal with him, they simply retreated back into the depths of the sea instead of continuing the fight.

This made the rest of the journey much smoother.

Unfortunately, it also meant Asher didn’t get another opportunity to study a Grandmaster’s Domain any further.

Asher’s vessel continued flying through the sky.By now, his mana reserves had dropped considerably.

Maintaining the giant bird form consumed a large amount of mana, and the other vessels inside his mini spatial domain were also running low.

There was no ambient mana inside the mini spatial domain for them to recover from, so their reserves couldn’t replenish while they remained inside.

Because of that, Asher knew he would have to rest soon.

As he continued his journey, his eyes searched the endless sea for a suitable place to stop.

After traveling for some time, he finally spotted an island in the distance.

The island wasn’t particularly large.

A towering mountain stood at its center, while dense forests surrounded it from all sides, covering almost the entire island in lush greenery.

Asher’s vessel descended from the sky and landed on the peak of the mountain.

The giant bird made of mana gradually dispersed, revealing the vessel’s original human form.

After landing, Asher quietly spread his senses across the entire island.

His perception swept through the forests, rivers, and rocky cliffs, carefully searching for anything that might pose a threat.

A few moments later, he withdrew his senses.

The strongest beasts on the island were only at the Master rank.

There wasn’t a single Grandmaster-rank beast.

Master-rank beasts were far too weak to threaten him, so Asher simply ignored their presence.

After confirming the island was safe enough, he opened his mini spatial domain.

One after another, the other vessels stepped out.

Without exchanging a single word, all of them sat down and began recovering their mana.

Fortunately, Asher’s mana recovery speed was exceptionally fast.

Even after consuming so much mana during the journey, it would only take a few hours for all of them to return to their peak condition.

Asher’s vessels were quietly recovering their mana when the entire mountain suddenly trembled.

Rumble...

The vibration wasn’t particularly violent, but it was enough to make every vessel open their eyes.

One of them looked around before saying,"An earthquake?"

Another vessel immediately shook his head."It doesn’t seem like one."

He pointed toward the ground below."The ground around the mountain isn’t shaking. Only the mountain itself is."

The moment those words were spoken, none of the vessels hesitated.

In an instant, all fifteen of them teleported several hundred meters into the air.

From above, they silently stared at the mountain beneath them.

At the same time, Asher spread his mana sense once again, carefully scanning the entire mountain.

However, the result was exactly the same as before.

It still appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary mountain.

Not even the slightest trace of life could be detected.

Seeing this, Asher activated his ability to perceive Will.

The world before his eyes immediately changed.

The next moment, his pupils shrank slightly.

The mountain...

Wasn’t a mountain at all,well it was but it was also not.

It was a living creature.

A Grandmaster-rank beast.

Its body had remained completely motionless for so long that it had become indistinguishable from the mountain itself.

What surprised Asher even more wasn’t the beast’s size...

It was its Will.

The Will radiating from the beast was unbelievably powerful.

Among every Grandmaster Asher had encountered so far, this creature possessed one of the strongest Wills he had ever seen.

Even Grandmasters at Aetherium Academy, such as Professor Elisa, couldn’t compare to it in that regard.

It wasn’t that her Will was weak.

It was that this beast’s Will had been tempered over an unimaginable length of time.

Asher’s vessels quietly looked at the mountain.None of them made a move.

After a few moments, one of the vessels broke the silence."So... what should we do now?"

He kept his gaze fixed on the mountain before continuing,"It doesn’t seem like this beast intends to do anything. I’m sure it already knows we’re here and is simply choosing to ignore us."

Another vessel nodded slightly."Probably."

He paused for a moment before saying,"But its Domain.If we could observe it, it would be extremely beneficial for us."

The remaining vessels silently nodded in agreement.

The beast’s Will alone was enough to prove that its Domain would be extraordinary.

After a brief discussion, they reached a decision.

One after another, thirteen vessels entered the mini spatial domain of another vessel.

A spatial crack opened and quickly closed again.

Soon, only two vessels remained outside.

One of them spread his wings and immediately flew away from the island, taking the others with him.

The remaining vessel stayed where he was.

He quietly stood on the mountain peak, his gaze fixed on the enormous beast hidden beneath the mountain, patiently waiting to see whether it would continue ignoring him... or finally make a move.

The vessel that remained on the island quietly raised his right hand toward the sky.

For a brief moment, everything became silent.

Then, he slowly brought his hand down.

The space in front of him suddenly distorted.

A thin spatial rift silently appeared before expanding into a massive crescent-shaped slash.

Without making the slightest sound, the spatial sword strike cut through the air and flew straight toward the mountain.

Wherever it passed, the surrounding space rippled violently, leaving behind a faint crack that took several moments to heal.

The attack carried no element other than Space.

It was a pure spatial slash, sharp enough to sever almost anything in its path, as it descended toward the ancient beast sleeping beneath the mountain.